{"id":12018,"date":"2024-03-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preprod.sts-education.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/05\/ada-studied-on-high-school-in-the-usa\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T10:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:10:55","slug":"ada-studied-on-high-school-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sts-education.com\/en-nz\/high-school\/our-exchange-students\/student-testimonials\/ada-studied-on-high-school-in-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Ada Studied On High School In The Usa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ada studied on high school in the USA<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Ada<\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ada from Finland spends her exchange in Arizona, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Hi! Greetings from sunny Arizona<\/h2>\n

I had been dreaming about doing an exchange year for years and 3 months ago my dream finally came true after long waiting. I moved to Arizona! It\u2019s been really hot (over 100\u00b0F\/38\u00b0C), but now it\u2019s getting cooler and I absolutely love the weather here!<\/p>\n

Everyone says that exchange year is a rollercoaster and that couldn\u2019t be more true\u2026 During the past three months, I\u2019ve been experiencing things I never thought I would. I\u2019ve met so many amazing people from all over the world and learned about so many cultures. Even though I\u2019m living my dream I have my bad days and that\u2019s totally normal. But the thing I really wanted to talk about is something I really struggled with for the first 2 months; homesickness.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been homesick before. I traveled a lot without my parents, and I\u2019ve always adapted to changes quickly. Before coming here, I was so excited about finally starting my exchange year and homesickness was the least of my worries. I never thought I\u2019d be homesick. I started feeling homesick on the second day here. Can you believe that? That\u2019s supposed to be your \u201choneymoon phase\u201d; you have finally started your exchange year and everything is perfect. I really don\u2019t know why I felt so homesick since the second day. I had \u201cno reason\u201d to be homesick. Basically, the first two months of my exchange year I felt homesick almost every single day. The feeling was weird. I wanted to go home but didn\u2019t want to give up and leave America.<\/p>\n

I decided NOT to give up and now I\u2019m sharing some of my best tips to cope with homesickness:<\/p>\n

  1. Join exchange student group chats. You can find other exchange students on social media. Text them and create\/join a group where you can share your thoughts, worries, and joy with other exchange students. Trust me, you are not the only one struggling with homesickness (or other issues).<\/li>\n
  2. Make a photo\/video album of pictures from home. When being homesick, I tried to avoid everyday contact with my family and friends back home. Instead of talking to them, I created a photo album full of videos and pictures from home.<\/li>\n
  3. Have your family and friends write letters for you. My friends and family wrote me letters that I still read when having a bad day. Even after reading them several times, they still make me feel better!<\/li>\n
  4. You probably hear this a lot but it\u2019s true: Keep yourself busy!!! And when I say this, I want to clarify that it\u2019s totally normal to want to be alone when feeling homesick or having a bad day. But don\u2019t stay in your room too much. Ask your host parents to go to a grocery store with them, go for a walk, try a new sport, ask someone to hang out, cook something, or just go and sit in the living room.<\/li><\/ol>\n

    Homesickness is a feeling that almost every exchange student feels at some point. I would say that it\u2019s something that is a part of your experience. Remember: you\u2019re not alone. Every time you feel homesick, you learn more about yourself and become a stronger person!<\/p>\n

    Find out more<\/h2>\n