ICESlovakia s.r.o.

Be my Valentine

My name is Nikola, I am from Slovakia and since January I’m staying with an amazing host family in Owasso, Oklahoma.

My host mom was out of town for a weekend because of my host sister’s volleyball tournament. Me and my international sister Dalila stayed at home with our boys. That means our host dad, 8year-old brother Jace and a family friend Arthur from Brazil.

We wanted to do something special for Valentine’s Day since we were the only girls in the house. So we cooked chicken with sauce with corn and peas in it with rice. As a sweet dessert we got waffles. I know - yummy.

The only condition for them to eat this food was to be dressed according to our dress code. So we all got ready and had a fancy dinner, took some pictures and had a lot of fun. We ended our day with a good movie and a lot of sweets.

Yours, Nikola

My first days in America were full of fun.

I spent a lot of time with my host family as we travelled together and they showed me some places in Tomball, Texas where I am staying for my exchange year.

The heat in Texas was horrible for me at the beginning but after few days I got used to it.

I've been waiting for my school to start in September and I can already say that I'm a member of Klein Oak high school or home of the PANTHERS!!!

I'm very excited about next days at school and experiences I will be able to experience in Texas.

Henika

Winter of 2021 was quite different for Texas.

We experienced a little of snow and really cold weather but we didn't know what will happen next.

After temperature got to -10°C we knew something will happen as homes of people here are not ready for weather like this. Me and my host family did not really expect this to happen that fast.

Water in our pipes froze, we didn't have electricity and not even heating in the house. The temperature in the house was 5°C. We could not even leave the house as the roads were icy and many drivers had problems driving.

Before this, we managed to get some wood which we used in the fireplace where we also prepared food. Bottles of water were used for flushing toilets, taking shower, hygiene, and other necessary stuff. We spent most of the time together with my host family next to the fireplace talking, playing guitar, or sleeping. We didn't even take many pictures because we were saving batteries on our phones.

The night without heat was challenging but after more than 30 hours everything came back and we could do almost everything the same way as before.

I've never thought of Texas to be like this but things happen and this was just another memory I'll have and remember from my exchange year.

Henika

Ďakujeme p. Sýkorovej a p. Brookes za trpezlivú starostlivosť a riešenie situácií s nadhľadom a pokojom. Najmä v posledných dvoch týždňoch pred odletom, keď sa doťahovali detaily.

Betke sa dostalo úžasného privítania a v rodine sa cíti veľmi dobre.

Želáme všetkým študentom naplnený pobyt po všetkých stránkach.

E.R. (Betkina mama)

Dobrý deň, pani Sýkorová,

Adam sa nám šťastne vrátil domov, cesta bola síce náročná, ale zvládol to super. Teraz je v domácej karanténe. Na 5.deň bude testovaný, tak dúfame, že bude všetko v poriadku.

Chceme sa Vám veľmi pekne poďakovať za možnosť, ktorú Adam dostal. Sme veľmi radi, že ste ho napriek zdravotným problémom zaradili do programu. Posunulo ho to nielen jazykovo, ale aj osobnostne. Mal výbornú rodinu, obľúbili si ho, stal sa súčasťou ich rodiny.  Našiel si množstvo kamarátov, dokonca chystajú opätovnú stretávku. Veľkým pozitívom bol plavecký tím, v ktorom strávil úžasné momenty. S pobytom je veľmi spokojný a my dúfame, že to všetko zúročí v ďalšom štúdiu a živote.

Ďakujeme ešte raz a prajeme Vám a celej rodine veľa zdravia, šťastia a spokojných študentov. Plánujeme o dva- tri roky poslať aj našu dcéru, takže sa určite ozveme a vašu agentúru určite odporúčime aj našim priateľom a známym.

S pozdravom M., D. (Adamovi rodičia)

Už pred tým ako sa začala plavecká sezóna som spoznal jedného chalana menom Connor. Connor bol veľmi rád keď som mu povedal, že budem s ním v plaveckom tíme a momentálne je to môj najlepší kamarát tu v Amerike. Predstavil ma celému plaveckému tímu a jeho kamarátom.

Tým, že už plávam asi 10 rokov, som jeden z najlepších v tíme a to mi veľmi pomohlo s mojim kamarátstvom aj s inými členmi tímu. Moja hosťovská rodina ma v plávaní nesmierne podporuje. Stále sa zúčastnujú mojich pretekov, fotia ma keď plávam alebo aj stále vystrihujú články o mne z novín. Môj hosťovský otec bol v mojom veku tiež plavec, ciže on je z toho nadšený.

