Connecting lives, sharing cultures
The Adventurer
AFS Interculture Canada’s Newsletter - Summer 2012 edition
Bois-Francs and Sherbrooke ‘‘ A beautiful experience between two chapters In answer to Bois-Franc and Sherbrooke students’ request, a little get-together was organized on April 14th. We visited the J-Armand Bombardier museum in Valcourt, had dinner at Brandy Creak and ended the evening playing bowling. This last gathering for the 20112012 year was filled up with fun, discussions and joy!
Thanks to the students and volunteers; Denis, Céline and Jacinthe for Bois-Francs. Ginette, Denise, Nancy and Gilles for Sherbrooke. ‘‘ -Nancy Drouin, Sherbrooke
Lanaudière A few pictures of the Lanaudière chapter at the sugar shack and Fête des Neiges.
Montréal
Ludovica Gandini (Italian student hosted in Montréal) and her cheerleading team won the silver medal of the RSEQ (Réseau de sport étudiant du Québec) which was held on April 21st, 2012. Congratulations!
Trois-Rivières ‘‘ A picture is worth a thousand words... The spring has been festive in the Trois-Rivières chapter! In March, the students and their counselors went to the sugar shack. After a great meal, nothing is better than accordion, footwork and mapple taffy!
Our traditional multicultural breakfast was held on April 15th, 2012. Students, families, counselors and friends enjoyed the activity and shared good memories. After the breakfast, our talented students presented a talent show, where singers, dancers, magiciens, actors, musiciens and even origamists presented their arts. This day was delightful! ‘‘ -Hélène Bourrassa, Trois-Rivières
A word of thanks Thanks to the participant who took part in our recruitment campaign; Alice Madau, Ana Cornelius ,Bruna Dal Molin Paludo, Lucia Giannini and Margit Laerum, your help is appreciated! If you want to help us to find caring families to host our exchange students and live this amazing intercultural experience, do not hesitate to contact us and we will provide you with the promotional material you need. Contact Ingrid Roussin-Puhler at 1 800 361-7248 ext. 231 or ingrid.roussin-puhler@afs.org
The intercultural corner This section of The Adventurer offers articles that invite all those involved with AFS; from participants to returnees, volunteers to host families, to broaden their cultural perspective and improve their intercultural knowledge. These readings will cover a variety of themes such as the concept of culture, cultural values, communication styles, cultural adaptation, etc. This month we are happy to share with you a text about intercultural communication. Happy reading !
2012
53rd
Here are 23 different ways of greeting someone. Associate the word with its language!
Arabian, Basque, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai and Turkish
Spot the 6 differences!
Special testimonies edition! In the next pages, you will have the chance to read testimonies from international students hosted in Canada, Candian students studying abroad and 2011-2012 Canadian host families. Thanks for sharing your beautiful AFS experience with us!
Testimonies from international students hosted in Canada in 2011-2012
‘‘ This trip has been the best experience of my life! I discovered a new culture and a new language, I met people from all over the world and I found new friends. Quebec was a surprise in the beginning and it hasn’t ceased to surprise me even now after having been here for more than six months. It’s an incredible and magical country which is very proud of its culture and open to other cultures. Its people are very nice and welcoming and even if I’m a foreigner I was immediately welcomed as if I was part of the community. My host family has been wonderful and I could not have asked for more! From the beginning they treated me like a member of the family; they taught me their language and their traditions. I really found a second family here: Chantal, Jean-Pierre and my little sister Myriam are now part of my world, and even if I am leaving soon for Italy, they will remain in my heart forever. We are already planning to meet next summer! Chantal is pregnant and I will have the opportunity to meet my new little sister Laurie who will be born after my departure. Thanks to this wonderful experience I not only met an extraordinary family but also lifelong friends at school and at AFS with whom I spent exciting and meaningful moments! All those things put together made my trip to Quebec one of the most beautiful and unforgettable experiences of my life! Thank you everyone! ’’ -Alice Madau, Italy
‘‘ I'm Bruna from Brazil and I arrived in Canada in September 2011. I'm living in Mississauga, 25 min from Toronto, ON. Since then, my adventure has been amazing. I tried a lot of new things and experienced the best feelings. I learned so much and I traveled more than ever. Let me introduce my family to you! Kim was an AFS exchange student to France in 1982-83. She is a really good friend/ mom. A person who always gives you support for everything. I really love her - she is definitely a second mom - what all of the exchange students should have. I'll miss her so much! John is a really funny dad, always making jokes, making fun of my way to express myself and also a kind person who worries about other people feelings. He is very interested in other cultures and other points of view. I also will miss him a lot! Ben is really busy with school work so we don't spend that much time together. But always when we can, we go for a run in the park or watch a movie with each other. He helps me with my school work. I`ll miss him. Jack is a really sweet boy - he loves to bother me but so do I. We have a pretty good relationship - always he understands
me and tries to make some kind of funny/ not so funny jokes. The best brother that I could find! Carli is my sister here! She is always hugging, kissing, being kind and trying to understand another culture. She is learning a bit of Portuguese, loves to sing and we cook a lot together. We have so much fun riding a bike, having sleepovers or just spending time playing with a great companion. Right after Christmas, my host family and I went on a trip to Vancouver and Kelowna... We got there on December 27. Vancouver is a really nice place even though it rains a lot. We spent 3 days visiting the city and hanging out with family friends. There we
went for the first time to a Brazilian Churrascaria (barbecue restaurant). I think they never ate so much meat at once, it was an excellent evening. On December 31st, we flew to Kelowna and we stayed at Big White, a ski resort. Our New Year`s evening was really good - we went to a restaurant where we talked about the best things that had happened in 2011 and a lot more... At midnight we went to watch the fireworks. It was pretty! Kim and John (host mom and dad) put us 4 in ski/snowboarding lessons. Ben was skiing and Carli, Jack and I were snowboarding (which is way better than skiing haha). I thought snowboarding would be harder to learn, but it was not that bad. The feeling of going down in a big hill was the best and the view was amazing. There I saw the most beautiful sunrise that I have ever seen! By the end of our 6 days, we just ended up with two broken wrists (Carli and I). Even with this I cannot wait to go again. I think snowboarding became one of my best hobbies! It was a perfect vacation. This is one of my many stories from my perfect year in Canada! ‘‘ -Bruna Dal Molin Paludo, Brazil
‘‘ I remember when my mom told me than AFS had sent me a letter, I was so nervous because I knew that my exchange began at this second. I couldn't believe the answer but I was so happy. The hardest moment was when I said goodbye to my school, friends and family. When I arrived here in Canada I was another foreigner. I didn't know the culture, people, place, anything. But after 8 months that I'm living in Québec I can say... I love Québec! I love my family and friends. And now I've got a strange feeling because I would like to go back to Chile now but neither do I want to leave Québec. Being an exchange student was the best decision in my life. Thanks to AFS my dream came true.’’ -Camilia Pulgar Sandoval, Chile
