One year anniversary

27th of October 2017

Hello,
Yes, you guessed it. It has been 1 year since my exchange.
I can not even begin to explain how this makes me feel.

A year is a very long time but also not so long.
It only felt like yesterday I was sitting in my bed asking myself a trillion and one questions.
"Will I make friends?... What if I do get super homesick?...Will I hate how different it is?"
All of these questions and more. But once I stepped foot on that plane to Germany all of those questions left my head and I knew that I was getting myself into something incredible.

And now, a year after leaving, I sit here writing this blog post.

So many things have happened since I last wrote but I won't get into too much detail.
I would just like to say that although things were definitely extraordinarily hard at the beginning, things have gotten way better. You just need to take each day as it comes. At first it feels like you are an alien. Even though you have lived in this country for your whole life you come back so different and have a whole new outlook on the world and life itself. But really, you are not alone. It just takes some adapting to just like when you went on exchange.

I have had my ups and downs and have also done things I definitely would not have taken the chance to do if it weren't for the bravery and courage I gained from my exchange.
My exchange is and always will be so much to me. So many people still judge me for talking about it but that is only because they do not understand what it is like to experience a whole other life on the other side of the world.

Something important is that just because you come home from your exchange, does not mean that that it is truly the end.
You will carry what you learned and experienced on that exchange with you forever and it will help you to then to shape your life. It may not seem like it is as important as that but I am telling you, whether you realize it or not, it is.

So, here is to a year since I did the unthinkable and to many great years ahead full of travel and fun and just living.
As my newly acquired saying goes, " I am not here for a long time I am here for a goof time."

Love from
Bella. xoxo

Struggles of coming back

17/06/17

It has been approximately 6 weeks since I have been back in Australia.
It has been a very busy 6 months at that.
I am not going to lie, it has been very very hard for me.
Coming back from exchange is the hardest part of it.
Saying goodbye to so many people who I have grown to love, who were there for one of the most amazing things I could have ever done on the other side of the world is such a heartbreaking thing.
I cried so much even after I said goodbye.
But any advice to people who go through the same thing, it gets better.
It does take a while but it does get better.
I found that surrounding myself with people who help me through it and also trying to distract myself from it also helps.

Anyway enough of the deep stuff :)


A lot has happened within the 6 months of me being home besides me sitting around and having a good old cry about how much I miss Germany.

I have gotten a job at a real estate agency as a receptionist which is quite good actually.

School has been basically everything for me since i have been back.
It really does mean a lot to me.
It is definitely hard but I am doing surprisingly well.

I have some exciting concerts and fun runs coming up which will be super fun and I am looking forward to them.

These holidays will be very exciting because I will be going on a Ski trip with school.
I am mainly excited to be cold again just like in Germany and to see the snow.
I think snow is one of my favourite things.
My friends in Germany always remind me how I always looked at snow as if it was the most remarkable thing in the world.

Anyway, I shall be off to study!

Love from
Bella