It’s 6:00 am in San Francisco as I pass through SFO International Airport security–leaving my family behind in California for the next two months. I honestly never expected that I was going to be an emotional wreck while waiting at the gate by myself. I sat on the plane for the next sixteen hours sleeping and contemplating what my exchange experience was going to be like in Perth, Australia. When I arrived in Singapore, my flight to Perth wasn’t leaving for another five hours so I decided to explore the Singapore airport, which basically resembled a colossal shopping mall. Exploring this new airport by myself was an exhilarating experience.

Arriving in Perth, I met my exchange family for the first time. Living with a whole new family was a daunting idea—but they were super friendly and amiable, which helped me with the transition into Australian culture. I found that Perth actually wasn’t that culturally different from the Bay Area.

Three days after arriving, I was back at the airport at 4:00 am with 13 other Scotch boys on an expedition to the Karijini National Park. This trip was a seven-day backpacking trip through the various gorges (canyons) of Karijini, which is about 800 miles north from Perth. The geographical layout of Karijini is basically a mountainous desert that’s covered with slippery red rocks the size of your fist. The first day of the Karijini trip was a culture shock for me.  It was a challenge meeting all these new people in a dusty new environment with the added physical hurdle of a backpack that weighed more than half my weight. That’s when I realized that this backpacking trip was not going to be American glamping, as the Australians called it. I honestly didn’t think that I could get through the next eight miles on the third day with a bad fitting 65-pound backpack rubbing on my hips each time I took a step. One of the reasons that I did not have a mental and physical breakdown was because of the support from the other boys on the trip. The first few days on the expedition I was pretty quiet, but a lot of the boys engaged me with questions about our president and Burger King. On this expedition, I found that I was actually an okay camp cook. Even with the physical challenges of the trip, the scenery was amazing. These gorges were encased in rectangular rock formations with water running through the bottom like a canyon. We rock climbed and “abseiled” (rock climbing down) the gorges. Another once-in-a-lifetime experience was the opportunity to swim in the gorges. The gorges had almost freezing water with the temperature of 4˚C or 40˚F. This was icy cold, especially since my school-issued wetsuit had a hole in it. It was all worth it because we were able to see areas that no other group has seen within Karijini. Overall, my Karijini experience was amazing and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go there.

My first day of school at Scotch College in Perth was an exhilarating experience. I did not have a uniform yet so I really stood out. One of the biggest differences from Athenian was that the two thousand students were all boys. Another difference was their community atmosphere based on respect, such as calling teachers by “Sir” or “Miss.” You could definitely see that the instructors had a lot more power over the students compared with Athenian’s democratic approach. Adjusting to this new school was not as much of a challenge as I thought it was going to be. I think speaking the same language has also made the adjustment a lot easier as well. My host, Will, introduced me to his friends.  Luckily I had a lot in common with them and they have been very friendly to me. Something that usually isn’t mentioned about exchange is that it is really hard leaving your family behind and being thrust into a new culture. When I was on my Karijini expedition I sometimes really wanted to be home. My whole body wanted to flop and sleep on the ground, but I knew that I had to keep going in order for it to be over.

So far, my exchange experience has been great. Tomorrow I will be trying out Australian-rule football (basically rugby) for the first time in PE, which hopefully will go well. 

 

My exchange in Lima, Peru ended a little over a week ago.  I’m at home now, typing this up at my old desk. Time has truly flown by. My exchange is just another blurred memory, a little more colorful than most. Funny thing is, I actually got on the airplane to Lima three months ago regretting my decision before the plane had even taken off, homesick within the first hour of leaving home. Yet, sitting on the plane in Lima a week ago as the wheels began to roll, I found myself sobbing next to the kind stranger seated beside me, tears beseeching time to stop and rewind for me.