Výsledky mám skvelé, až sám nechápem. A vyzerá to tak, že sa dostanem na majstrovstvá West Virginie v “high school” plávaní. Z toho sa strašne všetci tešíme.

Adam

"You have to be a little crazy, and say yes to everything" - Definitely the best experience I could get as a teenager in 21st century

Hello, Mrs. Sykorova!

I hope you and all your family and ICESlovakia are alright in those crazy corona times, and I hope you are staying safe.

I had the best year of my life here, I got the best host family, or families as I should probably say, because my host family, the Gautney's are really good friends with the Parkers, and they always share their exchange students, so as I spent the whole year with the Gautney's, sometimes I spent some time with the Parkers as well, stay at their house or go to trips to places that are far away from here. I love them all so much, they are amazing. They take me as a part of their family forever, I take them as my family forever.

I spent my exchange year in the best town and state in the U.S., I attended the best high school.

I started learning how to play ukulele, thanks to my host brother, and later also a guitar. I met a lot of interesting people, not just from America but from all around the world, I found life long friends and family.

I enjoyed attending American high school a lot, it was way better than in Slovakia. Maybe we didn’t cover as many topics as we would in Slovakia, but I got the chance to pick subjects that I want, and learn more about things I’m interested in and I’ve always wanted to learn more about. I had amazing teachers.I really appreciated that American high school allows its students to be more creative, pick their own topics and themes for projects/essays.

I see how much I’ve grown and learned here, this exchange year was definitely the best experience I could get as a teenager in 21st century. I want to thank you and your family so so much for spending all of your time helping and managing exchange students and helping them chase their dreams. I am also very thankful for the great job that ICES and ICESlovakia are doing. I want to thank you for your orientations, the one I went to here in the U.S. in Oregon, as well as the ones I went to in Bratislava, I really see how you helped me and prepared me for my life here. There was one specific sentence I remember from your orientation that I had in my mind the whole year and I tried, I dare to say successfully, the whole year, and it was “You have to be a little crazy, and say yes to everything, doesn’t matter if it’s only a trip to grocery store, because you never know what amazing can happen there and what you might miss if you don’t go.”

I was really excited for prom and graduation and in the worst dream I didn’t imagine not having them this year. It was hard to accept the fact that they won’t happen, that I won’t get to say goodbye to the school and all of my friends and my teachers, but it’s life and life is unpredictable. I believe this experience will make us all only stronger and we will make it through all together. I don’t regret anything during this year, as I said many times, it was the best experience I could get, it will be helping me my whole life, all the experiences I got, and the fact that I accomplished one of my wildest dreams, I know that’s not something that happens to everybody everyday. I’m very grateful.

I hope you have the best time you could have during this crazy situation we are at, and I hope you are staying safe. I will be staying in touch.

Have a wonderful day.

Katarina

Na Havaji bolo výborne, odporúčala by som ísť každému študentovi. S BELO USA sme mali bohatý program, veľa sme videli a zažili.

Celkovo sme tu v Amerike veľmi spokojní. Adam hrával ešte na začiatku školského roka americký futbal a cez zimu basketbal. Chodili aj na zápasy, ktoré vyhrali, ale fotku mi neposlal.

Ja s mojou školou sme vyhrali každú jednu cheer súťaž a mali sme ísť do Boise na celoštátne kolo, ale kvôli vírusu bolo všetko zrušené. V škole som sa stala basebalovou manažérkou a pomáham trénerovi s chalanmi :D Veľmi sa mi to páči, je s nimi sranda.

Rodinu mám užasnú, aj  škola je super, chodím tam s veľkou radosťou.

Chcem sa Vám veľmi poďakovať, že ste nám dali takúto možnosť zažiť pravú Ameriku.

Prajem pekný deň! 

Agáta a Adam

It All Started With My Exchange in the USA!

Don’t say it won’t work until you have tried it! Here I am, living in Taipei, two and a half years after I finished my high school exchange in Oregon. Since then I have lived in the UK, Denmark and Taiwan. Exchange was the first step of my adventurous, fun and very global journey. I can’t thank ICESlovakia, ICES, my amazing host family and parents enough for giving me the opportunity to spend a great year in the USA that changed me a lot and helped me to become the person I am today. I often think about the time I spent in the USA and I hope that every current and future exchange student will have an awesome experience as I did.  

