Thank you

Hey everyone

I'm writing this (last) blog post while I am sitting in the transit area of HK international airport. So I guess the name of this blog isn't really appropriate anymore but anyway, here I go for one last time!

The big thing I want to say in this post is thank you. A lot of people have help made these last 6 months of my life what it has been and for that I can't say thank you enough. The people in NZ (family, school, exchange organization), The Nederlands (amazing host family, amazing friends, exchange organization) and all those people in between (airplanes/airports personal etc), you have all really shaped my life to how it is now and I wouldn't want it any other way.
My time in The Netherlands has really been profound for me. I have learned a lot, personally and in relation to others and the wider world. What I have gained is something I really don't believe I would have gained by staying in NZ as the experiences I have had, have challenged me in ways New Zealand couldn't have because of the languages, different culture and just a different a different way of life. These experiences will stay with me for my whole life and I do believe that my future will be significantly changed because of what I have done over these last 6 months.

I really need to give a special thanks to my parents in NZ for supporting me on this Adventure of a Lifetime. My host family has also been amazing. They helped me so so much with everything from how public transport systems in The Netherlands work to life lessons. If you are (or will be) an exchange student reading this, I hope you know/realize how important your host family is to your exchange, it really wouldn't be the same with out them.

To my Dutch Friends, you guys are all amazing and I will/do really miss you all. You together made my exchange very unique as it is in a big part to our friendships which I will remember for the rest of my life. What you all did for me was so special and I am very lucky to have friends like you. I will see you all soon <3

If you are a future exchange student, I'd like to offer some wisdom which I'd got from this experience:

Your exchange will challenge you in ways you can't and wont realize. But embrace these challenges and you will get a lot of experience/knowledge out of them

Make the most of EVERYTHING. Your time in your host country WILL slip away from you and before you realize it, you'll be back in the country you left from. So do things with friends, your family and if someone offers you to do something with them, go for it. Who knows going to that party with the guy from your English class, it could completely change your life.

Don't regret anything you do, only regret what you didn't do. An exchange year or half year is a really short time in reality. So do things which make you happy and don't regret doing them because if they made you happy, they were good. Of course you need to be sensible with what you do but this is a time for you to try and discover who 'you' are a bit more and to work on the things you want to work on.

Leaving will be hard if you loved your life and there is nothing anyone can do to help. No one will probably say it to you, but leaving your host country will be the hardest thing you ever do on your exchange for the simple reason that it harder to leave the life you spent 6/10/12 months making, for an unknown amount of time than to leave the life you spent your life making for 6/10/12 months. Just try to look on the positive side of it all and don't think you are going 'back' to your country but rather going 'to' your country. The life you left 6/10/12 months ago won't be the life you arrive to after that time. Friends could have moved on, you may not understand some people anymore. This is life. Things always change and nothing stays still. Take it in your stride.


That's all. I hope this blog has given some people insight to how my exchange was and how this sort of experience can really change your life if you let it. Take care everyone and thanks for sticking by me. Love you all <3

p.s. I wrote this after not sleeping for about 20 hours so I apologize for possibly not making sense and all the spelling/punctuation mistakes

Still no snow + upadte on life

Hi everyone :)

I write this post as I am listening to Coldplay's new album (A Head Full Of Dreams) and as I am thinking of all the amazing memories I have made in the time I have been over here. There has been a lot which has happened to me over these last (almost) 5 months, some good, some bad. But all the experiences I have had, I've enjoyed. Not only because I got to experience them in a place which I have fallen in love with but also because I know these experience will change me forever and I think only in a good way. I think most exchange students realize that what happens to them while they are on their exchange will really change their outlook on; life, people they know, how they perceive the 'normals' in the country they first called home and potentially everything about them.
For me the way in which I now see friends and family, the world, New Zealand, The Netherlands, right and wrong and all those critical aspects of my life, I think has become more mature, developed and in general more aware in regards to others and life in general. If anyone reading this is planning on going on an exchange, your exchange will challenge you in a way which your home could never do and you will become a different person with experiences some of your friends won't understand and you won't be able to go back to the same life you had before hand, You'll be a lot more independent, aware of yourself, culturally knowledgeable and maybe even bilingual (like me now). Make the most of it, it's the time of your life :)

But all that deep and meaningful stuff aside, these last 2 weeks have been great! Had Kerst (Christmas) and it was great! I was with my host family and other members of their (and now my) family and we had great fun on Christmas, Boxing day and all the days leading up to New Years! Sadly however we had no snow but maybe in the next few weeks! It has been getting a BIT colder so maybe soon!

Last week I also went to Afsluitdijk and Friesland in the north of the country. To say the least it was amazing trip. Afsluitdijk is a very impressive piece of engineering, it basically is a dam across the sea to create a lake (Ijsomer) and help prevent flooding of the country. It was built in the 1930s and is really cool. Friesland isthe part of the country to the right of Ijsomer and it is a really stunning place. I didn't really know what to expect from it. Photos can explain it better than I can

 above: my host family when we were in Friesland

I have also had my first week of the new term! It hasn't been a particularly hard week. I've got a few marks back from some of the tests I had last test week. In general, they aren't bad I and my teachers don't think so I'm pretty happy!

I don't have much time left for my exchange now. Time flies when you are having fun. And I am glad of this, because if it hadn't, I know I wouldn't have had the time of my life over here. But I will be over here again soon because I feel so at home here and I the people here are really amazing and genuine. Unquestionably, these people will always mean a lot to me <3 Some photos of them below (by no means is this everyone! Sorry if I missed you, it means I don't have a good enough photo of you)

Anyway that's all for now. Till next time! :)