Does anyone have a personal experience of being an exchange student in another country?
I'm fifteen and I've been thinking a lot about becoming an exchange student in europe...preferibly Italy. But i just want to hear opinions from people who have already done somethign liek that. Is it fun? Woudl you recommend it? I dont speak Italian, but i'm taking spanish right now in school and i heard that Italian is similar. I just want to go to Italy because of the historical sites and it seems more intersting than Spain (which i've been too and liked but i want to go somewhere new).
Other - Europe - 4 Answers
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1 :
Heey! I'm 19 now, but I went on a Rotary Youth Exchange to France when I was 16!! It was, in all honesty, the most awesome experience of my life!! I'm actually going back to see my friends and families next week! I would suggest you go through Rotary, it is cheaper than most organisations and there are a lot of great benefits (Monthly allowance, councellors when you need help with homesickness, host family troubles, or making friends at school). They are extremely supportive people and will do anything to make sure your year abroad gives you everything it could! I had a blog while I was away...there are a lot of pages but if you just want to browse go check it out : http://spongebbob.skyblog.com Even if it's hard at the beginning, once you tough out the first couple months, the rest will be a breeze and you won't even see the time go by!
2 :
I went to Japan in 2005. It was very fun, and I learned a lot about more than just Japan. I would recommend that you study some italian first, but you will be at an advantage over little old me.. ha ha. Youth For Understanding is the organization I went with. They offer lots of great orientations and information, but they do cost a bit more. I didn't have to pay, however. YFU has tons of full scholarships. If I can get one, anyone can. The organization is very safe, and they do extensive background checks and everything. They also did not hesitate to move me when a family member became very ill; think of how they would react if it was something really bad!
3 :
Check out the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students for lots of personal stories. I would not recommend staying with a host family because no fingerprint-based criminal background checks are done and you could be placed in a very bad home. Try a school that offers dorms. That is safer. Yeah, you will learn Italian in about 3 weeks if you already speak Spanish. I did!
4 :
My friend went to Japan but she came back early because the family did not really want her there and the agency told her to find her own family if she didn't like it. I wouldn't recommend it.
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