What being an exchange student means

YAY! I managed to do the whole translation. And if you're wondering why my english is so much better in this text: I gave it to my English teacher for correction, that's also the reason why it took so long. I finished the translation in one hour (So proud of myself!)^^
A while ago I found this beautiful text about the experiences as an exchange student. I write the english version in a new Blog because it's very long.
It's a free translation because I don't know many of these expressions in english, but I tried to be near the orignal.
And also that's the text with which I managed to convince my best friend to also go abroad :)


It's not easy to be an exchange student.
With the people who support you and give you strength,
there are others who are jealous and envious and not happy with your luck.
Suddenly people  who you thought of as friends, are talking behind your back.

You can't do this.
A few months and you're back home.
Who do you think you are?

And still, you smile as if nothing happend.
You listen to the feigned goodbyes.

"I can do that."
Somehow.
Definitely.

There are days on which you don't believe yourself.
You wished you could turn back time.
What made you apply for this insanity?
Maybe you just wanted to prove that you're strong enough.
All the people who don't believe in you.

"You don't have to prove anything to us"
say the people who love you.
"I know"
And with time you understand
that you don't have to prove yourself to these people.
But now you want to prove it yourself.

At the airport you seriously considerd for a moment
taking your luggage and drive back home.
Just as if nothing ever happened.
But why did you go through this then?

In your new home, it's not always like you wished it to be.
And slowly you realise that the little,
things you've been taking for granted,
are suddenly becoming a lot more important.

Your mum's cooking.
Your friend's "Good Morning" on the way to school.
Your favourite radio show in the car.
Your friends laughing abou things which aren't funny.
Your dad who can do simply anything.
The bus stop right beside youur house.
Your sister's sarcastic comments.
Your favourite chocolate.
The pedestrian area in your town.
The evening with your mum in front of the tele,
although neither of you likes watching TV.
The real tree at X-mas.
The conversations with your sister who took the whole night.
The game evening in the garden at night.
Your aunts visit.
Your dog, who's always willing to be cuddled.
Your grandma's sensationel cake.
And so much more.

Then there are days on which you just want to go home, because everything is so different.
And your nightmares, keeping you awake.

Others might ask why you take this unto yourself.
Why you just drop everything and just fly home.

Why?
Because it's worth it.

For all the hard times, you would never go back on your decision.
Even after the 100th time, you would still do everything the same as the first time.
Even if not everything's as great as in your dreams at irst sight.
in the end it's even better than you could have imagined.

Thousand of kilometres away from your home, there's a place in which you're welcome,
Which you can call your home.
People who originally are strangers take you in as their daughter,
Just like that.
Suddenly you have two mothers and two fathers who love you.
Who ask in the evening, what your day was like.
Who are proud to go to your concerts.
Two mothers who alwas tell you how much they like your new haircut.
Who always understand you, because they went through the same.
Two fathers who get suspicious when they hear a new boy's name.
Who collect you at night or in the early hours from a party.

And then you have this siter, who you love like your real one.
With whom you go through thick and thin.
Who's a good friend to you, and who's always there for you.
Who you can go to in the break,
to lend her calculator for your math test.
With whom you sleep on the gound in the storage room without reason.
Who asks you in the schoolbus what happens in the book,
which you have to read for English classes
Who draws you a laughing sun in your student calender for the day,
on which you have to write a test for history.
Who you understand without many words.

And again, it is the small things
which show you, that your desicion was right.

The laughing bus driver, who asks you if were followed by a bear
when you run late for the schoolbus again.
The DvD collection of your dad which reminds you of a videotheque.
The enthusiasm from your school when your basketball team plays.
The ice cream which can't taste better in Italy.
The fact that no-one is bothered when you sleep, with your head on the table, in your history class.
Your 23-year old choral teacher who tells you in class
that she accidentally shaved off her eyebrow.
The Sundays on which you go to church with your family.
Your German teacher, with whom you can slag off the Americans.
The exitement right befor the home-coming game of your school's football team.
And the panicked question of what to wear on the homecoming dance afterwards.
The fact that people you only know from seeing still drive you 30 minutes home,
and they live in the opposite direction.
The days on which all the teachers and students come to school in the schoolcolours.
The iMAc in your library.
The drive on the ATV, even if it's cold.
The people who all want to try out their German on you.
The slogan days at school, and all those who play along
and wear the most embarassing clothes.

The list is endless.

Already before your exchange, there were beautiful moments,
which you won't forget your whole life.

The tears at your farewell.
All the presents,
into which your friends put so much thought.

Just the thought,
that your friends and family love you so much.

Maybe the preparation camp you had,
And all the nice people you met there, who understand you,
because they experience the same as you do.
With whom you're undergone unforgettable moments.
With whom you could openly talk about your fears, unafraid that they would laugh about you.
The ones who became important friends.

Yes, being an exchange student isn't easy.

But every moment,
in which you wanted to cry out your soul,
every tear you shed
and every day
on which you wanted to chuck it up and turn back time,
were worth it.

No one ever said it would be easy.
No one ever said there were only happy moments.

Being an exchange student means getting to know new things.

Learning a new language.
Learning a new culture.
Learning new manners,
Getting to know strange people.

But as an exchange student, you learn so much more.

You learn other ways to communicate.
You learn to be able to communicate with two languages, to think an to dream.
You learn to understand another mindset.
You learn what it means to have responsibility.
You learn to fight for your dreams.
You learn to be grateful for what you have.

But the most important one is: You find out who you really are.

Suddenly you're asked if want to sleep in on weekends,
 or if you want to do something.
You're asked if you'd rather spend time with your family in front of the TV
or if you want to read a book by yourself.
The silence which you always took for granted
The question if you chew chewing gums if you're irritated,
aren't that strange anymore.

And your habit,
Always being friendly and never showing your dislike openly -
you hadn't thought about it for a long time.

But in a totally new environment, such question pop up,
and suddenly you think about your characheristics or your qualities,
which you'd been taking for granted.

As an exchang student you have your ups and downs
many beautiful, but also many hard times.

But it's worth it.