So I have offically been back in New Zealand for nearly 3 weeks now..it could be more. The main things that have been happening is that Ive been MELTING and catching up with everyone and getting shocked at the yellow thing in the sky, I think its called the sun?
Leaving Danmark was the hardest thing of the whole year. Packing was the major mission and ended up taking way longer then I expected. Had to get my brother to help me close my suitcase because it was so overflowing! Was only about 5 kilos overweight so I think I did a pretty good job in packing up.
Spent my last day going to skole and saying goodbye to everyone and then me and my best mate hung in the bro for one last time. Came home started the major mission of packing and then had the "Last Supper" I had asked for Christmas food becasue personally I reacon Christmas is the best time for eating in the year and Dansk Jul Mad (Christmas food) is the best.
Left Tvis at 3am it pitch black darkness and a temperature of -7 so yeah just the average night. On my way to the car I slipped over and fell in black ice so yeah I know how to make an exit!! Checked in then Ange and I had the hard job of saying goodbye and walking up the stairs. Meeting up with the other Kiwi exchange students in Frankfurt was amazing so then it was just party the whole nearly 40 hour journey home!!
I miss my Dansk life but summer in NZ is amazing and I know I'l be back in 2010!! It really was the best year and I made friends for life, tried so many new different things, saw some amazing sights and laughed and pretty much just lived it up!!
Thanks Rotary for the coolest year EVER
DE SLUT!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
DANSK CHRISTMAS=THE BEST
Christmas in Danmark is seriously the way Christmas is supposed to be celebrated. The only thing missing was the snow but we got frost yuuusss! which makes everything white so kinda like a white Christmas haha.
The major Christmas preparations started on the 23rd when we went and got our real live xmas tree!! It was standing in a forest and everything. We picked it out and then sawed it down. I got to saw a bit yay then we dragged it back to the car and brought it home and decorated it. Everyone was home for Christmas so the house was kind of full with 6 people. My older host sisters came home from KBH so we were all together which was nice.
The next day 24th aka Christmas Eve which is the major Christmas celebration day. Woke up and helped cook lunch the first meal of the day, we had EEL..it was um "interesting" then got changed into a DRESS woah and walked to church. We sung songs and he was talking about Christmas and other things. It is a little church and a lot of people were there. Came home and watch Disney Christmas Special with Anne, Mia and Rasmus (my sisters and bro) its tradition for them to watch it. Then we started cooking. The food was mega intense!! Seriously woah. Started eating at 8 and we had
-Duck
-Potatoes
-Brown Potatoes
- Salad
-Potato Chips
-Red Cabbage
and then for dessert this think kind of like rice pudding but much nicer and it has almonds in it and if you get a whole almond you get a prize. We had 3 almonds yay but Rasmus got 2 of them :( but I got a prize because I was searching so hard out haha like sifting through the whole bowel to try and find it. After eating we started getting the presents under the tree then we lit the candles!! on the tree..yes real candles on the tree! THEN THE BEST PART we went around the tree and danced and sung around it in danish and then we sung Last Christmas cause its the best Christmas song. Then we sat down and opened presents.
Next day aka Christmas Day we went to my host aunts and ate SO MUCH FOOD I’m talking 15 different courses sheesh, Christmas really is the time of eating. It was nice just hanging out with the family. Even though it didn’t know it was still amazing and just awesome hanging out with everyone.
I’m coming back in 2010 for Christmas!! well if I have enough money
Donations are welcome!!
Love Megs
The major Christmas preparations started on the 23rd when we went and got our real live xmas tree!! It was standing in a forest and everything. We picked it out and then sawed it down. I got to saw a bit yay then we dragged it back to the car and brought it home and decorated it. Everyone was home for Christmas so the house was kind of full with 6 people. My older host sisters came home from KBH so we were all together which was nice.
