The English Exchange Program is a partnership between Radnor High School and the Friesland School, which is in Sandiacre, England. When I heard about this trip, I was excited about such a unique opportunity. As a student, I traveled to England in June 2023 with a few peers and two teachers who also chose to travel. We were each paired up with an English student at the Friesland School based on a survey of similar interests. I was partnered up with a girl who was the same age, and I stayed with her family for ten days. During the trip, I spent time with my exchange student, and at other times, we were in a group setting with all the students. After experiencing daily life for a week with my exchange student, I left my host’s house to travel to London with other Radnor students, where we stayed for two nights to see prominent tourist attractions. During LM Week, the English students are coming to Radnor on November 1. I will host my exchange student for eight days, like how she hosted me in her home.
June 15, 2023:
Following the last day of school, I immediately went home to finish packing for my ten-day trip to England on an exchange program. My stomach turned due to excitement, but also fear of leaving my family for ten days. I spent the last few hours of the day eating sandwiches on a family picnic at the local park, and shared many laughs. Afterwards, my family drove to drop me off at the high school. I squeezed my parents tight and held them close, while closing my eyes to prevent tears from falling out. I boarded the yellow school bus with my classmates and teachers and threw my heavy brown suitcase in a gray seat. I waved repeatedly to my parents from the glass window as the bus departed to head towards Newark International airport.
After an hour and a half bus ride to Newark, I could finally step outside. The airport appeared crowded and bustled with noise as loved ones greeted one another, friends and families gave emotional goodbye hugs, and suitcases rolled against the sidewalk concrete. I walked inside looking like a tourist with my passport, suitcase, and backpack in hand. I checked my bags and waited for the rest of my classmates and teachers to do so. Next stop: security. I walked through security, having to stand in a colossal x-ray machine that examined my body. I wondered if the amount of electromagnetic radiation shooting through the machine was healthy for any of the cells inside of me. Luckily, I made it through security perfectly okay and made my way towards the gate. Once at the airport gate, I saw airplanes leaving the runway, heading towards the sky, appearing smaller and smaller with each second that passed. Such a sight of innovation allowed me to appreciate the magnificent ability of mankind.
With time to spare before boarding, I decided to eat at a restaurant with six of my peers at an elegant-looking pop-up. The selected choice of cuisine: Belgian. My choice of a burger came out incredibly juicy and the bun appeared drenched in butter. The burger met my expectations for airport food: not horrible, but not amazing. After all of my peers finished their meals, we rushed back towards the gate and boarded flight 188 of British Airways. On the plane, the reality of traveling to England struck. My flight attendants spoke with a beautiful and sharp British accent that accompanied classical music in the background of the airplane. I settled into my seat, and prepared for takeoff. The plane slowly roamed around for quite some time, but then finally accelerated to a velocity so high that gravity could no longer keep the plane on the runway. We were officially on our way to England.
June 16, 2023:
After a seven hour sleepless flight, the plane landed late in the morning in England. England time (GMT) is five hours ahead of hometime (EST), which made the transition incredibly tiring. My flight consisted of pulling my eye mask down in an attempt to sleep, but no such attempt worked. My mascara dripped onto my cheeks, and I was looking a little tired, to say the least. Yet, I was excited when the plane landed to finally have reached England. Radnor students departed the plane and headed straight for the bathrooms. I was impressed with the quality of English airport bathrooms. They appeared clean in every aspect, and consisted of long wooden doors that provided a contemporary modern feel. After using the restroom, we collected our luggage, and headed for a much needed boost of caffeine. My peers enjoyed delectable lattes, traditional English tea, and extraordinary pastries. We then boarded a British coach bus to head towards the Friesland School, where we would meet our British hosts and head home to their families.
On the road, gasps and noise echoed throughout the bus. My eyes barely remained open. However, shock kept me awake for a few extra minutes. Although I knew that the bus driver was on the left side of the road, I did not expect how unusual such a simple, yet different law would feel. I, like my fellow students, struggled to process such a change, and stared in confusion at the roads in trying to understand the logic of such engineering.
