1/3/2024- 2023 reflections (And over four months on exchange!)

I have a lot to write about in this post! Before I get started, I'd like to update you all on my GoFundMe. I have raised over half of my goal, but I still need exactly 1,012 dollars to fully cover the trip. Thank you so much to everyone who donated so far! I have always dreamed of being able to travel and experience different cultures and atmospheres, and the EuroTour is a huge opportunity for me. However, the deadline for my final payment is January 31st, only twenty-eight days away. If you are willing, any donations would mean the world to me. If you aren't able to donate, sharing my fundraiser with friends and family can have the same impact. Thank you all so much for the support you have given me so far!

Here is the link to my GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/d40058ec

The fourth month of my exchange was amazing. On the third of December, I had my final dance lesson/performance. In all, the students in our class learned 18 different dances, and we danced all of them in front of our parents and friends. My partner and I were nervous at first, and we messed up a couple of times in the beginning, but once we got used to it and started to feel more comfortable, it ended up being fun! We also played some games; one of them was called "nejsympatičtější pár". Directly translated it means "the most sympathetic pair". In the game, everyone was given three flower pins. The girls and boys walked in circles opposite each other, and they had to choose who they thought was the nicest or friendliest person to give one of their pins to. This went on until no one had any pins left, and then everyone counted and the girl and boy who had the most were awarded a sash and a gift. I ended up being the girl with the most pins, and I was so surprised! It was honoring to me that people decided to give me their pins because I was the only one there who didn't speak Czech.

After my final dance, life went back to normal for two days, and then I got to experience a really interesting Czech holiday called St. Nicolas Day. On December 5th, the Eve of St. Nicolas Day, children are visited by three people dressed in costumes. One is an angel who represents "Good", another is a devil who represents "Evil" and the last is St. Nicolas. The tradition is that if children have been good throughout the year, they must recite a poem and then they are given a reward of candy. But if they have been bad, they get potatoes and coal. At school, I was surprised when in the middle of class, the "devil" banged on the door and ran into the class. They threw my classmate's pencil cases on the floor, drew on our books and faces with markers, and threw potatoes at us. Then two of my classmates went to the front of the class and sang a song, and we all got candy.

A couple of days after St. Nicolas Day, I got to go to Prague for the first time! Rotary had another meeting for all of the Inbounds. I love being able to spend time with all of the other exchange students. Prague was beautiful, but I enjoyed the time together with my friends even more. Being able to share and relate to unique experiences that only we fully understand is refreshing. We had a language test on the first day of the meeting, and it was terrifying. There was a 5 page written test that we had thirty minutes to complete, and then a private speaking test where we had to answer questions and speak about our lives. I got a 2, which is the equivalent of a B in the American grading system. I'm proud of myself because learning Czech has been one of my greatest challenges here. It is confusing and I'm not very good at dedicating time to things that are challenging to me. I've been trying my best though, and I'm excited to get better with time. There was also a singing competition; everyone had to learn a Czech Christmas carol and perform it in front of the other students. My team tied for first place!

While all of this was happening, the country was preparing for Christmas. I was excited to see all of the "Christmas cheer" so early in the month. There were Christmas markets in my town square, where you could buy hot wine (or punch for those under 18 😂) and Christmas gifts. Every town and village had a big Christmas tree with beautiful lights. It felt magical to walk around the town at night. I even got to participate by performing with my band in the town square and singing in a church with my choir!

My host family decided to go skiing for Christmas, and so they left me at my host grandparents' house so that I could still experience the Czech traditions while they were gone. They left early in the morning on the 22nd of December, which was also my birthday. As I went to school I was feeling a little bit lonely, but my friends surprised me with a cake and some presents! It made me feel so happy and loved that they cared enough to make my day special. They knew that it was weird for me to be without my family on my birthday, and so they tried to make up for it the best they could, which I was so grateful for. After school, I went to my host grandparent's house and they surprised me as well! I didn't even think that my host grandparents knew it was my birthday, so it made me feel extra special that they celebrated it. In the evening I was able to read all of the messages that people from the United States sent me, and it made me so happy to know that so many people cared. It was a good day.

