Overseas exchange

[marty]

my 14 (now 15) year old son has recently come back from a 4 month exchange in germany. fantastic experience - went to france, switzerland, poland. visited 1000 year old places. learnt a conversation amount of german and some french.

he's been to Aussie, the UK and USA on family holidays, and to Austin Texas and Reno Nevada on 2 week long return exchanges through school, and now after being to europe, even he at now 15 realises that diversity and cultural experience is much richer in europe.

that is not to say that there are not fantastic experiences and people to meet in the USA - there are many - it's just from my experience that the culture is not far enough removed from our own to be of any (compared to a true foreign country's) learning and experience value.

[James Deuce]

According to my well travelled English teacher the hottest girls are in Spain, so thats always a good option.

Until they turn 30 when they grow a mustache and go bald down the part line in the middle of their head.

[hXc]

Hey dude - I'll talk to you when I'm down in Napier - forget the agencies mate - My mum sent me to work on a vinyard in Italy when I was 14 - proper character building - hard graft in 42 degree sunshine - great food - great girls and fabulous wine.

The agencies keep you safe when things go wrong and they put you with a family etc. it works out a lot better...And cheaper.

New Caledonia blah blah

Been there. Was great fun but I want something different to that.

[xwhatsit]

Iceland would be cool. I've always wanted to go there. Weirder people than even the Finns. Look at Bjork and The Sugarcubes for instance.

Iceland is very cool. I know a lot of 'Slandics because my pa works for an Icelandic company. Hard-drinking, hard-partying, right into all kinds of eclectic music (I'd add another name to Björk and The Sugarcubes -- Sigur Rós), very modern and fascinating culture. Lots of very cool architecture, as well. They're such a young country -- even back in the early 1900s, there was no city, everybody was agricultural and couldn't read, no electricity anywhere, or proper roads. Such a fast track to where they are now -- which is having a very strong influence in European business. There's only about 300,000 people in Reykjavík, yet they have a massive influence and control in Europe.

If I was exchanging, I'd consider Asia first (either Japan or Hong Kong), then I'd think about Iceland. Definitely don't go to the USA -- as Jim2 so succinctly put it, you won't learn anything you can't see on TV.

And as somebody who's a tertiary level music student (not in rock, though, like you are I think), I know for a fact that contemporary music is no longer the sole domain of the USA and their record companies. Places like MySpace are great -- I know a few kiwis who've made lots of contacts through strategies like that, and have never left NZ. Try and get on those indy mp3 sites -- you won't make much money when you only get 5c a song, but it's a great way to get exposure if you're any good.

America is really too culturally alike, it won't do much for you at all. You might as well go to Australia. Definitely go somewhere non-English speaking -- I'll tell you something from one musician to another -- learning a language does wonders for your auditory skills. Especially something like Cantonese, where there are 7-9 tones. But even another Germanic language does sharpen up your auditory recognition a fair bit.

[MotoGirl]

Just a quick note about EF - I'd be cautious about going on exchange through them. We had two exchange students: one German and one Norwegian.

When things turned pear shaped with our second student, EF didn't even attempt to rehome him - EF (New Zealand) used some bullshit excuse about not having a place for him to go. They don't have the infrastructure to house/rehome you if it doesn't work out with your host family.

To get the best out of your exchange experience, you need to go with an organisation that will take care of your best interests. IMO, I don't think EF does that for its students.

[Macktheknife]

As an idea, I think you should definitely go for it. Hell yeah!.
But I would also say to go somewhere different, as different to here as you can stand. Any european country would be great, even Russia could be interesting. My next choice would be Asia. The whole idea is getting out of what you know and are comfortable with, to stretch yourself, to push your boundaries and discover not only yourself but also others and what the rest of the world is really like.
If you are not going to do this... then stay home, seriously. If you make a half assed job of it you will always regret it.
Be bold and enjoy the adventure of not knowing everything that will come from that.

[hXc]

Iceland is very cool. I know a lot of 'Slandics because my pa works for an Icelandic company. Hard-drinking, hard-partying, right into all kinds of eclectic music (I'd add another name to Björk and The Sugarcubes -- Sigur Rós), very modern and fascinating culture. Lots of very cool architecture, as well. They're such a young country -- even back in the early 1900s, there was no city, everybody was agricultural and couldn't read, no electricity anywhere, or proper roads. Such a fast track to where they are now -- which is having a very strong influence in European business. There's only about 300,000 people in Reykjavík, yet they have a massive influence and control in Europe.

Ahhh...But find an exchange program that does Iceland.

To get the best out of your exchange experience, you need to go with an organisation that will take care of your best interests. IMO, I don't think EF does that for its students.

Ok, didn't know that. Would you reccomend anyone else in particular?

[Colapop]

I'd recommend Denmark. Great place to travel from, not the normal place people go, and great history/people. Or Chile - you'll see/experience things you'll never forget.

[MotoGirl]

Ok, didn't know that. Would you reccomend anyone else in particular?

Hmm, not sure I'm afraid. I knew exchange students at school (10 years ago) and they were happy, but I don't know who they came through.

I'd definitely interview your potential exchange organisation before you choose who you'll go through. You should ask them some curly questions about how they handle conflict in the home and deal with any issues etc.

You could even speak with students who've returned home - ask them about their experiences with that organisation. I don't see any reason why you can't ask for references, afterall, it's your life for a year!

[hXc]

I'd recommend Denmark. Great place to travel from, not the normal place people go, and great history/people. Or Chile - you'll see/experience things you'll never forget.

What is Denmark like? Climate and food etc?

[Dilligaf]

I did an exchange privately with a French family in Vanuatu for a month. My mum organised it and it ended up being friends of friends of friends. (of friends...) Each family had a young un about the same age and we did a month in each other's country. Each family paid own airfares and then gave each child spending money and then living expenses were picked up by each family. It was a really cheap way of organising an exchange. I think I was 14 or 15 at the time....
I can recommend this kind of thing if you are looking for a cheaper way. Put the word out, you'd be surprised who knows who around the world....

[Grub]

Ahhh...But find an exchange program that does Iceland.

OK ... I googled ' "Icelend" AND "Student Exchange" ' and selected pages from new zealand. There's heaps there, mainly university exchanges but also a pdf that shows AFS departures for Iceland take place in July.

I have come to knw some of the people and a little about the country through an international photographic group. It's a VERY modern and VERY progressive country and the people and economy are far more advanced than many other western nations

They bat above their weight

[hXc]

Hmmm. After reading all the replies saying don't go to the US, go to Europe etc I've been thinking. I keep coming back to 'home'; Finland. I guess Finland it is then. I'll fly out July next year, I need to raise $12,000 plus my own money to get there.

Dover suggested becoming a man-whore, any other ideas?

[hXc]

I've registered interest with AFS to go to Finland. I will recieve a confirmation email to my enquiry within two weeks and I shall post accordingly.

[BuFfY]

Hmmm. After reading all the replies saying don't go to the US, go to Europe etc I've been thinking. I keep coming back to 'home'; Finland. I guess Finland it is then. I'll fly out July next year, I need to raise $12,000 plus my own money to get there.

Dover suggested becoming a man-whore, any other ideas?

You will do wonderfully as a man whore... but I wouldn't take advice from dover... he is dodgy as!