There were other cultural differences evident from the start. On our way to the Friesland School, the bus made a pit stop at an English rest stop. I looked at the stores inside, and the rest stop mirrored that of an American one. However, there were definitely many differences that I was not initially aware of. At the pit stop, I smelled the familiar McDonalds French fries consisting of salt and oil that made my stomach rumble. The long stick-like figures appeared exactly the same as they did at McDonalds at home. To the right of the pit stop, there was a Krispy Kreme, which contained various flavors of donuts that varied from the flavors in an American Krispy Kreme. The donuts appeared fresh and smelled of warmth and sugar. I also noticed a coffee chain in the pit stop, which I was unfamiliar with: Costa Coffee. The chain mirrored Starbucks drinks, but consisted of English treats ranging from scones and biscuits to teacakes and toasties.
In the pit stop, several of my peers, including myself, walked around a convenience store. The convenience store held many European snacks and treats that we were unfamiliar with, but curious to try. Deciding to hold on to my money for the rest of the trip, I did not make a purchase. Yet, as I was walking around the convenience store, a man approached me and asked, “Are you in the queue?” I stared at him like a deer in the headlights, and kindly asked him to repeat his question. Again, he asked, “Are you in the queue?” I tried to guess at what a queue could possibly mean, and quickly replied with “no” in hopes that “no” was the correct answer to his question. I later discovered that “queue” is the British word for “line” in the United States. I was surprised at how two versions of a language could be so similar, but so different. My friend attempted to purchase a Red Bull to try and reduce the effects of jet lag exhaustion, but she ended up without one. When she went to purchase the Red Bull, the cashier asked if she had an ID on her, for which she just decided to leave the Red Bull behind because she was unsure of the age requirement for energy drinks. Another cultural difference: In England, an individual must be sixteen to purchase an energy drink.
Following the pit stop, the bus continued on the way to the Friesland School. Vast areas of majestic green patches expanded for miles beyond the highway, surrounded by farms and a myriad of windmills. Despite the size of England, miles of unoccupied rural land stretched throughout the island. I admired the greenery that was not available to me in the United States. Due to the journey to the Friesland School getting delayed, I decided to take a long, lengthy nap, and I laid across the back row of the coach bus.
Finally, late in the afternoon, the bus arrived at the school, and we were greeted by all of our hosts in hugs and excitement. The English students provided us with a tour of their school. My jaw dropped when the students stated that air-conditioning was non-existent. It was so hot! Their school proved incredibly different to the American public high school that I was so used to. The campus was spread out, and smaller schools existed, instead of one large school. In England, students attend school from kindergarten until 13th grade, also known as sixth form. After the tour, I went home with my exchange student, Megan, to meet her family.
When I reached Megan’s house, I stared in amazement at her family’s property. Her house sits on a large farm property, so I was able to see her horses, and her family’s restaurant that was across the driveway from her house. Once Megan finished giving me a tour of her home, I dressed for dinner at a traditional English pub in the countryside. For dinner, I wore ripped white jeans and propped on a lavender purple tank top to complement my summer jeans. I still looked exhausted from the flight, and felt nervous to go to dinner with a family that I was still getting to know. However, I was also excited to experience a traditional English pub. Her family packed us all into their family car and we drove off further into the countryside. At the pub, I stepped inside to low wooden ceilings that hovered over my head. Men were at the bar, saluting one another with English beers. The pub reeked of alcohol, but felt cozy. I sat down with Megan and her family to begin telling them about my life back in Pennsylvania. For dinner, I decided to order a large well-done burger with a side of french fries as I had not eaten in over eighteen hours. My burger came out looking exquisite, and tasted even more so. The black char of the grill provided a nice crisp crunchy touch to the beef, while the pub sauce added a nice zing to the crispy char. The tomatoes were fresh and juicy, and the bun was perfectly warmed. The fries melted in my mouth as the potatoes were extremely soft and fluffy, I had never had such an amazing burger.