My first week in Lima, I spent a lot of my down time contemplating how long the two-and-a-half months ahead of me seemed and skyping my mother every chance I had. My last week in Lima was, ironically, one of the best weeks I have ever spent, anywhere. I had a host of new experiences. I got to visit my Peruvian family for a couple of days, treated my host family to dinner at one of best sushi restaurants in Lima, bonded with my host, Marianne, and her mother by watching French movies in her mother’s bed until late at night the day before I was to leave, went to the cinema with friends twice in one week to see Wonder Woman and Spiderman, went shopping in Jockey Plaza (one of the largest commercial malls in Lima), and more. I even bought a fairly complicated non-fiction book written entirely in Spanish, perhaps a little too confidently I now realize. Speaking of which, I am finally able to string sentences together in Spanish without thinking in English. This is making my Peruvian grandmother very excited. Fortunately for me, with her constantly coming over to our house, I won’t have the chance to let my newfound Spanish skills deteriorate. I am still in contact with most of the other exchanges who I met in Peru (there were 22 other exchanges at Markham this bimester!), as well as with my host and a couple of other Markham students.

Thanks to this privilege, I now know myself a lot better, both in terms of my ethnicity and regarding the decisions I make for myself in different situations (when my mother isn’t there to make them for me).  I also feel as though a lot of my old habits have been changed for the better. I would like to thank the Athenian School for allowing me this opportunity and my friends here at Athenian for providing me with support and advice whenever it was needed. I’d also like to thank my host family for all of their patience and generosity.

I’ll be visiting Lima again soon! Hasta la prox, Lima!!!

I arrived in Cape Town a week ago and so far my exchange experience has been absolutely amazing. At first glimpse, Cape Town is a small city that is somewhat similar to the Bay Area. The place where I will stay for my exchange is a very beautiful suburb within Cape Town that is located next to the famous Table Mountain.St Cyprian’s is a school that is very different from Athenian. Firstly, this is an all-girl school. There is a strict dress code. They have a whole uniform set, including a tie and a blazer. Students are also not allowed to wear any jewelry nor makeup. Secondly, most students here are religious. There is a small church in the middle of the school where the school holds an assembly every week. The assembly is usually hosted by the school priest, Mr. Johnson. During the assemblies, students are asked to sing carols along with the school choir and do prayers in silence.

All the exchanges at St Cyprian’s are part-time boarders. We spend our weekdays in the boarding house. Unlike what I expected, each girl gets her own little room with a small bed and a closet. The rooms are all very small but very comfy. I love the layout of the dorm because it gives everybody their own privacy, while you can still talk to each other with your door closed. Dinner is at 5:40 every day and every meal is mandatory for the boarders. After dinner we all go to the school library for prep (study hours). Students are allowed to listen to music as long as they don’t get caught using their cell phones to do other stuff. It is funny that every local boarder complains about the boarding house while I find it very sweet and interesting.

During my first week, I was very worried about making new friends at school. However, I soon realized how friendly everyone is. Hugging is their way of greeting each other. People always give me a big hug whenever they see me in the hallway–and some of them are girls I haven’t even met before!

My first week has been very busy. The school year starts in January in South Africa and so the school is in its third term now. The girls are all busy getting their fashion show ready. It is one of the biggest events in this term. There are many scenes in the show and every girl needs to participate in as least one. The girls sell the fashion show tickets to people outside of the school to raise money for the Metric Dance. It is a school tradition for the 10^th grade girls to raise money for the Metric Dance, which they are not allowed to attend because the dance is only for the 12^th grade. When they go into 12^th grade, the new 10^th graders will fundraise for their dance. The entire fashion show is designed and run by the students. They are in charge of the music, the videos, and the choreography. Everyone in grade 10 is now unusually busy as there is a practice every single day. Despite their overwhelming schedules, every girl seems to be enjoying the fashion show and the work that comes with it. Unlike Athenian, St Cyprian’s does not have any school meetings where students get to express their own ideas; therefore, the fashion show is a very precious opportunity for them to show their talents and strengths.On weekends, we go home with our own host family. My exchange, Bianca, lives five minutes away from the beautiful Camps Bay. The bay lays in between the well-known Table Mountain and the Lion’s Head. We took a walk on the beach with some other exchanges and their hosts. The view is absolutely stunning. They have many local shops along the street as well, including a bar where all celebrities go when they come to Cape Town. We went to Waterfront in the afternoon. It is a harbor with some of the biggest shops in Cape Town. We got a bus card before we hopped off Bianca’s mom’s car. Public transport is not very well-organized in South Africa. They do not have a BART system nor a Metro. For most people here, the most convenient public transport is the city bus. You need to get your bus card in advance as no cash is accepted on the bus and the bus cards are only sold in specific locations.

