AFS-USA

My most memorable experience is living with my host family, and getting to eat lunch with them, as a family every day after school. In the south of Italy they even let classes out at 1 pm so that you can go home to have lunch with your family. Italy was great! The people, food, and culture is fascinating. I had my own small bedroom in a house with my two host parents, and 2 host sisters. We all shared one bathroom, which got difficult at times with two other sisters because everyone seemed to always need the bathroom to shower, or do their hair, etc., but if you stay respectful, there will be no problems. Sometimes you will share a bedroom with host siblings, but it should not be a problem.

My most memorable experiences are probably the times I spent with the other AFS participants, as it broke the routine of life each time I saw them. We were able to share our lives with the others and give advice. We all became friends so quickly, and I had fun whenever I saw them. I chose AFS because I was familiar with it. The AFS participants who live in my area of the US convene in my town, and my family has often hosted students for a night or two over those weekends. I was much younger than most participants, and so many options for countries were closed to me. I wanted to go to Europe because I have a European Union citizenship, and because the culture does not differ from American as much as that of Ghana's. I chose France because of the language. I lived a large house. I had my own bedroom with a large comfortable bed. The house was kept clean.

It was a transformative ten months for me. I learned to speak French fluently, I made good friends, and I understood a different way of looking at life through my immersion in French culture. Even though I gained so many beautiful memories from living in France, I think that it's important to say that it was a roller coaster of joy and unhappiness. When every day presents new experiences, you're going to feel a little lost, a little unstable. At the end, you come out knowing yourself and your world better. AFS is a supportive program that puts an emphasis on safety. I appreciate that I felt well-cared-for throughout my time in France. They have a network of volunteers, and they make sure that there are plenty of people you can talk to. AFS also hosts little get-togethers with the regional AFS students and volunteers. They try to make it fun, but they also check up on how you're doing. At the get-togethers, I could talk with the other AFS students and compare notes about French people, French food, things we loved, and things we didn't like. If you're the only foreign student at a high school, it's good to know that you aren't the only one who finds certain aspects of French culture strange. I made friends with AFS-ers from different states of the U.S., Thailand, Colombia, and Japan, as well as many other countries! I should mention that my experience with AFS France was a little bit different from the "normal" experience; instead of being matched with a host family, I stayed with a family that my mother knew already. Even with a family connection like I had, it was difficult to adapt to living with different people in a different culture than I was used to. A lot of people I know didn't get along perfectly with their host families. Some people got very young host parents with no children, some people got a bunch of younger siblings, some people ended up in tiny villages with more cows than people, and some people lived in hopping cities. There's really no knowing what kind of experience you'll have because each family is different, and each region has certain things you'll like and some that you won't. If you're interested in studying in France, I think AFS is a good program to go with. You should know from the beginning that it's going to be a tough, wonderful experience. On the other hand, don't be scared to go for it!