Heartbroken from Half a World Away

Pikes Peak Mine, 29 miners trapped and now presumed dead after two huge explosions.

The little nation of New Zealand in mourning, our biggest national disaster since Erebus. I am just absolutely heartbroken about this tragedy. And although I am here, far away from home, I still feel so part of it and so so sad for all those involved, and even those who are in NZ. When something happens to NZ, everyone groups together to pull through. I suppose it comes with having such a small population, and the strong bond that most kiwis possess.

Although I am here, half a world away from this, it has still touched my heart and I pray for all those who have been affected by this.

Denmark has an important place in my heart, but New Zealand is still my home.

See you soon Aotearoa

x

Oh the Places You Will Go

This poem has brought tears to my eyes, it speaks with such truth about this year, exchange and all the complexities and amazing highs you experience. I'll read it before I leave this far away home from home, and will keep up the tradition of crying happy tears. Thanks Mads for giving it to me, love you so much sis <3

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

Hey time...bye time....

So its been a while since I have written anything, mainly because I am never sitting down for more than 10 minutes before I have to go again. People ask me what I am doing, and I never know what to say. It's just . . stuff. Like seeing people, catching a bus and or train or even biking somewhere, going to school, doing some schoolwork if school is lucky, doing chores like going to the bank etc. It just piles up and therefore am nearly never home. It's like I have never stopped running since I got off the plane at Billund 10 months ago.

Time just won't hold up, I want time to just stop so I can be a Dane for a little bit more.

Amongst the chaos, some exciting things have happened. We had our school gala the other week which is similar to a leavers ball in NZ, not quite the parade that Marsden puts on but it was really awesome to be part of it.

We danced lancier which in my opinion is the most hilarious dance ever created. Catherine was my man, and a good looking one at that. We began by all parading into the gymnasium at the gymnasium (as in school) as i felt like we were part of some sort of Deb Ball, Catherine and I were the only ones laughing and talking as we did this I am pretty sure. Which made it even more hilarious.

My awesome as host dad, Jens has the most beautiful so he put it to good use to create memories of the hilarity of Catherine and I dancing together.





I was also really lucky as (nearly) all members of all of my host families were at the Gala too! So here are some pics of all of us. Ellie, one of my best friends EVER, also came as my guest as she had to be part of my special night too :). Sorry I cant put captions under the pics....just blogger being not so user friendly.

But in the fam pic we have Jens, current host dad, Andreas, my last host brother, me, my host mum Ulla, and Lærke, Gitte and Ib from my first family. Love you all so much!





It was such a fun night spent with the best people ever. Tak for en rigtig dejligt aften alle sammen :).

Have been up to see Ellie in Brande a few times recently too, its about an hour by train from here and in Central Jylland so its good to get around DK a bit more before I go.

The weather has been changing SO much too as of late. First Autumn was like BAM, leaves everywhere and the heavens were permanently open, now winter has hit and I just wish snow would fall already, as if it snows, at least the cold is pretty and not just grey and wet. Let it snow let it snow let it snow :)






The other day Catherine and I went to Andreas house and made some Danish candy things called flødeboller, cream balls translated hehe. They are so so yum and we made them pink so they were even better!






Wednesday did not only mark the birthday of my ever aging mother, BUT it also marked the premiere of the the 7th of the Harry Potter films! I was so so excited, its like the climax of my childhood was coming to fruition. I went with Catherine and Andreas at 23.58 in Middelfart and it was so amazing. I was whispering the lines I swear, and was noticing all the parts they missed out or did differently. Cute Harry nerd. But of course now we must wait 6 months for the second part to come out!

Then on Thursday, Andreas and I decided to go to Odense just randomly. So we took the train and bus and ended up at the Rosengårdcenter which is DKs biggest mall. And just by CHANCE IKEA is right next door...so naturally we went there and had the best time ever. Had the good old Swedish meatballs for dinner, at 4.30 as it seemed like dinner time as it was so dark. They also had all of their Christmas stick which was so awesome. I feel like you can really get into Christmas here, Scandinavia is the place to be. It better snow...just fingers crossed.

Must be off to bed as am tired from school, all of 2 classes and had Andreas and Catherine over for dinner and an epic Pushing Daisies Marathon.

European Handball Champs Game tomorrow with my mum, looking forward to it! We plan to watch the men rather than the game. Im totally fine with that!

Knus from a far away freezing land

Lx

Bored

Bored at school.

Writing Life Plan

Hug your dreams.

Have you hugged your dreams today? If not I would advise to do so as they are the things that drive us, make us work harder, keep us going. You may even achieve them one day :)

Oh and thanks Catherine for the title of this blog! I am so tired even naming this thing is hard.

So Im sitting here in my room, so tired I could fall asleep on my laptop, the TV still on with Danmarks næste top model booming. Its not that good to be truly honest but it makes me feel like I am achieving something as it is in Danish, my life is awesome.

