I miss you

Montenegro. Aha. Uh yeah. And that country does really exist? I remember my one-year-ago-me being super nervous when I first heard about my exchange student: A girl – ok, I knew that. And then the country. Montenegro. So, nice? Now I am officially part of the upcoming IFC and what do I get? A wannabe Croatian girl for one year in my house. Yup, my first reaction was low-key disappointment. I mean, I was hoping for an Australian or Brazilian or even Vietnamese, but it was supposed to be a wannabe Croatian. At first, we weren´t allowed to contact our exchange students for the next few weeks. What do I do as a Y2K kid? Right, stalking her on social media as far as possible. Her profile pictures looked nice. Too nice to be actually nice. This was the beginning of me making up scenarios of how this year would end. I got scared. Additionally, my more than sensitive neighbours started telling stories about past IFC members from Montenegro. ANTI-SOCIAL, STEALING, ALCOHOL EXCESS, … puhhhh. Was this whole enthusiasm about hosting a stranger for one year a mistake? Then, one month later, we started texting. We texted and texted and WOAH this girl actually had soul mate potential. We both had a dog, the same favorite TV-show, the same favorite food and had listened to the exact same break up song when we were in sixth grade!!! Ok, all doubts were blown away. This school year was going to be amazing! But still there was this little, silent voice in my head worrying me how all of this would end up. September/12: The day of picking up my wannabe Croatian from the airport. The day of truth. I was incredibly nervous but by now looking forward more than anything else. And there she was. Smiling, two huge suitcases behind her, a little confused and so much taller than I had expected. During the first few days of getting adapted to the fact, that there as an additional member in my house, I should have felt weird and worried, but thanks to my wannabe Croatian I have had the time of my life. I got to know a girl, that was not only my exchange student, but a family member, my best friend and my sister. Throughout the past six months I have gone through mostly everything with her: great partys, shopping trips, amazing music sessions, one month of being grounded, movie nights, several mental breakdowns, family hikings, days of being sick and last but not least the beginning of corona. She went home as soon as schools closed here. And this is actually the story of how an infectious virus stole my exchange student.