
By Kamilla Jumayeva
Imagine spending a year in a foreign country as a teenager, learning new customs, forming lifelong friendships and seeing the world through a completely different lens. For many exchange students, this once-in-a-lifetime experience reshapes not only the way we view the world but how we live our lives.
What is an exchange year?
Exchange is usually an academic year that students have abroad. One of the biggest parts of an exchange year is a cultural exchange. It enhances cultural awareness as well as promoting mutual understanding. One of the most vivid examples is the FLEX Program.
The Future Leaders Exchange Program, or FLEX, which started in 1993, has allowed over 27,000 students from Europe and Asia to experience life in the U.S. It is a highly competitive, merit-based scholarship program funded by the U.S. Department of State that operates in many countries.
In the 2023-24 year, several exchange students from different parts of the world participated in cultural exchanges, sharing their unique experiences and perspectives.
According to Zhamilya Bakytzhankyzy, a FLEX exchange student from Kazakhstan, her exchange year was a transcendent experience. “I rate my exchange year a full 100!” she shares. Zhamilya also added that she had become much more independent than she used to be.
For those hesitant about becoming exchange students, she advises, “I think it’s worth taking the risk! You have one life only, and without risks, you never know what you could have had.”
For the question if she has changed her attitude toward American culture, she said it did change her the way she understands it more deeply: “After a year of exchange, my attitude towards Americans and their culture changed. I began to understand American culture and traditions more deeply. By the way, I love Thanksgiving!”
While another FLEX student from Kazakhstan, Dilnaz Kozhanova, also emphasizes the personal growth and cultural insights she gained during her exchange year.
She says leaving for such a long time was the right decision because it allowed her to become more independent, learn a new culture, and start speaking another language fluently. Also, she adds: “This experience has changed my outlook on life by 180 degrees. The opportunities for further development of my future have acquired new boundaries, and the knowledge base has been replenished with new information.”
But what happens when things don’t go as expected?
While many exchange students, like Zhamilya, have overwhelmingly positive experiences, it’s important to note that not everyone’s journey is smooth. Some students, like Zuzanna Kowalska from Poland, found it challenging to adjust.
Zuzanna reflects: “Unfortunately, my exchange year didn’t meet my expectations. However, the cultural exchange was worth it. I met my host sister, with whom I’m still in touch, and I love her so much.”
Despite the challenges, she found value in the experience, particularly in how it helped her dispel myths about the U.S. that were prevalent in her home country.
On the other side of the exchange, Docas Adams, a member of a U.S. host family, shared how hosting an exchange student impacted her life.
“The process of trying to share your own culture while learning another’s can be both exciting and eye-opening,” she says.
During the interview, Docas mentioned that it helped her to realize that it showed her that it is okay to open yourself up to people and made her think bigger. Additionally, she said, “I can wholeheartedly say I wouldn’t have been able to grow to think this way without hosting a student from a completely different country.”
Whether the experience is smooth or bumpy, living abroad leaves an indelible mark. For anyone considering it, the opportunity to open your mind to a new culture is well worth the challenge.
Each year, around 6.4 million students cross borders, immersing themselves in new cultures, languages and ways of life.