The first week of my exchange went by very quickly. I am very excited to see what the rest of my time in South Africa will bring me.

 

Being here in Australia seems like a dream come true! My exchange, Hayley Wapper is one of the nicest and funniest girls I’ve ever met. At her house, we make traditional (original) Australian food together. I have enjoyed every single meal and the snacks that I’ve had here in Alice Springs. In fact, a drink called milo–made of chocolate powders mixed with milk–is now in my daily routine. The weather here is surprisingly similar to California. It is freezing cold during the morning and night, but brutally hot during lunch time and the afternoon. It is also worth mentioning that Alice Springs is more than just a desert! You’d be surprised that there are actually green grasses and tall trees all around the town. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of kangaroos, reptiles, and sands. Hayley is also a very sporty girl. I was lucky to watch her play footy and netball, which are both very popular sports for girls in Australia.

Before my first day of school, many concerns went through my head all night. What kind of people would I meet? Would Hayley’s friends like me? Would I like them? How would people treat me? What are the classes like? And so on. The next day at school, I was surrounded with many warm welcomes from students and teachers. People greeted me like I was their friend for ages. I immediately became friends with the other exchanges from France and Hayley’s friends, and I received countless offers of help from the students and teachers throughout the day. Besides the knowledge from classes, I also learned a lot about Australian culture. For example, a very Australian way of greeting people is “Good day, mate!” And I find it very funny that Australians call McDonald “Maccas.Everything was perfect except the uniform. I was not shocked at this very different school system considering that most schools in China have uniforms, but I still felt unfamiliar with uniforms after having been at Athenian for two years. Another major difference between Athenian and St. Philips is that no phone use is allowed during class or outside of the classroom. I was shocked by this rule, because my phone is one of the most important items that I needed for survival. In fact, now I have to wear a watch to check for time, instead of using my phone. Hopefully I’ll get more used to this in the future. Finally, the classes offered in St. Philips are also very different.  Compared to Athenian, there are not many choices for courses.My first week at St. Philips was everything that I did not expect, and I believe that that is the beauty of being on exchange. I look forward to my future weeks here in Alice Springs and to discovering new challenges.

It’s midnight in Lima, Peru as I walk out of the airport alongside my new family, leaning forward against the weight of my backpack, fiddling with my hands, as I watch my exchange’s mother and boyfriend lugging my two dysfunctional suitcases behind them. Although it is the beginning of winter in Lima, the air is humid. I’m perspiring after the ten-minute walk to where the car was parked, waiting. That night, in the midst of excited plan making between Marianne, my exchange, and Nani, her mother, regarding where we would go out to eat dinner, I fell asleep in the car. Due to the surprisingly heavy late night congestion, I was allowed a good hour of rest before we arrived at my new home. In a spontaneous change of plans, Marianne’s boyfriend Jordán cooked everyone an innovative fusion of laidback breakfast and hearty dinner. Although such moments of spontaneity are few and far between for me back home, they became increasingly common during my time on exchange.

We spent the last four days of their mid-semester break driving around Barranco, the district of Lima in which they lived. We visited MATE, a non-profit museum recently founded by Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino. We went shopping in Larcomar, a shopping center overlooking the ocean that is a popular site for both domestic and international tourists. To my surprise, I discovered that Peruvian Chinese food–otherwise known as Chifa–and sushi were better than any other version of those foods I’d ever tasted. Well, ok, save for Chinese food in China, but that’s a given. The Peruvian dishes were amazing as well, and tasted delightfully familiar. My grandmother, you see, was born and raised in Peru and cooks those dishes for my mother and I on a weekly basis in California.

