Ryan Hickey -- New Zealand (NZS)

Before this summer I had only been away from home without my family for a few nights. But in July I found myself in New Zealand with a group of strangers. I lived and traveled with these people for 5 weeks; they quickly became my new family. Together we learned about each other, as well as New Zealand - and I had the most incredible experience of my life.I left Pleasantville, New York in the summer - on June 28th, to be exact. 18 hours in the air, and several time changes later, I landed in Auckland, New Zealand on June 30th - and in the middle of the winter. There were a lot of adjustments to make fairly rapidly - new climate, new people, new foods, new culture. At first it was difficult for me to literally understand the "Kiwis" because of their heavy accents (to my ears). But the people of New Zealand were always so friendly and understanding of us Americans, that soon I was having no trouble. I had never had the opportunity to immerse myself in a culture like I did in New Zealand, and I found it to be fascinating. Whether I was learning about the Maori people, or spending a day in a New Zealand high school, it was all new and all wonderful. New Zealand happens to be the most beautiful place in the world - at least as far as I'm concerned. It has some of the last unspoiled areas on the earth, and I was lucky enough to see many of them. I walked on a glacier, hiked through rainforests, went whale watching, mountain biking and snowboarding... and so much more. Getting to know the people in my group, and making new friends, was one of the best things about my summer. Although I loved staying with my host family, and had some great experiences with them, I formed some really strong bonds with members of my group. When I came back to Pleasantville, I missed not only being in New Zealand, but being with them. Some of my group will be my friends for life, I'm sure. When people ask me, "How was New Zealand?" I answer by either saying, "It was amazing" or "There are no words to describe it." I have so many memories of New Zealand, and they're all good! Most of all I want to say that I am so grateful to have had this opportunity - it has truly been a life changing experience.