While Megan’s parents were finishing their dinner, Megan took me on a walk to go watch the sunset at a local park that was composed of acres of open greenery. We watched the sunset, and I absorbed every beautiful moment of such an experience. I had never felt so much peace, and my love for experiencing a new culture captivated my heart and mind. After the sunset, I followed Megan back to the pub to go home with her parents. The rest of the night, I spent talking to Megan, and then dozed off to sleep at midnight.
June 17, 2023:
My Saturday started with breakfast at my host family’s restaurant, which was attached to their house on their farm property. The restaurant, called “The Cowshed,” was incredibly delicious as I enjoyed strawberries, nutella English pancakes, and an iced caramel latte. The strawberries mirrored a sweetness of candy and appeared a bright and bold red on the white plate. The nutella that drizzled across my pancakes did not disappoint. The creaminess of the chocolate spread melted in my mouth and enhanced the savory of the strawberries. Meanwhile, my iced caramel latte contained a perfect balance of caramel and coffee flavoring. This latte was definitely one of the best lattes I have ever drank. The milk swirled throughout the cup, creating a light tan coffee color that proved not too sweet nor bitter. Whoever warned me that English food was horrid was most certainly wrong.
Following breakfast, my host, Megan, and her family drove me and another Radnor student to the town of Matlock. Matlock was about forty-five minutes from the town of Sandiacre, where we were staying. When we arrived in Matlock, we hiked up quite a few steps to get to the top of a mountain. The hills of England proved steep and unsturdy, so after reaching a height that terrified all of us, we decided to climb back down the slippery muddy hill. Next, we rented a pedal boat on the river, below the mountain for an hour. The water proved frigid, despite the heat of the English summer day. My legs burned and went numb after I consistently pumped the squeaky pedals on the boat for an hour. Yet, I enjoyed spending time with my host and friends, and such an activity allowed for more bonding.
Our hosts then introduced us to English slot machines, which I became pretty hooked on.To win, I had to drop coins on coins that would move forward, if pushed, to push prizes like lollipops and stuffed animals off the flat table. The shiny gold coins and cash register noises in the background created a dopamine rush that caused me to spend all my coins on the slot machine.
Next, my host took me to a fish and chips restaurant, since Matlock is famous for them. The smell of the fish and chips made my mouth water, while my appetite increased. I ordered a battered fish cod with a side of “chips” with curry sauce. The fish and chips were delicious. The fish filet was fried until the skin appeared golden, tender, and crisp. The chef topped off the filet with a drizzle of vinegar, which added a unique touch. The curry sauce tasted amazing and contained a hint of spice, while the “chips” were soft and salted perfectly. We then went to see an aquarium. I saw various species of fish that swam with unique rhythms and personalities. Some fish had spotted gills and patterns, while others were small and bland.
After my journey in Matlock, my host family drove me home. At night, I attended a group gathering with the rest of my peers to enjoy Asian cuisine and an eventful evening of karaoke and “Just Dance.” I danced my heart out to Shakira, swinging my hips to “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka.” We all gathered in the living room to sing along to Bohemian Rhapsody, and the prominent English musical, “Six,” about Henry VIII and his numerous wives. I ended up having a great time, and went home with Megan later that night to go to sleep.
June 18, 2023:
On Sunday, I met up with my peers and host’s friends at Wollaton Hall for a picnic. Inside Wollaton Hall was a museum containing taxidermy. I viewed the displays with amusement and curiosity. The presence of large animal heads stuffed on walls definitely proved a little eerie. In a separate exhibit, I viewed the amazing artwork of Willard Wigan through a microscope. Wigan is known for his tiny, yet incredibly detailed artworks created in the eyes of needles that look like grains of sand to the human eye. However, when I glanced through the microscope, I was amazed at the detail and size of Wigan’s art. After seeing the inside of Wollaton Hall, we ventured outdoors in the gardens to enjoy a picnic. Unfortunately, the picnic was cut short due to an absolute downpour. My hair drenched in the rain and my shoes flooded with runoff. My white jean jacket turned gray in a span of seconds as we waited for my host’s parents to pick us up.
