Independently moving toward self-reliance

In the summer of 2013, I embarked on a life changing experience, I traveled with an orchestra throughout Europe. It was truly rewarding and allowed me to meet people I would have never met. It allowed me to see new places I would have never seen, such as Iceland and Ireland. It also forced me to be more independent.
The program was set up with limited supervision since there were only a couple of adults older than 30 on the trip. For the most part, groups were supervised by a college student, who in most cases was only a few years older than the people they were supervising. This allowed a lot of freedom for a rising Lawrence Woodmere Academy sophomore: I was able discover a new world without parental supervision, and I was able to figure things out for myself. Before this trip, the most independent experience in my life was going to a new school for the first time. In Europe, I wandered randomly on my own, trusted by my parents and the chaperones to take care of myself and to leave and return at the appointed time. This was not the only time I would be allowed to really exercise my independence.
A year later, I went to Boston, to Harvard for a debate, it was a fun program. However, there was one day that really stood out in my mind — the day we were allowed to visit the city. The parameters were simple: a group of three or more could go anywhere in Boston or Cambridge, but must let the office know where they were going and must be back by 5 p.m. that day.
One of my friends wanted to go to a place in upper Boston, the name now escapes me. There, he was looking for a particular store, because one time in the past he had gone to this place, but we could not find it. We wandered the town, a suburb of Boston, and could not find the station to get back home. We looked, and looked, and looked, and it was nowhere to be found. In the end, it took four hours; time which could’ve been used exploring Boston and all of its secrets. I remember using Google maps, asking random locals on the street, feeling frustrated, and yelling at each other constantly.
Challenging as it was, the discord among us had to stop. Facing our wasted time and coming to our senses did give us an opportunity to rely only on ourselves, and no one else. Finally, we took a deep breath, walked over to the nearest store, asked for a map, asked where the station was, and walked. Luckily, we still had some hours left to explore Boston. The experience of being lost gave us the motive to think, act, and accomplish tasks on our own. It was truly gratifying finding the subway station after hours of wandering. We still had some time, and hit all the major sites in Boston. We saw Faneuil Hall, walked part of the Freedom Trail, and walked down Newbury Street.
All in all, experiencing so much freedom as a teen has made me a more well-rounded and independent person. I am truly thankful to be allowed to strike out on my own, and it has made me a more world-ready person.