I have been home for about seven weeks, but I feel like something is missing. America definitely has a piece of my heart that is hard to let go of. Things like smells, words, memories, or pictures remind me of my life there.
I have changed so much through one year in a foreign country. Coming from one of the biggest countries in the world and going back to my small town in Denmark has been a huge change for me. Almost like reverse culture shock.
I am no longer an exchange student from Denmark. I spent one year in Peachtree City living with three different host families. I had tried to imagine what it would be like to come home before I left, but I really had no idea.
Seeing my family and friends in the airport after 11 months was indescribable. I was relieved that I had made it, sad to have left the U.S., and excited to see everyone. I am not really a crier, but believe me I was in the moment I saw my family and friends. I was beyond happy to see everyone after so long.
Everyone looked the same, but at the same time they did not. I feel like they are almost the same and have not changed a whole lot. Honestly, I think I have changed so much through the last 11 months so it feels like everybody else is the exact same as before I left.
Leaving Georgia feels like a dream. Something that just happened and now it is over. You know when you wake up into reality and have a feeling that you did not get to finish your dream. That is the feeling I have every day, like something is missing.
People are generally curious about my experience, but honestly I feel like they are afraid to ask about it. Most tell me they are jealous and it sounds like the American high school movies and a dream.
I am not saying that I am not excited to be home. I am simply saying it is hard to get used to after such a huge experience. It was not just a vacation or a trip. It was my home. It is my home, a second home.
I had tried to imagine what it would be like to come home before I left, but I really had no idea.
— former Staff Writer Agnes Sorensen
I have changed in a way that I would have done if I was here in Denmark. I have grown more independent, mature, patient, adaptable, and happy. I lived my dream for 11 months, which is something I will never forget.
I am proud of myself to have succeeded. By being in a new country knowing no one from the beginning to being able to say that I now have a second home halfway around the world.
I am still adapting to being home. I am learning my routines, and it is crazy how fast my life feels like it was before. But I am different, which means that I do things differently now. My life has changed forever, which I am very thankful for.
Even though it is hard to come home I am not doubtful that it was worth it. Doing an exchange is the best decision I have ever made, and I would do it all again if I could.