(Written by Rebeka Klausen, an exchange student from Sweden.)

The Life of Exchange Students

The school year is coming to an end and soon exchange students will fly back to their home countries. As an exchange student this is a bittersweet realization that we have to face , our days are counted to when we leave our lives in the United States but also returning to our families!

In Forest Grove High School we have multiple exchange students who are from different countries such as Germany, Vietnam, Brazil, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Czech Republic! All of these people have amazing personalities and exchange students will always be people who I will admire!

As important it is to expose others  to exchange students culture it is just as important for us exchange students to learn about the culture we are being exposed too! Where I wanted to go with this is that we exchange students  learn a lot about ourselves and who we  really are, we grow up in a way.

Therefore I asked Jonas Santana from Germany, Claudia Celada from Spain, Natálie Vlčková from the Czech Republic if they wanted to be a part of this interview asking about their year as exchange students!

What skills have you gained/learned from this year?

Jonas (Germany):

• I’m able to distinguish now if a person truly cares about me or if their behavior is fake.

Claudia (Spain):

• My english has improved a lot, and I also started playing tennis which I had never done before.

Natálie (Czech):

• My english has improved, I became better at writing essays in English and so on! Then I became more independent, because without the help of my parents I had to take care of the different kinds of situations myself!

How do you think this year has changed you?

Jonas (Germany):

• It made me a more real person who doesn’t listen what “they” say. I’m more focused on what I really want to do and achieve. I think more before I act and put more thoughts into my future.

Claudia (Spain):

• Before doing an exchange, your vision of the world is so limited. You only really know your way of living. This year has made me realize all the things I take for granted back at home.

Natálie (Czech):

• This year gave me new friends & family! I probably became more outgoing and socially involved, which is great. Being an exchange student in a new school and a new country kind of forces you too!

Would you recommend other people doing this? 

Jonas (Germany):

• It was the best decision I made so far, so yes I’d totally recommend doing an exchange year!

Claudia (Spain):

• I definitely recommend going on an exchange if you have the possibility. It can be rough at times, but the experience  is worth it.

Natálie (Czech):

• And YES! I’d say that anyone who has the opportunity and wants to should go for it. It’s an amazing experience  that teaches you a lot and gives you so much, including friendships and a second family. I feel like I have a second home here and I can’t even imagine leaving.