Today is the first day of April, and it is snowing outside of my window...
Yesterday turned out to be a Sunny day, but today is snowing. The weather is changing all the time! And even though it changes, I can still see signs of Spring everywhere I go. The flower has sprung out, and the birds has started to show signs of life. It makes me so truly happy.
Time is a strange and wonderful thing. I have almost been here for 8 months now. On April the 9th, I have been here for 8 months. Isn't that crazy?
It is wonderful, happy, sad, and terrifying at the same time. I am so happy for everything I have gotten to experience - no matter if it has been good or bad - fun or sad, it has all been an amazing experience. A dream.
I would not go through life without this experience, and I am so grateful and glad that I got this opportunity to become so close to other people and to live in a totally different culture.
Coming here was a culture shock for sure, but it was a culture shock I am glad I got to experience.
I wanna try to describe how it felt like...
I was home in Denmark with my family. I packed in the last minute for this whole year. We went to a Japanese restaurant where I got my favorite food. It was amazing. All the friends I had seen, All the family I had seen, everything I knew. I left it all behind.
I had been on walks with my best friends, and we had talked, talked, and talked. It felt like just a normal walk. The moments I remember the most, were the moments when we would stop walking, and look into each others eyes - knowing we wouldn't see each other for a looong time.
I was so lost in my excitement to even start crying, to even cry a tear. All these feelings were hidden underneath my blind and innocent eye. I told them all I would be busy, but I would do my best to stay in touch, and they told me they would miss me. I would miss them too I told them.
It was not until the last day, where I would leave for Copenhagen that I actually cried for the first time. I had just said goodbye to a friend from my childhood, and in that moment, I realized that it was harder than I thought. I realized it was reality.
It was a hard moment of my life, but I also really wanted to go, so I did it. I sat in the car and looked out of the window, while I was watching the view of Kolding passing by - the view of Denmark, before I really left everything behind to an unknown and different place.
In the airport I got my tickets, and I gave my family the last hug. I was too excited to even look back. I sat in the airplane on my own, and I suddenly realized how lonely I was. It was terrifying. My first time flying on my own in the big wide world. I was stuck in Washington for two days before I went to Ohio, where my host family lived.
It was an adventure staying with a lot of German exchange students and my brain had an explosion, since they often spoke German to each other. I was often listening to them talking, trying to respond in both German and English, but my brain was thinking in Danish. When I was tired I spoke Danish without thinking first. For some reason German reminded me of Danish.
I finally came to the moment where I met my host family, and it was all very overwhelming. After all the travelling in airplanes, in Washington, in airplanes, till finally meeting the host family.
I went to a host family with a lot of kids. I have never been a big sister before, so it was very overwhelming too, and I never relaxed. I started to think about everything I did, and I was constantly feeling like my host family judged me, so I wanted to be the best exchange student. But I never relaxed in this host family. My only help was my friends and school. I started to have a strange feeling living with them, and I had days were I was counting down to go back to Denmark. I wished myself home, because I wasn't feeling home.
That's when I decided it was time to do something. I could see other exchange students that were all having a good time, and I couldn't stop but feeling stuck inside of a house, so I finally decided to move host family in November - a week before Thanksgiving.
I moved to a big house close to the high school. I moved to a host family filled with love and harmony, and I finally felt like I got the attention I needed. I felt loved, and I felt like the host family cared about me.
I have now lived with this family ever since, and I am so grateful for everything. I am so grateful they would host me - also the other family I moved from. I am grateful they let me stay there, and that they wanted to host me, but I had to move on, and I am glad I did.
I am only looking forward now, and I have experienced so much already, and I am totally feeling home in the States now.
I am no more counting down to come home, even though I am aware of how much time I got left.
I am not regretting any of the things that happened. I am glad for everything, and I take it all as a lesson and as an experience.
The only thing I am fearing next is leaving my home and friends here now. I have gotten so much into this culture now. I have gotten used to the food, the language and even the humor.
It is a different and wonderful world, and I love it! :)
Since I got so little time left, I will try to enjoy it the most and love every second of it, as I did in the beginning!
Denmark will be the next culture shock, but America is my home for now, and I will live it like that, until it is time fly away again.
I just wanted to share my experience and what I have gone through while I have been here for now. I hope and wish for people who is hungry to see the world that they will do it! I can't tell you how much you learn about the world, the people around you, and yourself. It is an experience you don't wanna miss. I am not done dreaming, and I am not done being Jules - not Julie. :D
I hope you all have dreams no matter where you are!!!
Love and hugs,
Jules :)
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