Whilst it has been over four months since I headed out from Frederica train station, having said a tearful vi ses to my host family and amazing friends, and eventually made my way into Copenhagen airport to board a plane that would finally take me home, I’ve felt my exchange isn't fully complete because I haven't written about it - so this is it, my closure.
Doing the long haul flight thing alone was actually very good - I had time to reminisce, get my brain a bit more organised for what it meant going home and get all my luggage together - many of my blazer pins are lying around various airports mind you. luggage was one thing that made me exceedingly nervous - not only was I at max with my checked in luggage, but regarding hand luggage, while the max is 7 kg, I had 16 kg, carried obviously surreptitiously in a sports bag - most of the stuff were books and by the time I actually got to australia, my shoulders were much lower than i had started with. as well as the bag, i also had a very full handbag, was carrying my rotary blazer and later my snow jacket (turns out that wearing a pair of pants, long sleeve top, thin jacket, adult jumpsuit and snow jacket at the one time is a bit warm. to say the least.
But hey, no one stopped me from getting all my stuff home and on the Bangkok - Melbourne leg, the stewards even helped me put it in the overhaul compartments - I required help every time to get it up there.
From Copenhagen through to bangkok, the plane was very very full unfortunately - I ended wedged in-between a soldier and a smoker who was about to go 11 hours minus nicotine - so that was an experience in itself but I talked a bit to these two blokes (the australian words begin to creep in) and got to practice my bad danish for a little longer. Now Bangkok to Melbourne was awesome - in a carrier that would perhaps hold 200 people, this one only had about 40 - I'm amazed they hadn't cancelled it but it meant that I had a glorious row to myself, could go to the bathroom whenever desired (on the previous flight, I wasn't inclined to hop over a burly soldier all the time and then its just annoying when you have to wait for the person to wake up before you can go for that longed for walk... life is so tough...*)
anyway, point is it was a good flight, with a personal steward, green tea on demand and if not sleep, then many a movie was available (although flight movies aren’t great quality) I do dawdle in the unimportant a bit  |
| one last chocolate milk |
I flew into Melbourne at about 10 pm and saw the sun set over home, and it was simply a moment when you breath a sigh of relief that it all actually happened and soon, you would set foot on a land that you dreamt of for a year (s’cuse the change of point of view mid sentence) seeing the undulating hills of victoria, the sparse paddocks, even the rare lake was in no better word, awesome! To a degree, actually a large degree, Denmark is very flat and the landscape (aside from North Jutland) is pretty similar so seeing something new was quite swell. The heat and business of Melbourne was a bit of a shock ( I was also wearing a lot of clothing which contributed to the warmth) but a macca’s choc fudge sundae was a perfect cure :D Admittedly doing the whole customs thing was a bit daunting, the lady behind the counter looked a tad frazzled, and wasn't to happy when I lent down to grab my fallen passport ‘ stay standing up, a camera is filming you’ in a frazzly voice - she stamped a no on the form next to my tea bought back from Copenhagen - however this was avoided by smiling at the nice man at baggage claims who put a cross through the no - a smile and friendly voice can get you out of many a tight squeeze - also helped by a) wearing a onsie/adult jumpsuit and b) having your teddy bear (yes, I do still have one - what of it?) tucked under your arm.
Spent the night in a deluxe suite in Melbourne - the one I was booked into was to far a walk for someone with my baggage claimed the counter lady- Yess!!! It was pretty cool - and as you do, depleted their tea and coffee supplies, cranked up the music (TV only played cricket - pshh European handball definitely trumps it) and jumped on the very comfortable bed - also slept between bed sheets for the first time since London - the Danes only have a bottom sheet and then the quilt.
my last leg was the next morning to the Gold coast and whilst I hated donning my masses of clothes, the knowledge that it’d only be 2 hours till I didn't need them was gooood. actually on that flight, I sat next to an English couple (always a bonus in my books) who had a 9 month old (generally a downside on planes - but not this time) called Wilfred (Wilfy for short) anyway, he was a bit of a gurgly tyke but the main advantage of this is that one day, one of my potential sons has a high chance of being called Wilfred (much to the rest of my family’s horror :D )
and then it was - the moment that I had imagined countless times over the year - to see them. That 2 minut walk from along the tarmac to mum’s arms was so many emotions mixed into one that I’ll say ‘jhashasddfhbi’ the feeling of knowing its finally over - but this is both good and bad, the pure joy of knowing the people on the other side of the glass know you and love you, and that you can now fully communicate with everyone and not always ask ‘am I saying it right’ - the feeling of being home. But this have I contemplated much because as Mr Lewis explained, this world will one day be a shadowland so how much more relieving and joyful and exciting will it be to go to my true home, with the Lord, where I am unconditionally loved and known and actually say ‘I am home’. Australia will forever be my earthly home, but that’s it. Heaven will be so much more spectacular.
