Two Weeks to Departure...

Today was my goodbye party put on by my sponsoring Rotary district. I got to meet students who just got back from their exchange, and hear their stories about how this program has changed their life and who they are. It's crazy to think that in just two weeks I'll be starting my own journey. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. I will miss all of my friends and family here, as well as all of the amazing dedicated Rotary staff of my district, but I'm so excited to begin this adventure and see where it takes me.

I started packing for my trip the other day, and realized that packing up my life for an entire year isn't exactly easy. I will probably have to unpack and reconsider what I'm planning to bring with me. As of right now I am planning to take a carry-on, a back pack, and check one piece of luggage. I will probably have to buy another suitcase while I'm there to bring everything back, but we'll see what happens.

Being the deeply sentimental person that I am, one of my favorite things that Rotary does is exchanging pins. Each Rotary district has their own pin which they give to exchange students to give to one another on their exchange. The students put these on their Rotary blazers, and by the end of the year most have their blazers completely filled with pins given to them from people all over the world! At the moment, my blazer is looking a little sparse, but I am looking forward to filling it up with pins from around the world.

I'm going to start doing a "Danish Word of the Day," so you can learn a bit of Danish alongside me!:) So, the Danish word of the day is:

spændende: exciting

The Countdown Begins...

It's crazy how fast time flies! In just 22 days I'll be making my way to Denmark!

Since my last post, there have been several new developments. I now know that I will be living in Rønde, Denmark which is about 30 minutes outside of Aarhus (the second largest city in Denmark). I will also being going to school at Rønde Gymnasium.

Rønde, Denmark

I have also recently gotten my flight information. I will be leaving on August 5th and arrive in Denmark on August 6th. It's about an 8 hour flight from New York to Copenhagen, which will make it the longest flight I've ever been on! 

I have been in contact with two of my three host families, and they all seem like extremely nice, patient people who will make living abroad a comfortable experience for me. I will have a host brother while living with both families, which is something new to me because I've grown up with two sisters. My first host family has an older daughter who just graduated, so she won't be around while I'm there, and my second host family has a daughter my age, but she is going on exchange to Peru while I will be staying with her family. I wish her the best of luck on her exchange!

As of right now I know that my first host family has an 11 year old dog named Ziggi, I'm not sure if my other families have any pets. I've never had a dog before, so I'm very excited!

Ziggi

As my departure gets closer, I will be busy packing and saying goodbye to my friends, family, and home for the past 16 years of my life. It's bittersweet, but I am beyond excited to be embarking on this journey, and I can't wait to see what this year will have in store.

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my blog! Here I will be recording my day to day life as I experience it in Denmark on my year long youth exchange!

My name is Fiona Seabrook and I’ve been accepted into the Rotary Youth Exchange Program to spend an entire school year abroad in Denmark for 2017-2018.  Currently I am a sophomore at Red Hook High School, but I am originally from Woodstock, NY. I have a passion for learning and traveling, as well as music and the environment. I love to sing and play the ukulele, and also previously played the cello. My family values curiosity, and I’ve been traveling since I was very young.

Interesting Facts about Denmark-
-The Danish monarchy is the oldest continuing monarchy in the world and has existed for over 1,000 years.
-Denmark has more than twice the amount of bicycles (4.2 million) than cars (1.8 million). Copenhageners pedal more than 1.13 million km on their bicycles each day.
-Denmark is reported to be the happiest country in the world.
-Denmark is considered the "least corrupt" country in the world.
-No place in Denmark is more than 30 miles (50 km) from the sea.
For more interesting facts visit:

https://www.factretriever.com/denmark-facts

About the Rotary Youth Exchange Program-

The Rotary Youth Exchange Program is open to any secondary school student between the ages of 15-17. These students will travel abroad and live with 2-3 different host families during the period of one year. (There is no such thing as a “typical family” so staying with multiple host families allows the student to have a more well-rounded experience) Rotary Youth Exchange students exhibit above average academic skills, demonstrated leadership in their community, outgoing personalities, and receptivity to new experiences and cultural differences. For more information visit:

http://yex7210.org/become-rotary-yex-student/

I can't wait to embark on this amazing journey and share it with you! I will be posting pictures and descriptions of my days in Denmark,  a "word of the day" (a new Danish word that I learn) every day as well as a picture thanking those who support me through my GoFundMe page! If you'd like to donate to my cause, visit my GoFundMe page! 

https://www.gofundme.com/fionas-study-abroad-denmark