An exchange in Auckland: Helen, Germany
Kia ora, hallo! My name is Helen, I come from Germany, and I have been an AFS student in Auckland for the past five months during my exchange to New…
Author: josie
Returnee Reflections: Jade, France
Hi! My name is Jade and I went on an AFS exchange to France for a semester from January 2024 to June 2024. What made you want to go on…
Returnee Reflections: Thomas, USA
Nearly four months on from my exchange year to the U.S I still think about it every day. I don’t think if you’d told me when I hopped on that…
Te Ao Māori: from Germany to Gisborne with Milla
Kia ora! My name is Milla, I am 17 and I am from Germany. For the past five months of my life, I have lived in New Zealand and it…
Returnee Reflections: Ava, France
I will forever thank myself for choosing to go on an exchange. It’s an experience I had always dreamed of having, exploring what’s out there in the world, to expand…
AFS Global STEM Australia/NZ
Staff member Josie shares her experience facilitating the first ever Australia/New Zealand cohort of the AFS Global STEM Changemakers programme Earlier this year, 75 young leaders from Australia and New…
Returnee Reflections: Antalya, Japan
I went to Nagoya, Japan for 5 months from March to August 2024. Some of the highlights of my everyday life in Japan were just the small, everyday interactions and…
Returnee Reflections: Adrien, Finland
I’ve always been interested in foreign countries and how they do things differently, but there’s really nothing like actually going there and experiencing it for yourself. This is what I…
Returnee Reflections: June, Costa Rica
My desire for adventure and cultural immersion led me to head off on an AFS exchange year. I was particularly drawn to Costa Rica because of the beautiful landscapes, friendly…
Current Student Updates: Hugo, Germany
Guten Tag! It’s still so weird to think how it has been over seven months since that day I woke up on a fresh Auckland morning, looked out the window…
Returnee Reflections: Tui, France
Kia ora koutou and Bonjour à tous ! My name is Tui, and I have just recently returned from a year-long exchange in France! Long story short, it was the…
Current Student Updates: Elaena in Argentina
Read about our student Elaena’s highlights and learnings 6 weeks into her AFS experience in Crespo, Argentina! Hola! So far my exchange experience has been amazing with the people,…
Current Student Updates: Adam in Peru
Kia Ora, Buenos Días and Hello, I’m Adam McPhail, a Kiwi and an AFS exchange student living in Chincha Alta, a small city in the south of Peru. I’ve now…
Current student updates: France
Tui sent us an update from France – read on to hear about school, skiing, and language challenges! Bonjour à tous!! This letter signifies the passing of a whole five…
Current Student Updates: Emma, Japan
At a pottery festival (fire festival) with my host family in May What’s it been like living with your host family? Right off the bat when I first…
AFS NZ Youth Assembly 2024 Delegates
AFS NZ is delighted to announce our 3 scholarship winners for the AFS NZ delegation to the AFS Youth Assembly 2024! Read on to find out who they are, their…
Callan and Gypsy in China: Global Young Leaders
2024 Zhi-Xing China: Global Young Leaders Fellowship Callan I recently got the opportunity to travel to China and participate in an incredible young leaders program which focused on cultural heritage…
Sending and Hosting: The families who are embracing the AFS spirit!
The Duffy Family, Auckland Cambell, NZ to Japan year programme 2023 – Enkhjin, Mongolia to NZ intensive programme 2023 The Duffys and their Mongolian host daughter Enkhjin Our son Cambell…
Current student updates: Denmark
Our beautiful student Summer shared her reflections on the exchange so far with our scholarship team – amazing job, Summer! It is time for me to express my gratitude for…
MEXT Scholarship Recipient Jay reflects on a month in Japan
We asked our amazing 2023 MEXT scholarship student and volunteer Jay some questions about his time in Japan. Read on to find out about his favourite experiences, best advice, and…