The AFS Exchange
In each episode of The AFS Exchange, we sit down with AFS-USA host families, students, volunteers, and educators to hear about the profound impact of their AFS experiences. Join us as we explore the knowledge and skills needed to help create a more just and peaceful world.
As a non-profit organization, AFS-USA has been empowering people to become globally engaged citizens for over 70 years. With programs in 45+ countries and hosting students from 90+ countries, AFS-USA has been creating life-changing intercultural experiences for generations.
The AFS Exchange
The Power of Study Abroad: 4 Returnee Stories
In this episode, we hear from four recent returnees who participated in AFS programs in France, Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic. We begin with a deeper conversation with Selina, who spent a transformative summer in France with AFS after feeling the need for a change following the isolation of the COVID lockdown. Her experience abroad motivated her to continue studying internationally, leading her to finish high school in Costa Rica.
After Selina’s story, we hear from three scholarship recipients- Morgan, Dahlia, and Emmett- who share their own inspiring experiences studying in Japan, Spain, and Czech Republic. These stories highlight the life-changing impact of study abroad programs, and we’re sharing them as AFS-USA opens applications for 2025 departures.
AFS-USA is dedicated to making study abroad opportunities accessible to students from all backgrounds. With the help of generous donors, AFS Global Citizen Scholarships & Aid provides $1 million annually in merit and need-based scholarships. These scholarships cover partial to full program fees for summer, semester, and yearlong programs, ensuring that more students have the chance to embark on a global learning adventure. Tune in to hear how these young people’s experiences abroad shaped their perspectives and futures!
Guests:
Selina
Morgan
Dahlia
Emmett
Study Abroad with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/study-abroad
Volunteer with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/volunteer
Host with AFS-USA: www.afsusa.org/host
Educator Resources: www.afsusa.org/educators
Contact us: podcast@afsusa.org
Kate M.
Hello and welcome to The AFS Exchange. I'm your host, Kate Mulvihill. On this show, we delve into unique perspectives from members of our AFS family, providing insights that only international exchange experiences can offer.
In every episode, we open the door wide to welcome the voices of those whose lives have been profoundly impacted by AFS. This is a place to have conversations, or exchanges, with AFS host families, students, volunteers, and educators.
In this episode, I'll be talking to four recent returnees from the US who went to France, Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic. I actually caught up with all of these returnees in person when they visited the AFS-USA office in New York City.
First, we'll hear from Selina, who spent a summer on an AFS program in France. She was drawn to study abroad because, after spending so much time indoors during COVID, she felt she needed a change.
Then, we have 3 shorter interviews with Morgan, Dahlia, and Emmett who were at the AFS office to film a video for AFS-USA’s Marketing Department. You can check out the video on AFS-USA’s YouTube channel. So the video they were filming was to promote AFS-USA’s new approach to scholarships for outbound participants, called AFS-USA Global Citizen Scholarships and Aid, or GCSA. Morgan, Dahlia, and Emmett all received some type of scholarship for their AFS programs. Their experiences in Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic might not have been possible without that support.
So, before we dive into the interviews, I want to tell you a little more about GCSA. Even if you are no longer eligible for a study abroad scholarship - perhaps you're done with high school - maybe you know someone - kids, students, or others in your community - who might be interested. So, keep listening for a minute.
AFS-USA is committed to making study abroad accessible regardless of financial situation. Thanks to generous donors, GCSA provides $1 million in scholarships annually, covering partial to full program fees for summer, semester, and yearlong AFS-USA programs.
When you apply for an AFS program, AFS-USA works with you to assess your family's needs and offers as much financial support as possible. Every student with demonstrated need who is accepted into a program receives some level of scholarship assistance. There's no need to complete a separate scholarship application - the information you provide during the program application process is often enough. If AFS needs anything more, they’ll reach out to you. Applications for programs departing in 2025 are open now! Head to afsusa.org/study-abroad to learn more.
To start, let’s hear from Selina. Then, our 3 scholarship recipients.
[Music]
Kate M.
So this interview with Selina? It felt pretty unique to me. It’s the first time I’ve heard someone say that their reason for going abroad was to offset the isolation and loneliness they experienced during the 2020 COVID lockdown.
