When I first applied for trip of a lifetime I was hoping do new things and learn more about the world other than where I lived. I was hoping to share the new opportunities with other people to make a difference in my community. And to tell people yes I went there and tell them there is more out there than where you live and to make a difference with the experience I have received.

During my trip I had a lot of fun experiences but my favorite was when my group visited the White Mountains in New Hampshire We did really fun things but my favorite was when we went biking and we were split up into two different groups there was an extreme group and an extreme group. Of course, I was on the extreme group and we went biking in the trials and the rocks we were going over were huge. You had to be really skilled to ride this trail. There were people that lost control of the bikes because of the rough terrain! The trail we rode was no ordinary trail it was just completely covered in rocks it was a great time and I had a lot of fun! I also liked when they took us to the movies and we had a choice of movies such as Finding Dory, The Secret Life of Pets, or Tarzan. The majority of the group chose the Secret Life of Pets, but I enjoyed watching Finding Dory as it reminded me of when I was four years old and first saw Finding Nemo. While at New Hampshire there was the ropes course that offered another look at nature from a different point of view. The entire scenery in New Hampshire was breathtaking and I even had the opportunity of seeing a fox while we were at the White Mountains! It would be great to go to a trail and go on another adventure in the future because it was the first time I experienced this in my life!

While I was in the White Mountains and all these other places they looked different from where I live. It was cleaner it looked nicer and there was no litter. I want to recreate what I saw to my community is to help stop littering and because of this experience. I also noticed the difference in the way people treated each other and they were a lot nicer. The experience that I had will help me to communicate to my friends in my community how it can become a better place.

After the trip I was very grateful for what I saw and the things I did. I learned a lot on the trip especially how to build a tent with my group that would fit six people. While we were in Maine I also learned that the green part of the lobster is edible! I also liked the sights we saw at the tower in Canada.

During my eastern adventure tour I have learned many things but I shouldn’t keep it all to myself. I am going to share all the places and things I have seen to make my community better and show people you can achieve anything you want if you work for it. I would never had thought that I would be able to participate on a trip where I would meet new friends that I have made connections with as well as experiencing new sights and learning how to become more responsible while travelling on my own.

Damian Diaz
Trip of a Lifetime 2016

My transition back home wasn’t huge for me with the exception of my sleeping routine.