Q & A

Hi everyone,
I thought it would be a nice idea to answer some short questions about me and the expectations of my exchange year. If you have any other questions you'd like to ask me, leave a comment so I can answer them in my next post!

I can't wait for this moment!

What's the organization you're traveling with?
EF! Until now, I'm quite happy with them. At the beginning, there wasn't much contact but now it's really better. They have this special social network for exchange students called 'My EF' where you can read everything about your exchange year and get in touch with other exchange students, which I really like!
If you're also interested in an High School Year, you can take a look at my Ambassador Page. There you can order a free brochure to learn more about an exchange year.

Do you already have a host family?
No, I'm still waiting for my state and host family. And I have to say, it's really nerve-racking because I'm thinking a lot about the coming year! It's hard to imagine how it'll be because I don't know where I'll stay and how my host family will look like.
But I understand that it takes time to find a good host family. That's because many host family's wait until their kids go to college or their current exchange student leaves. So I just try to be patient even though I'm not really good at that, haha :)


What do you expect of your exchange year?
I expect to have an experience I'll remember for my whole life! I think I'll improve my English a lot and I hope to make new friends. I'd also love to see more of the country. I've been to the USA once (to NY) and I hope I can visit other places too!

Did you choose for a specific state / region?
No, I didn't. With EF it's possible to do a state or region choice. You can choose between the different regions above: the western states, mountain states, midwest, southern states and northeast. I didn't do it because I think that every state or region can be really nice. It's more about the experience of an exchange year than about the specific region you're in. And I think that having a good host family is much more important!

What do you want to try in the USA? A new sport, for example?
I'd love to try American food that we don't have in the Netherlands, and I think it'll be amazing to experience all the holidays we don't have here like halloween and thanksgiving.
I'm not the most sporty person but I'd like to try a sport, just to belong to a team and make friends! I would prefer to play a sport we don't have in the Netherlands. I love acting and theatre, so I hope I can participate in a play or drama class.

What are you afraid of?
I'm afraid that my year won't be as I expected. That I'm not making new friends, for example. It's not that I can go back if I don't like it. I have to stay 10 months, or something really bad must happen. I'm also afraid I'll get really homesick. I haven't been away from home so long so I don't know how it'll be. On the other side, I know that if I just keep busy I won't be very homesick.

What do your family & friends think of your choice?
Well, everyone seems just as excited as I am! My friends are really interested in my year. My family is going to miss me (and I'm going to miss them!) but they agree with my choice and think it'll be an amazing experience for me! I'm not scared to lose my friends or something, even though when I come back everyone is already going to college.

Will you attend the preparation camp?
For the ones not familiar with this: every year, EF organizes a 'Language and Culture' camp for exchange students where you'll have classes about the American culture and English language. I'm not going to this camp. It's quite expensive and for the first time this year there are 'Welcome Days' where you'll visit New York for a few days with other exchange students. That seemed really nice to me so I decided not to go to camp.

The Grand Canyon!

What places would you like to visit in your host country?
Many places! Firstly, the Grand Canyon. Just look at the picture, it's so beautiful! I'd also like to visit San Francisco, because it seems like a really nice city and I'd love to see the Golden Gate Bridge. With the 'Welcome Days' I'll be visiting New York and I can't wait for that. I love that city!

That's the end of the Q & A! I hoped you enjoyed reading it. If you have any other questions or want to read anything specific on my blog, let me know. And if you want to keep updated, you can fill in your email address on the right. You'll receive an email every time I update my blog.
For the other exchange students: you can use these questions on your blog if you like! If you do, let me know because I'd love to read your answers.