Little by little I forgot the sound of my name leaving your lips. I hope you know this means I'm letting you go, because I can't carry this around no more. 

Some days I'll remember how you used to carry yourself, hold my hand and laugh at the world, and smile until my cheeks hurt. Other days I'll remember how you let go of my hand and turned away cold and you have no idea how it feels to see someone you've spent a hundred nights with and act as if they're a stranger you've never let kiss your tears away.

Four months and only now I wake up with a lighter heart, though it should have been long ago. How did you cope, when you knew I loved you so.

I still see you with your guitar, a smile and a pen. Do you still see me with a book, or remember when we played chess?

Sometimes I sing the songs we used to sing and I'll remember those days in the car, sunny days and lighter moods, but somehow these songs are no longer solos.

I'm telling you now, that I'll look away whenever our roads cross, because there will never come a day where I can't see your light and I know it'll only make me crave the sun. I'm sorry, but I guess that's the way it goes.

I hope it was worth it, because I've never felt so low, but I'm slowly starting to know, I've never been broke. 

Thunderstorms and late night talks.

Once upon a time, a late August night, lightning painted the sky and rain softened the ground. 

Two souls united in looking at the same sky, soon to watch it from different parts. 

Late enough to be the next day, he still insisted to go outside and she followed like always, because he had a tone of longing.

There they stood, under the stars, watching the sky fight itself and shout in agony as loud as mountains breaking, mesmerized by a beauty that is rare in these parts of the world.

He opened his mouth and shared a part of his soul she'd never seen before, a piece of a childhood long gone, a piece that could have been lost in the rain, a piece she still carries around.

She kissed his mouth, he took her hand, wishing for different plans.

They reached the point of drowning and returned to the comfort of a roof, making love to the sound of a thunderstorm.

Who knew you could long for the sky ripping itself apart, just to find comfort in sounds of a distant memory.

I do.

Being fearless.

I'm writing. I'm writing. I'm writing and it's 100 percent for myself. I'm doing this, because I'm great with words and I have a lot of feelings.. and I hope this somehow finds the right person someday eventually. One is allowed to hope. Hope keeps us alive, remember that. Without hope, you have nothing.This is a lesson, a memoir, a dedication, an apology and so much more. 

We have all been given the incredibly gift and opportunity of spreading beautiful words into the world; to share joy, sorrow and love with other humans, who can accept, laugh and be touched by them.
The thing is, the greater the words, the greater the sacrifice and many choose to withhold the beauty they've been blessed with, in fear of not being understood, or provoking the wrong reactions.

Doubt, uncertainty and fear plants a growing seed of worry in our minds and it makes us believe that some words of caring, compassion and love are better left unsaid, or worse not valid.
Words composed by love, will almost always be valid. The world have become angry with pictures of war and pain and the hope that words of selfless emotions can change anything have ceased to almost nothing.
We have become scared of saying the things worth saying.

So this is me, trying to change that. Well, change and change, but this is me refusing to be silent about things that matter in the normal life of a teenager.
Because I've been loved, I've been blessed, I've been let down, I've been supported and I've been hurt, and it's important to acknowledge it - to know it's valid, to feel. And it's important to make other people feel as if they're not entirely alone.
This world can be lonely sometimes, when we're too scared of expressing our inner emotions.

One day, you're going to meet someone who puts colors inside your world and makes you feel good and makes you feel loved, and you'll never know exactly when, or how, but we always find ourselves waiting for this glorious moment to happen.
We have learned to search for the magic of love from the moment we begin to understand the world; tales of amazing deeds, purest hope, great sacrifices and unbearable losses, all in the name of love, and we yearn for it. For us to be touched by such magnificence, for us to have a purpose.

We're promised this, so we crave it, most likely because we feel as if it's owed to us.
One truth is, it comes when you least expect it. Which is cruel, because you spend most of your youth expecting it, but one day, it's going to either come sneaking, or it's going to hit you like a wrecking ball.
I was the victim of the second mentioned; it came out of nowhere and I was forever changed by it.
It lit a fire inside of me. Everything felt so much brighter and everything suddenly made sense. I was unstoppable. We were unstoppable.
Up to this day, I don't even know which part was the best; the exciting feeling of having them kissing you for the first time, even if you kept interrupting them, telling them that that's not what friends do, or if it's the tickling sensation of catching them looking at you, if it's the security of being tangled up with them all night, or just the joy of looking at them with the satisfying feeling of love. Or maybe it's that awkward moment, where you meet their parents for the first time, being terrified of saying the wrong things.

I changed. I became brave, I became better at spreading the beautiful words I always felt either too scared to admit, or the words I feared would be used against me.
Rome wasn't build in one day, but I trust people rather easily, so I quickly learned, and soon enough I couldn't stop. I was breathing love and I was happy.
Having been alone for long, always carrying the burden of worry, fear of rejection and the nagging feeling of not being valid, there is no feeling that can compare to the joy of feeling new and free, as if you're opening your eyes for the first time.
The spark burned so brightly and perhaps, when something is so passionate, intense and bright, it's not meant to last - I often wonder if anything would have been different, had I found the sneaking love instead of the wrecking ball.

I'm a giver. I selflessly give too much of myself in too short amounts of time, I willingly go out of my way to make people happy and I carry their problems voluntarily among my own, even if I'm not asked. I care too much, because it brings me joy to see the ones I love being happy.
Being a giver means giving selflessly, not expecting anything in return. Pure compassion is free, it is not money and it's not something you can owe anyone, but I guess you somehow find yourself hoping that your deeds don't go unnoticed and it'll be your parachute right before hitting rock bottom.

In the end, it doesn't matter if you spend countless nights memorizing the shape of their nose, or the colour of their eyes. It doesn't matter if you found yourself drawing shapes on their backs, caressing their cheeks, pushing hair out of their eyes, or kissing their lips. It doesn't matter if you spend nights talking about your worries, or showing the deepest parts of your soul, or whispering beautiful words into their ears, if the spark is gone.
You will not be in doubt, if the spark is gone, I tell you this. I felt it and it haunts me to this day.

