Program Deadlines
March 31 – Academic Year,
Fall Semester and
Summer 2008 Programs

Japan Deadlines
October 7 – Spring Semester
February 1 – Fall Semester

Scholarship Deadlines
March 1 – Youth Leader Scholarship

I have just started to kick into super experience mode in the last week. My school holidays have begun and I find myself with so much more time. There was a heat wave of 35°C, which I found like the outback: dry and oven-like. I have started to connect with my Aussie friends as well. I invited them over to my house and we had lots of fun. We didn't need a game plan, we just had so many things that we wanted to do that we just flowed into one after the other. Some activities, like dancing for a half hour after eating homemade sushi, were not planned at all.

My host-brother German Johannes is at the Gold Coast and Sydney with most of the other exchange students. My parents, and I can understand them perfectly well in this decision, did not want me traveling to a strange city for the first time with a group of teenagers as my guides. So, I am left maneuvering the radius of Adelaide. I went to the free art gallery and saw the most amazing painting of Circe poisoning a lagoon. I stared at its crisp and green imagery for several minutes (and even returned later). I am also going to give blood on Thursday, which will be an experience. One of my friends (an Aussie at the sleepover) is a Blood Ambassador because she was in England for the mad cow disease period, so she cannot donate herself.

I am thinking more about home and it does scare me. I kind of want to return, but the thought of leaving this new and wonderful place scares me so I avoid it. Some time soon I will have to face the reality. Also, foreign cultures do not fascinate me like zoo animals. I love the personalities of the people and relish who they are and where they came from. There is no time where I gape at their accent and forget the words that emerge. I noticed that when I met some Brits and Scots in the city. I have come to love the area and feel perfectly at home here. But, to be sure, this is only the beginning of my traveling. I know for a concrete fact now that I will come back to Australia and also visit other countries.

Heaps Good!

Elena Nardozzi

Cheetah and Skit, Christmas Pageant, Surfing Victor Harbour

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Hi,

I'm just writing to share some of my experiences and pictures, and check in and tell you all how I'm doing, and how wonderful everything is. Right now I'm in the wonderful city of Berlin, Germany for a year, and I love it!! I've been having a blast ever since I hopped off the plane, and discovered that even being a passenger in a car is an adventure in Germany! They're so quick with the gas (and thankfully even faster with the brakes) that it's like a rollercoaster ride every time you go to the market.

During my first weekend in Germany, we went to a vacation house on a lake that my host grandparents own, and I learned and experienced first hand lots of important things pretty fast! I learned how to say (and experienced) "poison ivy" in German the first day, "mosquitoes" the second day, and "blisters" the third day. Thankfully, I was fully recovered by the time school started up a week later!

The first day of school was by far the hardest; I had never heard German slang before, and my host family had always been nice enough to talk slow to me. School was a different story completely! The students were talking up a storm with each other, and then would forget to talk slow to me, and blabber on at an amazing pace until seeing the lost look on my face. My math teacher talked so quickly I couldn't understand a word, and one of the elderly male teachers muttered in such a low pitch I could catch maybe only half of what he was saying. I was also so nervous at first I was shaking, and when you're that hyped up, it's really hard to understand a different language. Thankfully the other kids helped me a ton for the first couple weeks, until I could get the hang of things, and now everything is going great! I can even participate in the class discussions, and do almost all of the homework without requiring any help!

My third week of school, the whole 10th grade class did a three week long Job Shadow. I ended up going to work with my host dad, and had an absolutely wonderful time!! He never got annoyed when I asked constantly what everything meant and was called. My host dad repairs enormous drying and folding machines for dry cleaners all over Germany, and is somewhat of a specialist, so we had to travel a lot too. Most of the time we travelled an hour or an hour and a half away at the most, but we were on the Baltic Coast for a week too, and I really enjoyed seeing some other parts of Germany. All in all it was a great experience, and I now appreciate school a LOT more than I used to, and am not looking forward so much to the working world.

