Wouldn't it be amazing if you could just stay home an explore the world? YouTube videos can only get you so far, sadly. Yet, I managed to do it just by going to school and hanging out with one of the most amazing groups of people. Oh yes, the foreign exchange kids!

Photo Credit: Sarah Hoffeditz

When I joined the Foreign Exchange Club, I just melted right into their mixing pot of fun. My first year was probably the most memorable. Heck, all of them were, but you probably don't want to hear me explain every single year.

So, in my first year at the club, there were five girls. For identity purposes, let's give them the name of Violet, Maria, Sage, Sophie, and Steph. There was never a dull day when I went to school with them. They always had a story or an event that had happened to them, and I would be the first to hear about it. There were adventures, typical girly stuff, homecoming, prom, you name it.

Photo Credit: Sarah Hoffeditz

Along the way, I learned about who they really were and where they came from. The stories or the tales they would tell me would make me feel as if I was living in their shoes for that day. I got to understand the struggles of where they came from, how not everyone quite understood who they really were.

These girls were sometimes discriminated by the people who didn't understand, yet these girls help their heads up high and showed our community who they really were and where they came from. They wanted to teach the people in my school that they were the same as you and me. Just because that they dressed differently or because they spoke differently that you should be afraid or judge them. They wanted everyone to know that they were who they are because of where they came from and they were proud of it.

I never imagined that these five girls or anyone who joined the Foreign Exchange Club to change my life so much. They really helped me become who I am today. They created a different outlook on life for me, a different understanding, or should I say a better understanding of life and people around me. I am proud to call them my friends and that goes for all of the foreign exchange students that I have had the chance to meet. Life is rather a complex system of realities. You have your own that exists among many others. Realities end up crashing into each other and the outcome can be life-changing. Whether for good or for the worst. Sometimes it is best to step back and experience the realities that around and see that we are all unique in our own ways.

We wouldn't be complete without each other.