On my first day of school, the first thing that struck me as I arrived in my crisp white-and-brown plaid uniform was the scale of Markham’s facilities. We entered through a large, multi-story parking garage and climbed up the stairwell to a panoramic view of the main campus: multiple soccer fields, indoor basketball and volleyball courts, a swimming pool complex, a newly renovated and pristinely white arts building, and, in the direction we were heading, at least a dozen multi-story buildings linked by a complex network of inter-building walkways on the upper floors. As Marianne paused to open her locker, I noticed another novelty: everyone was using their lockers. I later found out that this was largely due to the fact that phones were allowed only by the lockers, and would certainly be confiscated if seen anywhere away from one’s locker. On one occasion, I almost found myself on the receiving end of the punishment for this rule. School ends around 2:45 pm (and, unfortunately, starts around 7:30 am), but activities go on after classes until 5:00 pm. Marianne stays behind until 5:00 pm three days a week. One day, as I was obliviously chatting with a friend on the phone around 4:30 pm, the head of the school, Mrs. Rios, appeared in front of me and demanded to know why I had my phone out. I explained that I was an exchange and hadn’t been informed that this rule continued after 2:45 pm. She let me off with a warning. I nervously thanked her and tucked my phone away into my backpack. Moments like these were when I missed Athenian’s more lenient school policies. I do appreciate the self-control I have learned to maintain in regards to time spent on my phone. I found that spending less time on my phone at school improved my ability to perform tasks outside of school without being constantly distracted by my phone.

It’s around 8:00 pm, which means I’ll be called to the dinner table soon. At home my mother and I eat around 5:30 to 6:00 pm. I’ll end by noting that, glancing at my calendar, the best of my exchange is still to come!

My time in Argentina felt both short and long. In my last days, I both wanted to leave and wanted to stay longer. Buenos Aires is an amazing place to visit, but unless you know some Spanish, I would deter you from going. The people in Argentina speak English, but Spanish is definitely their preferred language and they talk in Spanish regularly, so you will have a very hard time if you don’t understand what they are saying.

One of the biggest differences I noticed between Argentina and California was how open people were to talking with me, even if they didn’t know me. People in Argentina are all around much nicer people.  There was very minimal bullying at both of the schools I went to. Almost all of the classmates were very close friends and treated each other kindly. Another thing I noticed was the difference in food. In Argentina, people eat much more beef and meat. My favorite thing to eat there for dinner there was empanadas. They are basically folded bread with something inside like meat or cheese. In Argentina, laws for driving are more like recommendations; oftentimes, you see people swerving past other cars, driving in the middle of the road, running red lights, and honking constantly. The police seemed nonexistent. In my eight weeks in Argentina, I think I saw two police cars. Despite all of these differences, Argentina was not very hard to adjust to.

I found my host family extremely welcoming. They had a poster in my new room that said “Welcome Chris,” with pictures of my family surrounding it. They were all very nice, and when I didn’t understand, could translate (roughly) into English. My exchange partner, Dante, attends a school called Colegio Norbridge. They have English in the morning Monday to Thursday and Spanish in the afternoon Monday to Friday. Friday morning is “gym,” where you play sports or run. The class was small, only about 25 kids, and they were all super nice. Within the first couple of days, I had made friends, both inside and outside of school. The question they all asked me was whether or not I supported Trump. 

One of the biggest challenges was adjusting to the food schedule. In Argentina, people do not eat dinner until 9-10 pm. Between lunch and dinner, there is the merienda, where people eat something small, such as toast with tea. Another challenge for me was the school. Their school day is from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. Compared to our school day, this was impossible. The first couple of days of school, I came home and slept until dinner. The number of hours sitting in the same classroom made my brain hurt. I didn’t understand how people could concentrate for nine straight hours.

My favorite parts about going on exchange in Argentina was being able to experience a different part of the world without my parents, meeting new people, and being able to live a completely different life and see the cultural and social differences. I also loved the people; everybody was super nice and inclusive, which made it easier to adjust.

Overall, I would recommend coming to Argentina on exchange, but only if you have taken some Spanish. Without Spanish, it would be extremely hard to make friends and communicate with anyone.