In the evening, my host and I met up with all the teachers and students at a modern restaurant to enjoy a traditional carvery dinner. Once again, the potatoes proved incredible! The yorkshire pudding was extremely fluffy and I created extraordinary memories with my friends and English hosts as we shared many laughs and engaged in conversation throughout the evening.
June 19, 2023:
On Monday, I experienced a day in the life of an English student. I attended classes at the Friesland School with my exchange partner. Megan took me to three science classes. I attended two biology classes and a chemistry class. In her classes, I was bombarded with questions of curiosity about life and education in Pennsylvania compared to life in England. I was thrilled to answer such questions and was amused at how culturally invested Megan’s peers were into understanding American culture. I received questions asking about a GPA, AP exams, and unexpectedly, Cracker Barrel. The Cracker Barrel question threw me off guard, even more so because the question was asked by Megan’s teacher. I definitely giggled a little at this question. After a long period of biology, Megan took me out to a store called “M&S,” to get lunch, during her free period. I devoured a delicious fajita wrap and a fresh assortment of berries.
When the school day concluded, Megan took me into the heart of Nottingham city. We enjoyed homemade chocolate donuts, and shopped in Primark. The donut was dangerously tasty. I am certainly the biggest fan of donuts, since one time, I enjoyed nine donuts in a single day. Out of all the donuts I have tried, this English donut was top-notch. The chocolate was not too sweet and melted from the warmth of the fresh soft dough. Throughout the day, I snapped many pictures with my camera, hoping to capture a memory for each moment of the trip.
Following the trip to Nottingham, we met up at night to go bowling. While I did not win in my group, I successfully scored a strike. Post-bowling, I watched movies with Megan and ate dinner with her family.
June 20, 2023:
On Tuesday, we went to Cadbury World. The trip took approximately an hour and a half on a coach bus. In Cadbury World, we learned about the unique history of Cadbury chocolate and sampled a warm scoop of melted chocolate with toppings. The sample of chocolate consisted of a smooth and buttery-like rich texture that melted on my taste buds and tasted warm like hot chocolate. However, later, I suffered a stomach ache from the density of the chocolate, but it was still worth trying.
After the tour of Cadbury World, we ate lunch. Then, all of us experienced a 4D film of Cadbury World, which was my favorite part of the Cadbury trip. The seats of the theater started to shake and transformed to feel like a roller coaster. I was so taken aback that I laughed uncontrollably, until my ribs went sore. We all left Cadbury World and ventured on a tour of Selly Manor, a historical landmark, and toured the village that surrounds the house. In the Selly Manor house, we dressed up like historical wealthy English men and women. I squeezed into a pink puffy dress, and tried on heavy metal armor that English knights used to wear. The clothing was so uncomfortable! Following the tour, we went back to the Friesland School. For the rest of the day, I spent time with Megan and watched movies, played games, and ate dinner.
June 21, 2023:
Wednesday was my last official day with Megan and her family. In the morning, I attended more science classes with Megan. After just a few classes, Megan took me to the recess yard to witness Sports Day. Sports Day happens once a year at the Friesland School and each grade up to year 10 (our equivalent of 9th grade) competes with one another in various sports activities such as running hurdles. I have to admit, however, I napped in the sun for most of the time.
After watching Sports Day, I went over to my host family’s restaurant, “the Cowshed,” for afternoon tea. I enjoyed perfectly crafted tea sandwiches, scones, and tea. The afternoon represented everything that comes to mind when thinking about England: tea, formality, scones, and tiny cucumber sandwiches.After tea, we played games on Megan’s farm for hours. I enjoyed the time spent outdoors, but my hay fever constantly bothered me. Eventually, the rain started to pour, so we concluded the night talking while eating takeout pizza, wings, and bread from Domino’s.
June 22, 2023:
On Thursday morning, it was time to leave my host family. I absolutely hate goodbyes and started feeling emotional because I had formed such an amazing friendship with Megan. I hugged my host family goodbye and Megan drove me in her stick-shift car back to the Friesland school. When we reached the school, I took out my packed luggage and hurled it onto the bottom of the coach bus. As the bus pulled out of the Friesland School to depart to Harry Potter World, tears flowed down my face.