Since then I've been studying a lot for school, and trying desperately to find a sport club that I like. I also go out with friends almost every weekend, and am having the time of my life! Homesickness comes and goes, but it's never too bad because I'm almost always busy with something, whether it's going to the Grandmother's house to go hiking, going to concerts with friends, doing homework, or checking out sport clubs all over Berlin. Whenever we have vacation, the whole family travels too, and last week we went to Dresden! It was awesome, and is an amazingly beautiful city.

I hope everything is going as great in the U.S. as it is here! Tschüß!

Sincerely,
Nathan Hanson

View of street in Berlin, Me with my host sister, Me with my host family Me in Berlin

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To those who have not experienced Tokyo first hand I think it can be summed up with images of people and steel, harsh clashing forms cutting across one's vision scarcely before they can be comprehended. Like all cities, people congregate in swarms, great herds of man-flesh moving through these cold rain-swept streets, each one moving toward their own ends and seemingly leaving the individual with nothing but a sense of isolation to his name. When one looks up and sees the great buildings looming over you as you scuttle along some tight alleyway with two strangers at either flank dragging you along by sheer momentum and a strange sort of peer-pressure, one begins to feel alone, unimportant, like some errant cog of a great construct which moves with no care to how he is slowly ground away until such time in which he must be replaced, which he promptly is.

But if you move along the right alleys, take a proper turn at Yoyogi station, and look for green bedazzled arms reaching out to comfort you then you will find one of the most majestic places mankind has yet been graced with on this earth.

As soon as you cross the torii (gate), the formerly cacophonous clamor of streetcars and trains dulls till it is but a murmur, a murmur which, strangely enough, does not distract but rather elevates the consciousness. It is not like a monastery located on some distant mount, trying desperately to pretend that a cold, harsh world of machines and men does not exist. Dreaming dogmas that cry out only in denial and which attempt to create a Utopia by gouging out ones eyes. No… this seems far wiser. Rather than flee from the fire, it bends with it, adapts to it, like a certain type of tree that uses forest fires to thrive, letting itself be consumed so that its seeds may disperse and proliferate. So that each seed may find itself a human mind, a human soul, in which to grow and to be made all the grander then the mother tree from whence it spawned.

So you are there in this forest surrounded by trees. By lush greenery that seems to contrast so sharply with the pitiful, half-dead shrubs that struggle to grow up in pathetically small allotments of ground along sideways and bypasses. No, these actually carry a true vitality, that if not for that consciousness-elevating hum (which, if I may interject does not sound unlike on of those bowls which a Buddhist monk would tap and the move a small wooden peg around its circumference creating a deep, hum that seemed to drag the mind into the realm of thoughtfulness) would make one think that one is in the country.

Charles and Friends, Group outside Restaurant, Japanese Garden

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When I first arrived in Amboise, France I hopped off the bus from Paris eager and anxious to meet my host family. Before I knew it, I was in a car looking at the chateau D’Amboise and apart from the beauty and magnificence, I remember thinking, “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” I didn’t understand a word that was being said to me. I would just respond with a confident “oui” and get a confused look in return. I started off as a mute child playing charades and a bit overwhelmed and frustrated with the language barrier.

However, you find your ways and looking back now I realize how foolish it is to start off with those feelings because eventually they all evolve into laughter and the improvement in my French is unbelievable. You learn to laugh at yourself and your failed attempts to say something and you experience extreme pride and joy when you do master another French concept. You also eventually find yourself at home. My second night in France I tried to ask my host mother if I could help her with dinner but instead she insisted I watch TV – “The Simpsons” – in French of course, and seeing some familiarity after such changes was comforting.

This trip was only four weeks long and I realize, regardless of the amount of time, you really get to know your group members and you really become somewhat of a family because you are all lost, overwhelmed, and amused by the differences but brought together by one thing—a foreign culture.

Holly in Amboise, Friends Hanging out after School,
Group Picnic in Amboise, Friends on a Paddleboat Excursion

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My homestay experience was soooo great. When my homestay partner Mushroom (her English nickname) picked me up with her father, I was so nervous. I was still with my friend Terry and her homestay partner WangYing (because they live in the same apartment complex as Mushroom's family). We dropped WangYing and Terry off at the complex, and her father, Mushroom and I went out to eat dinner.

