a Final Goodbye

On August 11th 2011, the trip went to the States, it seems so long ago now.. I can't believe how much I have grown up in the past 9 months, I have learned so much about others and my self.. I have become more independant and much smarter and will now take better choices, but well that choice of going here, to America was the best I ever made... Now it is soon all over, today in 2 weeks I'll leave Mobridge, Say my final goodbye.. I'll shed tears and smile.. I'll pack up all my stuff up, to now once again start a new life, in an old country I have known my whole life.. I'll go on Vacation and then once again return to Denmark, once again sleep in my own bed, once again eat dinner with my family, once again go to my friend's house, once again live a life in Denmark, but it will never be the same as it was before I left for the states, everything will now have changed, I have changed, everybody else has changed.. It wont be the same school I go back to, but I new one, where I once again has to find new friends, and learn new friends.. Everything yet nothing will have changed.. It is paradox, for me as now a new person to step into...

It will all be so wierd, that feeling of being excited but sad, happy but confused.. a feeling you can't discribe..

In under 2 weeks I will once again hug my parents, once again tease my brothers, once again speak my native language and once again see danish humor.. In under 2 weeks, I will be reunited with everything I ever new, and yet with nothing I understand.. Why, why, why it will be for long time, I once again has to figure everything out.. In under 2 weeks I'll see them again

I'll once again say goodbye to one world, and hallo to another, once again say goodbye to one family, and hallo to another, once again say goodbye to one set of friends, and hallo to another, once again say goodbye to one school and hallo to another..............


XoXo Siri

In just weeks

"A year has passed and now we stand on the brink, of returning to a world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything and yet nothing being the same.
In a couple of weeks we will reluctantly give our hugs and, fighting the tears,we will say goodbye to people who were once just names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before we ever left.
We will leave our best friends to return to our best friends.
We will go back to the places we came from, and go back to the same things we did last summer and every summer before.
We will come into town on that same familiar road, and even though it has been months, it will seem like only yesterday.
As you walk into your old bedroom, every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your life has changed and the person you have become.
You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold highest now, no one at home will completely understand.
Who will you call first?
What will you do your first weekend home with your friends?
Where are you going to work?
Who will be at the party Saturday night?
What has everyone been up to in the past few months?
Who from school will you keep in touch with?
How long before you actually start missing people barging in without calling or knocking?
Then you start to realize how much things have changed, and you realize the hardest part of being an exchange student is balancing the two completely different worlds you now live in, trying desperately to hold on to everything all the while trying to figure out what you have to leave behind.
We now know the meaning of true friendship.
We know who we have kept in touch with over the past year and who we hold dearest to our hearts.
We've left our worlds to deal with the real world.
We've had our hearts broken, we've fallen in love.
There have been times when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we know our families or friends needed us the most, and there are times when we know we have made a difference.
Just weeks from now we will leave.
Just weeks from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes.
No more going next door to do nothing for hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random e-mails and phone calls will bring us to laughter and tears this summer, and hopefully years to come.
We will take our memories and dreams and put them away for now, saving them for our return to this world.
Just weeks from now we will arrive.
Just weeks from now we will unpack our bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end.
We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone calls have brought us to laughter and tears over the year.
We will unpack old dreams and memories that have been put away for the past year.
In just weeks we will dig deep inside to find the strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each other close.And somehow, in some way, we will find our place between these two worlds.
In just weeks."

What is culture? where do I belong?

Well i guess that you might know what I have been confused lately.. Well I am not sure where I belong, I am a citizen of Denmark, but am I in some way American too?

To be honest!

To be honest I am a little bit tired of America! Not of the people, the school or anything like that!! But I am tired of the way of life! I am tired of living out of town (16 miles/22 km)! I am tired of needing people to drive me! I am tired of not seeing any body but the people at the school, and not get out as much! I am tired of the food, do everything really have to taste like garlic or be fried? I tired of not living a place where I can just go get what I am missing (shopping or groceries) I am tired of not having my own TV! (Haha) I am tired of slow internet connections, I am tired of the fact that there is no public transportation! I am tired of so many freaking things, but hey that will change when I go home! (I am not writing this to be negative, this is just to be honest and when you are a foreign exchange student you have to except that everything aren't like you are used for it to be!

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Can you give me another try?

