ExCHANGE

"Schließen unsere Augen und schon wieder ist ein Jahr um"

"Close our eyes and a year has already passed"-CRO

It's true that in the blink of an eye your whole life can transform before you. Looking back on who I was a year ago and who I have become today really makes me realize that every day shaped the person I became. I definitely think that every experience, good and bad, has been decisive in affecting the choices I make for the future. 

Going on exchange was definitely the hardest thing I have done in my life. I am also convinced that it will be the hardest thing I will ever do in my life. I learned that our lives give us chances to create our characters, to build ourselves up. 

Exchange is everything I signed up for. It's nothing I expected. 

Great Expectations

I think that the main reason why I have been avoiding my blog is because I don't want to have to admit that my exchange year is almost over. One year ago I wrote about my hopes and dreams and expectations for this year. Now, after experiencing hardships, euphoria, frustration, and transformation, I realize that all of those expectations were accurately inaccurate.
In the summer before I came to Germany, I obsessively tried to imagine the situations I would encounter this year. Based on stories from returnees, I imagined myself living this new life, in a new house, making new friends, learning a new language, and being a new person. But, no matter how hard I thought, or how far my imagination wandered, I could never have been prepared for the reality of exchange. Now, all of these expectations, hopes, and dreams have transformed into memories, people, photos, and a new personality.

It's so strange to be at the end of this experience and reflect on what I've learned from it. I would say that it has "fulfilled my expectations", but I don't think my original expectations can even compare to reality. What I can say, is that everything I have gone through has been completely worth it. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to do something so daring, vulnerable, and life-altering in my life.