Exchange

I am Marianne Bjelland and I am an exchange stundent in Spain and a student at IES Gaia. I come from a small town right outside of the capitol of Norway, Oslo, and I now live in Alicante with a Spanish family. I had been planning on going to Spain as an exchange student for four years before I actually went, and it has definitively measured up to my expectations.

I cannot even begin to describe how amazing my last six months have been. I came to Spain, Madrid in August of 2012 barely knowing any Spanish. In Madrid I attended an intensive language course for three weeks, as well as learning about the Spanish culture and experiencing the best of what Madrid had to offer. I made friends for life and I made a strong bond to a great city.

In September I came to Alicante and I moved in with a Spanish family. It was summer and warm, and everything was new and exciting. I really enjoyed myself. Then suddenly summer break was over and it was time for my first day at school. I was more nervous than never before. Luckily everyone were really nice and welcoming and it did not take me long to make friends.

Thorughout my last five months I have been attending IES Gaia as a normal student here. There have been some big challenges that needed facing; the language, school work, adapting to the Spanish way of living, a new city and being far away from friends and family are just some of them. There have been time when I only wanted to go back home and times when I have thought that my longing would kill me.

But there have also been a lot of good times and luckily those are the times that get stuck in my head as memories from my exchange year. Going to the beach, going to El Barrio with the girls, meeting a lot of great people, learning a whole new language, getting good grades after studying hard, celebrating new years eve in Madrid and so on, so on.

My return date is the very first day of June, but I am just enjoying myself too much to long for that day to come. I am even thinking about staying for a whole more month so that I get the opportunity to experience Alicante during summer and vacation (and Hogueras..), and enjoy that time with the great people I have met on this journey.

For anyone who is interested in learning a new language and experiencing something extraordinary I highly recommend going on exchange. It cost quite a lot of money and you will not be able to see your friends and family for a long time, but what you gain from the experience is worth it in the end. You will learn a new language, travel, learn to know a new culture first hand, get to know and become friends with a lot of great people, get international contacts and most of all, you will grow, mature and get to know yourself a lot better.

I have three and a half months (possibly four and a half months) left and I am going to enjoy every single one of them. In a month I am going to Rome with 2nd BACH, a week after that my parents, my brother and his girlfriend are coming and we are going to travel in Andalucía, and a couple of days after that my bestfriend is coming to visit me here. In other words; I have a lot to look forward to!

Please do consider going on an exchange. It does not matter what culture, what language or what country you choose, if you are an open person with the will to give of yourself as well as learn from others you are going to have a great time whereever you end up going. 

Besos de Marianne