I am sure you have heard it many times already; exchange improves your English, allows you to explore a new country and experience a new culture. You meet many international students, share your cultures and traditions and enjoy a lot of fun moments. However, exchange also develops you as a person. It makes you think differently; it changes your mindset and the way you think about the world. Trust me, after you leave, you will be asking yourself: So, what is my next destination? Exchange opens up new opportunities and boosts your courage to do things that you have never thought of before. It’s not an easy decision to pack and leave your home, family and friends for such a long time. But believe it or not, it is one of the best decisions you can make.

I spent my exchange year living with a wonderful host family in a small town in Harrisburg, Oregon. My host family taught me a lot and looking back at it now, they helped me grow and become more mature. During my exchange I realized how important communication is. Communication contributed to my understanding of cultural differences and was a key in building a close relationship with my host family. I am very grateful that they let me become a part of their family. I also made amazing friends and I still keep in touch with some of them. I have so many unforgettable memories from my exchange that I will never forget about. I remember helping my host mom making pizza on Friday nights, going on a family trip to Cannon Beach, snow tubing, experiencing the first trick-or-treat of my life on Halloween, getting ready with my friends for about 8 hours before prom or camping in Washington.

After I left Harrisburg, I had the desire to continue my adventures and decided to study at Loughborough University in the UK. Before my exchange, I hadn’t even considered studying abroad. My English wasn’t fluent and I didn’t have enough confidence to move to a university abroad. My perspective has changed entirely after I returned from USA, I was now determined that studying abroad is the right choice for me. This opened up new opportunities such as an exchange semester in Denmark, one month program in South Africa or a 6 month internship in Taiwan. 

My USA high school graduation cap said this: ‘I came from Europe and left part of my heart in the USA’. Even after two and a half years, I think this is still true. Not only I spent a part of my life there, but it made a huge impact on me and my future. USA was the place where it all started. Without doing an exchange in the USA I wouldn’t have had all the experiences that I have had. Remember: live in the moment, be brave, take up all the opportunities and enjoy your exchange as much as you can!

Simona

https://www.icesusa.org/it-all-started-with-my-exchange-in-the-usa/

I'm thankful for my life in Oklahoma!

My name is Katka and I am exchange student from Slovakia but I live in Oklahoma right now with my host family.

At first I flew to LA where I met my host family and we stopped on the way back in Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Big Texan. It was so cool to see this western part of the USA.

When I came to Oklahoma I was hit by the heat which was here during summer. I remember thinking about how can people survive here in this heat haha. My host sister plays softball so I went to a couple of her games. We don’t have softball in Slovakia so it was very interesting for me.

I started school year in August so you can imagine how much I was sweating because of the heat and stress at the same time. My High School is very big so at the beginning it was a big shock for me, but now it’s totally normal. I like my High School because you can find here so many different groups of people, so you don’t have to worry that you won’t fit in. I really like my American teachers because they are always very helpful and nice.

My host family is so nice. They are very generous, funny and very talkative. I think that is what every exchange student needs. For the New Year they took me to Portland, Oregon and Honolulu, Hawaii. I am very thankful that they gave me this opportunity to go there with them. They have always some plans for me so I don’t have to worry about being bored. We go to the restaurants very often and I really like it.

Thanksgiving was so cool. So much food, pies, cookies,... After I tried almost every type of food there, I couldn’t breathe for a few hours because I was so full. But it was my first Thanksgiving day so I wanted to celebrate it haha. Christmas in America are different than in Slovakia but I like it. I have never seen so many christmas decorations in the house before haha. I made my host family our traditional Slovak Potato salad and they said it was good so I was proud of myself. I fixed them some other Slovak meals and pies also.

I have tried hamburger for the first time here in America and it was so big that I had to open it and eat it with fork and knife. My favorite American meal is Chicken and Dumplings and Pecan Pie.

I still have 5 more months here in Oklahoma and I am planning to enjoy it as much as I can. It took me a long time to get used to live here without my family and friends but I was given here by my awesome American family and I made some close friends here also. I am very thankful for those people who came to my life (my host family and my American friends). This American experience is very different but I really like it and I am so thankful for my mom that she gave me opportunity to come to the USA.

Katka

https://www.icesusa.org/im-thankful-for-my-life-in-oklahoma/

Everything is great here!

my name is Sara and I am from Slovakia. I was placed in Carl Junction in Missouri. It is a city that has about 7,500 inhabitants. I only have my host mom Lesley, who chose me and she is great. She is very adventurous, and we do a lot together.