‘‘ I left Norway more than nine months ago and I have only two months left. This makes me very sad because my experience in Quebec has been the best in my life. I lived for 17 years in Norway but it is here that I grew up and discovered myself. My host mother always tells me that I left Norway a girl and that I will go back a woman. And it’s true! In Quebec I had the opportunity to restart my life for real, to make new friends and to have a new family. What wonderful people they are! Everyone is so nice! I also learned how to live like a true Quebecker! I watched hockey games with my family, I had poutine and shepherd’s pie, I went camping (real camping), I participated in a fashion show, I went to a sugar shack, I finished secondary 5 and I will soon have my prom night. I also did some cheerleading as my school’s team was very gracious to let me join them. Cheerleading has become my favourite sport! But that’s not all - I also learned a new language! It’s the most beautiful language in the world. So, I would like to thank my host family who accepted me as I am and AFS for everything given to me. Thanks to AFS, I not only found friends from Quebec but also friends from all over the world! AFS is a big family around the globe and that’s wonderful. This adventure in Quebec has been an incredible experience which I will remember as one of the most memorable of my life and I am certain that I will come back soon. I can’t wait! ‘‘ -Celina Bassili, Norway
‘‘ Hello, my name is Eleonora and I’m Italian. My experience as an exchange student began on August 20, 2011 when after a 10 hours flight I arrived in Quebec. I was very excited. This was one of the best years of my life. It brought me a lot of positive emotions and allowed me to experience many unique moments. Living a year abroad with a host family is an unforgettable experience. Quebec is a wonderful place! I learned a lot of new things during this year. I learned to live in a foreign country, to discover a new culture and to understand a foreign language. I loved my year in Quebec. During the first months, everything was new to me - new family, new school and new language! Throughout this experience I also had some sad moment because I missed my country but thanks to my host family and my friends I found the force to overcome all the difficulties! I would like to thank everyone who, with their presence, made my experience extraordinary! Thanks to my Quebec family for everything they did for me! Thanks to my counselor Carole who was always there for me. Thanks to my Quebec friends and to AFS for making this experience unforgettable. Ciao! ‘‘ -Eleonora Vitali, Italie
‘‘ An unforgettable year. Those are the three words that best sum up my experience here in Quebec with AFS.
them enough. They welcomed me fully with all their hearts, and they did a great job! My friends, both from school and those I met through AFS, were also very important to me here as they allowed me to share beautiful experiences with them.
My new family, my new friends, a new language, a new country and a new school – all those elements had a positive influence on my time in Canada. Every person I’ve met during this experience has been essential and valuable throughout the course of the exchange. I felt like a member of my host family from the very beginning. I could never thank
THANK YOU AFS, my family, my friends, my counselor, and everyone else for everything you’ve done for me. Quebec: I remember! ‘‘ -Fausto Pignattelli, Italy
‘‘ Hi! My name is Frances, and I’m from New Zealand. I live in Otterburn Park with a very nice family. My exchange was the best experience of my life. It passed by fast, but I had a chance to do a lot of things during that time. I’m really lucky to have had a family with two amazing sisters, two fabulous parents, and two beautiful cats. I will never forget the crazy and funny memories that I’ve shared with my sisters and my family. They are often the most memorable things about my exchange. I really feel like a part of the family, so it’s difficult to imagine a life without them now. They’ve made my experience incredible and unforgettable. I’ve made lifelong friendships here, and I’m excited to visit my friends from AFS in the future. School was also interesting, despite the difficulties I had at the beginning of the year. The students here were very nice and welcoming. I have no regrets about my year – it has changed my life in the best possible ways. Thanks so much to my parents, Marie-Patrice Pouliot and Bruno Bussières, and my sisters, Marie and Estelle Bussières. I can’t thank you enough. I love you! ‘‘ -Frances Blakeley, New Zealand
‘‘ Wow! My experience… is incredible, it’s really interesting learning another culture, speaking a different language, learning how other people live and learning to live like them. The time I was with my host family was enriching for me because I learnt something from all of them. I discovered that I could live with people really different than my family. With my friends, it’s so incredible how we can have a friendship really solid and sincere. The best experience of my life is my cultural exchange with AFS. -Gabriela Lozano, Colombia
‘‘ A year in Quebec; funny, incredible, amazing, unique, enriching. Those are typical words to describe this experience. I did not want to start with those words, but it’s impossible because they are true. It was a truly unique life experience, for me it was the first time I left home for so long. Initially, I was scared because, well, a year is a long time to be gone from home, without my friends, without everything I always had. I did not know how everything worked in Quebec so I was really nervous, but when I got here, my fears went away because I met the nicest people in all of Canada. Time passed and I started making more and more friends while at the same time I started learning French, which my host mother really helped me with and with my friends I made bonds that will never break. I appreciate you a lot. I’ll miss you a lot. ‘‘ -Gaspar Bravo Sepúlveda, Chile
‘‘ My year in Canada was magnificent! I love Quebecers, who are always friendly and helpful, Canadian food and especially the Quebec accent! I found friends easily and I also met a lot of other students from AFS. This experience was really different than my life in Austria, even though Canadian culture is not so different from my home country. It was really nice to learn what it is like to have two brothers because I only have two sisters and I have never had an experience like that. Throughout my stay in Quebec, I really took my host family in my heart. In short, I love it here and it will be really hard to go home… ‘‘ -Julia Kamper, Austria ‘‘ I remember like it was yesterday the day in August when I boarded an airplane to Canada with 20 other Italian students who, like me, had decided to embark upon a great adventure. No one knew what to expect. I couldn’t believe that the moment that I had anticipated for months had finally arrived, and while thinking that, I remember being struck by a thousand different emotions: I was sad because I wouldn’t see my parents for a year, I was happy and impatient because I was excited to arrive at my destination, and I was nervous at the idea of finally meeting my host family. A year far away from my country, from my family, from my friends, from everything that was my life: everything I knew before was about to change, my beliefs were about to be challenged, and it was like being reborn a second time. Taking part in a foreign exchange, whether it