After giving mum and dad the biggest hug, right in front of everyone, I decided the snow jacket, other jacket and onsie had to go - fortunately not being a Queenslander, the chance of me actually being known by others than my fam was very low, so there was no question of embarrassment. My brothers and their 2 fiancee’s and girlfriend were standing in a row holding smiggle erasers and pencils in floral bouquet fashion which was all a bit cute and beautifully complimented the flowers mum and dad had bought. There is nothing better than family in this world other than Jesus.
I was straight into the wedding stuff and after a pie on the beach at Coolangatta, we headed to our farmstead place at Bangalow (10 minute drive from Byron Bay - Very very cool - strongly suggest, if chance arises, to visit it and have a look at the apothecary and grab a coffee from Utopia. Rehearsal and bridal party dinner was that afternoon and night and the next day, I headed back to the GC with the rest of the bridesmaids and of course, my future sister for a rather fun girls night.
It seemed bizarre, the ease that I seemed to slip back into things but seeing how much was going on, t’was probably a good thing. The wedding was beautiful, it began to rain just as we started driving to the church but stopped in the 10 minute period when we had to get Heidi (Bride) into the church. Everyone sang to their hearts content, I didn't trip or giggle whilst walking down the isle or collapse from jet lag (which never arrived - on the first night in QLD I was a bit hyped before bed but conked out and never had problems with sleep patterns - that was a nice perk) and the main thing, my bro got married to a wonderful woman with Christ at the centre of their lives. and I finally have a legit sister :)
In the 2 weeks in QLD and then road trip along the Great Ocean Road after I had spent a night in Adelaide, I had little time to think about what it meant to be home, and that I was no longer the exchange kid, and that all the people in Adelaide actually knew me - I wasn't a fresh slate, and that life here had changed in someways, but in other ways, was all the same. But bit by bit over the last 2 months, it sinks in a bit more each day, and when reading my journal from intro camp whilst listening to Medina, I realised what had gone on, and am slowly coming to believe that I actually survived but also that it was real - when people ask if I've travelled, it takes a couple of seconds to formulate my answer. 2011 Seems like such a surreal year, like I was simply gone a day, so for now I wait for it to keep sinking in, realise just how much I miss people, or weather and the independence I had ( in some respects, no at all)
When people ask if I had a good time, just exactly what I reply is a problem - elements of it were amazing and some people were unbelievably cool, but other aspects where the hardest of my life - the homesickness and reality of what it means to be so far from everything ever known, and culture shock - while perhaps I didn't notice it there, I can now see subtle differences that are responsible for the different way the two cultures go about life. I’ve been told that on exchange you experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of low's and at least for me, that was true! So when people ask if I would do it again, I’ll say yes but with some tweaking and when they ask how it went, I simply say ‘ worth while’
Life here continues like I always imagined it would - I’ve started uni, went back to my same church, take the same bus route every day, watch all the same shows, love all the same music, hang out with the same people - it wasn't an experience in which my whole world was tipped upside down - just one where I was.
For the experience of living in another country, meeting people, traveling to long desired places and learning new ways of living - I am and will always be grateful, especially knowing what it meant for some people and the sacrifices made!
So to you readers who have read the occasional post or followed my year, thank you - I hope it was enjoyable to read, minus any spelling and grammatical errors, and I hope you’ve been able to a) get a feel for Danish life b) learnt to love travel as I have c) gotten to know a bit about Aussie culture and overall somewhat experienced the life of an Exchange student.
To everyone I knew in Denmark - thank you for making my year one never to forget and helping me assimilate into your culture - it was an amazing whirlwind. To Jesmin, Jeanette, Sabina, Camilla, Maddy and Toby, and all of 2c - every moment, in which ever country, was loved saa kom og besoge mig!! :D
Tak for alt!
Tak for alt!
For the final time,
Farvel og har det godt!!
DK11
*please note masses of sarcasm - I feel the term ‘first world problems’ is appropriate :)