We visited the city of Joplin, where we were at the memorial wall dedicated to the victims of the 2011 tornado. It is so beautifully colorful. We also went to Lamar to see the fair, to Kansas to the movie theater and to Arkansas to hike and see a concert featuring Florida, TLC and Nelly. Labor Day we spent in Chicago.

I started school on August 15^th and selected my subjects. School is not difficult and my favorite subject is Spanish that is a new language for me. Everything is great here.

https://www.icesusa.org/everything-is-great-here/

My host family is the best!

It is about 2 weeks since I have come to the USA, to Texas. I'm not gonna lie- beginnings are not easy. (And airplanes are not created for sleeping). When I got off the airplane in Houston, I was hit by a heat wave that I thought was the plane's engine, but nah. That was the hot, humid, heavy Texas air I am pretty sure I can just cut through. That's why they have strong air conditioning everywhere in buildings and then when you go inside it's like you came from the equatorial Africa straight to Alaska. So basically you have no idea what to wear. Also, they put ice into every drink and everything is, like, four times bigger than in Slovakia. But I love it here!

People are so nice and friendly, for real. Always willing to help even when they don't know you, always greeting with smile, or just asking how are you doing. I would want to live here for the rest of my life, if it only weren't 40°C outside.

Now to my host family. I'm just so so lucky they chose me. I mean, it is not only that they are kind and funny, but they don't treat me like some exchange student. They treat me as a family member. Yeah, I can still feel that this is not my real family and home, but I can also feel, that soon it will be like that. I mean I've been here for only 2 weeks! And things take time. We cannot give up at the beginning. More often we simply poke, tickle and fight with my two younger host siblings, just for fun, and I am also building relationship with their cat, which keeps attacking me (and everyone else too). But my host family is the best. We may not go to Hawaii or LA, but I think that a good family is worth thousands of trips. We will go to other places, but I know that they love me and want to take care of me. And I absolutely enjoyed these 2 weeks with them.

Fishing for the first time, first s'mores, family movie nights with home-made popcorn, eating in Mexican restaurants (I can't stand spicy food and yet I love it there), getting to know other exchange students and other families, singing and dancing in the car (my family loves rap music), watersliding and swimming, playing Xbox and poker (not for real money), jet skiing and tubing (of course I fell, many times, but it was soo fun), eating and drinking things I've never had before.. well, and then my school time came.

My High School is huge. Really. And when the bell rings and all the students get to the halls, the traffic is so terrible, you have to push your way through the mass of people, and crossing to the other side seems just impossible. Not to mention the fact that on my first day of school, I was supposed to take the school bus in the morning, along with my host brother, however, the bus didn't come! That is a good story to tell. Also, when I was coming back home, all around me there was this blue sky, but right above me one big cloud. And it started raining from it, I mean, pouring, and so I came home all soaked. First days be first days, right?

High School is not an easy place to survive without friends, and in the first days I felt so lonely and missed my friends in Slovakia, because, yeah, I talked to some people in my classes, but a person you talk to does not equal to a good friend. I kept saying to myself that it gets better, and guess what? It really did! I found my lunch crew and people who I am sure are becoming my friends and every day I meet new and new people.

I really love my classes, in Slovakia we would never be able to attend a dance class on a regular High School, not to mention theater, and even Earth and Space Science is more interesting than some Physics.

As I am writing this I'm not feeling very well, because I'm ill. Or maybe it is just an allergy, who knows. So I will try to survive it. But despite of all this, I went to a pool party for the 'cool theater kids' - students from our drama club or theater classes, and especially we wanted to welcome freshman students. The party was awesome! Delicious food and snacks and music and people and a fat cat! I met another nice people and, yeah, everyone is always confused when I say my name, maybe even more confused than when I say that I am from Slovakia. But they told me they liked it, they even like my accent, even though some people think I sound like I am from Russia. Nevermind.

To sum it all up, people in Texas have big cars, big roads, big houses. But also big stomachs and big hearts.

https://www.icesusa.org/my-host-family-is-the-best/

I have the best host family in the world

my name is Tereza and I am an exchange student from Slovakia.

It has already been almost three months since I came to the USA. I have the best host family in the world. We live on a huge farm with horses and a bunch of the other animals. I could not wish for a better home.