lasts a year or less, isn’t simply travelling, meeting people, and learning a new language: it’s a collision of two different cultures, it’s adapting to different lifestyles, it’s being confronted with another society and discovering that the world is much larger than you think. This experience allowed me to better know myself, to grow, to become more mature and responsible: I left with a suitcase that weighed only 20 kg; in July, I will return home with new cultural baggage that exceeds all imaginable dimensions. This isn’t an easy experience, and now that I reflect on the time I’ve already spent here, I realize that, despite all the difficult moments I’ve had, despite the sadness that has struck me several times, and despite the times when I’ve been so discouraged I wanted to quit everything at once, I am very happy to have been through all of it. It’s a happiness I had never felt before because, for the first time in my life, I was proud of myself, I was happy to be where I was, I discovered the pleasure of being able to talk to someone in a difficult moment, and I discovered that I am stronger than I thought and I have more confidence in myself. Time passes very quickly: I wake up in the morning to go to school, and a few minutes later, it’s already night-time and I find myself in bed. I can’t believe that this experience will soon be over; in my head, I’m still in September/October and the end is very far away, but it’s not true: as the months that have already passed have gone by very fast, the months that remain will pass even faster. My favourite moments are when I am with my friends: I consider myself very lucky because here, I’ve met incredible and wonderful people, friends that I had never found in my life before leaving, and with whom I feel good and I can be myself. I learned to listen to people when they had problems because they listened to me very patiently every time I had something to say, I learned to appreciate the smallest signs of politeness and love, such as the meaning of a simple smile, which can bring joy to a bad day. Right now, I feel like the happiest person in the world, I feel that with all of the things I’ve learned on this adventure, I found a treasure. I don’t really know how to explain it. I feel that I’ve changed, I feel that I know myself better now, that I am more mature and more responsible, I feel that in the future, I will be better able to make the most of each day and each person thanks to everything I’ve discovered over this year. Take my advice: go! You will never regret it; it will bring you plenty of wonderful things and you will have a fantastic experience! ‘‘ -Ludivica Gandini, Italy
‘‘ My Exchange Year on Haida Gwaii I don’t know where I should start telling my story so here goes. In the last 6 months I experienced a lot. I can remember how I was sitting in the airplane coming from Switzerland to Canada like it was yesterday. Nervous and excited, not knowing what will happen next. My destination was Masset on Haida Gwaii, an Island off the west coast of BC, Canada. The Island is the traditional home land of the Haida people and only 5,000 people live there. Just when I came out of the plane it started raining. Typical for Masset, it rains a lot here! With hugs my new family welcomed me at the tiny Masset Airport, my Canadian Mom and Dad with two little kids. The next day started right away with school. I found out that I am one of the first exchange students on this Island. Everything is slower and more relaxed than in a city and everyone knows everyone. In school I took a Haida Language class and there I learned about the culture too. I did things I thought I would never do. I learned how to butcher a deer up, how to clean fish, or how to pick seaweed and how to dry it. The teachers taught me how to make a cedar bracelet or a bag with Haida design on it. I danced a woman’s dance and I learned some traditional Haida songs. For me it is a big honor to be here and to be able to learn so much about this culture. This Island feels like home for me, with the long, white and sandy beaches, the big fairytale forest with all the moss, the lakes, the mountains, all the wildlife you could ever want to observe, and all the people I have met. With friends I have been going surfing in the cold ocean, playing soccer almost every day, going kayaking or to kickboxing practices or just hanging out and having fun. Camping at the beaches is just amazing. The air is really clear and you can see billions of stars! During walks on the beach you can find many agates, mussels, seastars and other beautiful things. A few times I went off Island too; with my host family we went for two weeks to Vancouver, and with the school we went for snowboarding, for a volleyball tournament and a university tour to the mainland too. Everyone was always very excited to do all the things you can’t do on the Island, like shopping, or going to the cinema. But if I’m honest I don’t really miss them that much. You have here everything you need. And the freshest and best fish ever! Going fishing in the afternoon and in the evening eating fresh fish’n’chips for dinner. By reading this you can tell I enjoy it here and I want to say thank you to everyone who made it possible. Ha’waa! ‘‘ -Magalie Hassink, Switzerland
‘‘ Hello! My name is Mari and my home country is Norway. I spent my trip in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. It’s a small city of 35,000 inhabitants. But Sorel isn’t only that, it’s where my second home will always be. I loved my time here; it turned out better than in my dreams. I never expected my host family to be as nice, friendly, and active as they were. They are incredible, each and every one of them, and it’s really the perfect family for me. I love sports, food, and family life, so a family that goes skiing, golfing, plays tennis, and more is everything I could have wanted. It’s a large family with mom, dad, and three teenagers; plus they have a large extended family that we visited often for family dinners. Jack, the dog, was also good company for the many times I went jogging and for a friendly greeting when I came home after a long day at school. At first, when I didn’t understand French and when I was much more lost in this new culture, my little sister was a good friend at school. After a while, the basketball team and all of my courses with different classes helped me to make lots of friends. Quebecker culture is special. It has many small differences from Norway, which has another culture entirely. I have to say that my daily life in Quebec became a new and fantastic daily life. With the help of my AFS friends, the other students, it was much easier to make this transition. Also, I had the chance to meet people from everywhere in the world, which is another thing that I never would have had the chance to do otherwise. Now, it will be very hard to leave here, to leave all my friends and, of course, my second family. When we started to plan the end of our stay here, I finally realized that I wouldn’t have the time to do everything. Naturally, this pains me, but I’ve made a resolution to always be able to come back here and feel at home. I can’t thank AFS, all of my friends, and my two families (Norwegian and Quebecker) enough for giving me this lovely experience. It’s a great life experience that I truly appreciate and that I will never forget. ‘‘ -Mari Vassdokken Sigstad, Norway
