Abigail went on exchange to the Netherlands

Abigail from Australia was on exchange in the Netherlands

My mom was born in the Netherlands and part of my family still speaks Dutch, so going on exchange to the Netherlands to learn the language and understand the culture better, was great.

I felt at home with my host family immediately. I was in the same family as an Italian exchange student. It was actually great to share the exchange experience. Our host parents and older host sisters included us in everything: trips, holidays, activities, etc. And that’s what I would advise future Host Families as well: include your students as much as possible, but give them space to discover their own ‘Dutch life’ as well!

The school was great, the students and teachers were really nice. My English teacher introduced me to some girls in my class, who ended up becoming my best friends.

Although I had been to the Netherlands as a kid, I still had quite a culture shock. Part of that was me taking a bike to school every day! 😊

Find out more

• Read more student stories from the Netherlands
• Read more about a high school exchange in the Netherlands
• See all our high school exchange destinations