Her father was very nice to me, and saw that I was really nervous. He told me to just relax and act like I'm home. But honestly, I couldn't act like I was home.

During dinner, I had trouble eating chicken with my chopsticks, because the bone kept getting in the way. Mushroom and her father laughed a little, and told me to use my hands. I felt embarrassed. I was too scared to use my hands at first. But after a while I relaxed a bit and ate chicken with my hands. haha. That night I met her mother, coincidently she is one of the chemistry teachers at Mushroom's High School.

The next day was my first at High School in China!! I was SO excited and nervous at the same time! I remember waking up early and getting ready and making sure I looked okay and suitable, wondering all the possibilities for the day. There were so many. Would I make friends? Would the students like me? What if they all think I'm like an alien or something? Or shame me for not understanding Chinese when its my native culture? So many thoughts ran through my mind. But I was still so excited to make friends and see what school was all about here in China.

Mushroom and I ate a very Chinese breakfast, noodle soup with leftover chicken from last night, and eggs. It was delicious. Her father was a very good cook. Her father drove Mushroom and me to school that day. We arrived at the front gate waiting for Susanna and her homestay partner (our own on-site coordinate Hailin's daughter Xiao Ying). We all went to class together and we already stuck out. Mushroom introduced me to her friends and told them all I was her American friend (meiguo de pengyou).

At the beginning of the first class, the teacher asked Susanna and I to introduce ourselves in the front of the class. Susanna and I were both pretty nervous. All we could basically say was "Nimen hao. Wo jiao Sunmingyi. Jinnian wo shi qi sui...Nimen hao. Wo jiao Liweiyi. Wo shi qi sui" which basically is "Hi. I'm Sunmingyi. This year I'm 17 years old… Hi. I'm Liweiyi. I'm 17 years old" And then we smiled, they clapped and we went back to our seats.

Class was quite boring, just like American classes. It wasn't THAT much different. I talked with Mushroom's classmate, Liyuheng aka Mikko. He seemed very eager to meet me and talk in English with me. During class I taught him some English and Spanish too! Only basic stuff, like… Hola, Adios, Como estas, bien. etc. Ha ha ha… it was fun teaching him. I wrote notes with him during class too. We also all spent lunch together and he gave me a tour of the campus. I made another friend too. His nickname in class was "Hua" Flower, cuz in their class he is the most beautiful guy. I found that really funny at first, to call a boy flower in the US would probably be insulting, but here it was fine! He also came to lunch with us.

In English class, I got up and read a passage to the class. It was fun. Later, in the afternoon, Nick, his partner David, and I went to Wang Ying's and Terry's Class to watch their play performance of Merchant in Venice. It was really cute. Their students had pretty good English. We watched them and then watched the English teacher sing. After the play, students got up to sing in Chinese or English. They kept trying to get us to sing, but we were all too shy at first. I helped two girls sing English Songs, and in the end I sang a song too. I sang Back Here, by BBmak. It was embarrassing but fun too.

After school we played volleyball and basketball with Mikko and everyone else. When we went home, I met up with her mother and went to WangYing's house to make dumplings (jiao zi) with them. It was a lot of fun, we all tried to make funky designs with them without breaking them at the same time lol. We ate dinner with the homestay families and friends too. We took pictures with everyone too. Afterwards, we went to KARAOKE! it was so much fun! Nick and his homestay family and friends came too, and so did "Flower!" We all sang in English and Chinese. It was a great way for us to spend our last night with our homestay families. The karoake room was so big and fancy! All the kids sang while the parents talked, drank and used the internet ha ha ha. Flower gave me a book, about Yunnan and the 8 things that make it unique. Unfortunately it's in Chinese, so I cant understand most of it, but its the thought that counts, right? haha. I felt really touched when he gave it to me and very surprised. I gave him a big hug when we all left cuz I would never see him again. I was really sad and a lady asked me if I thought if he was "hen shuai," very handsome, and of course I said Hen shuai!

We went home and that was the end of my day. My family let me call my family back in New York, and after that I had a shower and went to sleep. That night before I slept I wrote letters to all the new friends I made at school that day and to my homestay partner telling them how thankful I was for their kindness. I also gave them all my email so I could keep in touch with all of them. I miss them very much and hope to see them in the future sometime soon.