Sometimes things cannot work out. Sometimes the odds are against you, no matter how much beauty you shared. Sometimes the world simply comes in between.
What matters though, is the way you handle it, when the world severs ties, I mean. Sometimes you find yourself falling right back into their arms, working like you've never have been before, but sometimes it's just not enough; I will frankly admit that being apart from someone I loved so much, whilst being lonely in a foreign country meanwhile he had a life going on, affected me. It affected me and I became jealous, bitter and moody and I continuously let it out on the one I least wanted to. And I am sorry. I am so, so, so incredibly sorry. And I apologize, both selflessly and selfishly. Selflessly, because you didn't deserve it. Selfishly, because what I did haunts me and I want him to know that.

I don't know if this is part of being a giver, but the feeling of failure, was the first thing I felt. What did I do wrong? Did I give too little? Was I not supportive enough? Did I not show my love enough?
On top of this - I don't know if I'm childishly naive, or just a hopeless romantic - but when I feel, I do it with my entire being, I love unconditionally and I do it, because I believe in forever. There is no 50 shades of grey. There is black and white. I don't do things halfheartedly. The pro of this is that when you're happy, you feel it in your entire being. The con of this is that when you're in pain, or feeling sad, you will also feel it in your entire being.

The thing is, I could never regret what happened that summer, because not only did it make me brave, I also experienced something more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. I got the opportunity to both explore and learn all the things I'm capable of feeling, which helped me come to peace with not only who I am, but also that I have every right to feel what I feel.
But looking at it now, I also know that we naively hoped the magic could last, though we had only spend one month side by side, the rest of the six months were apart. It's incredible how long we kept fighting for the fragile thing we had. We were two paper airplanes - but paper planes can't fly in the rain. I know that now, though it never felt like that - his beautiful mind was enough.

I'm not going to lie. That December was the hardest month I have ever had to go through in my entire life, and I'm almost positive that if I wasn't so much at peace with my own emotions, it would have been even harder. Never have I imagined that something as mental as a human connection could be felt so physically, nor did I ever imagine I'd be able to make such inhuman sounds.
It became apparent to me that grief is an emotion felt by all living species, because if I could delegate to such primal level, what keeps more primal living beings from feeling the same?

Looking back now, I can hardly comprehend how I survived being so alone and in so much pain, but I did. I did. It doesn't seem possible in the beginning, and though I'm still struggling a little, I can only promise that it becomes better. As long as you surround yourself with loving and supportive people, you can make it.
Also remember that it is important - even if doesn't feel manageable - to acknowledge the people helping you with words of gratitude and beauty. Don't lose your beauty. Spread so much love, even if you feel like you've lost the ability. It's so important, Take the job in your own hands and bring it back.

I am a dreamer. I hope and expect too much, but things don't always work out the way we plan, not even if we wish on every shooting star we see, or every eyelash we drop.
I think the worst kind of betrayal, is the one you don't see coming. I'm a loyal person, which I guess is a side effect of being a giver. I have a strong sense of moral, whilst also being very observant of others' emotions - if you're my friend, I will instantly feel a sense of loyalty towards you and mentally I have a very strong sense of what I feel to be right and wrong.
Of course this is completely objective, and I guess everyone is entitled to their own way of living, but it is easy to forget and I guess that's what hurts; you never dreaming of doing something to hurt someone like that, but them not caring and being completely oblivious to something you feel so strongly about.

Grief is a funny thing; it brings out the worst in people. It's a learning experience, really. You know you should not say that, or do that, but you do it anyway, because you're blinded by the pain you're feeling.
This is when we often use the gift of communication the wrong way - I've said things I'm not proud of, completely based on the fact that I didn't mean them, but I've also said things I meant, no matter how ugly, which I still can't find myself regretting.
I never imagined myself in a situation where I was as alone as I was that day in December. I never imagined my own words being used against me, when I was in so much pain, so excuse me for acting irrationally, but I've never been hurting that much before, which is why it should be seen as a learning experience and a way to grow, because not only do you get to explore yourself when you're happy, but you get to do so in the stages of grief and pain as well.
A friendly reminder would be to never expect someone to be happy for you, when your happiness is completely at their expense.
I am only human; you expected too much from me that day - you did what I feared the most and expected me to be unscathed.

When you've gotten used to someone helping you carry the weight of the world, the mere thought of having to do it alone again becomes so unbearable that everything becomes a struggle.
Personally I felt that I had been strong for so long on my own, so when someone came along and helped without a word, I was relieved and got used to it. So when I once again found myself on my own, I had completely forgotten how to carry it by myself.
Unconditional love is sacred, because you put a tiny piece of your soul into it and when the love dies, that piece disappears and you will spend a long time trying to find it again - you will most likely also fail. Learn to become whole again without it.

As previously mentioned, the world can become lonely when you're in unknown waters concerning your feelings, but this is what I discovered; you are going to want that feeling of not being alone in the world and you're going to watch every movie, read every book and listen to every song you have the slightest feeling are going to solve the mystery and give you an idea of where you're going from now on.
You see, this is not the problem, the problem is, that you won't find it. It's not real. Nothing fictional can prepare you for the pain and nothing can release you from it. There will never be a completely truthful illustration of a heartbreak, because it is not hopeful enough to be story worthy - it's too depressing.
Heartbreak has you lying in the darkness, in the spot you find the most fitting, though not necessarily the most comfortable, crying your heart out, moaning in what can only be physical pain. It has you clenching the front of your shirt as you look for the nearest object to steady yourself on. It has you wanting to pull your hair out, kick something and scream into the abyss by the mere reminder of something someone used to do. It isn't over in a week and there won't be anyone good enough to fill the void for a long time, because it feels wrong, it feels nauseating and out of question, which leads to even more pain, because you're realizing you're going to have to do it eventually.
In movies you know it'll be over soon, in reality you don't know that. And you don't feel like it is. Please do watch, read and listen to all those things nevertheless, but just be aware that that will not be what gets you out of your misery, but rather the compassion of real people.

