During the summer before junior year at Harry S. Truman High School in a suburb of Philadelphia, I went to Benton, PA. My friend Gracie from kindergarten moved to Benton during the summer of eighth grade at Neil Armstrong Middle School, which is the whole reason I went. I stayed up there for a little over a month, and Gracie’s dad’s friend lent us his golf cart for the summer. Mind you, I absolutely love to drive golf carts, so I would go for a ride a few times a day.

The first night I got there, Gracie and her sister Maggie took me on a tour on the golf cart and we almost got lost in the woods. Fortunately, we did get back home safe, and besides almost getting lost in the woods it was a really great first night. Having a good first experience helped create a good atmosphere for staying a month. Within the first couple of days of being up there I got to know my way around. Learning the paths so quick was good because even if Maggie and Gracie did not want to go for a ride, I could go by myself without a problem.

During the summer Gracie worked for her school to help clean it up and prepare for the new year. When Gracie’s mom went to pick her up I would take the golf cart and intentionally pass them on the road following them home to help occupy my time and have a little fun. While Gracie worked, I was home with Maggie and their mom, so I would usually just eat breakfast and sleep or go back upstairs and play on my phone waiting for her to get home. Sometimes I just went for a drive. While I was in Benton, I felt like a part of a family for once and was happy with no worries or stress. Every night their mom would make dinner when their dad got home from work, and we would all eat together.

We also had many trips to Wal-Mart to shop. We would often play Monopoly, have 2:00 a.m. food runs, share heart to heart talks, experience sad moments and enjoy fun days. It was just so much wrapped into a single month. We would play with the cats outside and go to the dam downtown and swim. The most exciting part of the trip was getting to see kittens being born for the first time. It was such a great experience. It was really good I was there because they do not know much about animals and I do. I was able to help, and I knew what I was doing. Many people ask how I am so knowledgeable with animals and it’s because I want to pursue being a veterinarian, so I do lots of research. Another reason is because I have had two litters of puppies, so I already had experience in animal birth.

There is so much that happened in Benton and I did not want to leave because I was genuinely happy for once. I learned lots during my stay, which basically was growing up and becoming mature. I realized how to handle situations correctly and that everything happens for a reason. Another thing was understanding life and knowing what its like to be on your own without your parents. I am excited to be going back this summer. I hope to have just as great of an experience. Also, the baby kittens will be bigger so I can see how much they have grown in the past year.