TWO MORE DAYS OMG OMG OMG

Hey guys (: so this is probably one of my last posts on this blog since i am going home in two days. 

wow in tow days, thinking about it makes my heart hurt (literally) 

but i also dont realize it to be honest, like i can not imagine it so it seems really unreal :) 

any way this is my goodbye-internation-exchange-speech what ever you want to call it. 

I was supposed to present it this week tuesday but they cancelled the assembly so there is no chance to me to make my speech :( its really sad especially because this speech is so cool and lots of my teachers like it (the ones who have read it anyway)

I hope you guys like it :) 

Learning another language, learning how to think, being independent, finding your own way through a foreign country, making friends, experiencing a different culture, acquiring academic qualifications, having unforgettable experiences and memories – in a nutshell expanding your perspective.

Hello my name is Paula Budde and I am from Germany, Hamburg aka a Hamburger. J

I’m speaking in assembly today about my year in New Zealand.

“Going to live your Life in a different country is like having the opportunity to reinvent yourself, to create a new you and a new life, you can be anyone and do anything you want if you just give it a chance.

So why should you go on an exchange, why reinvent yourself, there are many reasons!

If you weren’t happy with yourself before, you can go and be someone else, be whoever you want to, create a new you and in the end you might change to be that ‘better’ person.

You will not only make many memories but you will also experience a completely different lifestyle to your usual one, but thanks to those experiences you make during your stay in a different country you will grow up. Getting to know different school systems , you will develop greater self-awareness and self-confidence and you will be more motivated and open for changes. You will experience and learn how to deal with yourself and your emotions.

Furthermore you will develop tolerance and open-mindedness towards a foreign country and there culture and way of living.

However a stay abroad also means that you need to challenge yourself and solve problems and difficulties on your own. You will become more mature and learn how to stand on your own feet, how to act and behave without your parents and how to make the right or sometimes the wrong decisions by yourself.

It also requires great self-confidence and braveness and you need to believe in yourself that everything is going to work out even if at that moment it doesn’t seem like it.

Going to live in a country that is not your home country is a huge step no matter for how long you plan to go, whether it’s three months, half a year or even a year or longer, you will more or less always face the same struggles and emotions. It can be your biggest change, I come from Hamburg with 1,6 Mio. Inhabitants and I came to Masterton and thought “omg where did they put me” the bus in front of my door goes every 5 minutes and another one every 20 the subway aka train goes every 3min and I can pretty much ride my bike everywhere because nothing really is ‘far away’. I never wore school uniforms and suddenly I am, I never saw a school bus in my life, next minute im catching one every morning. There can be so many changes when you go on an exchange, and you might find that you don’t always like those changes but you will get used to and start appreciating them.

As for me I arrived at WaiCol and I didn’t know anyone. I was scared and embarrassed that I couldn’t speak English as well as everyone else. I didn’t know who to hang out with or even where the toilets were. But thanks to some amazing people at this school I learnt how to ‘live a normal life’ quite easily and quickly.

When my parents told me I was going to go on an exchange for half a year I was totally unhappy and angry because they had decided that without even asking if I wanted to do it. When the time came and I was on my way to New Zealand on a 30 hour trip I got really excited and I wanted to finally arrive and start my new life.

It is amazing how much my perspective and way of thinking and living has changed over the year I have been here. I like it so much, I even stayed half a year longer than originally planned. Going on this exchange was one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my whole life so far. This might seem a bit like an over exaggeration but to be honest it’s the truth.

I don’t know if all of you know but I am leaving next Friday and thinking about not being able to meet up with Seraphine and go to Maccas or calling a friend or going to parties with friends makes me really sad and I realize that my time is up. Small things like not walking around the corner and meeting a person you know that always walks around the same corner after 3^rd period is a huge thing for me. If you go on an exchange you will face the problem of letting go not only when you leave your real family and old school to go on a new adventure in a different country but also when you need to let go of the new life that you just got used to and go back to your old life.

I have met amazing people here, beautiful inside and out, I have great memories with them and thinking about those makes me sad and happy at the same time I have experienced a completely different culture and a different school system, I realized that school isn’t just about learning things, studying 24/7 and getting the best grades or the most credits. It’s also about socializing with friends and teachers about a good learning atmosphere about being happy. Whenever I see someone sad in class the teacher goes up to them and asks if everything is all right. I have never seen that before I came to New Zealand.I also realized how important school is for me especially. I realized what real friendship is, I realized how important your family is and how much they support you even when you don’t notice it. I learnt a lot of life lessons this year that I will never forget.  

So if you really want to go on an exchange, and I advise everyone to at least try it for a short period of time, then you better start saving up now.

I’d really suggest everybody doing it, I promise you, you’ll not regret it. You will make some of the most amazing memories you will experience a new culture and undoubtedly you will make amazing friends that will always have a part in your heart.

Your exchange country, wherever you might go, will not just be a land for you anymore but a second home.

“Going on an exchange is like being a computer game, and you are the creator”