I am Nina and part of Ayusa´s Class of 2020! 

And my exchange year was the best time of my life. 

I left my homecountry Germany in July and flew to NYC where we had the Orientationdays from Ayusa. I met a lot of other exchangestudents and I made good friends. We were all so excited to meet our hostfamilies and experience the American lifestyle. And sure enough it happened. 

I lived in Arizona, a southwestern US state, and I attended a big high school with about 3500 students. Of course it was pretty scary at first but I got used to it and I made a lot of friends. 

Burgers, football games and fun car rides were an important part of my experience. 

I was also lucky to have an amazing hostfamily who would take time off from work to go on fun roadtrips with us. Through them I got to see famous places like the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, San Francisco and many more. And I even had the chance to spent New Year´s Eve in Las Vegas!!!

One person that definitely made this year unforgetable is my hostsister Kate from Italy. She is my bestfriend and my sister by heart. That for example is a friendship that will stay for life. 

Student exchange is about bringing people together, sharing cultures, understanding our differences, and learning what it is that we have in common. I am so thankful for the opportunity that was given to me and I would encourage everyone to go on exchange. 

Thank you <3