I am the type of person who always has a countdown for something, whether it is the weekend, summer, the Fourth of July, information from the host family, or even an anticipated movie, I like having something to look forward to. It keeps me excited for the future and maintaining a positive outlook. Today my only countdown is 11, and that is how many days I have until I fly to Denmark.
Wow, so much has happened in the last two months. So many things ended, and there were a lot of bittersweet goodbyes. I am a very involved dancer in my town of Crested Butte, I help to teach little kid dance classes and I take six dance classes myself. Every year in May there is a big dance show that is usually the highlight of my year. This year, because I was leaving, at the beginning of the show the directors brought me and another girl who is going to college out in front of the audience to say goodbye and give us flowers. On the last night some of my dear dance friends were crying and it took everything I had not to cry myself. During the bows in the last show I definitely let more then a few tears go. I was sad that I would be missing my dance school that I know and love, but happy that I would be living in Europe. That was one of those defining moments when living in Denmark became a real idea, and I did not know what to do with my feelings except cry.
School ended after that, and it really hit me that I would be an exchange student. I would not go back into my high school until I was a senior. With the stress of school out of my way, I could really start focusing on Danish and preparing for my exchange, and that is what I did.
Some exciting information FINALLY came my way during these last two months. The first email I got was in school, my district governor of rotary club in Denmark emailed me in the middle of video productions class and told me I would be somewhere in district 1480. This is the island of Zealand and parts of the southern islands and Fyn. I was so excited, my host country had not forgotten about me. Sometime that same week I also got an email from my counselor in my hosting rotary club of Sorø, Denmark. He emailed me and told me I would be living in Sorø, a small town of 7000 people on the Island of Zealand, about a half hour away from Copenhagen by train. Then in broken English he wrote: “I have enrolled you in Sorø Akademi Skole, google it” . And that is exactly what I did, and almost had a heart attack. The school looks like a castle, is on a lake, and was founded in the 1500’s. I ended my last year of American school until senior year still not having heard from my host family, and all I did was stalk my adorable little town on google earth.
Then I heard from Hanne Nobel, my first host mom. The email was titled “Hi from your host family in Denmark”, and I swear, an email has never taken longer to load in my entire life. My first host family (I will have 3-4 during my year abroad) has two boys, age 11 and 14, two dogs, and are pig farmers who live less than two miles away from Sorø Akademi out in the gorgeous Danish countryside. I have been exchanging emails with her for the past month and she told me that the dance school in Sorø just won a contest, but she does not know the details. I honestly cannot thank Rotary enough for putting me in a town with dance. They take the interests of the students into consideration when finding a host city, and I know that the 8000 2011/2012 RYE students appreciate it. After that I got my guarantee form, which is like my official acceptance into Denmark, and then my visa. There was no other paperwork to wait for, and no reason to obsessively check my email.
This is my amazing school, Sorø Akademi
These are the Nobels, my first host family
This is the Nobel's house last winter. They are farmers so I am pretty sure that the entire house is not for humans.
About a week ago, I received my itinerary via email from my travel agent. It was probably the most exciting email out of all the exciting emails over the last two months. I will be leaving on August 6th, at 11:15am, out of DIA. I will have a thirteen hour flight, with a quick stop in Houston, arriving at 8:30am in Amsterdam. I will then catch a 10:15am flight to Copenhagen, and will finally be in my new home country.
I have no other information to wait for. I have no other countdown besides the big scary one that I’ve been counting since Christmas Eve. The reality of me leaving has hit me in waves, and now that I know everything that I need to know for my departure, I don’t think I will be hit by it anymore until I actually arrive in Denmark. Now the feelings of fear, worry, and anxiety are starting to set in. This is no longer a dream that will help me get through the tough days, this is really going to be my life in 11 days. Even typing this I cannot imagine what it is going to be like. It still feels like a dream that is too incredible, so it must not be true. I think the next time you will be hearing from me I will have flown to Denmark.
You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So…get on your way.
-Dr. Suess
-Dr. Suess
