Hey Everyone!!
Now where to start!... I've dreamed about going on an overseas exchange for so long after my family has, over the years, hosted so many students from all over the world. I never had a particular country in mind, I just always had my heart set on going!
I never thought that this dream would actually happen but with a lot of hard work and support from my family it has now become a reality!
Over the last few months since my initial application of interest to Rotary in March/April of this year I have gone through the selection process with many interviews, meetings and a lot of paperwork! I have been in contact with many people that have answered my questions and given me advice for my year abroad. In recent months I have also been emailing one of my host families as well as a girl who attends the same school that I will next year.
I am being sponsored by the lovely Rotary Club of Gawler Light and was told a few months ago now that the Rotary Club of Oulainen in the Finnish district of 1400 has offered to host me. I also found out that I will be attending Oulaisten lukio, which is the town’s local high school.
Coming from Gawler, a town with a population over 20,000, it will be interesting to move into the small town of Oulainen. Situated in the north of Finland, Oulainen is around 100km from the closest major city of Oulu (6th largest city in Finland) and has a population of around 8,000.
In the coming few weeks as the year draws to an end and my departure draws ever closer I will be finishing up my job and then beginning the goodbyes to friends and family before I leave Adelaide on the morning of the 18th of January. In the week before I leave I also have to visit the Finnish consulate in Canberra for a biometric scan for my Finnish visa.
People ask me how I am going to survive a year away from home in a foreign country away from my family. Some people have jokingly questioned my sanity for signing up for what seems to them to be such a crazy venture! There will be times where it’s hard and I miss my family, at these points I may very well question why I am there and what I am doing.
I never thought that this dream would actually happen but with a lot of hard work and support from my family it has now become a reality!
Over the last few months since my initial application of interest to Rotary in March/April of this year I have gone through the selection process with many interviews, meetings and a lot of paperwork! I have been in contact with many people that have answered my questions and given me advice for my year abroad. In recent months I have also been emailing one of my host families as well as a girl who attends the same school that I will next year.
I am being sponsored by the lovely Rotary Club of Gawler Light and was told a few months ago now that the Rotary Club of Oulainen in the Finnish district of 1400 has offered to host me. I also found out that I will be attending Oulaisten lukio, which is the town’s local high school.
Coming from Gawler, a town with a population over 20,000, it will be interesting to move into the small town of Oulainen. Situated in the north of Finland, Oulainen is around 100km from the closest major city of Oulu (6th largest city in Finland) and has a population of around 8,000.
In the coming few weeks as the year draws to an end and my departure draws ever closer I will be finishing up my job and then beginning the goodbyes to friends and family before I leave Adelaide on the morning of the 18th of January. In the week before I leave I also have to visit the Finnish consulate in Canberra for a biometric scan for my Finnish visa.
People ask me how I am going to survive a year away from home in a foreign country away from my family. Some people have jokingly questioned my sanity for signing up for what seems to them to be such a crazy venture! There will be times where it’s hard and I miss my family, at these points I may very well question why I am there and what I am doing.
However, the people that mean the most will be here when I get back and when I look at the big picture I know that the amazing adventures and experiences I will have next year only come once. This is my opportunity and so I can’t let myself be held back by fear of the unknown and by any ‘what ifs’ or ‘maybes’. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I know that there will be many challenges but the rewards will be more than worth it!
I am often asked how I am feeling towards my exchange, most commonly, “are you nervous?” or “are you excited?”. To be honest I am both! This is a big decision I have made and a huge leap of faith to leave everything I know and understand in exchange for a year where everything is foreign to me. So, naturally there are times when I get a little nervous but I am ready to take the year head on and get the most I can out of it! I am definitely keen for the adventure to start and I must admit I have already begun packing! That said, I’m not sitting on the edge of my seat or keeping awake at night in anticipation, wishing for the days to pass quickly and for me to leave already. As much as I want to go now, I still remember like it was yesterday, when my countdown hit 5 months! Now that it is down to just over a month, with the little time I have left and the great big list of things still to be done I am not wishing the time away just yet because I know it will fly by all by itself!
In closing, I want to say a huge thank you to all those that have helped me to make this dream a reality! A big thank you to my parents and to Rotary and a special thank you to my sponsor club of Gawler Light that have all been there and done so much work towards this for me!
My next post probably won’t be until just before I leave or once I arrive but throughout my trip next year I will be aiming to give you guys regular updates. So save this link and don’t forget to check on me every now and then to see what I've been up to!
I am often asked how I am feeling towards my exchange, most commonly, “are you nervous?” or “are you excited?”. To be honest I am both! This is a big decision I have made and a huge leap of faith to leave everything I know and understand in exchange for a year where everything is foreign to me. So, naturally there are times when I get a little nervous but I am ready to take the year head on and get the most I can out of it! I am definitely keen for the adventure to start and I must admit I have already begun packing! That said, I’m not sitting on the edge of my seat or keeping awake at night in anticipation, wishing for the days to pass quickly and for me to leave already. As much as I want to go now, I still remember like it was yesterday, when my countdown hit 5 months! Now that it is down to just over a month, with the little time I have left and the great big list of things still to be done I am not wishing the time away just yet because I know it will fly by all by itself!
In closing, I want to say a huge thank you to all those that have helped me to make this dream a reality! A big thank you to my parents and to Rotary and a special thank you to my sponsor club of Gawler Light that have all been there and done so much work towards this for me!
My next post probably won’t be until just before I leave or once I arrive but throughout my trip next year I will be aiming to give you guys regular updates. So save this link and don’t forget to check on me every now and then to see what I've been up to!
The big move...
