Have you ever thought about moving to a completely foreign country, to an unknown family and a new environment for six months or a year? And that completely alone? Maybe some of you thought yes, but others also thought no. In any case, I have always dreamed of doing a year abroad. Even when I was a little child, I knew that I wanted to go to America someday. But planning a year abroad is not as easy as I thought. The whole time I just kept telling everyone that I was going to leave at some point, but I never really thought about it or made any plans. When I was in the 9th grade, a friend of mine was in Canada, near Toronto, and my mother asked me whether I wanted to do a year abroad or not. Of course I wanted to. But then she asked me so many questions and I just said that I still had enough time. Well, time passed and passed and at some point it was January again and my girlfriend was back from Canada. She told me everything and I thought it was so beautiful that I just wanted to go there even more. In the meantime, my mother had asked around where there were a few trade fairs where you could look at organizations. At that point I really wanted to go to Florida or California. In April 2022 we went to our first trade fair and looked at many organizations. We took magazines with us but I didn't look at them again until the summer holidays. When we were on vacation and had enough time, my parents and I looked at which country would be suitable and which would not. We quickly realized that the USA was far too expensive. In the meantime I wanted to go to Canada anyway and preferably towards Vancouver. We then used the same organization as my friend because everything worked out well for her. Once we had personally spoken to the members of Southern Cross and exchanged numbers, we had to wait a bit. At some point I had to facetime with one of them so that he could show me the different options around Vancouver. I quickly decided on Delta because it's not directly in Vancouver, but you can still get to the city center quickly. Since I had now decided on a district, it was now the turn of the school. I could choose the first, second and third choice. My first choice was SDSS. I then had to send my last 3 certificates to the school. After a few weeks, I finally got the news that I had been accepted. Now it was time for the letter of motivation, which both my organization and the school could read. This writing is so that my host family can get to know me a little. I then also had to fill out a questionnaire about whether I wanted siblings, pets, what my hobby was, etc. Because I was going to SDSS, I would only have been able to get a host family in Tsawwassen. While I was waiting for an answer for a host family, my mother and I had to submit a lot of documents e.g. Fill out health insurance, allergies, for the flight and much more. I wasn't motivated to do something like that, but my mother kept trying and got me to do it. For which I am super grateful to her. We paid in January 2023 and I finally got my host family in April. A month before departure I also had individual conferences with people from my organization or from Delta. A meeting could last up to 6 hours. Then it became more and more serious and I slowly had to think about packing and saying goodbye to some friends. Packing wasn't easy at all because I was only allowed to choose a few things because there was a maximum weight. I had to have all the documents for the flight, customs and myself ready in my backpack. On August 25th the time had come. I was standing at the airport with my parents and two friends. I said goodbye, which was difficult for me, especially with my parents. But before I came to Canada I was in New York with my organization for 4 days. The time was unforgettable. I've been in Tsawwassen since August 29th and I can say that the effort was worth it and I'm endlessly grateful that I'm allowed to be here and that my parents made it possible for me. All in all I can absolutely recommend that everyone who has the possibilities should do an exchange year during their time in high school or university. It is definitely a lifetime experience. Merle S.
9 Comments
Merle R.
12/1/2023 01:49:03 pm
As I'm obviously in the same situation as you, I can relate very well to your blog, The steps that are necessary for an exchange year are more difficult and complex that ones might think but in the end it is definitely a great experience! I really like how you explained your journey so detailed.
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Laetitia
12/1/2023 01:51:42 pm
Wow, great blog! As I'm also an exchange student I can totally relate to what you said. It is really interesting to hear another story and their point of view. Thank you for sharing
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Em
12/1/2023 01:54:14 pm
ive always wanted to do an exchange. its so taxing on your mental though i imagine. im happy you came here you are dope!
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sarah
12/1/2023 01:56:57 pm
Honestly this was so interesting to read. I didn't realize you could pick what school you wanted to go to and what kind of family you could live with. It sounds so awesome and kind of scary. I'm glad that you like it here and can experience what it's like in Canada.
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Alanna
12/1/2023 01:59:05 pm
It's so interesting to hear your perspective on the area may of us grew up in, I am so glad you decided to come to canada and that you're enjoying your stay here. I always wondered what a year abroad would feel like! great job!
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Sunsia
12/1/2023 02:04:06 pm
Im not an exchange student nor in a homestay, but i am a korean international student and did come to canada a few years ago. I also remember the day i left and how sad i was. But im happy here and i hope u are too!
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Taylor
12/1/2023 02:04:56 pm
Your blog is so interesting and shows your perspective on where we live now, everything you said was interesting great work!
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Janvi
12/1/2023 02:07:58 pm
I loved your blog. It’s so inspired and informative. I liked how you shared the steps in detail, because I never knew that there were so many steps. As I moved here as well, I was never an exchange student, though I do want to study abroad. This all inspired me to go study abroad.
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Jaden
12/1/2023 02:34:56 pm
Since I'm an international student like you, I know that it is worth it to experience live in a different country but I feel it is kinda tough too. I learned how to be more independable and to be more responsible to myself. I think everyone should experience living in a new environment to know more about themselves.
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