Undergraduate / 'Being abroad on my own' -The life changing experience - Common App Short [6]

Hello. :)
This is my first post on the forum and my first shot at the college application essays. Here is my answer to the short answer question on the Common App:

"Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum)."

"It was all new to me: being far away from home, going abroad and having to speak and understand a foreign language for weeks in a row, getting used to calling another place "home" and other people "family". Most importantly, it was the first time I had ever thought about the concept of "a different life": it was my first taking part in the partnership between my school and Hockerill Anglo-European College. The fact that I was able to have contact with a distinct culture at a young age opened my eyes about what actually made us so different but at the same time so alike. By hosting five different English students over the years, I have found out what other people thought about us and I was able to learn from their ideas. Being actively involved in voluntary work has broadened my teamworking skills. Last but not least, the opportunity to see new places has awoken the two strongest passions of my life: traveling and photography. It truly was the life changing experience of my existence."

Any ideas would be of great help!