You will learn that ghosts are real, though they don't necessarily have to be dead relatives in order to appear.
It can be a specific ringtone that has you frantically looking for your phone, because of that time where he explored the world and would tell you about it. It can be a smell that reminds you of that time you wore his shirt for the first time. It can be a passing car that reminds you of all the times he drove you home in the middle of the night. It can be a song that he spend months playing and dedicating to you. It can be the bed that has suddenly become too large for you. It can even be the sound of thunder that reminds you of that night outside in the rain.
How do we defeat the ghosts? I don't know. One suggestion would be to go back to where it all started and learn to love the memories without the other person.
It's been nearly three months and I still find myself stop in my tracks sometimes because of a reminder, but you'll learn that ghosts don't necessarily have to be strong and some can easily be defeated.
Another suggestion would be time; they say it heals all wounds. Though I quite frankly don't see myself forgetting this.

In a healthy relationship, both parts are happy, but the same rule doesn't necessarily apply for a breakup. You won't necessarily both be sad.
The thing is, I don't know if it's easier when both are sad, all I know is that I think you feel even worse, when you're the only one in pain.
How can they be happy? How do they find happiness without you? I think this somehow equals in you feeling like a failure. Especially if you feel like you're not ready for that emotional connection with anyone else, but they're already sharing what you felt was yours.
I don't think you'll ever be ready to see them with someone else. The feeling of being forgotten is terrible, when all you do is remembering it all too well.

I suspect a side effect of being both a giver and loyal is the incredible need of reviving, redeeming and reclaiming relationships with people, in spite of what they've done. I'm a firm believer in second chances and never throwing out people whom I had a certain connection to.
This leads to the downside of sometimes having to try forcing people to stay and then be disappointed and hurt when they don't want to. A helpful note would be to remind yourself that you should never have to force people to be in your life, what should be there, will come by itself.
I am terrible at letting go, I cling to people who makes me happy, most likely because they are the ones I've been passionately loyal to - what do you do when your service is no longer needed? You frantically try to prove yourself.
I find myself in a lot of trouble, because I still care, even when I shouldn't.

In some way, without romanticizing pain, I think it's beautiful to feel. I think raw and pure emotions are blindingly beautiful. To allow yourself to feel and show sincere sides of yourself in a world that has become so vague, is something I find so brave and admirable.
It will always be something I strive to do. I find it hard to believe that you can be fully true to yourself, if you're not comfortable with your own feelings.
I'd take crying for a month because I was happy for six months over indifference any day. Our way of feeling intense and complex emotions are what proves we're alive and what sets us apart from animals.
How could I know I was happy, if I robbed myself of mourning a loss and paying tribute to it?

Some people are terrified of being emotionally trapped in relationships, assignments or commitments and will do all they can to escape the cage - the thing is, they're so busy running that they haven't realized they made the cage themselves and all they'll run into in the end are themselves.

Besides the gift of communication, we've also been blessed with the gift of compassion and forgiveness. When you're blinded by rage, pain and sorrow, it can be impossible to take a step back and put yourself in others' shoes and try to see it from their point of view.
Sometimes you have to forgive them, even if they're not sorry. Not for them, but for you. In order for you to let go of the negativity, you're going to have to set it free.

Compassion is something I admire endlessly and always a trait I aspire to have. Sometimes compassion is sharing the last oreo, but sometimes it's being the bigger person, by not burning bridges.
Some bridges I burned in anger and found myself regretting, others I barely saved, whilst others are some I could never burn, even if I on some days felt it would be for the best - to me, compassion is also the willingness to let the bridge to your support and help stand strong for the ones who wronged you. To be the bigger person who, like a parent, lets the door stand slightly ajar in case someone who made a mistake wants to knock, but don't know how. When you've learned to hear someone's heart, I think it's difficult to ignore it, if the sound ever came within your hearing range again.
If he ever where to call me in the middle of the night, drowning in thoughts and worries, because he finds them too hard to express, simply looking for someone who knows him, I'd never be able to turn him down.
We're all human. We all make mistakes. It's hard to remind yourself of that, sometimes.

A little over two months ago I lost something I had faith in, and along with it I forgot who I was, and spend quite some time trying to figure it out. During that time, I didn't think I'd ever feel whole again, but I learned yet another important lesson; as humans, we mend each other. I don't know where I'd be without the people I have in my life and for whom I'm eternally grateful for.

As time passed, I learned to leave the bitterness behind and to reminisce memories with a laugh, rather than that pang in the chest, which is important, because I remember things very clearly. Sometimes I find myself laughing at something he did, but without missing it, which is a personal victory - baby steps are still steps.
I can enjoy the memory of the first time I saw him in three weeks, the time we played chess, that time on the couch, the time in the woods with the deer, the time I returned home to see him for the first time in months, or the bike ride in the rain, without needing him to be there with me.
It's important to remember that we have choice; just because the other person chooses to forget, doesn't mean you have to. You can keep the memories if you want and you can learn from them.
I think it's important to pay tribute to something that made you happy by remembering, if not for the reminder of how happy you can be, then for the reminder of what you learned and your ability to give love.
Don't regret something that made you happy.

I won't lie and say there aren't days where it feels like you're still missing the piece, or where everything is a reminder and it's a struggle to ignore it, or when you see something funny and find yourself turning to look at someone who is not there anymore, but on those days it's important to remember that they can't last. Even the worst days are only 24 hours.
You'll forget the importance of the sun without the cloudy days.

The great thing about pain is that it most likely always end in a lesson.
I learned the importance of voicing my troubles. I learned the relevance, entitlement and validation my feelings own. I learned to appreciate the small things in life. I learned how to be free.

And to him; I'll never forget what we did and how you made me feel. You showed me magic was real and I'll be forever grateful for that.

I'm going to end it with a quote by John Green, which has a lot of truth to it:

You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.

Love, Lea.

PS. I still remember that night we went to Wonderland.. but even Alice had to go home.

One month later

You read correct.. if you read the title of this post, that is. I've officially been here for a month. A whole month.. well, actually not really, because I went home for two days, but you get the point.

