Karenna Chen is our club's Rotary Exchange student, spending her year in Denmark. Karenna has been updating us on her year away, and here is her spring update:
Hej Françine og Joanna,
Jeg håber, at det går godt i Canada. Det går rigtigt godt her i Danmark. (I hope this is going well in Canada. It goes really well here in Denmark.)
Everything is just getting better and better here. I moved into my 3rd host family in the beginning of March and they have been absolutely wonderful. I have two host siblings, a 15 year old girl named Josephine who will be going on exchange next year to Kansas and a 18 year old boy named Sebastian who also does a lot of music. I get along very well with both of them and my two host parents who are so lovely. However, I can't say it was easy to say goodbye to the 2nd family. I am glad we have kept in touch but I do miss them.
I just came back from a trip to Barcelona with my class which was so amazing. It was through the school so they planned a lot of interesting activities for us, from dancing flamenco to touring Gaudi's architecture. It was a really wonderful opportunity to get closer to my classmates and my friends. In late March I was also on a trip with my choir to Dresden which was fantastic. We got to perform for a range of audiences, see an opera and really get to know everyone in the choir. Those two weeks were so special and so much fun.
Regular school is coming to a close now. The last day of classes is May 16th but in the meantime, there are a lot of projects to do before it's over. Overall school has been good although I feel like it has been a while since I have been. We were in Barcelona and now it is Easter break so we have the whole week off of school. When we get back there are only a few weeks left!
Rotary has also been going very well. I am in the process of preparing a performance for our district's Inspiration Day. I will be singing for the gala that night. I am involved with my club and I must say that I am a bit disappointed that their next service project is after I go back home. I would have loved to have been involved.
I am currently staying at my counsellor's house for this Easter week as my host family is going on a trip with their grandparents. It has been quite wonderful to see how so many different families work. Every family is different.
It is now two months until I am back home which feels like it is so soon. I am also going on Eurotour so it is just about 4 weeks left where I am actually in Denmark! It will be hard to say goodbye but I am so grateful for the wonderful experience I have had here. I know that this won't be the last time I am in Denmark either -- I love this country too much to not come back!
All in all, I have been having a wonderful time here. Spring has come and the trees are starting to get their leaves. The weather is warm and there is no where else I'd rather be.
Best wishes,
Karenna
1) On the top of Montserrat (about an hour drive from Barcelona) with my class
2) At Gala, the Danish version of prom
3) The cherry blossoms are only in bloom for two weeks but I got out to see them with my host family
4) In Leipzig, Germany -- we visited when we were in Dresden
5) Riding my host sister's horse (not an experience I was expecting to have but a lot of fun!)
6) Every exchange student has Legoland on their bucket list and I got to go!