Selina R.
And I just think, especially as a kid growing up and having two valuable years in middle school taken away from me where I didn't really get to grow and socialize. It did stunt me in a way because I didn't know how to speak to people.
Kate M.
We’ll hear about how Selina spent a summer in France with AFS in 2022. Her experience was so inspirational that she decided she wanted to go abroad again. She then made the decision to complete her final two years of high school at United World College’s location in Costa Rica.
AFS has no affiliation with United World Colleges- I actually hadn’t heard of them before! But after researching them for my interview with Selina, I think the whole system sounds pretty cool. We’ll talk more about it later in the episode. When I spoke with her, it was the summer before her senior year, and by the time this episode is released, she’ll be back in Costa Rica. After that, she hopes to attend a university abroad.
A quick behind-the-scenes note: the microphone I used during this in-person interview with Selina wasn’t ideal. I’ve kept some of my original recording, but you’ll mostly hear me filling in with notes I recorded afterward. Selina’s mic is fine though.
Selina R.
My name is Selina. I'm from New Jersey and I'm 17 years old going into my senior year of high school.
Kate M.
Selina was in 7th grade when the COVID lockdown started. Two years later, she decided to go to France.
Selina R.
Because France, I decided to go coming out of COVID because I had little to no social interaction. And I was like, okay, what can I do? Let me leave the country alone for a month and see how that goes.
Kate M.
So you were in the South of France. Where exactly in France?
Selina R.
The area was called Cap-d’Ail And it was like right at the bottom, but it was next to Nice. So a lot of times if we got to eat or go anywhere, we just take the bus to Nice. So that's where we'd hang out.
Every day during the week in the morning, we have about three hours of language classes. And then in the afternoons, we were allowed to, like, go out and kind of explore the country to like, understand the culture better. Because, you know, obviously, living in a country, like you do kind of take in a lot of the culture just for meeting people or eating the food, and like interaction. So yeah, it was really important. But um, we were also really close to Italy and Monaco. So we didn't just get like French culture, we also got to visit those other countries. And we kind of got to experience cultures from all over the world.
Kate M.
And were you living with a host family or in dorms?
Selina R.
So we had dorms, but our program was one of the longest so we were there for a month. The other students from other parts of the world were kind of there for like a week or two, and then they would kind of rotate. So we really got to meet a lot of people.
Kate M.
Okay, so this is like a very unique program. Like most other AFS programs are not like this. Could you talk a little bit about who are these other students? Where are they from? What are your interactions with them like?
Selina R.
So we were actually, like, biggest group of students are the Americans. But a lot of the students were from like countries close to France, in Europe. And at first, I would say, you know, the Americans like stick together. But because we're living on a campus, it's really nice, because you naturally like socialize with other people. So I think it was just a really new experience to see what teenagers from other places were like. But then, by the end of our trip, there was like a group of kids from… Côte d'Ivoire?
And basically, none of them really spoke English. So like, for example, my roommates were from there. And it was really cool getting to, like, try to speak French with them, and they try to speak English with me. And even though we couldn't fully communicate, I found they were probably some of the people we ended up being the closest friends to. And it's really interesting, because we didn't necessarily talk a lot, but we would just like, you know, play soccer, or go to the beach or have lunch together. And we would just attempt to communicate with each other. And I think it was a really eye opening experience.
And then I came back and I wanted to do study abroad again.
Kate M.
And instead of looking to do another short program the following summer, she opted to go abroad… for the final two years of high school!
Selina R.
Oh, man, I can't even like express it into words. It was so out of nowhere.
Kate M.
She had looked into doing a year-long program with AFS, but ultimately decided the best fit would be with the United World Colleges. And to clarify, it is called “college,” but it is actually pre-university, and students receive an International Baccalaureate Diploma.
Selina R.
So United World College is a group of colleges across the world, or they have them in Europe and Asia, Africa and the Americas. And the goal of United World College similar to AFS- to spread peace, to educate people on other cultures, and mostly unite people, because obviously, a main benefit of that is, you know, less conflict among different cultures.
They're continuously building more and more campuses around the world, and they're trying to, you know, open their range of students that come in, but it's very similar to AFS with their goals.
Kate M.
