My Exchange Year

16| From the Faroe Islands| An upcoming exchange student in France|

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The Centre Val de Loire AFS Day 2016 was held in the city of Orléans. We were on a treasure hunt, played games, took a lot of photos and had loads of fun. It was a good day.

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Some of my favourite days are when me and Haruka got to the Centre-Ville, mostly we get lost, in both translation and in the city. 

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One day we visited Le Mans, the cathedral and the old part of the city - also we paid a visit to Spaycifique Zoo!

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The first month was exciting, first day of school, new friends, new family etc. I’ve met many new people and I understand more French everyday. This year will be exciting and full adventures, I can feel it.

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After the three days in Paris at the AFS orientation camp, we went to meet our families for the first time. We, who are in the Centre region, travelled together. It was a really weird day, a day I will remember.

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Faroese girls in Paris!

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It’s more than one month ago, since I left my home, family, friends and cats behind in the Faroe Islands. I miss them. It was hard to leave them and not being able to see them for a whole year. I miss the Faroese school, my funny friends, my nice home, my lovely cats and my dear family. Sometimes I have to remind myself, that they will all be there when I return. This year is for me. I won’t regret it. Even if the first days, weeks, even months are hard, the good things that will come will make this year special and rememberable. Already it’s good and it is just getting better by each day.

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17 days

In about 17 days am I in Paris among dozens of other exchange students, who probably also have mixed feelings about this, but either way we are all, even though some of us may not know it yet, beginning a whole new chapter in our lives, one that is going to stay with us forever, and when we come home again, we’ll all have our own story to tell.

  17 days... Feels so sudden, but at the same time so far away, just like the thought of me going away for a year feels so close by, but also so unlikely and unrealistic.  A year. 11 months. 47 weeks. 8016 hours. 480960 minutes. And every minute counts. This may seem like a long time, but time flies by and before I know it, I’ll be back home. That’s why I’m going to make the most of it, leave my comfort zone and just leap, even though if there’ll be no one to catch me.

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Thoughts

What I think most often about is how hard it’ll be saying goodbye to everyone I love. My friends, my cats, my family and my home. It’ll be so weird not seeing them for eleven months. Time will pass by quickly I’m sure of it, but it’s still scary to think about how different everything will be....

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Thinking...

I can’t stop thinking about France. I’ve been accepted by the country, and about to find a host family. I’m so excited and scared at the same time, it’s crazy. Every minute of each day I’m thinking about, how in less than 6 months I’ll be in France living and enjoying every bit of... everything.

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I already have an idea of what I’ll be taking with me to France, like which books, clothes and many other stuff. Which shows how extremely excited I am!

  I’ll be taking for example travelling guides, food recipes and some of my French studies.

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C’est ça! French learning for beginners... Haha.. This will be fun.

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To prepare for a whole new culture is crazy and insane, because no matter what I can’t be prepared. It’ll be so much different, so many more new things and places to explore and people to meet.

  I’ve bought two travel guides to France itself and to the French Riviera. I still don’t know where in France I’ll be staying, but while I’m there I tend to explore and try new things as much as I can.

  I’ve also bought a book about art in Paris, which I’m so excited to go see! And then a recipes book for pasta meals, because all I know to cook is muffins and waffles, which is not enough (obviously). 

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Nerves

It’s normal to feel nervous about a year abroad. Of course it is! Being away from everything you know is scary, but at the same time so exciting and eventful! I get nervous all the time, but the excitement covers it and I don’t think that much about it. When my sister was away in Austria with AFS School Program (the one I’m going with too) - time flew away. Before I knew it she was back. This year (school year) has also gone quickly and is almost over! So too much time away is nothing I have to worry about, more like not enough time!

  In the beginning of March I’ll begin my French lessons again. I’ve had a break this month, because of work and homework. But I’m glad to get back into my (bad) French and better it. I love the language, speaking it (even though I’m awful) and hearing it - love French music and movies!

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This blog

Hi, I’m an upcoming exchange student in France. I’m from the Faroe Islands, which is 18 islands in the Atlantic Ocean. I’ll be going to France after I finish this schoolyear. That’s in June, but I’ll go in August or September. I’m so excited and scared at the same time. It’s crazy thinking that I’ll be gone for eleven months, away from home, friends, family and everything I know to learn a new language, culture, people, country and much more. In this blog I’m going to post about my preperation for a year abroad: French lessons, homework, thoughts, the packing and at last the goodbyes. Afterwards it’ll be the experience itself, which is (hopefully) going to be aaamazing! You can also visit my page: http://hipster-all-the-way-0303.tumblr.com, where I’ve posted something before about my upcoming exchange year.