";An opportunity of a lifetime"; is how Amber Tendeland describes her recent visit to France and England spreading goodwill as a representative for the People to People Student Ambassador Program.

Amber and 46 other students and five teachers from throughout the U.S. returned July 25 from the 19-day trip devoted to bringing the world together through education and friendship, while experiencing a wonderful journey of discovery.

Mary Jean Eisenhower serves as president and CEO of People to People International. She is the granddaughter of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the country's 34th president, who founded the program during his presidency on the concept that ordinary citizens of different nations would solve their problems and find a way to live harmoniously with one another.

Amber is the daughter of longtime West Fargo residents Darin and Carmen Tendeland. A ninth-grader at West Fargo High School, she was nominated for the program last fall; went through an intense two-hour interview; and a week later received a call saying she had been accepted. Since that time, Amber had been attending advance preparatory meetings with other delegates also selected from Fargo, Moorhead and Grand Forks.

";My mom and dad were really excited and proud when I got the letter."; And my grandpa (Pat Tendeland) has been really supportive. He is the only grandparent I have left so it meant a lot to him when I got to go.";

";Our role was to travel to France and England and represent our country and learn about their culture as well as teach them about ours."; Amber said. The group spent the first four days in Paris, and the next three in Caen, lodging in hotels before taking an overnight ferry to England, where they spent the remainder of their time.

While in France, they toured the Chateau de Versailles built during the reign of Louis XIV, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Musee de Louvre, where they saw da Vinci's masterpiece the Mona Lisa, as well as a number of other historic sites and museums.

Amber said the stay in France proved to be a little more challenging because of the language barrier. ";It was difficult communicating, because the only one in the delegation that could speak French was the delegation manager who was from Scotland and spoke French and Dutch. She helped us out all the time.";

Amber said the high point of their French travels was visiting Normandy. ";It was an experience I'll never forget. We went to the cemetery at Omaha Beach. Everything was still intact; you could see the German bunkers. We saw the tombstone of Teddy Roosevelt Jr. and those of the two Niland brothers from ";Saving Private Ryan.";";

An extremely touching moment was singing the national anthem in front of the Wall of the Missing. ";We stood in a half circle with the monument in front of us. While four in our group held wreaths in tribute, we sang the National Anthem. When we turned around and faced the head stones, there were all the people standing there listening with tears in their eyes. It was all very overwhelming.";

That visit was their final French encounter before boarding an overnight ferry to their next destination point, England. Amber said the ferry ride ";was really different. It was so late, but we wanted to do it this way so we'd be able to sleep during the ride and be ready to go the next day. It felt like we were on the Titanic, the rooms were so small and there were bunk beds. It was all kind of weird. When we finally got to England, everyone was so excited because we could read the signs again and everyone spoke English.";

The first leg of their English visit involved participation in a three-day sailing school at the United Kingdom Sailing Academy in Cowes, known as the Holy Grail of sailing. It is also the home and the starting point of the America's Cup Sailing Race. The water sports facility teaches people of all ages and abilities the finer parts of water.

This part of the trip proved to be a natural for Amber, who is an avid swimmer and member of the West Fargo High School swimming team. The group learned windsurfing, kayaking and sailing and also how to play Rugby.

";It was so much fun learning how to do all of this,"; Amber said. ";Those in our delegation from West Virginia and Pennsylvania already were accomplished in most of the activities, but for many of us it was a great first-time experience.";

The last day of the school was truly memorable. ";We started out at the sailing academy and sailed around a little cape and just happened to see the fastest sailboat in the world,"; Amber said with enthusiasm. ";We continued around the cape and enjoyed a picnic, but by the time we were to get back on the sailboat and head back we couldn't because of the tide and the wind. So we all connected our sailboats and the big boat pulled us back.";

From the sailing school the group boarded a boat for an hour's journey to the English shore, followed by a two-and-a-half hour bus ride to the Midlands of England for a three-day home stay with an English host family, comprised of the father, who owned his own business; and the mother who cared for her own sickly mother. They also had children of their own but they were grown and not living there. The couple had hosted People to People ambassadors before.

";It was interesting, and it was much better than staying in hotels because we felt a lot more at home and were able to sleep a lot better,"; Amber said. ";The family had never hosted anyone from North Dakota before, so they were really eager to learn more about our country and state. They were amazed when I said we had so much open land, because they didn't even have enough space for a yard.";

Amber noted that there were also a lot of things they did without that Americans take for granted, like dishwashers, washer and dryers, and computers. The food was no surprise for anybody, however, and very much welcomed and enjoyed. ";We ate most of the same foods we have here,"; Amber said. ";The first night we had pot pie, the second chicken patties, and the last night hot dogs.";

As for the English culture, Amber said she was impressed by a number of landmark visitations, including the prehistoric site of Stonehenge; the medieval castle in Warwick, and the British Museum which she found ";very interesting. We also visited Buckingham Palace, but we didn't go in because there were such long lines and it was raining.";

She also enjoyed a ride on the London Eye, the largest ferris wheel in the world, built for the millennium celebration. The astonishing 443 foot high ride provides passengers a panoramic view of a 25-mile radius, taking a half-hour to go all the way around.

Amber said the bombing incident in London that occurred before they arrived there didn't hamper any of their activities. However, they did notice a lot of extra security. ";You'd walk down the street and see cops carrying big machine guns. That was kind of scary because we weren't used to it.";

All in all, members of the contingency had a really great time and built what they hope will be lasting friendships. ";We all got really close and I've gotten a ton of emails since I've returned home,"; Amber said excitedly. ";They were like our own families for three weeks, so if someone got homesick, we all got homesick. Three weeks is a long time to be away from home.";

Amber is looking forward to returning to the classroom this fall and sharing her experiences with fellow students. ";I love school. I haven't missed a day since I started and I'm really anxious to return."; Motivated by her trip, she also plans to take French this fall. Besides the swim team, she is also a member of the track team and active in the youth group at Flame of Faith United Methodist Church.

Amber said she has much to be grateful for and is most appreciative to family members and friends and local businesses who helped out, including Mom and Dad, brother Brandon, a seventh-grader at Cheney Middle School, uncles Shane Tendeland and Craig Anderson, aunt Cheryl Anderson and, of course, grandpa Pat. ";I want to thank everyone. It was a lifetime experience that meant a lot to me and without their support I wouldn't have been able to go.";

She will always have wonderful memories of the excursion, thanks in part to a trip requirement - a daily journal documenting activity on a day-to-day basis. On that note, she is already looking ahead to 2006 and a repeat trip with the People to People group to Australia. ";This program has such a positive impact on touching people and I'd really like to be a part of it again.";