For the 2022-2023 school year, Glacier Peak welcomed six exchange students from Europe, to live a full American experience. Now that most of the year passed, they are getting ready to go back in their home countries. This year brought them lots of memories, they grew up and changed.

“My exchange year changed my personality in the way that I’m more open and not scared to try new things, because all the new things that I tried ended up being good memories. I now have a better view of people and the environment around me. I’m really sad and I hate to be the first student going back home because that means the rest of them get to stay a little bit longer. This year is going to end up being rewarding with experiences, but I don’t want to leave the adventure so early because every day I’m learning something new,” Roberta Laurinovica said.

Leaving your new home after 10 months is not the funniest part, but speaking of learning something new every day, let’s talk about English, because it was also a main goal of the exchange year.

“I started to learn English when I was able to talk, around three-years-old, because in my school in Spain, you can learn languages, so I’ve been speaking English for 12 or 13 years. Now, I feel way more confident when I speak in English. I feel like when I first came here, I was going to make mistakes and people were going to laugh at me. Now people are helping and correcting me, so I don’t care anymore to make mistakes and my accent is better. The hardest word for me to pronounce is ‘squirrel,’ I just can’t say it. I would say that my favorite word is probably ‘flowers’ because it’s smooth and easy to say,” Andrea Correia Esteban said.

After making memories during a full school year, learning things and culture every day, meeting people, going home will be the hardest day since you arrived. You probably going to miss your American life.

“The thing that I’m going to miss the most is the school, because here is not just studying it means way more. When I say the school, I want to say all the people that I’ve met at school, because all of my friends are there. I’m going to miss all my teachers of course and also the spirit, the assembly, the fun activities, the sports, the clubs. So, if you want to do something, then ask, even if you feel ashamed or you feel it’s too much, because if you don’t ask you are kind of wasting your last months here,” Sara Liberati said.

Living with no regrets and enjoy the most you can, that is a good advice, and not only for exchange students. Going back home means also seeing your family and friends again for the summer, and then school again.

“I’m definitely going to meet up with my friends and family, just spend some time with them. I would like to travel in my home country too. I have three more years of high school in Poland so it’s kind of funny because I was a freshman, but I will be a sophomore because this year doesn’t count. So my goal, when I’ll be back, is to meet new people,” Max Lesniewski said.

Even though they have to leave soon, every exchange student has their own story to tell about their American experience. But one thing for sure, they are never going to forget the school, the people, Washington State, their American Dream.