Bittersweet: A Year that Changed the Direction of my Life

When I had decided to board a flight to Frankfurt and live with a family I had never met before, I was more than ecstatic. The unknown, for the first time ever, seemed more exciting than anything else I could have looked forward to! It is a year that I laughed, cried, while even doing both at the same time. I fell in love with the city of Augsburg, met lifelong friends, and made everlasting memories that I reference in my day-to-day life, now two years later. Thanks to my exchange experience with AFS, I made my way to study at a university in Germany and learned a second language, and I am thankful everyday for the support of my Host Family, my exchange friends and all the other people I met along the way.
Doing an exchange is an experience that affects every aspect of one's life: I have put on a new lense and I view the world more mature and more aware than I had been two years ago. Sometimes it can be a difficult adjustment, particularly when I experience culture shock with the culture I grew up with and confuse both languages, but stepping out of my comfort-zone has been, hands-down, the most influential decision of my life.
For those who are considering doing an exchange, just do it! As long as you push forward, aim to be the best version you can be and take it every day at a time, you will gain skills and experiences that you can only be proud of, and with amazing people from all over the world!
-The world is your playground