Going on an exchange is a rollercoaster

Simon Hyberg from Sweden is on exchange in Louisiana, USA

Why did you go on exchange?

It wasn’t really planned, I saw a brochure in my school, and it got me right away.

How is it to live with a host family?

I have a really good host family. They treat me as their own kid, and I see them as my family.

What are you doing in your spare time? Any new hobbies?

In my spare time, I mostly hang out with friends. We go bowling, to restaurants, fishing or just spend time together. I am so glad I got to try baseball. I learned so much about it and it’s very fun.

Has it been easy to get friends?

For me, it was easy to get friends. On the first days in school, there were many people who had questions. They turned out to be really easy to talk with and we shared a lot of interests.

What has been a big challenge for you?

“The hardest things to say in life are hello and goodbye”. So, at first, the culture shock was a big challenge for me because I could not really keep up with some of my hobbies and I had to get used to many things that were completely different to me.

And when the time comes for me to leave it’s going to be hard because I will leave a part of me behind just like that. It will be tough to say goodbye to things I will remember for the rest of my life. It feels like I have this new life and then everything will just be gone. Of course, I can call and text my friends, but it will not be the same as meeting them in person. And, I will for sure miss my family in America.

Going on an exchange is a rollercoaster. I have had my ups and downs like I would normally have, but now in a different place. A big challenge for me was that I really had to become independent.

What’s your best memory?

I have two things I have loved during my year. One of them was going to Tennessee where we visited Ruby falls, a waterfall inside a cave. That was really cool! The second was going to the Mexican gulf where we went fishing. It was so beautiful there; you could see the ocean from wherever you looked. I could picture myself moving there if it wasn’t for the hurricanes 😊.

What has been the best thing about your exchange?

My family and my friends whom I will stay in touch with even after the exchange.

What are your main learnings?

I have to say becoming independent. You must take care of a lot of things since you are not with your parents. But, that also made me develop as a person!

Can you recommend going on exchange?

I can absolutely recommend going on an exchange. But don’t expect it to be easy. Going on an exchange is an incredible experience, but it will also be a hard challenge.

For me this year will be one of the best years I had. I have developed as a person, and I will always have a second home that I can visit.