I would like another try, try to blog a little more through out the next (my last) couple of months!! My plan is to keep my blog going when I go back to Denmark, to write in English!! so my friends here can see how life is like in a Suburb, how life is like in Denmark, in Europe, you get the idea!!

So I will try again to keep bloggen, often!! I hope this time, I won't promise because I am not good at keeping them about this blogging thing, but I will try!! Thx guys! I will TRY!!!

C'ya!! - Siri

Guys I am sorry

I am sorry that I have to do this in english, but if there is one thing my mind refuse to do it is talking danish, and I know my dad, my dear dad are getting crazybecause of it!!
I am sorry it has been so long since I blogged, but I have so much stuff in my head!
I am sorry that I promised to blog a lot and I didn't!
I am sorry that I haven't answered, haven't wrote back and that I have been absent from everything and everybody lately
I am sorry that I have to say I am sorry, and couldn't just have done it in the first way!
I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry!! But I am just confused, there is one part of me who look forward, abselutly can't wait till I am going back to Denmark, to my lovely life, my amazing parents, my caring family, and my awesome friends! But another part of me would give anything and everything to stay! To never see Denmark again! I know this sound horrible, but I am scared! I am scared of what to do, what to feel like, I wanted this (America) so bad, and now it is over or almost over! I have so many friends here, I have a family here, sports here, a school here, a community I LOVE!! But I love the one in Denmark too, but they are just so different, like night and day and that is what scares me!! I am scared that I have been forgotten, that I no longer have any friends, no family and nowhere to go! I know that is not true, I know I got the best friends in the world, a loving family and people who cares, but it just doesn't always feels like it! and in the same way I am scared that when I leave Mobridge-Pollock High, the Norder family, Mobridge, South Dakota, America, that I will be forgotten and that scares me bad, because I want to come back, because there are so many people and things I care about here!! I care about my friends, who did everything to make me feel welcome, I care about the school, who made my dream come true! I care about my hostfamily, both of them who took me in, made me feel at home! I care about a community so great, a community where I since day one have felt like I was welcome and even though it toke some time I feel like I belong.. And most of all I care about my self, and that is why I can't stop to wonder.. What now? What is the future gonna hold? I am scared!! It is actually a little silly because I went to America without knowing ANYTHING or ANYBODY! And I wasn't really scared, not that much though!! and now I am scared? of going home? To a place I lived for 15 years, a town I know better that my own backyard? Friends that have been there forever, since I was little, since I started school, since ya Forever! Friends I can trust, who I know cares and I am scared to go back to them? A family who was always there for me, a family who worked there buts of for me, who I know love me and who I love! A family who always supported me and looked out for me, and I scared to go back to them? But I am scared, I am scared! So scared I can't sleep at night, so scared that I can't think about anything else, and I don't know what to do!! It is like I am scared of all the safe, what dumb thing to be scared of!! But I am scared that the "safe" changed or how the "safe" is gonna change!!
I am sorry that I am scared!! - I am sorry I am no longer the same Siri!!

Jeg savner..

Jeg savner min mor og far: Det at vide at der er nogen lige der med en hjælpende hånd, nogen der kender dig ud og ind..
Jeg savner mine brødre, nogen at fjolle med og nogle at have det sjovt med!!

Jeg savner det danske vejr!! det lyder måske rimeligt sindsygt, men der er intet så godt som en mørk efterårsaften hvor det regner udenfor, og som danske sommerer med skyer på himlen!! :) 

Jeg savner god gammeldags dansk mad som frikadeller og flæskesteg!! og selvfølge aller mest det mad min far laver :D

Jeg savner at have mit eget TV!! det er bare så meget nemmere når man selv bestemmer over fjernbetjeningen..

Jeg savner min cykel! at kunne komme rundt alene og ikke skulle have nogle til at kører dig!!

Jeg savner en god internet forbindelse!! Det er virkelig det værste ikke at kunne se en youtube video uden at stoppe den 10 gange for at loade! 

Jeg savner at bo tæt på min skole og venner, og gøre som jeg selv vil! 

Jeg savner at bo tæt på et shopping center, og kunne tage derhen når man bare keder sig!!

Jeg savner sushi!! det er åbenbart ikke kommet til Mobridge endnu!

Jeg savner min dyne og radiator!! det her tæppe løsning og en lille "varmer" går ingen godt!!

