Program Reviews

I was skeptical at first about leaving my life here in the United States for a whole year because this daily routine was all I knew. I didn’t know anything about life outside of my little town. The moment my airplane touched down onto Portuguese land and I looked outside the window to see the beautiful land covered with palm trees and other leafy plants, tears streamed down my face because I knew that I had arrived to my new home and new life. Life had never seemed so precious to me than it had during my stay in Portugal. Being able to see for the first time that there is more to life than routines was life changing. Finally being able to really witness that there is no limit to what I can do in life changed me. I began to appreciate all the little details for what they were really worth. All the nights that I would climb up to the top of my roof at night and stare up into the starry sky and all the days that I would wake up at 5 in the morning just to go for a walk through the hills of my village shaped me to be who I am today.

Where to begin...Probably one of the most unique experiences I was lucky enough to have was hiking to the top of a mountain (Vífilfell) and viewing a solar eclipse there. It was sort of representative of my ten months in Iceland as a whole in many ways: it was cold; things didn't go according to plan (the thawing snow had wet the gravelly surface of the mountain, causing a lot of slipping and sliding on the way up and down); the natural scenery was beautiful; people--total strangers--were more than happy to help each other; and perhaps most importantly, I had to push myself in order to keep going. This opportunity was an outlier, of course, as most of my year was spent doing regular activities like going to school or hanging out with friends, but adventures like this one are out there if you seek them out, particularly in a country as small and packed with nature as Iceland. So, in conclusion, it was an interesting--and rewarding--year that I would do again in a heartbeat.

This was the absolute best year of my life! I'm from Los Angeles , but my experience was different because I was placed into a farm in Northern France. My friends are my everything and my life is so much better because I've decided to go abroad for a year! I would totally recommend anyone who wants to share life connections to travel abroad!

Studying abroad to Ireland in the summer of 2015 is a trip i will never forget because besides the staff's extremely friendliness the people i attended the program with made my experience even more special.

I never would have imagined when I boarded my plane to Italy that I would come back to the US a year later a totally new person. From day one, my host family took me in as one of their own. They were amazing. I really do feel like I have a second family that would be there for me at the drop of a dime. My experience was extremely interesting too because I was the first exchange student at my high school, ever. They did everything they could to help my immersion into the Italian culture and language as easy as possible. I had private language study time with teachers, I was able to jump around classes so the material would be easier to understand. By Christmas my Italian was better than I would have ever imagined. (It was 100x better than my French, which I had taken 3 years of between middle and high school). Come February, I was able to translate for a group of American students that were in my valley for a week exchange program. I would never trade this for anything. I grew so much as a person too, while I was there. I grew into someone I do not think I would have become without this experience.

My year abroad to Germany is something I could do over and over again. The events I've witnessed, the scenery I've admired, the people I've crossed paths with, the food I salivated for, the family that became a permanent pillar in my life--an experience like that can't be replicated in any other way.

I was placed in a village in Northeastern Germany. On weekends, I'd bike an hour through the countryside to reach an ancient castle, amidst a garden. I would proceed to eat cake and drink tea and enjoy the nature and history around me. Other times I would take a train to a different city or part of Germany and absorb everything it has to offer.

I plunged into the culture and it accepted me. When living in a different country, you have to let go of your morals, your traditions, and misconceptions. When you let the country's culture overtake your own, you will be treated as part of the community. It's a wonderful, satisfying feeling.

Leaving home at a young age made me learn a lot about myself and how capable I can be in certain situations. A trip abroad will change a person. If someone denies this, they haven't truly immersed themselves in their new life.

I would strongly reccomend going abroad. Especially to Germany. I've been to several countries, I've lived in a few. But my heart belongs to Germany. The people are hearty, warm, and strong. They work but they like to enjoy life too.

AFS was hands on, always there if you needed them. They constantly interacted with the students and helped them see more of Germany.

I know I'm writing about AFS, but I must mention that I recently came from a year exchange in Japan with a different organization. It was horrible. I didn't appreciate AFS as much as I do now. They stay in touch with you even after the program ends and give you opportunities for activities and travels beyond that.

Hello! My most memorable story from when I was in Japan was whenever we went to my host mother's mother's house for a family reunion they were having. At first, it was a little awkward because I didn't know what to say to everyone after the greetings were done. And I think these were one of the experiences that in a way made me feel closer to my host parents. They knew it was a little awkward for me meeting all these people at once, and I felt that they really did begin to treat me as a part of their family from that moment on because they sheltered me and protected me as if I was a daughter of theirs and tried to make me feel a little at home just by being around them. My host father bragged about me to his father in law about me being bilingual already and how I was trying very hard to learn Japanese and was doing well in his opinion. And my host mother introduced me to her nephew who was closest to my age ( I was 17 and he was 19) and we went out to the garden her mom kept and all three of us looked at the different vegetables and flowers she grew and my host mother's nephew (keita) and I caught a few grasshoppers for fun. They both had their own way of making me feel comfortable and relaxed and I enjoyed the time we spent there. Once we got back home, their daughters Midori (14) and Akane(16) invited me to go to their rooms and we looked at the posters of anime they had and of Jpop stars they liked. On that day, I felt that the family began to open up to me. And I think a reason that also contributed to this was the fact that I always tried to spend time with them and talk with everyone. Even though I was no where near fluent, I didn't let that stop me from trying to make a connection with them. From them seeing this, it made it quicker for them to be able to open up to me and treat me as one of their own instead of just a guest everyone had to walk on eggshells around. That's what I believe is the key to getting a full experience, giving it your all no matter how frustrating the language learning process can get and actually caring about your host family because they aren't opening up a hotel for you, they're opening up their home to you.

The road continued to twist and climb higher and higher, as I sat surrounded by a language I barely understood and people I felt like I had known forever. It was my first day with my host family as we weaved up the snow capped Alps and I watched as I became a giant compared to the small world below. My host sisters and I were traveling to a camp high up in the mountains to stay the night, I had figured some camping was in store but I was in for the geatest surprise of my life. We arrived just in time for mass and as I sat amoungst the grandiose jutting rocks and sparkling waterfalls, falling down a peak right above my head, I felt as if I were in God's arms. Night fell and that's when the actual fun took place in Italy, the children all huddled outside and we prepared to play games. The counselers hid from the children as they searched to receive enough keys to be uncuffed from one another. I hid in the grass near a stream and looked to the sky and in that single moment saw nothing in the world except the dazzling stars that lit the night sky of the Italian Alps. The world that I lived seemed so minute to the twinkling eyes that watched from above. My study abroad trip not only opened me to a new culture but allowed me to view the world in a greater perspective that has honestly changed the way I see the world and its inhabitants.

My experience abroad in New Zealand through AFS NZ was amazing and educational. I was paired with a lovely host family and I had a constant stream of support, meeting with an advisor at least once a month over coffee to discuss any issues, and attending weekly AFS Chapter meetings that allowed me to meet other students.

I went to Argentina not knowing any spanish, and really having no clue of what i was getting myself into. I came in an average high school student, and came out a Castellano speaking, argentine model/rugby player with new FAMILIES around the city. I recently went back after six years, and felt more at home than anywhere I've even been! If it weren't for AFS, i wouldn't have met some of my best friends and favorite "relatives" in the world! :)