There's actually not much to say, since not much have happened since my last post (thank god), so I want to take the time to mention some things I've learned during my stay here:

• If you get hurt, cry for approximately 10 seconds and then get on your bike and continue with your life. This is something I've learned from Lola and it proves to be effective. She haven't needed to spend more time yet, at least.
• Always question plots and reasons. I should start writing down questions that Art and Lola ask whenever I tell them the plots and things from various books and movies. This would make an epic letter to a ton of authors.
• The world is split into baddies and goodies. That's it. No in between, Now continue your life with this new found, unusable information.
• If someone lies to you, scream 'you liar' at them. This proves effective, Art has proven this, but how exactly, I don't know.
• If someone has games on their phone, they are god. No doubt.

I don't exactly think that this was what my parents had in mind I would learn, when I left the nest, but it's better than nothing.. eh?

In other news: IT IS THE  MONTH OF HALLOWEEN AND I AM SO EXCITED.

Though the original reaction to me wanting to dress up for Halloween was met by the 'are-you-still-trick-and-treating'-reaction by Lola and Art, they quickly got over it and became really excited by this and their hearts shattered by my 'I-have-never-had-a-halloween'-reply to their reaction.

Anyway, their costume suggestions were the following:

• Zombie
• Werewolf
• Vampire
• Ghost

I suggested Katniss, because that'd be a whole lot easier and they were also against this idea.. 'not scary', but this was obviously before they learned the true badass-ness that Katniss' being is made out of.. but now they agree.

I won.

Their hearts have been pierced by Katniss' arrows and she is now Lola's idol.

In two weeks Rebecca and her boyfriend arrives to visit and two weeks from then, I'll be going home on a visit and this seems bearable and I'm excited.

I know the trip home will be needed, because a rather terrifying, horrid thing has happened to me.....I'm starting to think cleaning is funny. Yes, my beloved parents. You read correctly.
Like, I am making a competition of it. 'How quickly can you do this', 'what happens if you do it like that', 'O-M-G! LOOK, those bubbles..hehe' and this is not me (haha, pun unintended) and I don't like it... and what is happening to me - is this what werewolves feel like?

An embarrassing thing happend to me while....hoovering (how embarrassing and pathetic is your life when your funniest stories are from cleaning?).. I was home alone and I was doing the thing you do with hetty the hoover and I started singing at the top of my lungs in the belief that I'd be able to hear it if someone came home. Note to self; you can't.
So in came Mette and I pathetically thought I'd be able to play it off as the television.. no such luck.

I have been home alone this entire weekend (I started watching 'How To Train Your Dragon' and Lola and Art have clearly never been told that if you don't take care of the cd, the movie will be ruined..THERE IS NO GOD)..and I am becoming as mad as the mad hatter. This is no lie. This is what no human interaction does to me.

So it'd probably be best if I got off the computer, before I start making no sense.

Love, Lea.

Monday madness

Today has been full of bad weather, clothes washing and book thieves (No, not the cute, blonde, German girl type).

This morning it would seem that the sun had been eaten by the clouds. I could basically almost hear Hagrid's deep, booming voice say 'difficult times lie ahead, Harry' as I looked out of the window.

This is basically enough to put anyone in a bad mood, because you know you're riding your bike in that windy weather later.. living right by the ocean does not improve the situation, at ALL.

I passed another milestone (This is going to sound very Rachel-ish), but I washed my clothes...ON MY OWN. True success takes form in me.

I didn't even drop something red in the white stuff, so I would say that I handled this really well.

Though this was my first reaction upon finding out how to wash my own clothes:

actual footage

Now onto the book thief, and what might have been my worst experience since coming here, and let me remind  you that we are not talking about this type of book thief:

We're not even talking about the cute, hobbit burglar type, like Bilbo.. No, we're talking about an limping, old woman, who stole my book. (!!!)

I was running after Lola, as you do, to tell her something really pointless and already forgotten, but since I was in a hurry, I left my book on a bench - which I of course would return to in what was supposed to be a minute.
As I talked to Lola, a man came jogging up to me and asked me if I placed my book on the bench, because a woman *points to limping woman leaving scene of crime* just took it and put it in her bag... and me being hopeful and naive as I am, thought she might just have assumed it had been left and was going to put it at the lost and found, so I jogged after her and when I finally reached her and got her attention, I asked her if she took the book on the bench, which she admitted to and I then told her it was mine and if I could have it back...and she told me no.

Being polite and non confrontation seeking, this situation was not exactly my favourite. I guess you can call it being a fish out of the water. So there I stood a little confused as she kept walking limping away from me, so I naturally started following her, because as you might know, my books are kind of special to me.

I asked her why she didn't want to give me my book back and she argued with it being on British ground and therefore it was the property of the British and that I should leave their country - basically a speech that would make any racist proud. I had the strangest urge to shout 'the British are coming, the British are coming!', though this would definitely not get me my book back.
I then changed tactics, figuring I could just annoy her until she gave me back my book, by following her and asking her for it. Yeah, this did not go as planned, as she kept limping away from the park.

THEN Batman and Robin arrived (Actually it was just the parent who informed me of the book thief and another parent). They told her to give me back my book, or they'd call the police.

Basically they were a lot more threatening and cool than me. I had a flashback to the FRIENDS episode where Rachel fights the old lady over the washing machine, ironically enough.

And she responded by throwing the book at me, me inwardly cringing as it hits the pavement, because she is not a talented thrower and probably wouldn't make it very far in The Hunger Games so there's that. HA.

And I was kind shaken a bit by the experience, more than what I thought, because when the two parents asked if I was okay and what she said to me, my voice did that weird thing where it's hard to talk, so yeah, this was a very unpleasant experience and today has not been my favourite....And it's only monday. 

This week is going to be great.

again, actual footage

Basically the only thing that makes this day the tiniest bit better, is the fact that I booked tickets to go home for a weekend in November as well, seeing as my aunt is having a baby and I would like to see him.
38 days, this means I'll only have to clean the bathrooms 5 more times before going home on a break. Hooray.

I really want some chocolate after this day, to be honest.

That will be all.

Over and out.

Love, Lea.