So, the United World Colleges (UWC) is an international network of schools founded in 1962. Today, there are 18 colleges worldwide, from Wales to Singapore, Tanzania to New Mexico. As we’re going to hear about, it’s a pretty unique program.
As Selina mentioned, UWC shares a similar goal with AFS: to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. However, unlike AFS, where participants live with volunteer host families during semester or year-long programs, UWC students generally stay in dorms with peers from all over the world.
AFS’s approach provides an immersive experience, helping students dive deeply into the language and culture of their host country. In contrast, UWC students are exposed to a wide range of cultures through their diverse classmates.
Anyway, let’s learn a bit more about Selina’s experience in Costa Rica with UWC!
Selina R.
So there's two applications, what is called GSP, where you apply, and you tell them, you're willing to pay full tuition for whichever college and with that benefit, you can pick the college you go to.
The other one is a scholarship. So I applied through the Davis scholarship. If you get in, they will assign you to a college, but you get a scholarship. So that's a benefit. So for me, I applied, and they gave me an option between Costa Rica, Canada, and Armenia. And I really wanted Armenia, but it's three plane rides away, which was maybe a bit too much. I like to travel, but that's a bit far. And then Canada is really similar to the US. And then Costa Rica. I was like, Well, you know, tropical, by the beach. Like, why not?
Kate M.
Yeah. What did you know about Costa Rica prior to committing two years of your life there?
Selina R.
Well, it was actually interesting, because in fifth grade, I'd gone with my family for spring break. And I would have never thought I'd be living there. But living inside a city instead of a vacation spot is very different. So I did see a lot more of what everyday life is like in Costa Rica.
Kate M.
And what is the residence situation like? Do you live with a family? Dorms?
Selina R.
So it's actually very similar to a university we have, like residences. And then for people who, like, can't go home on holidays can apply to have a temporary host family for like, you know, Christmas break, spring break or even the summer sometimes. So it really depends. I personally don't have a host family, but I know some of my friends do.
Kate M.
Okay. And yeah, speaking about how Armenia's three plane rides. I mean, San Jose is one plane ride.
Selina R.
One five hour plane ride.
Kate M.
Yeah, I mean, granted, you do live in the tristate area. But that's super convenient. Like if need be, you could go in a day.
Selina R.
Exactly. Yeah, it's pretty amazing.
Kate M.
So do you have a roommate?
Selina R.
So it changes every year. Last year, I had one roommate who was from Nepal. And then they try to switch you to be on a separate floor the next year and then with a different amount of roommates. So I was in a two person. Next year I think I will get a four person which is really interesting. Because I might struggle with that a bit, just like living with three other people not knowing if you get along, but I think it'd be like a good experience to see how it is.
I would say a lot of times the residences become like a part of your identity in a way and you're kind of like, you define yourself by it. Because each one has, like some traits people are known for.
Kate M.
I mean, I was just about to say, like, oh, this kind of sounds like college, but it's called. Yeah, colleges. So like, go figure, right? Yeah. Just so this does seem like a good warm up. If you decide to go the traditional college route. You're gonna be a pro. Yeah. Like living with roommates? It's like, Yeah, sounds like college.
Selina R.
Yeah!
Kate M.
And also the fact that like you are, you have roommates from you have dorm mates from all over the world, right? You said a roommate from Nepal. Have you learned anything about like different parts of the world just by being in the dorms?
Selina R.
Oh, definitely. So in my school, we have a thing called families. And so people from different parts of the world are considered in a family. And so we have cultural shows where you'll do dances from where you're from, or we have dinners where everybody will cook dinners. And then we come together and like it's like a potluck, and we just eat it. And you know, you’ll tell stories. Describe the food. And you really do learn a lot because especially like when you first get to school, and you don't know people too well, a lot of the conversation is kind of like, oh, what's it like in your country? Oh, have you ever done this at home? And so naturally, you acquire like a lot of information about them. But it's very also natural the way you do it.
Kate M.
So Selina has one more year of school through United World Colleges. And for what comes after that?
Selina R.
