By baharmahzari
"Why would you go to North Carolina?"
I heard that question constantly throughout the last week as friends were asking me to join them for some study sessions while I immediate answered with "I can't."and explained my reason. Only as an exchange student, one just takes off two weeks before Finals. The reason I went is simple - my host family. I had not seen them since 2012 after having lived a full year with them from 2010-2011.
North Carolina is not the most exciting part of the US. Apex (NC), which is close to Raleigh, is even less exciting. However spending time with my host family and their current exchange student from Serbia was truly relaxing and just great. It was weird to not go an visit them back in New Hampshire in the house and place they used to live, but Apex did not disappoint. While my first night with them ended with me and my host parents sitting at the dinner table and telling each other non-stop stories of the last 4 years until 4 in the morning. It felt immediately like in 2010.
The next day was followed by some tour throughout Apex and its cute little downtown area. A christmas parade in the early evening brought me already into a christmas mood with "Jingle Bells" stuck in my head. And lastly this great day was ended by the greatest thing ever - my host mother's self-made Lasagne. As an Italo-American, she exactly knows how to make the perfect Lasagne. Another plus was to have all of her family down in Apex from Brooklyn. They are so much fun.
This visit showed me how lucky I am in having found another family to turn to any time. Although, 4 years are a long time, which I realized when I saw my host brother first, who just grew up in an immense pace. Also all the important news and funny stories, which my host dad and mom told me just made clear that I had missed a lot and that they had missed a lot of me.
But still despite that everything stayed the same. From having Cream Cheese Bagels with Grapes in the morning to playing some card game occassionally and talking to each other throughout the the night. In essence, many things just stay the same and it is only the outer layer changing.
Here a little sneak peek into my two days with the loveliest people I know. On the picture you see me, my host brother and Katniss - the cutest cat ever.