Climbing the Great Wall, Outside Dereins Restaurant in Kunming,
Kunming Group

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When asked to write a memorandum of our trip to the wonderful town of Amboise, no one in our group knew quite what to say. There are of course the small things to mention, the fact that there are wonderful bakeries on every street corner, or that school has finally become a positive place to be. But then there are the amazing things, such as passing by a castle on your way to school every morning, or learning French… in French. There is nothing to be taken for-granted here, everything seems magical.

We have visited Chambord, Cheverny, Chenonceau, Blois, and Tours. We have walked through gardens that are over 500 years old, live in a town that has a history of almost 2000 years, and we still have Paris, the gardens of Villandry, the wonderful market every Sunday morning (it's the most amazing thing any of us have ever seen), and caves to look forward to.

Our most recent (again, amazing) experience was yesterday when we made cookies. It was a struggle trying to convert all of the ingredients intro grams and milliliters and we even ended up guessing on a few things. The cookies turned out wonderful and our host-parents call it the "American Cake" and they all loved it. It's the experiences like that that make this town feel like the wonderful home that it is.

Hannah
Amboise, France, Summer Semester 2007

Hannah and Cheese, Biking in France, Anne and Sircie

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Well, this past week was just one of those weeks where you soak up the small things and just appreciate. Friday I got out of school early and headed off to Paola's house… ¡que sueño! It was great there because (I know I am going to get some smiles from this) Paola's madre and I had some great deep conversations about the Basque!

I have asked many people's opinions of the Basque, and they have all said that they really like them, have no problem whatsoever with them, and that they have a unique, genuine, and caring personality that you can't help but love. So, some questions pertaining to my senior research paper are now affirmed and answered! Also, I made some of my friends peanut butter and honey sandwiches (I used the peanut butter mom and dad sent). They all LOVED them!

Friday night was my favorite night of the week. A bunch of the girls and I celebrated Virginia's birthday by eating tons of food in her house, and then we went to Fama and all had fun bailando (dancing) together! I LOVE when the flamenco music comes on because then all of the girls start dancing the traditional Andalucían dance together!

Last night I saw a "runway" show of flamenco dresses and horseback riding wear, and there was a live performance of music and dancing. When the women sing flamenco, the way they use their voice is so unique. Also: I get to start horseback riding lessons with Virginia and Lauren and my friend Ana! Once every Friday! Today, my host mother Angela and I went to mass at 1 and then went to an outdoor cafe (JUST like what you see in the movies!) tomar algo – which, of course, was served with queso and pan splashed with aceite (cheese and bread splashed with oil).

Annika Gunderson
Spring Semester 2007 in Andújar, Spain

Sevillana Baile Attire, Cooking, Serenade, Buying Hair Dryers

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Ecuador is amazing. For the past four months I've been living in Quito, the capital city, and it has been incredible. I come from a very small island in Washington State, and that among other things has made this all a huge adjustment process. When I first got here, everything was completely bewildering. But since January, I have learned more than I ever thought was possible in that length of time. I no longer get lost on the bus, I feel at home here, and I already am regretting that before too long I'll have to leave. This has undoubtedly been both the toughest and most fabulous thing that I have ever done.

Ecuador is an absolutely beautiful country. It has an incredibly rich indigenous culture and the Quechua language gets mixed into the spanish people here use. It's divided into three very geographically distinct regions: Sierra, Costa, and Oriente and they are completely different. In a matter of about four hours of driving, you can end up in what seems like another planet. People here are very welcoming and helpful although the school system here is much more formal than in the states, its really easy to make friends. I'm going to miss my classmates and family like crazy when I go home.

For anybody thinking about coming here on exchange, I would recommend it strongly. Ecuador is a great place to learn Spanish and make new friends. Be ready to wear really ugly uniforms to school, though… and be ready for an really fulfilling experience that will test you like crazy. Buena suerte!!!

