Being an exchange student was really worth it.

Hello!

I would just like to say that I have wanted to be an exchange student for a long time. Being an exchange student says to me that I want to stand out, do something different, learn new things, see new places, and live life everyday. All of us exchange students are special in our own way. We are taking that extra step to get to where we want to be in life. Not many people do this everyday, so we should be proud of ourselves for doing something so brave.

When I first got to Sweden I thought, “Oh great! I am not going to make many friends. I will be left out of many activities.” I had also heard that Swedish people are not very friendly. Fortunately, I was wrong. My host family was very friendly and welcoming. They were all helpful and kind towards me. The classmates I had were the best classmates ever. Each one of them helped me with school and they never let me be alone. I just had to get to know them, and then we were all comfortable around each other. This year was definitely better than I had expected it to be.

Homesickness was hard to get through at the beginning of the year, but as time went on I felt more at home in Sweden . Still, earlier in the year I had to think positive. Thinking positive and talking to my friends and host family got me through the homesickness. Then I just felt comfortable enough that I no longer got homesick.

Living with a new family took some time getting used to. I had to adjust to their rules, food, and culture. My host parents did not have strict rules. Their main rules were: to stay safe, be responsible, be respectful, clean up after myself, and have fun. My host family was laid back, so they were not too strict. They cared mostly about my safety. When I needed help with homework they would do their best to help me understand. We always had at least one hour of family time every night. They made nice, healthy food. I love pasta, potatoes, and meat. There were many dinners that included those foods. The Swedish desserts are to die for! They are absolutely amazing! In the Swedish culture, people take things one step at a time, and the people are open about many things. When they felt like they could be open around me then they were open, and they loved to talk. Swedish people love to have “ficka,” which is like their way of hanging out may be after school. Friends will go out and have a cup of coffee and chat for a while. Overall, I felt comfortable with my host family, and they made fantastic healthy, Swedish food, and the Swedish culture suited my laid back kind of style.

Adapting to my new school was easy in some ways and difficult in others. I enjoyed my schedule. I had something different everyday, and some days were short and others started later. I liked the variety that each day gave me. The fact that I could call my teachers by their first names was a little weird, though. My teachers were always helpful towards me. After class each teacher would explain to me in English what they had said during the class. All the students enjoyed themselves. They tried to make everyone laugh, and we all stuck together. No one was left behind. Our school had different buildings, so we would walk to class together, so no one would get lost. My class was a close class, and I will miss them all terribly. The teachers I had and friends I made were all kind and fun loving people. They enjoyed life, and looked at the glass as half full instead of half empty.

My class decided to have a costume party for Halloween. We all got dressed up, and went to the location. There we arm wrestles, fashion shows, and costume contests. The party was a hit! I will never forget it.

There were many new cultural events that I had never experienced before. Before Christmas we had this event called Lucia. On the 14^th of December my host family took me to the church in town, and we listened to the choir sing songs about Christmas. We watched the Lucia girl walk down the isle at the end of the ceremony. She wore a crown of candles on her head and a red belt around her waist. The Lucia comes from a holiday celebrated in Italy.

Everyone celebrates New Years Eve by partying. One New Years we held a house party. Near midnight we walked into the city where fireworks were going off, and everyone was drinking. Our group gathered around, and when the clock stuck twelve everyone took a sip of champagne. All the people in the city were screaming, hugging, and kissing. I think that was one of the most memorable New Years Eves I have ever had.

I would have to say that the true friends that I made in Sweden were my classmates. They stayed with me the whole year. They were supportive, comforting, and caring. I could trust them. They helped me get through the lows and highs of being in a new country with a new family, culture, and language. We would have “get togethers,” where we would have conversations about how we were all doing. The friends I made in Sweden helped me become more confident. They helped me come out of my comfort zone, and I will always thank them for that. I know we probably won’t talk to each other to often after I leave, but my Swedish friends will always have a special place in my memory.

My first Swedish word was “tack” or thanks in English. The Swedish language is not too hard. I think the hardest part for me was the speaking. Some of the pronunciations were difficult, so I was always a little hesitant toward the speaking. My other language that I was studying in school was French. I learned Swedish faster than I learned French because I was around it all the time, and I tried speaking the language. I assure you that if you try speaking as much as you can at the beginning than you will get the language learned. I had to teach myself the language, so it was a little harder. The thing that helped me most was to listen as much as I could. When I watched movies I would always put Swedish subtitles on even if it was an English movie. I was determined to have Swedish all around me, and it worked. Of course, my Swedish is not perfect but it is improving the more I use it. I plan to continue learning and improving my Swedish when I return to the United States . I can do a lot with another language besides my own.

Now that it is the end of the year I have looked back, and I am happy with all that I have done. Not only have I experienced different cultural events, but I have also changed as a person. My class has even noticed my changes. I am now way more confident than I was before I came to Sweden . I talk so much more than before. One of my classmates says, “Olivia, you always have something to say now.” My friends have told me how open I have become, and how opinionative I am now. When I talk to my parents they wonder what has happened to me because I sound more grown-up. My host parents tell me that I am more outgoing, and they have noticed that I go out with my friends more often. I feel like I have done everything I could have done in this year. I spent time learning the culture and language. I have experienced so many different events since I came to Sweden . I have been invited to many parties where I have had to make a decision about drinking and I have chosen not to drink. I have made many mature decisions about things like that here. I understand now what it means to be open-minded. I now know what I want to do with my future. I have realized that there are things I take for granted, and I have thought of ways to change that. One of the most important experiences that I have had is finding a new part of me that I never knew existed. I have learned not only about people from another country, but I have learned a lot about myself and who I am as well. When I go back to the United States , I will not be the same Olivia. I will be a more mature Olivia. I will come back knowing more about the world than I did before. I will come back confident, open-minded, and a giving person. I have changed so much this year. Being an exchange student was really worth it. I encourage everyone who wants to stand out and learn, to be an exchange student. Sweden has taught me so much about itself and myself. I will always remember Sweden as the year I found myself, I found who I am.

Olivia Wilson, utbytesstudent i Västmanland 2008-2009