I moved from Norrköping, Sweden, to Scottdale, Pennsylvania about two and a half months ago. Before I came here, the staff at the organization that I came here through always talked about how much I would learn as an exchange student. The language, cultural differences and how different lifestyles can vary even between developed countries. I’ve learned a lot even though I’ve only been here for a short period of time and most of are things that never even crossed my mind before.

 I’ve had to learn how to be comfortable outside of my comfort zone. Being able to deal with new situations has made me grow so much. I would say that this is one of the toughest obstacles an exchange student has to deal with; to feel uncomfortable and out of place and learn how to deal with it in order to learn how to fit in. I’ve printed in the words it’s not bad, it’s just different in my mind and it’s something I repeat to myself constantly. Just because some things are different doesn’t mean that it’s wrong.

 I used to hate when people spoke in any language other than Swedish in Sweden, because why wouldn’t you speak the right language if you know it? Now, I totally get it. You’re native language is a big part of your identity. The words you use say a lot about your character, and you can’t translate every single word to a different language. It can be frustrating and sometimes I don’t feel like people get my point. I should have the right to speak whatever language I want to no matter where I am, and so should everyone else. Even though I feel bad for speaking Swedish in front of an American, because I think it’s rude to exclude someone in that way, it’s not my fault that I was born in a country with a different language.

  I’ve accepted that I’ll have to deal with missing my family and friends for the rest of my year here. It’s okay to be sad and have bad days, what matters the most is to learn how to pick yourself up and keep going. It’s not the happy moments that will help me grow. The good days will become memories, but the bad ones will turn into experience. I haven’t been homesick yet, but I’ve definitely felt low. For every little breakdown I feel a little bit stronger, a little more confident that I’m actually able to survive a year abroad.