The next day 24th aka Christmas Eve which is the major Christmas celebration day. Woke up and helped cook lunch the first meal of the day, we had EEL..it was um "interesting" then got changed into a DRESS woah and walked to church. We sung songs and he was talking about Christmas and other things. It is a little church and a lot of people were there. Came home and watch Disney Christmas Special with Anne, Mia and Rasmus (my sisters and bro) its tradition for them to watch it. Then we started cooking. The food was mega intense!! Seriously woah. Started eating at 8 and we had
-Duck
-Potatoes
-Brown Potatoes
- Salad
-Potato Chips
-Red Cabbage
and then for dessert this think kind of like rice pudding but much nicer and it has almonds in it and if you get a whole almond you get a prize. We had 3 almonds yay but Rasmus got 2 of them :( but I got a prize because I was searching so hard out haha like sifting through the whole bowel to try and find it. After eating we started getting the presents under the tree then we lit the candles!! on the tree..yes real candles on the tree! THEN THE BEST PART we went around the tree and danced and sung around it in danish and then we sung Last Christmas cause its the best Christmas song. Then we sat down and opened presents.
Next day aka Christmas Day we went to my host aunts and ate SO MUCH FOOD I’m talking 15 different courses sheesh, Christmas really is the time of eating. It was nice just hanging out with the family. Even though it didn’t know it was still amazing and just awesome hanging out with everyone.
I’m coming back in 2010 for Christmas!! well if I have enough money
Donations are welcome!!
Love Megs
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Gold Year
Wish I could say I wrote this but I didnt, Got sent it from my exchange student mate. It pretty much sums up everythin.
"A year has past and now we stand on the brink of returning to a
world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything and yet
nothing being the same. In one month we will reluctantly give our
hugs and, fighting the tears, say goodbye to people who were once just
names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before we ever left.
We will leave our best friends to return to our best friends. We will go back to the places we came from and go back to the same things we did last
summer and every summer before. We will come into town on that
same familiar road, and even though it has been months, it will
seem like only yesterday. As you walk into your old bedroom,
every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your
life has changed and the person you have become.
You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago
don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold
highest now, no one at home will completely understand. Who will
you call first? What will you do your first weekend home with your
friends? Where are you going to work? Who will be at the party
Saturday night? What has everyone been up to in the past few
months? Who from school will you keep in touch with? How long
before you actually start missing people barging in without
calling or knocking?
Then you start to realize how much things
have changed, and you realize the hardest part of being an exchange
student is balancing the two completely different worlds you now
live in, trying desperately to hold on to everything all the while
trying to figure out what you have to leave behind.
We now know the meaning of true friendship. We know who we have kept in touch
with over the past year and who we hold dearest to our hearts.
We've left our worlds to deal with the real world. We've had our
hearts broken, we've fell in love, we've helped our best friends
overcome eating disorders, depression, stress, and death. We've
lit candles at the grotto and we've stayed up all night on the
phone just to talk to a friend in need. There have been times
when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we
know our families or friends needed us the most, and there are
times when we know we have made a difference.
One month from now we will leave. One month from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes. No more going next door to do nothing for
hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random e-mails and
phone calls will bring us to laughter and tears this summer, and
hopefully years to come. We will take our memories and dreams and
put them away for now, saving them for our return to this world.
One month from now we will arrive. One month from now we will
unpack our bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive
over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end.
We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone
calls have brought us to laughter and tears over the year. We
will unpack old dreams and memories that have been put away for
the past year.
In One month we will dig deep inside to find the
strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each
other close. And somehow, in some way, we will find our place
between these two worlds.
In One month. Are you ready?"
"A year has past and now we stand on the brink of returning to a
world where we are surrounded by the paradox of everything and yet
nothing being the same. In one month we will reluctantly give our
hugs and, fighting the tears, say goodbye to people who were once just
names on a sheet of paper to return to people that we hugged and fought tears to say goodbye to before we ever left.
We will leave our best friends to return to our best friends. We will go back to the places we came from and go back to the same things we did last
summer and every summer before. We will come into town on that
same familiar road, and even though it has been months, it will
seem like only yesterday. As you walk into your old bedroom,
every emotion will pass through you as you reflect on the way your
life has changed and the person you have become.
You suddenly realize that the things that were most important to you a year ago
don't seem to matter so much anymore, and the things you hold
highest now, no one at home will completely understand. Who will
you call first? What will you do your first weekend home with your
friends? Where are you going to work? Who will be at the party
Saturday night? What has everyone been up to in the past few
months? Who from school will you keep in touch with? How long
before you actually start missing people barging in without
calling or knocking?
