Halfway through my Exchange!

Last week, the world saw the beginning of a new year, and so did I, from the perspective of another country. I wouldn't say it was very different from New Year's in any other place. A little party with friends, fireworks lighting the sky and counting down till 12; that's what usually defines New Year's everywhere. In Denmark, it is also almost a tradition to watch the Queen's speech in the evening. Overlooking the fact that it was a little bit messy this year, I quite enjoyed hearing the carols played after it. In short, it was a 'hyggelit' (lovely) evening, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Slight changes have also been made to our classes in school, and we have many people who left our class, and many new people who joined it, It's interesting having new people in the class, but also a little odd. Also, my course is going to be focused on Math, Physics and Chemistry now, so I guess that makes thing a little easier.
On a more sad note, however, I am already halfway through my exchange. I have lived in Denmark for 5 MONTHS now! Although it makes my heart weep out of despair, I can't help but start thinking about how it's going to be like to go home again. It's such a difficult part of your exchange - you love your host country like crazy but you also begin to miss your home country and start appreciating a thousand times more than you did before. In any case, time flies, and I can't help but think back to my first night in Denmark:

The last time I saw my family

"My friend and I said goodbye to our families at the airport in Mumbai and boarded the flight to Frankfurt airport. She didn't cry a bit; I cried a river and caused everyone at the airport to stare at me in curiosity. Our reached about half an hour late, and we missed the first flight to Denmark. After a long hassle and asking for help from a lot of people at the airport, we finally managed to rebook our flight and we waited for about three hours before boarding the next flight to Denmark. At the airport, we figured out that our luggage had been left behind at Frankfurt airport, and that it would be delivered to us a day or two later. Meanwhile, my counsellor and his wife, who were supposed to pick me up three hours back, had to wait near the airport which was about 1 or 2 hours away from their house. I recognised my counsellor as soon as I stepped out of the airport, and he greeted me with a warm hug that erased all my frustration about the flight and luggage. They drove me to my new house, and on the way, they talked to me about Denmark. I had heard a lot of it before, since my mother had taken up reading about Denmark as a hobby, and she kept popping random facts at me sometimes. When we reached home, my host parents had to go somewhere else, so I spent the evening with my host mom's parents. They were lovely people, and I had one of my best dinner's ever at that time - spring onion pie. Reading that, you'd think it was nothing special, but at that time, it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. They talked to me about India and Denmark, and at about 9, when the sun had yet not set, I retreated to my bed, and tired as I was, I was asleep immediately."

The first time I met my counsellor

Every day of my life in Denmark, I picture myself virtually walking through my house, remembering where every room, every sofa, even every picture frame lies. I'm too afraid of forgetting how my life used to be before I came here. Everything seems so vivid, it's like no time has passed. I think I will hold the memory of the day I arrived in Denmark. for the rest of my life. I thank everyone I met in Denmark, and everyone in India who helped me go on this exchange; thanks to them, I happened to be one of the 25 people to represent my district in India.

Language check: I guess I'm getting pretty good at Danish, because everyone person I meet tells me that I am great at Danish; it feels amazing!