Wednesday Webbin'

Hollaaaaaaaaa, I've been up in da club.. for realz, yo.

actual footage of me dancing

Okay, I actually have been clubbing, as mentioned in my previous post. This marvellous event went down with two other vikings au pairs, Julia and Mia, whom are both a pair of very nice and drunk girls.

It was alright. I mean, definitely an experience in itself, but I must say I prefer clubbing in my home town. I mean, who has snakes in nightclubs? (??????????!!!!!!!!)
There is really nothing more worthy to mention than those snakes. What is up with that?

If you look past my wild youth, I have solved the hugest mystery of the century. Are you ready? To be honest, I don't think you are, but here we go anyway:

I have solved how to avoid Art and Lola becoming hysteric and drama queen-y when biking home....... you simply shoot off as many Harry Potter facts as you can - this will result in them forgetting what we're doing and you can basically get off the hook with anything as long as you remember this magic trick (get it? get iiiit?)

EXPELLIARMUS CRYING!

In other news; I've also experienced that sometimes certain feelings just bring you down, no matter how cool, hip and fresh you are - what I also learned is that making a 'feels' playlist is a very good cure.

I mean, I made one before I left Denmark, I made one when all the things with Jacob went down the hobbit hole and I made one a few nights ago, when I tried figuring out what exactly was going on in my life.
So.. if you need to know what I pleasure my ears with during this recent period of time (and even if you don't), I'll leave it here for you (please note that this is in no particular order, or maybe it is? I don't think I'm enough of an adult to really know, I need an adultier adult plz?!):

• Ed Sheeran - Photograph
• The Script - For The First Time
• Demi Lovato - In Case
• The 1975 - Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You?
• Coldplay - Magic
• Bastille - Oblivion
• Kodaline - High Hopes
• The Script - Superheroes
• Ed Sheeran - Wake Me Up
• The Script - Hail Rain or Sunshine
• The 1975 - Settle Down
• Taylor Swift - Long Live
• Coldplay - Fix You
• Oasis - Wonderwall
• Taylor Swift - State Of  Grace
• Ed Sheeran - All Of The Stars (as I'm writing this song, I'm realizing how long this list is)
• Jonas Brothers - Turn Right
• Jason Mraz - I Won't Give Up
• Avril Lavigne - I Will Be 
• Birdy - Light Me Up
• Taylor Swift - Mine
• Avril Lavigne - I'm With You
• Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You
• Adele - Make You Feel My Love
• Demi Lovato - Nightingale
• Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud (I can't listen to this without crying, so I usually skip it)
• Ariana Grande - Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart
• Mcfly feat. Taio Cruz - Shine A Light 

Okay. Looking back at this, I realize it's quite the peculiar mess and I would most likely not be allowed to ever DJ any party, but it's good for reading and dealing with feels, so feel free to have a listen.
pssshhhttt

In more exciting and other news; I'm going home in 71 days to party in well known surroundings with all my old friends and I couldn't be more excited, which is kind of a shame really.. but yeah, I'm very excited to be inside V-town's small borders again.
Home is where the heart is and my heart is currently getting drunk at 'Det lille' (they don't have snakes, which is the point in this deep quote)

Speaking of deep quotes, just yesterday I remembered this one that was printed on my soap (wow! I know) a few years ago:

,,Listening to the birds sing, waiting for the rain"

This quote has become something to me, it has reached a point of relevance... I am basically walking around in autumn clothing in summer weather. I repeat, I am wearing hot clothes in hot weather, because I was deceived to believe that it would rain a lot by now.
It has been a lie. I repeat, it has all been a lie.
I am very much waiting for the rain.

On a serious note and therefore a more serious quote, I am leaving you with this quote to ponder until I post again, because it's become one of my favourites and I'm obsessed with it basically.

- Beau Taplin

I'll leave you with this, work is calling my holy name.

Love, Lea.

ps. this is what I look like animal-fied

Shake it off

SO... long time, no blogging.... today has been horrid, to say the least... but I'm gonna take advice from good ol' T-Sweezy and shake it off.

You see, right now, I don't particularly fancy (that's British slang for want, get innn) seeing another child for 5 years, seeing as I suffered from the worst day in the 'life of an Au Pair''s history.
This involved screaming, crying and a broken bike.
While I wanted to do this:

I probably ended up being more like this:

I will take all of this as an opportunity to shape and mature... Yeah, right. This is what you all want to hear, but currently I am sitting in my room eating Cadbury chocolate, like the grown woman I am. You see, I actually wanted to eat Marabou chocolate, but apparently the country that is England don't sell other chocolate than Cadbury and Nestlé and I will tell you this; Cadbury is the worst excuse for chocolate in this world. You heard read me. Life is hard on the other side of the ocean.

ANYWAY, a few days ago I went out to eat with a lovely, Finnish au pair called Mia, whom I'm going clubbing with tomorrow evening, along with a Swedish Au pair, so it will be like the vikings invading Britain all over again.

They are very determined on getting very drunk and finding that lovely, British guy, but since I am not (and have discovered that he doesn't exist), I will work as the ultimate wing woman... and I will be looking like this in the corner of Pryzm:

I have been here for two weeks now, time has passed quickly, though I'm working so hard that it actually feels as if I've been here for at least a month.

I have lots of mixed feelings concerning this party tomorrow, because I'm so used to being amongst my best friends and now here I am in a foreign country, going clubbing with two girls, who are practically strangers. It will be different; it's just that I'm unsure of whether it'll be a good, or bad different.

I guess time will tell and I will be the first to admit which of the above it is.

I hope my mum reads this and sees how much Taylor Swift there is on the internet, so she'll be cured from her newfound internet and social media obsession, which results in me being able to say that my blog helps cure people from mental disorders. 

That is all for today, I think. 

I'm going on another adventure tomorrow, too... this marvellous, amazing adventure consists of trying to find a pair of pants to a decent price.

Love, Lea.

PS. British boys:

except for the boy with the hella good hair

Heartbreak hiatus

It appears as if I have returned, well not really as if, because this is a post and I am here and I am ready to talk.

As some of you might know, I returned to Denmark this weekend due personal issues and I am willing to let you all in on the gossip.
You see, last week was a little hard and this feels as if I am embarrassing myself, but I promised to be honest on this blog.
Jacob broke up with me... and it's okay. It's okay.