‘‘ My name is Maria Clara Cortese, and I am an Italian student who, like many young people around the world, left her country, her friends, and her family last August to embark upon this great adventure: a year in Quebec. It’s such a short sentence, so easy to say, but one that brings with it a time of changes, of discoveries, and of unforgettable memories. My experience was and still is made up of many ingredients, flavours, and scents that are very different from one another, but that come together to make a unique picture. First ingredient: my host family, or rather, my families, who, each in their own way, knew how to show me Quebec from their point of view and make me savour its daily life. In March, I changed host families, perhaps because our personalities weren’t compatible, but I will always thank them for the seven months that we spent together. Now, I live with the president of my chapter and his wife: they have been very important to me, along with my counselor, because they have supported me during the darkest periods, when I fell and got back up, when I shed tears and I learned how to smile once again… Second ingredient: the people of Quebec that I have met, the young people in school who showed me how “Quebecker youth” live, and, in particular, the members of the Kalenjins track and field club. They welcomed me and opened my eyes to the world of track and field in Quebec, which only increased the great passion I have for this sport. Another aspect: the landscapes and scenery of Quebec and Canada, a place where nature is all-powerful, snow decorates wintertime, and colors are brighter than ever; a vivid memory that will last forever. To finish my recipe, the AFS students like me, Italian or not. It’s always nice to be able to discover other countries through their people and to share different cultures, traditions, curiosities... it makes you feel like a citizen of the world, and I’m sure that, now, each one of us is exactly that! Yes, there were many difficulties, and sometimes, I felt as if I had failed my experience and that my presence here was useless; however, I never gave up, and I’m convinced that, if we are here, it’s to take our place, even a small one, and to bring a piece of ourselves to this country. ‘‘ -Maria Clara Cortese, Italy
‘‘ Hello everyone! My name is Pornpan or Bow. I come from Thailand. How are you? At this time of year we’re saying goodbye to winter and hello to spring! It’s been awhile since it was really cold! How cold was it? It was -40 degrees Celsius! And what did we do during the winter in Lac St-Jean? There is a lot to do. There was a lot of snow piled up like mountains in front of our houses and sometimes we went sliding! My family, my friends and I went ice-fishing. But instead of fishing we made a snowman, which was still a lot of fun. With the cold weather, we tried building an igloo to sleep like the Inuit! Brrrrrr... February and March are the best months for maple syrup, a special snack here. The AFS chapter and I went to a sugar shack to see all the things you can do with maple syrup. And there you have it, an example of our activities in Lac St-Jean. I hope that you had as many fun times as we did. I will never forget my experience in Quebec. However, it’s not over yet, we will have new adventures in the spring and summer too! I’m looking forward to it! Take care! ‘‘ -Bow, Pornpan Tangmunchittham, Thailand ‘‘ Hi! My name is Rebecca Schär and I am an AFS exchange student. I'm hosted in Yellowknife, Canada, where I've stayed since August 2012 with my awesome host family: Hendrik, Deidre and Kirstyn. I did many awesome things during my exchange and here are a few of my highlights. My family took me on a road-trip to Calgary, where I did snowboarding in the Canada Olympic Park. My friends Claire from France, Karin Malacarne from Italy and me had a lot fun with our high school's camera equipment. Cathy Allalloo taught Claire (France), Karin (Italy), Iga Kurowska (Rotary exchange student from Poland), my sister Kirstyn and I how to build a little igloo, which was pretty fun. My host-dad Hendrik and I played pond-hockey game weekly with the wimps-league and I loved playing hockey in this league! I remember my first skidoo ride; we went out in the bush to go ice-fishing and look for a Christmas tree and this was so much fun! I stood on the ice-road on Great Slave Lake that connects Yellowknife with a small community called Dettah; I thought it was pretty cool to stand in the middle of a lake. I hugged the holocaust survivor Ben Lesser, whom I got to meet when he held a speech in front of the two high schools in Yellowknife; this was all really exciting for me and it was great to talk German to someone! ‘‘ -Rebecca Schär, Switzerland ‘‘ The year I spent in Canada with AFS was definitely the most difficult and the most formative of my life. In Quebec, I learned a lot and met people I will never forget. I met friends who appreciated me for who I am and who shared their culture and friendship with me and I shared my own culture with them. With them, I had fun and I forgot about the distance between me and my country. I cherish them and I will always cherish them. However, this experience would not have been the same without my host family. At the beginning, I would never have believed that I would come to think of
my host mother as a real mother but, with time, we became closer and closer. I love her. I love her and her amazing family who accepted me and made me feel at home. They gave me the chance to become who I am, to discover so many new and wonderful things and to grow as an individual. Accepting me as one of them was one of the most beautiful gifts they could have given me! I will never forget how important this year has been for me and how much I enjoyed it. ‘‘ -Silvia Lanotte, Italy
‘‘ Hello, my name is Simone and I’m Italian. During the past year I lived with the Imbeault, a large family with six small children. I have to say that it was not always easy but I am thankful to this family for making me feel at home. I think this experience has been very useful for me; I think I have become more mature and independent. During my year abroad I had the chance to meet a lot of fantastic people and to make a lot of friends. I found school easy enough but what I especially liked was all the opportunities I had to play sports. ‘‘ -Simone Dall’Asta, Italie
‘‘ I have met so many great people this year. So, as they do, I have been asking myself why I have decided to live one year in Quebec. I have figured out that I don’t really know why I am here. Perhaps it was the desire to learn French, or perhaps I was just curious to discover a new culture. It doesn’t matter. All that I know is that I took part in an adventure that will be an asset my whole life! It is indeed the best decision I have made. It is hard to describe a year such enriching as the one of an exchange student! I have been through moments of confusion, sadness, but most of all happiness. I wouldn’t trade them for anything, it was awesome! All these feelings belong to my amazing experience, here in Quebec. Through this unique journey, I have established nice and extended relationships. With my host family and of course my friends, I have tons of memories that I will remember forever! You have all given me some room in your lives and I love you all! Between me and Quebec, it was not love at first sight, but since I have learnt to love the ‘‘Quebecker-ness’’ and all that comes with it, Quebec has stolen a big part of my heart. I know that I am going back home soon, but in my adventure in Canada, the best is yet to come! ‘‘ -Sunniva Reinsmo Skogland, Norvège
2011-2012 Host Families Testimonies
‘‘ Hosting an exhcange student is opening yourself to the joy of discovering and sharing. With Eugenia (Italy), our relationship built day to day. Lovely young woman, she easily won every’s heart in our family. She learned French really quickly, thanks to her great perseverance. She was involved at school in many activities, such as committees, sports, but kept time for her friends and studies. Our family enrichied with a new beloved member. Together, we built an harmonious biut most of all pleasant relationship. ‘‘ -Drouin-Paradis Family (Eugenia Back, Italy)
‘‘ Hello,
played cards together and much more!
