Dear Jackson-Reed,

My name is Sahra and I’m an AFS-Intercultural Programs exchange student from Germany studying abroad with the CBYX scholarship, a full merit-based scholarship to spend an academic year abroad in the US for a year.  

I came to the US three months ago and am staying with a host family for a year, attending Jackson-Reed, making new friends, improving my English skills, and getting to know a completely different culture and religions, while also sharing my own culture with the people around me! 

An exchange year is an incredible experience to broaden horizons, see new things, and travel, but it’s also a roller coaster of emotions and impressions (take it from me, I’ve only been here for three months and I’ve been blown away). 

One of the biggest culture shocks I have experienced is American high school. When I walked into Jackson-Reed, I thought, “omg it’s HUGE!” For comparison, in Germany we have four more grades than American high schools do, but my school only had 800 students in total. And don’t be fooled, I don’t come from a small, rural town in the middle of nowhere, I live in Cologne, the fourth largest city of Germany. 

The second shock: sports! I was absolutely blown away when I found out how many sports Jackson-Reed offers: volleyball, field hockey, crew, soccer, football, softball, cheerleading, swimming, lacrosse, wrestling, and so many more! For reference: there are no school sports teams in Germany at all. Students who want to do a sport have to do it outside of school and pay for it. 

I was also surprised by how seriously sports are taken here! There are coaches who live off-campus and get paid, jerseys, huge fields and a pool. It seems like there are tryouts and tournaments and practices nearly every day. I was shocked by the amount of time people spend at practices (seriously though, I have a friend who does crew and she basically doesn’t have a life). Having a school sports team with jerseys and game days and coaches would be nearly impossible in Germany because that’s just not how our school system is built. Students only spend time in school to learn and then go home, every extracurricular is outside of school. 

Next culture shock: school clubs! This is an aspect that I absolutely fell in love with! When I went to the Jackson Reed club fair, I found out that there are so many different clubs that all accomplish so many great things like an environmental club, a gender equality club, a gender- sexuality alliance, and so much more! I think it is remarkable that American high schools provide teenagers a space where they not only learn, but where they can also fight for things that they are passionate about. Like organizing park clean ups or blood donations or just getting together with friends and doing what they love, such as reading, sewing, or sipping tea. And the best thing about it: the Beacon! No, honestly. When I was first handed the Beacon on Beacon Day, I was absolutely blown away (yes, I am blown away by many things, I know). It looked basically like a real newspaper, written by students! In Germany, we have some kind of yearbook where students share stories about field trips and accomplishments, but a real newspaper that actively keeps track of what’s going on in school, interviews teachers and staff and criticizes? That’s something very unique to American high schools. 

And my last point: the atmosphere in class. This might sound weird to some people, but the attitude of the teachers and the atmosphere in class is so different here than in Germany. Students and teachers have a way closer relationship here than I’m used to. It has been made clear that teachers are here for the students. In Germany, teachers are there to teach and students there to learn, and there is nothing beyond that point. So being asked about my pronouns, preferred name, and seeing that teachers keep feminine hygiene products in class was, again, a shock – but in a good way! 

I have only been here for a short time of two months and have already noticed so many differences, lived through multiple culture shocks, and seen so many amazing things! I hope to experience even more throughout my year here and try as many things as I can! Thank you for accompanying me on my journey so far as I live through high school and understand what it means to be an American teenager! 

Sincerely,

Sahra 

PS: Spending an exchange year is by far the best experience that I have ever had! Be a little adventurous and explore new places and cultures yourself! If you have any questions about applications or programs, please feel free to reach out to me!