"You have one chance, one life and what you do with it is up to you."
Going on exchange isn't an easy choice. It is leaving your family, your friends and your life for a long time, and it is coming back as a new person who might, might not, fit into that old life anymore.
For me, going on exchange was what changed everything.
I went there as a girl, who didn't really understand the world and how it functioned - not even why I did things myself, the way I did them.
What I came back as, was still a girl named Mette, but I was 10 months older and 10 months more experienced. I went through hard times and I went through good times. I went through times, where I wanted to go home more than ever, and I went through times where I wished I could stay forever, but most of all, I went through a personal change that was one of the best things that has happened to me.
"I've tried to pack down a life that I won't get back again, but there won't ever be suitcases big enough to carry this experience. At this point, being an exchange student is the best decision I have ever made, and I wouldn't take it back for Anything!"
(From my exchange blog; Last Day)
So if you're sitting out there, wondering if exchange is right for you, I would say do yourself a favor and go for it. Of course it is not for everybody, but if you're already so into it, that you're searching the internet for blogs, it must mean that you have a little dream or a hope. "Stop hoping and go make it happen." :)
Your true friends will still be there when you come back, your family too. Whatever reasons you can give me to not go, I can probably find two reasons in that, why you should.
Feel free to contact me.
"I always knew looking back at the tears would make me laugh,
but I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry."
Links:
- Youth for Understanding
- Youth for Understanding, Denmark
How?
I have had some questions on choosing an organizations to travel through and I just wanted to point out how greatly I recommend Youth For Understanding (YFU). No matter what horrible situation I can imagine happening to an exchange student, I can't imagine a situation where YFU wouldn't help. It is an organisation primarily for the students and we feel it when we travel. Also, it is an organisation mainly build on volunteers like myself who cares so much about exchange that they will put hours and hours of work into improving the experience for everyone.
But my overall advice will have to be research! Research, research, research and find what is best for you! Only then can you fully enjoy and not regret or wonder what would have happened if... chosen another organisation. I hope this helps :)
- Mette
- Youth for Understanding, Denmark
How?
I have had some questions on choosing an organizations to travel through and I just wanted to point out how greatly I recommend Youth For Understanding (YFU). No matter what horrible situation I can imagine happening to an exchange student, I can't imagine a situation where YFU wouldn't help. It is an organisation primarily for the students and we feel it when we travel. Also, it is an organisation mainly build on volunteers like myself who cares so much about exchange that they will put hours and hours of work into improving the experience for everyone.
But my overall advice will have to be research! Research, research, research and find what is best for you! Only then can you fully enjoy and not regret or wonder what would have happened if... chosen another organisation. I hope this helps :)
- Mette