I had wanted to be able to ride horses here because I am riding all my life. I have already been at a horse show where I won three first places and grand champion. I am looking forward to the next shows.

I would like to write a few lines about two favorite trips I have done so far. The day after my arrival, we flew to Florida for two weeks. We drove from Fort Lauderdale to Miami and then to Key West. I did parasailing for the first time. On the way back to Miami we stopped in the Everglades. We drove an air-boat and saw wild alligators. This vacation was so much fun and absolutely awesome. I have unforgettable memories. I got closer with my family and fell in love with them.

Last weekend, I went on an ICES trip to Niagara Falls. My host sister went too. I met students from many countries (also from Slovakia) and made very good friendships. The Niagara Falls are wonderful and because we did a boat ride - Maid of the Mist, we were very close and saw them also from Canadian side.

I cannot wait what the rest of my stay in the USA brings me!

https://www.icesusa.org/i-have-the-best-host-family-in-the-world/

Yesterday was the first day of my exchange year

Hi, my name is Lea and yesterday was the first day of my exchange year.

I flew all the way from Bratislava, Slovakia to Idaho Falls and then travelled two more hours with my host family to Afton in Wyoming. That’s where I am right now!

The next day I went for the first time to church with my host family. Right after that we went home and started baking because tomorrow the fair begins. It’s a local festival, where people bring a lot of food and also enjoy listening to stage music. So the whole day was our preparation for that. I couldn’t wait to see it!

I’m really excited to tell you about the fair! It was amazing. It took place right next to our house, so we were there all the time. Fair is a festival that the Wyoming people really enjoy because you can compete there with your baked/cooked goods, you can go there to see various stage performances, like the hypnotist, magician and many others! And there is a LOT of food. They also love it because you meet there new people that are all very nice! For me, the best part from the fair (except for the tasty food) were the night shows, such as rodeos or motor racing. I loved it!

https://www.icesusa.org/yesterday-was-the-first-day-of-my-exchange-year/

Príspevok našej študentky Terézie v septembrovom vydaní ICES Newslettera.

Vydáva ho ICES v USA pre študentov, známych, hosťovské rodiny a školy a sú v ňom uverejnené inšpirujúce príspevky od ICES študentov z celého sveta, ako aj príhovory ICES riaditeľa a iných ICES zamestnancov, miestnych koordinátorov a hosťovských rodín.

Every day is a new challenge and an unforgettable experience at the same time!

It’s been almost a month since I came to the US for an exchange semester, although it doesn’t really seem like it! The first few days were really strange. It was like waking up every morning to a new, different world you never knew about and looking forward to exploring it.

During my first week, which was sometimes very chaotic, I had to slowly get used to all the different things this country has to offer, trying to compare them with the ones in my country, which was sometimes impossible. And I’m not talking only about big stores with long shelves full of cereals and gallons of milk or ice tea taking most of the space in my host family’s fridge. I am talking about the whole community of people I ended up with, especially the people from church who opened their doors and hearts for me so that I felt welcome the moment I stepped in.

With my host sister, I attend Sunday school in the morning, where I have the chance to spend my time with kind and funny people. With her help, I also got to know some of her friends at school, who are really friendly and I can learn a lot from all of them. Of course, I met a couple of students in my classes I can already call friends. There will be a Club International I am planning to join, so I can’t wait to meet other students there. I am very thrilled to attend my Digital Media class, where I can finally do something I am interested in. I believe this class will help me with choosing my course of a career in the future and I will be able to learn new, interesting things.

And as for my host family, I can say that we’re getting along very well. They are always there to help me and from the beginning, they’ve been trying to make sure I am okay and happy. I will continue building my relationship with them since it’s still only a month we’ve known each other and I hope that after some time, I will be able to put aside all my doubts and fears I am still feeling sometimes about being here.

Recently, I went on a trip with my host family to Mackinac Island, one of the most famous and beautiful places in Michigan. The next day we visited Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula, which was also an amazing experience and then we drove through Sand Dunes near Silver Lake.

I am so thankful for being able to see all of the places here and meet new people. Every day is a new challenge and an unforgettable experience at the same time!http://www.iceslovakia.sk/http://

https://www.icesusa.org/every-day-is-a-new-challenge/

Príspevok našej študentky Sáry v letnom vydaní ICES Newslettera.
Vydáva ho ICES v USA pre študentov, známych, hosťovské rodiny a školy a sú v ňom uverejnené inšpirujúce príspevky od ICES študentov z celého sveta, ako aj príhovory ICES riaditeľa a iných ICES zamestnancov, miestnych koordinátorov a hosťovských rodín.