There are times when I enjoy being the only one awake. When I sit alone, the wind wrapping its icy finger around my wrist and tugging me towards the faintly glistening stars. When I spontaneously shove some frozen food in the oven at two in the morning. Even when a mischievous pair of claws dig into my elbow and awaken me from what I’m sure would have been an extremely rewarding slumber. Now is not one of those times. I am surrounded by zombies; mouths agape and heads tilted backwards. I am much too excited to become one of them. I hurtle through the air at breakneck speeds.  I’m on a plane headed for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Well, actually, I’m headed to New York and then Johannesburg. I know that I should shut my eyes before I am at my destination and cursing myself for insufficient eyelid resting, but decide I may as well try and follow South Africa time. I really hope to make the most of my time there. No matter what.

I once read that nervousness and excitement can be treated as the same thing. Each one grips your insides until your gut crumbles to dust and blows away in the wind. Even as I sit in a school-driven car, engrossed in a completely different book, I can feel a calloused hand wrap its knobbed fingers around my insides, its thumb pressing tightly against my chest. My mind pretends to pay no notice, but I can tell that I am lying to myself. I choose to be exited, I tell myself. My palms grow damp in anticipation. I turn another page.

As we arrive, I am greeted by many unfamiliar faces, some of which I would come to recognize. With my mother there (as we had spent the week before travelling throughout South Africa), I feel as though I am forced to take the back seat. I am making the most of my time here, no matter what. I recognize some of the names from before-trip coordination, but most remain clouded in obscurity. The students are in class; these smiling faces are all adults. As we pull the silver tusks toward us, the geometrically-textured wooden door swings open to reveal cylindrical lamps adding a comfortable yellow tone to the open area. There are lightly-tinted brown couches on wooden floors and windows lined with woven and beaded basketry. Welcome to the reception hall. Welcome to OWLAG.

I want to do everything I can to make this place my home for the weeks to follow. This is what I think as I empty my bags and arrange the books on the shelf at the foot of my bed. I believe that a proper living area should start out organized and become more disorganized as time passes. “Can I borrow some tape?” I ask my roommate. Although Xu is an exchange student from King’s Academy in Jordan, she was born and spent her childhood in China. Her quiet and introverted manner overshadow her more social aspects. Like me, she speaks more as she grows more comfortable. Due to the time difference, she can talk to her friends and family during the day, and often does. Despite her distinct lack of interest in sports, she partakes in regular exercise. It is not an uncommon sight to see her go to the gym or on a run. The sentiment must have spread, like a spot of mold growing in a basket of fruit, as I, too, have engaged in more regular exercise. She hands me a roll of tape adorned with cute animals and objects; thin and delicate, it could be mistaken for paper, were it not purposed for sticking. I use it to attach a note from Mbali to the top shelf.

Although OWLAG (Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls) does not send students out for exchange, Mbali has been assigned as my exchange partner to help me feel more comfortable during my adjustment period. Mbali is organized and professional, so much so that she is often mistaken for a business student. However, she is also comfortable and casual, and easily helped me feel at home. She hopes to become a student of architecture. One glance into her living area highlights her otherwise hidden artistic ability. Various pictures and posters hang beside her bed, some printed and some hand-drawn. She is a social person and seems to know everybody. As she walks down the pathway to the dining hall, she will often briefly join conversations of the people passing by–and not in an awkward or uncomfortable manner.

Most students at OWLAG feel comfortable with one another, and will greet each other as they pass. The social atmosphere between the students is incredible, likely due to the residential aspect of the school. Even Khensani, who started out as quiet and withdrawn, has come out of her shell due to the social atmosphere. Khensani, or George, is Mbali’s roommate and Xu’s exchange partner. Although she retains her quiet demeanor, it seems to be an intentional quiet, as though she does not thirst for social interaction, but rather accepts it. She is kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. Despite the ongoing exams, she still found the time to bring over a few board games for Xu and me.