We welcomed Mari Vassdokken Sigsdad from Norway for the academic year 20112012.
We had the opportunity to meet a wonderful person who was able to adapt to our lifestyle and made us discover her culture. We are now curious to visit her country!
What an amazing experience it was: we shared everyday life, family moments, activities, experiences, joys and sorrows. These exchanges made us grow and they enriched our lives.
We will miss Mari in our everyday life; she’ll remain a member of our family forever. She will leave her mark on us. Thank you Mari!
We have discovered new ways of preparing for Christmas, new recipes, new ways of expression. We have shared our passions: alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. We travelled, we ate, we laughed, we
Mamou XXXX ‘‘ -Girard-Leprévost Family (Mari Vassdokken Sigstad, Norway)
‘‘ Daniel adapted well to his new family and school. The fact that he was away from home didn’t seem to make him too homesick. With Skype and his cell phone the distance didn’t matter. The student’s objectives were to improve his French and to learn more about French-Canadian culture. These objectives were easily met and the student will no doubt receive his High School Diploma. Also he had the opportunity to do volunteering which was much appreciated by his parents. It was a very good experience for me and it was a pleasure to welcome a student even if I didn’t have a child placed abroad. ‘‘ -Gosselin Family (Daniel Alio Euvrard, Spain)
‘‘ Gaspar, learning French was a big challenge for you but you did it! You even surpassed the goal you set for yourself. Congratulations! We are proud of you. Continue to face challenges head on. With your ambition, energy, character and need to express yourself on current affairs, it is clear that you will go far in life. I hope that this year spent in Canada has enriched you personally. You are a kind, passionate guy who will always be in our hearts. Our home will always be your home. We love you very much. ‘‘ Lucie and Pierre -Hamel-Roy Family (Gaspar Bravo Sepúlveda, Chile)
‘‘ Hello, This year was our first experience as a host family. Our adventure started in an unusual way. We met our ‘son’ Toru Hirose from Japan before going through the process of becoming a host family. This was before he had to be quickly transferred from the family he was staying with. We had met him through our daughter who was in school with him. After discussing it with our daughters and coming to an agreement as a family, we decided to give him a chance to be part of our family and we embarked on the adventure hoping that we would have the right skills to be a good resource for him. We then went through the process of becoming a host family with AFS. After six months of living together we had done pretty well at fulfilling our mandate, that of helping him learn French but also of making him feel as much a part of the family as our daughters. We learned to overcome his differences and he ours. We exchanged different things from our cultures, cooked with him, participated in diverse activities that taught us about openness and tolerance. We believe the experience was beneficial at all levels for each member of our family. Japanese culture is quite particular in the sense that people are quite calm and introverted; you really have to look to find an extrovert. For us as a family without taboos, quite extroverted and in a home that is open to all and quite noisy, it was a challenge to adapt to Japanese culture. But ultimately we understood that in all families you need a good dose of communication and understanding for everyone to find their place. We don’t regret our decision and we’re happy to tell you a bit about Toru. Toru is a very intelligent young man. He has quite a well-developed sense of humour and loves to play tricks. He loves to cook... but most of all to eat! But he doesn’t like to clean up after meals. He likes to try everything and this led my partner to outdo himself concocting dishes that Toru would enjoy...and that he would enjoy too!
He learned to share with other young people his own age day to day, including the girls! They easily become brother and sisters even to the point of getting on each other’s nerves sometimes! So that’s what we learned about teenagers...it’s international! ;0) Toru is curious about everything. You always have to be ready to fully explain things. Nothing can be left out. This led us to push ourselves to do research on the Internet to be able to provide explanations. With his perseverance, he made enormous progress learning the language and our culture that is so different from his own. He is a polite and respectful guy. He loves to do origami. At the moment it’s difficult to say what he liked the most because our next outings are happening over the next few weekends. But we can say that he loved taffy and maple syrup and his experience at the sugar shack. He loved ski season. We plan to take him to the Biodome and on a whale watching cruise. We plan to go to Old Quebec and Montreal. We allowed him to be part of school outings to Ottawa, Montreal and the Cosmodome. I think he enjoyed himself. The most memorable thing about Toru is that he is clumsy and always falls on the stairs. We can’t count the number of times this has happened...it’s part of the everyday routine. He got to laugh when guests at Christmas ate Japanese wasabi in large quantities without knowing the effect it would have! Ouch. He had a good laugh. He loved making us Japanese food on New Year’s Eve and sharing it in his way like his family does. He played a lot of tricks on each member of the family. He was also very generous toward us. The evenings of Scrabble were quite long with a translator beside him but it helped him learn. Our 5 year old daughter Maïka instantly adopted Toru. They developed complicity and it was sometimes even Toru who read to her before she went to bed. We think that from his perspective he
learned a lot about the French language... or rather Quebecker language! He saw what it is like to be part of a big family day to day since he is an only child. He shared some good times, parties and school celebrations with a group of friends that have been together for 5 years already but still opened their arms to him. He gained a lot of maturity. He learned diverse things that he can show his parents when he gets home. He will do the same thing we did with him when he arrived – showing his parents all sorts of things on the Internet to try and explain our Quebecker life. Ultimately the year has passed quickly. We hope that he enjoyed his stay with us and that he will return home proud of what he has accomplished and proud of what he has learned. We know that he is starting to think about returning home. We hope that the shock of returning won’t be too difficult. But we know that it will take us some time to adjust to his absence. Ultimately, to succeed as an AFS host family, you just need to be a parent in the same way you are with your own children. The best present we could give him...we think it’s the equal treatment of him and our daughters and the freedom to express himself and teach us things too. ‘‘ -Nogues-Therrien-Morneau Family (Toru Hirose, Japon)
