Piiiiiictures

So here I am, having said I would post about our stay--and then deserting you like this!

It's not wholly my fault, though: the internet at the place we stayed at in Kelowna wasn't very cooperative (but just for my laptop, which sucks), and we had a lot of stuff planned in those few days. My mom spent almost as much money on wool as I did on already finished clothes and we went to see some nature--and, of course, KSS, which was wonderful and brought back a lot of memories.

The unanimous reaction from my old teachers upon seeing me? Hi there, how are--what are you doing here?
CiCi was with me, which explains the first part, but it was hilarious!

The most surprisingly best part of the day may have been visiting the counsellours' office, though--they were all so kind to me it was astonishing. And they still remembered me! It was a great day, overall, can't complain :D

Also, seeing my hostfamily again was weird but awesome. I really can only repeat myself: it's absolutely weird coming back and seeing everything--and everyone--again, because I thought it was over and now it wasn't and I saw shadows of my old memories everywhere: in the corners of my host family's house, in the halls of KSS, in the eyes of the people I encountered. I used to be a part of that life--but I had to realize that as much as I may still cling to my host family, I'm not anymore. There's a new girl that's taken my place with them, and as much as I would have liked it to be different, I was merely a visitor--a well-liked visitor, I do think, but I wasn't part of the family anymore the way I had been for the eight months I'd lived with them.

And that was sad. But I also think that this has given me closure, in a sense; closure I needed to get on with my life, to concentrate on the future. I will never not remember what it was like, what it felt like, what it meant to be a part of a different family, but I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not living that life anymore.

The Abitur is looming, and so are exams, a science (actually, STEM-subject) project I'm taking part in, and new friends and friends-to-be. Life is ever moving forward, and the realization is as painful as it is hope-inspiring.

Love,

Julia

And now finally, the promised pictures: