The exchange coming to an end: how to deal with it and what’s the role of the YES as a transition between two homes?
How to enjoy the final weeks of the exchange – and what happens after returning home?
It’s May, spring is in the air and the days are getting longer, warmer and brighter. The summer is right around the corner and so is the YES. But something is also coming to an end; the exchange experience. And what a mix of emotions that can bring! The joy of finally reuniting with your family, friends and other familiar faces back home, but also the sadness of leaving behind what you have just gotten so familiar with, the home you have gotten to know in a new country, the people you have met and become friends with … it’s not easy to let that go. The worry of leaving the exchange life behind can also put pressure on the final weeks of the exchange.
We had the joy of sitting down and talking about this topic with Efe, the coordinator of the International Group Leaders (also known as the IGLs; the volunteers guiding each participant through the YES experience, all the way back to their home countries). Efe shared with us some of his wisdom on how to deal with the end of the exchange and how to make the most of what is left of it.
“First of all, I know that every student has a list of to-do’s when going abroad. It’s not always realistic to do all of those things in one year, so do not feel bad if you haven't managed to achieve all of them. Many of them get ticked in the final months of the exchange anyway”, Efe explains. Having had an exchange-year bucket list himself as well, he knows what he’s talking about.
Other advice he shares is related to how we view our experiences afterwards.
The YES is all about reflecting on the past year and looking at what can be learned from those ups and downs we all go through on exchange. “It’s important not to compare your experiences; everyone’s exchange year has been different. Don’t label your experiences as objectively bad or good. We generally learn more from negative experiences and struggles; you cannot change without overcoming some difficult things. But it’s all about how you look at those things afterwards” Efe shares. Indeed, it’s important to take time to understand what can be learnt from all the ups and downs on exchange – and what could be a better place for that than the YES, a place where 400 exchange students and 100 volunteers get together to spend together the final week of the whole exchange experience.
“That’s why we call this the exchange year; because it changes you.”
But what happens after returning home? Often the reverse culture shock and adjusting to life back home can be more difficult than the culture shock in the beginning of the exchange year. Here is where becoming a volunteer can help; connecting and spending time with people who have been on exchange as well. It is also rewarding to be of help to new exchange students, and helping them in those same challenges you might have experienced yourself while living abroad.
“Most of us do not want to leave the exchange experience behind, and one way of keeping the exchange student inside of you alive is volunteering. When you volunteer, you are surrounded with former exchange students and people who experienced different, yet somehow similar experiences, and for most of us, we really need that social structure when returning back home. Your friends and family won’t necessarily understand your experiences, which is understandable since they have not necessarily had the same experiences. You can really get enjoyment and fulfillment from volunteering; if you needed help from volunteers during your exchange and received it, you know it’s very valuable to receive it. When you provide that help, you will experience how fulfilling it is to help and touch someone’s life - especially when you know that person needs it, because you needed it, too” says Efe.
At the YES you will get to connect with YFU volunteers from all around the world. This is only the beginning, many wonderful volunteering experiences await you back home – and abroad. The YES is one great example of a global volunteering activity in YFU. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, YES is a good place to get familiar with it and get to know the global YFU volunteer network.
If you are curious to hear more about dealing with the end of the exchange as well as the role of an IGL and how they connect with students at the YES, head over to the newest episode of The YES World Podcast where you can hear the full discussion with Efe. You can listen to the episode on Spotify through the button below.