"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney

Exactly three years ago I made a wish. I wanted to spend a year abroad. Quickly I found out that there was only one possibility for me to make this dream come true: I had to apply for a scholarship. And yes, it seemed beyond unrealistic to me at first; it was a lot of work, nerve racking and sometimes quite hard.
Of course people told me I wouldn't make it because there were too many students applying, but that didn't stop me at all.  That motivated me even more to work harder; I took online classes, watched videos to improve my English skills and talked to people who had applied before. I truly believe that if you want to achieve something and if you work hard enough for it, you will achieve it. This has been shown to me two times so far and even if there were moments where I didn't know what to do next, it was so worth it in the end. I learned that believing in myself created so much self-confidence which made me a happier person.
I never really used the words "I'm proud of myself" before because I never felt like I actually achieved something "big" - but the moment I read the letter that said I had got the scholarship I definitely was proud, even though I couldn't (and still can't) get over the fact that I'll be in the US in a couple months.
All I'm trying to say with this entry is that if you truly want something, work for it. Do the best you can and don't let anyone bring you down because everything that really matters is believing in yourself.
I seriously can't wait to meet new people and listen to their stories soon - getting away from the environment you're used to is one of the best experiences in my eyes, especially at such a young age. I'm so excited to let you guys know all the memories I will make - thank you for so many views in the last couple days.
Surprisingly a lot of Americans have visited my blog recently - that's why I decided to write this entry in English. Make sure to have a look at an extremely interesting entry about an exchange from Isabel (http://isi-goes-to-the-usa.blogspot.de/) ! :)