Is it worth it?

Guess who's back, back again

My blog's back, tell a friend

So I stopped posting for a few personal reasons, just didn't have the inspiration to go on with it... BUT! my writer's block is finally gone and I've been feeling everyday a bit more inspired to publish again, so here it goes, my very first post after a few months... a reflection of what exchange means to me.

Exchange is the best thing that will ever happen to you. You will make friends, both exchangers and locals, that will be with you for life. You will suddenly find yourself having multiple families, the one you left back home and whom you miss the most, but also the families here that open their homes and their hearts to you and make you feel welcomed and loved. You will see amazing, breath-taking, unbelievable places, the kind of places that make you actually stop and think about how grateful you are for where you are and everything that is going on in your life right now. 

You will think a lot about the family and friends you left behind and how much more you appreciate them now that they are so far away. And you will also feel proud of yourself, not in a cocky way, but because you actually will go/are going/went through a whole year of struggles, tears and happy moments all on your own. You will gain a sense of independence that you didn't have before, exchange will make you grow up, open your mind and your eyes to a new world, to many different cultures and traditions.

Being an exchange student is something to be proud of. Very few get to see the world like we do, and we must be thankful for the opportunity we have. 

It's short, it's not anything that hasn't been said before, but it felt right to write it down, to get it out there for everyone asking themselves if it's worth it becoming an exchange student. It is. It is worth every single tear, every single laugh, every single penny and every single Skype call with the ones you love, it's even worth every boring day at school and every awkward party. It's worth every day you feel like you're alone in the world, because it's then when you realize that you're not, that you have friends, family, even strangers in the exchange community that are there for you, in whatever way you might need them. I will never regret becoming an exchange student, and I will carry my experiences this year throughout my whole life.

Have fun, be safe, don't get caught!

On your own

Going back to normal is certaintly something I'll have to get used to. After introcamp everything feels kind of like a blurr. Days go by either super quick or super slow, but I try to enjoy every single one of them anyway.
Every day life is great, actually. School is boring, yeah, but that's school everywhere in the world. My classmates are great, all of them. We had a thing like a previa on Thursday before Sports Dag (don't even get me started on having to dress up as a nun and play sports, so much fun) and maybe because they were tipsy they were all super open and funny and actually talked a lot with me. It's just a really nice feeling to feel like a part of something. Hygge, if you know what I mean.
Not even is gold while being so far away from Argentina. It's very common to miss, specially when you get homesickness. I do feel like Denmark is my home already, and I don't ever want to leave. But it's normal to sometimes miss the people back home whom we've known for our entire lives and the commodities of our old routines. It's hard to miss everyone you love, or to struggle and not have the people that always supported you with you now. But you get used to it, being on your own during hard situations makes you grow up, it forces you to. And that is such a positive thing. To realize that you can overcome what life throws at you on your own, making your own decisions and owning up to your responsabilities and mistakes.
But even when you're "on your own", you're never alone. You find yourself surrounded by other people who understand what you're going through because they're going through exactly the same things... and that's your exchange fam. Nothing ever compares to them. People from every corner of the world who you can relate to and who are your home away from home. Just like the friends you make in your host country and your host fams, of course. Every single person that makes you feel welcomed, that shows you even a tiny bit of interest, that lets you now that they care and are there to support you, they all show you you're most definitely not alone.
This past week I realized that no matter how much I love my people back home, I have to focus on myself. This year is everything I have been dreaming of for the past two years and now that it's here, I had to let go of what was holding me back in Argentina to fully and truly enjoy it. And I did, and I feel so much lighter now. Even during the hardest days, the dream come true overcomes everything else.
Have fun, be safe, don't get caught!

Overwhelmed

Last time I posted was two weeks ago and believe it or not, a lot can happen in just two weeks.

Week one of not posting was pretty uneventful, or maybe it was so outshined by the second one that I just don't remember if anything important happened. Yeah, I received my card (and blocked it, all within two hours of having it, yay) and school was as usual really good and really boring. It's just what it is. 

But the real reason I didn't post last Monday was because I was at the introcamp. A whole week with 165 other exchangers from all over the world who are living in Denmark for the year, just like me. Good thing was that it was in my city, Berringbro, so just like some people had to take 3 or 4 hours drives to come, it only took me ten minutes. 

