It was official! My freshly issued passport got its first tatoo! It was truly a time of firsts: the first time ever on a plane, first time out of my tucked family nest, first time to live abroad and take care of myself and definitely the first jump out of my comfort zone. I was going to spend four months in the United States on a Work & Travel program. My four girlfriends and I got a summer job in a well-known fast-food chain in Toms River, NJ. Needless to say that my grandmother was horrified when she learned that I was going to flip burgers in the middle of a highway. My parents were much more supportive since my mother had a similar Work & Travel experience in London, UK back in the seventies, and she was aware of the many good traits of such travels.
wanderlustygoat 