Dreams: Halee Mills

     When I was young, I dreamed of seeing the world; I hoped for it. I wanted to explore the world and learn of all of its beauty. I wanted to see the Atlantic Ocean, walk the streets of London, roam around Paris, explore Rome, hike through the Andes and venture into the Wild West. In the summer of 2017, I was able to live out some of those dreams. I visited England, Ireland, Wales and France with some of my classmates from Montana. I visited Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway's houses, the Louvre, Big Ben, Parliament, Trinity College, Arc de Triomphe, the Catacombs, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Dublin, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales and yes, the Atlantic Ocean. All of these places were beautiful and my dream was coming true, but as usual, someone has to ruin it. It wasn't just one person. 
     My group as a whole was terrible. There were about 18 students and 3 chaperones. I thought surely the adults could handle it and keep everyone in check, but I was wrong. Of course, I wanted to take my time and look at the hundreds of years old Book of Kells and walk down the Long Hall as I pleased. And yes, I walked as slowly as possible through the streets of Stratford admiring the old houses and little store fronts. Those in my group did NOT like it. They wanted to rush through everything and do what they wanted to do, which was sleep since they were suffering from jet lag. I was the only person who did what the tour guide said, which was sleep on the plane and stay awake when we landed. This way, the time difference wouldn't affect me as much. Obviously everyone else in my group wasn't as smart, and you guessed it, they slept and wanted to do nothing. They were being selfish and painting me as the bad guy, saying I shouldn't take my time and look at these things. I mean, people were sitting on benches in front of the Mona Lisa for goodness sake. They weren't paying a lick of attention to anything around them. I was so frustrated. All I wanted to do was make my two years of hard work and money worth it on this trip, but people had to ruin it. 
     When my dream of travelling overseas and visiting these four beautiful countries came true, I was overjoyed. When I found my dream to be overshadowed by everyone's selfishness, I was devastated. My childhood dream of visiting my favorite author's home, walking where the Queen walks, seeing the Eiffel Tower and walking down Grafton Street was beaten down to almost nothing by having to endure the selfishness thrust upon me by my mean classmates. I loved the sights, the sounds, the languages and the cultures. I loved the music, the food, the dance and the tradition. Working hard for two years to go on the trip of a lifetime was ruined by those who believed their sleep and make believe fatigue were more important than everyone else's needs and desires. Their selfishness is still prevalent today when I go back to Montana to visit them. I still see it. It is still there. The disappointment I felt in those beautiful places will forever be far worse than any other disappointment I will ever feel. Some say, "When in Rome, do what the Romans do." To that I say, "When in a dream, remember it's just a dream," for that is all it is: a hope.