Day 1- Calgary>Frankfurt>Copenhagen>Støvring>Aars

Friday September 30, 2016 / Saturday October 1, 2016

Today was long. That’s the best word for it. It was stressful, boring, tiring, and long. Sitting on a plane for nine hours next to people you didn't know (and didn’t really want to get to know) is boring and makes a long flight even longer. 
But today was also kind of great. I spent all day with old friends and some new ones. I realized I didn’t like it when someone pushed me around and stood up for myself without starting an argument. (Which is harder to do than it is to say). I traveled all the way from Calgary to Frankfurt to Copenhagen to Støvring. That’s about 102,200 km. That’s a lot! This is also my first official trip to Europe, because Turkey counts half and half for Asia and Europe. I also got my brand new Canadian passport stamped for the first time in Frankfurt.
I learnt that sometimes first impressions aren’t all that you remember from a person, and no matter how they may seem on the outside, there could be depth and a totally different person than you expect inside of them. Also, that sometimes people just don’t like you and there’s nothing you can really do about, besides not let that rule the way you live. You do what you want to do you to see and judge, not for anyone else. And if you do it for others maybe you should rethink your lifestyle. Sometimes the friends that you counted on aren’t the ones that stay, instead a surprisingly good friend will show up and become the person you can count on.

Leaving my family wasn’t too hard because I’ve gone on trips before, one just this summer almost as long as this exchange is. Of course, at that time I didn’t realize how much harder it is to function without your parents telling you exactly what to do all the time. You don’t have to always worry about how you act around your family or around the house. In a different house and setting, you have to be constantly aware of what you’re doing, saying, and acting like. You can’t be moody, choosy, or lazy. It’s an educational experience in that way too, to look at your own behaviour from a outsider’s perspective. You have to always be polite and neat, which sometimes you don’t do when you’re at home when you’re comfortable. You van forget about other people’s feelings and you shouldn’t do that, even at your own home.

There were many moments that I felt awkward, uncomfortable, and just like I didn’t belong here. There’s the obvious one, when we landed at Copenhagen and all we could see was caucasian blonde people. Out of the group, I’m the only one with super dark hair (my friend has black hair except she’s dyed it blonde). It was weird, because back in Canada, there’s such a diverse community I never feel different there. This obvious cultural and ethnic difference made me feel a little weird but I didn’t pay too much attention to it, after all why should they or I care about simple things like looks? There were other moments too, but to most of them the reaction just has to be either ignore the awkwardness or deal with it.

When I was in the bus from Copenhagen to Støvring, I felt pretty safe and comfortable. It was starting to feel like I was getting to know my classmates better and I could depend on them if I need to. This was a good moment because, after all we are going to spend the next 10 days together.