Jeg savner at må drikke, og blive set på som et barn!

Jeg savner lakrids!!

Jeg savner at kun have korte skoledage.. men de bliver jo også lange i gymnasiet, så hvad nytter det!!

Jeg savner mine bedsteforældre, (især dig mormor) mine fætre, kusiner, onkler, tanter og resten af min familie!

Jeg savner at min mor ordner vasketøj!!

Jeg savner at sommerne i Frankrig!

Jeg savner mine danske venner!!!

Jeg savner vores familie venner, og alle mine bekendte!!

Jeg savner at spise lagkage til fødselsdag og se dannebrog flagre i vinden!!!

JEG SAVNER OH SÅ MANGE TING!! MEN DE ER DER JO NÅR JEG KOMMER HJEM IGEN!! VED ALDRIG HVORNÅR JEG KOMMER HER OVER IGEN, OG ER HELT SIKKERT PÅ AT LISTEN BLIVER LÆNGERE MED TING JEG VIL SAVNE!! <3

XoXo Siri

p.s Mormor jeg savner dig, men du er her med mig! Hænger rundt om min hals, i Dagmar-korset du gav mig, der har været dit! Du er med mig på billedet på min væg over min seng, billedet i mit skab på skolen og i mit hjerte!! Jeg savner dig oh så meget, men du skal vide jeg har det godt! :) Jeg elsker dig K.H din datterdatter!

A new goal to consider!

Jeg har sat mig selv et maal! Ved ikke om jeg kan overholde det, jeg haaber det!! men maa ogsaa sige at jeg er bange for at jeg ikke kan! Maalet er at lave et indlaeg hver eneste dag!! Lad os nu se hvordan det gaar :) men jeg vil proeve!! Maaske kommer der to eller tre paa en dag, hvem ved!!

Lige nu har jeg studiehall!! Jeg er flygtet paa bibloteket! Mandag studiehall er altid den vaerste og denne i dag er kun endnu vaerer!! Normalt har jeg Mr. Szczur i studiehall om mandage, han er ogsaa min Geometri laerer, og i det er han dygtig og har styr paa os da vores klasse er forholdsvis lille!! Men studiehall er et mess!! 29 elever der er traette og gaar ikke andet ind at snakke!! Det bliver hurtigt hoejlydt og han ved bestemt ikke hvordan han skal styrer os!! Men i dag blev vores studiehall flyttet til Mrs. McCorkle's, da Mr. Szczur hade et moede!! Mrs. McCorkle er den vaerste laerer nogen sinde, og uh hvor er jeg glad for at jeg kun har hende i studiehall paa tirsdage, torsdage og fredage!!! Hun er saa gammeldags og irreterende!! Hun underviser i spansk og AP-Lit (advanced litterature)!! Nogen gange er jeg virkelig ked af at min guidence councler (uddannelses vejleder) ikke ville lade mig tage spansk med den begrundelse at jeg kunne snak nok sporg i forvejen, men jeg kan da ogsaa vaere glad for det, med tanken om at jeg skulle have haft Mrs. McCorkle som laerer!!!  Saa nu sidder jeg her paa bibloteket!! Alles elever fristed!! Jo her er regler, men der er ingen laerer der raaber af en kun en gammel venlig biblotikar!!! Her er den lygt at biblotek og gamle boeger som er saa vidunderlig og det er en befrielse naar for et pas fra en laerer saa man maa gaa her ned :)
Nu vil jeg slutte af!! God mandag folkens, nyd den!! Jeg selv har kun 17 minnuters skole tilbage og saa har jeg fri!! Dejligt!! Vi Ses :D

XoXo Siri!

I don't know how to feel about life!!

I feel like crying, but my eyes stays dry! 

I feel like am I supposed to sad, but I am not!

Cheerleading is officially done! Even though we are still gonna practice we don't have any more games to cheer for!, which is really sad, and I feel like I should be crying my heart out because that chapter in my life is already over, but I might just haven't realized it yet!! 

I am so extremely excited about my family coming to Mobridge in under 3 months! But it is with mix feelings because it feels like Mobridge is where I belong and I don't want to leave!! But I still wanna go back and be with my friends in Denmark so bad!! I am counting down to the days that I get to hug my parents and brothers again, but still praying that the day that a have to leave Mobridge are never, ever gonna come!! 