Now I get to call Alabama my home

My exchange year was an amazing journey…

… and I want to say a huge THANKS to Aimee Vasko Lochrico and the whole family for having me as their own child this whole year and helping me whenever I needed it. I’m so glad I get to call you my second family, I miss every single moment with you, joking with Aimee and Michael, spending time and talking to Sicily, and of course playing with Roman! Having younger siblings was always my dream and I finally got to experience what it takes and how it feels to be the oldest child!

Going on exchange is really hard…

… leaving a country you’ve known for 16 years and go to a place where you don’t know anyone, everything is completely different and the culture shock is huge, but you have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days your life!

I’m happy I got the best host family…

… and now I get to call Alabama my home where I have a big family which I’ll always want to go visit from now on  I will miss it so much, it was the best year of my life and I’ve made memories I will never forget.

https://www.icesusa.org/now-i-get-to-call-alabama-my-home/

Dobry den p. Sykorova,

som rada ze sa Vam Sebastian ozval, svoj pobyt si naozaj velmi uziva. Myslim, ze rad napise zopar viet o svojom pobyte aj ako prispevok do  newslettera.

Rodina je ozaj skvela, podporuju ho vo vsetkych aktivitach a vedia usmernit spravnym smerom, za co sme im velmi povdacni. Vzdy prehodime zopar viet, ked s nim v nedelu  telefonujeme. 

Prajem za celu nasu rodinu vela osobnych i pracovnych uspechov v Novom roku.

S pozdravom,

Kamila B.

Dobry den pani Sykorova,

moj pobyt sa blizi k polovici a ja by som sa Vam chcel podakovat za moznost zazit taky skvely rok v statoch. V rodine som velmi spokojny, mame pekny vztah a vsetci mi velmi pomahaju. Skola ma tiez bavi, je to obrovska skusenost. Zapisal som sa na basketball, kde som spoznal mnoho kamaratov. Posielam zopar fotiek. Prajem vsetko dobre v dalsej praci, vela dalsich spokojnych studentov a rodin.

Vsetko dobre do noveho roka,

Sebastian

Príspevok našej študentky Zory v aprílovom vydaní ICES Newslettera.

Vydáva ho ICES v USA pre študentov, známych, hosťovské rodiny a školy a sú v ňom uverejnené inšpirujúce príspevky od ICES študentov z celého sveta, ako aj príhovory ICES riaditeľa a iných ICES zamestnancov, miestnych koordinátorov a hosťovských rodín.

My dreams truly came true

My exchange year is the best experience of my life till now.

There are many memories what I have made during my exchange year in the States, but the best were from Disneyworld, Orlando.

My host family and I were spending a lot of time to prepare all things that we needed to have for this vacation. When everything was ready, we could start to be excited what I really was. We spent three days in Disney parks during my Spring Break, to be exact Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom.

It’s very difficult to describe what I have seen and what I felt during this trip. All Disney characters, roller coasters, many shops; I felt like in a small world where is no reality. Every park has something special and is different. Magic Kingdom Castle is incredible, in Epcot there is a big silver ball where you can go on a ride into it, and last but not least is Animal Kingdom where you can visit a big Safari with many kinds of animals. My favorite ride was Avatar Flight in Animal Kingdom. Disney’s motto is where dreams come true and I totally agree my dreams truly came true.

I want to thank to my host family for taking me to this amazing place and that I had a chance to spend these days with them. I also want to thank you, ICES agency for this huge opportunity to come to the States and live here for one year with such wonderful people.

www.icesusa.org/my-dreams-truly-came-true/

Príspevok nášho študenta Adama v zimnom vydaní ICES Newslettera. Vydáva ho ICES v USA pre študentov, známych, hosťovské rodiny a školy a sú v ňom uverejnené inšpirujúce príspevky od ICES študentov z celého sveta, ako aj príhovory ICES riaditeľa a iných ICES zamestnancov, miestnych koordinátorov a hosťovských rodín.

It has been already 4 months since I came here to the U.S.

It seems like if it was just yesterday when I got off the plane on the 30th of July at the Kansas City airport and had met the best family I could.

First thing we had done was that we went to the best restaurant I’ve ever been to and had my first original American food.  As we came home, right the next day we had a soccer practice so it was pretty exciting too.

