my year in 20kgs...

I'm packing, I started a good few weeks ago, but its just so overwhelming that I've been doing it in bits. However, with a week to go- a very BUSY week to go, I think while I have the free time I should get it done. Except I have the problem of fitting my year into 20kgs. I came to DK with 20.. and that was fine because I was starting a new life... I could build on what I had, but now I'm leaving and I want to take everything back from this life.

So I've donated a whole black garbage bag of clothes to charity, thrown away all my papers and culled all the little extra bit and pieces. I believe I'm doing well compared to the other exchange students- my mum always taught me to be ruthless and not to hoard but its just so sad putting the contents of my year into 20kgs.

what do you get when you cross a sheep with a kangaroo?

.. two amazing best friends.

so tonight/ EARLY this morning I said goodbye to one of my bestfriends- Stace, from N.Z.

over the last 6/7 months Stace and I have become such close friends. We've had an amazing time together and so many unforgettable moments. From good, bad, sober, drunk, happy, sad, crazy and just plain mental.

I love this girl with all my heart. I've learnt so much from her and she has been an incredible friend. I'm going to miss our sleepovers, our lunch dates, our odd gym sessions, our nights in copenhagen, our mental moments and just our adventures together.

Its been amazing to have her as a part of my life and I know she will continue to be even though we are the Tasman Sea apart, the bridges we build on exchange will never be broken.

Even though we're all different, we have this one incredible thing that joins us together, that gives us a forever bond-

Exchange.

and I know that if in 10 years time and we haven't spoken, I could ring her up and we could chat like we just saw each other yesterday- just like no time had passed.

So, I've cried alot tonight and as much as they are tears of sadness and goodbye (for now!), they are tears happiness and of the incredible friendship and memories we've made.

the start of a new year.

So today is the first day of the New Year.

2011, will it be as big as 2010? I don't think so.. but I'm sure there'll be just as many experiences and adventures this year. I will remain positive.

So last, I spent a lovely night with my host family and their friends. We ate dinner, dessert, ice cream and cakes, drank coffee and consumed numerous alcoholic beverages. I watched the danish queens new year speech (I zoned out half way thru!) and jumped off the chair with a coin and a glass of champagne when the clock struck 12- this is a tradition they do, it means you (literally) jump into the new year. I'm guessing the money is about wealth, prosperity etc. I didn't exactly jump, we were crammed together, but I stepped down lightly and cautiously. and I believe that is how I'm going to approach this year. With caution.

I stood in the attic of the house and watched the fireworks go up (all over Dk people buy fireworks and just light them up, so the whole town was popping as far as you could see!), it was beautiful...I had a moment of missing home, missing new years with my family and friends. but then I realised...2 weeks. 14 days. 336 hours- what ever you want to say, I'll be on my way home.

and I honestly don't know how I feel, I'm not going to go into this business about change and missing memories because I'll just be repeating alot of my previous posts. BUT I'm going to say this.

Leaving here feels like I'm ending a life. I'm living in a whole other world here, living another life and even though when I come back to Dk I'll still have my families and friends, it still will be Dk, it wont be the same. It wont be 2010, I wont be 17 and I wont have my exchange life. When I get on that plane, its goodbye to this life.

and that, is a bloody big goodbye.

“I happen to believe the world will change only when we change ourselves. And that starts with finding ourselves. And that starts with listening to ourselves: learning to quiet the clamor in our minds and the voices of everyone around us and move toward what feels right- towards the things we know, for reasons we can’t explain, that we’re meant to do, the things that make us feel alive.”

—	Kelly Cutrone - If You Have To Cry Go Outside, And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You

there's a first time for everything, ik'?

This christmas season was a months of firsts. My first ever christmas away from home, first danish christmas, first real christmas tree, first celebration on the 24th and first WHITE christmas!

In denmark they celebrate christmas on the 24th evening. We spent the whole day visiting people eating coffee and cake. I came home for a short nap, and then started the christmas festivities!

We stayed at home and had most of the family there. Ate traditional dansk food. Such as meat (duck, pork) and potatoes and for dessert ris a'lamande (however you spell it)- basically a rice and almond pudding. We then sang dansk christmas songs and danced around the tree. After we sat down and exchanged presents.

I had such a lovely night, it was a very different, but beautiful christmas. I had a skype with my family (xmas morning there 25th) but after that I went on to play danish pictionary with my host siblings.

I had a brief moment of missing home but it passed, I'm surrounded with so many lovely people- I'm just loving every mo

ment.

thankful.

.. so tonight I went round to Per and Mariannes (my counsellor and his wife) and I had a hygge night with them. We ate dinner, I helped Marianne decorate the christmas tree and after we did the danish thing with tea and desserts. I also popped around to my 3rd family (who live next door) to give them their christmas pressies and wish them a merry christmas.

But anyway, I'll get on with my point. I had a lovely night tonight and it was tonight when it hit me how lucky I've been this year. Per asked me what the rotary club should do to make it better, or if there is anything they should change etc. and I realised that there wasn't anything I was unhappy with (maybe the danish language lessons- but that wasn't their fault). and I know it sounds totally un-cool to be saying this, because some people just think I'm being a suck up. But I'm honestly so thankful everything Rotary (Korosoer Nor Club) has done for me this year. I have a great counsellor- whom I have a good relationship with, I have had 4 great families, the club has been so generous towards me (money wise!), they've let me travel, they dont check up on my school BUT most of all they've let me experience. They've let me be a teenager, they've trusted me and they've let me live my year.

So, I'm thankful to my club- to the people that have organised my exchange, because without them I would not of had this year.

and its as simple as that.

not real?

it doesn't feel like I'm going 'home' in 3 weeks.... doesn't feel real at all. this is not what I expected. not at all.