Everyday I am here somebody talks about which sports they are gonna do next year, and how much fun it is gonna be!! And everytime I feel bad about my self, because I am not gonna be here next year! But I want to soooo bad!! I love my friends here, I love life here even though it is totally opposite than Frederiksberg and Copenhagen!!

I am sad! And overly happy about all my great friends and host family!! I am Excited and scared!! I have every emotion in me right now!! and I don't know what to do with my self I just wanna protest and go back in time to when school started and I still had 10 months left!!!

Wish I could combine Mobridge and Frederiksberg!! Denmark and US! Copenhagen and South Dakota!! The Norder Family and the Fugmann/Mortensen family! My american friends and my danish friends!! Johannesskolen/Falkonergården and Mobridge-Pollock High School!! My teachers here and there!!! My home and room on Marielystvej and here on Sd Highway 1804!!!!!! 

So dear God is there anyway we can combine it all?? Please?? 

Can I switch two Brothers out with 6? Can I switch 1 mother out with 2? Can I switch 1 father out 2? Can I switch being sisterless out with 3? Can I switch 1 family out with 2?

I know I already have but I don't wanna leave one to have the other!!! 

I am so lucky that I not only have 1 dad, I have to!! But I want 2 at the same time, not 1 at a time!!

my 2nd dad!!

I am so lucky that I not only have 1 mom, I have to!! But I want 2 at the same time, not 1 at a time!!

my 2nd mom <3

Before 2011 I only had one little brother and he is the best!! I love u Johan <3

But know I don't only got 1, or 2!! Kreg <3

I got 3!! Josh <3

I don't only have 1 older brother,!! Andreas <3

I got 2,! Ashton <3 + a new "sister-in-law" Heather :D

No 3 I got!! Brent <3 + a new "sister-in-law" Blythe :D

+ 3 wonderful new sisters!! Rina, Nicole and Amanda! and to "fake" nieces! Atlee and Jasmin <3

Two families in one, wish I never had to leave, and that my danish family could live here <3

XoXo Siri

Venner med stort V!!

CAYLA!!! <3 You are the best of best!

Fik også huller i ørene denne uge!! Fjoller med Cayla <3

UNDSKYLD MOR

XoXo Siri <3

Lange Fredage!

Vi kender det alle sammen! De der dage hvor alt man har lyst til at tage hjem og sove!! Selvom det er fredag og jeg glaeder mig til weekend, saa er jeg nu kl. 14.52 ved at faa for meget!
Det er 8. og sidste time for i dag, paa skemaet staar TTA/Studiehall! TTA staar for teaming time, hvilket betyder at timen ud over bare at vaere lektietime ogsaa er karaktertime! Hver fredag skal vi med vores Teaming Teacher se paa vores karaktere og beslutte hvad vi kan goere bedre! Da jeg er saa heldig at min efternavn starter med F er jeg altid en af de foerste til at komme til, hvilket betyder jeg kan bruge resten af dagen paa at lave ingenting!! JAA!! Dejligt for mig er det at jeg ingen lektier har denne weekend og kan bare slappe af!! Nu venter jeg bare paa at uret slaar 15.17 og at skoleklokken ringer ud!!
Saa staar den nemlig paa weekend!! JAA!! eller mere paa cheer, ing afslapning! For kl. 16 gaar turen til Gettysburg (By ca. 1 1/2 time fra Mobridge) for at cheer'e for pigernes basketball's region champinships!! Skal nok bilve sjovt :D

Jeg er simpelthen saa traet og orker det ikke selvom jeg ved at vi for det sjovt!! Jeg var sent oppe igaar for at faerdig skrive mit essay til en essay konkurrence min skole er med i! "How can you show patriotism in your community?" hed emnet, jeg var i lang tid paa bar bund om hvad jeg skulle skrive, men fandt ud af det efter en god snak med min U.S History laerer! Jeg vil senere udgive essay'et her paa bloggen, da jeg mener det kunne passe godt in med mit multikulturelle liv!!

God Weekend folkens her fra Mobridge og GOOD LUCK MPHS LADY TIGERS <3

Undskyld for mine manglene danske tegn, skrev dette paa en skolecomputer!

XoXo Siri!!

