Articles
By IESN
1. Learn the language: In order to have a great time you must learn the language one way or another. Language is communication, and communication is your passport to truely understanding your new country and your new culture. It's difficult to learn a new language, so be patient and be prepared to make mistakes. To master the new language you must speak it, listen to it, read it, and write it at all times. By Karl Causley
I'm home sick. I first read your e-zine a week ago and now I want to go home. In 1994 I was an exchange student to Ludvika, Sweden. I don't have to tell your readers about how magical this experience was and how it transformed my life. I will just say that since 1994 I have lived in Sweden for 4 years, traveled in Europe, Thailand, and also traveled in my home country of Australia. The world is my work place and playground. So why do I want to do go home? It is simple. By Kyle Barnes
This was by far the hardest thing I had to do in my life. When you have to look into your parents eyes and say good-bye for a year it is difficult. Of course, it's hard to say good-bye to friends too, but when you have to look into the eyes of the people who've cared for you for so long, it's different. I gave them both a hug, said what words of encouragement that I could think of, and then walked away. I cried on the plane, but then I realized it was time to grow up...I wasn't just a little boy anymore. By Erin
It was always so hard to describe the way I felt about coming home to people who had not experienced it already or were experiencing it along with me. It was so hard to imagine myself back in a place that for a year I had been away from...so far away from. It was like I was living in a dream world. Everyday was becoming so much more second nature to me, and he things I was doing everyday sounded so foreign to my friends and family. By Katherine Mallik
Traveling has always fascinated me. As a little girl, I loved to read stories of other lands and places, and as soon as I was old enough to understand what an exchange student was, I wanted to be one. It was as simple as that: I never fully considered the implications of studying abroad for a year; I just always knew that I wanted to be an exchange student.