All my life, I had difficulty making friends. High school was a difficult time for me. My high school only had about a hundred students, which was good in the sense that I knew everyone who went there. Although I could say that I was friends with the majority of high school students, I never found this to be a close-knit group of friends. So far in college I've made some new friends, but attending Holden would allow me to expand that group and hopefully create some strong friendships. My social skills have never been great among people my age and I believe that by living my daily life alongside others, my age would be beneficial in this area. I hope that if I could attend Holden Village, my conversation skills with other people my age would improve and help me in other events in my future life. Visiting a place like Holden Village is a unique experience that no other Augustana study abroad program seems to compare to. I can't put my finger on it, but Holden seems like a special place where anyone could learn for a lifetime. If I was able to attend, I hope that by striving to achieve my goals, I will help others with their own travel desires. Who knows, maybe I'll discover more about myself than I originally planned to. If this were to happen, it would simply be