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WE ARE EXCHANGE STUDENTS!
So much is said about being an
exchange student, but only when you experience it, things make sense. It is
definitely not easy and whether you want it or not, you’ll end up changing
and growing.
Once your exchange is done YOU
finally realize that you can handle way more than you could and would ever
imagine. You need to appreciate things you have because they might be gone
sooner than you think.
Life is not easy.
True friendships are really forever.
The best part about being an exchange student is not about the parties or
places you get to go. Not the independence and life experience, but the
'friendships'.
I'm not talking about the friends
you made from your host country but about the other exchange-student
friends.
For most of us, they were the very
first "friends" we had in this new experience. We met them in orientation
meetings or trips, etc. They were the first people we actually talked to
without having the fear of speaking in a different language. No, matter
what, there’s a big difference between "host country friends" and "exchange
student friends".
Exchange students have a special
bond. Despite language and cultural differences, you'll understand one
another because you experience similar situations. The hardest part of
facing the end of your exchange year is to accept the fact that it's gonna
take a while until you have the chance to travel the world to see your
exchange friends again. Because, once you leave your host country, deep down
inside, you know that sooner or later you'll be back, but when are you going
to have enough money and time to travel the world again???
Some of us became friends because we
were placed in the same schools, lived in the town nearby each other. Others
we met along the year, during trips and meetings... The trips... first
nobody knows each other, everyone is shy... By the end of the trip everybody
knows everybody and says good-bye. The last day is as sad as when we left
our friends and family in our home countries...
How many lifetime friendships and
romances started with "How can I say this in your language?" It's hard to
believe that so much can start from such a simple sentence! Does this story
sound familiar to you??? Just wait, it gets worse... The very first trip,
when it is time to leave is not so terrible because you have the whole year
ahead of you, so the chances of meeting everyone again are very big.
Time goes by and your year is slowly
getting to an end. You have your last trip... Probably it will be the very
last time you'll see most of your exchange friends for
"God-knows-how-many-years"... And this feeling is just horrible!!! It's
when you wish things would never end. When you wish you could turn back time
and do everything again, and maybe do what you want but never had the guts
to, like kissing that girl/boy or spending more time with A, B and C... And
there you are, saying good-bye, fighting the tears and making promises to
people that you could never imagine you would meet in your life...
Unfortunately things don't always work as we want
and not that everything is possible... Once your year is done, it is when
you realize whom you will ALWAYS miss the most. Your exchange friends
spread all over the world. And one day you're gonna be at a Geography or
History class and as some countries are mentioned, you’ll think about your
friends that are half way
around the world away from you, and you'll
have to fight the tears again... Their occasional letters, phone calls and
emails are going to be of unbelievable value and will bring joy to your bad
day/week.
And this is what this email is
about. Most of us never thanked these 'friends' and never said how much they
mean to us. So here it is 'THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU’. You are all
wonderful, special and unique, and I’ve been made a better person just by
knowing you. You've made my year unforgettable. And I don't think I’ll ever
forget the time we spent together! Hopefully we will meet again someday!
Doesn't matter how many miles keep
us apart. I'll always be here for you. The end of our exchange year doesn't
mean the end of friendships. As said before 'true friendships are forever’.
"As we go on, we remember all the
times we had together. And as our lives change, come whatever, we will still
be friends forever".
Anonymous exchange
student in Chile |