Ciao,

Katie

Otavalo hats, Amigos at Benalcazar, Boating with Morgan and Jenny

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Yesterday was very cool, it was the only day off I had from school that week so my host family took me hiking. We went to two shrines. They were huge; one was probably 70 feet tall! We also we found this mountain that you were able to go in, like a cave. Inside we saw several really cool shrines and statues. There were parts were I had to crawl since I'm so much bigger then everyone else in Japan. After the hike we took the train home and my host family took me to a sushi bar.

Kenii in Front of a Temple, Cherry Blossoms, Kenii's Classroom, Kenii and Two Friends, Japanese Shrine, Kenii's Bedroom, Hiking in Japan

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I share a room with my host sister Janire, which works out well. We go to the same school by tram every day and that gives us plenty of time to bond. She is a lovely, goofy girl who loves fashion, her friends, and her sister (even though they have frequent verbal sparring!), laughing, and getting up in the morning "to take in the sun and be content." I enjoy her presence greatly. Her younger sister, Saioa, is a boisterous little thing who loves patinando (roller-skating) and learning hip-hop dance off of tutorial videos. She is an active child who seeks attention, but is very loving. For the first week, I had to concentrate very hard to understand her chatter. I've relaxed into it now, but I still have to ask her to slow down sometimes! Piri, my host dad, is an athletic man who goes running every day, works in the civil guard, and loves to make jokes. The jokes are good... when I can understand them! He taught me how to play paddle, which is like tennis with a different variety of ball and racket and where you play bouncing the ball off of the walls as well as the ground. Idoia is the classic Spanish mother, with her constant caressing and concern over my food intake. She loves playing dominoes and hardly seems to sleep during the week as she stays on the computer playing dominoes electronically with her friends until all hours of the night! She is a good cook and a very open communicator; she and I have had many frank and open conversations over the weeks, which have proven essential to my survival in this world of un-established expectations. She and I played dominoes a week ago and she taught me how to make the Spanish tortilla today! This consists of frying potato and egg together into something akin to an omelet - only better! I guarantee you that, whoever you are, you will like this traditional Spanish dish.

Jocelyn's Host Mom, Sevilliana Dancers and Jocelyn, Jocelyn's Host Sister Janire, Rosa, Jocelyn's Local Coordinator & Jocelyn

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Hello! My name is Amanda Houseal. I am in the glorious country of Sweden for the 2007 spring semester.

I would like to start off by telling you all how I got here. It took me about 4 months to convince my parents to let me study abroad in another country. I had to bring it up every single day and I started acting more responsible until my parents had no choice but to let me go. They could see how much I wanted it. So they let me apply.

When I found out I was accepted I was so excited! I called my friends and told them the good news. Instead of jumping up and down and screaming with me, they sat down and cried. On the last day of school before winter break, they all surprised me with a Swedish soccer jersey, a Swedish flag, Swedish food. Pretty much anything and everything Swedish they could find in sunny California.

As my departure date grew nearer and nearer, I became nervous. However, I focused my time on getting to know my host family via email and asking them what I should bring. They told me it was cold. So I figured "Oh you know... cold is like 60 degrees." And I thought I brought "warm" clothes.

As soon as I stepped off the airplane, I thought "Oh gosh, what am I doing here? I should be at home in the sun...." And then I saw my host family there waiting for me. They had a sign and they looked so excited. And at that moment, I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I'm going to be honest; I was pretty homesick the first week. I hadn't started school and I missed the sun. But I live right next to the downtown and there is plenty of shopping, so I bought a bunch of warm clothes and a bright light and pretended I was in the sun! It worked. Then I started school and met my class. They were just as nervous as I was. I knew absolutely no Swedish and they were afraid to use their English. However, within minutes, they were asking me tons of questions about where I come from and why I came to Sweden. It was so exciting!

Six weeks have passed now, and I have done tons of things I have never done before. I have touched snow for the first time (I didn't know it would be so cold!!), I have gone sledding, I have gone to a Swedish concert, I have taken a test in Swedish, I have ridden the public bus!, I have walked to school (it is about 1.5 miles away!), I have bartered in Swedish, I have tried fish, I have tried caviar out of a tube, I get lunch for free every day at school.... The list can go on for ages.