Then you start to realize how much things
have changed, and you realize the hardest part of being an exchange
student is balancing the two completely different worlds you now
live in, trying desperately to hold on to everything all the while
trying to figure out what you have to leave behind.
We now know the meaning of true friendship. We know who we have kept in touch
with over the past year and who we hold dearest to our hearts.
We've left our worlds to deal with the real world. We've had our
hearts broken, we've fell in love, we've helped our best friends
overcome eating disorders, depression, stress, and death. We've
lit candles at the grotto and we've stayed up all night on the
phone just to talk to a friend in need. There have been times
when we've felt so helpless being hours away from home when we
know our families or friends needed us the most, and there are
times when we know we have made a difference.
One month from now we will leave. One month from now we take down our pictures, and pack up our clothes. No more going next door to do nothing for
hours on end. We will leave our friends whose random e-mails and
phone calls will bring us to laughter and tears this summer, and
hopefully years to come. We will take our memories and dreams and
put them away for now, saving them for our return to this world.
One month from now we will arrive. One month from now we will
unpack our bags and have dinner with our families. We will drive
over to our best friend's house and do nothing for hours on end.
We will return to the same friends whose random emails and phone
calls have brought us to laughter and tears over the year. We
will unpack old dreams and memories that have been put away for
the past year.
In One month we will dig deep inside to find the
strength and conviction to adjust to change and still keep each
other close. And somehow, in some way, we will find our place
between these two worlds.
In One month. Are you ready?"
Monday, November 24, 2008
Christmas is COMING!!!
Right so I think its safe to say its WINTER TIME!!! which means one thing and one thing only in my mind..SNOW!! o and christmas of course!!
The other weekend in town the Christmas Beer came out (kinda of like Summer Ale) but in Danmark its a big thing when new beers come out so this meant town was made to look like Christmas!! There was a snow machine so the ground was covered in fake snow and there was christmas decorations in all the pubs and then we all sung some christmas songs! It was only for that night though so town is back to normal.
Its getting very cold and dark also now which is a bit scary. You come home from at 5pm and its pitch black! which means you kind of just want to go to sleep but yeah I find things to keep me busy. We were supposed to have snow this weekend!! Everyone else got it! Apart from my side of Danmark but its okay I’m sure more is going to come hooray.
December is the month of Christmas! and you get a present every Sunday woohoo!! But its not all about the presents people! Its about tradtions. Like you eat duck at Christmas Eve o and Christmas Eve is pretty much Christmas!! And you go to church..and basically eat a lot of food! So its going to be really interesting celebrating Christmas in Danmark im pumped!!
Better run I’m being domestic godess and cooking dinner tonight
Love Megs
P.S it was -5 down town on Friday PLUS with wind chill it was around -10!!
The other weekend in town the Christmas Beer came out (kinda of like Summer Ale) but in Danmark its a big thing when new beers come out so this meant town was made to look like Christmas!! There was a snow machine so the ground was covered in fake snow and there was christmas decorations in all the pubs and then we all sung some christmas songs! It was only for that night though so town is back to normal.
Its getting very cold and dark also now which is a bit scary. You come home from at 5pm and its pitch black! which means you kind of just want to go to sleep but yeah I find things to keep me busy. We were supposed to have snow this weekend!! Everyone else got it! Apart from my side of Danmark but its okay I’m sure more is going to come hooray.
December is the month of Christmas! and you get a present every Sunday woohoo!! But its not all about the presents people! Its about tradtions. Like you eat duck at Christmas Eve o and Christmas Eve is pretty much Christmas!! And you go to church..and basically eat a lot of food! So its going to be really interesting celebrating Christmas in Danmark im pumped!!
Better run I’m being domestic godess and cooking dinner tonight
Love Megs
P.S it was -5 down town on Friday PLUS with wind chill it was around -10!!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Epic last couple of months
Alright so the last month has gone by a little to fast its a bit scary so I will just give a quick update to let everyone out there know I’m still alive and breathing.
