This past week I had the privilege of experiencing a whole new part of the United States. I flew to Minneapolis and visited my best friend. I had never been to this part of the United States, so I had no idea what to expect. I am from a relatively small town in Florida, so being surrounded by beautiful skyscrapers immediately astounded me. However, it was not the skyscrapers of Minneapolis and St. Paul that captured my heart, but rather the memorizing green scenery and scenic trails.

My friend lives in a suburb of St. Paul, so it was a 30-minute drive from the airport. On the drive, we crossed the Mississippi River, and we even passed the Minnesota Vikings new training facility. Everything was green and beautiful.

Both my best friend and I are college athletes, so we had to train every day, but we both did not mind at all. For me, it was so exciting experiencing something new. There were hundreds of trails, and my friend took me to her favorites. All of the trails were surrounded by gigantic trees whose canopies gave us complete shade. In Florida, it is rare to find a trail with any shade at all. On one of our runs, we came across four deer, each at different locations on the trail; one deer was accompanied by her fawn. Florida is full of wildlife, but it is also fun to experience different kinds of animals.

One of the days I was there, my friend decided to take me into downtown Minneapolis. She knows I love football, so she pulled right up to U.S. Bank Stadium. I have seen many stadiums, but this one may have been the most spectacular. Later on, we decided to venture to the Mall of America. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip, and I don't even like shopping! Just walking around the mall was amazing, but the best part was the amusement park in the center of the mall. I could not wrap my head around having an amusement park in a mall so getting to experience something like that was surreal.

It is always important to experience new things. Every time you get the privilege to experience something new, you learn a little more about yourself. I loved Minnesota and everything it had to offer. I hope I can visit again next summer, so I can experience new treasures the Twin Cities have to offer.