What in the World Do You Need to Know?

"I wanted to use my foreign language knowledge and actually apply it to the real country. Also I wanted to see what it was like to be out of the USA,” says Sarah Gordon, a Deaf student that went with her high school German class to Germany. “Overall, it surpassed my expectations. It was an experience I will never forget.”

Program Type / Structure / Lodging / Foreign Language / Cost

As a high school student, you may decide to study for a school term or year at a high school in another country, learning the language and living with a local family.

Or maybe, a short summer trip for one to six weeks with a social studies class, sports team or music group might be the ticket. Exchanges often involve sightseeing tours and field trips to learn about the local culture. Some may involve community volunteering or artistic projects.

_{Photo Caption: Get up close and learn about architectural wonders while sightseeing abroad. It will add new dimensions to your world history classes back home.}

What others have done:

• “I went with the USA Men’s Junior Basketball Team; we lost in the final All-Star game to Australia. Our tournament was only about a week and half long so we still had 3-4 days to look around; we went to an amusement park and a wildlife park. It was interesting to see all the animals you see on TV. We also went to see a show put on for us by aboriginal people. It was different in that it’s something you wouldn’t see here in the United States.” Marcus Oden, wheelchair user
• “I went to England with People to People International; I heard about it from a friend. We spent 10 days there. I didn’t know any of the other people [on the program]. I visited Wales; I went to the Roman baths and Stonehedge, and got to know some of the people there. It was cool to chitchat, and hear their accent. [We competed with] other bowling groups from there.” Joshua Chen, person with autism
• “I took the program called ‘The European Odyssey’ and it basically was all about traveling through the three most popular European countries: United Kingdom, France, and Italy. We spent two weeks in England, then we took the bus to Paris, and onwards to Nice with a few days of stopover in Dijon. After that, we went to three main cities in Italy: Venice, Florence, and Rome. During all those stops, we spent most of the time sightseeing at the cities' major sites: Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower and so forth.” Patrick Rosenburg who is Deaf and went on a School for International Training program

_{Photo Caption: Some things just aren't believable until you get a chance to touch them. International exchange provides you a chance for an original experience, such as petting koala bears in Australia.}

• “The program [to Mexico] was ten days with the Cultural Heritage Alliance. There were six students from our school and our instructor, and then another school in Georgia combined with us to go. We did a lot of tours – we viewed a lot of the churches and different gardens. We toured Mexico City, Taxco (which is famous for its silver), and Acapulco." Robin Sutherby, person with cerebral palsy
• “I was in Europe for a month, and I went with a band that was set up through a camp I had gone through – Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp. They set up a symphony band that goes abroad, and I play the tenor saxophone. Anyone who went to sessions at the camp could try out, and I got selected. We had a few rehearsals before we left in July. We were all about in the same grade and knew each other.” Kim Borowicz, person with a visual impairment
• “[We did mostly field trips in Israel] plus it was an artistic program, so I spent a lot of time working on art projects as well. It was a religious connection – the fact that I’m Jewish and surrounded by so many Jews unlike in the States. It was uplifting experience to feel a stronger Jewish identity – definitely a new perspective. It also shows a different lifestyle than in the States. Shops were closed on Friday night and Saturday in observance of the Sabbath unlike in the States. [There was] more of a community feel – you can knock on your neighbor’s doors as old friends.” Rachel Berkston, person with hearing impairment
• “My high school did the trip every two years – the Social Studies teachers would take a group to Europe. We traveled around for two weeks; we actually hit seven countries. We were moving quite a bit. We visited a lot of museums and tourist spots. We visited a lot of different places. For example, in London we went to the changing of the guards, and we saw Mona Lisa in the Paris museums. In Venice we got to go on the gondolas, and see castles in Germany.” Paula Gieselman, person with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Read the "Getting Started" article in this issue to learn how to find out about similiar opportunities for you.

Program Structure

While short-term exchanges can be busy, there’s plenty of time to make friends with other U.S. students on the program during the bus, train or sightseeing trips.

• “In Germany, the most rewarding experience was to learn more about each person in my group. I really learned about who they are because we traveled all over Germany by train and bus. Some of them I still keep in touch with to this day, and even my teacher! I cherish my memories that I had in Germany with that group of people.” Sarah Gordon who is Deaf and went on a program with EF Tours.

Short-term exchanges also often have set schedules, making it convenient for planning ahead of time for disability-related services that might be needed at each place.

