Too Happy to be Homesick: Family

When you become an exchange student, you are constantly meeting new people and developing lasting relationships of all sorts. There will be your daily bus driver, your host sisters, your teachers, the Rotarians and of course your friends. I have discovered that all of these people have become a family to me, in a country where I previously knew no one. This is my huge and updated family.

My Home Family –The Mother and Father that are always supportive and proud of me.

Home family, these are the people that you will come home to. They are the ones who understand how busy you are, but will still accommodate for the occasional skype date, despite the time difference. This is my sister, brothers, friends, grandparents, and of course my mom and dad, in my life now they are my “Exchange Mother and Father.” They are the ones most excited about your experiences, and the ones who are missed the most. I know that since I have been away, I have wanted to share every experience with all of these people. I often find myself saying: “The only way this exchange could be any more fun, is if all of my friends and family from back home could come and experience these things too.” In one day I do so many things and I want to tell them everything, but I always forget something. Hopefully I will remember enough things to tell them about when I get home, as explaining through a screen doesn’t do my exciting adventures justice!

My Host Family – Aunts and Uncles who listen to every funny encounter throughout the day.

Host family, these are the people you spend every day with. I know that it is not easy having someone else come and live in their home, but I’ve been welcomed and I feel “at home” with the big family and busy schedules. I have been here long enough to know some of the little habits my host family has, and I think when you notice these things, that is truly when you feel “at home”. Emilia will almost always wake up at the last possible second before school, but somehow will never miss the bus; I think I am picking up habits from her ;). Linnea will always get angry about the bus being late, even though it’s late almost every day, she still gets just as annoyed. When she is speaking Finnish, I still understand when she is disappointed by the bus’s lack of punctuality.

My family knows about all of the strangers that speak to me in the streets, and also how surprised I am every time someone speaks Finnish to me. They remember how excited I was the day I understood when that man asked me “What time is it? I need to go to the airport.” and they were just as excited when I responded with “viisi yli kaksi” (2:05). My host family here has taken the position of my “Exchange Aunts and Uncles”.

My Home Rotary Club – The Far Away Grandparents.

Home Rotary Club, these are the people who want to see you succeed. They ensure that you have support in your home country for when you leave, and also return. After all, I can’t be on vacation forever! They prepared me for my year with all the advice handbooks and informed me of situations I may encounter. They have done all they could to help me have a great experience, then they sent me out into the real world. My Home Rotary Club is my “Distant Exchange Grandparents”.

My Host Rotary Club – Local Grandparents that you go for dinner with once a week.

Host Rotary Club, these are the people that make sure you are enjoying your year. They take you to all of the unique activities that your country has to offer, they make sure that you know that you have someone to go to in case of any situation, and they also give you the support you need when you are stressed or uncomfortable. These people have so much experience with exchange students, they have advice for almost any situation, just like grandparents, they have seen it all before. My Host Rotary Club also plays the role of “Exchange Grandparents”.

My Rotary District Exchange Students – The crazy cousins that everyone questions whether to invite to weddings.

Finally we have fellow exchange students. We are all in difference cities and sometimes it is difficult to see each other, but when we do, we “let the good times roll” – Flo Rida. They say that your cousins should be your first friends, and in the lifetime of my exchange, this statement is entirely true, these international beauties were my first friends.

I was able to spend this weekend with the District 1400 exchange students. While watching Mammia Mia with Emilia and Diana, having breakfast date with Peter and Diana and then Cards Against Humanity with the rest of the gang, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time. Most of us had not seen each other for two months, but when we were reunited, it was just like no time had passed at all, and the laughter was never-ending. We are all having amazing experiences and hearing about what the other students are doing, makes me more excited for everything that I have yet to do/see. We talked about our embarrassing moments in Finland, and I’ve realized that it is an exchange student’s duty to be forever embarrassed.

It is new to me, to be so independent from my previous life, but when you are pushed outside of your comfort zone, that is when you begin to grow.

Two amazing months finished :( , but excited for the next eight :),

Mackie