Life in France with AFS is more than incredible.

My life has two sections: before and after France. I left the United States as a fifteen year old who is unrecognizable from the seventeen year old girl I am today. I spoke almost no French and I was scared. I didn't realize then just how life altering it would be. I arrived in Paris and was overwhelmed with the incredible support from the second I got off of the plane. The volunteers were not only welcoming, but fun and crazy and caring. If I could commend one aspect of the AFS organization, I would say that the most comforting part of my experience was that my volunteers really, really cared about me. They wanted to not only keep me safe, but help me have the most exciting ten months of my life!
The most important part of my life in France was definitely my host family. I was placed in an incredibly kind and loving home with a family of six. Two of my host siblings still lived at the house and were my age. They went to school with me and helped me to find friends. My host mom and I got very close during my ten months with them and she is one of the most important role models in my life. I lived in a small village in the Provence of Burgundy where my host father owns a beautiful winery. I learned to love hiking and running in the woods behind my house and horse back riding at the local pony club.The life I have in California and the life I have in France are almost the opposite of each other. In France I learned one of the most valuable skills I have: to adapt. When you go abroad, it is your job to adapt and learn to love new things, and it is the job of the program you are with to make that adaption period as easy and comfortable as possible. I experienced something so special and rare and intense that I am sometimes overwhelmed even after several months back in the United States. AFS France and AFS USA have supported me through everything both in France and after my return. I love being a part of the worldly family that is AFS.

I think that the importance of studying abroad can be summed up by one of my favorite moments of my exchange. One weekend in June, just before my depart from France, my friends and I decided to go camping. My friends included one Chilian boy, a Brazilian boy, two Norweigan girls, two Dominic Republican boys, a Finnish girl, two Americans, and a French girl. We all spoke fluent French by then (In only ten months!) we had a blast! We not only had funny conversations, but deep, interesting ones. The type of conversations that change the world. We imagined ourselves as world leaders and spoke with passion about world issues not because we were told to in a classroom, but because we care. We cared because we knew each other and we could call up specific people when speaking of a war torn country, a friend who lived there. We care about each other so we care about how our countries interact. We stood in front of the most beautiful sunset any of us had ever seen standing on top of a hill in the middle of a French countryside and we held hands and promised each other to make this world a more peaceful place through our bonds. (Picure below)
Now, back in our native countries, when there are news headlines about other countries, we think of a specific friend and we care more than most our peers. What makes studying abroad important, what makes exchange students the future leaders of the world, what makes us passionate problem solvers: EMPATHY. Living with those unlike yourself makes you a more empathetic, mature individual.