BLOGS
OCTOBER BLOG!
WHAT'S UP HOME SKILLETZZZ?! Okay, that seemed much cooler in my head... Anyway, Happy October! For this blog, I want to tell y'all a story about one of my friends. A friend who also just so happened to be a foreign exchange student visiting the sweet little village of Dunlap, Illinois all the way from NORWAY!!!
For starters, my cute lil Norwegian friend's name is Maria, and she is one of the most amiable people I've ever met. I honestly don't think I've ever NOT greeted her with a big ole hug! I want to share my experience of forming a friendship with someone from another country because it's one of the coolest things I've ever been able to do and hopefully it'll encourage you to do the same if that opportunity comes along. Here are a few flicks of me and Maria:
I remember the first time I met Maria. It was a few days after the first day of school going into my junior year, and I was eating lunch with some friends in the cafeteria. A girl I had never seen before was sitting next to my dear pal Nicole and of course, I was so curious that I had to introduce myself. In case you haven't connected the dots by now, the girl was Maria. We had a little conversation about how she was liking school so far, and it was brought up that she was an exchange student from Norway! I thought it was super cool to be able to actually meet someone from another country. I was also totally impressed by her English because she didn't struggle with her words at all.
I can only imagine how Maria felt starting her first day of senior year in a completely different country and hardly knowing anyone at all. Just thinking about me in that situation totally freaks me out!! I get nervous for the first day of school every single year and I've lived in Peoria all my life. I mean I've ALWAYS aspired to pack up a suitcase and become a travel junkie but going to a new country for the first time all. by. myself. If you ask me, I'd say that's nothing short of terrifying. So kudos to you, Maria, for getting on a plane and sitting at the same table as me. I'm so unbelievably happy that you did.
After I met Maria, I slowly became closer with her when she asked me to be a part of a little photo shoot for a photography class. This is one thing that I totally admire about Maria. SHE HAS SOME MAD PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS!!!!! Here are a few of my favorites she has taken:
I can only imagine how Maria felt starting her first day of senior year in a completely different country and hardly knowing anyone at all. Just thinking about me in that situation totally freaks me out!! I get nervous for the first day of school every single year and I've lived in Peoria all my life. I mean I've ALWAYS aspired to pack up a suitcase and become a travel junkie but going to a new country for the first time all. by. myself. If you ask me, I'd say that's nothing short of terrifying. So kudos to you, Maria, for getting on a plane and sitting at the same table as me. I'm so unbelievably happy that you did.
After I met Maria, I slowly became closer with her when she asked me to be a part of a little photo shoot for a photography class. This is one thing that I totally admire about Maria. SHE HAS SOME MAD PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS!!!!! Here are a few of my favorites she has taken:
Sorry, I kind of got a little off topic talking about Maria's photography skills... Did I mention THEY ARE TOTALLY RAD??! Okay. Okay. I'm calm now. Anyway, if you ever get a chance to befriend a person from another country, take the opportunity!! It can be so fun for you, and it gives them the experience their looking for visiting your home! So show them all your favorite places. Show them your life.
Maria left for Norway this summer (2018), and I still talk with her everyday! She now gets to show me her life in Norway with stunning pictures and videos of her world. It's so hard to bring to words how much I love being a friend of Maria's. I miss her lots and if you've ever been hugged by Maria, you'll understand when I say that I could really use one of her hugs after writing this!! Maria, if you're reading this, JEG ELSKER DEG!!!! (She taught me it means I love you)
I think it's crazy how a girl I only met last year has become such a dear friend even when she's an ocean away! If I hadn't introduced myself in the cafeteria, our friendship might have never happened... So, I encourage all who have read this to talk with someone you don't know (and if it's a foreign exchange, even better!) because it can change your life... and theirs! Get out of your comfort zone and make a new friend (but also be careful and buy yourself some mace because there are some crazy people out there and you can never be too safe). Who knows what could happen!
Maria left for Norway this summer (2018), and I still talk with her everyday! She now gets to show me her life in Norway with stunning pictures and videos of her world. It's so hard to bring to words how much I love being a friend of Maria's. I miss her lots and if you've ever been hugged by Maria, you'll understand when I say that I could really use one of her hugs after writing this!! Maria, if you're reading this, JEG ELSKER DEG!!!! (She taught me it means I love you)
I think it's crazy how a girl I only met last year has become such a dear friend even when she's an ocean away! If I hadn't introduced myself in the cafeteria, our friendship might have never happened... So, I encourage all who have read this to talk with someone you don't know (and if it's a foreign exchange, even better!) because it can change your life... and theirs! Get out of your comfort zone and make a new friend (but also be careful and buy yourself some mace because there are some crazy people out there and you can never be too safe). Who knows what could happen!