This is the end, this is the beginning, this is just a bump in the road

I have not set my foot outside of this country for ten months; it is the longest I have ever been away from home, it is the longest I have ever not seen my family, and it is the longest I have continuously lived in another country than Denmark.

Ten months like that leave a mark. It must do. I would even say that it should leave a mark. Would it not be sad if you returned from this chunk of your life—this challenge you had put yourself into of living outside your comfort zone (thanks for the expression A.J.) for a year—and didn’t feel anything? If you just shrug your shoulder and said “yeah, that was kinda fun” and went on with your life as if nothing happened. In that case you did something wrong this year. Any given year in your life should matter and evoke some feelings and a year abroad in particular.

It is such a unique opportunity to be given to be able to study for one year at another university, in another country, even on another continent. This has marked me in so many ways.

It’s not that I am another person. I am still me. People back home will probably not detect much difference. I might look a bit more tanned (the sun hasn’t been too kind on Denmark in my absence, sources tell me), might have some colorful pictures to show and stories to tell, and I might accidentally mix in some English phrases in my Danish and sound a bit like Sidney Lee. But overall, after a week or two, I’m quite sure it will seem like I’ve never been away. At least to my surroundings.

It’s okay; I’ve tried it before. I tried it four years ago (very exactly four years ago actually) when I returned from living almost five months in Nicaragua in Central America. Those months had the greatest impact on me in terms of personal development, broadening of perspectives, language skills and not least friends. Some of the people I hold dearest in my life I met in that volunteer program.

Still it did not flip my life upside down but it did mark me. It didn’t make me a different person but it shaped the person I am. A lot. I expect to “fit in” when I get back home, because I am still me. I took this ‘me’ along with me to North Carolina and it got shaped by the experiences I’ve had, the wonderful people I’ve met and the things I’ve learned.

I am at the end of a journey, at the end of “the American Chapter” of my life (at least the first of them, who knows..). Being at this thing people call “the end” is a peculiar place to be. It raises so many feelings of such mixed kinds.

I’m actually getting really excited about going home—and even more so the closer it gets. I miss my crazy little niece and nephew. I miss hugging my parents. I miss hanging out with my brother. I miss the drinking of alcohol not being a big deal but something you just do; preferably on the grass in the sun. I miss having a bike and using it every day. I miss home cooked food and dinners sat down around a table. I miss going to parties that do not end at 2 A.M. I miss Copenhagen. I miss having my friends in Denmark back in my everyday life.

There is so much I am going to miss. Most of all, I will miss the people that have been my life these past 10 months. It is incredible (and reassuring) to experience how it is possible in such a relatively short span of time to meet so many amazing people. I have made some friends that mean the world to me and that I will hold on to and never forget. I miss you already. I have so many reasons for going back to America and to travel the world—and I can’t wait see some of these smiling faces in Copenhagen.

I will miss the American friendly and extrovert attitude; I will miss answering the question “how are you?” at least 15 times a day. I will miss the beautiful UNC campus. I will miss being foreign and people finding that interesting. I will miss the cheap, good (but not so healthy) fast food places. I will miss the college specials that make drinking inexpensive. I will miss traveling around. I will miss being a Tar Heel. I will miss the queer parties. I will miss the North Carolina weather. I will miss the American enthusiasm and everything being awesome. I will miss meeting up for lunch out in front of Lenoir. I will miss discussing cultural differences. I will miss the red cups.

On Wednesday I will go back home.

ROAD TRIP, del 3 - California, here we coooooome!

Tredje uge on the road

Jeg er stuck på vores hostel i San Francisco, fordi jeg fik den geniale idé at hoppe ned fra et træ i stedet for bare at kravle ned - med det resultat, at jeg forstuvede min ankel. Skønt.
Men intet er så skidt, at det ikke er godt for noget, som man siger, og jeg har nu mulighed for at skrive et lille blogindlæg om den sidste del af vores roadtrip gennem Californien.

Fra Vegas krydsede vi over grænsen til Californien og kørte ind i Death Valley, der er et kæmpe ørkenområde med høje temperaturer, store vidder og smukke sandlandskaber.

Bredde vidder

Michel Foucault havde eftersigende et LSD syretrip i 1975 ved Zabriskie Point i Death Valley, som han har omtalt som den største oplevelse i hans liv. Det var måske ikke den største oplevelse i mit liv - jeg trippede selvfølgelig heller ikke på syre - men flot det var det nu!

Tom og Stephen ved Zabriskie Point

tørstig

Dele af Death Valley var decideret ørken med sandbanker - perfekt sted at træne sine stå-på-hænder evner!

Death Valley er så underlig og ørkenagtig at store dele af den er militærområder, der bliver brugt til at træne de amerikanske tropper, der skal til Afganistan mm.

Efter at have gået på opdagelse i Death Valley kørte vi videre til Los Angeles, der er en fascinerende by men som, ligesom Las Vegas, slår mig som et sted, der mangler charme. L.A. er bygget for biler og rige mennesker, hvilket gør at den lidt mangler sjæl og hyggelige kroge. Til gengæld var det sjovt at se de forskellige kvarterer og strande - kendt fra TV - og opleve den storslåethed som byen alligevel rummer.

Laura i downtown L.A.

90210 - Beverly Hills

Hollywood

Efter L.A. spenderede vi de sidste par dage på at køre nord på langs kysten på highway 1 - en utrolig smuk vej, der snor sig gennem charmerende byer og klippeskråninger.

Tom og Adriano ved Malibu Laguna Beach

Santa Barbara

Morro Bay

Smukke Laura med en Blue Moon (hvedeøl, yummi!)

Tre shots fra hwy 1

Monterey

 

Santa Cruz

Efter disse dages kørsel og afslapning langs kysten ankom vi til San Francisco, kørte videre til Oakland på den anden side af the Bay og fandt en campingplads, hvor vi kunne gøre bilen klar til aflevering.

Vi mødte en lille sød vaskebjørn under oprydningen

Næste morgen kørte vi til Cruise America's afdeling i Oakland og afleverede bilen. Og begav os med alt vores skrammel til San Francisco...

Det var en fantastisk rejse gennem det amerikanske land, der har budt på så mange - og så forskellige - oplevelser... :)