• “The trip was very scheduled. That’s what my parents were comfortable with. We got the itinerary – we’re going to lunch here, etc. – so if anything looked 'iffy' to me I could say 'I’m not so sure about this.' In that way, I could plan for most things. Looking back on it was good for my first time going overseas and it was good because we stuck to the schedule.” Angela Winfield, person with a visual impairment who went on an exchange with her high school Law Academy

Lodging

Some group programs provide lodging for everyone together in local hotels along the route. Other programs might place you with a local family that will show you around. This often leads to close friendships with host sisters or brothers and a family away from home. It can be easier than you think for you and your program leader to plan for accessible housing if you share specifics on what you need and are flexible during the experience. Homestay families give you access to a side of a culture you would miss as a tourist. How are the homes different? What are meal times typcially like? Living with a local familiy also gives you a chance to teach about your culture.

_{Photo Caption: Maps become your best friend if navigating overseas on your free time. Otherwise, brush up on your language skills to get pointed in the right direction.} 

• “I wasn’t as homesick as I had envisioned. I think it was a lot easier to become accustomed to a different place. The homestay families were very supportive. Host families varied a lot depending on how many other students were with you. I was only by myself once and I remember being really nervous about it, but actually I enjoyed that homestay much better than the others. There was a host sister about my age – so that was really cool.  She was nervous to have a homestay and I was nervous to be staying there, but they were so welcoming.” Kim Borowizc, person with a visual impairment who went to Europe with her music camp.

Foreign language skills will vary with the program you go on, but most high school programs do not require you to know the language of the country before going. Using personal tools like observation to figure out the transportation system or pictures or gestures to communicate can work quite well. Packing along patience, an adventurous spirit and a warm smile helps too.

^{Photo Caption: You'll become a professional at packing up your luggage on a short term exchange program. A day pack makes it easy to bring with you what you need for the day. Remember to leave room for souvenirs you collect along the way.}

• "I didn't know Finnish, but people there tend to speak many languages. I think I met two people who did not know English. I was there in the summer so I didn't acutally take classes -- that was one of the things I ended up regretting -- not going for a semester. I was only there for six weeks." Eugene Aronsky, person with a visual impairment who participated on an AFS Intercultural Program.

• “I was apprehensive about it, but I was amazed how much I picked up even after 24 hours, because the people don’t speak English and I was forced to try and use Spanish even if I wasn't comfortable with it. I thought before I went there that it would be very difficult to be immersed in a country of the language that you are learning -- I had taken one to two years of Spanish before going. We went to markets and walked around talking to people. The culture in Mexico is warm in general but people were amazed to see a young woman that’s tiny, blond hair, blue eyed, obviously white, that could speak Spanish; they would get all bright-eyed and just laugh. They were really surprised.” Robin Sutherby, person with cerebral palsy who traveled with her Spanish class.

• "What I liked to do was watch movies in German with subtitles in English, and that worked out well. When you watch children’s films, it’s just so much easier to get into it. Going to school everyday, I had to put myself out there. Everytime someone wanted to speak English with me, I was like 'Nope. I don’t understand. I’m speaking German now.' I’ve learned a language once (it was English because I come orginally from India) so I thought if I can do it one time, I can do it again and I kept on trying. I think after three months the other exchange students had learned German pretty well, and I took a little bit longer, but it is doable." Rebekah Elsen, person with a learning and physical disability who studied for a year at a German high school (see the blue box below). 

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Costs

You often have to pay for airfare, and sometimes program costs for food, transportation, housing and activities while abroad. Students often do fundraising to raise money for these, as well as disability-related expenses (which may or may not be covered by the program). Raise funds by helping a neighbor with yard work or ask friends to donate one item from their yard for a plant sale. You will be surprised by how quickly your funds will grow. Some programs like Rotary International  and AFS provide scholarships.

• “I was in Bermuda for five days. Our program was about drug prevention – we’d go to elementary and middle schools to show that older kids do other things than drugs and try to encourage them to be drug free. They had organizations similar to ours here, so it was interesting to go into the schools to see how things were different and how they compared. Twenty of us did fundraising. I had to pay a couple hundred dollars. It was a low amount that I could raise by washing cars. For my music group trip [the next year to Europe], it was a couple thousand dollars to go.” Kim Borowicz, person with a visual impairment who went overseas when she was sixteen and seventeen.

Read the "Five Ways to Raise Funds for Your Exchange Program" article in this issue to get ideas and the blue box below to learn about the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange full scholarships.

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