Instead of staying with a host family, we ended up in a boarding school. They are from Switzerland, Faroe Islands and Thailand and with their support I felt like home. I like to think of them like my "international sisters".

Love them!

The bonds formed through AFS have not only enriched my life with unique perspectives and experiences but have also highlighted the profound importance of friendship and relationships. Whether sharing laughs over cultural misunderstandings, exploring new cities together, or supporting each other through challenges, my AFS friends have become an integral part of my life.

Moreover, AFS has taught me valuable lessons about the significance of building meaningful connections and nurturing relationships beyond geographical boundaries. It has emphasized the power of empathy, understanding, and mutual respect in fostering lasting friendships that transcend differences.

Through AFS, I've come to appreciate the beauty of diversity and the strength that lies in forging connections with people from all corners of the world. These friendships have not only broadened my perspective but have also enriched my life in ways I never imagined possible, reaffirming the timeless adage that "friendship knows no bounds."

Amir from Pakistan 🇵🇰🇺🇸

In today's world, it always feels like something is missing. Now I realize that what is missing is the bridge of heart-to-heart connection between people from different cultures. We, the youth, should act as this bridge. Nowadays, the world is not peaceful. My humble opinion is that it largely lacks understanding between different cultures. We often talk about "seeking common ground while reserving differences," but now with the collision between cultures, we lack means of communication, which leads to misunderstanding instead of seeking common ground while reserving differences. I often discuss with other exchange students from different countries in the Global Changemaker group (our organization), and I find that they more or less encounter similar issues. People who lack understanding of other cultures are bound to criticize cultures other than their own through colored lenses. Before participating in the exchange student program, I was full of biases and stereotypes towards other cultures. Sometimes, I even thought that the people in this country were like this or that country's people were like that... But now I've totally changed. I think this may be one of the reasons for cultural conflicts. I also think that if more families and young people with a global perspective appear, perhaps there will be more care and love for people from any culture rather than hatred. I have always liked to follow international news, but what I do not understand is that even in this era, various unscrupulous media incite public resentment towards ordinary people from other cultures. Even simplistically attributing it to: "people from that culture have always been like this." I think perhaps only through cultural exchanges can this bias be broken. This may make the world a more peaceful place. After all, the primary representatives of each culture are the people themselves. I still believe that in this world, there are more people willing to accept other cultures than those who are stubborn. We take pride in our culture, and we should also be proud of other cultures. During the exchange student period, I found that my classmates always liked to ask me questions about my culture. I always explained them very patiently and calmly, and every time I could solve some of their misunderstandings. Sometimes they did not intentionally ask some sharp questions, but they really knew nothing about your culture. Since ordinary people are like this, I think the troubles caused by misunderstandings between cultures must be greater. It is definitely not something that can be solved simply by relying on cross-cultural communication by several people , but it requires more people's participation. I firmly believe that the future world will definitely be a cross-cultural world. At that time, world problems can surely be solved through equal consultations between cultures without sanctions, let alone conflicts. Achieving such a world requires efforts from you and me, and efforts from all cultures. This is what I learned from AFS. From this loving day onwards, I will definitely work harder to become a global citizen and spread love throughout the world.

Love from China🇨🇳

Zizheng Zhu

Afs is the best thing that ever happened to me and I’m forever grateful.