I have so many ideas. So basically, in high school, I did major in fashion. And I did sewing because it was like a college preparatory school. So you could go into what you're passionate about, and then it will hopefully set you up later. And so at first I really wanted to do sewing. But then like, after studying abroad, I was like, I kind of want to do something that's applicable to anything. I could live somewhere, live anywhere in the world, and be able to maybe find a job using what degree I have. So right now I'm looking into international schools in Europe.
And I would like to do a dual major in fashion design and possibly econ. But otherwise, I'll do something more general and just do business. I thought about applied mathematics. But yeah, I have, like a lot of ideas are actually in the application process right now. And the top countries for me are Denmark and Spain, because they have the two programs I want.
Kate M.
So for Selina, the goal is definitely to go to college abroad.
Selina R.
Yeah, the thing is, I love to stay home to be with my family, but like all my cousins have moved out. One of them goes to school in Amsterdam. So it's like because I'm surrounded by people who live abroad and kind of like more inclined to do that. But also, I would say school like people don't realize this, but school is much more affordable abroad. And they think because it's abroad, it's not something they can obtain. But it really is.
Kate M.
I wanted to know if Selina’s experiences abroad in France with AFS, then in Costa Rica with UWC, have affected her American identity.
Selina R.
So it's actually really interesting, but I think I've gained a lot of pride in my country, just because I've kind of learned, you know, obviously, no matter what's happening politically, I am American. And I don't want to kind of hide that part of me just because of something going on in the government that I cannot control in any way.
And so ever since, I don't know if patriotic is the right word, but I will express my Americanism. So at school for example, me and my friend Lily, we are very expressive of it. We’ll wear clothes with an eagle, my lock screen is an eagle.
I just want to change people's minds about our country socially. And so I would say it made me really like, proud of where I’m from but also like, there are flaws in some parts of our country. But there also are opportunities, like with education. And it's stuff I learned to appreciate that some of my friends who live in other parts of the world don't have some of the things we have.
And also, I just found like, this place is kind of my safe spot. So no matter where I am, where I'm traveling, who I'm with, I always have a place to come back to and I've just really appreciated it.
But also, I will say, I think since going to France everywhere I travel, I try to make sure people really see what my, I guess American culture is like, and like, I've really tried to give them the best impression. And so I think it's really changed my mindset about traveling. Because, like, I have a reason to go where I'm going.
Kate M.
Also, like, it does kind of keep you like, Okay, I'm going to try to stay composed, like, I'm going to try to behave well. Yeah. Because you are not just representing Selina, you are representing the United States. Yeah, Ambassadors. That's what we talk about.
Kate M.
I wanted to know why these experiences have been so valuable for Selina.
Selina R.
I could go on about this. I think I have like, an unlimited amount of things I could say. But like, I would say, mostly, it's about socializing. Especially as a kid growing up and having two valuable years in middle school taken away from me where I didn't really get to, like, grow and socialize like it did stunt me in a way because I didn't I didn't know how to speak to people. I had so much anxiety going to work or, you know, hanging out with my friends even. And then I think after studying abroad, I learned how to maybe hold conversations with people really basic things that are like fundamental for especially like teenagers to have growing up. And I would say that's like the overall benefit I got from it that I think everybody gets from it.
Kate M.
Yeah, this is interesting, because I mean, I haven't spoken to anyone. And I guess I haven't discussed this with anyone that kind of studied abroad to kind of counterbalance some of the damage that was done by COVID.
Selina R.
And it's almost like, such an extreme thing to do to go from being in your room, or every day of the year, like, you can't even go outside because of lockdown, to all the sudden, leaving your parents and setting on your own. But I think it was like one of the best options and like, I would say, leaving home is the hardest part. But once you do it, everything is so much easier. It's like, you know, ripping the band aid off, you just do it and it's done.
Kate M.
And lastly, when asked if there was anything more she’d like to share…
Selina R.
If anybody's considering studying abroad,100% do it. Even if it's in college, university, doesn't have to be high school. It's the best experience you'll ever have.
Kate M.
That was Selina from New Jersey. Even though her AFS program in France lasted only a month, it was still a transformative experience, influencing her decision to finish high school abroad and likely shaping her university plans as well. Through these opportunities, Selina has lived and studied with teenagers from around the world, and she’s grown more confident, mature, and self-assured. The 2020 lockdown was difficult for all of us, but Selina found a way to make up for some of that lost time- that temps perdu- in a way that really worked for her.
