26th of July it is!

The time has come, let the countdown begin! 

In these few months, a lot of things happened. I have a host family, know my hometown and even my school! Everything becomes real! 

Two months ago, on a rainy day at school I got an e-mail. From YFU. The subject was 'We know your host family!' and I couldn't believe it. It was the 18th of February and that seemed to be so early! 

But it was true. And yes, I cried (what did you expect...). There exists a lovely family in Vejle who is willing to take me in their family for a year! 

While reading the document, everything about this family seems perfect. There's a mom, a dad and one sister (17y old) living in the house. There are also 2 other siblings not living at home anymore. 

May I already call it my family? It will be in a few months. 

I hope the mom's okay if I call her 'mor' and I hope the dad's okay if I call him 'far', two of the few words I know in Danish! 

Thanks to the internet and thanks to social media, because after finding out their names, I (of course) Facebooked them. The sister of my age seems sooo sweet and I really think we will get along very well! I can't get over the fact that she and her family are going to take care of me! 

After adding her on Facebook, we started to talk a bit and it looks like she knew more about my departure and school than I did! 

Next year, I'm going to school, in Vejle, about 2 kilometers from where I live. It is called Roedkilde gymnasium. The sea is almost the school's garden! It looks so beautiful but soooo big! I'm already afraid to get lost!

Another thing I got to know is that Vejle is about 10 minutes away from Legoland and therefore I dressed up as an orange Legobrick on the YFU-weekend. Which was almost a month ago. It was very funny to go somewhere on a weekend, with people you don't know at all, the only thing you know is that they are there for the same reason you are. They are also going abroad for a year or less. Besides that, you might have had a sneaky look to their name tag to see where they are going to... On this weekend, we got to know each other very well and I think it was useful. It sure was. I'm looking forward to the next weekend, that is coming next week! 

The only thing I've left to tell you is my departure date! After changing like a thousand times, it is certain: I'm leaving for Denmark on the 26th of July. WHICH IS FREAKING EXCITING! 

I think that's all... Only one thing, as it is the 17th of April today and as I'm leaving on the 26th of July it means there are exactly 100 days left... Therefore, I can start the countdown!

Love, 

Justine

Min søster...

My sister means the world to me. I mentioned something about her in my previous blogpost, but I guess I didn't point out how much she actually means to me. Because she means the world to me, she always has and always will. This post is for her... 

My sister, Anne-Sophie, was born on the 3rd of June 1994, which means that she is about 2,5 years older than me. 

She was the only child in our family until I was born. A few weeks ago, I re-watched a video of her, visiting me at the hospital, where I was about a day old. She clearly doesn't understand at all that I'm the little monster that would influence the rest of her life. 

My grandmother kept on repeating "Look, that's your little sister, did you make her bed? Will she be sleeping in your room?" And my sister is like staring at her and just nodding. 

I love the part in the video where she touches me and I start crying and she looks terrified, as if she was thinking "OMG, do I have to live with this thing for the rest of my life?".

Me and my family lived in a little house, where my sister and me had to sleep in the same room. When I was about 4 years old, we moved to a bigger house, where I got 'a big bed'. We slept in the same room until I think I was about 8 years old. 

We did have a lot of good times when we slept together. As my sister was older, she always had the upper hand in discussions. For example: when I wanted to sleep and she still had her light on, because she was reading Harry Potter. I would go to her bed and tell her that she had to stop reading and she would ignore me or she would just quickly say something like "jaja". But she never stopped reading. At times like those, I would be very angry with her. 

But there also were some other moments where we would both be in our own beds and start throwing teddy bears from my bed to hers and back. Those were awesome times. When we heard our father running up the stairs, we would pretend to be asleep. He would be very angry and yell "GEEN CIRCUS", and of course, me and my sister were scared to death. 

After I moved to my own room, we were more like enemies. She was older than me and couldn't stand her irritating cute little sister's behaviour. She went to 'the big school' and I had to stay in primary school. The funny thing about this period of time is that she hated me (well, not hated, but you know what I mean) and I loved her! She would be very mad if I tried to give her a kiss or even hug her. 

But thank god, everything changed when we got in the same school again. Although she was older and was already in the 4th grade when I came in, we actually became very good friends. As we became older, she became more and more of a better friend, until the stage, where we are now, where she is the bestest friend I could ever imagine. 

She's there when I need her and I'm there if she needs me. We make a crazy combo that you do not want to meet during exams... 

We don't look like each other at all, but we are sisters. 

I love this girl with all my heart and I can't imagine how much I'm going to miss her next year... (Today: 198 days before departure)

Love, 

Justine

If you're still reading, another funny fact: my hands are always cold and she likes to come to me (especially when I'm very busy) asking for my hands. She then holds them and caresses her cheek with my hand and she just loves it and can't stop doing it... 

"Why did you choose Denmark?"

This is probably one of my FAQ's. Everyone asks me: "Why go to Denmark, if you can go to a country where the weather is hot?" 

*sigh* Well, I've chosen not to. Because why should I choose a country where the weather is hot, but I don't like? I want to go to Denmark. 

It is true, I've never been to Denmark, and I don't know how life is there, but that makes it even more an adventure! 

I've chosen Denmark, because of a lovely family. This lovely family now lives in Brussels (not so far from where I live) and they are Danish. 

When I first met those people (I think I was about 10 years old), I instantly loved them. They are so friendly, open and loving. 

When they had kids, I loved those even more. These two cutiepies were (and still are) my favorite kids. 

While visiting this family I (for the first time) heard Danish. And what a beautiful language is that! 

And this would of course be my dream in Denmark, having a hostfamily like them... 

And another question I get frequently asked is why I even take a gap year and why I just don't start studying. 

Well, at first that was the plan. I would just end school and start studying. But then, my dear sister finished school and she took a gap year. She went to Argentina for a whole year. 

Not that that changed my mind. It absolutely didn't. I missed her sooo much, that I was certain that I would never leave her again. 

She now lives in Ghent (which is about 40 minutes by train from here) and I'm getting used to it that I don't see her as much as I used to. 

I think it was in June 2013 that I started thinking about the fact that I would start my last year of school in September. And actually that is a really weird thing. After going to school for *counting years* 15 (?) years, it suddenly stops and you're like *BAM* a grown up... 

I think I was (or am) scared to become an adult and start studying. 

And I just think that you have to do things like traveling when you're young. Probably that's why I'm taking this gap year. 

I hope that I made the right decision. But that's a thing I'll only know when I'm there and it is still about 217 days before my departure... 

Love, 

Justine