My finishing quote for valedictory was by Mark Twain and in all honesty, sure I can say it to a bunch of year 12's, but I want to live it!
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Why the blog?
Instead of sending out monthly emails that people never read anyway, I figured that having a blog, in which I can post pictures etc. makes life far easier (for me at least) and hopefully I can put maps up and show everyone where I went in Europe, so if you want, you can follow my adventures
For those who haven't picked it up, I will be going on student exchange, organized with Rotary International, to a town in Denmark called Fredericia, study at school ( fortunately it doesn't count for anything), live with 3 or 4 host families in the town, travel, learn Danish, enjoy a different culture and meet new people, from all over the world. I figured it was nicer than heading straight into Uni (Which I will do in 2012 at Adelaide ( double degree with arts and science cos I still don't know what I want to do))
Anywho, I leave on Jan 21st from Adelaide, go to Melbourne, catch Thai airways to Bangkok, and then Thai again to Copenhagen (capital of Denmark and yes, the ice cream does come from there ) and from Copenhagen, I catch a domestic flight to my final destination , Billund where I will hopefully meet my first Host family and Danish counsellor - His name is Sven, it makes me chuckle every time .... :D
Anyway, this week I also received info for a Eurotrip that all the Danish exchange kiddies take in May. It's 18 days, on a bus, with a bunch of 16 - 18 yr old teens - what fun... I still have yet to make up my mind on what I think about that but mainly, we travel parts of Europe and it looks amazing!!!!
We first go to Berlin, see all the sights including the Berlin Wall remains and the Brandenburger Gate, then continue to Prague, on the way stopping at the concentration camp Theresienstadt - I can imagine this will be a very harrowing experience, going to the Holocaust museum when I was a kid was painful enough, let alone actually visiting the real place, definitely not going to be an easy time.
We continue to sightsee in the Czech Republic before crossing into Austria and arriving in Vienna where we get to see the Schonbrunn Palace!!!!!!
We arrive at Lido De Jesolo which is 'a beach area of paradisaical beauty at the Adriatic coast of Italy' and the guide says, 'We will spend the next day bathing and basking in the sun' - I though it was sort of cute :P Following that we travel to Venice....sigh.... and go to St Marks Square, which is basically a square, seemingly filled with pigeons, that is shown in far too many action movies and without doubt, James Bond must have run/shot/driven etc. through there at some stage in his unrealistically long life!
Anyway, after Venice, we go to Verona and have the chance to see Juliet's balcony (for those who don't know, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is set in 'fair Verona') We then travel alongside the Italian Riviera till we hit Monaco (Grace Kelly was Princess Consort before being killed in a car accident driven by her daughter, Princess Stephanie) and see the Royal Palace! (If you didn't know, Monarchy is, in my opinion, the most fascinating part of History)
Back on track, we arrive at Avignon in France, where the popes chilled back in the 14th Century and continue onto Paris!! Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, The Louvre, both Arc De Triumph's, The Latin Quarter, the Concorde Square and the Center Pompidou ( named after the French woman in Dr Who, who was mistress to King Louis 14 (also known as the Sun King, he built Versailles) and whom David Tennent, as the Dr, meets!) Hopefully we'll get to see Versailles, that'd make doing yr 12 History worth while.
We leave Paris and arrive at Brussels although I would like to see if it would be possible to stop at Passchendale and see the battlefield where hundreds of Aussies died in WW1 or at least see a battlefield. After that we go to Amsterdam, eat some 'cookies'..... actually I kid, no drugs allowed kiddies :D ....and travel through Hamburg before returning to Denmark.
While we don't get to go to England, hopefully I'll be able to go with my host family (fingers very tightly crossed)
Feelings, schmeelings...that sorta stuff
Obviously excited that I've come this far and not been told to wake up. The plane ride should be amazing seeing it'll be the first overseas travel since I was a wee kid. Bit nervous at meeting my first family although the introcamp that I go on should help, excited that I get to spend another year at school (sarcasm) studying history (that was serious), happy that I avoid Uni for a year, nervous about how to deal with homesickness, esp. missing the mother and father and GJWTHF etc., worried about how I'm meant to reduce time spent on facebook....seeing my average time during yr 12 increased, I cannot see it happening, excited at the prospect of meeting a ton of new people, nervous about finding a solid, bible based, Jesus preaching church and youth group, nervous about having a different smelling, non Adelaide hills house but overall, exceedingly excited!! Who wouldn't be?
Anyway, I apologise for boring you if you have read on to this point, but that gives a slight overview of what 2011 holds for me and I might do another blog, once I get the hang of this thing, closer to my leaving date!
Peace out,
Hannah xoxo
