As I'm sure many of you know, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka LDS aka Mormon). In October 2012, during General Conference, the ages at which young men and women are able to serve missions were lowered, to 18 for the gentlemen and 19 for the ladies. This caused quite the hubbub for the entire world*, naturally, and I quickly submitted my papers. I recieved my call on November 15 to the Portugal Lisbon mission! I report to the MTC in April (yeah, it's a long wait, I know. Trust me... I know).
So why, you may ask, would a 19-year-old girl (or guy) decide to drop everything in the middle of the school year to move across the globe, to a place she doesn't know, to try to teach strangers in a language she doesn't speak?
Gooooood question.