I sit inside, nice and warm while outside is just chilln, quite literally its about minus 2 right now. Oh hey winter. I just wished it snowed already so it would at least be pretty and cold.

Just a random as update on nothing.

Our school gala is on Friday, similar to a leavers ball but not quite the taahdaah that Marsden does where mothers hold meetings about ribbon and girls pay their inheritance to look good for just one night. Well this is a bit more casual in my opinion, but we have to dance lancier. A ridiculous, made up mess which resembles drunk Swedish people trying to be German. Hilarious. Have lessons all week at school which is AWESOME when you half understand the instructor! Makes it super easy.

Anywho, signing off for bed. Small thing called school tomorrow argghhh

Lx

Londontown

Okay so here is the long promised blog about London. It has now been a few weeks since my class and I got back from this amazing feels-like-home city. I miss it, I miss the controlled chaos of a big city, I miss the unbelievable mix of cultures, starbucks, the curry house we ate at every night, the tube (I can still rattle off the different stops and lines, sort of epic) and being with my friends 24/7.

It was amazing being in a huge city such as London with the people you love so much, wish I could go back! But back to reality again, back to school and the long days of not doing much but having to attend otherwise your absence rate will shoot through the roof. Just a little over school at the moment, as many other exchange students are at this time. Just not doing much gets to you after 9 months. I crave a challenge like an assignment or essay. I need those short term goals again. I am used to having huge and sometimes crazy goals such a learn Danish, make new friends, build a life. A bit daunting, thus the thought of small goals seems very tempting and exciting. Sounds sick to most I know.

Anyway, LONDON! We began at 3am at Fredericia train station, ikke så frisk! We took the train to Copenhagen which takes about 3 hours then we waited waited waited to get our flight to LONDON! I got a stamp in my passport as I left KBH which was more exciting than you would think...

After a flight sitting next to an uber feral 14 year old boy who thought he was top lort, we arrived in London. And for all of you kids living in Denmark, you will know Jesper from X Factor. Well his class was on a studietur too and was on the same flight there and back as us! Yay Danish celebrity who isnt too hard on the eyes. NOM.

So after staring at Jesper for some time, we all trudged onto the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station and then onto West Brompton. Just sayin, but taking your suitcases when there are about 30 students on the tube is no easy feat. We deserve a medal for all of that, so stressful agh! But we got to the hotel and dumped our stuff and we let free for the afternoon so a group of us went to Piccadilly Circus to find some food and take in out first sight of the big smoke.






So now Im tired and so will just post pics and maybe small explanations, sorry kids, writing s super hard at this very moment.
























So that was London in a nutshell. It was the most amazing week, the most tiring week but I wish I could do it all again.

Thanks 3.k for being awesome, going to miss you all and your crazy antics.

So onto the rest of my life at the moment. Well, Im at a strange place at the moment. I think its a mix of the emotion of my looming departure from DK, having to say goodbye to so many amazing people, having to think beyond this year, having to build a life again, moving to a new city, starting university and other small things like this. It will be so hard to go back home, as I have changed so much and I feel like my life in NZ stood still. Like my room will be the same as I left it a year ago. The same CD in the CD player, the same numerous pieces of useless paper on my desk, the same notes I madly scribbled on my wall in vivid for NCEA level 1 and 2. Thats all the same, but Im not.I wont fit into my old life. And to be honest I am scared.

The joys of life changing things hey? Have to be prepared for the truck load of emotion that comes with it.

So last weekend we had our second of only two Rotary Get togethers. And for all of those poor people not in the Rotary loop. this is where all exchange students in DK meet for a weekend, usually staying in a school, not sleeping, catching up with your international friends and eating. Oh and of course partying, but abiding by the 4 D rules, thus not so much fun JK, its still awesome.

So this time it was the oldies last get together before we all go home. It was in Holbæk on Sjælland so another 3hr train journey with the good old DSB trains that I have learnt so well this year.

We had like a halloween dress up party on the Saturday night which was really cool, just chill and bogan as. Elles and I went as hippie, bum, bogans from Christiania which worked out super well for last min costumes. We were pretty epic I have to admit.







We got bored whilst sitting at our table, so naturally we began a bonfire with the candles on our table. The Rotarians were freaking out silently and took them away from us when we were getting puds hahahaha shot Rotarians!

But it was such a fun weekend in all, slept in a hallway and corridor so was pretty epic.

Will miss some oldies, others I will not give a second thought for the rest of my life. Whoops did I just say that? Tehe

Oh so the other day Catherine and I had a date and we made the cutest and yummiest meal EVER. We have talent at both cooking and dating, suggestive?






Oh and we had Muesli for pudding . .yums!

And one last pic....its getting cold here and dark. Hate it, just a little jealous of NZ as it heats up and DK cools down. But I love how you can see the sudden change in seasons here. Its definitely autumn now.




Oh and a pic of my house! Super cute no?

Lucy signing off

x