Time to go home tomorrow morning!
This experience wasn’t quite what I expected but a great one none the less! I had originally thought it would only take a few days to settle into the culture here and for some things I was right but there are some things I’m still not completely use to. For example the timing here is much more relaxed and everything seems to take longer because the people aren’t typically in a big hurry. I’ve really struggled with this and am more okay with it now but I think it would take me a long time to get use to it, if I ever could.
My second host family has been everything I pictured! They are wonderful people that I am going to miss so much! They’ve welcomed me into their home and treated me just as my real family would. I hope that I’m able to keep in touch with them and come back to visit! I’m so happy that I decided to change families and beyond grateful that I was placed here!
As I leave tomorrow it’ll be a little hard for me because I’ve gotten to know so many great people and I don’t like saying goodbye. However, I’m also really excited to be back in Oregon tomorrow night with my family. I’m definitely experiencing mixed emotions and hope that I can keep myself to together when I leave here and when I arrive in Oregon.
It’s not unusual for it to take time to settle into another culture. And a five week program is very short, and not really enough time to completely adjust to the flow of another culture. I, too, am glad you requested another host family when the first one didn’t work out. Though your program has been short, you have accomplished many important things. Michele