‘‘ This was the second year that our family hosted an AFS student. On August 26, 2011, we were eagerly waiting to meet Frances Blakeley from New Zealand. She arrived smiling despite 20 hours of travel, a 16 hourS time difference and just a few words of French. A new country, new parents, two sisters, so much to learn! She quickly got everything in place to make the year a success: school, hip hop classes, photography, new friends. From our side, we showed her different regions of Quebec through the seasons. As a host mother I was delighted by her love for life and her knowledge. There were some magic moments: her first white Christmas, her face lit up in Times Square, her first ‘real’ Halloween and the morning when it was -32 C at the chalet. But the best moment was when she discovered and studied a snowflake for the first time. And when I asked her whether she wanted this or that and she responded with her cute accent ‘Surprise me’, I was utterly charmed! Marie-Patrice Pouliot, host mother To say that Frances quickly became like a sister to me might sound cheesy but it’s the truth. Frances, with her charming accent, her sense of humour, her love of chats and her love of life, sometimes calm, sometimes exuberant, fit naturally into our family and it was a pleasure to have her with us. Estelle Bussières, host sister Considering I didn’t even know New Zealand existed not so long ago, I am now a real fan of kiwis. In fact, she and I were inseparable. I taught her about Quebecker humour and she taught me polyswag and we became two little sisters who shared clothes and had their favourite songs and shows and endless laughter. Frances, my little kiwi, with her sparking personality and the heart of a child helped me re-discover the Quebec that I love, but also opened up a whole world to explore. Marie Bussières, host sister When we were writing this host father Bruno was in China but he would agree with everything we’ve said. Hosting someone from another country is a bit like travelling yourself. You discover differences, but above all similarities with what you thought was ‘foreign’, and you relearn to appreciate what’s all around you. Our family may have applied for an exchange student but we wouldn’t exchange Frances for anything. A big thank you for this year of Kiwi flavour! ;) ‘‘ -Pouliot-Bussières Family, (Frances Blakeley, New Zealand) ‘‘ Discovering the world from the point of view of young people developed into an exceptional experience for our family. What joy it was to see our kids discover the rich culture of the various inhabitants of the world, the diversity of its regions, and develop a conscious awareness of being a part of this global community where exchanges of all kinds no longer have borders. They developed a confidence in their place in the world, and the roles they have to play in this new global environment. Nicharee (Yiipun) is, first of all, a positive, smiling young woman - enthusiastic, with a good sense of humour, who possesses a contagious joie-de-vivre. When we got to know her better, we discovered that she is empathetic and a very good listener. Spiritually opening up, on both our parts, has given us the opportunity to better discover and appreciate what we owe to other cultures, and to weigh their contributions, their uniqueness, compatibility and solidarity. As well, to know and recognize our differences, respect them and how they form our own identities, and plant a seed for future years that will surely bloom into strong values, multiplying our richness as a family, culture, and humanity itself. Good luck Nicharee, and thank you for everything you’ve brought to our lives. You will always be in our hearts. ‘‘ -Vincent-Lefebvre Family (Nicharee Pojanasupawan, Thailand)
2011-2012 Canadian Students abroad Testimonies
‘‘ Spending a year in China is like a dream come true. Life here does not resemble my life in Quebec. It has been both the most wonderful and the most difficult experience of my life. Everyday life is full of new things to be learned. I lived with different families. I have two new little sisters, one from my first family and one from my last one. It is really extraordinary. Although they are very busy with their classes, it is easy to have relationships with them and each moment with my sisters is priceless. It is strange (and incredible) to be able to consider these people I didn’t know before as a real family. It is at school that we meet most people and I find that we are both similar and different. Even if the students of my class are younger than me and are often shy because I am a foreigner, they are extremely nice. All you need to do is to be a bit open towards them in order to become friends with them. For most of them, to be classmates is to be friends and they are very close. It is a way of thinking that influenced me a lot. However, a deeper integration was a bit more difficult to achieve. My school allowed me to go only to a few classes which makes it more difficult to be seen as one of them. I was therefore considered a foreigner during the whole year. It’s the biggest regret I have; if I could go back l would do everything I can to go to more classes because I made a few lasting friendships and I would have liked to have an even deeper relationship with my friends. In addition, one cannot fail to establish relationships with the other foreigners. Having shared the same experiences, both good and bad, the other three participants from my town and me became like family. I was able to learn about their respective cultures. We shared different perspectives and this helps a lot to grow. The bonds that we share are like those between brothers and sisters. They have been built by support when it’s needed, by silly squabbles and by wonderful moments spent together. We form a family with many problems, but a family none the less and I wouldn’t give it away for anything in the world. The language was a barrier. Having arrived in China without knowing any Chinese, I had great difficulty learning it. People tended to speak to us in English even when we insisted that it was important that they use Chinese. Even today, those who can speak in English do so, while I speak in Chinese. Also, our classes in Chinese weren’t adapted to our level. Therefore we had to work hard by ourselves. It is difficult when you don’t know where to start but it’s not impossible. My first advice for those thinking about going to China would be to learn as much of the language as possible before arriving. It isn‘t for nothing that Chinese is considered one of the hardest languages to learn. At the same time it is a language which is worth learning as it is very interesting and has a rich history. And you won’t believe it, but reading it is actually easier than speaking it! My level of Chinese is not what I hoped for in the beginning and I still have difficulty expressing myself, but I am able to get around in everyday life. I have also confirmed my love for this language and I am planning to keep studying it when I get back. When I come back to China I am determined to show everyone that I can achieve my goal! Finally, the life on a daily basis is also rich in experiences. I am very shy and this year abroad allowed me to become stronger. I am more confident and stronger than before. I did so many things I thought I couldn’t do! Also, I became much more mature. I had to get out of my comfort zone and became much more autonomous. I also learned so much about myself. Sometimes I feel that before coming here I didn’t know who I was and it is only here that I discovered myself. I found out that I was very impatient and very curious! I want so much to learn about other cultures! ‘‘ -Catherine Thibault, China
‘‘ Almost nine months have already gone by since I landed at Narita international airport and embarked myself on what would turn out to be a life-changing adventure for me. Before coming to Japan, I thought eleven months was a lot of time and really had no clue that the end of this experience would come so fast. I have been through so much in so little time and it could easily take me a whole book to depict the entirety of the exceptional encounters I’ve had and the great memories I’ve made in the last nine months. I will try however to be brief and to condense the biggest highlights of my stay in this short text to give a general idea of what this AFS experience in the land of the rising sun has meant to me. When I started studying Japanese with my friend just for the fun of it about four years ago, I would have never imagined it would take me to where I am today. However as my interest for Japan and its language grew over time, I knew that I would eventually have to go see for myself what this country was all about. I just wasn’t really sure of the best way to do so. After hearing about international exchange programs for high school students like myself through a friend, I lost no time in doing some research and decided to apply for an eleven-month AFS experience to Japan. The rest is history, and no need to say I am truly thankful for the opportunity AFS has given me in allowing me to come here. I went from being simply intrigued by a different culture and curious to learn more about it, to finding a real interest and developing a certain attachment to this country. I want to continue working hard towards my dream of one day becoming a translator in hopes of helping strengthen the links between the land of the rising sun and my home land. Japan is very far from being perfect, but the more I learn about it and see of it, the more I want to know. I really appreciate the differences in culture and lifestyle between Japan and Canada and I also met some extraordinary people and hopefully made some lifelong friendships during my stay. While both my English and French are suffering a lot from not having the opportunity to use them, my Japanese has
