Program Reviews

From the moment I arrived in my host city to the time I boarded my flight back to the US ten months later, living in China was a rollercoaster of fun. While living and studying in Liaoning Anshan I was immersed in a new language and culture that gave me a new view on the world. My host family was warm and welcoming from the first day on and I felt at home during the whole year. At school I made friends that I will have for the rest of my life while simultaneously learning Chinese from fabulous teachers. Although there were some times when I missed home, the people around me always reminded me that I was at home in China. Besides school and family life I had lots of free time to explore my extracurricular interests. This included learning calligraphy after school, going to a gym where I met some new friends, and travelling throughout the country. If you have an opportunity to go abroad, AFS China should be at the top of your list!

AFS gave me the opportunity of a life time to live and study abroad for six months in the center of Milan, Italy. I made friendships to last a life time with people from all over the world. I also have a second family just a plane ride away. I am so grateful and indebted to AFS. They started me on my dream to travel the world and for that I am forever thankful.

The first day of high school was extremely stressful. I had a host sister and I was meant to be placed in her class. After about an hour of school I was told to go to the principal's office and speak to him with an English language teacher there to interpret. I had no idea what was happening but soon discovered I was being moved into the 4th year of high school. My host sister was in her 5th year and I was only a junior in the U.S. I was very upset but the English teacher said she knew which class I would fit in best. They had multiple students who were proficient in English and could help me learn Italian. I met my class and they were very excited to have an exchange student join them. I was the first exchange student this school had ever hosted. The same evening, I joined a few of the girls from my new class in a public square to chat and get to know them. We spoke mostly in English but soon they were teaching me my first Italian words. Puttana, which is bitch or whore in English, was their first choice and they told me to shout it as loud as I could. I am not a shy person, so I proceeded to shout, "PUTTANAAA!!!!" at the top of my lungs in a public location. Everyone around turned and looked at me like I was crazy. And the girls who were teaching me were laughing hysterically...doubled over, holding their sides laughing. We all became great friends and I realized that I was placed in the best class in that high school.

This trip was amazing. It was an opportunity that arose and decided to be spontaneous and go for it. Having the opportunity to have a host family for a summer was an amazing experience. It was a great way to learn about the culture and language in an immersive way.

I studied abroad in order to be who I felt I was. To expand, my first few years of high school were rough; I was continuously boxed into playing a person and a role that I didn't identify with by the people I had grown up around. I was ready to break out and grow into a different person, but I could not do so by remaining in my home environment. So, instead, I left and went to study in Spain. Getting off the plane, I was instantly whisked away to orientation, where I was placed with a group of teenagers who were all just as scared and nervous as I was. Never before had I felt so comfortable. Other exchange students are some of the closest and easiest friends you could ever imagine to make - they are the only ones who fully understand and identify with the struggle of being immersed in a brand new culture, and that allows a connection that is both instant and intimate. Being in a new environment allowed me to act as the person I saw myself becoming, and the struggles that come with studying abroad and learning a new language built me into that person. My year with AFS, as a result, was the most formative of my life, and, no matter where you are, I highly recommend partaking in a study abroad experience.

There really are no words to describe the beauty of Norway and the kindness of the people there. This was an amazing experience and something that I would recommend to anyone thinking of going abroad. I was very fortunate to live with a welcoming and generous host family, but the Norwegian people in general are the nicest I've ever met. The year I was there happened to be one of the coldest and snowiest in a long time, so I had the chance to go on many "hyttetur", or basically cabin trips. Sledding, skiing (downhill and lots of cross country),and walking on frozen lakes are just a few things to do. Norwegians do like a party now and then, and will always test their English on you after a drink or two. There is no shortage of cold/snow, so if you like that you'll love Norway in the winter. Summertime has nice weather as well, with beautiful seasonal changes and lots of water activities. My host family had a cabin on an island where you could only travel to by boat it was very serene, pristine land with appreciative people who like to enjoy all that the country has to offer. This is a must visit country for anyone who likes snow, mountains, oceans, islands, fish, potatoes, hotdogs, waffles, sweets, kind people or really just for anyone. You won't regret it I promise!

The 4 weeks I spent at Costa Rica were amazing. I especially enjoyed my stay in palmares since we got to live with a host family. I felt like I had a new sister. We still keep in contact on facebook. The work we did was pretty hard especially at the volcano park on the 4th week but that just made it all the more rewarding. I really enjoyed my time with the volunteer group, as well as the individual time when we got to explore and work in Costa Rica. I hope that if you choose this particular experience you can also enjoy it as much as I did.

My host sisters and her friends had heard about this huge beach party with a famous DJ that was happening on a Saturday night. We spent two days going shopping for outfits, arranging transportation, gathering more people to come, and getting excited for the big night. Finally on the day of, we get to the beach, and the party in fact was grand. There were intense lights, beautiful lighted gazebos, loud music, and the stars were shining gorgeously. We danced and walked around for about 15 minutes and then the music randomly goes off. As everyone waits for the music to come back on with confused and angered looks, one of our friends comes over and informs us that we should leave; the DJ didn't have a license to play at the beach so the party was over. My host sisters and their friends let their tempers flare for a bit, and then we promptly gathered our stuff to headed back home. So much for a hyped up 15-minute beach party!

While I told the Intercultura staff that I would be staying in Venice with my friend Electra for a week or so, I secretly took the train in the opposite direction to begin my backpacking trip where I stayed in hostels or on trains for the night and walked around ancient cities sightseeing for the next two weeks during the last month of my exchange and finished it off with the world Expo in Milan with my fellow exchange students.

My summer in Thailand was spent in school with my host sister and around Bangkok and the surrounding areas with my host family. A big part of what I saw outside of school was temples. My family, particularly my host mother was religious and we visited a multitude of different temples. From Wat Pra Kaew, a huge temple in Bangkok near the Grand Palace to a tiny shack of a temple on a hillside in the country. I very much enjoyed seeing the variety of places of worship and learning about and participating in different Buddhist traditions and practices.