School Exchange in Groningen

When I was 12 and 13, I took part in a school exchange program with a school in Groningen, a lively university city in the north of the Netherlands. Groningen has a population of around 200,000 and is known for its cycling culture, historic city center, and being home to one of the Netherlands’ oldest universities.

As part of the program, I stayed with a host family for one week, and then the exchange student came to live with my family in Sweden. The following year, I returned and stayed with a new host family. Since I was so young, I don’t have any pictures from these trips, but the memories remain strong.

Many people ask me how I could go live with another family at such a young age, but I had always been independent. Plus, our teacher traveled with us, and before going, we wrote ten long letters to our exchange partners to learn about each other and our families. These trips shaped me a lot — they made me even more independent, taught me how to travel without my parents, and helped me improve my English at an early age.

One of the biggest culture shocks was food: Dutch kids ate sandwiches with sprinkles (hagelslag) for breakfast and lunch, which I had never seen before. Another surprise was the cycling. We biked 15 kilometers each way to school, which sounds crazy, but in the Netherlands, with its flat terrain and endless bike paths, it felt completely normal.

During the exchange, we visited tulip fields, saw the famous Dutch flood defenses (dams and sea walls built to protect the lowlands from flooding), and went to Westerbork transit camp. Westerbork was used during World War II as a transit camp where Jews, Roma, and other prisoners were deported to concentration camps further east. Visiting such a place left a deep impression on me, even at a young age.

Of course, one of my highlights was seeing a Groningen football game. FC Groningen played in the Eredivisie, the Dutch top division, which is one of the strongest leagues in the world. For a football fan like me, it was unforgettable.

Closure

Looking back, those two exchange trips to Groningen were some of the most valuable experiences of my childhood. I became good friends with many of the Dutch students, and we kept in touch for years afterward. Even though we don’t talk today, I’m grateful we shared so many fun memories. Sometimes I think back to that period, and I feel proud that I dared to do such things at such a young age.

That exchange program left a deep impact on me — in the best way possible. It gave me confidence, independence, and a love for discovering new cultures. I’ll always be thankful for the families who welcomed me into their homes and for the lessons I learned. The experience shaped who I am today, and I carry only positive memories from it.