THOUGH THIS GIF IS SO FAR FROM OKAY, OKAY?

There's a few things you don't know about the relationship, yes, it was and felt foolishly perfect, but it was also only meant to last for two months, meaning the time before I left to go here. It can't be planned, this I know now, but you will never find me saying that I regret these past two months of my life. I am so lucky for all I have been given.
To quote The Fault In Our Stars (as we're already kind of in there and it's just brilliant okay pun unintended):

"Sometimes people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them. But that's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway."

You see, I will go back to this quote in a bit, after I have informed you of the following: I have learned a lot about myself during this breakup. I am not a Taylor Swift. I repeat, I am not a Taylor Swift. I had a tiny, teenie, weenie Taylor Swift moment, which has embarrassed me endlessly, but I'd like to think I have been really mature about all of this.
You see (back to the quote) it's no secret that I care a lot about Jacob. Like a lot. But upon leaving, I also told him I would put the ball in his basket and he could get to decide what would happen. And he did, for personal reasons, which resulted in my minor Taylor Swift moment, but also lead me to the epiphany that I cared for him enough to want him happy and to want the best for him, and if going through with his wish would make him happy, then that was what I was going to do.

You see, I have learned a few things. Disappointment brings out the worst in people, so you need to look beyond your own little nose and see where people are coming from.
Anyway, I travelled back home to talk it through with him, because some things are not meant for skype.

I already knew what I wanted from this, which was his friendship. We used to be best friends and I need that in my life, if that's the least I can get. He is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met and I am not, or was ready to let that go, but it would seem that we're both on the same page when it comes to that.
I am fortunate to have him in my life.

I had another epiphany (yes, I know, hold your horses!), I found this whole thing a lot easier to deal with, when I started focusing on all the good things and how much joy it has brought me and how much I learned about myself and the odd pleasure of fully giving yourself to another human being.
You know, another way to deal is also to realise that some things are out of your hands; sometimes you have got to have hope that there is a bigger plan, this meaning that if it's meant to happen, it will happen eventually at the right time.. and if not, then you shouldn't worry. Don't worry about things you cannot change. Life is unpredictable.

Yes, it's hard. Especially writing this post, it makes me very emotional, in spite of feeling mature about it. It's incredibly hard to know you can't touch them the same way, or be there in the same way, but that's where hope comes in. Hope is what keeps you alive. Hope is what will pull you through.
I guess a truth about sadness is, that it isn't caused by other people really, but rather because you feel all hope leave you and you find the world dark and unbearable, because how could you ever go on - but sadness leaves you eventually, because hope finds it's way back.
Letting go in order to be unselfish will hurt you the most, this I know, but knowing it will be for all the right reasons, will be there to mend you in the end.
And I'll have you all know, that I see Jacob as my best friend still, and it would seem we have it all worked out now, which is good. I am grateful.

So this was very honest, quite hard to formulate and I am crying a little, but in the end, I am proud of myself and how I'm handling this.

I'll keep you updated.
Love, Lea.

Brighton Adventures

To be homesick, or not to be homesick.. I think that's a famous Shakespeare quote. Yeah right.

I am going to start this post by admitting that I fell down the hole. The big, deep, dark and horrible hole of homesickness. This huge event took place Friday evening and it was not very funny. Period.
I am admitting this to you, not because it is a golden moment in my life, but to tell you that it is okay. It is very okay to be homesick and miss your old life.
You might as well werk it.

I think the root of all this madness is that I have no routine and I don't quite feel at home yet... and I miss my friends.
Jacob takes a lot of time off to skype me, as do my family and Rebecca, so this one goes out to skype: thank you for making it easier to communicate with my loved ones, now please make it work a little smoother. I guess you can't have everything, eh?

Anyway, I awoke to a sunny day on Saturday and I felt a little better, I had a huge adventure planned, which consisted of going to the city centre to take a look around.
This I did and I am officially obsessed with the pier.

I quickly learned that they're obsessed with Adventure Time here, so I found a little thing for Jacob, because he is the huge-st fan. Yes, you can use the word 'huge' that way.
Anyway, I basically walked around all day and I felt much better when I was actually out doing stuff.

This lead to this adventurous chick joining a facebook group for au pairs, which means I went on another adventure on Sunday and even managed to meet up with some other Au Pair girls... WOOT, WOOT. This is the part of my adventure where I am Harry Potter and the rest are Ron Weasley.

They were incredibly nice, so I am definitely going to be seeing them again.


Things my weekend of adventures taught me (seeing as all adventure-ers learn stuff on their quests):

• How to eat alone: No, it is not as embarrassing as it sounds.
• If lost, just walk around: You will eventually find the clock tower, I promise.
• 'Cheers' is the new black: Everyone says it. Don't hesitate. Don't question. Just do it.
• Everyone's style is strange: If you want to fit in, you might as well dye your hair purple now.
• The radio only plays good music: It's true. It is a bliss. Jam time every minute.
• The english-hot-guy-with-an-fabulous-accent-who-proves-chivalry-isn't-dead doesn't exist: devastated.
• The money is weird: if you have the chance, give them notes. Coins are a mystery.

That is all, folks.

Now on to the next part: today was my first 4-REAL day... and it was catastrophic. 4-REAL.

Like the quiet before the storm, it all started out very well; I woke up motivated and ready to take on the day and all the opportunities it would bring.. did I say opportunities? I meant ways to get worn out. 

It would seem that my lack of luck has followed me across the sea.

I had to put up clean clothes to dry outside, which sounds easy enough, right? Yep.. would be a shame if the string snapped after you hung all the clothes up, wouldn't it? Yep...snaps in 1...2...3.

This meant collecting all the clothes from the ground and learning that hell takes it's true form in the shopping centre that is ASDA. It's like Narnia, no one knows their way around.

Well, upon entering ASDA, I was already confused. There was no type of order and I had to find a new string.

After walking around for a little under an hour, I managed to find a string... it would be a shame if it was to short, now wouldn't it? Snap.

