What it’s like to be an exchange student
Photo of writer Aziza Sapargasimova, an exchange student from Kazakhstan.
November 23, 2009 • Aziza Sapargasimova, Guest Contributor
Filed under 2009-2010
We all know that nowadays there are a lot of different exchange programs for teenagers that are 15 to 18. And the purpose of these programs is to give people a chance of better understanding new cultures, learning foreign languages, and representing their home countries.
One such lucky person is Ha Thu Pham Thi, an exchange student from Germany. She has been staying with a volunteer host family in Eagle River, Alaska during this semester. Ha Thu is very happy to be in the state of Alaska. This is a new experience for her. And she always wanted to go to Alaska, the Great Land, with its incredibly beautiful nature and very cold winters!
“I would have brought more warm clothes with me if I knew it would be so cold here!” said Ha Thu smiling.
Her exchange program is called AYUSA (Academic Year in the USA). This is a non-profit educational and cultural exchange organization with headquarters in San Francisco, CA. Since 1980, AYUSA has provided opportunities for more than 37,000 students from the US and around the world to live and study abroad.
All exchange students must attend high schools and are required to take one English class, one social studies class and a math or science class. The other classes can be electives.
Ha Thu goes to Chugiak High School, where she’s a junior. She has been taking pretty interesting classes among which she has one senior class, US Government, and one Advanced Placement class, AP English. She’s also singing in the school choir, and learning some more foreign languages besides English. She already speaks 4 languages: Vietnamese, German, English and French. But this is not a limit for her; now she’s taking Spanish I. Ha Thu also joined Chugiak’s DDF (Drama, Debate and Forensics) team and is having fun there.
When exchange students come to a new country and start to live a new life with a new family and community, there are always lots of things they have to get used to. For example: speaking English every day, living with a new host family, following their rules, and making new friends are just some of the challenges these students face. From the first sight it doesn’t seem to be so hard, but in fact it’s difficult for most foreign students. That’s because you start to live differently; you become more independent, and you have to make all the decisions on your own. You have to act like an adult and be responsible. Sometimes it’s really hard, and you simply get tired of it!
“As for me, there was not a particular hard thing to get used to. I mean [the] first time everything seemed to be difficult to adjust to! Yes, it is actually hard, but it’s always a big challenge in your life!” says Ha Thu.
It happens very often that exchange students have feeling of sadness, disappointment, or being alone, especially when you know that people who you love are so far away from you. It makes you feel really sad! Homesickness and culture shock are the most common things for all exchange students. Everyone has a culture shock; it just comes to different people at different time.
“I miss my parents pretty often, but I haven’t had a culture shock yet!” said Ha Thu. “I know that’s unusual, but it’s true!”
While you live in the other country, you learn a different culture, language, and you try to get used to a new lifestyle, which can be very different from yours. You also do volunteerism and learn new things through that; you can encounter not only positive sides of a new community, but sad things as well, such homeless people, and other stuff like that.
Most exchange students become active alumni after returning to their home countries, and they try to be helpful to their own country, to do good things for the community. They always want to change something into a positive side, to make them better.
Ha Thu is going to go back home in January, which is pretty soon. She is enjoying her exchange experience here and is 100 % sure that when she’s in Germany she’ll change some things, “I want to be able to get these great bagels back at home!” said Ha Thu Pham Thi.
I’m an exchange student from Kazakhstan; I came here through the FLEX scholarship program (Future Leaders Exchange). I’m going to stay here for a whole year. I’m also a junior at Chugiak High. I’m doing my community service here in order to better understand people’s life aspects. Actually I’m having a really good time here, enjoying my new life with my host family, and having new friends! And I know exactly that when I’m back to my country I will be an active FLEX alumna!
