This year, Albuquerque Academy’s community was excited to welcome short-term exchange students from Germany, Japan and Ecuador for a two week stay in mid-October for the first time since before the pandemic. However, Academy’s exchange students have long been an integral part of Academy’s programs, so let’s take a look at the opportunities Academy has to offer.
Academy maintains connections with several sister schools across the world as part of its Global Languages Exchange Program. These schools include the Musterschule Gymnasium in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, the Hotoku Gakuen, a boys school in the Osaka-Kobe region in Japan, and the Unidad Educativa Atenas in Ecuador. During their time here, the students participated in iconic Albuquerque activities such as visiting the beloved Balloon Fiesta. They also participated in classes and engaged with our local community. One of the students from Frankfurt, Gustav Kunow, summed up his thoughts on schooling here, saying that school is “a little more relaxed in class” while also noting that “students have a larger amount of homework to complete.” He also found it important to note one major disappointment he had with Germany upon returning from America: “[I]t’s 2023. [W]hy are German shops still NOT OPEN on Sundays?!”
Albuquerque Academy also welcomes yearlong students through the ASSIST (American Secondary Schools for International Students and Teachers) program every year. This year’s exchange student, Petra, is from Budapest in Hungary. She attends “a high school in the historical center of Budapest, called Eötvös József High School.” Her school has the honor of being “founded in 1854, making it the oldest non-religious high school in Budapest.” She’s certainly noticed some differences between the two countries’ educational systems, stating that “nearly everything is different about the Hungarian schooling system compared to the US.” Whereas here, we participate in all styles of classes ranging from lecture-based to discussion-based, in Hungary classes “are exclusively lecture style.” Also, they take almost twice the number of classes we do, and “all of [her] classes are with the same people,” which “results in a much closer relationship with those 30 classmates.” Although these cultural differences may seem intimidating, she made sure to voice her support for going on exchange trips, saying, “Do it!!!” She also stated that “[a]dopting the work ethic, positivity and openness of Academy students will reshape my life in Hungary,” and that “an exchange program will reward you with ways you wouldn’t expect.”
Last but not least, we must remember our school’s numerous other yearslong exchange programs, such as SYA (Student Year Abroad) and GAPP (German American Partnership Program). These programs allow students from the Academy to travel to another country for a year, typically in their junior year. Beyond providing students with a quality education, the program also provides students with the chance to learn a foreign language and experience a culture different from their own.
Blaise Smith ‘26, a participant in a similar program outside of the Academy, traveled to Germany. There, she observed a number of cultural differences, noting that “one of the differences between her German school” and Academy is “the lack of school spirit in Germany.” However, she also made sure to note the benefits of an exchange program, saying that she “wants to seriously emphasize the importance of approaching an exchange program with an open mind.” She went on to say, “Embrace the differences and challenges as opportunities for growth. [I]t’s a unique, maybe once-in-a-lifetime chance for personal and academic development that shouldn’t be missed.”
An exchange program is undoubtedly challenging, but the positive message these exchange students have sent makes it clear that it is an opportunity worth pursuing. We are truly lucky that Albuquerque Academy offers these programs, allowing for countless cultural exchanges and friendships.
