Within these
last 7 months lots has happened. I have had experience that I would never have
been able to experience if I had stayed in New Zealand. I have experienced a
white Christmas, skiing both downhill and cross country in a country known for its
skiing, having little over 5 hours of day light, trying to learn a brand new language
and of course Swedish culture and traditions! I have experienced what it is
like in another family, how hard it is to make a whole new bunch of friends,
what it is like to have full independence for yourself and what school is like
in a different country and January! These experiences I am going to remember for
life and are making my exchange the best year of my life. I have met so many new and amazing people over
the last 7 months. Exchange students from every corner of this world to Swedish
friends helping me feel at home in their country!
In the last
7 months I have lost and found myself. I have changed but I have stayed the
same. It is hard to explain how this can happen but I think that all exchange
students know this feeling. I have discovered who I am by testing myself with
new things. With new opportunities.
I have seen
how right AFS was about my exchange. How it would be different for everyone yet
at the same time it would be the same. The saying “same, same but different”
has never been more fitting!
I have seen
all my expectations for my year fly out of the window never to be seen again,
while new, different expectations were formed only for me to realizes that they weren’t
right either and they went out of the window to join the others!
I have
coped, sometimes better than other times, with hard situations that come about. How when it gets hard with family, friends, realizing
that I am in a different country, I can figure something out and cope with it
rather than freaking out and going insane!
So now
there is only four months left for me here in Sweden. And I plan to fill it
with ALL the experiences! Starting with going to England for four days with
school in 3 days time. To going down to the south of Sweden with my contact
family. And then there is school graduation, concerts and class parties! These next
four months are going to zoom past in a world wind of wonderful crazy and I can’t
wait to see what else they have to throw at me. But when it comes to thinking
about going home I don’t really know how to feel about it. I miss New Zealand
and my family and friends but I love the big wide world!
Exchange is
ups, downs and turning around. But so is life.
