Snow place like Vancouver

We’ve had snow in Vancouver!! They say it never snows here but we’ve had snow on the ground every day this week, which has made concentrating on studying for finals so much harder! I have just finished my last final, exam season has been hard (hence the silence in my blog writing), but with the end in sight the days are whizzing by. I’ve already waved off several friends as they’ve travelled back home for Christmas, and knowing it might be years before I see them again is so sad.

I can’t quite believe just how fast my time here has gone, it seems like yesterday when I was stepping off my flight into a completely foreign place. Now this city feels like my home, and the friends I have made are for life, as are the amazing memories we have created along the way.

I am travelling to Banff for Christmas, and then back here again for New Year before I fly home. Reflecting on my time here in this last week has made me realise how much I have managed to achieve. Living by myself on a completely different continent, a 10-hour flight away and with an 8-hour time difference has pushed my completely out of my comfort zone. I’ve learnt so much, not just through my different geography courses, but also through living completely by myself, without my mum or dad on the end of the phone to sort out my problems for me, or my home to run back to just a 2-hour train journey away like when I’m in Cardiff. I’m risking sounding disgustingly soppy, but my time here has taught me so much about myself, and what I want to get out of not only the rest of my degree, but what I want from the rest of my life. I’ve learnt more than anything, that when you push yourself and take risks, you usually reap the rewards. Coming on exchange has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. If you’re reading this blog post because you’re wondering whether you should go on exchange, I’m telling you now, don’t worry about the distance, or the paper work, or the cost. It’s all so so worth it, my time here has been priceless, my only regret is that I can’t stay any longer. But all good things must come to an end.