To my dear friends in NZ

Now, after about 5 months being back to my old life I should be able to consider my feelings. Indeed time is healing the sorrow about my departure from New Zealand, but I will always Keep my memories. Still I feel very connected to the people on the other side of the world I learned to love. I can't just close a door and start a new section of my life and I don't want to either. Luckily today there are so many ways of communicating. Obviously it's not the same as being with people, but it still connects us like a rope. Hopefully it will always stay like that; I will always think of you and remember how wonderful you are. We have to see each other again ! Why on earth did I have to go to the other side of the world, that doesn't really help organising a visit.

But: I WILL COME BACK !!!

Nach nun mehr als 5 Monaten wieder in der Heimat sollte ich in der Lage sein meine Gefühle sortieren zu können.
Tatsächlich ist es so, dass die Zeit den Trennungsschmerz mildert.
Doch keine Zeit vermag mir die Erinnerungen zu nehmen.
Immer noch verspüre ich die starke Zuneigung zu meinen liebgewonnen Menschen in Neuseeland.
Abschließen mit der Sache , also die Tür schließen und eine Neue öffnen, dass kann und möchte ich nicht. Zum Glück gibt es heute so viele Möglichkeiten miteinander in Verbindung zu bleiben, diese stellen aber keinen wirklichen Ersatz dar.
Aber wenn man sich schreibt oder telefoniert, ist man wie durch ein unsichtbares Band miteinander verbunden. So soll es für eine Ewigkeit bleiben, ich werde immer an euch denken !
Alle Menschen die mich in NZ begleitet haben, sind mir sehr wichtig geworden und ich habe jeden Einzelnen so lieb gewonnen.
Das Ergebnis daraus kann nur sein, dass wir uns eines Tages unbedingt wiedersehen müssen.
Auch wenn die Reise an "den Anfang der Welt" so beschwerlich ist.
Aber nichts kann mich abhalten, ich finde den Weg zurück.

Dear family:
Thank you that I was allowed to be with you.
Thanks for everything you did with and for me and for the lovely
time we had.
Thanks for showing me how it is to have 3 little sisters, for the Milo
in the evenings and for integrating me so much into your Family.
Thank you for your love, support and kindness.
I could never have found a better family than you !
Also thank you just for being there when I needed you.
And I still need you !

Dear friends:
Thank you for being as friendly and openhearted as you all were and
for integrating me well in your everyday life.
Thanks for our support and for the many beautiful and happy experiences I was allowed to share with you.

Dear Ciara:
I could not describe with words how much I miss you. You were my 2nd big sister and my best friend. You have helped me so many times, made me laugh, helped me organise my own party... I don't kn ow what I would have done without you ! I can recall so many wonderful moments with you by my side. We are so similar and yet different and I feel I can always trust you and that we will never be completely separated
from each other.
Thank you for all that and most of all for being yourself.  <3

I would like to thank all the people who accompanied me throughout the year and made it to something unique and fantastic.

Ich danke allen Menschen, die mich in diesem Jahr begleitet haben und die es zu einem einmaligen Erlebnis gemacht haben.

Hopefully we will stay in contact for a very very long time. You are the highlights of a wonderful year and I'll always be grateful for that.

Ich hoffe, dass wir für immer in Kontakt bleiben und uns nie ganz aus den Augen verlieren. Ihr seid die Höhepunkte in einem wundervollen
Jahr gewesen und das werde ich in meinen Erinnerungen immer
bei mir tragen.

Milin cen or gurieb, mellon!

For good

A wonderful and very touching song from the Musical "Wicked". Two friends say goodbye to each other, not knowing if they will ever meet again. Here is my version of it.

 https://soundcloud.com/franzi97/for-good-wicked-duett-mit-mir

Lyrics:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow,
If we let them
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true,
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun,
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime,
So let me say before we part:
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you.
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end,
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend.

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind of the sea,
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you,
I have been changed for good.

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for.
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share
And none of it seems to matter anymore.

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun.
Like a stream that meats a boulder halfway through the wood.

Like a ship blown off it's mooring by a wind of the sea.
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better.

And because I knew you
I have been changed for good.

Isle of Inisfree

So here is a song called "Isle of Inisfree" from the irish band "Celtic Woman". If you put in "New Zealand" it's describing my situation perfectly well...

 I've met some folks,

Who say that I'm a dreamer,
And I've no doubt
There's truth in what they say.
But sure a body's bound to be a dreamer
When all the things he loves are far away.