Christmas Eve is the main day of celebration in Czechia. I started by going on a hike with the family of a past exchange student from here and another past exchange student from Brazil who is studying in Prague. Then I went home and got ready for Christmas dinner! I wore one of my host mom's old dresses that she gave me. I was hungry and ready for dinner because people don't eat much throughout the day in preparation for the main meal! It was completely worth it. Instead of ham for Christmas dinner, it is tradition here to eat potato salad and fried carp. I was nervous that I wouldn't like it, but my host grandmother is an amazing cook. The meal started with some fish soup, which tasted better than any other soup I've had here. Then we had the carp and salad, followed by some chicken schnitzel. For dessert, we had a cake called "malakov dort" which I had helped my host grandmother make the day before, and a special Christmas bread called "Vánočka" which I also helped with.

There are multiple Christmas traditions that I was able to try on Christmas Eve. First, we took some walnut shells with candles inside and floated them in a bowl of water. Each person had one shell assigned to them, and supposedly, if the candles float closer together it means that the family will stay close, if they float apart it means that the family will grow apart, and if any of them sink it means death! Then, we all got apples and we had to cut them in half. If the core of the apple is a star when you cut it, then it supposedly means that you will have good luck throughout the year, but if it isn't a star or if the apple is unhealthy, then it means you will have bad luck. There's also another tradition that I didn't do, where people pour melted lead into water and predict the year based on the shape that it makes. I don't believe that they mean anything, but it was fun to do them anyway and learn the history behind these long-established traditions.

Instead of Santa Claus, Czechs have "Ježíšek" which translates to "baby Jesus". After the Christmas Eve dinner, Ježíšek visits and leaves the children some presents. My host grandparents and I, along with some of their other relatives, sat around the Christmas tree and had a great time giving presents to each other.

On Christmas Day, I was invited to the house of some people I met here for an "American" Christmas Dinner. I met them through a nearby church that I have been going to, and found out that they are also from Pennsylvania! It was nice to feel so welcomed and to be able to share a meal with their family.

After Christmas, I went back home with my host family, and we had a second celebration where we exchanged gifts again since they had been gone for the main holiday.

I celebrated New Year's Eve with most of my classmates; it was really fun to be able to make those types of memories with them. I'm so grateful that they all accepted me as one of them, especially because at my school, the class stays the same for 6 years, so a newcomer is a pretty big change. My class has been so nice to me; they help me with my Czech and don't mind speaking English with me, even though it isn't easy for all of them. They make time for me and ask me how I'm doing. I feel extremely lucky to have been placed with such nice people.

The time is going so quickly; I can't believe that I'm almost halfway done with my exchange. I already know that it will be harder for me to leave here than it was to leave America. When I left the United States I knew that I would come back and see everyone again, but having to leave this country behind and say goodbye to people who I may never see again will be one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced. Sometimes I have a hard time enjoying the moments here because I know that it will end before I know it. But then I remind myself that I still have time here, and all I can do is live my life to the fullest. I feel lucky that I haven't felt too homesick so far. There have been times when I've felt lonely, but it hasn't been as bad as most people made it sound. I feel grateful to my parents for teaching me to be independent and confident in who I am. I love and miss everyone in the USA, but I know that I will see them again, and so far that has been enough for me to count on.

God has taught me a lot about myself and other people this year, especially in my exchange experience. I've faced criticism and discrimination for what I believe in, and sometimes my faith has slipped for fear of what others will think. But those experiences have given me clarity and guidance that I wouldn't have had otherwise. My relationship with God is truly becoming my own, mainly because there is no other way it would survive. I can't count on other people to provide my faith anymore, and while that was a big change that I wasn't expecting, I'm glad that it happened. God tested me, and through those tests, my faith and trust in Him have grown. I am still not perfect and don't always know how to react to certain questions or statements that some of my peers ask and say, but I hope that I can continue to be confident in myself and show them what it looks like to live a life where God is my focus.

All in all, 2023 has been an amazing year for me. As I was looking back at all the memories I was surprised at how full and exciting my life has been recently. I can't help but feel blessed to have this opportunity; it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I know not many people get to have. I want everyone who has been supporting me throughout my life to know how incredibly grateful I am. God gave me all of you for a reason, and everyone has helped mold and shape me into who I am today. I have done a lot of growing this year, and I would not have been able to do it without each of you, so thank you so much for being a part of my life.

(I've run out of storage so I can't post pictures directly to my blog, but here is a link where you can see all of them: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fw5gEzDYf9CjH5qt5 )