So much has happened in the beautiful month of April… tragedy, loss, growth, memories, flowers, walks on the beach, friends and family. It's been an interesting time for me, but it has shown me a new side of myself I have never seen.
On March 16th, I moved into my final host family's house. It was slightly stressful to pack because the amount of stuff I have accumulated is outrageous and unbelievable. The move went well, but I couldn't help but feel this weird sort of silence that I always feel when I switch host families.. It reminds me of the calmness one feels before a huge storm. Deep in my heart I know that that chapter of my life is over, and that even if I come back to the same house, and the same people, it won't be the same as it once was. It's just little things; like the way the kitchen looks in the morning; dark but with the faint light of winter gleaming from outside. Coming back in the spring is completely different. That same morning light shines through, but it's earlier and brighter than before, and therefore it shows you things the morning has never offered you in the past. It's all wrong. It doesn't match my memory.. but memories are memories, and even though things change, my memories will always be the same.
The first week at my new host family was really good. I got settled in and started trying to make a routine for myself. Things were mostly normal, except that my host dad's mom was in the hospital. No one paid much mind to it, because we all just assumed it would be okay. But as it so often goes, assumptions are not always right.. Every time we visited her she seemed to get smaller and smaller. She was the sweetest women; always bright eyed even when she was in that hospital bed. I think that's why it was so startling to see her in that deep sleep; dreaming in the ICU with all those machines chattering and cold air pricking warm skin. Every night my host dad would come home and we'd all say "She'll be okay." It became second nature to say it; a safety net that we clung to in hope that things would just be normal again. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. She was taken too early, and even though she wasn't my blood relative and I had only been living with them for 3 weeks when it happened, I felt the loss as if it were my own to feel. It's incredible what death does to people. I believe it can either bring out the good or the bad in a person's character, and I was lucky enough to encounter the first. After what happened, I think we all sort of relied on each other. My host mom, host dad and I. I think it was around that time that I started calling them Mor og Far (mom and dad). It was a shame that the world lost her, but I feel that often death offers something in return. Even though it's small and can never amount to the love that my host grandma gave, it is something none the less. It's different for everyone, but for me, it was the relationship I gained with my host family. I can honestly say we have a strong bond now, because I have seen what they are like when things are at the lowest point. Challenging times show what someone is really like, and I am so lucky and proud to say that my host parents are both so strong, genuine and kind.
During the Easter Break, my two friends Andrew and Holly came to visit me. They are also exchange students in Denmark, from New York and Nevada. It was so great to see them! We went exploring in Aarhus, found a traveling circus with elephants, visited an art museum and a World War 2 bunker left by the Germans in my town. Having them visit me was just another beautiful reminder of all the wonderful lifelong friends I have made this year.
I also got the opportunity to go on a sailing trip with one of the other exchange students in my town. Her name is Milly and she's from New Zealand, and she is absolutely lovely. Her host family took us out on their little sail boat, and we sailed to this little island called Endenlaven…. There were only about 180 people living there, and the rest of the island's inhabitants were rabbits. (so many!). We were blessed with beautiful weather. The sun was shining the whole time, and I am happy to say I got a little tan! :) Milly and I walked around the island, picked daisies near the beach, took pictures and then went back to the boat and talked and soaked up the sun. Later we went to dinner with her host family, were we ate traditional Danish food and encountered a drunk old woman who desperately wanted to bring her cat into the restaurant.. She was not too happy when the owner declined her wishes. That night, I saw the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. It was like cotton candy, and I wanted nothing more than to wrap myself in it's pink softness and take a long nap. It hung over the sea like a blanket, and stayed there for a surprising long time. It was like it didn't want to leave us; like the setting sun needed our company just as much as we needed it. After that we spent the night in the boat, where Milly and I talked until late in the night. I've decided Milly is just the best, and I am so happy I got to share that experience with her.
Spring in Denmark has been so lovely. The air is getting warmer, the sun stays out longer, and the flowers are starting to bloom one at a time. Summer is almost here; you can feel it. There's a sort of excitement that wasn't here before, the kind that washes over you in the best way. Will I ever be able to express just how happy and thankful I am to live in this glorious place? Maybe not, but I know in my heart that it's true, and that's good enough for me at the moment.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for a post about Spain and my birthday adventures. I should have it up in the next couple days :)
xoxo from Denmark
