This second semester at Verrado High has started with not only a new year, but also a new student. His name is Lukas Paustenbach, an exchange student that has been to the U.S. before, but this time, attending a school to have the American high school experience. Since this is his first time in Arizona, he wants to explore the amazing scenery that Arizona has to offer. I welcome you to read through the experience of Arizona through a perspective of an exchange student from Lukas:

I am an exchange student from Germany who has recently moved to Arizona in late December. I have begun attending Verrado High School this 2nd semester.

An exchange year always looks perfect on social media. Making many new friends, Prom and American High Schools, but this is just what you see on social media. Of course, it has some really good things and advantages, but in reality, it is much more than that.

Many people think an exchange year is something perfect, the dream of a host family and the USA experience, but there is more to the aftermath of an exchange year. Many children start to feel homesick quickly, especially over the holidays, new traditions, new people, and no family. It is a completely different environment, and you often need to adjust to it.

Luckily, there are solutions. For example, you can start a sport in the US or find new friends to talk to. You have the advantage that you are an exchange student and “special”. Also, for many exchange students, American schools will appear easier than back in their home country, this is because the US has different teaching methods and a different curriculum.

Also, many children notice that the US is way more dependent on public transportation compared to European countries. While you can just hop on the train or bus in Germany, you need to ask your host parents or friends to take you somewhere if it is far away. For me, this is a big culture shock because I often used public transport back in Germany. Many exchange students think it’s inconvenient and don’t like being dependent on other people.

Another thing that is pretty different here in the US that I noticed is that long car drives are way more normalized than back in Germany. When I arrived, my host dad drove up to Salt Lake City, Utah, and it was an 11-hour drive. In Europe, you would have crossed multiple countries or would have just flown all the way there.

The biggest difference between the US and Germany is that the people in the US are way more outgoing compared to the people in Germany. People greet each other at the start. Small talk at the cash register or talking with their teacher about private things is common here. This is pretty different in Germany, because German people would just give you a confused stare and wouldn’t know why you are talking about those things.

Altogether, there are clear positive and negative things about an exchange year, but in my opinion, if you have the chance to do one, you should take it because it’s an experience you can only do once in your life and is only positive for a short period of time of your life.