Thank you from Carina

After the tour I spent my last two days in Vancouver. A few exchange students came to the airport and said good bye to me, which wasn’t easy. At this moment, when I was standing with my big suitcases, which were bigger than me, in the hallway of the airport in Vancouver, I realised that I would have to leave Canada now, after one fantastic year of adventure and experience. Finally, when I was going through the security, who gave me a scrutinizing look, because I was wearing four hoodies, which didn’t fit in my suitcases anymore, I really recognized that it is over now. I was close to tears, but when I looked around me and watched all the other people, I knew that I wasn’t the only one with those feelings.

 

After ten hours I arrived at the airport in Frankfurt and everyone spoke German again, which confused me a lot. I knew that I had to speak German again, but I didn’t want to and I actually couldn’t, too. Before you can get your luggage, you have to go to another control and show your passport. I showed my German passport, the security agreed and said goodbye in German, but I said goodbye in English and I just kept going with a smile on my face. I thought: “I have a German passport and talk in English. There must be something wrong.” As soon as I got my luggage, I walked through the doors directly in the arms of my family. My parents, two sisters, grandparents and my friends were greeting me with a big poster, that said: “Welcome back from Canada Carina, in your second home Germany!” and I got a rose from everyone. I like to smile, but the smile that I had on my face was just huge at this moment. I looked around me and gave everyone a hug. When I gave a hug to my sisters, I got scared a little bit, because they grew so much and look older than one year ago. Now my two younger sisters are taller than me. I am still the oldest, but the shortest!

 

When I arrived at home I was really tired, but I couldn’t sleep because I wanted to tell everything. A few things changed at home, but I think that I changed more than anything else. Most of the people are very surprised, that I don’t look like twenty pounds heavier and they tell me, that I actually didn’t changed. But I think they are wrong, because they don’t want me to change and it’s difficult for them to accept, that I have all those experience. Everything what I did, learned and experience are still dreams of my friends. The year in Prince George seems to me like a dream and that the time stopped for one year in Germany. Also, after one month arriving I still feel like new at home. I am sure that my school life will help me to bring me back in my everyday life. I am pretty excited about going back to the school in Germany. I will go into the next grade (grade 12) and I have to get use to studying again.

 

It is true, that Rotary builds communities and connects continents, because now I have friends around the world and I could be home on every continent. I really appreciate that Rotary made it possible for me to spend one year in a foreign country, which is my home now. I met people from everywhere and I learned that people are there for me when I need them. Foreign people, who don’t speak my language, got my family and I got a part of their family. I am very thankful that I was hosted in such a great Rotary Club with a lot of different and interesting Rotarians, who gave me an understanding of their lifestyle. Also, I appreciate that you invested a lot of time and effort to make my year as unforgettable as possible and I have to agree because it is THE BEST YEAR EVER!!!

 

Thanks to all of you and I miss every single person, house, street, tree and much more.....

By the way, I hope that the new exchange student will also have such a great time as I had and nice greetings to her. If she has any questions, she is welcome to ask me.

I am pretty sure I will come back one day to huge Canada. Everyone will always be welcome to visit old little Germany, too!

 

Best wishes from Germany,

Carina J