Traktor og 29 februar

i dag er det jo den 29 februar!! en dag der kun er her hver 4. år, det synes jeg lige skulle fejres så!! HURRA!!

Mike og jeg besluttede at tage ind til Mobridge i dag så jeg kunne få min fødselsdags pakke fra min mor og far, og drengene :D Så vi blev nød til at spørge naboen om at komme forbi og ryde sne med traktoren! 

TAK RANDY!!

Og tak mor og far!! Så fik man sig lige nogle danske blade, et kærligt kort og björn borg!!! 

Tidligere på ugen havde jeg også fået kort fra min Morfar, Farmor og Farfar og min veninde Emma! tak til jer også :)

XoXo Siri

An Exchange Student

I am an exchange student. How do you know what is a dream if you never accomplished one? How do you know what is an adventure if you never took part in one? How do you know what is anguish if you never said goodbye to your family and friends with your eyes full of tears? How do you know what is being desperate, if you never arrived in a place alone and could not understand a word of what everyone else was saying? How do you know what is diversity if you never lived under the same roof with people from all over the world? How do you know what is tolerance, if you never had to get used to something different even if you didn’t like it. How do you know what is autonomy, if you never had the chance to decide something by yourself? How do you know what it means to grow up, if you never stopped being a child to start a new course? How do you know what is to be helpless, if you never wanted to hug someone and had a computer screen to prevent you from doing it? How do you know what is distance, if you never, looking at a map, said “I am so far away”? How do you know what is a language, if you never had to learn one to make friends? How do you know what is patriotism, if you never shouted “ I love my country” holding a flag in your hands? How do you know what is the true reality, if you never had the chance to see a lot of them to make one. How do you know what is an opportunity, if you never caught one? How do you know what is pride, if you never experienced it for yourself at realizing how much you have accomplished?. How do you know what is to seize the day, if you never saw the time running so fast? How do you know what is a friend, if the circumstances never showed you the true ones. How do you know what is a family, if you never had one that supported you unconditionally? How do you know what are borders, if you never crossed yours, to see what there was on the other side? How do you know what is imagination, if you never thought about the moment when you would go back home? How do you know the world, if you have never been an exchange student?

Friends will never be the same!

Knowing that you are going home in 3 months, it is hard to become really close with any body.. Since day one I have had in the back of my mind that I maybe wouldn't see my friends I made here again.. And therefor had a hard time getting close to people.. Knowing that I should enjoy my time her, but couldn't because I didn't wanna miss it to bad when ever I went home!! It is not like I don't have friends here, because I do, some closer than others.. Some of them is just a laugh once in a while in school, and other are keeping secrets type friends. All from freshmans to seniors!! But I know that no madder how much time I spend with them, it will never be like my friends back home in Denmark!!
There are people so sweet and so nice, people that I am scared of asking if they wanna hang out, because I am scared, that they will say no, because they feel that it wont madder to, because I soon will leave anyways.
There are kids at MPHS, that I dream about hanging out with, kids that I have talked to several times, and had fun with, in school or on trips, but afraid wont like me after school!!
Writing this I have a special couple of people in mind, people you could say I am in love with, not that I wanna date them, but because I so badly wants to see them more. I write this with the dream that they will read it!! and ask me if it is them!!

I have decided that I am not gonna do any sports in the Spring, so I have time to see people, and I hope that you are one of the people I am gonna see more to!! <3

XoXo Siri

Urban dictionary: Foreign exchange student.. So true

Most awesome person you will ever meet. Exchange students willingly decide to get off their asses, leave their home country, and go see the world. For that reason, they should be given a helluva lot of credit. Usually, a foreign exchange student will have a funny accent and not speak your language very well. This is all the more reason to hang out with them, because everything will suddenly become that much more hilarious. Also, they are generally young people, and have the tendency to be extremely good looking. In conclusion, mad props to all exchange students out there Damn, look at that hot new foreign exchange student! I can't understand a word they're saying, but they sure seem pretty freaking awesome.

Being a foreign exchange student:

How it is to be a foreign exchange student:
1. Before waiting to see if anyone understood what you meant, you start acting it out.

