Countdown: 3 weeks

Okay so when I say countdown: three weeks, I'm not counting down to the time until I leave to Denmark...

(I wish.) 

I'm counting down to the weeks left of school! And not JUST school! THREE WEEKS LEFT OF SCHOOL IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Although when I think about it, some of my teachers may as well be speaking a foreign language because I can hardly understand them anyway. I mean, an A in geometry all year? Can someone explain THAT to me? 

ANYWAY. 

I also have kind of an update: 

First, let's do a quick Q&A session, kind of like the way I figured out all I needed to for exchange: 

Almost every question that people ask me is either: "Are you getting excited?" and "When do you leave?"

Well, in all honesty, I'd love to know when I'm leaving as much as the next guy and unfortunately I'm still kind of waiting. Not to fret though, I'll know soon, just like everyone who's friends with me on facebook when I post some kind of an all caps lock status update. 

Am I getting excited? I suppose to keep things simple I'd just say yes, I'm getting very excited. If I wanted to be accurate though, I'd say that there is no getting excited for exchange. As you may recall I almost knocked photo frames off the wall, fell out my seat with a seatbelt on, and shattered two cellphones with excitement...and that was just December. So to say the least, I've been excited. 

MOVING ON: 

In one of my posts way, way back I mentioned that I don't need a visa to study abroad in Denmark (A visa is not the traditional swipe-n-go money card people think of, in this case it's a residence permit and if I didn't have it I'd technically not legally be allowed in Denmark.) Some countries however, don't require visa's to study there (from what I've heard), and Denmark is apparently not one of those countries. So change of plans, I need a residence permit after all. I also need to make an in person appearance at a consulate in order to receive that, and when I find out where that is there will be blogs with lots and lots of photos. It will not be in Washington however, because there is not a Danish consulate in Washington state. 

I also said that I'd be leaving around August 25th in a past blog post, and that too has changed. In one set of rules and regulations that I had to read over, sign, and scan back to the ADC of my Danish district it was written that I'd be leaving around (so not exactly) the first weekend of August. I've also heard that many people are expected to arrive in Denmark August 8th or 9th, and actually some people have purchased their airline tickets for that weekend also. I am still in the process of filling out my residence permit application, which needs to happen before I actually get the residence permit, and until I get my residence permit, I won't purchase my airline tickets. Thus, until I purchase my airline tickets, I won't know the exact date that I hop on an airplane yelling "FREE AT LASSSTTT." 

Nah just kidding, I'll put on some kind of convincing show for my moms sake at the airport... (I say because she reads my blog ;-) )

For all the people that ask me questions about exchange though, I love it when you ask questions, and please feel free to KEEP asking me questions because eventually my answers will get a little less repetitive. 

One last thing (I'm sorry this blog post is super long) PLEASE START THINKING ABOUT ASKING YOUR PARENTS TO BE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT, EITHER SHORT TERM OR LONG TERM. IT IS AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE, AND ALREADY I'VE EXPERIENCED THINGS THAT I CAN'T REALLY DESCRIBE. I WANT YOU TO FEEL THE SAME HAPPINESS AND EXCITEMENT THAT I DO. Applications are typically turned in to Rotary in September but applying to be an exchange student is not an overnight process. It took me about  five months to fully think about this along with my parents before handing in my application (which was the scariest and most satisfying moment of my life). 

TWO MONTHS TO DENMARK!!!!!!!! (I should probably stop wishing my time away now)...

Vi ses! :-)

I HAVE A HOST FAMILY

I HAVE A HOST FAMILY!!!

On Sunday I was matched with my first host family! I emailed them shortly after I found out they would be hosting me, and they emailed me back shortly after!! They are a very nice family and I really can't wait to meet them in person! I have three host siblings, and I am so excited to have siblings for the first time in my life! I have two younger host brothers (one is about two years younger than me, and one is about 7 years younger than I am), and a host sister who is about my age!

My host father's name is Jan, and my host mother's name is Ditte. Their three children are named Frands (two years younger), Thor (seven years younger), and Marie-Louise (Malou for a nickname), who is my age!

They also have a 10 month old dog named Luna. She looks so fluffy, she's adorable!