made enormous progress since I first got here nine months ago. I have received so much positive feedback and encouragements that I realized it would be silly for me not to keep working towards my original goal and what brought me here in the first place. Even after going back home to Montreal, I know that I’ve gained the motivation needed to keep studying hard until I reach my objective thanks to this whole experience and the countless valuable lessons I have learned here. Not only has this trip been decisive in helping me know what I want to do in the future, it has also completely changed the way I live and the way I see myself and the world around me. I have become more confident, and I feel overall much happier and mentally stronger than I was before setting out on this journey. As I had to go through a lot of difficulties at first and find myself in troubling situations numerous times along the way, I was able to develop the ability to think efficiently in different ways and find my own solutions to my problems without any outside help. I also had a lot of time to reflect on what was important for me and started rethinking about my priorities in life. I discovered the true importance of time and how to make the best of it. I have stopped worrying over things that are out of my control and I have finally come to realize that every-
thing is really just what you make it to be. Hard work always pays off in the long run and even if it does not always show off immediately, perseverance, rather than patience, gets you what you want. I have stopped letting negative thoughts and negative people influence me and feel like I have improved my decision making and social skills a lot. I can now adapt myself to all kinds of new situations and environments without feeling uncomfortable. I’ve become so much more open-minded, got rid of so many prejudices, and become more aware of so many things from having to interact everyday with a new culture and new ways of thinking that I feel I have grown into a whole new person. I have matured a lot and started working towards developing my own meaning of life and success. Knowing that this experience will keep following me everywhere I go really reassures me about my future. I know that I will be able to put to good use all of the things that I have learned during my short time here. The way everyone lives through their own AFS adventure greatly varies from person to person. Everyone’s goals and everyone’s environment is different and this allows for a very unique personal experience from the start. As for me, I landed in both a school and a family that had never received an exchange student before and
that actually didn’t seem overly prepared to do so. For these particular reasons, after meeting with my family and walking into my host school for the first time, I already had the feeling that I would be up for a very special year. I was completely immersed from the very beginning in a Japanese-only environment. This is what allowed me to make so much out of so little time and impress everyone around me with my progress in Japanese. I might have had it harder than others, but it is thanks to this unique environment that my experience was able to turn into such a fulfilling one. In the end, I am thankful
things turned out the way they did because they allowed me to focus on doing what I came here for in the first place. There were obstacles along the way, but I must not forget the people who made all of this fantastic experience possible. The truth is I wouldn’t have accomplished as much without the tremendous help of my host family. I am truly lucky to have been welcomed by such generous people. Though they could not speak much English, they made me feel at home from the day I stepped into their house and have always treated me like I was their own son. Thanks to them I was able to adapt to my new life here very quickly and never felt uncomfortable at home. We were able to build a very strong and close relationship and I am sure I will get to see them again
in the future. Even though we don’t always agree, we always have a good time together, and they really feel like family to me now. They made me want to become a more generous person myself, and I learned a lot about human relations and family values from living with them. They also taught me a lot about Japanese culture and really did everything for me to want to live here. They took me to a lot of places and I have made unforgettable memories with them. I truly admire them and I am very thankful for everything that they have done for me. Not to mention I was really lucky to stay in a typical Japanese coun-
try house built over a hundred years ago. I never thought I would get the chance to stay in a traditional Japanese home like this before coming here so I was really happy when I first stepped into the house. It made a complete change to what I was used to back in Canada. School life was not all that easy at first but in the end it was very beneficial for my personal development. I entered the school year halfway through with the first year students who were all two years younger than me and I was treated just as any other Japanese student, following every class regularly and even taking all the tests. The first months were quite stressful, but as time went by, I learned how to deal with my assignments, my dif-
ferent classes and teachers, and how to get along with my classmates and gain control of my school life. Making friends was very hard as everyone was younger than me, spoke no English at all, and from the fact that I had come right into the middle of the school year and everyone already knew each other and had already formed their own circles of friends. Everyone was afraid of speaking to me because I was older than them and because they didn’t know how to approach a foreigner as most of them never had to ever deal with one before. However, thanks to being taken away from my comfort zone like this, I was able to learn valuable lessons concerning social interactions and improve my coping skills. I have also made some good memories at school and I am thankful for getting the opportunity to live the life of a Japanese high school student for a year because it also allowed me to see school and education from a new perspective. I think both the educational systems in Canada and Japan could have a lot to learn from each other as they both have their strengths and weaknesses, and it will be interesting to share the observations I’ve made with everyone once I come back home. Ultimately, it all depends on you and what you want to make out of your AFS experience, but the possibilities are endless and the potential of what you can accomplish is huge if you set your mind to something and work hard until the end. I have made some unforgettable memories during my stay in Japan and I feel that I have grown into a much stronger and better person. I discovered my true self and the potential of what I can accomplish. I have a made a giant step towards my dreams and I feel more passionate about my studies than ever. Thanks to this experience and the great people I have met along the way, I know exactly in what direction I’m headed, and I know I will be back to Japan. In my case, it wasn’t all fun and games, and it certainly wasn’t what I had expected, but it turned out to be the most rewarding experience of my life. I will never be grateful enough for getting the chance to live all this. Sincere thanks to everyone who made it possible. »’’ -Léo-Thomas Brylowski, Japon