2. You think 100 pounds to pack up your entire life is plenty of space.

3. You spend a lot of time smiling, nodding, and pretending you understand what`s
going on.

4. You classify "doing your homework" as translating half of it. And that alone took three hours.

5. You sometimes use the excuse "Sorry, I don`t understand" to avoid answering aquestions, even if you do understand. 

6. You want to hug the people who attempt to speak your native language to you.

7. You`ve called every person who says "hi" to you your friend because you don`t really have any yet.

8. You`ll read anything in your native language just to have something to read... even packaging labels.

9. You sometimes walk around the school during breaks to act like you're doing
something, because you don't see anyone you recognize and don't want to stand there
awkwardly.

10. You're better than your teacher in your foreign language class. (SOOO TRUE)

11. You've ever mispronounced something in your native language (for example,
names of products, TV shows, companies) because you know the others will
understand it better if you say it with an accent.

12. You've tried so many different foods due entirely to the fact that you cannot
understand the person asking you what you want, so you just nod your head saying "yes",
and hope to God it tastes half-decent.

13. After you come back everybody tells you that you have a weird accent.

14. Your dreams are bilingual.

15. Sometimes it takes you about 5 minutes to remember a word in your native
language. (Oh my gosh I hate this......)

16. You begin to enjoy food that you had previously despised at home.

17. It becomes a habit to introduce yourself by saying: " Hi I am from (country) and my
name is (name)". 

18. You have been put in one or more classes with lower classmen, because you`re
supposed to understand more there....

19. You are always counting the time difference between where you are and home. (repeat: ALWAYS!) 

20. You do something/say something wrong and people look at you weird, your excuse is: "That`s how
we do it/say it in my country/language" even if it isn`t. I loooove this excuse. Then I`m not weired anymore, haha... 

21. You have gone in to greet someone with a shake of hands and find yourself being
pulled into an awkward hug. 

22. You carry a dictionary or translator as well as a camera in your bag. Yup. 3 things I HAVE TO have in my purse: Mobile, lipgloss, dictionary.... Haha.. 

23. You try to speak in the native language where you are and everyone immediately knows "You`re
not from here". 

24. Peoples that stares don`t bother you anymore.

25. Everyone thinks your playing the tough guy when you say you haven`t called your
mom yet and don`t miss her too much.

2011!

Dette indlæg vil blive på Engelsk!

A thank you to Mie Andersen, for giving me this idea! Thank You Mie!

2011 is almost over; it is kind of hard to believe! It just went by so fast, maybe even too fast! 2011 was a year filled with happy memories and big changes! It all started last New Years Eve, when I got to jump in the New Year with two of my best friends Natasha Christensen and Emma Olsen, how sweet! Already in the 5^th week of the year I got to go to Norway with all the 9^th Graders, 10^th Graders and the kids in 1.G! We went skiing in Trysil!! We had so much fun, and it was so great to get to ski with all my friends, and especially get to ski REALLY fast with my really good friend Sofie Nielsen! We had so much fun, going down those hills!! Just 2 weeks later I got to go skiing in Austria with my Mom, Dad, Brothers, and Family Friends!! It was so much fun, spending all the family time, even though I had to miss out on a couple of days of skiing because of my dumb injury in my knee!!

A week later, it was my birthday, which I got to spend with all my family around me and with my 3 sweet girls Sofie, Natasha and Emma!! Months past before anything else exciting happened!! In April I had my second surgery on my knee, no fun at all and it hurt a lot, but I am glad they fixed it, and that it almost doesn’t coarse me any trouble anymore! How nice, after 8 months on and of crutches!  Then the time came for last day of school at Johannesskolen!! We got to dress up, through caramels and spray water on the kids, and make fun of our teachers!! And then at night all the graduators (9^th and 10^th graders) had a big party!! We had so much fun, defiantly a day I will never forget!! Then the day for the actually graduation came, it was so much fun, and then partying afterwards in my backyard, and then sleeping in a tent on blow-up-madras’s, I don’t know how well it went for all us big city-girls, but we had fun at least!
It was really difficult to say good-bye to Johannesskolen, my life for 3 years, the place where I had the most of my friends, and where I had got so many happy memories and some not so happy ones!

