Swapping for opportunities

As junior Linus Svanstrom walks through the halls of his new environment, he observes the unfamiliar chatter around him. The American accent, the southern hospitality of “Thank you ma'am” and “Hello sir,” the view of cars speeding outside the window. He marvels at the differences between his native country and his temporary home. But as people come up to him, introducing themselves with a s...

She shouldn’t have arrived in Texas, the state of sweltering heat and cowboy aesthetics. Instead, she should be in another state, somewhere in the southeast. Her organization has mistaken her for another girl, switching their choice of regions they wanted to visit in the United States. Yet, she couldn’t complain once she met her host family, who welcomed her with open arms and made her feel at ...

Boarding the plane: the same. Going through customs: the same. Saying goodbye to her friends and family: the same. The location, however, is different. She’s done all of this before, only on a much smaller scale. Last time, it was only for a month. This time, it’s for a full year. Not only is Texas vastly different than her home in Spain but also from her past experiences traveling...

Gathering her bags, she heads to the airport. Nervous energy runs through her body at the thought of living in a new country at such a young age. As she steps on the airplane, she doesn’t turn around, knowing something could hold her back. Her nerves relax and through the window, she can see a new opportunity heading her way in a new country. Junior exchange student Elsa Skiold applied for an...

An immense amount of hesitation fills her body as she enters the plane. She clutches onto her bag and looks back at the entrance. “Should I be doing this?” she asks herself internally. Her eyes dart toward her seat and she sits down nervously. Eleven hours pass and she finally arrives at her destination. In December 2018, junior Kathe Korfmann signed up to be part of the foreign exchange program,...

Freshly off the plane, she goes straight to school orientation. Before learning the ropes of the school and meeting the staff, she soaks it all in. She meets her host family, including two younger boys, one being 4 years old and the other is 3 years old. She gets settled, letting the jet lag finally affect her. Even though it wasn’t her first time leaving Germany and being away from her family...

As he sets foot on the plane, he feels the puzzle pieces of his life beginning to shift. He is leaving the comforts of Italy: family, food, familiar scenery rich with history and culture, for a suburban town in America. He takes a seat, immersed in the thrill of stepping out of his comfort zone and traveling to a new country, which he will soon refer to as home. After an eventful first semester of school i...