Felix F. was an AYA exchange student from Germany. He lived in Texas for a semester in the 2011-12 school year. Felix is now a college student back in Germany, and he took the time to share the following about his experience in the United States as a 15-year-old high school student abroad. In this account, Felix shares remarkable wisdom about why cultural exchange is important and how his time as an AYA student changed his life for the better.
Can you share with us a little about your hometown?
My hometown in Germany is fairly small with approximately 25,000 citizens in my city. It is called Herdecke and is located in North Rhine-Westphalia. I live in a metropolitan area where cities are really close to each other. I study in Dortmund which is a big city right next to Herdecke. My life here is rather in the city than in the countryside.
Tell us a little about your experience in America.
I lived in a small countryside town called Bristol, Texas. Bristol belonged to Ennis which is a bigger city close to Bristol. I stayed with the Browns. They were a great family. Every day after school we had a great lunch/dinner and in the evenings we played games or went out to meet friends of the family. On the weekends we went to malls or visited cities like Fort Worth. On special days like Thanksgiving we visited the whole family and had GREAT food.
I really enjoyed Bristol because it was so different to Herdecke. There were no real stores and people had big landed property. It was a great experience living there, even though I must say, I like the city more because you can get to stores and meeting places like cafes, the gym or university faster.
One thing I will always remember was Black Friday which was probably the craziest day I have ever seen. People getting crazy over clothes and products that much was just funny. I remember being at Walmart at night fighting with some lady over the price-reduced waffle makers.
Why did you want to become an exchange student in the United States?
I wanted to get to know the American culture. It was interesting for me to see another school system and great to get to know American people my age.
What were your classes like? Did you participate in sports or extracurricular activities?
My classes were rather easy for me. I got to choose classes like Yearbook or Media classes which I never heard of before, since we don’t have that in German schools. Sadly, I wasn’t able to participate in sports since I was there for just one semester.
How did your AYA experience change your life?
It showed me that you are capable of more than you think. It is great to explore a country on your own with whole new people. It also gave me a better understanding of the culture and habits, which is now important in my studies at university. I made great friends from the U.S. but also from other countries who participated at AYA. It is important that in today’s global world people my age understand how other cultures think, act and live.
Have you been back to the U.S. since your time as an exchange student?
Yes. I come back every year. I mostly visit friends during that time. I also travel around. In 2016, I did an internship in Phoenix for three months, which was great for travelling around and getting to know people from different business areas.
Do you keep in touch with your host family and people you met during your exchange?
Yes. I am still close to my host family. We see each other every year. They once visited me in Germany also. I am also in contact with some students from school which I try to see during my visits to Texas.
Any advice for students or families who might participate with AYA?
Try to be as open minded as you can be. The things you might not like at first sight can be the greatest. And do not miss the chance to be on trips, with friends or family.
Learn more about opportunities to host an international exchange student and share the best of America with the rest of the world.
Felix was our student and we are very close with all his family, which is a real blessing.
One year Felix brought his whole family, to visit.
He brought his grand ma also his Aunt and uncle
They all stayed at our home, and we visited neighbors Felix had met, saw long horned cows, antique cars, then we showed them around Dallas and ft. Worth.
A dream family, that we love.