Traveling to foreign places is a fantastic opportunity to discover the world. While most vacations last about a week or two, Senior Zach Snow had his stay last nearly a whole year.

Snow flew to Germany in July of 2017. With expectations of only staying for a week, his then stationed dad presented him with a unique opportunity.

“My dad was staying in Stuttgart, Germany working for the Army, and offered me to stay with him for the school year,” Snow stated.

Snow was hesitant to say yes to the offer.

“I wanted to say no because I wanted to spend my senior year with my friends,” Snow added. “I ended up staying because my dad kind of forced me to stay.”

Saddened for the first little while, Snow decided to try and make the most out of his situation.

“I figured, since I was in the heart of Europe, that I would try to explore as much as I could. I started off with going to Paris because who wouldn’t want to go there,” stated Snow.

With the help of easily accessible trains throughout the continent, Snow went from country to country.

“I would hop on the train in Germany and go to places like Spain, Amsterdam or maybe even Prague,” noted Snow. “Anywhere you could think of, I would be a train away.”

When pinpointing his favorite experience in Europe, Snow recalls his experience in Spain at the Rafael Nadal tennis training center.

“I spent a week there improving everything in my game from the best player in the world. I would play tennis all day on some of the best courts I have ever seen. I even got the chance to meet him, which was super cool,” shared Snow.

When he wasn’t traveling through Europe, Snow would become the average high school student rolling through his senior year.

“Even though I was in Germany, I attended an American high school on the Army base my dad worked at. All the classes were taught in English, so it was basically like going to Freedom with a lot of new faces,” said the senior.

While Snow enjoyed his stay in Germany, he is now returning stateside.

“I’m moving back to Tampa to finish out the school year and for the summer. I’m still undecided on where I’ll be attending college, so that’s going to be my main concern for while I’m here,” Snow stated.

Snow only has positive words when he describes his overall experience of living in Europe.

“Europe is an interesting place with many interesting people, but my stay there provided me with some of the best experiences of my life.”