For some reason, I had always appreciated Thursdays. In middle school, Thursdays were the days where I had school, but little homework that I had to complete immediately. Bad things didn’t seem to infect Thursdays and liking that day became a habit for me. It was of no surprise to me, then, that my first Thursday at OWLAG was filled with likable classes such as Math and Zulu, as well as Physics (which includes Chemistry) and English. Although I spent most of Math trying to receive printing capabilities and ended up walking into the wrong classroom twice, my optimism knew no bounds. I spent my time in Zulu making a Quizlet set of random vocabulary words, and drastically failing to remember them. But I continued my unfettered excitement. During lunch, the students ate outside, playing active games and enjoying themselves. I was a little too busy eating lunch to join in, even though I felt like I should. As I pensively sipped my bagged guava juice, I shared a spot of conversation with Xu. And all was good with the world.

In English that afternoon, we took a brief assessment on listening comprehension. As I was completely unaccustomed to this sort of quiz, I ended up the only student who didn’t actually take notes. Oops. Before you say anything, I will have you know that I usually learn better without notes, and I believe I did better than I would have if I had taken notes. It was truly a lovely experience.

As the evening arrived, I felt a pang in my chest. But it was fine. I recognized the beginning of the second conflict, mental isolation. I was supposed to be well equipped for this. I wasn’t supposed to be missing home so soon. My friends would contact me exactly the same amount if I were home, I rationalized to myself. I probably feel better here than I would if I were in America. Even still, I went to bed with an unsatisfied feeling in my bones. I now realize that Thursday was just like any other day. When I approach the day with optimism, it became a “good” day. I didn’t allow myself to face any negative feelings I may have had. I let them settle restlessly in the back of my mind, instead of facing them and inevitably letting them go.

In the days before Friday, the entire school bustled with excitement, and a certain amount of disdain. This is because the school board was visiting–on the day before exams started. This meant that the students were required to wear their summer skirts instead of their usual winter khaki pants, sweater, and jacket. It also meant that the teachers had to teach a lesson instead of giving the students time to study for exams. A member of the board looked on as the Physics teacher performed an experiment where she asked the students about intermolecular forces. Afterwards, she blew something up. It was informative and helped keep the students engaged, but the part I will remember is the blowing-stuff-up bit. Despite my initial concern, I cannot say whether the arrival of the board was a help or a hindrance to the students. After all, the lessons were lovely. We spent a large part of the afternoon in a school-wide meeting with the board. This was mostly fascinating. Considering the upcoming exams, it was also a source of stress for the students.

Near the end of the meeting with the board, one of the students brought up a concern about balance in the life of the students. Mbali mentioned later that she felt this girl spoke what everyone else was thinking. It is only now that I grow to appreciate the ample breaks and study hours we are given as Athenian students. Although my exchange student, Hayley, from Australia had much less homework than we do, I am starting to explore a different story, where the students have the same amount of homework (or maybe a little less), but less time during the day to complete it. Xu’s school in Jordan has seven classes every day, with fifteen minutes for lunch, and she does extracurriculars until about seven, leaving little to no time for herself. Maybe our school is much more proficient at achieving balance than I previously thought.

My exchange at Birklehof School in Germany was an exciting one. I got to meet new people, experience a new culture, and visit a new country. When I first left for exchange I thought of it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to study abroad in another country and I will remember this experience for the rest of my life.

One of my highlights from exchange was meeting all the fantastic people. When I got there, everyone was super friendly and nice to me. I was able to make a lot of friends. I still keep in touch with them even after my time on exchange. Meeting all of the wonderful people made my exchange a lot better, and I hope that I will be able to see them again. Another highlight would be all of the amazing food I got to eat. There was a variety of food that I have either had or hadn’t tried before. The food in Germany was very delicious.

I didn’t have many challenges on the trip except perhaps some classes that were in German. For the first week I had no idea what was going on in the classes, so I asked my friends about what they were learning and asked the teacher to summarize the lesson for me after class. I also had difficulty with the weather because it kept changing from super cold to hot. I also did not bring many shorts believing it would stay a little cooler, but I was definitely wrong.

From what I have learned about the school, it was very similar to Athenian, having fun events and student-led meetings. The campus also reminded me of Athenian, so I felt right at home. The only things that I would say were different would be the students’ schedules and that they mainly spoke German. I was definitely nervous living in another country for several weeks, but I learned that I adapt quickly and was able to fit right in with everyone else. I never felt out of place or as confused as I thought I would be because it felt like I was still in California.