But the most important things I have received since being here are patience, appreciation, understanding, a second family, a second home, and friendships that will last a lifetime. Not a day goes by that I don't think I am the luckiest person in the world for getting the chance to be here. My friends have even said I am an "official Swede"

I know as my departure date approaches, the picture of home becomes more bitter than sweet. I have learned to love my live here in Sweden and just the thought of leaving my life here sends a chill down my back. But I know, when I leave, I will have friends to visit, memories made, an extra home, a new language and most important..... I will have lived not just a dream, but MY dream.

Hejdå!!

Jaclyn, Amanda and Katya, Amanda with her host sister, Kajsa, Amanda and her best friends, Amanda and her classmates

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We interviewed the Wong brothers in December as part of the acceptance process and we were very impressed by their commitment to study abroad. They said they were drawn to the Intrax program because of its unique ability to combine academics with leisure activities like sightseeing in three main cities in China (Beijing, Kunming and Shanghai). The program will be beneficial for them not only personally, but also academically, and professionally.

The Summer Exploration program combines Chinese (Mandarin) language classes, sightseeing, and service-projects with local Chinese youth all in a 1 month program. The program begins in Beijing where the students get to know each other through sightseeing and group building activities. Then the group flies to Kunming, located in southwest China, to study at Yunnan Normal University. The group studies at the Institute of International and Chinese Studies (ICIS) based at the university. The language classes are taught by Chinese language professors who specialize in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. While in Kunming the group will take part in service projects with youth groups from the Red Cross and Save the Children UK. Yunnan Prefecture, where Kunming is located, is a diverse area and home to many ethnic groups. The students will spend one week visiting some of these people in the areas of Lijiang (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Dali. A short homestay will be offered with the Bai ethnic group outside of Dali. The program finishes in Shanghai, the economic hub of East Asia. In Shanghai, the group prepares themselves for re-entry to the United States and learns some creative ways to share their experiences with their friends and family.

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Our staff is in frequent contact with students currently on programs abroad. Although we have local staff onsite in each destination, during the initial interview process with us here at headquarters we develop a relationship with each and every one of our participants – and Max Capo is no exception. Max has spent this past semester in Sendai, Japan and last week he sent us an insight into his dining experiences while in Japan...

"After living in Sendai for about a month, I finally wanted to try the local specialty, beef tongue. So at dinner one night I said this to my host parents and with a smile they turned to me and said 'that is beef tongue on your plate.' Quickly I looked down and suddenly realized that the beef I have been enjoying every so often is in fact beef tongue! And there I was all this time thinking that this was just beef jerky or something..."

View pictures of Max and his Japanese friends:

Max and his classmates, Yuuki, Yamato, and Dan, Max, Yuuki, Yamato, and Dan, School festival,

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The Wonderful World of Bread

I would like to show you all the wonderful uses bread has here in France, but seeing as I am a day away by plane, I'll just have to explain!

Bread, first and foremost, is something to eat. They put tons of butter, jam and cheese on it whenever they please. Hungry? Here, have some bread.

Second of all, bread is a sponge. Not just for the plate, mind you, but for drippings on the table, on your napkin, and on your face. In fact, bread IS a napkin! Whenever you need to get more of anything, (for your bread, of course) you first wipe off your knife on your bread. The infamous bread is also a serving utensil. Whoever gets the end of a baguette in fact also receives a spoon, a bowl, a cup for yogurt, cheese, soup, meat... whatever you put in your mouth goes in your bread. Finally, and in my humble opinion, most impressively, bread is a meteorologist. No, there were no typos; I meant what I wrote. A meteorologist. Instead of watching the weather channel, my host family will smash their bread down on the table. If it stays down, it is going to rain. However, if the bread pops up again in its original shape, the weather will be clear and sunny! Amazing. And we've been paying someone to tell us this the whole time! Isn't that marvelous? While we in the states are competing to find the best and cheapest cleaning tools, utensils, napkins, and weather channels, the French already have one thing that is all encompassing: their bread.

