Sitting on the green couch with a lemonade in hand, junior Stella Thorsen gazed out into space as she described her plans for second semester.

“My whole family and I are going to travel all across Europe for six months and experience everything from France to Germany,” Stella said. “I’m really excited for a lot of things, especially the food.”

Stella and her family plan to use AIR B&B, a Worldwide Accommodations Leader, in order to find places to stay during their trip.

Despite her excitement, Stella understands that there will be difficulties when she comes back.

“Even though I am excited for the experiences I will have, I am nervous about the transition back to school,” Thorsen said. “I’m missing second semester which means I will have to take the SAT and ACT tests when I get back.”

However, Stella believes that this will be her last chance to travel with her family while she is still in high school and knows that if she will regret it if she does not take this opportunity.

Still, Stella has some fears for her upcoming trip.

“One of my main fears is being closer to a lot of these recent attacks that have been happening in Europe, mainly Paris,”  Stella said.  “I would love to stay in Paris, but at the same time I’m scared that something like that would happen again.”

Stella also feels a lot of support from her friends, especially senior Amanda Champion, who is proud that Stella is making this transition.

“I think that this trip will really help Stella become knowledgeable about another country,” Champion said.

Stella hopes that she can become comfortable in the new world she is traveling to in order to feel like she fits in.

“When I’m traveling, I don’t want to be seen as a tourist,” Stella said. “I want to feel like I am a local and not like an American who is just watching other people live their life.”

The Thorsens left early February and will not return until three days into the next school year.