AFSer Monika Schneider (pictured above with bear & host family) shares stories about her year in Texas:

My name is Monika Schneider and I am one of close to 500 AFS exchange students that come to the United States from Germany every year. Luckily enough, I ended up in Texas, where I am truly having an amazing year that has been so much more than I ever expected.

Back home in Germany, I live in a small town called Neumagen-Dhron (pronounced: Noy mah gen drone, this is the closest I can get to spelling the pronunciation!). It has about 3,000 inhabitants and is in a very rural area, the next biggest city being thirty minutes (by car) away. Being in a rural area, a lot of people have agricultural jobs; in my area there are especially a lot of winemakers. In a lot of ways, it is just a typical small town as there are few stores besides the basic grocery and convenience stores and it doesn’t have a lot to offer for young people my age.

My host family here lives in the city of Fort Worth, fairly close to downtown. Big difference for me? Definitely. Here, there are plenty of shopping opportunities, stores are always close, my high school is five minutes away and I could probably pursue every activity I could possibly think of.

Given those differences in my life, in Germany and here, you can guess that only increases the adjustments I had to go through when I first arrived in Texas. The obvious changes were of course food and climate. I don’t think I had ever eaten Mexican food before or experienced a Christmas when I could wear a t-shirt. In Germany, I live with my 19-year-old brother and my parents – my dad is a blacksmith and my mom is a housewife. Here I have two host sisters, 14 and 16, and two host parents who work as a scientist and an elementary school teacher. I was used to family life where everyone is fairly independent, everyone has his or her own life. As soon as I arrived here, I was treated like a family member. I enjoy being part of such a union, especially since I had never experienced it to this extent before.

Spending a year abroad has clearly been one of the best decisions I’ve made so far. I already know by now that this year will always be special for me and that I will miss Texas terribly when I go home. In a way, it’s become my home, too.

We're providing biographies of AFS exchange students so that you can envision what it would be like to share your day-to-day life with a new family member. Below are examples of students who will be participating with AFS.

Once you begin the hosting interest form, we will connect you with a local volunteer to discuss specific students in your area.

Pablo from Chile: Pablo likes all kinds of music. He took violin lessons for three years and now plays the guitar. He is in a rock band with his friends and has participated in music festivals. He is cheerful, enthusiastic, sociable, and considerate. His teacher says that Pablo is an intelligent student who has a good sense of humor and is able to adapt to different situations. He lives with his father, stepmother, and two younger half-siblings. He has three older siblings; his parents are divorced. He has a good relationship with his family and talks often with his mother. Pablo is undecided about career plans.

Alice from Italy: Alice enjoys acting and participates in a drama class at school several times a week. In the future, she would like to be an actress. Alice's favorite sports are tennis and volleyball. She enjoys traveling and has been to Ireland and Malta. Alice's teacher says she's a friendly and sociable girl who gets along well with her classmates. Her father feels she has a friendly disposition towards everyone. Alice is talkative and meets people easily. She's eager to learn about American culture. Alice's family members include her father, mother, and older brother. Her father lives in another city and her brother is away studying at a university. Alice is close to her brother and enjoys spending time with him when he is home.