*private
*bethia
*cheryl
*hosanna
*janice
*mavis
*naddie
*nurul
*rae
*sher
*sis
*sooboon
*stringe
*xian
*violin 2
*zhiling

i just finished packing my luggage.
and in a few hours time, i will be leaving my home of 4 months, maastricht.
and start the western europe tour with roxanne and vivien.
it finally hit me that exchange is over.

staying out of home for 4months plus hasn't been easy too.
there are times when i wished i was back in my comfort zone, back where all my loved ones is. that was the dependent self showing. I was really tired of living my life alone. for 20 years of my life, i've always been around home. at most leave for a 4D3N trips with friends but never 4 months and what more, alone.

This definitely made my parents worried, my 2 bfs (boyfriend and best friend btw. not 2 boyfriends), my friends worry for me. even i was super apprehensive about this whole exchange. even on the day i left and walked into the departure gate alone, i kept asking myself if i made a wrong decision. Will i be able to survive this 4 months alone. i dint know how to cook, i dint know how to wash clothes or iron clothes. groceries shopping was like anyhow for me. but i'm proud to say now i can at least cook some basic meals, do some laundry and definitely groceries shopping. Oh and even learnt abit of dutch. :)

As i was packing my luggage, so many scenes were flashing through my mind.
from 25th Aug 2010, at T3 departure hall, when i boarded the plane, when i first saw maastricht, when i got my room etc etc. They have been all wonderful memories.

this exchange has really been a great experience for me.
met great people, but also lousy ppl. (but i pulled through)
had wonderful experience of living in europe for so long. (till today, i still cant believe i actually got the chance to stay here)
travelling around europe is another unforgettable memory of this exchange.
to me, exchange is not about doing well academically. of cos, passing the mods is a must. but it's more of experiencing the whole culture. how ppl do things, how things operate in the city you're in, how people communicate, how ppl think etc.
it's different yet really interesting to know.

i am really gonna miss maastricht or rather the whole europe since i've been travelling so much. i've counted and i have and will be covering a total of 15 countries (not cities) in europe: Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Greece, Turkey, UK, France and Italy. ok 14.5 since Turkey is still half europe half asian. which is really cool i think. haha! Counted the expenditure to be around 16-17K SGD inclusive of accommodation, flight and transport. Considering travelling to 15 countries and staying in a Europe city with relatively high standard of living, it's not THAT bad. plus this experience is definitely hard to come by.

This trip wouldnt even be possible without daddy sponsoring the whole exchange. I dont think he'll read this but still, thank you so much. Every skype session, he never fail to ask if i still had enough money. and leaving home for 4months plus really made me cherish times with them even more. I still remembered the feeling when i saw mummy in Athens. just immediately went up to her and hugged her. couldnt take it and started crying. I had no idea i missed her so much till I saw her in person. It's really different skyping and in person. That's why i never believed in technology stuff replacing meeting in real life.

In a few weeks time, i will be back home in the sunny island with all my loved ones.
I'm glad this exchange dint strain any of my relationships, whether with family, bfs or friends.

and i really give thanks to God. first, giving me the opportunity to even come for exchange, for giving me supportive family and friends, for giving me so much to experience and learn, and for giving me the strength to survive these 4 months. There's really so much to give thanks for.

God is Almighty! :)

9:30 AM ·