View pictures of Kati and her host family in France: My Family, Pirate Costumes, Kati in France, Kati with her host siblings in France

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From the time I arrived in Spain, I was bombarded with completely new (and exciting!) things. It was like stepping into another world – things like tiny, tiny, tiny cars, mullets everywhere, impromptu fiestas and Catalan/Castillian signs everywhere in sight. Once I arrived in Barcelona, I had to travel a bit to get to my final destination in San Fernando. It was worth it. My host family is perfect! I have a younger couple (Pedro and Encarni) who have two young children – I play outside on the patio with the kids. If there's one thing I would tell other students who are studying abroad, it's to try everything you can – I've tried everything I've had the opportunity to try. I have been to two processions which were so beautiful and I felt extremely Spanish! I have eaten paella and gone to outside markets where entire fish, bigger than me, were lying around. I started the program nervous about not knowing enough Spanish, but now I'm feeling pretty close to fluent. My teachers are all truly amazing. I had problems expressing myself but I always just ended up laughing with my family about my mistakes. As I begin the second half of my time here, I hope to start a community service group with a main goal to teach English and encourage international friendliness. I've gotten so much support here from my host family, friends and teachers, I feel like I should try everything I can!

View pictures of Jamie and her host family in Spain: picture 1, picture 2, picture 3, picture 4

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I wanted to thank you for allowing me to have this wonderful opportunity to study abroad! Amboise, France was absolutely amazing! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I learned so much more than just the French language. I was kind of nervous when I first got there, because I'd only taken a few years of French, and was not fluent at all! My host family was very patient, and always seemed to know when I would need something rephrased, or when I needed them to talk slower. They really helped me get my bearings with the language. By the time I left I could have a lengthy conversation in French without trouble. Not only did I meet some very nice French people, but I also met and hung out with people from Mexico, Columbia, Germany, Switzerland and Japan! We had a pre-departure party before we left, and it was amazing to be there and realize that I was a part of this group from all over the world. I must admit, before I left I was not completely sure of the idea of going to school in the summer; but it turned out to be one of the best ideas! This program really made me think more about what I want to do in college and where I want to go in life. Again, thank you so much for the opportunity; it was the experience of a lifetime!

View pictures of me with my friends in Amboise: picture 1 and picture 2

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My high school semester abroad in Australia was fantastic!!! I had such a great time and made so many friends there that I can't wait to go back and visit. One of my fondest memories was actually my seventeenth birthday party. My friends decided that they wanted to throw me an Australian party. There was Australian food, such as vegemite (which I have learned to love), fairy bread and lamingtons and Aussie presents. My friends even decided to put "I love Australia" and Australian flag temporary tattoos all over my face and made me walk around outside. My friend, who had the party for me, lives in the German tourist town of Hahndorf, so you can imagine that I got some pretty strange looks as I walked down the street to the store to order my first Aussie meat pie. My time in Australia was truly a blessing and many of the people there were so welcoming that I'm sure I'll be in contact with them for many years to come.

Click here to view a picture of me and my Aussie Friends at my birthday party! I'm the one holding the Australian flag.

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Visiting Japan has been a big experience for me as I've never been so far away from home before. It's only been one week and I already have a great group of friends. Having friends to laugh with me as I make mistakes and grow make adjusting to the culture so much easier. With each new step my confidence is growing. A simple purchase at the Konbini (Convenience Store) or asking someone a question in Japanese is slowly becoming easier and I feel so much more comfortable. Traveling around takes a lot of courage, and at first the train system and Tokyo in general were terrifying. The only way to overcome your fear is to take a chance, and to push all doubt out of your mind. To succeed in a new culture, you have to be positive and accepting no matter what. Take in each event as an experience to learn from. I can already say that learning about Japan's culture first hand is one of the greatest experiences of my life."

Click here to view a picture of me in my Kimono!

