Anna Kleckerova is an international student from the Czech Republic. Her first year in America was her junior year, and she is currently planning on spending her college life here in the states.–Editor, Trey Lucatero
–by Anna Kleckerova
How does all of this start? What leads students to decide to leave home, uproot themselves, and move to the other side of the planet? It can start many different ways. Pressure from parents, a desire for adventure or the need for learning a new language are all true reasons. Once you decide on this huge step and your parents pay for it, your life will turn about 180 degrees. You will come to a totally different country full of strange people who stare at you because you are the weird one. Americans are more open. They can scare those who aren’t used to the American openness. In Europe, people don’t ask “How are you doing?!” on the sidewalk. In a new country, you will not understand the language, habits, or the system at all. You will be bored by new rules just as you were bored by the old ones in your country. You might love the change or hate it the rest of your life. Conditions will not always be perfect.
Everything depends on what we make of it. You can look just at the bad things and stay annoyed, but you have also another option. That option is to fall in love with your new life. I’ve grown to love the optimistic view of Americans.
This new change will limit rights and privileges you previously enjoyed in your life. You can’t go anywhere by yourself. There’s no public transportation. You can’t drive a car. You have to learn a new currency. You will get a new family that does not always have to be nice to you, and your parents will be too far away from you to offer help. You will have to stand on your own and make your own decisions. Your mom won’t always be there to tell you to wear a jacket when it is cold outside. Your dad won’t be waiting for you after school wearing his strict look while he is peering at your grades. You will have new people who will take care of you. Your host parents should be there every day for you, but you still might think that they are not nice and you will never accept them as your real parents, but they are the only ones who can actually help you here somehow. 
As an international student, I realized how much I love my own country and my family. When I left the Czech Republic, I was so excited to get into popular, huge America. But with time I have seen how Americans are proud of their country and I started being proud of mine too. I love the env
ironment, the nature, the forests everywhere, the public transportation of the Czech Republic. But, some international students, really latch on to their new world. A friend of mine, Matouš Prokopec, was an international student in Canada, and he said: “I liked my host family more than my real one.” He absolutely fell in love with everything in that country as well as falling in love with his host family. This year, a wonderful person, Rosa Gillet, came to our school. She answered the question regarding what she likes about this program, with, “I like being in a new family because it allows me to get to know others’ life and culture.”
Being a part of something like this leaves a huge change in people’s personality. It can make them happy, effervescent, enthusiastic, passionate about their own country, but also sad, frustrated, disappointed and exhausted over missing home. I think that something like this makes the student powerful. Being an international student abroad makes you an adult, making life decisions on your own. International students deserve everyone’s admiration.