[Music]
Kate M.
Now, we’ll hear from the three scholarship recipients I mentioned at the beginning of the episode: Morgan, Dahlia, and Emmett. These interviews aren’t in the usual back-and-forth style you’re used to hearing on The AFS Exchange. I only had a few minutes with each of them, so we kept the conversations pretty surface level. If you’d like to hear more about their experiences, check out the video they were featured in on AFS-USA’s YouTube channel, titled AFS-USA Global Citizen Scholarships & Aid.
Kate M.
To start, I am talking to…
Morgan G.
Hi, my name is Morgan.
Kate M.
She’s from New York City, and last year she participated in an AFS program in Japan. Specifically in…
Morgan G.
Okinawa. Far on an island by itself way far away from mainland Japan.
Kate M.
And she was there for…
Morgan G.
Six months. I was there from August to February. Early February.
Kate M.
And why did she choose Japan?
Morgan G.
So I was interested in Asian culture from a young age like at the age of five, I was learning Chinese and school, I went to a Chinese school. And as I got older and middle school, I decided to kind of expand on that. So it became Thailand, and then it was Japan. So I was researching YouTube “high school study abroad Japan.” And when I saw it, I was like, wow, I kind of liked I really, really liked this. I decided Japan is the place I'm going to go.
Kate M.
So Morgan shows up in Japan, and…
Morgan G.
I was speaking like an 80 year old grandma.
Kate M.
She had studied Japanese for 2 years in high school, but…
Morgan G.
It was taught by an older lady. But it was kind of like, just really, really, really formal.
Kate M.
It wasn’t long though before Morgan…
Morgan G.
…Spoke like a teenager.
Kate M.
She picked up words like…
Morgan G.
Yabai (やばい) which is like bad or like, Oh my gosh. So if you got a bad score on a test, you’re like yabai, oh, that's bad. That's the worst. Or saiaku (最悪). Saiaku means the worst. So if again, you got something bad on the test, you might say, saiaku. Yeah, I use that a lot, too. Even in America now.
Also, my other favorite word was ikemen (イケメン), which means handsome guys. So they were always like, ikemen, ikemen, I love ikemen. So that it became a joke between me and my friends.
Kate M.
Morgan did some teenagery things while she was there, like dressing up for Halloween…
Morgan G.
Do you know gyaru (ギャル)? is like a subculture of Japan. Well, there's different types but the one I was doing was short skirts, cardigans, a tie, heavy makeup, white eyeshadow, white highlighter, fake tan, long nails. And that was shocking, because I've heard about it, but I never really thought I was going to take place in it on Halloween. So when I did, I was like, oh, okay, like, I kind of like this.
Kate M.
She found some new foods...
Morgan G.
I ate taco rice. It is basically just tacos with rice under it. Meat, sauce, cheese, and rice. And it has like a special type of seasoning. But I almost ate that I would say just about every day for lunch. It was it's so good.
Kate M.
And tried some new activities.
Morgan G.
it's so amazing. I love karaoke there so much.
Kate M.
She was a bit apprehensive at first to take the mic…
Morgan G.
So when I went in with my karate club, they were all amazing singers, first of all, so I was kind of like, oh, okay, I was a bit like, hesitant. I was like, I can't sing. Why can they all sing? So it was me and my friend who couldn't sing, but they will still hype you up no matter what, even if you sound like horrible. They'll still hype you up.
Kate M.
Morgan didn’t have to be the best to benefit from the good singers in her group.
Morgan
For some certain places, if you get like a 90 on your singing a 90% on your singing, you get free a free food. Oh, so I had one time my friend. She's a really, really good singer, and she won us french fries.
Kate M.
While she was in Japan she picked up some new habits…
Morgan G.
I think maybe of nodding every time someone's talking. I'm like, Oh, yes. And just nod my head as they're going along in their sentence. And also, I think a little bit of bowing. Sometimes I catch myself doing I'm like, wait, hold on. Why am I doing this? Especially when I got off the plane to America. I was speaking Japanese to the worker who was helping me because I hurt my foot. So they were helping me and I was bowing to them. I was like, Wait, hold on. I'm in America. This is so much different. What am I doing this for?
