Why Going On Exchange Is The Best Thing I've Ever Done

My time here is rapidly closing, just a few months left and I have to say that this experience has been the best thing I've ever done with my life.  It has given my a control over my life that I have never experienced before.  I look in the mirror and I see what I have dreamed of seeing for ages, someone proud and fierce, someone who will not let anything stop her. I've learned so much about myself, about the world and about life. I've learned just how fast time goes and having learned that you realize that you can't just lay down and let life happen, you have to have fun, live, take chance.  Granted you have to do all that responsibly, don't just go crazy, you have to be alive to experience life. I have always been a rather stubborn person but these ten months more than anything else have made me realize the importance of chasing my dreams and never giving up. I refuse to live a life of "9-5 everyday the same thing" I want to live a life that matters, that has a purpose, that makes a difference, even if it's just to one person. I've learned the value of people, love is a universal concept that know no boundaries.  Family is important yes, but the relationships that you choose are the ones that really reflect and make an impact. I have friends from all over the world, I've seen amazing sights and heard wonderful stories. I spent a week and Paris and it was amazing, I got to just explore where and what I wanted. I made new friends and links that I will always have. I'm so far away from everything I have ever known and yet I have learned more here than anywhere. Going on exchange doesn't make me better than anyone else, though I hope that my experiences have made me a better person, I know they have changed me. In the end it is what I take away from this that makes it worth it. I am just a normal human that has experienced extraordinary things, I have been so lucky and fortunate to have had this chance.  To sum it all up, take control, live for yourself and what you believe in.  I don't care who you are or where you're from or what you follow, never follow blindly.  Ask questions that need asked, make choices that need to be made, never take anything for granted.  Life is short, time passes quickly, there are no second chances. No matter how lost or far away, you are the one with the power to make a difference. Regrets are not worth having and spilt milk isn't worth crying over. You have this one life and this one chance, go out and take it, Never look back, never stop running and never let them take you down.