I started the month in my new house which we all know about and the family is still going great, really feel like home here in my shire!!. I get on really well with everyone except milly..the cat. Maybe its because I have never been around cats before but she always comes and jumps on me and starts attacking me. Apart from that everything is smashing and I love living there.
I went to my councillors family weekend gathering. This is where all the brothers, sons, grandkids get together for a weekend of competitions and just all be together. I went on the Saturday because I had my school party on the Friday. The school party alone was an experience.
The weekend was really fun though just hanging out with the grandkids and taking part. Janus my councillors son was there and hes really awesome to talk to and he showed me how to saber a champagne bottle which I personally think is one the most important things you can learn to do haha. I got to look around the oldest town in Danmark and it was very cute but I like Holstebro best.
Madrid happened in the middle of the month and WOW. Class trips over here are very very different! It was a fantastic week though bonding with my class. Louise (My really good Dansk friend) and I were just laughing the whole time. I brought heaps because hey your only in Spain once arnt ya! The teachers were really relaxed and we would sightsee in the morning and then be free by lunch time. We also got our lunch and dinner money given to us so we had to look after ourselves. I saw many art museums and also a bull fighting arena and the best part! The real Madrid football stadium. Coming home was hard because in total it was about 12 hours all up travelling when you count the waiting around at the airport, flying, catching the train home. Everyone was very tired and most of the class was hung over on the journey home but was still a great trip!
I also headed to KBH for Elyse's 19th birthday. I surprised her in bed and jumped on her and gave her my presents to her. I wasn’t able to stay with her though so I stayed the weekend and my friend Tim's house. He lives in Hillerød, which is a town near KBH. It was a nice weekend being back "Home" because I go to Amager (that is where Elyse lives) so much I call it my 2nd home.
Last weekend I had my LAST EVER ROTARY GET TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this was where all the 156 exchange students living in Danmark got together for the weekend in Holbæk which is about 4 hours away. It was held by the Rotex exchange students so was very relaxed. We mostly just all hung out and catched up with everyone. There was so many Newbies- the people that arrived in summer I am called an Oldie. It was the last time the Winter Team will see everyone all together. Needless to say no sleep was had because you have to make the most of these opportunities! We carved pumpkins also because it was a Halloween Themed. On the last night we had a big party and all had to dress up. We also had performances and Ange and I performed the haka for the very last time. I made heaps of new friends from all over the world again, slept for about 4 hours the whole weekend, danced on the tables, did the haka in shorts for once! and the main thing lost my voice! Am only just getting it back now.
I only have about 10 weekends left so as you can imagine its all systems go!! I can rest when I get home!!
Its getting COLD 5 degrees yesterday and I was wearing sandals
Hope everyone’s great
Love
Megz
I started the month in my new house which we all know about and the family is still going great, really feel like home here in my shire!!. I get on really well with everyone except milly..the cat. Maybe its because I have never been around cats before but she always comes and jumps on me and starts attacking me. Apart from that everything is smashing and I love living there.
I went to my councillors family weekend gathering. This is where all the brothers, sons, grandkids get together for a weekend of competitions and just all be together. I went on the Saturday because I had my school party on the Friday. The school party alone was an experience.
The weekend was really fun though just hanging out with the grandkids and taking part. Janus my councillors son was there and hes really awesome to talk to and he showed me how to saber a champagne bottle which I personally think is one the most important things you can learn to do haha. I got to look around the oldest town in Danmark and it was very cute but I like Holstebro best.
Madrid happened in the middle of the month and WOW. Class trips over here are very very different! It was a fantastic week though bonding with my class. Louise (My really good Dansk friend) and I were just laughing the whole time. I brought heaps because hey your only in Spain once arnt ya! The teachers were really relaxed and we would sightsee in the morning and then be free by lunch time. We also got our lunch and dinner money given to us so we had to look after ourselves. I saw many art museums and also a bull fighting arena and the best part! The real Madrid football stadium. Coming home was hard because in total it was about 12 hours all up travelling when you count the waiting around at the airport, flying, catching the train home. Everyone was very tired and most of the class was hung over on the journey home but was still a great trip!
