And I’m not talking about school before 8am. I have only been in the Czech Republic for a little over over a month now, and wow it has been such a journey already. I still don’t think it feels real that I will be here to next year, as it feels like I have only been here for like 2 weeks Time really does go fast on exchange.

This first month has already proven that exchange isn’t a walk in the park but is so rewarding, and is filled with some times along the way. Exchange is more than just living in another country, it’s watching how quickly you can grow and adapt to a new way of life. I remember getting lost on like my third day and not knowing how to get home. But now I can name every stop on the tram from the city to home. I’m not relying on google maps to get me from A to B. And I’m starting to more at home each day.

I think the best thing to do when coming on exchange is remove any idea of what you think you know about that country and forget about the snacks you don’t get to have anymore like Tim tams (unless you well stocked up). And just experience everything first hand. Take the rotary saying of saying yes to the opportunities you get and apply to the little things in everyday life. You don’t want to look back on parts of exchange wondering about the taste of the warm squishy fruit at the sushi place, wondering what the view would have looked like from the top of the hill around the corner from your house, or if the green mangos taste different to the mangos your used too (can confirm the green mangoes do taste different and not in a good way stick to the yellow and orange coloured mangos back home).

And my last piece of advise, would be take any reminders of with a token of appreciation (like when I saw an emu at the start of my second week here in someones garden), and think about home and the people waiting for you. But don’t hold these reminders of home to close to you because you will have those things when you get home, focus on the new things you have and appreciate them in the moment because time fly’s on exchange.

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