So I returned without a string and had to go upstairs and take the clothes from the indoor thingy and carry it outside and start hanging the clothes up all over again..

All of this took approximately 2,5 hours. Great.

To make all of this even better, Brighton has apparently been transported to Westeros, because the weather is like in the red waste. Unbearable.

So when I finally had time to catch my breath, I had to go pick up the children, who are very much like the dogs from the Pixar movie 'Up' when they hear the word park.

So today has been spend running around Brighton being sweaty whilst screaming my head off at Lola and Art, who are the fastest children I know. I think this is why they aren't allowed sugar.

So this will be all.

Goodbye from a very worn out Lea.

Love, Lea.

Brighton, baby

Home is behind, the world ahead.. and running, just like my nose.
Wot, I'm in Brighton, get it in ye' fookin' 'ead.

Yesterday was surreal to say at least, today is just as surreal.
It all started with saying goodbye to my siblings, then off to the airport to part with my mum, Rebecca and Jacob, which went awfully well.

I guess it was hard to get it into my big head that I was leaving them for real and also because I think I kinda came to a point in my mind where I was not really sad (well, before looking at mum, Jacob and Rebecca through the glass) but rather at peace with it. It's as if you've got to have confidence that everything will work out in the end, especially if it's out of your hands. Right now, it's out of my hands and I'll miss him. God, I'll miss him. But I hope it'll work out.
It's like realizing that you have reached the point of no return, like the hero in all movies.

Anyway, no tears in the start, which almost got me to believe that 'The Fault In Our Stars' turned my heart cold forever..especially with them standing there, all sad smiles, but when I got through security check and was behind the glass doors, it hit me. Like a big ol' tidal wave.

I tried keeping it together and avoiding to look at them, but I had to go up a pair of stairs, where you could see them perfectly clear.. this was when I had to leave them and it hit me really hard and I cried as I walked through the airport. Embarrassing.

But as soon as I got on the plane, I knew I had to channel my inner Katniss Everdeen and be strong, so I stopped crying and sat staring for 30 minutes until we eventually landed in Copenhagen.

Here I started walking confused around until I eventually learned the tricks of travelling without your parents. He he he.

As soon as I got onto the plane, I slept until I arrived in Gatwick Airport. This airport is a mystery and I basically just tried to follow the crowd, which went okay, so always follow the crowd (!!!)

I don't know if I was on some kind of adrenaline rush from conquering the big 'travelling alone thing',  or because Jacob told me I was not the whiny Khaleesi, but the badass Khaleesi but finding the train to Brighton didn't shake my spirit, so I found it without problems.
I took the train and felt like I was in Harry Potter, which I wasn't. I didn't wind up at Hogwarts, but rather Brighton station, where I clueless-ly walked around to find one of my bosses, Mette, which eventually happened, I guess she was looking for a person looking like a confused pigeon.

THEN we went to pick up Lola and Art from their first day of school, which was a little bit like the hunger games. So many children.

Lola and Art seemed shy at first, but as soon as they learned I had games on my cellphone they turned into small chihuahuas. We all know that chihuahuas can't be controlled.

Turns out they're huge the hobbit fans, so I'm looking forward to going to the cinema with them in December.

Now, to the personal stuff.

Chris, Mette, Lola and Art are all really lovely and welcome-y, but I'm the type of person who kind of struggles a lot when it comes to feeling at home in strangers houses. I'm suspecting it'll change when I start working for real, seeing as today has only been following the kids to school (Have to pick them up in 3 hours), and emptying the dishwasher.

Thankfully I got to talk to Jacob on skype last night, which makes it all feel a little bit easier.

Right now it all feels really foreign as well, wish makes it a little harder, especially knowing that neither my mum, or Jacob, or Rebecca is coming around in a bit and making it all a little bit more okay.

In this situation, you'll have to ask yourself; WWKD?

(if you're not familiar with the term, it means 'What would Katniss do', or 'What would Khaleesi do', kinda depends on the mood and level of badass-ness)

In this case, what Katniss would do was adapt. So I'm going to try.

I'll talk to you all soon, as I'll be busy trying to get by.

Love, Lea.

Brighton bound

Hello.
It's me again.

As promised in my last post, I have returned. This is because I am travelling to Brighton tomorrow morning and will then be located there for a long time.
Not as long as Gollum was in the misty mountains, but close enough.

hopefully I wont lose my teeth and hair

Anyway, it would seem that the past few days have  been cut shorter than the days that are to come or maybe it's just me, but I'll sum them up for you:

Photo credit: http://instagram.com/p/sQLdbXD1xR/?modal=true

• Thursday: a perfect, chill day with Jacob and his family. Lovely.
• Friday: played a Harry Potter drinking game with my friend Emma before we went down to the local pub to drink my sorrows away and say goodbye to my friends - this was very fun. Got to go home with Jacob, whom I begun the quest of riding a bike home drunk in the middle of the night with. Did I mention I was drunk?
• Saturday: double date with my best friend Rebecca, her boyfriend Kenneth and Jacob. We didn't really need wheels after that, we could have used our bodies, but the comfort of a car was still very nice.
• Sunday: my aunt's birthday and a farewell to my family members.
• Monday: Jacob and I have been living at each other's houses the past week, so it was spent with him. Doing what, I'm not really sure actually.
• Tuesday: Dining with my family and Jacob, this being the last evening I had with Jacob, I also went to say goodbye to his family, who all wants to see me in December, so this is good news. Now I just need to make sure Jacob doesn't run off.
• Wednesday: this morning was the last morning I am going to have with Jacob in months, because of a poorly planned school trip, so it was emotional, but I didn't cry. This is good. Not really, this means I'll cry enough water to sink Atlantis all over again tomorrow.
  Today has been spent packing up my life (no, this doesn't mean I stuffed all my friends in my suitcase.. but I would if I could #NoShame)
  

Today's thoughts are really simple: I don't really want to go.
The big looming, scary and mysterious future is ahead and I quite honestly don't know what will happen to this life and the people in it, but I hope at least some of it stay the same.