And precious things
Are dreams unto an exile.
They take him o'er
The land across the sea.
Especially when it happens he's an exile
From that dear lovely Isle of Inisfree

And when the moonlight
Peeps across the rooftops
Of this great city,
Wondrous though it be,
I scarcly feel its wonder or laughter:
I'm once again back home in Inisfree.

I wonder o'er green hills,
Through dreamy valleys
And find a peace
No other land would know.
I hear the birds make music fit for angels
And watch the rivers laughing
As they flow.

And then into a humble shack I wander--
My dear old home--
And tenderly behold
The folks I love,
Around the turf fire gathered;
On bended knee
Their rosary is told.

But dreams don't last
Though dreams are not forgotten
And soon I'm back
To stern reality.
But though they pave
The footways here with gold dust,
I still would choose
My Isle of Inisfree.

Plans for the future

Probably everyone, who has been in a foreign country for a longer time, wants to go back there. To remember all the joys of the past and meet your friends and host families again.
That is my wish, too. But then there are so many questions: Should I go in winter or summer ? Could I take my family or shall I go back alone ? Rent a car, take the bus or a caravan? B&B or youth hostels ?
There is so much planning to do and you have to start really early so that you are still able to pay the flights. It's all so so so complicated !!!

I have decided now, that I won't go back to school in NZ. It would have been great and I really wanted to have conducting as subject, but there would also be disadvantages. I would not have finished Year 10 in Germany nor get my A-Levels. I would have mostly taken musical subjects, but what if that doesn't work ? There wouldn't be another subject I could study. And to do History, Biology and so on in New Zealand would probably have been too hard.
That's why I will finish school in Germany.

Still I would go back anyday and stay there as long as possible. This exchange was a very Special Thing and it has probably changed my life.
I can only advise everyone to go to live in New Zealand for some time.
It will be your most wonderful time !
Oh, what I would give to turn the time back...

And I dream:

 

What can you see

On the horizon ?

Why do the white gulls call ?

Across the sea

A pale moon rises;

The ships have come to carry you home.

 

                                                                     Into the West, Annie Lennox

 

 

Ciara's visit

Ciara and her mum returned my visit on monday the 29th April. They arrived at about 1pm with the Train and my parents picked them up for coffee and cake before I was picked up from school as well.
I showed them around our flat and after her mum had left again Ciara, mum and I played... well, guess... yes, board games !
My parents were so glad to meet them, too !

On tuesday Ciara and I went to school together: I had Philosophy, Religion, History, German and PE (volleyball). She told me she found it very interesting and the students and teachers were nice and interested, but she would not like to have to go to school in Germany permanently because our lessons are so complex and difficult. I can definitely understand that !
Afterwards we went to a big creative shop. Ciara was very excited because there isn't such a big arts shop in Christchurch anymore. Dinner was at Vapiano, my very favourite restaurant.

at the mall

my school

After a little sleep in we skype Claire in NZ before we went to the high ropes course. It was a lot of fun, but we had to wait a very long time before we could start climbing.
The evening was the highlight: the Musical "Starlight Express" in Bochum. We hadn't told Ciara where we were going so she did not know anything until it had started. We both loved it !!!

the "train museum"... the Musical.

Her train left early on thursday. We brought her to the station to another goodbye. The worst one actually.
I wasn't able to concentrate much in school afterwards and in the evening I just cried. Of course we texted until she had left Germany.
A bit of New Zealand had come here and now she was gone again and it was worse than before.
At least my parents are now thinking about visiting NZ in July 2014. Wouldn't that be awesome ???

So one of the best things of my stay in NZ is, that I have found a friend for my whole life.

Visiting Ciara

That saturday evening I arrived at the train station in Bielefeld where we were met by Ciara. It was so so so great to see her again and I think we were both a bit speechless. I had missed her so much !
Together we bussed to the huge apartment they had rented where I also met Ciara's mum.
We were switching languages all the time because I longed to speak English again and Ciara wanted to get used to speaking German again.
In the evening we all played board games such as "Das verrückte Labyrinth" or "Malefiz" and it really was a lot of fun. We also talked a lot about everything.
The next day we visited her grandma and went on a little walk to
the playground.
We had the most fun, but unfortunately I had to go to school again too soon. Another farewell; at least it was only for a very short time for she would visit me again next week.
I will look forward to that and not be too sad.

And here are some photos from my final day in Bielefeld: