Families around the world
One of the big changes which occur during an exchange can be the switching of host families. During my time in Sweden, I will switch between three families. Recently I have just moved to my second host family, so I thought I would talk about what it's like to live with a family in a home away from home, and my experiences so far.
Recently just leaving my first host family feels quite strange! After spending 4 months with them and getting to know their family and life, it's like I left just as everything seems to become routine and familiar. Gunilla and Henrik were wonderful and sweet host parents who I enjoyed my time with very much! During my time with them, I experienced so many new things thanks to them! This includes several concerts, a trip on an ice breaker and a day skiing at Kåbdalis. These are memories I will keep with me forever, and I cannot thank them enough for organising these activities for me. I know I will see them around throughout the rest of my exchange, and hopefully keep in contact once I am back in Australia!
The official goodbye to my first host family was spent having a lovely dinner where I invited two of my closest friends here in Sweden - Marcus and Jaymie!
My host parents organised a 3 course meal for us and the family which tasted absolutely lovely. This included an entre with brie cheese, vegetarian lasagne and a dessert which had been decorated with a fun sparkler. It was definitely a very nice evening with many fun and interesting conversations and it was so nice to be surrounded by people I had learnt so much about in these past few months. It's strange to think I have only really known all these people in Sweden for a couple of months. I just feel like I know some of them too well for it to have been just such a short time! I'm so glad to have met them all though, and I can now officially say that the first thrid of my exchange has been a success in my opinion.
I am now with my new host family who are very lovely! My host sister, Isabelle, shares the same room as me and we end each night with stories in Swedish as a bit of practice and to get to know each other a little better. We also have many plans for the Summer holidays and I absolutely can't wait to try all these new activities! My host mum is super sweet and an amazing cook, using mostly natural ingredients for both filling and healthy meals. So far, I have been able to join them on a yoga adventure, bending and stretching the body into different shapes, and then a day meeting some extended family that live in Sikfors - a very small and sweet area! Here we took a walk around, seeing a dam which is used as a source of energy. The walk also took us past a camping area by the water side, and then back to their house which has been part of the family for multiple generations - approximately 500 years! I have also just met the host brother for the second time since arriving in Sweden as of today, so it will be good to get to know him throughout my stay here too. So that is my first few days here have been interesting and I am enjoying it.
As an exchange student, host families are an interesting part of the whole experience. I mean, the first day, you are walking into a room of strangers, and then leaving a few months later with another family away from home. Learning about how each family works can be really fun and confusing. Each family is always different, and you can never know what to expect. Finding the right balance between everything can be a little struggle when getting used to new things, but I believe you also learn so much from it. And I mean, in the first few days, I think every exchange student has that moment where they wonder if it is actually alright for them to just take what they want from the fridge. Defintiely an interesting part of exchange!
Recently just leaving my first host family feels quite strange! After spending 4 months with them and getting to know their family and life, it's like I left just as everything seems to become routine and familiar. Gunilla and Henrik were wonderful and sweet host parents who I enjoyed my time with very much! During my time with them, I experienced so many new things thanks to them! This includes several concerts, a trip on an ice breaker and a day skiing at Kåbdalis. These are memories I will keep with me forever, and I cannot thank them enough for organising these activities for me. I know I will see them around throughout the rest of my exchange, and hopefully keep in contact once I am back in Australia!
My host parents organised a 3 course meal for us and the family which tasted absolutely lovely. This included an entre with brie cheese, vegetarian lasagne and a dessert which had been decorated with a fun sparkler. It was definitely a very nice evening with many fun and interesting conversations and it was so nice to be surrounded by people I had learnt so much about in these past few months. It's strange to think I have only really known all these people in Sweden for a couple of months. I just feel like I know some of them too well for it to have been just such a short time! I'm so glad to have met them all though, and I can now officially say that the first thrid of my exchange has been a success in my opinion.
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| My host sister, Isabelle, and her grandmother |
As an exchange student, host families are an interesting part of the whole experience. I mean, the first day, you are walking into a room of strangers, and then leaving a few months later with another family away from home. Learning about how each family works can be really fun and confusing. Each family is always different, and you can never know what to expect. Finding the right balance between everything can be a little struggle when getting used to new things, but I believe you also learn so much from it. And I mean, in the first few days, I think every exchange student has that moment where they wonder if it is actually alright for them to just take what they want from the fridge. Defintiely an interesting part of exchange!
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