" Not until we are lost we begin to understand ourselves "

    I am in love with Vancouver because of the fact that even tho I spend 6 months here I haven't seen everything yet. 

There's still so much more to see and I am getting excited when I'm thinking about the upcoming month.

   One month till I am going back to Germany, one moth full of adventures. 

   I'm not staying in Vancouver for the whole month but I have still enough time to see all the things I haven't had a chance to see yet.

    It doesn't matter how often I've been Downtown every single time I'm there I see a new place or a new interesting building and yes the stereotype that all Canadians are friendly is true 

    - I don't know what it is but Canadians are a chilled and friendly folk. 

I just love being here.

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”

School is over which means for me no more hanging around in the art room; no more practices; no more games and concerts.

 Yes I do miss school its so different and I fell in love with the little differences ( having a locker, different sport teams, more classes ). 

Other than that is it hard to be without my friends,most of them are on vacation or they have to work school was just a good opportunity to hang out and talk.

Besides the tears my friend keeps reminding me that I shouldn't be sad its over - I should be thankful that it happened and I agree. 

I have never been so happy, never been so independent .... 

Yes I'm gonna miss the time, the city, school and my friends like heck but in the end I am grateful that I had the chance!

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

When you are in another country you should take every opportunity you can find to see new things.

Steveston ( near by Vancouver )  for example is an often used filming spot for the TV show "Once upon a time".

It was amazing seeing the locations we normally just see on TV in real life.

Find out if somewhere near your hometown is a filming location and maybe you even like the show or the movie they are or were filming there.

The feeling you get when you are standing in a filming spot is amazing!

Traveling is seeing; it is the implicit that we travel by.

You don't have to discover new things every day it's not like somebody tells you to do new things.

 It's fine if rest don't rush yourself.

Walk around your neighborhood, listen to music and enjoy the small differences.

You are in a different country and that's enough stress.

Laying around all day can be nice too but you shouldn't forget that you have the opportunity to do lots of stuff.

Maybe it's time for a new hobby- try something new, something what you've never done before.

And maybe you discover the joy.

But the attitude that you HAVE to do lots of stuff is wrong - do whatever you feel like. 

You get educated by traveling.

Why is traveling (an exchange year) a good idea?

There are so many answers for this question but lets start simple.

You will make new friends- in other countries are great people. 

You will become close with those people - I'm so happy with these new people around me and even tho I just know them for a few months, those relationships are special. 

They show you a different side of life. 

Once you are in a different county you will notice the disparity in culture.

It may be possible that a few things seem to be unusual but you will learn to accept it. 

For example are many Canadians when they go grocery shopping in sweatpants and flip-flops, without make-up etc. When I first came here it was so different. 

No one in Germany would go out like this, but for god sake it is so much more relaxed. 

And in as little as 3 weeks I stopped getting dressed up for the grocery shopping. 

In general are Canadians not as stressed as Europeans.

 You will also notice the beauty in nature, for the inhabitants their city isn't beautiful anymore. But you being new in the city will notice the goodliness  of the small things.

 These are just a few things and it may be hard making the decision but in the end its worth it!

To travel is to take a journey into yourself.

Traveling means changing.

You change your home, your friends and you change yourself. 

Don't be afraid of it even tho it can make feel insecure.

You have to leave your compfortzone and do stuff you wouldn't do if you were back home.

It sounds scary and trust me it is but you will get used to it. 

You will see amazing stuff: meet interesting people and you will have a lot of fun. 

For sure it won't be that easy but it's worth it.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Vancouver is a great city!

I love the fact that the nature and the city are so close, I love the different parts of Downtown and I just love the people.

The view from Downtown across the sea is amazing and I spend a lot of time there watching seaplanes.

Even tho if the weather isn't that good, with an umbrella you can master the problem.

Walking trough an unknown city and discovering new things makes me feel free and happy.

I hope that everyone who is doing a year abroad feels the same way.

Trust me this feeling is worth everything!