Rotary Exchange - The Three Year Exchange

I'm not actually sure what I'm going to write about in this post.  I have been reminiscing during the past few weeks about my stay in Norway and the year before.  As we have been taught (and which I totally believe), an exchange student goes through 2-3 years of change in their lives.  The year before we leave we experience excitement and preparation; the year abroad is the culture learning and experience; and the year we return home we go through an extra year of adjusting back to our own culture and fitting our new selves into our old societies. 

Just the other day, I realized that I was close to only four more months in Norway.  Yes, I say "only four more months" because the seven months that have already past have seemed to fly by, and thinking I am more than half way is a little depressing. 

My "Year Before My Year Abroad" wasn't only a year before I left for Norway.  My family has hosted nine exchange students in our home with countless others during the Rotary Killington Ski Weekend and other events.  I have been lucky enough to have been home for eight of the nine exchange students who have each lived from a couple weeks to almost five months at my house.  When I was only three or four years old after my baby brother was born, we hosted our first exchange student, Gabi, from Brazil.  It was a great experience for me as a young child because I wasn't the oldest "kid" in the house anymore; I had an older sister.  Starting with Gabi and continuing on to: Celine, France; Didrik, Norway; Vera, Hungary; Lena, Germany; Fabricio, Bolivia; Matteo, Italy; Sophie, France; and Umur, Turkey.  I have continuously grown up with "older siblings" (now they're becoming younger, starting with Sophie), all of which I consider to be my extended family, and different learnings of each culture they came from.  Gabi from Brazil now has a baby boy, as does Celine from France.  I joked with my mom one time (it was only once because she got upset) that she was a "grandmother" in a weird sense - can you see why she was upset?  ;)  So, for me, it felt like a "right of passage" to become an exchange student.  I had always been quite involved as were my parents with the exchange program.  The actual "Year Before My Year Abroad" didn't feel real.  I went on interviews, filled out intense paperwork, was chosen, went to Rotary meetings, found out my country was Norway and I would be living in Larvik, finished high school, went on orientations and finally left. 

"My Year Abroad (So Far)" has been more than I could ever describe.  If it wasn't for the year(s) of build-up before actually becoming an exchange student, getting my blazer and stepping on that airplane to Oslo back in August, I don't think I would be here.  It's thanks to all of the exchange students who came to Killington, VT who convinced me to be an exchange student.  Not only have I met (what seems like) a hundred new people and kept up with "my big bror" Didrik while on exchange, but I have learned so much about Norway and myself.  I dear, dear friend of mine, Michelle, commented on a picture of me the other day saying "i don't know the non-noellen being... but this is glorious".  She wasn't commenting about me looking different, but rather that I seemed to be "acting" different.  Although I've experienced a lot of happy and sad things in my lifetime that have made me who I am, Norway has changed me much more in a shorter amount of time.  Being far away from anyone that you know (I'm lucky to have Cathrine, Didrik and his family) for a whole year is a lifechanger.  It feels almost as though you're finally on your own.  It was interesting looking at all of my friends who are in college's statuses near Thanksgiving: "Wow I'm going home after so long!" or "Here I come, Vermont!" and thinking, "Not me.  :)  I get to stay here!  Lucky me!  i get to continue experiencing the best of life.  I am one 'heldiggris.'"  I seem to be rambling now, but I'm going to keep going with it.......... It's amazing to read all of the other kids from my district at home and those in Norway's blogs too.  They seem to have also changed so much.  I re-read my first blog post in Norway and the one before I left and could only think to myself, "I knew nothing!"  (first blog post: First Day in Norway Post and first day at school blog post: First Day of School in Norway Post)  Read them for yourselves.  I seem to cringe when I read them!!

"My Rebound Culture Shock Year" will be very strange.  Not only will buildings and cars look a little different, but the people will seem different to me.  I will be on the outside once again.  I will be looking in after living in another culture for a year.  I'm looking forward to what that will be like, but as I've said, I'd rather stay here a bit longer ;)  I can't tell you much more about it, because I have yet to experience it, but I know it will feel like nothing has changed and that I have. 

I want to end this post with a few pictures of during my exchange and saying that I am so proud of myself.  I feel okay saying this because I have done something not very many people get to do in their lifetime and that I have experienced so much.  Thanks to everyone at home for making this possible.  Thanks to my mom, dad and little brother for letting me go at the airport og takk til alle sammen i Norge som har gjørt så mye for meg her og til alle vennene mine som jeg er veldig glad i og til vertsfamiliene mine som jeg er veldig glad i også!!!

all of my host families

Oslo

Winter camp with Rotary

Ice Bath (Ice Woman 2010!!)

At the top of Dønnamannen in Northern Norway

After the premiere of the Week Ten performance "Lyden av Livet"



Lyden av Livet

 Takk for alt.  Jeg veit ikke hva jeg kan si . . . for mye å si.  Jeg er glad i alle her i Norge og hjemme.  Jeg kommer til å savner Norge.......  Men!  Jeg har fire måneder i Norge!!  :D  Jeg har hatt sju kjempebra måneder i Norge.  Jeg er en "heldiggris."  :P