What inspired you to travel abroad?
I have a lot of family who live abroad, specifically one who goes to uni in Amsterdam. After being confined to my home for two years due to Covid-19 my family decided to visit my cousin in Amsterdam.
I fell in love with the city and I realized I wanted to travel more because there was so much about the world I had realized I didn't know. Then after attempting to do a semester abroad, I could not find programs that would allow my credits to transfer so that is when I came across the AFS summer program and from there I decided to try it out.
Why did you choose AFS-USA?
My options were between Denmark and France, but I had always wanted to visit the south of France because of the beaches and scenery so that one caught my eye. Also, I took French in school and felt that doing this program would not only give me an amazing experience socially, but it could help me improve in school.
What was your favorite part about France?
My favorite part about my host country/city was how much of the country I got to see. We were able to visit numerous cities in France, along with places in Italy and Monaco. I also have never seen beaches as beautiful as the ones I went to in France, so it was a nice experience since for so long I was confined to my home.
The Americans at the airport before leaving for France.
What made your experience abroad extraordinary?
The independence made my experience extraordinary. Being allowed at only 15 to experience living alone and exploring other countries and cultures is something I will never forget. Even little things like the Friday night dances the campus would host every week made me get out of my shell and socialize more.
How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?
A lot of the local staff were close to our age, in their late teens or early twenties, hence I felt they were very easy to talk to. If there was ever drama between some of the students, or if for whatever reason you needed advice, they were always there to help. So in general they helped us a lot with easing into the experience and feeling comfortable.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?
Nothing. I would have liked to participate in the AFS summer Denmark program as well because I have never been in that region so I don't know much about the culture.
I will say maybe in France it would be nice to have bonded with my roommates more because we didn't speak the same language. They spoke only French and I only spoke English so I could have used that to my advantage to work on my language skills.
Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.
In the mornings I would wake up around 7 am and get ready before heading to the cafeteria to eat breakfast and drink my coffee. I would then head to class where I would learn French for about 1.5 hours.
Then, we would have a snack break and head back to class for another 1.5 hours. After we would all grab lunch at the cafeteria together.
From there we could leave campus but we had to be back before 8 pm. We could use this time to go to the beach, museums, restaurants, etc. Then we spent the rest of the night on campus.
Me and some of my friends going skating down a boardwalk in Nice.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?
I loved the beaches. The water was clear and nice. The walk to the beach was very hard because it was so hot and we had to go up and down a hill, but once you were there the beaches were worth it.
There were a few we had options of visiting but I had a favorite, which actually was ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, I think.
What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?
We had dorms with anywhere from 2-3 other roommates. My favorite thing about dorms is how easy it is to visit my friends. We would all gather in one person's room a lot where we would just hang out and talk, it was very nice. Instead of being alone in your room, it was so easy to socialize and I made a lot of memories.
What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?
They should not go in with high expectations. While it is a summer program it is not just a vacation. A lot of students didn't realize this, I guess, and so, when there were responsibilities, such as waking up for class, many found it annoying. Also, it is a campus so you are not getting home-cooked meals, it is cafeteria food which many students did not like, but I didn't mind it.
Would you recommend AFS-USA to others? Why?
Yes. It is such an amazing experience for people of such a young age to have. If one is introverted, having a study abroad trip helps a lot to make students more extroverted and develop good communication skills.
This is a really important feature in life, as it can help with jobs and things like that, so for that I would recommend it. But also you make life-long memories.
My classmates who I took French with.
What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is?
Being more mature and culturally aware is a benefit of traveling abroad. You are less close-minded once you know what other parts of the world are like.
Especially being American there is a stereotype that we are stuck up and are not educated about other countries, so going abroad I felt like I was overcoming these stereotypes.
Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?
It massively impacted my life as it is what led me to move out at the age of 16 to live in Costa Rica where I am now finishing my last two years of high school.
It made leaving home less intimidating since I somewhat knew what to expect and I already felt I could take care of myself since I had lived abroad when I was 15.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
For me, meaningful travel is traveling for the experience of learning about new cultures, trying new foods, and meeting new people. I think if one travels for the sole purpose of shopping or getting Insta pics, it becomes less genuine and loses meaning. You want to come home from travels having experienced a whole other lifestyle and having made many more memories.
