Dear, Americans!

Dear Americans, citizens of Hanover, Indiana.
I have decided to write this post in English since I've realized not all of you are as fluent in Norwegian as I am. Oh well.. I really want you all to know a few things:

I arrived in Hanover July 30, 2011 not knowing what my life would be like this year. I was nervous....to put it mildly, but I saw it as a challenge and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sometimes one has to take chances to get have the best experiences. My decision to be an exchange student is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I want to thank you all. Thank you for adopting me into your community. Thank you for giving me a taste of life as an American. Thank you for making this year one of the absolute best years of my life. I am infinitely grateful! I don't think I could have had a better experience than the one I have had. :D

Thank you, Senior Class of 2012! You guys have been awesome. Being a part of your class was great. You are a gang of wonderful people, hilarious people, and talented people.
The senior trip was one of the most amazing weeks I had here. To see New York and DC was kind of like a dream coming true. A flawless experience. Moreover, Spirit Week, the senior prank, Holiday World and more were all so fun.
Thank you!

Thank you, Linda, my community coordinator! You have been here for me if I needed it this whole year. Our monthly meetings have been so nice, and you are one great woman. I hope you'll continue to help and support future exchange students of Hanover. They'll be lucky to have you!
Thank you!

Thank you, Etienne and Havier, my fellow foreigners! You are my favorite Frenchman and Spaniard. Thank you for always understanding what I feel. We have been in the same boat this year. It's hard to explain what it feels like to live in a town, in a country, where you didn't know anyone before you came there. But you guys know what I'm talking about.
Thank you for being an awesome locker buddy, Etienne. And for teaching me French. At least a few words before you gave up on me....
Hopefully, we'll all meet in Europe one day! Thank you.

Thank you, my lovely friend group. Kendall, Shelby, Liz, Saige, Tyler, Daniel and Brennen. You guys just made my year. From the moment I joined in on the preparations for Spirit Week and switched over to your lunch table, I knew you were my kind of folks. I truly feel like a part of the group, and that has meant a lot to me. To be seen as Merete and not the foreign exchange student was something that was very important to me. ......well, you still make fun of my accent and pronunciation occasionally, but I don't care. I guess I kind of ask for it (...are you JEALOUS of my accent?) . And I like to think of it as having character, haha.
I'll miss you more than what can be considered healthy. You all better be around when I come back to visit in the future!
Thank you.

Thank you, my beautiful host family, for hosting me. You have opened your home to me and treated me like a true family member. I have felt so welcome, and you have taken me to so many great places. I could never have asked for more. Not for anyone better than you. I am happy to call you my second family and this place my second home. It's going to be weird not living here anymore, but I will come back to visit. Our relationship is a long-lasting one. Come to Norway when you can! I am eager to show you my life.
(Right now I'm listening to "Two Worlds" by Phil Collins from the Tarzan Soundtrack. Sooo appropriate)
Thank you!


Now it's time to leave, but I am not ready to go. Not even close. For a year I have been building a new life here, and I have learned to love so many Americans and things about the US. Saying I will miss it all is an understatement. But....there is really nothing to do about it. Of course it will be great to see friends and family back in Norway, but I still have a hard time coming to terms with the fact that my adventure is over. My mantra right now is: Don't be sad because it is over - Be glad because it happened! ....I'll have to repeat those lines many, many times the coming weeks.
Next stop Chicago! Four days with my mom, dad and baby bro there before I go back to Norway. 

It has been ten magnificent months. I have innumerable memories to take with me home, and I will cherish them for as long as I live. This is not a "good bye" - it's a "so long".
Again - THANK YOU, EVERYONE! ♥

And now I'll just go cry for a few hours...