I also found out that I will be going to Sønderborg Statsskole! I'm not sure what day I start school, or what class I will be in there (which does not correspond at all to classes in my high school here), but I'm still really looking forward to starting school there and starting my exchange year.

Countdown to Denmark: Four months and getting closer! 

Hej Hej!

The final stretch

So, it’s finally my spring break! WOOHOO!!!!! And of course spring break is the last break until summer break, besides Memorial Day weekend. So with the final stretch of the school year in sight, and my countdown at less than 10 weeks until summer break, I thought I’d write a blog. 

So with the theme that the school year is almost over I’ll start by saying: it’s almost like it was JUST October, like I JUST turned in my application. Exchange is so fast approaching I don’t even have time for it to sink in that in four months I’ll be boarding a plane to a foreign country. In fact, I’ll probably board my plane still without the actual realization that in only hours, I’ll be in a different country for a year.

In literally less than 10 weeks I’ll be saying goodbye to probably half the people I hang out with at school. On the last day of school there will be a countdown among many until the bell to the final sixth period of the entire school year. For me though, sure I’ll be counting down, but I don’t think I’ll be watching the clock as avidly as I normally do for the same reasons. If I am watching the clock, it’s not so I can scream and yell summer and cheer with the others, it’s so I can make sure there’s still plenty of time for me to talk with the people I hang out with before I leave the continent for a year.

Today at the end of first period, my French teacher yelled “bonne vacance!” to us, which obviously means, happy vacation, or somewhere along those lines. So, she said that, and then I was realized that in less than 10 weeks it will be the real deal, and it’ll be summer. And I won't be back. And although the sun, and no homework, and no grades sound so ideal, especially at this point in the year, it’s also kind of scary. And exciting, but that’s kind of besides the point. 

Approximately 125 days until Denmark!!!!

Vi ses! 

I HAVE A HOST CITY!!!!

I have never in my life been more grateful or excited that I get to participate in such an incredible organization. The feeling that I get from seeing an email in my inbox from someone I don’t know, and realizing that they are from Denmark, makes me happier beyond ways that words can describe.

So today when I got an email from my Danish Rotary counselor (because every RYE kid has a counselor), and she told me that I’m going to Sønderborg, Denmark on my exchange, I couldn't have been any happier after having thought about host cities and families 24/7 for the past week. Literally. I don’t quite know my host family yet, however I am being matched with one and as soon as I have one, I will get their contact information and start communicating with them! 

I looked up Sønderborg on google images earlier and honestly think it is one of the most beautiful cities ever. I am so excited to live there. 

Outbound orientation day three

Hej, commence outbound orientation day three!

The third day of outbound orientation was honestly one of the best and most memorable days of my life. I think I will probably always remember it solely for the people who were involved in it.

The day started with breakfast (which I did not attend because however much food is served, there will never be enough to get me out of bed). I got down to the room that orientation was held in at 8:00 because that’s when the third day started. (Technically though, it was only the second day of orientation, the third day I was in Canada. That’s why it’s day three on my blog). We had our first morning lectures on more of the things that we will need to expect and remember on our exchange, and a lot of what to do about travel before and on our exchange. There was a little bit said on communication also.

We broke for lunch at around 12:00 at which point I wandered around the room we were in and “mingled” with more of the exchange students I had talked to the night before. We talked about exchange for a little bit until we were called back for more orientation type activities, and then later had a coffee break before “graduation.”

At graduation we were presented with our “regalia” is what is was called with our pins that will go on our blue blazer, with a white t-shirt representing rotary youth exchange, our business cards, and a little bit more. We also had to introduce ourselves in our language which was really awesome to hear people presenting themselves in languages from all around the world.

“Hej, jeg hedder Grace, jeg er en Rotary udveksling student fra America og jeg vil vaere hosted I Danmark.” Again, quite possible that there are some grammatical errors, however that is what I presented myself as in Danish!

