17-6-15

I really can't believe this year is almost over. I have about 72 hours left until I am getting on the plane back to Germany. You know there is this quote "Exchange isn't a year in a life, it is a life in a year". Whoever wrote or said this was right; sometimes I feel like I live two different lives, I have two families, two schools I go to, two church communities, two sets of friends. It is amazing how people can get so attached and used to something new, I mean simply the fact that I am writing this in english right now because I think I can express myself better in english than in german shows how this stay, this life in my life, changed me. Surely it wasn't easy and I heard people saying "I couldn't just go to another country and stay with a family I technically don't know or go to a school where I don't know one person." or "Why are you even doing this when you don't get credit for this school year and have to do a year more of school in Germany?" and when you ask me I would do it all over again. I would go back on this plane to New York City, knowing I will experience something completely different from what I am used to, I would go back to my high school, the first day of school, knowing not one person. I never learned so much about life, about myself, about people than I did in these almost eleven months and honestly if you have the opportunity to to an exchange even if it is just for two months or a couple weeks, go out there, be independent and learn things about yourself that you didn't know even existed! For me one thing I learned was appreciating my family and especially friends back home and now I am excited to go home and sad at the same time but I know I am going home and I can end this chapter here, knowing I have a welcoming second home.

I really did not do a good job with writing down what I experienced, I didn't keep up with this blog but maybe it was because I was too busy living my life... There are so many memories from this year that I may not remember right now but I can't wait for the moment where one of these moments from this year pop back up in my head and hopefully then I will write them down. 

This time here was just for myself and for nobody else and it was the time of my life.

- Vera