I had dreamed all my life to have an experience abroad with English native speakers, and I thought it would be the best way to become proficient at speaking the language.
In 1994, I enrolled in a foreign exchange programme with EF Student Exchange Programmes. It was an intensive two-week-summer course in London, which gave me plenty time to include Cambridge and Canterbury in my short tour in the UK. I was amazed and fascinated by the old and new architecture, as well as by the colourful gardens, forms, shapes and styles of so many historical buildings.
I was young, enthusiastic and very motivated to return to the Uk after living the British culture briefly for two weeks. I would need a longer period to develop my own personal life experience. In fact, you never know when it is the right moment to live the dream as life circumstance changes without warning you.
For some time, I explored a variety of pathways to work and to study abroad. I looked at work permit, student scholarship, tourism and meeting new friends online. I also tried a visa to The United States of America, for three times it was denied and I saw my dream fading away. It was not as easy as many people might find.
The opportunity came much later in life, when I moved to Scotland in July 2006.
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