Never before
A 1000 worded weekly literary series.
Enthralling experiences of an Indian teenager’s solo trip.
First time abroad – Lions Club International Youth Exchange Camp.
Sweden 2011.
Disclaimer
Our journeys are stories of our own.
This is mine and I’ve allowed some of these points to stand, in spite of being corrected.
It’s not a guidebook or a marketing piece for the Sunday paper.
It is semi-fiction: A fictional description of a true story.
In the 2020/21 lockdown, memories or dreams were the only way one could travel. I chose to go to a memory where relationships were uncomplicated and food was free. Oh, and beauty, beauty was in the light.
Ten years ago…
I was studying at one of the best universities in India. I had a home of loving parents and plenty of caring friends. I was happy. I had never left my coop: India. I got curious about life on the other side of the planet after meeting Alice from Sweden. Err, more about hows and whys later. Alice was in India for a Youth Exchange Camp organized by Lion’s Club. Around 15 to 20 folks (18 to 22 years old), each from a different country. They stay together for two weeks. One week before and one week after the camp, each stays with a host family: a local family from that country (two families per individual). Alice was staying with my friend’s family, whose mother is an active member of the club. Then, I embarked on a life-altering trip. It was a Youth Exchange Camp in Sweden like Alice’s was in India. There, I met 15 others like me, representing their nations. I built a few unbreakable bonds and discovered what ‘Travel Broadens The Mind’ truly meant. I stayed with Swedish families and attended the remarkable exchange camp. It felt like I travelled across 15 nations.
Despite the colossal cultural contrasts belonging to some unique continents,
do the emotions unite them? Let’s discover…
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PART III: Conquer
Coming soon