Almost Departure Time...

Two weeks! That's all that remains before my departure- not that I know the exact date yet... I don't even have my plane tickets yet, but I know I'm supposed to be in Finland by August 5th. That's when the orientation week starts. I'm really looking forward to my trip, but I don't think it's set in yet. I've known since I was in the ninth grade that I wanted to do an exchange year, and I've known since October that I'd do it, and I've known since January that I'm going to Finland, but I won't know till next summer how much this trip will truly affect me. Already, I've learned a lot just by meeting inbound exchange students from all over the world. At Otterbein, the big conference for Ohio-Erie, I think we all started to notice how different our lives will be from others. And for once, when I told someone I was spending a year in Finland, all I got was a "oh, that's cool", rather than a stream of questions I've only memorized answers to. Our discussions at Otterbein were interesting, opening our eyes to the numerous possibilities that will present themselves while we're away. Of course, I now have several new facebook friends with whom I can share experiences. Regardless of all this preparation and excitement, I find myself still unsure of what to expect. Will people talk to me at school? Will I pick up the language quickly? Will I get along with my host family? I'm sure it will all turn out well- mostly because I know I'll force myself through it if I have to. I'm determined to make this experience everything it can possibly be for me, to learn as much as I can, and to form relationships with people that I will treasure when I'm old. It's hard to think that my life here in Morgantown is over. Yes, I'll come back, but only for a few weeks before I leave for McGill (the university I will be attending in Montreal upon my return). So this means goodbye to the only home I've known my entire life. I'll visit, but it won't be mine anymore. The winding roads that taught me how to drive, the treacherous hills that taught me to hate bike riding... Maybe one day this house won't be my mom's anymore, and I'll drive by, wondering who lives here and if their little children are haunted by monsters under the bed like I was. Maybe they'll look at the marks on the door frame or the chipped piece in the bathtub and wonder who left their memories for them. But that's life. We move on, we change, and one day, I'll call some other place home. Hopefully that place will be Finland.