They say there's a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. For Nicole McLaughlin, the pot of gold is her return trip to America.

Five years ago, McLaughlin came to America through CFPNI, the Children's Friendship Program for Northern Ireland, and stayed with Jim Thorpe resident Hugh Dugan and his family. CFPNI is a program that takes one Catholic and one Protestant teenager from Northern Ireland, either two boys or two girls, and puts them together to teach them that they're not different, in light of the political conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.McLaughlin was one half of the pair sponsored by Dugan in 2006.McLaughlin believed the program worked and that she "learned to put differences and politics behind her friendship."After her first visit, she said that she'd return to the United States when she was 21. On her birthday, her parents presented her with her golden ticket back to the country.She told the TIMES NEWS that the people and the weather are the things she likes the most about the United States."At home, the weather is cold, rainy and miserable," she said. "But when it's good, it's good."McLaughlin has been sightseeing around the area, visiting attractions such as Glen Onoko. In addition to touring the area, she has visited New York City and enjoyed the nightlife there. She will be returning to the city soon to do some more sightseeing and go on the Gossip Girl Tour, viewing the locations where they film CW's television show Gossip Girl.She would also like to run up the "Rocky stairs" at the Philadelphia Art Museum, as in the movie Rocky before she goes home.Although McLaughlin is not a boxer, she does have something in common with fictional character Rocky Balboa: the two are both highly-competitive athletes. McLaughlin plays camogie, the female version of hurling that is sort of similar to lacrosse, for Omagh College of Further Education.In addition to sightseeing, McLaughlin has been working at Molly Maguire's Pub in Jim Thorpe."There are so many types of cheese," she said, commenting on the variety in American restaurants. "At home, a cheeseburger is just a cheeseburger."Dugan and his wife, Fran, who helped her get the job, were more than happy to host her again."I love these kids to death and treat them like my own," he said.McLaughlin will soon return home to complete her final year of school at Omagh College and finish her degree in sports science.