Outbound orientation ended at about 3:30, and since our Rotary district, district 5020, is an international district meaning there is students from both U.S and Canada, some of had to part and say our goodbyes, for we lives in different countries. The rest of the U.S students walked to the ferry terminal and all waited together for the ferry to leave. We stood around in a circle and all talked about exchange…everything. Everything related to exchange was said, and it was really truly awesome to be a part of this adventurous group of students who are all flying across the world in less than 6 months. It’s kind of fun to think about, how we just looked like regular high school sophomores and juniors in this large circle taking up space in a ferry terminal, however really, we were all together a group of teenagers whose thoughts stretch as large as the world itself, and who are about to pack up everything we know and leave it behind for a year.

Once the ferry boarded we all found each other again, and all sat together on the ferry where we exchanged our business cards with our host countries and phone numbers on it, and ate ice-cream while once again talking. Once the rebound exchange students found us, we went up to the very top deck of the ferry and took a couple crazy group pictures in the pouring down rain which was a lot more fun than it sounds. We went back downstairs again after that, and later found ourselves back on the top deck in the covered area.

Why? Because we were going to “dance like exchange students.” And my gosh, that was probably one of the most crazy fun things…ever. One of the rebound students had a phone that hooked up to a portable stereo, and so we started playing music from that. American music? Of course not. We played Brazilian music, and we played Camaro amerelo over and over and over again. All of the rebound students were dancing with things they all picked up from exchange in their past years, and all of the outbound students just kind of the did there own thing. I ended making my way to the middle of the cramped circle under the cramped covered space and there again, I was just doing my own thing. When we got of the ferry though, it was said that I apparently “danced like Austin Powers, and that he wants his 70’s mojo back.” Haha!

We were on the top of deck…dancing like Austin Powers…until the boat finally docked, and when it did, it was one of the most shocking things ever. Here we were, a group of exchange students who had said maybe two words or less to each other Friday afternoon, and by Sunday afternoon were a family with a bond so unique it takes an actual exchange student themselves to understand it. We stood around all hugging each other and wishing each other good luck on our exchanges before we head off to unload the ferry, and it occurred to me, “what do you mean goodbye, good luck on your exchange. We just officially met each other Friday and now were saying goodbye? We won’t see each other again until rebound weekend AFTER our exchange? What?”

I still think that now, almost a week after outbound orientation and I still don’t get how we won’t be in the district group again until after our exchange year. The people I met this past weekend are absolutely more than just friends; they are by far an exchange family that NOBODY how hard they try will ever understand us better than ourselves. Of course though when I say that, I’m not trying to put my school friends down that I have here, you guys rock too :-P

And an update on the host family and host city: I still don’t know quite yet who they are and I found out that even though my Danish Rotary club has my guarantee forms, they have to fill out all the information on it, and then mail it back to United States and my sponsor Rotary Club. And when I say mail, I mean mail, not email. So depending on how they mail it here and when it gets here, I guess either way,  in perspective I will have a host family and host city no matter how long I wait to find out, and it will be an amazing moment whether I find out in two days or two weeks or two months. Although I don’t think it’s going to take two months to find out.

Every time I write a blog post, or go to a Rotary event, or hang out with exchange students, I remember again all the reasons why I wanted to be a foreign exchange student and it never fails to excite me even more.

Vi ses! 

I HAVE A DISTRICT

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL. I HAVE A DISTRICT!!!!

I will be in Rotary District 1461 in the southern part of Denmark! District 1461 (or southern Denmark in general) is near the border of Germany, a ways from the Netherlands, and the especially cool part of district 1461 is that it even includes parts of Lithuania!!!

I found out that I am going to district 1461 tonight while I was standing on the ferry, just having come back from outbound orientation. I didn't have data on my phone all weekend since I was international (in Canada), and so I didn't have a chance to check my email all weekend. When my phone finally got around to hooking itself back up to my home network that I’m on, I looked down at my notifications and saw 48 new emails. I expected them all to be from Facebook with things that my friends did over the weekend, but when I looked down…I had absolutely the best surprise ever. Besides finding out my country almost a month early, best surprise ever.

I looked through my emails really fast and saw the chairman of my district introducing himself to me, saying “I am your Danish ADC” (Assistant District Chairman), and with my mind running on hyper speed, I nearly started hyperventilating. I wasn't supposed to find out basically ANY information on where I’m going until MAY.

So now you all and I have a little bit more insight into where I’m going in Denmark, and YAYYY, I have communication with Danish Rotary!!!!!!

