Dear Europe,

My first experience of Europe was my first trip abroad to France when I was 11 years old. It was a school trip in my first year of secondary school and it was intended for us to bond with each other whilst experiencing a new country. Since the UK is an island and not attached to the rest of Europe by land, it can feel so separate and isolated, but I later realised all it took was a few hours on a ferry and gap was filled. I realised that the country was different to home but not wildly so. There was the same green grass and trees but the buildings were different and the cars were driving on the wrong side of the road! However this ignited a spark in me to explore new places and see the different scenery that Europe and the world has to offer. 

Now that I’m older and I’ve experienced countries outside of Europe, when I do travel in Europe I can not only appreciate the shorter travel times, but also the familiarities of home- I can walk into a Lidl...