Sorry For Any Confusion and Coming To A Conclusion

29/8/15

Hey everybody! Sorry I've been on hiatus for so long.

The biggest development since my last entry is that I'm back in the States, which is...well, weird. But overall I suppose it's a good weird. Anyway, just like applying to study abroad, (re-)enrolling in school involves a lot of time and paperwork, and once we finally got that sorted out it was time for actual school, which involves even more time and paperwork. You could say blogging was not at the top of my to-do list. But now that it's the weekend and I actually have some time, I owed it to anyone who read my posts regularly, and to myself, to give this thing a proper ending, so better late than never, right?

At the first AFS camp in Iceland, one of the volunteers gave some very good advice: "This year is going to go by fast," he said. "You'll be flying home before you know it." Well, he was right, of course. Not to say that my year was perfect, or that there weren't points when time did seem to be moving slowly, but every time a new month began I asked myself where the time had gone. I find myself asking that now. 

To think I left over a year ago is strange until I see how much my "home" has changed since I left. One thing they won't tell you is how different everyone you know looks when you get back. I suppose it would be stranger if everyone looked exactly the same as when I left, but I'm still adjusting to new haircuts and people being taller than I remember. In this I find a new level of meaning to the AFS motto, "It's not good, it's not bad, it's just different."

I am not the same person I was when I left, and I am still trying to figure out how I fit in to my new surroundings now. I do know that spending a year in Iceland was only the first of many adventures I want to have, and it was being on exchange which made me realize this. So, for that and so many other things, I am forever grateful to have given that chance and proud of myself for taking it.

I hope this blog has given some inspiration and encouragement to anyone who is thinking about becoming an exchange student themselves. I'm always willing to answer any questions if you want to leave one in the comments. To those who have already applied or are currently on exchange, I wish you the best of luck! Savor every moment, kids--even the crappy ones.

P.S. I've kind of been taking a break from photography in the midst of everything going on right now, but when I do get back into it I'll be posting it on a new website. I'll post the link on here when that time comes. Takk fyrir að lesa! / Thank you for reading!