“This exchange year in Utah was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I am so very glad that I got this opportunity to live here in the home of a great family, in a great city and go to an awesome school. I really enjoyed going to my new high school because it is a great school and the people are amazing. In the first few days I was overwhelmed by the size and how many people were in the halls and I got stuck in the birth canal. But the longer I went to school here the more I felt like I fit in and belonged here.

I felt so welcome and everyone was interested in who I was and where I was from. I thought it was great that there were so many different classes to choose from and the classes that I took were great and I was also impressed by the good relationship between teachers and students. It was an awesome experience to be part of the swim team, to go to the football games (although it took me a while to understand the game) and just experience the amazing school spirit that this school has. I loved the feeling that everyone loves their school and does their best to represent it. I will never forget the people that I met, some of them became really great friends and I will miss them and the school. Going to this school was amazing and I hope that my school in Germany would be a little more like it.

Living in a typical American town was also great. The fast food restaurants at every corner, almost no public transportation and almost every teenager has a car, those were all parts that represented the typical America as I had expected it to be. But I was surprised by how welcoming and polite every single person was and how soon I got used to the American lifestyle.

Another part that I really liked was participating in the religion of my host family. Going to a LDS church was a great and completely new experience and I learned so much. Before I came here I had no idea what Mormons were, but now I know that they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. From the very first day in the ward I felt welcome and I really loved going there every Sunday. I am so thankful for everyone who made me feel like a part of the  family.

I just want to thank everyone that made this exchange year here in Utah an exceptional experience and welcomed me so dearly. Thank you to my friends for making the school year fun, to the teachers for helping me whenever I had any questions and of course my host family for just being as awesome as they are and making this year possible. I am really sad that I have to leave now because this town became my home but I am so thankful for this great opportunity to live in America.”

Isabell from Germany