time flies

I keep finding these lists all over the place titled “You know you’re an exchange student when..” and although I can relate to most of the points I thought it would be funny to make my own list.

You know you’re an exchangie (in Denmark) when..

• You could go to any part of the world and have a personal tour guide.
• Your English sucks (I’m always forgetting words or saying strange things).
• Your friends tell you you sound like you’re singing on the phone.
• An $60 pair of jeans is considered “a good deal”.
• Going around in the same clothes for (up to) 3 days is perfectly acceptable.
• When someone asks you how far it is from point A to B you tell them how long it takes by train, bus, car, bike and foot.
• Riding a bike is like driving a car- you must obey the bike stoplights, use hand signals and have working lights (from Jen.. check out her fabulous blog in my links).
• Sheets on the bed? What do you mean sheets?
• You relearn how to use a fork and knife (fork in the left hand, knife in the right).
• You can’t shop after 6 pm because all stores are closed.
• You realize you COULD follow your classes, but what’s the point when you could play on your computer?
• You’re better than your teacher in your language class (and you SHOULD be!)
• People at school know you as “The girl from Canada”
• You’re shocked when people know your name before you introduce yourself.
• You introduce yourself by name and country. “I’m Francine from Alaska… yes we speak English there."
• You get high fives when you understand what someone said to you.
• When you go to school parties, the teachers are selling beer to the students.
• You stop trying to figure out what’s going on when you hear your name in a conversation. If they want you to know, they’ll tell you.
• You’re able to watch tv in your host language and figure out what’s going on.
• When you don’t understand a question you answer “Nej tak!” (no thanks!) and then get strange looks..
• you carry a dictionary and a camera in your bag.
• you get so used to broken English you finish people's sentences even though no one else can understand them.
• you get into arguments with the foreign language teacher (English) over how to pronounce something (ALL THE TIME!).
• you know every cuss word in your host language, but still cant conjugate into past or future tense.
• peoples stares don't bother you anymore.
• a conversation is going fine, before it suddenly get stuck on some word or phrase which makes you completely forget what you were talking about.
• you automatically use words in a foreign language that you cant even translate but they just seem to fit the context (hyggelig).

I’ll keep trying to add to the list. I used a few from a facebook group and from Jen (USA).

It’s scary. I have been thinking about it lately. I’ve been here for almost 6 months. I’m going home in 5. I know it’s a ways off and my friends are telling me “Don’t think about it.. you have time. Take one day at a time.” but it’s still looming in the distance and sometimes it just hits me that I don’t have that much time left. Next week I’m going on a ministay to Næstved in Sjælland, then we have “Food from All Around the World” and our winter camp with AFS. Then Winter holiday, class trip to Milano Italy, Jutland’s tour with Benthe, etc. So really, it will go very fast. But at the same time I think of all the cool things I’ve done since I came to Denmark. Too many things to list.. and too many amazing experiences to recap. I just can’t believe it’s already half over. And I already know it will be just as hard to go home as it was to leave.