I can't explain every single thing we did during that week because it would literally take me a lifetime, but let me just say it has no comparison. I had high expectations for the introcamp, having heard so much about how cool it was just made me more anxious. But it seriously surpassed anything and everything I could have ever imagined. At first, it was because the place was really cool and I was really happy with the room arragenments. Then, it was because I got to spend a lot of time with my already and new friends but at the same time I got to learn some danish (Yes, it's hard. No, I don't suddenly understand everything people say). But all in all it was just because I was completely happy. I don't think I have ever felt (sorry to all my people back in Arg, I'm just generalizing) so at home as I did this past week. I made friends that will always be a part of me, I now have anecdotes and inside jokes to laugh about for a lifetime, It's crazy to think that I've known this people for such a short time and still they have already affected my life in such a positive way. Every single exchanger I have met in my life and specially those I got to spend the best week of my life with have shaped my life and left a piece of them, mainly as memories, with me. There's no way I could have experienced something like this without Rotary, this is truly life changing.

That's why ever since the introcamp finished a few days ago all I tell my other exchange friends around the world is that they have to enjoy every second of it as if it was the last time they'll ever have, because it is. And not fully enjoying this and not realizing how incredibly lucky and privileged we are to be experiencing this is honestly the worst thing anyone could do. 

I'm not very inspired, and this is definitely not my best post ever, but I'm so overwhelmed with how happy Denmark makes me that I don't think I have enough words to express myself.

Also, today marks one month since I said my last goodbyes to my friends and (Cambria stop laughing) "s/o"... It's been hard, but like I say in every post, happiness outweighs every negative thing posible.

Have fun, be safe, don't get caught!

On change and hygge

I don't think I realized it while it was happening but during this past week I finally adapted completely to the Danish life. Yes, there are still some things that confuse me (WHY COINS WHY) and a lot other that amaze me like if I was a little kid. But if I'm going to be here for only a year, I might as well get excited about every tiny little thing if I want to. 

There's something that crossed my mind while talking to my host parents... We as exchangers become professionals at adapting to change. It starts with the country, the family, the language. Those are the biggest changes. But we also learn to adapt to a change of plans during a weekend, or at school, or even a change of events in our lives during the exchange. And when our exchange years are over and we grow older, we adapt to how different our lives are now but we also learn to change the world as world citizens, because that's part of what this experience does to you. If you were a close minded person you probably wouldn't even have gone on exchange, but it opens your mind further into the unknown, the infinity of possibilities we have just at the reach of our hands, and when we, as young people that lived and experienced incomparable things, realize that there's nothing we can't do if we put ourselves to it, we become unstoppable. 

Sometimes I feel like writing about what happened during my week, sometimes tbh I don't feel like writing at all... And sometimes I have so much on my mind that it's hard to put it into words. I visited some amazing places and met some incredible people this past week, and every day that goes by I'm more convinced of one of the thoughts I talked about in the latest post. I don't understand why Danes have a reputation for being cold and reserved people, it is so wrong. There has not been one person in my 15 days here that hasn't treated me as if I was part of their families or friends or whatever. Maybe I'm the lucky one, but I have only been here for two weeks and I already feel at home, surrounded by warm and nice people wherever I go. It's true that there's no translation for hygge, because there's no way of explaining how perfect that feeling is. 

Have fun, be safe, don't get caught!

I'm in a happy place

Does blogspot have a word limit? Because if it does I'm screwed.
I literally don't know how to start this post. Have I really been here for only one week? So much has happened, it feels like I've been in Bjerringbro for 3 months already...
So basically I survived what my hostmor calls hell week! And it wasn't hell at all! I started school last Wednesday and at first I thought it was going to be awkward and awful, but it turned out to be amazing. My classmates are great! Just on the first day the girls really tried to get to know me and talk to me in English and help me translating what I didn't understand (pretty much everything), so yeah, it was cool. Towards the end of the week the boys started talking to me too which was nice because I really want to get along with everyone in my class, I'm going to be with all of them for the whole year after all...
I also met all of my host families and my counselor's family and what can I say? I honestly don't understand why Danes have this crazy reputation for being cold and reserved... They're all so nice I can't even believe it ❤  Back in Argentina I have three older siblings, and now here in all of my families I'm the eldest sister of boys (actually living with boys isn't bad at all, it's part of the challenge!)
And then my first weekend here was just around the corner and it seemed crazy that it had only been a week. On Saturday we had Mathias goodbye day (that's what I call it. He's going on exchange to Argentina, probably next Saturday), I met a bunch of relatives who were all really cool and funny (Danes have a great sense of humor) and then the night came and it was time for the party. Lemme just say danes are wild. Not even kidding. But I had a great time and everyone was really chill, specially when they found out that "oh you're the Mara that they announced on the speakers at school". Yup, that's me... On Sunday I had my first district meeting with all the other exchange students and let me just say... THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING EVER. I met all of the other exchangers, made some pretty good friends with whom I already have inside jokes and anecdotes and even reunited with my bae whom I hadn't seen in more than a year ❤ So over all my first week in Denmark was amazing.
I did get a bit homesick. Specially on the 12th because it was my first 12th alone and I honestly didn't know how to deal with that. Missing is tough, yeah, but it doesn't matter how much I miss, it never outweighs how happy I am with the path I'm taking right now. I'm in a happy place (in every aspect) and I intend to keep it that way.
Have fun, be safe, don't get caught!

