Sunday, June 12, 2011

Velkommen

Hej. That means hello in Danish and I think this is how I will be starting my blogs, so creative I know. Well if you have arrived on this page I assume you know I will be going to Denmark next year, but if not here is more than you ever wanted to know. I was chosen as a Rotary Youth Exchange student back in November and on January 28 I found out I would be going to Denmark next year! I am beyond thrilled and thankful for this opportunity! In case you don't know what Rotary is take a look at their website and look under "Students and Youth" for more information on the youth exchange program. Okay and now for the answers to the questions I know many of you have since I have already answered them many, many times (all you other exchange students reading this know what I am talking about), but that's alright because talking about my next year always puts a smile on my face. I will be gone for around 11 months starting in the beginning of August and will be returning sometime in July most likely. I will be living with 3 host families, which may seem crazy to some of you, but to me it seems perfect. I get to experience 3 different life styles and gain a greater view of what Danish life really consists of. I will be living on the island of Fyn (yes, Denmark is made up of 5 main islands- see the maps on the side bar). I am told that it is one of the most beautiful parts of Denmark, so I am excited for that. I will be attending a traditional Danish school with all my classes except for English being taught in Danish. I have started doing some practice online, but it is a hard language just to learn through a computer, but once I get there the complete immersion will allow me to quickly progress. My counselor, Anders, from the Rotary Club of Ejby informed me that I will be taking Danish classes once I get there, so that will also help a lot in my Danish improving. One last question I get asked a lot is why I want to go away for a year and leave my family and friends behind. My answer generally is that I want to experience a life different than what I know and have lived for the last 16 years. I love traveling and my mom was a Rotary Youth Exchange student to Brazil a long time ago, so I have always sort of known it was an option. Last year I applied, but was not accepted because I was not old enough, but this year I knew I had to apply again and ever since those 2 nerve-wracking, panel interviews that turned out to be comfortable and relaxed, I have found myself daydreaming about a year in another country, barely understanding the language and culture, having the time of my life. I am hoping to update this blog as often as possible while in Denmark, but who knows what will happen once Danish life takes over : ). For now I will continue blog posts about what is happening and what else I learn about my families, towns, school, and so on. Feel free to comment with any other questions you have or e-mail them to me at ninabee22@gmail.com. I will do my best to answer them!
Farvel for nu (bye for now)
Nina

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