AFS Intercultural Programs: High School Abroad in Spain

Being home I now realize I have the most intense and meaningful connections that I've ever had in my life. The people (my host family, French friends and AFS friends) I met in France are people I will know for the rest of my life, and I never want to lose contact with. I also gained another home, a place I intend to visit again and a community around me that will always be a part of my life. Though I gained a language and knowledge of another culture, I now have a passion to travel and learn languages. I want to expand my world and myself, and meet as many people as I possibly can in one lifetime. All of this is what I have gained from this incredible experience with AFS.

I spent my junior year of high school in Barcelona on an AFS study abroad. It was the best choice I've ever made! The program placed me with an amazing family in an incredible town. I learned so much on my year abroad and met people who truly changed my life. I thoroughly recommend the program to anybody looking to go abroad.

Naturally living in another country and leaving everything you know will change you and how you see the world in a great way. When I ran into personal problems I really felt like AFS (at least the one that I was in contact with from Spain) really only cared about my host family because they were volunteering to host me. I felt like AFS Spain didn’t really care about what was happening to me and neither did my host family so that left me feeling very alone. Then for orientations we never really stayed in very nice places (like no heat in the winter when it was like zero degrees). And they also had to buy on sale food (like pasta salad that had gone on clearance). The activities during these orientations were very repetitive. I feel that my AFS region in Spain was poorly managed/funded or something like that. But despite all of this I made friends that I will have all my life. I’ve already been back to visit my best friend. Other AFS exchange students are also some of my the best friends even two years later. I would recommend studying abroad because it will change your life but it isn’t easy, and I think it would’ve been easier for me if I traveled with another company.