I also headed to KBH for Elyse's 19th birthday. I surprised her in bed and jumped on her and gave her my presents to her. I wasn’t able to stay with her though so I stayed the weekend and my friend Tim's house. He lives in Hillerød, which is a town near KBH. It was a nice weekend being back "Home" because I go to Amager (that is where Elyse lives) so much I call it my 2nd home.
Last weekend I had my LAST EVER ROTARY GET TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this was where all the 156 exchange students living in Danmark got together for the weekend in Holbæk which is about 4 hours away. It was held by the Rotex exchange students so was very relaxed. We mostly just all hung out and catched up with everyone. There was so many Newbies- the people that arrived in summer I am called an Oldie. It was the last time the Winter Team will see everyone all together. Needless to say no sleep was had because you have to make the most of these opportunities! We carved pumpkins also because it was a Halloween Themed. On the last night we had a big party and all had to dress up. We also had performances and Ange and I performed the haka for the very last time. I made heaps of new friends from all over the world again, slept for about 4 hours the whole weekend, danced on the tables, did the haka in shorts for once! and the main thing lost my voice! Am only just getting it back now.
I only have about 10 weekends left so as you can imagine its all systems go!! I can rest when I get home!!
Its getting COLD 5 degrees yesterday and I was wearing sandals
Hope everyone’s great
Love
Megz
Friday, October 3, 2008
New Photos
Trying to sleep on the floor of the train after for 10 hours!! on 2 hours sleep
At the Bull fighting arena
Me, Lousie, Susanne, Nanna
Palace
Me and my Rotary Blazer outside
the meeting house
Louise and I at our class picture (the theme was Childs Birthday party)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Last move for the year!!
Last week was the last time I will move families in Danmark. After being in Danmark for nearly 8 months (woah!) it is amazing how much stuff and by stuff I really mean crap that you gain. I started packing uo 2 days before moving becasue I knew how long it would take me. After throwing out 3 bags of rubbish giving a pile of clothes to my host sis to keep I had narrowed my belongings down to
My new family is mega awesome and nice. They have made me feel so much home allready and I have only been here for about a a week. My host parents are famous host mum presents a tv show and my host dad publishes one on the papers. I have a brother called Rasmus and me and him are the same age so I hitch a ride with him to skole most mornings. I offered to drive if he ever wanted us to die!!
New Address is
Megan Porter
c/o Venelbjerg
Engparken 97
Tvis
7500 Holstebro
Danmark
You may want to write that down and remeber it takes normally 2 weeks for parcels to arrive so you better send xmas pressies early this year :)
I did my Rotary Presentation at Rotary this week and it was my BIG one aka had to be in dansk!! So i managed to speak for 30 minutes all in Dansk and got a couple of laughs out of the members and ended with the haka. I was so happy that my presentation was over I could go really hard out in the haka.
The members all commented on how well I had done and all admired my blazer which is FULL of pins. Am getting a little worried about how it will last the jounrey back home becasue pins keep falling off.
Well I better head of
the sun is shining!! amazing
Hope everyone is smashing
Love Megz
- 2 suitcases (that I came with)
- 3 backpacks
- 4 boxes
- 18 plastic bags filled
My new family is mega awesome and nice. They have made me feel so much home allready and I have only been here for about a a week. My host parents are famous host mum presents a tv show and my host dad publishes one on the papers. I have a brother called Rasmus and me and him are the same age so I hitch a ride with him to skole most mornings. I offered to drive if he ever wanted us to die!!
New Address is
Megan Porter
c/o Venelbjerg
Engparken 97
Tvis
7500 Holstebro
Danmark
You may want to write that down and remeber it takes normally 2 weeks for parcels to arrive so you better send xmas pressies early this year :)
I did my Rotary Presentation at Rotary this week and it was my BIG one aka had to be in dansk!! So i managed to speak for 30 minutes all in Dansk and got a couple of laughs out of the members and ended with the haka. I was so happy that my presentation was over I could go really hard out in the haka.
The members all commented on how well I had done and all admired my blazer which is FULL of pins. Am getting a little worried about how it will last the jounrey back home becasue pins keep falling off.
Well I better head of
the sun is shining!! amazing
Hope everyone is smashing
Love Megz
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