Petra was on an exchange year in the USA

Petra, 41, from The Netherlands is a former STS exchange student.

Here she shares her exchange story:

“When I was 17, I spent the school year of 2000-2001 as a high school exchange student in the small town of North Fond du Lac in Wisconsin, USA. After finishing high school in the Netherlands, I wasn't sure what college I wanted to attend. But at a fair, I got to know about STS. I applied and eventually got accepted for a high school year in the USA.

We were a group of about 20 students who took off from Amsterdam on August 18, 2000, to the USA. The last part of the journey, from Chicago to Milwaukee, I was on my own. When I reached my final destination, my host family welcomed me at the gate with a Dutch flag and a sign saying, "Welcome Petra". This was so lovely.

My amazing host family consisted of a mom and dad and two host siblings: a brother of 21 and a sister in the same age as me. We had a great start and formed a good relationship right away. They took me to family gatherings, dinners, shopping malls, movie theatres, and birthday celebrations.

Also, in school, I got along with most, if not all students. They wanted to get to know me, and I was interested in them. I hung out a lot with my sister and her friends, and I played volleyball during fall and soccer during spring.

My local coordinator Calla was always available if any of the exchange students needed her and would always try to find the best solutions to any problem, if there were any. I only saw her on good occasions and had a blast with her. Calla also took us, foreign exchange students, on awesome trips and taught us a lot about US culture.

I loved every second of my year in the USA and so it was quite hard to, on June 15, 2001, leave. I had built a life in Wisconsin and was so sad to leave everyone behind, not knowing if I would ever see them again.

But my host sister came to visit me that same summer and I visited them back in the summer of 2002. Even now, over 20 years later, we’re still in touch, and I've visited them many times for high school reunions (2006, 2011, 2016) and my host sister’s wedding in 2008. My host parents even visited me in the Netherlands in 2006 and my host sister and her husband came again in 2019. Also, some high school friends visited me, and I've shown them around the Netherlands which has been awesome.

After my exchange, I felt like I had gotten to know myself better as a person and like I was ready to take on the world. I have continued to travel, and I did an internship in Spain during my college years. Due to my improved English, I also made close friends in England, Hungary, and Spain.

My high school exchange is something I still cherish every day. During my time in in USA, I kept a diary, which I sometimes still read and laugh about all the adventures I had. Crazy to think it’s been so long; it feels like yesterday. The whole experience tought me a lot, I made a second family and friendships for life, and I had an adventure I’ll never forget. An experience that has benefited me ever since!

If you have the chance to do it, take it!

Find out more

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