Kate M.
And she didn’t forget to bring back souvenirs to help remember her time in Okinawa…
Morgan G.
I brought back like some snacks. Especially my friends gave me a lot of snacks for as my goodbye gift.
Kate M.
Her favorite being…
Morgan G.
Cup ramen in Japan is 10 times better than the one in America. So actually, a couple of days ago, I just, like heated up some of the ramen I brought from Japan because I'm trying to save each one of it. So I won't run out.
Kate M.
American ramen just doesn’t stand up…
Morgan G.
In America it just tastes like okay, alright, like a little bit nasty…
Kate M.
But the Japanese stuff…
Morgan G.
It's the better spices, and then it has more stuff in it. For seafood ramen even for regular ramen. The broth tastes way different. The noodles, I don't know. Just everything. It's so different.
Kate M.
I hope that Morgan’s Japanese ramen lasts her a while! At least until the next time she’s able to get back to this country that really seems to have won her over.
[Music]
Kate M.
We’re now hearing from…
Dahlia N.
Hello, my name is Dahlia Nemes.
Kate M
Who spent a year in Murcia, Spain.
Dahlia N.
I was in a small, fairly rural area in Spain. And it's kind of southeast, it's right on the Mediterranean. It's in between Valencia and Andalusia.
Kate M.
A perk to not being in a big city is that for language immersion…
Dahlia N.
And I was not able to escape using English. It was kind of Southern and they had a very heavy accent. But it was super immersive.
Kate M.
This did come with some challenges, yes.
Dahlia N.
I'd say at the beginning, it was kind of a struggle getting used to the language, just kind of understanding what was going on.
Kate M.
But she caught on eventually.
Dahlia N.
You know, Spain has a very distinctive style of Spanish and it speaks very fast. And it has a lot of different slang expressions that like qué chulo instead of qué chévere, which means like, it's so cool. It's very distinctive to Spain and I've said that in front of people who speak Latin American Spanish they like point that out to me like oh wow, you really speak Spain-Spanish.
Kate M.
And in addition to picking up on slang, she also identified a favorite word in the language…
Dahlia N.
Oh, my favorite word was tortuga which means turtle which kind of has just such a great flow to it.
Kate M.
While there, she learned about the popular music…
Dahlia N.
I probably say that Rosalia was, she was pretty big there. Bad Bunny, of course, in the whole Spanish speaking world, he's a big deal. But Rosalia was kind of her own special symbol in Spain.
Kate M.
And the fashion trends…
Dahlia N.
I’d say that the women there dressed very sophisticated. I saw a lot of long blazers and scarves and a kind of elegant way that human like 17 year olds would wear like fancy long blazers that I don't really think of as common in the US.
Kate M.
Dahlia got to try a lot of delicious food. A common dish with her host family was…
Dahlia N.
Well, of course, the tortilla de patata. That was a regular every Friday, we'd watch a TV show and have a slice of that between a baguette. And that was a classic. I even learned how to make that with my host mom and I would help her, you know, slice the potatoes. It's a simple dish in terms of ingredients, but not in terms of preparation at all. And that was delicious. So that was a frequent one.
Kate M.
And she did try to bring some food back home to the States. If you’ve ever spent time wandering around a Duty Free shop in a Spanish airport, you've probably seen…
Dahlia N.
In a Duty Free bag, I brought back three packets of Spanish jamón or the Spanish ham, which is cooked in the most delicious way ever, and has such a unique special flavor. And it’s so so so good. So I was sure to bring some of that back.
Kate M.
Despite the delicious ham in Spain, there were some foods she was missing from the US…
Dahlia N.
Well, I confess I actually had a list in my notes app of food I could not wait to eat when I got back. And one of those was bagels. They just don't do bagels in Spain. I'm a bagel person. I come from a bagel family. So the lack of bagels was a little hard for me.
Kate M.
Something she is going to miss though…
Dahlia N.
Well, I will say it was just such beautiful weather there. And coming from upstate New York. I'm not really used to beautiful weather.
Kate M.