Vi ses,

Oh and P.S I'll have more blogs on outbound orientation later this week.

Back to the beginning

My last two posts have been sort of about what Rotary is, and specifically the day I found out what country I was going to, however I really want to describe the beginning, everything it took to get to this point. So that’s my blog for today, the lead up to now!

My club level interview was on Tuesday October 8^th, and I still remember exactly the night. I have this song by Avicii called Hey Brother, which reminds me of exchange every time I listen to it. I was listening to that song the night of interviews, and I remember thinking in the car on the way that "this is it." Everything else about exchange is determined tonight, right now in interviews. This thing that has turned into a dream bigger than life itself is determined tonight. I knew I wouldn't actually find out if I was going on an exchange at all until around Saturday October 12^th (again, this may vary for each club or district).

I found out on Friday October 11^th, three days after my interview, one day early! For those who know me, you know that I can get very fired up, or very hyper when I'm really nervous or excited. For those that don’t, there was a brief description of my personality. I was hanging out with my friend that night, but of course since it was Friday I had to go to school. I was secretly hoping the whole week that I would find out a couple days early. On Friday at school, I was walking around and acting like it was a normal day, keeping my composure on the outside. On the inside, though, my head was like alphabet soup - everything scattered around. One minute I would have my mind on classes, or jokes I was making with friends, and the next I would just think of the word “Rotary” and my stomach would flip.

After school was over my friend walked home with me, and as soon as we got home I checked my cellphone for any missed calls. Of course, there was loads of false hope running through my head, and no missed calls. I tried to put it out of my mind for a couple minutes, but of course I couldn't. I ran into my kitchen, got the portable land line, and brought it back into my bedroom while running and jumping onto my bed. My friend yelled at me “GRACE. You are going to find out TOMORROW. Not today, TOMORROW.” Of course though, again, I wasn't going to accept that fact. I started clicking through caller ID, and got all the way through July 2012. Don’t ask why I looked that far, my mind was running on excitement, not common sense. I gave up realizing that there was only one missed call for the day, and it was a telemarketer…

And then the next couple minutes happened like a home movie on fast forward. I threw the land line halfway across my bed, and sat for a couple of minutes with the nervousness beginning to die down in my stomach. I finally picked up my cellphone and tried to bring down the notifications bar in the top of my screen. All of a sudden my phone froze… and then it started vibrating. And all of a sudden the green “accept call” was in the bottom left and the red “deny call” was in the bottom right. My eyes darted to the contact screen, and sure enough, it was, *drum roll please* my Rotary Youth Exchange officer. I literally screamed and yelled out, “IT'S MY YOUTH EXCHANGE OFFICER.” My friend, looking at me wildly, screamed out like it’s all common sense, “WELL ANSWER IT THEN!” I anxiously picked up my phone and answered the call. I ran down the stairs, my legs shaking like Jell-O, and from there I found out I was going on an exchange. By the time the call was over, I literally couldn't stand still. As much as I tried, I couldn't stand still, and I wasn't even making any movements. I was actually shaking that much; I was so nervous, and excited.

And to this day, I sometimes still can’t believe I’m going on an exchange. One minute everything will finally feel so real, unlike the first couple months. I’ll be thinking “can I just go to Denmark now?” Then I realize I’ll be there in 8 months, and I tell myself “oh, 8 months will fly by so fast, soon you will be Denmark.” Then after that mental self-check that I've done so much in the past 2 weeks, I pause and think “wait…I’m going to be Denmark in 8 months?” As the realization AGAIN sets in that I’m going on an exchange.

On a more recent note, I was invited to a party this past weekend with a bunch of exchange students!!! I met a girl from Sweden, and a girl from Indonesia, and I got to hang out with some of the current and previous exchange students who I've met before through my Rotary club, and through another one in our district! Overall there was students from Sweden, Indonesia, Denmark, Austria, and one who was an outbound to Hungary a couple years ago!

I also learned my first couple phrases in Danish!

• Jeg er en rotary udveksling student fra America = I am a Rotary Exchange student from America
• Unskyld = sorry (which I learned right after I accidentally spilled sparkling cider…whoops!) 
• Hvad er = what is 
• Hvordan = how
• Hvor er = where is