For any 9^th graders thinking about going on exchange, remember to pack for everything. I did not have an enough clothes to keep me cool or warm. Always prepare for the worst because you are in a different country and have no idea what to expect–don’t be too worried because it probably won’t happen–but always think about the wonderful things that can happen to you.

I am so glad I had the opportunity to go on exchange and I would be glad to do it again.

It’s been about a month since I arrived here in Germany. My experience here so far has been so different than I expected it to be. I now understand why people are advised to go on exchange with no expectations for what would happen. I’m not saying it has been bad, because I went in with high expectations, but it’s just been unexpected. So far, there have been extreme highlights and lowlights–and I have come to understand myself better than I thought would be possible.

Before I arrived at the Hanover airport, my biggest fear was that I would somehow lose myself or my baggage on the way. When neither of these fears came true, I took that as a good omen and stepped into exchange with soaring goals and high spirits. My first weekend was my exchange partner Cosi’s sixteenth birthday and we celebrated that at her house with nine of her closest friends. I soon learned that sixteenth birthdays are a big deal in Germany because people are legally allowed to drink here at that age. At first I was a bit nervous to meet Cosi’s friends, but they were all nice and easy to talk to. I left an interesting first impression when I tried to impress them into being my friends by showing off my extensive culinary skills. I flipped the egg we were frying for breakfast into the air, and straight into a wall. We all had a good laugh and my first good memory of the trip was born. During that weekend, though, I encountered what would become one of my biggest struggles with this exchange; the language barrier was an almost impossible barrier to overcome sometimes, both emotionally and physically.

In large group conversations at Louisenlund, people always speak in German. While this is totally understandable, it takes patience and persistence to not feel left out. Although if you instigate a conversation one-on-one with people at Lund, they will generally be happy to reply to you in English, it is really hard to feel like you fit in when you are in a large group. Some of my extreme lows came from such situations. People could go for more than 40 minutes in only German and I would only understand a few words like good, bad and water. I’m honestly not sure what I expected coming to Germany without knowing any German. To those going on exchange next year, I would suggest going to a country where you know at least some of the language (or pick up some key phrases before departing America).

That being said, not knowing the language also presents the unique opportunity to learn said language when fully immersed in it. I’m quite proud because I have learned to understand some basic German and know how to order the foods I can eat in restaurants and at school. It’s an amazing feeling to say something in German and having people actually understand me. My friends here have been teaching me new words every day. J

On the topic of food, I was quite hungry my first week here because Germans eat a lot of bread (brot) and meat. I happen to be a gluten-free (glutenfrei) pescatarian. It took me a while to realize I could order such foods from the kitchen. BUT BY THEN I HAD DISCOVERED THE SUPERMARKET WALKING DISTANCE FROM SCHOOL. IT IS WONDERFUL. Also, there are these chocolate candy-like things here called Kinder Joys and they are sooo amazing. There are two breakfasts, a lunch, a snack, and a dinner every day which is nice, but the meals still mostly consist of breads and meat spreads.

The Louisenlund school itself is beautiful and being in the dorms is enjoyable. I’ve gotten really close with the girls in my dorm and there is even a kitchen. I thought there would be more drama, but the only drama so far has been about stolen shampoo. I feel so lucky that I could get to know these amazing people and it’s so strange to think I didn’t know them one month ago. I’m still not sure what the classes are like here because it’s been exam week(s) so I have only been to two official classes. The six of us exchanges have been taking trips around Germany during exams, so I feel especially close to the other exchanges here. It’s nice because they understand what being on exchange is like and face similar troubles and joys.

All in all, I am excited to get to know these people better, and am so happy that I decided to go on exchange. Mine has been nothing like my friends’ exchanges, but I’m learning and enjoying it more every day.

Right now, my advice for people going next year would be:

• First impressions matter a lot, but they aren’t everything.
• Facetime friends and family when going through rough or amazing times on exchange. It makes everything better when you share the stories with others. It’s been especially nice for me to talk to friends who are on or returned from exchanges because it always makes me feel better and the advice they gave me helps so much. J
• Try all foods (unless you are allergic). Take every opportunity that is offered.
• Talk to everybody you meet, and try not to get intimidated.