I can relate, Dahlia and I are both from the same part of New York State and, well, I can understand why she enjoyed her year in a place with just so much sun… ahem. Anyway, that was Dahlia, who spent a year in Murcia, Spain, enjoying weather, ham, language immersion, all while missing the bagels.
[Music]
Kate M.
Now I am hearing from Emmett, who…
Emmett P.
I studied in the Czech Republic just outside of a city called Hradec Králové.
Kate M.
The Czech Republic is also called Czechia. Emmett heard a lot of different music while he was over there, but if you’re thinking he discovered a bunch of new Czech bands, you’d be wrong…
Emmett P.
They listened to a lot of like, not Czech music. Like there was one girl at my school who was obsessed with Taylor Swift to a worrying degree. There were some other people who I knew who listened to metal, like just some similar metalcore bands. And I was like, “Oh, I've seen them” and they would get jealous. Some people listened to 90s rap, which caught me really off guard. I think British music is actually in, Spanish music, like, Latino music. So a lot of variety, a lot more variety in the language and stuff.
Kate M.
And heard about some interesting shows…
Emmett P.
There was one that was, I don't know how to describe, like Wife Swap, almost like the wife of two families would swap. And that was some reality TV show. There was another one that was like a dance show. Similar to like, So You Think You Can Dance or something like that. There's Czech MasterChef. Their own versions of soap dramas and stuff.
Kate M.
He didn’t learn too much about the fashion…
Emmett P.
I didn't spend much time in like big cities where there would be like big fashion trends
Kate M.
But he did gain the skill of being able to spot Europeans.
Emmett P.
A lot of like, pleated pants like long straight pants. I mean, sometimes, I don't know how to describe some people's fashion besides European. Like what, like when you see them and like you're like, oh, that person is European because like they have like, like maybe like long trench coats and like a scarf and sunglasses.
Kate M.
While there, he tried some new food…
Emmett P.
One of my favorites was Svíčková, which was like a carrot and parsnip sauce with beef. I thought that was really good. And with these like bread dumplings. That was one of my favorites because it’s pretty unique. Just like heavy dumpling sauce.
Kate M.
But of course, similar to Dahlia, there was one that he really missed…
Emmett P.
There are no bagels in Europe. I don't know why. I tried so hard. I went to Vienna. And I was with my old exchange student’s family. I stayed with her for a bit. And we went to this one bagel place it was closed. And then we went to another one and we just couldn't find it. And then I found one a different day. And it was just bread and donut shape. So I just don't think bagels exist in Europe.
Kate M.
And that was Emmett from Maryland. Emmett had hoped to get a New York bagel on his way into the AFS Office, but…
Emmett P.
Today? No not yet. My train was delayed like 30 minutes on each end.
Kate M.
So for his sake, I hope he got one after we spoke.
[Music]
Kate M.
In this episode, we heard from four recent returnees from AFS programs: Selina, Morgan, Dahlia, and Emmett. Each of these students had transformative experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. AFS believes that everyone should have the opportunity to experience something like this!
That’s why AFS-USA is committed to making study abroad accessible, regardless of financial situation. Thanks to generous donors, Global Citizen Scholarships & Aid provides $1 million in scholarships annually, covering partial to full program fees for summer, semester, and yearlong AFS-USA programs. Applications for 2025 programs are open now! Head to afsusa.org/study-abroad to learn more and take the first step toward your own life-changing experience abroad.
If you’re interested in hearing more returnee stories, I’ve got three episodes to recommend:
First, back in Season 1, I interviewed Nico, who studied abroad in Turkey and Egypt with AFS before earning a Fulbright scholarship to study in Iceland. When we spoke, he was also volunteering with AFS Iceland!
Also in Season 1, I had a conversation with Zodi Schwind, who raised $10,000 to study abroad in France by running a marathon!
And in Season 3, I shared the stories of three students who did a two-week language immersion program in Spain. They talk about how that short program still has an impact on their lives- even 4 years later.
[Music]
Kate M.
Thank you for listening to The AFS Exchange! I’m Kate Mulvihill. Let us know what you thought of this episode by sending a message to podcast@afsusa.org. You can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe there as well so you don’t miss any episodes in this 4th season.
This podcast was created by Kate Mulvihill. Social media by Julie Ball and Nina Gaulin.
