The winner of our Usit InterRail competition is Aisling Cottonfrom Rathaberna in Co Sligo. She wins a pair of Global InterRail tickets. Here is her winning entry
With the twinkle of a childhood renewed in her eyes, she set off bursting with possibility, adventure and a feeling of space tinged with something quite unknown. The freedom a new country brings will allow her to open up, not only to experiences and everyone around her but to herself and the capabilities she never knew she held.
What lies ahead? She has but a vague idea of global position, but she knows she won't be disappointed. To her she is Columbus, sailing her ocean of overwhelming new drifts . . .
As I anticipate my journey, a novice in the world of responsible travel - never without a parent - I am eager to prove myself strong enough and brave enough to charge full speed around Europe with my friends.
I understand that with my undeniable lack of direction, no doubt a few detours will add a bit of extra spice to the month away. However, I would like to banish my fears and lack of trust with the mantra that it'll all work out well in the end.
I am also keen to absorb lots of different cultures and the personalities within those cultures. Not only does this appeal to my sociable aspect but it also will, I hope, enable me to stand up and be more confident in being different in front of an audience.
As I finished my first year in college this year, I realised the improvements throughout the year in myself, but I also noticed the shortcomings in my group confidence. I think there could be no better forum than InterRailing for meeting, and opening up to, many interesting travellers and nationals alike.
My anticipation of people along the road is rife. First and foremost, are Germans angry, Italians stallions (men only) and all who live in Amsterdam potheads? My expectations of quirky hostel owners, particularly in eastern parts, are waiting to be sated or surprised.
I am also keen to discover a new favourite city or to see some panorama more breathtaking than anything I have witnessed before.
My birth year, 1989, saw the collapse of the Berlin wall, something I have always been conscious of. I know I have to see where it was, even if, as I've heard, it's disappointing.
So you see, I'm greedy for knowledge and experience, which for now, at this point of my life, are, I believe, to be found in InterRailing.
InterRailing will open my eyes to another side of life. It will allow me to become more independent and to start down a path of relationships with myself, as an adult, and with my new friends, and be the initiation of life down a new avenue - towards my future.
So this trip really will be a defining moment in my life, deciding who I will become and how I will live life. I cannot wait for this trip, the fun I will have, the experience, the people and all the train stops.
Finally, to parallel Plato's myth of the cave, until I, like the caveman, can see the world with my own eyes, I cannot be expected to know better and to understand its ways.
Aisling Cotton recently finished her first year studying science at Trinity College Dublin