My first flight from SFO to MIA was fairly easy; people spoke English, there was food, it was only five hours, and there was nobody in the seat next to me. I got off the flight in Miami airport and attempted to walk to my gate. Little did I know that didn’t know how to read the posted signs and I got lost. Soon, the airport staff were calling my name over the loudspeaker for my flight to Buenos Aires.  I was the second to last person on the plane. Nobody on that flight spoke English and it made me realize just how bad my Spanish was.

Eight-and-a-half hours later, I arrived in Buenos Aires. It was 8:00 in the morning and pouring outside. I had stressed about doing my Customs Declaration form because it was in Spanish, but luckily the people at security were just trying to get paid, so I slid right through. Baggage claim took me 30 minutes and got to the point where I worried that my bag got left in Miami, which would have been a disaster. Fast forward to me getting lost again.  I walk out the double doors into the crowds of people holding signs with names on them. My exchange student, Dante, his mom, and his dad were right at the front waiting for me. They attempted to introduce themselves, but I understood one in ten words and so I just stared at them blankly. Imagine their disappointment when they realized that the kid who was staying in their house for a month didn’t understand anything. Luckily, Dante speaks English, so we could talk as we walked to their car. As we got into the car, I recall thinking to myself, “Wow, their accents are harder than my Spanish teacher said…”

My first day of school was the hardest it has ever been for me to communicate with people. Their accents are extremely difficult for a non-native speaker. It doesn’t help that Dante had the flu on my first day, so I was alone after his mom dropped me off. But everybody was nice and inclusive, and they were fine with talking to me in English. They were super chill and after a couple of hours I felt like I had been going there for years. I have improved on my Spanish quite a bit. All the other students force me to converse without English, and it has taught me more than any classroom could. I have made tons of meaningful relationships and I’m looking forward to the rest of my exchange.

Colegio Norbridge is very different from Athenian, despite the similarity in size. My class is tiny, 25 other kids in the entire grade. Although there is a uniform, it is not very strict and there are two “casual” days where you can wear whatever you want. Our school day goes from 8:30 am to 5:15 pm. There are two 20-minute breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with an hour for lunch. Despite being in school for this long, I feel like few of the kids that have been going there since they were very young learn very much on a day-to-day basis. Not only do the teachers not try very hard to teach their subject, they threaten to leave the classroom and go home at least once per period. Unlike Athenian, all the students stay in one classroom all day and the teachers go to them. I find it hard to concentrate on just about anything by 4:00 pm in the afternoon, and I’m sure many of the other students agree with me on that.  I am currently in the 4^th year, equivalent to 10^th grade, or sophomore year in the U.S. Every Friday is our “gym” day. The entire morning is filled with athletic events. First we warm up. Then if it’s raining or wet outside, we play basketball, and if it’s dry, we play rugby or soccer. Everything is gender-divided. Boys and girls line up separately, eat lunch separately, and have gym separately. Despite all of these differences, I did not find it that difficult to adjust to their everyday life.

My host family is amazing. They are so nice and include me in their family dinner conversations, to the extent that I understand. Dante and his family live in a gated community about 20 minutes away from the school by car. He has an older sister that goes to the university in the capital and a pug named Cooper. Dante and his sister, Agustina, speak decent English, but their parents know very little. When I don’t understand a word or phrase, Dante or Agustina jump in and help me out, which has improved my vocabulary a ton. One of the hardest things was adjusting to their eating schedule. They eat four meals per day; breakfast, lunch, something called merienda, and dinner. Breakfast and lunch are around the same time as in the United States, but merienda is around 5-6 and is a quick snack with tea. Dinner is around 9-10 at night, and is always delicious.

Another very difficult thing is the accents. Understanding somebody speaking Spanish normally is hard on its own, now let’s add an accent that makes “ll” sound like “j.” It changes everything. “Silla” turns into “sija,” “yo” into “jo.” At first it was impossible, but I think I am getting the hang of it, slowly.

Overall, my exchange has been amazing. I am stoked for the rest of it.