And so it begins...

Maybe it's because I'm already thousand miles high that it finally hit me, yeah, I'm on a plane (for the first time) and leaving for 11 whole months... Leaving my family, my friends, my routine, everything I know... And I'm only 17?
Let me just say this plane is da shit. Not even kidding, KLM you made this first experience begin with a pretty good start. Yeah, my flight got delayed but that had nothing to do with the company. And yeah, the two Chinese people sitting beside me make me feel like they are talking about me but so what? It's fun and they've been lovely to me, plus movies and music on demand is everything I never knew I wanted (finally got to see The Force Awakens, sorry Cami)...
This post isn't that philosophical or deep or anything, I don't have a lot to analyze, I'm just too happy to think about anything else! I'm meeting my first host fam and my third hostsis and I just can't wait. Danes are known for being cold people (maybe they are, I still have 11 months to figure that out) but every Dane I've gotten the opportunity to talk to has been really nice to me, even if they didn't know anything about me yet...
As of right now I still have like 8 hours until I get to Amsterdam and boy has my butt completely flattened for life. I didn't cry that much when saying goodbye to my family, which to be honest surprised me, but I guess I know they'll always be there, and the whole day felt like a huge goodbye... But yesterday (as of Friday)? I don't think I stopped crying not even for one second. Goodbyes are hard yes, very, but how sad can I get when it's overweighed by how awesome it feels to turn this dream into a reality...
There are so many people I have to thank for this opportunity, not all the posts in the world would be enough.

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Okay so I wrote that while I was on my way to Amsterdam on Saturday night/Sunday really early... And gotta update now!!
Amsterdam was amazing! The airport is beautiful and HUGE, there are shops literally everywhere and it takes a good ten minutes to go from one gate to the other...
By the time I got to Aalborg I was so tired I didn't even get nervous, I just wanted to get home. My first host fam and my hostsisters from the third host family were there and they all received me so so so warmly. I drove with my hostsisters so I got to know them a bit and we talked about a lot of stuff, they're both really cool and funny. Then we got to Pindsvinekrattet (I think that's how you spell it, blame me and my terrible danish) which is the neighborhood/street where I live, and it's so pretty! Actually everything in Denmark is beautiful 😍 we had dinner (I loved it) and licorice ice cream afterwards... I didn't like licorice the first time I tried it back in Argentina but I gotta say that ice cream was not bad!
And then I slept... And God I slept SOOO much, woke up at like 3pm! Had brunch (Almuerzayuno) and Danes eat so many different things!! My counselor came while I was taking a shower and I didn't know! So he had to wait for me, which wasn't good because I know danes are very punctual and argentinians are not, at all 😂 And then I unpacked, I already feel at home here :) We ate dinner at like 6:30 (yeah, so early, nothing like the 11pm dinner back in Argentina) and it was really good... If I keep liking absolutely everything I eat my clothes won't fit anymore!!
Some time later Jørgen and Sigurd showed me the way to my school, through the woods and literally everything is so green here! My school is beautiful from the inside and the outside, I loved it.
It's a great feeling to finally be here, I feel at home and everyone has been extremely nice, I'm so happy and I already don't want this year to be over! True, I miss my people back home but this is the happiest I've been in my life! So life is good right now :)
Have fun, be safe, don't get caught!

Goodbyes

Today marks 5 days left until I leave, and I don't think I truly ever realized  what it was going to feel like to say goodbye to all my loved ones.  It's heartbreaking, to say the least. I read in another blog that this is pre departure depression  and I think it might be right.
From organizing my goodbye party to hanging out one last time with my "significant other" soon, to seeing all my wonderful exchange friends start their own exchanges somewhere else. This last few days have been and will be very emotional. Maybe it's weird that it hit me just today, only 5 days before I leave, my friends and classmates of 6 years started school today and I wasn't there, because I'm taking a different path to theirs and it just hit me that I am going to be somewhere else living a new life while everyone here goes on with theirs. I've made some pretty amazing friends throughout my life, I'm so lucky...
Next time I write, which will be next Monday I think, I'll be somewhere else already, calling Denmark my home. And I can't wait! I don't think nothing ever prepares you for the feeling of being on exchange,  of being foreign, of  being almost on your own.
Have fun, be safe, don't  get caught.