I'm the type of person who never rests until I reach my goal, once I set my mind to something I have to achieve it. I first encountered the English language (as a third language) at the age of 11 (fifth grade) and immediately fell in love with it. It was always my favorite subject in school. Learning this language has always been a never-ending journey for me. I acquire new vocabulary every day, from the different TV programs I watch or from the "BBC" or "Bloomberg" radio stations. Whenever I come across a new phrase/word, I write it down immediately, that's why my essay might seem conversational rather than formal, it's been a long time since I wrote an academic essay. Since middle school, I had been hearing about all kinds of student exchange programs, wishing I could participate in one of them, but unfortunately all those wishes were rejected by my parents. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Eventually, I gave up on asking, but I never gave up on the idea. Every year, for over a decade now, I made a list of all the programs relevant to the United States, printed them out, looked up information about them, fantasized about joining one of them… And that was it. I never had the courage to go through with it, fearing my parents' disapproval. Life went on, or so my parents thought. When it came to choosing an academic major, I was a little lost. If I had known myself as I know myself today, I would have chosen English immediately, without "wasting" 5 years of my life. A few years passed. Now I'm an English teacher. I love my current jobs; one of them is actually one of my dream jobs. My ultimate professional goals have always been to work as a higher education teacher/lecturer. Applying to the FLTA program can provide me with this opportunity and so much more. It would also help me learn more about American culture. To learn more about my main job: teacher at Albashaer school; this school is one of the best schools in the Arab sector, we only accept students with high levels of achievement, so it is obvious that the teachers are also carefully selected. Our English staff, for example, consists of 5 teachers, all except I spent at least a year in the US and I feel like they somehow gain an advantage over me because of that. Even though my students think (at the beginning of the school year) that I am a native English speaker and keep asking me questions like how many years I spent in the United States (which I honestly like to play with, I don't confirm their assumptions, but I don't they don't even deny them). I would really appreciate it if you could indulge in this life-changing experience. It would increase my self-confidence as an English teacher. Furthermore, it would help me with my private affairs and also open new doors for me. I hope you will not consider me a self-centered person, in light of the above. It's just like that whenever I choose to be a part of something; first, it would be something I'm really passionate about, and second, I have to stand out, not like mediocrity. On a more personal level; my birthday is July 24th and I've forgotten what it's like to celebrate or enjoy one of these. My father never wished me a happy birthday. I always thought it was because he doesn't like those things and that's what he is. But apparently, for him this date is nothing more than a reminder of the age of his unmarried daughter. Whenever someone references my being single (which happens repeatedly), my dad would turn to me and say "don't forget that next month/this,.