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I apologize that I did not send you a Thank-You letter sooner, but I have been quite busy since I returned home. I would just like to thank you for everything you did for me in preparation for my trip. You were there for me the whole time, constantly answering questions that my parents or I had. I felt completely safe and comfortable during my entire trip. Also, my host family was great! They were all so nice and very understanding when it came to my awful French accent! Although my accent has yet to improve, I understand the language much better now. I was able to do so much: I went to Mont Saint-Michel, did a lot of sight-seeing, went to the beach several times, and many festivals that went on in the center of town. Everything was so beautiful and historical. I also got to enjoy all of the traditional food of Bretagne (and France in general) because my host mother was a cooking teacher. My host sisters were around my age so I went out with them and their friends a lot which was really fun and I got to meet some new people. Everything was amazing and I thank you so much for everything you did to make my trip great. It was my most memorable experience yet and I don't know how I could ever forget it!

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The biggest event that has integrated my culture into the Spanish culture has been Halloween. We threw a Halloween party with about 35 people. All the children dressed up in costumes and they all chipped in money to buy 15 pizzas. They decorated the playground that our building is conjoined with and it was something that my family as well as all my friends and the families in my building had been looking forward for many weeks. I also surprised my family with two pumpkins on the day of Halloween to carve. It was really fun. If I could give one quote to any exchange student it would be this 'Every day you have to learn to step out of your comfort zone and experience new things. Each day you will develop a new level of comfort and the next day you have to once again extend that comfort zone. Some days will be easy and some not so easy, it's all part of the experience.' I have been extremely busy taking violin lessons, teaching English, and taking Spanish lessons from a private tutor. Every day I experience new things, learn new words, try new foods, like some, and hate others. Some days are goods, and some days all I can think about is going home. But, I would never trade this experience for anything in the world. It has made me more aware of other cultures as well as my own. Made me aware of the value of communication; both verbal and other forms. I have been forced to be a more outgoing person. I have made friends, and experienced opportunities I never thought I would have the chance to experience.

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Last year I completed high school and did the usual and typical college application process. As I had almost completed them all, I ran across the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program. I thought I would apply and see what happened. As I received the scholarship I knew what had to be done. I immediately spoke with my college choice and requested a deferred enrollment. That was the best decision of my life. In this one year I have learned more about myself and the world then in the previous twelve. It is the entire experience of moving somewhere without knowing a single person, and having to build a community and a support group around yourself from scratch. This program builds confidence and motivation in students. My success here comes directly from these abilities. As I was asked to write this report, I thought about what success in an exchange year with this program means. It came to me quite clearly that it is comfortability and integration. When one feels so comfortable with one's host family, friends, relatives, the German language, and the school situation that he or she does not feel like an outsider, that could be called success. That is exactly how I feel now at this point in March. It is the time of my life to live in this country and to experience the culture and its people. But the thing I enjoy most of all is the experience of changing someone's opinions. I feel so strongly that at this time in our country's history, this program is where the ability of change is found. It takes one youth to venture into a German school to change the opinions of masses of people. For example, there was one student in my history class who had never met an American face to face in her life. She had only seen the news reports and judged our entire country based upon the many things that she disagreed with. At the beginning she would only talk to me to ask me baseless and ridiculous questions about life in America. For example, "Do you have oil in your backyard?" (I come from Texas!), or "I heard that in Texas you can hit your wife with a stick that is smaller than your thumb...Is that true?" or even better, "Everyone is so fat in America, is that true? Do you eat McDonalds for every meal?" With these questions you just have to answer frankly and not take them so seriously. I asked her back, "Do you wear Lederhosen and eat Sauerkraut for breakfast every morning?" And then we laughed and enjoyed a simple connection that turned into a good friendship. Right before Christmas Break, she stopped me after class and said, "You know, you are quite possibly the coolest American! There is actually no difference between you and me!" Then I explained to her that there is no principle difference between America and Germany. We are all simply human. Through this program and I, my friend changed her ideas without even noticing it.

For a politician or a movie star to do something like that is much harder. I believe firmly in the power of youth and what they can do for the world. I have told my host family many times, it takes 1000 politicians to do the same work as one youth. As the year comes to an end, I not only see a difference in myself but in all of the Germans that I have come in contact with. Our relationships with each other have grown and there is now a bond between us all. To have to break that and go back home will be heartbreaking but it is something that we all must do. With modern day communication, one can live in both worlds without being in both places. I will definitely enjoy and live out my last three months here in Germany. What an opportunity I have received!

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