My Experience as a Foreign Exchange Student at Cony Highschool

by Tota Ohara

Having come to Maine in Augusta in 2023, it’s been about 7 months since I started to go to Cony High School as an exchange student from Japan, and I am going back soon. This is my first time flying overseas, being away from my friends and family, and not speaking my mother tongue for months. Even though it hadn’t been an easy-peasy time for me, I am now having the most fun time of my life. I am going to elaborate on what I love about living in Maine and going to Cony High School. 

The first thing that surprised me was the fact that people were more supportive than I expected. I had heard that American people are friendly and nice to strangers, but it was way over my expectations. On the first day of school, a student in my homeroom guided me to the first classroom. A student invited me to join her lunch table. Teachers have always helped me. My friends never gave up on trying to understand my clumsy English. It didn’t take me a long time before I opened up myself to them and was able to act like myself. Additionally, I would like everyone to know that saying hi to exchange students in the hallway means a lot to us. Without those who have always said hi and talked to me with a smile, I wouldn’t have been able to feel this comfortable about going to a school in a different country. These experiences totally altered my impression of American students. 

I strongly encourage you to try to do an exchange program. It is not all about learning a language, but it is about learning important lessons about life. Building relationships from scratch with friends and family was challenging, but it taught me the joy of knowing new people and making myself acquainted with American culture. Leaving friends, family, and all the Japanese food back in my country was not easy, but it made me realize how precious they are. Through interacting with American people and other exchange students from all over the world, I learned that humans are all the same even though there are numerous cultures and countries on earth. 

Lastly, thank you so much for always supporting us exchange students.