A "Grand" Experience of Immersion

"You're obviously foreign, are you American? Where are you from in America? Pennsylvania? Ah, you must be a fan of the Nittany Lions!"
This program not only immerses you in a new culture, but teaches you so much about your own. One simple exchange taught me how attuned many Irish, and indeed Europeans in general, tend to be regarding American lifestyle/politics/sports (I cannot tell you how many times I was asked about how I thought Donald Trump would fare in the primary!), even to the extent of knowing the Penn State mascot. And in turn, I was humbled to realize how much attention another culture pays to my country, which merely teaches small pieces of Irish history (and even then only the portions that directly affected us).
My best advice: don't expect to complete this program unchanged as a person.