Things are a changin'

I sit here staring at the page, a history test about Vikings. Oh the happiness I feel. And yet it strikes me that for once in my life, I notice that school in New Zealand isn’t as easy as I had previously thought.

There are 4 questions, all about 4-5 lines long; there is 50 minutes to do it in. In NZ we would have 50 minutes to write an entire 3 or so page essay. Is NCEA in fact what some may deem a challenge? No it can’t be. I have always thought of NCEA as rather ridiculous to be honest, for one your first year exams count for nothing, secondly they do not have any international standing whatsoever and of course there is the fact that you can pass the year without sitting all your end of year exams. Got to love the New Zealand way of doing things.

I write this sitting in the basement classroom, surrounded by busy scribbling people, all while I sit on my computer and write this. Notes about our London trip on the board, the teachers’ droning baritone circling the room. I have tried with the test, of course. But all I got to was translating the questions which itself was a bit of a challenge so I just stopped it there. The successes of being an exchange student, I am king.

So anyway, as I sit here, the thoughts of me moving host families sits in the back of my mind. The last move, next time I move it will be all the way back to little old NZ. A sad thought which I try to ignore as much as humanly possible. I move tonight after Rotary, moving back to mainland Europe y’all.

The concept of moving families is so bizarre I have realized. I have to pick my life up, stuff it in 2 suitcases plus a hoard of other bags and boxes, get in a car and all of a sudden shift lives. Change the way I live day to day. Of course it’s a good thing, a positive thing as I get to experience so many different Denmarks I suppose you could say. But it is still so hard getting used to different things, even small things like where the plates are kept, when people come home from school/work, what the rules are and of course peoples expectations of you. People outside of the exchange ‘circle’ may find it hard to fully understand the ins and outs, ups and downs of exchange, which is totally understandable, but I want to help them try and understand what it is like. So hard to explain, like seriously I can’t put into words what the experience of exchange is like. Unbelievable just doesn’t do it justice.

So today I leave the Leed household. I just want to say tusind tak/mage tak til min mor Kirsten og verdens bedste bror Andreas. Although short, we have done so much together and I felt like such a part of the family. I have learned so much, plus my Danish has become so much better (thanks to Kirstens fine teaching skills ☺). I have been shown so much of Denmark with this family, day trips here and there were so nice, Denmark really is one cool country (the weather is another thing). We have been mushroom picking, to the beach, on walks, picnics, explored other cities and seen what our own town of Middelfart has to offer. So thanks again for all you have done, I can only try to put into words how much I appreciate everything. Og vi siger ikke farvel men vi ses ☺

Exciting week ahead well with moving, one of my best friends from New Zealand coming to see me AND Lucy will finally be 18 on Sunday. It will be so strange to not have the usual McLeod/Olsen/Delany afternoon tea with cake, tea/coffee and of course the family staple food – nacho chips. But I look forward to a Danish birthday, med dejlig chokolade og kage til.

Report back soon.

Floederboller recipe coming soon, stay tuned. They are worth the wait.

Pics coming soon too :)

Oh and I have since moved into my next family and love it :). We have a kitten do do do!