5 things I've learned sharing my flat with a Ukrainian high school student

There was this half-finished blog post from last year that I've only just rediscovered and felt like finalising and sharing.

Half a year ago, I was asked whether I could take care of a teenage girl from Ukraine that wanted to go to school in Austria. I was sure I could and I was about half sure I wanted to so I agreed if she didn't find anywhere else. It would be a new challenge, something I haven't done yet. Quite honestly, I think it was a good decision to share my home with her.

Here are the top 5 things I've learned:

1. Be passionate about something and don't ever stop dreaming.
   When was the last time you stopped being all dutiful just for a while to do things that actually make you happy? Exactly - same here. We should do this more often, though. I was reminded of that How I Met You Mother episode, in which young Marshall wrote a letter to his adult self telling him what he thinks his life should be like by the time he reads the letter. Needless to say, most of these things didn't work out. I thought about my 16-year-old self, who wanted to be a musician and travel the world and I thought, "well, maybe I haven't achieved all of this". And that's fine, because our goals and ambitions change. As long as we still have hopes, dreams, and passion, that's fine. Be dutiful. But make your hope, dreams and passion your duties and fulfill as many of them as you can - just like my Ukrainian host "daughter" did. She's passionate about learning German, she's worked hard, now she even understands dialects - now she's
2. Hakuna Matata!
   Loosely translated, "hakuna matata" means "no worries". Focus less on the problems and more on the solutions. My 16-year-old Ukrainian host "daughter" was a lot happier because she simply refrained from worrying about things too much. Growing up, I sort of forgot that life can be much better without worries sometimes. There's time for worrying, but our worries shouldn't control us.
3. Listen to your inner 16-year-old sometimes.
   You usually regret the things you didn't do than those you did do. Well, sometimes you also regret the things you did. But still: Doing what makes you happy, what you have always wanted to do, is what brings you forward. It gives you motivation, happiness and the feeling that you haven't missed out on something important in your life.
4. Be patient with others - they might surprise you.
   It's not always easy to live with a 16-year-old. Maybe even more so if you haven't seen him or her grow up and if it isn't your own. But after getting used to each other, it was an incredible experience - we had a lot of fun, discovered Austria together, and even found out that we actually had a lot in common. We learned a lot from each other, which was a fantastic experience. The keys were openness and patience.
5. Care less about what others say.
   When I said I was going to host a 16-year-old at my age (29 at that time), the reactions ranged from "are you out of your mind?" to "you have no idea what you've got yourself into". While both reactions might have been true to a certain extent, I certainly didn't agree to do it completely starry-eyed. I know I was going to take on a big responsibility and I knew I'd handle it well. And yes, it was a challenge sometimes but it was good I did it. If I had listened to the doomsayers, my life would have been less fun, less colourful, less awesome. It's good to listen to doubtful voices, particularly to your own, because it makes you spot the challenges that may lie ahead. Use them as an inspiration - you will have to face challenges, no matter what your dreams are, there's no doubt about that. And you'll want to know what they might be so you can prepare for them in advance. Come up with strategies to solve your future problems - but don't let your possible future problems discourage you from what you want to do.