I didn't explain much about my exchange yesterday in this blog. That is probably because I hadn't slept at all which makes it really hard to think. I have wanted to be an exchange student since I was 10 years old. It is my big dream. I remember that on 8th or 9th grade some exchange students came to our school and told about their experiences here in Finland. I remember just staring at them and listening to Aussies pretty accent.(I love Australian accent <3) I dreamed that I could be like them, so brave facing a new culture and funny. I guess I unconsiously want to be like them too.

Consiously I of course say that only reason for my exchange year is learning a new language and culture and meeting new people. That is definately just as important as my first reason if not more important. I also admit that I simply want to have more time to think what I want to do when I grow up. I'm in IB which means that I should have decided which subjects I want to read already but because of my exchange year I have one more year to think about it.

Why Mexico? That is not as simple. First I wanted to go to Australia but it was so expensive and my parents were not that supportive about this whole exchange thing in the beginning. Then I wanted to go to US because it's just way cheaper than Australia. Then after visiting a STS info where a girl was speaking who had been in exchange in Spain. I understood that it is not impossible to go to a country even thoug I don't know the language that well. She had studied as many courses as I have now (3). I decided to go for Spain... but my dad had decided that I was going nowhere if I wouldn't go with Rotary(=the cheap option) and they don't send people in Spain soooo Mexicoo!!!! I really don't even want to go anywhere else than Mexico anymore. It is perfect for me: hot, Spanish and awesome culture with talkative people.

 

I just got my Rotaryjacket and I totally look like an exchange student... well not really if I really was an exchange student this should be full of pins. Just 21 days left. I haven't even started packing yet. I haven't studied any Spanish for a whole month even though I was supposed to. I haven't made any pins. I don't have my visa yet. I haven't even bought anything for my first host family yet. I'm sooo lazy.

I wonder what it is gonna be like not being able to communicate that well with others. It's not like I haven't been in the same situation before. When I was 6 we moved to Norway and I couldn't speak a word of Norwegian. I just think that it will maybe be a bit harder now because I'm older and it is not as easy to communicate with older people. As children we don't need words that much 'cause we can find a common language in the world of playing games and small gestures. I don't think that we more grown ups are as good in that.

It's funny doing things on these final days before my departure. I can't help thinking that this is maybe the last time doing this for one whole year. Still I know that I will do so many things in Mexico that I can't even dream of. It finally starts to feel real that I'm actually going there.