Friday, August 6, 2010

Home Sweet Home

I am so sorry guys for not updatingig soo long! It has been over a month. Things have been so crazy!



I guess I can start things off by saying I am back home in the US and it feels so weird. I felt so at home in Sweden and coming back home reminded me that I was on an amazing adventure but it had to end sometime. The first morning I woke up in my own bed it felt like my exchange year was a beautiful dream and I was so sad to wake up from it. Everything is the same here so it feels like I really did go to sleep and have this amazing dream. But as I swiped the sleep from my eyes I realized that it had been a year since I last woke up in my own house with my own parents there to greet me. Now that I am moved into my room again I can almost forget at times that I left, but there are traces of Sweden everywhere I look. The memoirs I have in my room, on the walls, the great friends I have made and a language that I never would have dreamed of learning. I am so grateful to have had this experience and I feel like now that I am soon to start school it is time to join the real world again, see people that I have known since 2nd grade. Exchange was a great adventure that most teenagers don't get the chance to do and I have a view of the world that most of the people at my school don't have.



For the last few weeks of my exchange I was on a Euro Tour. I am not going to describe it in full detail because it would take hours just to write up. All I will say is that those 17 days were the best in my life and I dont know if anything will ever top that. The reason is because of the friends I made on the tour, anyone can do a Euro Tour but not everyone has the amazing friends that exchange students become. I know people from all over the world, the closest person to me would be a 5ish hour drive. I bonded with these people like you would never believe. We became a family, everyone on the tour in near and dear in my heart and I can only hope to see them all again. =) If you would like to see what I did on the tour, go on to my facebook and I have all the pictures up. They say a picture is worth a thousand words!



Today, a new exchange student is coming to live with my family and I. Nini from Germany. I am very excited for her to come because I think it will keep me involved in exchange, I didn't want to come home and just be done with exchange students. Exchange students just have such a great bond with one another and make such great friends. =)



I am hoping that I will continue this blog but I just dont know if I will be able to find time to write. If I do continue, this will be the last post in english. Since I need to practice my swedish I figure this will be a really great way to do that. So for all of you out there that are just beginning your exchange, good luck! I really hope that you have a great year and just remember that this is your year and it is up to you to make it amazing! If you ever need any advice from a rebound don't hesitate to ask me, =) I would love to hear how other exchanges are going!



Kram, Haley

13 comments:

  1. Hej Haley,

    Silly as this sounds, I found your blog from a Google search. I feel you and I are at two separate, but very similar, cross-roads: I just got here to Sweden and you just left Sweden. I am an RYE student from CA on exchange for the 10-11 school year to Sweden (in a village just outside Ulricehamn). I got here (in Sweden) about a week and half ago now. Any advice for my upcoming year? It's been really interesting reading your last few posts, getting a feel for what I have to "look forward to" this year. :)

    I hope to hear from you soon! :)
    Vänliga Hälsningar,
    ~Naomi

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  2. Thats really cool, I hope you have been having fun so far. =) Have you learned any swedish yet? My advice right now would be just to make friends! It is so great to have friends once the school year starts. I had one really great friend that was across the street from my 1st host family and she was in my class at school and that helped me so much. We are best friends now and she is planning to spend christmas here in NM! =)

    Kram, Haley

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  3. Hey Haley (: Kan inte beskriva med ord hur det kändes när du gick ombord vid Arlanda.. inte heller att vara i stugan och fiska utan dig :O Btw Tuva har fått in något i ögat och blev JÄTTE DÅLIG, Det var prat om att ta bort det. Men nu mår hon bättre och vi medicinerar 4 gånger per dag. Saknar de roliga stunderna och har inte speciellt mycket att göra på dagarna längre. Ser fram emot skolan, fast när du inte kommer på måndagar så känns det väl sådär. Kjell, Ursula, Cicci, Leo , farmor, farfar, Archie, Sessan och Ingela hälsar jätte mycket! Och nu något för dina engelska vänner:
    I Can't descrbie how much I enjoyed to have a exhange student here, She was like a sister to me and I hope she loved this year så much as I did. Americans are really amazing (: (On a lot of things)
    Haley hälsa dina föräldrar från mig och tacka dom för att du fick åka till Sverige. Saknar dig Haley Bailey =)
    (Lovar att logga in på Spotify)
    Kram malan

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  4. Föressten: Hälsa Evan vampyr/kannibal från mig =)
    Kram malan

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  5. Hej Haley, låter gött! ^w^ Här håller man på att frysa av sig... Ibland.. definitivt höst på igång :/ Lite sorgligt att varje gång jag känner doften av hösten tänker jag på när du fick ditt halloween paket.. Saknar dig med.. (:
    Synd på svenskan.. Det är ju inte så mycket att göra om du inte använder det så ofta.. Här är det mycket lättare att komma ihåg ex, engelska och spanska för att vi pratar det varje dag i skolan ;) Hoppas att den inte försvinner helt för dig.. det vore väldigt synd.. fast i för sig så kan jag ju se fram emot att säga något om dig när du kommer nästa gång utan att du förstår. Mohaha! Nejdå.. Hoppas det tar sig för dig Haley.
    Mamma undrar vad du har för adress för hon ska skicka något betyg till dig eller så.. inte för att jag vet vad det handlar om så jag håller mig utanför.. (:
    kram malan

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  7. Hey Haley!
    I am going to Sweden this Fall as an exchange student. I am from India, and I hope you could give me some pointers!
    Nikki

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  8. Hi :)

    I am trying to set up a website about the exchange-student experience. I am also trying to gather some information on how it is to be and to host exchange-students and ratings of organizations in the hope to make the overall experience better for all parts. If you like I would also very much like to add your blog to my website.

    The website is called:
    http://www.exchange-student.co.cc/

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  10. Nice Blog! Spending an exchange year is awesome! Check out this blog too: http://exchange-year-usa.blogspot.com I hope you like it!

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  12. Cool Blog! I am also going to Sweden this summer, check out my blog http://adventuresverige.blogspot.com/ !

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