Today I am officially celebrating half of my time here. While it feels surreal that I have already spend so much time in Canada, I am equally as exited to go home again. I already know that these months will change me – since I came here I realised a lot, and I reflected a lot about my life. I have talked to many students here who told me about their homes they are trying to escape, about their worlds they just wanted to get away from, and how they simply couldn´t endure anything anymore and had to get away. Even though I also have my reasons for being here, I have, probably for the first time in my life, realised how incredibly lucky and fortunate I am to have people who miss me, and a safe and loving home I cannot wait to get back to.
My time here has also been a reminder to celebrate and appreciate the little things in life. I’ve tried to see as much of the area as possible, and the beauty of BC overwhelms me every day anew. The magic energy of the massive forests, the deep blue water of the ocean right next to where I live and the fresh, clean air – it shocks me how my local friends think all of this is natural and normal. I can say with confidence that, even though I have travelled a lot, I have rarely seen nature as breathtaking as this one. I am more than exited to share it with my family when they come here.
And of course, nothing would be the same without my amazing friends that I have met along the way. I am so grateful to have met so many kind people who I can be myself around with and who are there for me. I have never been in a place for this long with this many cultures, and I can see how it has been an eye-opening experience for me. Some of my best friends that I have made here are from the other side of the world of where I live from, and it has been nothing but extraordinary to live alongside these people. Even though I almost can´t imagine how it can get any better, I am looking forward to the second half of my stay and to all the memories we will create.