Kiwi Culture Experience
Five students from India immersed themselves in Kiwi Culture during our three-week short programme in April/May. They travelled through parts of the North Island as a group and also spent…
Intercultural Learning
Beyond the Brochure: A Scrapbook of the AFS Team’s Exchange Experiences
As it turns out, all of our current AFS staff, and most board members, are either AFS exchange returnees or expats. This shared life experience sparked curiosity, leading us to…
Loving Life in Boliva
Lucy, a recipient of an AFS scholarship, updates us on her time abroad in Bolivia so far: Introduction: My Adventure Begins in Bolivia When I first got here, I was…
How Going Abroad Can Uplift Your Career: The Lasting Benefits of an AFS Student Exchange
Going on a student exchange is an adventure into cultural immersion, learning a language, fostering unique friendships, boosting confidence and becoming independent. While many students choose to go on an…
Abroad in Poland: Where Jandals Don’t Cut It
Luke, recipient of an AFS scholarship, reflects on his time abroad in Poland so far: Introduction: The Start of My Exchange in Poland It’s hard to believe that six months have…
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…
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: 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…
AFS Youth Assembly 2024 – How was it?
Seven young New Zealanders attended the AFS Youth Assembly in New York City in August 2024. This was the first time we sent a delegation from Aotearoa to this global…
Host Student Update: Jaime from Spain
My reflection as an AFS Student at Tarawera High School My name is Jaime from Spain. I’m an AFS student and I have spent term 3 at Tarawera High. This…
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…
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…
Current student updates: Japan
We love getting news from our students overseas! Here are two letters from current students in Japan Kaelin, Japan Life in Tokyo is fast, everyone has a place to…