But Summer Vacation was here, FINALLY!! My vacation wasn’t like any other summer break I had ever had before! I could get a call everyday know, saying they found a hostfamily for me, and that I was leaving that same week! Meaning I couldn’t really leave the country, had to be able to get home fast! That meant I didn’t get to go to France, like I had done almost every year in the past! But instead I worked in the family business earning pocket money for my year in the States, and hang out with friends! That was only how I spend the first couple of weeks! Later on the time came to say good-bye to Sofie, who was going to New Zealand, to make her dream come true, she was gonna be an exchange student like me, just on the other side of the world!! And not leaving my hometown all summer was defiantly not an option for an adventures girl like me, who loves to travel! So we went to Jutland, a part of Denmark, just to see a little more of my home country before leaving it for a year! And so I had something to tell people about!! So of we went to famous churches, to see thee famous “Jellinge Stenene”, stones from the time of the Vikings, and to visit friends and to go to LEGOLAND! The famous Danish company’s amusement park! It was like I was a kid again!! After a couple of weeks I returned home, and just a couple of days later we went to my grandparents vacation home by the beach! Here it happened I got the call, I WAS GOING TO SOUTH DAKOTA!! How exciting! We went back home again with out knowing more and life continued! Everyday I waited for that call telling me where and with who I was gonna stay! One Monday I called my organization in frustration of not hearing further than South Dakota, for a week! And they told me they just got the information the same day! The Weintjes Family, in Mobridge! Just 2 days later I was packing everything, ready to leave the next day! That Wednesday night, the night before I left, all my family and some of my friends came over for a “good-bye party” It was really nice to see everybody for a last time before leaving for 11 months!

The next day, way early in the morning my adventure started, finally my dream came true! I met up with other STS-students in the airport. With me were my Parents, Brother, and Grandparents for a final good-bye! I got to eat my last Danish pastry and Drink a Faxe Kondi in the airport while saying good-bye, just getting my last look, smell and taste of Denmark for 2011! I said good-bye, got checked in, and of I went! Next Stop NEW YORK CITY! Taking of in that plane was the weirdest thing ever, getting my last look of the only home I had ever known and starting a new life in a new and foreign country! That I had never been in!!!

After many hours of flying we was finally in New York! Now the program said 1 week in NYC, with all the STS-students! This was an incredible, on forgettable week! We saw the statue of Liberty, were up in Empire State Building, visited Times Square and shopped like you can only do it in NYC!! This week I made really good friends with three other students from Denmark, Cathrine who I knew from home (I went to school with her), and Nicholas and Signe I had never met before! We had so much fun that week!

Then the time came to fly to South Dakota! New York – Minnesota – South Dakota!! A long but exciting trip, I knew my hostfamily was waiting for me in the Airport, and I couldn’t wait to meet them! I arrived, and her was my new American Family: Jack, Missy, Emily, Wyatt and Hunter, and Joona the other exchange student from Finland!

I moved into their home, and I had a loooot of fun here! We one weekend went to Rapid City, to see Mount Rushmore, that was really cool!

And then time came to start school at Mobridge-Pollock High School! I already played Volleyball at this point so I knew some of the girls from the school!

I maid some good friends, and are enjoying my time soo much! Cayla Hintz, a freshmen I played Volleyball with, became my best friend here! She is such a unique girl, with a big heart and we always have a good time together and laugh a lot! I love her very much, and don’t know what I will do without her when I go back! And then there of course is other friends I have there, but I won’t take up all that space just to talk about them, so you have to be without!

I moved hostfamilies, the reason isn’t something I will tell about here, I will just say I love the Wientes’s very much and loved staying there! But I moved to my new American family, the Norders: Jessie, Mike, Josh, Kreg, Ashton, Rina, Nicole, Brent, and Amanda! (Only 2 of the kids, Josh and Kreg lives at home)

This is the best Host Family EVER, and I see them as my own family! I love staying here and I have a great, great time!

But enough about that! In 2011 I also experienced my first homecoming, my first American Christmas, my first thanksgiving, my first Halloween and tonight I will have my first American New Years! So this year there has defiantly been a lot of first time experiences for me, so of them better than other but I have enjoyed every moment of it! I am so thankful to you, for making my 2011 an incredible year I will never forget, THANK YOU!

I know 2012 will be a great year, maybe even better than 2011! But 2012 is also the year the chapter “My Amazing American Adventure” will end and a new chapter called “Gymnasium 2012-2015” will start!

Overall, I am one happy girl, and I couldn’t ask for more!

Good-Bye 2011, and Hello 2012!!