I Can Never Express This Enough

I can never express this enough of how much exchanging can truly be to someone, me, and all the things you learn from it.

The typical high schooler: just riding through 4 years of high school, taking your hard junior classes, facing all the drama, and etc.
The typical exchanger: learning a new language, living away from home at the age of either 16, 17, or 18, making foreign friends with language barriers, learning different culture ways, growing up and trying to figure out all your problems on your own, and finding yourself in ways that you think you wouldn't find out until you were out of college.

I have always regret somethings... but since I have been here I have learned to never regret anything because at one point you wanted that to be and everything is for a reason. And I am a strong believer of that.

I remember in the nearing fall of 2008 I decided for some odd reason or another to exchange. I had NO idea... even after all those talks from other exchangers it would be like this. And now I am living it and experiencing my own exchange.

Exchange is something that's different for everyone... and when I say that I mean it with all truth. Every exchange is different.

These past few weeks I have been trying to classify my exchange on some level for the future exchangers... but I just can't. My exchange was successful in my own way, but maybe not for others.
I am not fluent in Czech. I am okay with that and I do not at all regret not trying my hardest to become fluent.
I have made mistakes here, but if anything I have learned from them and I am even more grateful for making those mistakes rather than not having them happen to me.
I went on the rollercoaster: culture shock, homesickness, holidays, winter, spring, and now to be summer leaving.
I have made friends here that I will have forever.

When I think about time... I can't even begin grasp how fast everything went while being here. I can't grasp how many emotions I've been through or how many bad nights I've had feeling so lost and alone. Time goes by more than anyone can really know. To know that I leave in exactly 78 days is scary compared to the ~232 days that I've been here. But actually, they both were scary. The days I have being here seemed like so much.. and now the days I have left here seems too small for everything that I still have to do. I am not sure how I feel about that either.
People have been asking me if I'm ready to come home and I will answer that truthfully right now.

I am ready to come home to see everyone, to be understood without any language barrier, to just be in my home....
I'm not ready to come home and leave this yet though. I think that after these 79 days are up I will be prepared to come home. I know that all the memories I have made here will not be lost because they are forever held onto with my heart.

Even though I am still 16... I feel as if I have accomplished more in my life right now than I ever thought I would at this age of life. I am proud of myself, depsite what others think about exchange. I love my family for everything they have taught me, both of my siblings for showing me how they are growing up wonderfuly, and just everyone and their support.

Once I am back I hope to form a club that will encourage the younger students or even older to consider foreign exchanging. It will be a culture club so I will also be having to do some research on other cultures and just try to celebrate maybe one of their holidays, make a traditional food, and of course some of the language basics. I also hope to share alot about Czech Republic, because personally I think that probably only 10% of the worlds population know anything about Czech Republic except that Prague is located there. :) That is my next big goal with exchanging I hope to accomplish.Even when you are done exchanging... you are never really done with it. I think that I will find myself in places where I am still on exchange sort-of.

My exchange is something I wish I could share with everyone...

Thanks for reading! And I hope to update it next time I am back from Italy And Greece on May 14th!!! Take Care!!!

-April Ann