11 months

So this is it, my last letter. In a months time I'll be back home. I can't believe we've come o this point, where the end is so near. I can't believe it's been this long.
I can't come to sense with the idea that, in a way, my exchange year is over, I'm reading that last few pages of that really good book that you don't want to finish, but has to inevitably come to an end. But a book is never closed for ever, you can always read it again, go back to good chapters, and like that I know I can always come back, and take with me the essence of the book, with an open ending that I could always rewrite.
Like every other month, I have been doing lots and lots. School seemed to go a lot more faster with every one's excitement and anticipation for the ball. For weeks it was all you could hear about, ball dresses, ball partners, pre-balls, after ball, ball photos. It was all an enormous commotion.
The night finally came and it was spectacular. After getting all dressed up and maked up, Karen and I drove to my friend Alex's house, where all of my friends and partners and parents were for the pre-ball. There we took thousands of pictures, told each other a hundred times how beautiful we all looked and then finally headed to ball.
It is all part of the kiwi culture. Winter balls have been around for years, and so have pre-balls. So everyone arrived by groups, all exited and smily. The place and ambiance reminded me incredibly of a 15th party, the Latin American equivalent of USA's "sweet sixteen": everyone dressed up, tables all set for a big buffet, a dance floor, the adult table (in this case the teachers), the huge amount of people. I had an enormous deja vu feeling, and couldn't help feeling at home, until the music started. It was definitely not the sort of music we would have at any parties back home, so suddenly the really cosy feeling went away, and I was yet again reminded of cultural differences, ad just how long it takes to really settle down.
The ball was really nice. Everyone danced and ate and talked. We were all having a great time. But the after ball was definitely what everyone was mostly looking for: it's THE party of the year. Basically all of the students at the ball get put in buses and are driven to a secret location where the party would be and where drinks would be provided all night long.
We partied all night. My friends and I caught the last bus back, at six in the morning and I only got home around midday after having pancakes at Clare's house. It was overall an amazing night.
Another thing I'd also been looking forward to for a while was my last AFS camp. Once again all the students from the wider Auckland area all got together and had a chance to share again. This time the mood was rather different: on our first camp we are all meeting each other, full of expectations and dreams for the year ahead of us, this time with apprehension of the fact that we might never see each other again. Nevertheless we had a great time and it was incredibly hard to say goodbye.
Although my departure is scarily close, I'm still in a very routinely life style, and not much has really changed since my last letter: school in the mornings, hockey and soccer in the afternoons and friends and family as much as I can. Although I must admit I've been cruising in school even more than before and haven't hesitated in taking some days off. One of those days I took to go visit my grandparents in east Auckland. I caught a ferry out there one morning and spent a lovely day with them. They took me for lunch at a lovely bay and it was just a beautiful day. I also went with an AFS friend to the zoo and it was a really cool thing to do. I saw all sorts of animals: colourful birds, gigantic tortoises, scary tigers. I saw kangaroos for the first time, and incredibly large emus. It was a good day.
It is time for me to go now , but I leave with the hope to see you all again and with the knowledge that I will always carry a bit of NZ in my heart.
Yours truly,
Camila