‘‘ A year abroad as an exchange student is a giant leap. You’re saying good-bye to a normal schedule, your friends, family, country – leaving everything familiar behind for a whole year. But in these some odd 352 days, you learn a new familiar, discover a second home and family, and come to realize that friendship is the strongest bond known to mankind. My year abroad in Switzerland is in the simplest of words: Breathtaking. It’s not only the view of the mountains I wake up to every morning that takes my breath away, but also everything I have learned, people I have met, and places I have been. It’s astonishing to see the generosity of a host family. People that are willing to take you in and help you accomplish a dream without even knowing you – at first that is. Big changes and some crazy times have surely come up in my host family. Leaving Canada with one older brother and arriving in Switzerland with four younger siblings was quite the change indeed. A much busier and louder household than I was originally used to has become upbeat, hilarious, and entertaining. If family were to be solely defined as; people who know you like the back of their hand, who you love and care about, and those who help you whenever you are in need, I would definitely say I have found a second family here. What is also a wondrous sight to see is to look around at AFS camps and meetings and see how all your friends as perfectly matched with a family as you are. Even though my host family were the first people that I met in my exchange year, the lifetime of friendships I have created are unbelievable. It’s a funny phenomenon, but exchange students are automatically close friends from the first “hello”. It’s like kindergarten all over again: You can make a best friend in a day and keep them for the rest of your life. The connections I have made spread across the globe. It’s impressive to be able to look at a map, point
to the majority of countries on it and say, “Yep, I have a place to stay here”. I’ve not only learned about the Swiss culture, but also cultures from around the world. The friends I have made from my host country also deserve a whole hearted standing ovation. The nervousness of starting school and being “that weird exchange student” seem like the silliest of worries now. I can honestly say I have learned most of my German from them and I am forever grateful. The language barrier at first felt like something hard to surpass, but they included and accepted me despite my differences – now that’s true friendship if I’ve ever seen it. It’s a great feeling to say that it’s not a good bye when leaving Switzerland, but just a ‘see you later’ because I know we won’t be losing touch, that’s for sure. Daily life is nothing less than exciting. Even though I’ve found somewhat of a new norm as I go throughout my day, the amount of opportunities that come up are uncountable. I’ve traveled across the country, stood on top of some of the highest mountains with skies painted blue, swam in some of the clearest lakes and skied down slopes with the most amazing of views. The chances I’ve had to see other countries are also phenomenal. I’ve traveled to Italy, Ireland, Serbia and Austria all within my stay and had the most wonderful days of my life so far. Looking back on an exchange year is a hard thing to do. You see how much you can learn in one year and what you’re really made of. A whole language, a culture, friendships, and ultimately about yourself. I won’t look back on this year and say that my year of adventure is over; I’ll look back on it and see how it’s been just the beginning. ‘’ -Morgan Lee Williams, Switzerland
‘‘ AFS has been a great journey for me. It has been a trip full of emotion and accomplishments, as well as sadness, joy and discoveries. I am using the past tense here, because my plane has already landed and this journey is over, but in a way it is still going on. Because I believe that being an AFSer one day is being an AFSer forever. In my case, this adventure has ended earlier than expected, not because I was having a bad time, but because I was offered other opportunities. Last year, on August 31st, with my backpack, I was flying to Vienna, Austria. There, my host family was waiting for me, my mother wearing a traditional Austrian dress. There quickly was a special connection between us, and I felt like I was part of this family. Quickly, but slowly as well. I can’t write in this story that there were only happy days, though I was expecting it. Yes, there are days you wish you could stay in bed crying, because you are so bored. But it really is a little price to pay compared with all the amazing things we are feeling and living during this experience! A little price compared with your pride when you are able to talk in your host country’s language for the first time. A little price, for living this crazy year which makes us growing up and understanding many things. I have developed strong and solid friendships during this year. Because of the distance, these friendships would be easy to lose, but I believe the connection is so special that it is going to last for a long time. This was the best year of my life, the most amazing and intense one. But it was ``bloody’’ worth it! GO FOR IT MY FRIENDS! ‘‘ -Stéphanie Lamer, Austria
‘‘ I’ll start by quoting a sentence of my dear mother: « Things never happen like expected ». My experience has turned out to be a chain of unexpected events, surprises and adventures. But after all, who could have guessed what was going to happen? Nevertheless, one should consider a fact: no matter the expectations, they would only be reached in a few cases (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Because an expectation towards an unknown culture often turns into a prejudice, a wrong idea that one has about the host country. Personally, I don’t believe that having expectations is a bad thing, on the contrary. I have met an exchange student who claimed he had no expectations regarding his life in Norway, familial, social or educational. And I thought: “How can one question oneself if one only accepts the facts with fatality, by telling oneself it is a different culture”? Of course, an experience like AFS requires for one to be open-minded, very open-minded and even a bit “subordinated” to the cultural habits, but to live “because that’s the way it is” seems unbelievable for me. I certainly don’t have the most promising speech, but it would be unfair to promote a wrong idea of the AFS experience. Since the beginning of my stay, I have realized many things, about me, about who I am, but also about my own culture. And then, here is what I have mainly realized: I, who has been living in Quebec for 17 years, know just a little bit of my OWN culture. And here comes the cultural gap. But, beyond the cultural gap towards my « host culture », there is a gap towards my ancestral culture! And even though the aim of AFS is to discover new cultures, to erase prejudices and to create connections, the strongest connections are made into us. We strengthen our convictions, our values. To me, it is the main achievement of my experience.
It is difficult to say something about the life in a host family because it differs from one person to another. However, I would say that, except extremes cases, family life varies from “ordinary” to “extraordinary”. I would classify my experience as an “ordinary” one. Some will interpret this word negatively. But since ordinary is a relative notion, one has to discover what it really means. I would say that my relationship with my host family is quite similar to the one I have with my biological parents; which means I am neither privileged, nor excluded. Of course, the first weeks of adaptation are different and one feels more like a guest than a family member, but this feeling goes away quickly. This is why I use the expression “ordinary”. Ordinary refers to the everyday life we are used to. What is ordinary varies from one to another. One part of my everyday life that has changed is that I am living with a “sister”. I come from a family of men (two brothers and my father) where my mother reigns: therefore, I am not used to live with a feminine presence other than maternal. I am pleased to notice that I have adjusted to it quickly. As for Norwegian school life, it is not the most exciting one. The academic system is focused on the individual, so there are not lots of group school works. Moreover, there are almost no extracurricular activities, because they are incorporated into the students’ program: there are a dozen of different programs, depending on sports, music, physical work or general and specific studies. As a result, schedules are really different from one to another, even within the same group. Social life strongly depends on the people we mix with (our social background) and on the region (especially in Norway, given the distance between each city). I can say that I have made one real friend, plenty of school friends and many acquaintances. To me, AFS is an experience more personal than social, who changes us more than one can imagine…or expect! ‘‘ -Tristan Pennet, Norway
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