A Month in: The Beginning of My Exchange

While most 16-year-old girls spend high school in familiar surroundings, I chose a different path-one that led me to a new country as an exchange student. I chose to become an exchange student for many reasons, but one key reason was to explore the world while I’m still young. My name is Paloma Puente and I am from Colorado, USA.

Although I’ve always enjoyed traveling abroad, I never considered living abroad until last year. My sister, who was a junior in college, was exploring the idea of studying in Italy during her school semester. After hearing about it, I became interested and started going to rotary meetings in my local club. Little did I know 11 months later, I would be living as an exchange student in the Czech Republic.

Differences

In the 42 days that I have been living here, I have explored local villages, tried new foods, learned new basic Czech words, made new friends, and many other things. One significant difference that has stood out to me is the schooling system. I attend a Gymnázium located in Plzen. Each student takes 12-13 classes. As a high schooler in America, I only take 5-7 classes in total. Another difference is that my school in America has a mascot and emphasizes ‘school spirit,’ particularly around sports and events. In contrast, schools here do not have sports or events and primarily focus on basic education.

A few other small differences I’ve noticed are the food portions are larger, there is a lower currency value compared to the USD, and the availability of public transportation. The last and most common difference is the language. Czech is very hard and while I have been learning it since January, I still feel like a beginner. I don’t know enough to have a conversation with someone without my translator, so it has been difficult to communicate with people.

Golf Course

Trip to Český Krumlov

Homesickness

One common question I often receive is, ‘Are you feeling homesick?’. Since arriving, I’ve had moments of missing home, but I’ve been able to work through it and focus on what’s to come. Czech food is fairly different compared to American, besides the fast-food restaurants like KFC, McDonalds, and Starbucks. Traditional Czech food looks like bread dumplings, or potatoes, along with some sort of cooked meat covered in thick sauce. A basic American meal looks like either a hamburger or a grilled chicken breast with a side salad. Some things I’ve enjoyed so far are traveling to Cesky Krumlov, exploring castles, going on hikes, playing golf with my host parents, and taking a tour through a chocolatier.

Now that it’s been a little over a month, I feel like I’ve almost fully settled in. Ive been able to create a routine which mainly helped with my homesickness but also my feelings of fitting in. My expectations for the next few months are to continue exploring while gaining independence and working on my personal growth, working on making my relationships stronger as well as creating new ones, working through my homesickness and coping skills, and lastly, learning more Czech.

Paloma Puente, District 5470, USA → RC Plzeň