This is a temporary thing - this I am sure of, but right now the thought of how long the stay is and how much I am going to miss my friends is almost unbearable, BUT I also know it'll get easier in time - even if it feels like I'm Rachel and I can't get off the plane. Even if Rebecca calls to warn about the phalange.

Tomorrow is somewhat simple. Being driven to the airport by my mum, Rebecca and Jacob, where I'll travel from Billund to Copenhagen to Gatwick to Brighton.
It sounds somewhat easy, but I guess it always does before you find yourself in Timbuktu.

It'll all be fine. Except for the fact that I'll need salt water donations for my eyes.

Before I leave, I'd like to give you a little piece of advice:
If you ever find yourself in my situation, know it's important to talk it through with your partner and make sure both don't get caught up in the stressing situation and end up being annoyed with each other because of it. It sucks, you're both aware of that, but focus on the good.

It's important. It's really important.

I'll update you tomorrow evening when I'm in the U to the K. Oh gosh, they are going to hate me.

Love, Lea.

ps. I'll leave you with this. (because I am going to miss this idiot)

Pre-moving thoughts

Okay. To tell you a little thing about myself, it is that I have lived inside of my comfort zone my entire life. Well, or up until a few months ago. 
Hence why leaving is followed by loads of second thoughts, doubts and cold ballerina shoes.

Smack my ass and call me Augustus Waters, but oblivion has always bothered me. I don't know, it has always been important for me to leave a mark, or somehow make a difference, so if I died, there would be an echo of me somewhere.
A few years ago, I was obsessed with this quote:

,,They say you die twice; one time when you draw your last breath and a second time, a little later one, when someone says your name for the last time."

I obsessed over saying names of distant, dead relatives, or just names of dead people in case I could avoid the happening of that second death, it's weird. I know. I guess this went out of the window.

Anyway, to be honest.. it feels like I am dying. Cue teenage drama queen starts playing
People were constantly insisting on wanting to say 'goodbye' to me before leaving, which in the end kind of made me really stressed.
In the end, I didn't really want to talk to anyone about Brighton, and if someone dared to mention it, I'd snap their necks give them the eye of Sauron and throw a fit. This happened with my parents quite a lot, which isn't fair, but I was so blinded by selfish thoughts of how I was going to be alone in a foreign country (which I still AM very sad and scared of). I didn't really look beyond my own nose.
The only little break I did get, was when I was with Jacob, because he was the only one who didn't mention me going away. He made it easy to ignore the sound of the ticking clock in the background.. but when I was alone, not so much.
I needed time to mourn what I was leaving behind, but instead I kept being told what to feel and how grateful I should be.

The thing with leaving your life behind is like a coin - it has two sides.
I will now give you my version of a honest, brutal confession.

The thing is, it's weird leaving a whole life behind you and what is even weirder (and worse) is that life continues without you - this is a great struggle of mine.
Nicholas Sparks says that the scariest thing is that either they'll miss you, or they'll forget you. Which is true, I guess.
It's easy to imagine that your home town is on pause as you're out exploring the world (a little like in the old The Sims games), but it's not like that, it goes on, which is a cruel quote, because it is true.
Everyone has each other, they have something to fill the void, while you're on your own. You are alone with the pain. And even if you had friends to talk about your old friends to, it wouldn't matter. They couldn't care less about some people in a small country.
I guess an important question is, how do you keep up with two different worlds? I guess another cruel truth is that you don't, you'll have to keep the faith that they'll remember you. I guess the scary part is that sometimes they don't and sometimes it is the people closest to you, who let go.

I know this is a part of growing up and a part of life, but time flies, the world spins and sometimes it's difficult to get a grip on what you'll miss and what you're taking for granted. This is the truth. You don't know what you have until it's gone.
I'd never thought I'd miss this so much, or regret something I wished for for so long either, but here I am.
I guess this is also because you don't know what to expect.

Sometimes life gets untangled from your hands, because you and the universe aren't making the same plans, but don't fret. Life will reach out for you when you least expect it.
Home is behind, the world ahead.

That is all, folks.
Lea

ps. I guess I won't be posting again before leaving the country, so...

Holla

As many of you know (Or maybe not, but in that case I am very curious to know how you ended up on this blog), I'm moving to Brighton, UK in a little over a week. 8 days, to be exact.
This of course, requires a whole lot of preparation (not really, or maybe it does and I just haven't discovered it yet), independence (Inde-what?), and courage (is THAT a spider?!).. all of these... I lack off.

To get you all hooked, I'll tell you a little bit about how my English teacher became my Gandalf and my best friend became my handkerchief:
In the beginning of my senior year, I decided that becoming an au pair in England was going to be 'da bomb', but didn't really do anything to pursue it - being the complete procrastinator that I am.
This all changed when a wizard knocked on my door my English teacher asked me what I wanted to do after I graduated. After replying he hosted a dwarven rave party at my house he gave me a card to a family he knew in Brighton, whom needed an au pair.
Meanwhile in my life, I was getting over a long time crush, by hanging out with a guy, named Jacob, who soon became one of the best friends I've ever had... and then I (kind of) developed a crush on him. This being said, he developed a crush on someone else, which was a whole lot of messy. I then decided that nothing would be holding me back, so I applied for the job. Abracadabra! I got the job.

My best friend Rebecca has a boyfriend - doesn't need me, Jacob is off to loveland - no problem.
This was all very good, I had nothing chaining me in Denmark-... wait for it.... arh, there it was. For once (since having seen Silver Linings Playbook), being a Tiffany Maxwell actually helped. I repeat, being a little scary, brutally honest and demanding actually helped.
I was there for Jacob doing his 'getting-over-his- cheating x-wife crush-period' and somehow - lots of unnecessary drama being excluded in this short version - I ended up with him.
We've been together for a little over two months now.

I am now standing in front of a crossroad (but not really, because I am going), pondering whether this is the best thing I've ever done, or the worst thing I've ever done (I am hearing Gandalf's booming voice saying 'You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs').
This will either be the biggest what if of my life, or it'll all work out. I am specifically hoping for the latter.

I think we're off for a pretty good start (though Ned Stark thought so too, when he moved to King's Landing.. oh, how wrong he was).

Write ya later, alligators.
Lea

ps.