On the bus, I caught up on sleep. After a two and a half hour bus ride to Harry Potter World, we toured the sets of Harry Potter, and enjoyed sipping Harry Potter’s famous butterbeer. While I am not a Harry Potter fan in any shape or form, I enjoyed experiencing the world of Harry Potter.
A bus then took us to our hotel in King’s Cross, London, which was approximately an hour and a half bus ride. I carried my luggage inside, but quickly turned angry as the hotel had no elevator. I carried my luggage down the steps to my hotel room with my roommates, but my anger quickly turned to disgust. Our hotel room had so many flies! On the bright side, there was air conditioning in our room, but I could not tolerate an insect infestation. I immediately went up to the front desk to request (more like demand) a room change for the three of us. The staff told us that they had one room left. However, the new room did not have air conditioning. We decided that a bug-free room was worth the sacrifice of air-conditioning. I later started to rethink this decision as the weekend we stayed in London was one of the hottest weeks of the year, with temperatures reaching ninety degrees.
After students settled in, we went to eat pizza at a restaurant down the street from the hotel. Then, my roommates and I all prepared for bed, but the heat was suffocating. I was unable to sleep the entire night, and the top of the bunk bed was hard as a rock, while I feared that I could easily fall off. It was so humid that I started to feel faint in the midst of my sleep. The lack of sleep caused overexhaustion, which led me to tears. I was more than happy when the sun rose in the early morning.
June 23 and June 24, 2023:
On Saturday and Sunday, the final days of the trip, I traveled throughout London . Both mornings started off with a delicious breakfast from the hotel, and then we went off into our own groups into the city. On Saturday morning, we completed a grand tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. Following the tour, my group went to see the Tower Bridge, one of London’s most prominent attractions, located over the Thames Rivers. My group then walked over to Borough Market, where there was delicious food. We chowed down on crispy burgers and french fries, which was worth the forty-five minute line. Following Borough Market, my group walked to the Tate Modern Museum of Art to view classical displays of famous artwork. Then, we all met up in Trafalgar Square to head towards the British Museum. At the British Museum, students rushed in excitement to see the prominent Rosetta Stone and other famous historical artifacts. Such experiences were invaluable to our learning and growth as individuals.
On Sunday, after breakfast, we all traveled to the British Library to see one of the most famous documents in history: the Magna Carta. I was really excited to see this document as I had learned about it in all of my history classes. The document seemed as old as described, but was fascinating to read. We then took the Tube to the Camden Market where we walked around for hours to shop and eat. After touring the Market, we rode the Tube to Piccadilly Circus. From this point, I walked with my group to Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Big Ben stood above London so elegantly. The architecture and gold composure of the London icon was breathtaking, and surreal to stare at. At four in the afternoon, we met up at the hotel with our teachers, Dr. Swinehart and Mrs. Verguldi-Scott to head to dinner. Post-dinner, we headed back to the hotel to pack for the flight home the next day.
June 25th, 2023:
At six thirty in the morning, we left the hotel to travel on a coach bus to the airport. Once at the airport, we passed through security to board the plane. At eleven in the morning, the plane took off, and was supposed to land at one thirty in the afternoon in Newark, New Jersey. However, what was supposed to be a seven hour flight quickly turned into a twelve hour flight. Approximately thirty minutes from landing, the flight began to travel circles around a mountain due to storm clouds hovering over Newark Airport. Consequently, the pilot had to divert to JFK airport in New York City where we then waited for an hour to fuel up the plane. Every passenger on this flight was incredibly miserable, hungry, and confused. Not to mention the entire twelve hours, a baby was screaming their lungs off. Some passengers wanted to get off at JFK, but for legal reasons, we all had to stay on the plane to travel back to Newark. After finally fueling the plane, students headed back to Newark in a thirty minute flight. By this point, everyone was incredibly tired and miserable. Yet, I would not want to trade this experience in England for anything. It was absolutely worth the twelve hours of misery on the plane, and the memories of England, I will hold dearly for a lifetime. England will always hold a special place in my heart.
