The most common question I got to hear changed a lot during my exchange. At the beginning it was: "You are from Switzerland?", it moved on to "Do you have TV/Internet/Cars... in Switzerland?", then "Do you have snow?", around Christmas it was "Do you have Christmas?". After New Years it continued with "When do you go home?" and this was one was also very common: "Wait, your Swedish, right?" Now in like the last month it changed again to "Do you look forward to go home?" This questions seems an easy one, but it's actually kinda hard to answer it."Yes, but no" would be my answer I guess.
I look forward to go home, because I really miss my family, my friends, the cat... It's not like I would cry all the time, but I didn't see them face to face in the last 9 month. It's a different kind of missing. It's more like a need to see them again, to see how they changed or how they didn't. I have a great host family and great friends over here, but it's just not the same, because I spend all my days with them. I see them every day and I have fun with them right now. But Skype and texting really can't replace a real face-to-face conversation. And here we are at the point, that I say ", but no." I know, after some time at home, when the life changes back to normal, I'm gonna miss all the people here. I know, that I'm not coming back for at least one year, and when I come back I might be in the area for 5, 6, 7 days, but it's never gonna be the same as it is right now. I won't have a weekly movie Tuesday, I won't go to school with the people here. I normally say "You want, what you don't have." I really want to see my family and friends at home again, but when I "have" them back, I'm gonna miss the people here.
But there is also lots of stuff worth mentioning besides people. One example, I really, really, reeeeaaaaally miss my independence. At home I can go out and come home when I want, basically. I don't need my parents or a friend to drive me to places. I just go out, take the train or the bus and go where I want. Here I can't do that, because public transportation here is nearly non-existent. There is no bus, subway, train, anything, which would bring me from Nottawa to Collingwood, except the bike or the car. I'm not allowed to drive, so I have to ask my host parents to drive me. That's not a problem in most cases, but I would still prefer, to not be depended on my host parents.
Another example: Since about two years I live with a "time-limit". One year before the exchange I knew, that I would go on exchange, so I couldn't plan anything "long-time". Easiest way to explain, what I mean: Why should I buy my own TV, when I leave in a year? It's hard to explain why this is a problem for me or why that is reason, that I look forward to go home, but it just is.
And now to the last point, that I'm going to mention here. My educational "career" is in Standby mode right now. I don't get anything out of this exchange, except the improvement in English and all the experiences I got here. But besides of English, I'm as far in my education as I was a year ago. This was actually a great feeling at the beginning, because that also meant, that I don't have to care about my marks. But by now, after 10 months break (my summer holidays included), it is time, to finally go on again.
It's hard to explain why "Yes, but no". I think the easiest way to summarize it is, I do look forward to go back not because Canada or the people here suck, but because Switzerland is extremely awesome too!
I look forward to another great month in a great country!
