AFS-USA Reviews

Let me start with this: in the US, AFS was pretty organized in my opinion, they were easy to get a hold of, had meetings for information, and made me overall excited for my study abroad. AFS Japan on the other hand, a whole nother story. Well, I guess it largely depends on what chapter you get put into. I heard the Tokyo and Kyoto chapters were good.
Now that we have that out of the way, let me say that studying in Japan was a great experience. I definitely broadened my horizons, and learned a lot of Japanese, which was expected haha. My host families were perfect, my school amazing, it was just fun. However, the chapter for where I lived, and where my other friends lived, not as great. A big problem that was evident is the lack of freedom and choice AFS Japan gives you, and the obvious favorism towards the host families rather than the actual students. Your liasion is the main branch of communication with afs, however some don’t do their jobs too well. I barely communicated with my liaison at all, and was kind of forced to go to some events that I didn’t want to go to. Just hope that you get a good chapter and a slightly bigger one. There are some events that only the bigger chapters are able to take part in.
Apart from the bad communication between liaisons and their students, life was pretty fun in Japan. Let me give you a big tip though. If you don’t like your chapter, you are able to move to another one! You just have to know the president or liaison of a neighboring chapter and hope they understand what you’re going through.
One last thing, AFS Japan will treat you like a clueless kindergartener instead of a learning teenager. They probably will have set up childish games and parties for you. Have fun.

A truly amazing time, I made amazing friends and had the time of my life. Sadly the actual total immersion part wasn't there, I was exposed to a lot of English while trying to be fully immersed in French. Other than that, the french class itself was great and the teachers and staff were extremely kind. I felt cared for yet independent and free at the same time. Would do again without a second thought, I need to go back to that city, I'm homesick.

Overall it was a great program! We not only attended Spanish classes but also visited new cities on the weekends, which allowed us to learn even more about the country and culture. I made many great memories with everyone in the program and also made some lifelong friends. The program was also well organized and prepared. Our mentors were awesome and they also helped us with our Spanish. I really enjoyed the experience and would really recommend it!

Everyone always describes their exchange as “life changing” but mine was life expanding. Not only did I learn to speak Spanish with the help of my amazing host family and classmates, but I learned how to cook, surf, *actually* relax, and become part of the culture. When I returned, all I could ask myself was “when can I go back?” One thing to take with you there and come back with, is to always be open for change and new opportunities. Costa Rica is the best place to learn to adapt, improvise, and overcome any obstacle. My favorite memory has to be getting out of school early and grabbing some surfboards, food, drinks, and heading to the beach on some bikes with my friends for the rest of the day. There are no words to explain my experience, only a simple piece of advice: just go already!

I went to Italy as my junior year of high school, although I did not need an academic credit to transfer. I really wish I had had more time to study some Italian before I went, I only have about a month of prior notice before going. The best thing was there were a lot of opportunities to travel all over Italy with other students in the program. Studying abroad also made me realize that I wanted to go to college to study Anthropology (the study of human culture) after my intercultural experience.

I never learned a different language, so I really enjoyed having a lot of support to push myself. My teachers were really nice and helpful in providing guidence on how I should study. I also really enjoyed the food I ate and going on the trips with the group. Ever since my trip I was encouraged to keep learning languages and exploring different cultures. In college I’m trying to really be involved in learning more about my own culture and trying to help in any way I can. I also try to still keep in touch with my host sister because she was really sweet and introduced me to a lot of nice people.

Dolega Panama AFS went out of their way to give our group a fantastic experience. A great mix of community service, learning, culture, and fun. Can’t say enough good things about my experience. We cleaned, painted and scraped a classroom in an elementary school. We learned traditional dancing while dressed in traditional clothing. We visited a sugar cane production farm. Our host family has continued to be a part of our lives.

AFS-USA provided me with an opportunity for growth that remains to this day incomparable to anything else I have lived before. The support of AFSers, both in the US and in France, made a foreign country feel exactly like home...and in a second language, too! Whilst studying abroad I learned a lot about what really goes in to mastering a language, and the amount of effort, both cultural and linguistic, that is required to become “Franco-Américain”. Going abroad was life-changing, and I am glad I chose AFS to do it.

I applied for the AFS Global Prep Kenya Trip the moment I first heard about it. I knew it would be a great experience but little did I know how much it would really change my life.

This is not just a fun summer trip where you see animals on safari. No, it is so much more than that. This program immerges you into the Kenyan culture, introduces a new and completely unfamiliar world, and shows you the wilds of Africa all at the same time. It’s not just about feeding giraffes or petting baby elephants, it’s about learning the real ness of animal conservation in Africa today. This program showed me the realities of threatened species and the conservation efforts that are helping to save them. This program lets you interact and meet conservationalists from around the world who dedicate themselves to saving the world’s most iconic species. Aside from the animals, living with a host family in a country like Kenya is something I will cherish forever. It allowed me to truly understand the Kenyan way of life. I made some incredible friends that I consider to be my family members. We still keep in close touch even after two years apart.

Going back isn’t just a ‘maybe,’ it’s a 100 percent certainty. I am determined and hopeful that I can one day return to Kenya and reunite with my new friends and family. I highly recommend this program to anyone who has wanderlust, anyone who wants to experience an entirely new culture, and anyone who wants to change the way they see the world.

I had a very unfortunate start to my year abroad in Italy. I was placed in a family that was not only an hours bus ride from my high school, and all of my friends, but they also treated me poorly. I was expected to cook for the husband when I got back from school, and I was unable to eat until he returned from work. I was also cleaning the house on a regular basis. I talked to my designated person, and she told me that I needed to deal with it. So, I did. I spent another two months without a fuss, and when things did not improve, I went to the program leaders. They told me that this was just Italian culture, and that I needed to deal with it. By this time I was sick and scared, and having serious depression. I was on the verge of going home. I called my parents one night crying so hard, that they were afraid for me. They contacted AFS USA, and raised hell. I don't like to have my parents do things for me. I like to solve my own problems, but I was very lucky to have them on my side. AFS USA finally got in touch with the people around me and said that a change had to happen. The people in Italy however, refused to move me without a family, and refused to look for a new one. I ended up finding my new host family myself through a class that I was in. I would like to say, that not everyone in the area was at fault. There was a nice older couple helping AFS that were wonderful to me, and even hosted me in the time between my family change. With their help, and the help of my new family, the last four months of my trip were the greatest of my life. I grew, and was able to finally learn the language and experience the culture. I do not think that AFS meant for me to be in the situation I was in. I am afraid that my lack of language skills and overall misunderstanding made the situation worse. If they had been able to see what I was going through, I am sure they would have been better able to help me. Or at least I hope so, because I don't want any other student to go through what I went through during my time in those first 5 months.