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The past month of my Exchange has been pretty eventful. We had our Winter vacations in school, and my host Family took me along on a one-week long vacation with them and their friends.
We had out last whole-Denmark get together in Holbæk - a city on Sjælland (Zealand). And finally, today is the day that marks my 7 months in Denmark. That Means I have only 3 months left here, and I'm going to leave this country forever.
Trip to Austria
We left for Austria on the 13th of August by train. It was a long journey; it took ore than 12 hours to get there. I had never been on skis before, and even trying the ski boots winded me. When I finally figured out how to walk with ski boots on (while holding skis in my hands), we took a Gondola to the top. At first, I was on the children's training course with my host dad, surrounded by four year olds. It embarrassed me in the beginning, but I soon found my balance on skis, and we headed over to a gentle slope. I tried something that I called the stick lift, and I fell at the beginning, causing the entire lift to stop and landing headfirst in snow. After falling once more and stopping the lift yet again (much to the annoyance of everyone), I finally managed to balance myself all the way to the top. I didn't fall off a single lift after that. I continued to ski on that slope for the next 2 days. I was instructed by one of my host family's friends on day 3and 4, and I learned a lot in that period of time. He was a professional ski instructor, and I felt so fortunate to be taught by him. On my fourth day, I tried out a steeper slope, fell about a million times, and tried the chair lift (almost knocked myself over with the lift). That day, my host father took me down some very icy slopes to a small cafe where everyone decided to meet, and after a lot of shouting (from the both of us) and crying, I made it. After taking a one-day break (because my legs felt like they were dying), I did all the same things from the previous day with a little more skill and precision, and no tears. By the end, I was ale to stand up on my skis on my own when I fell, and I consider that a great achievement. I thank my host family for pushing me to my limits. I learned a lot when it comes to skiing only becuase they put up with my tantrums and forced me down some difficult slopes. In the end, they told me that I'd done much better than they had expected. I'm not sure if that was a compliment :)Get-Together at Holbæk
The Rotex team (previous exchange students) in Denmark organised a get together for all the exchange students in Denmark. It was great to meet people from other parts of Denmark, who I hadn't seen since intro-camp, and also my fellow Indians. However, the highlight of the weekend was the Fastelavn costume party (kind of a Danish Halloween) on the second day. We painted barrels ourselves, for a game where candy was hidden in a barrel and you have to hit the barrel till it breaks. I was obviously not able to break the barrel myself, weak as I am, but luckily we were in teams. For the costume party, I decided to play Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter (yes, the nerdiest costume ever) since it was the cheapest and easiest costume for me, and because she is the most amazing villain in the history of fiction.
It was overall amazing, and I enjoyed myself to the fullest, but the most difficult part was yet to come. It was the last time I was meeting most of the exchange students, since I will most probably be leaving for India before the next get together.
I recently realized that I have been in Denmark for 7 months now! That means that I have only 3 months left. It may sound like a lot, but the rate at which time has been passing till now, My departure day will arrive in the blink of an eye. I have been away from home quite long, and I'm beginning to miss my family and friends much more than I did before, but at the same time I love living in Denmark. I have lived with two absolutely amazing families, and I'm going to move to my third within the week. I have new friends, and I've learned so much about Denmark, the world, and most, myself.
I've heard people talk about how they went through self-realizations and know things asbout themseles that they never did before. It's hard to believe it before it happens to you. I've found myself to be a much more confident person, and comfortable with my own personality and appearance than I was before. A year can really change a person.Language Check: I'm a Dane.
P.S. Since this post was written a long time back, it has, in reality, been 8 months since the day I came to Denmark. I have moved to my third host family.