Two weeks after I came school has started.  I found many friends during the first couple of weeks and I’m very thankful for that because they were helping me a lot with finding the right classes.

During school, we were able to go many school trips.  I chose to go to St.Louis.  We went there by cars which took us around 4 hours.  The city was beautiful.  The most unforgettable thing was to go up to the St.Louis Arch.  As we went up there by small, special elevators we were able to see the whole St.Louis and of course from the other side the Mississippi river and the Illinois state.

I hope that I will have more great memories during Christmas and New Year!

http://www.icesusa.org/it-has-been-already-4-months-since-i-came-here-to-the-u-s/

Príspevok našej študentky Sofie v jesennom vydaní ICES Newslettera.
Vydáva ho ICES v USA pre študentov, známych, hosťovské rodiny a školy a sú v ňom uverejnené inšpirujúce príspevky od ICES študentov z celého sveta, ako aj príhovory ICES riaditeľa a iných ICES zamestnancov, miestnych koordinátorov a hosťovských rodín.

Slovak Cheerleader

Sofia is a Slovak champion rhythmic gymnast, but for her exchange year in North Carolina she wanted to be a cheerleader. She had to tryout via video and was picked by a panel of judges as a varsity cheerleader for her high school. It was also necessary for her to leave home two weeks earlier than other exchange students in order to be present for practices and drills. She is happy she did, now she has a close circle of friends.

Príspevok našej študentky Simony v jesennom vydaní ICES Newslettera.

Vydáva ho ICES v USA pre študentov, známych, hosťovské rodiny a školy a sú v ňom uverejnené inšpirujúce príspevky od ICES študentov z celého sveta, ako aj príhovory ICES riaditeľa a iných ICES zamestnancov, miestnych koordinátorov a hosťovských rodín.

http://www.icesusa.org/what-makes-exchange-year-so-special/

What makes exchange year so special

It has already been a month since I came back to Slovakia from my exchange year in Oregon.  The decision to spend one year in USA was the best one in my life.  Even though it wasn’t easy at the beginning when I didn’t know anyone, my English wasn’t that good and I was in a totally different culture than the one that I had lived in my whole life.  But after a while, when I got to know people and American lifestyle, I started to enjoy it a lot.  I was really sad when I had to leave my friends, family and my new home.  Every day, there was something new during my exchange year, something I had never experienced before and that’s what makes exchange year so special.

The first days were probably the hardest for me since I didn’t know anyone, but after two weeks I made friends that became my very close friends.  We had a lot of fun together, made unforgettable memories and it felt like if we have had known each other for years.  I tried to participate in as many activities (sports, school clubs, school events, church, family events) as I could.  And also if someone asked me if I wanted to go somewhere or do something, it didn’t matter if I had never done it before or if I thought I wouldn’t like it, I always said yes!  And that’s how I got involved in so many different activities, was always busy and never bored and had a lot of fun during my exchange. Thanks to my parents, ICES, ICESlovakia, my host family, my friends and the whole Harrisburg community my exchange year was one of the best years of my life, full of experiences, memories and fun times.

I miss my exchange year a lot and I wish all the current and future students an amazing experience!

Just have fun and enjoy every moment of your year because you won’t even notice how fast your year went by and you will have to go back home.  Be nice to everyone, join sports, clubs, always communicate and remember: if you never tried it, don’t say it didn’t work!

Dobrý večer pani Sýkorová,

ďakujem Vám za úžasný rok, ktorý Aninka prežila v USA.

Dnes má za sebou rozdielové skúšky, v ktorých uspela na výbornú a pred sebou maturitný ročník. Stala sa z nej mladá dáma, ktorá vie, čo chce a to je dôležité.

Ďakujem.

“About a year ago I made a big decision”

I decided to leave Slovakia and come to the United States for a new experience and to learn English.  The only thing I didn’t know was that I would find a new life, friends and family here.

The beginning of year was awesome.  My host family made plans for me every day. After relaxing finally I had to start my first day in my American high school and first volleyball practice.  I couldn’t believe I would ever be excited and nervous about first day in school again.  Teachers and classmates were so nice and the nervousness went away very quick.  It took me about two weeks to understand the school system, but the system here is very easy and you can get settled in very quick.

I have never played any sports back in Slovakia before, but I wanted to try some new sports and have the experience.

And now after volleyball season, I miss it a lot.  I started to practice with my host sister at our church and after we joined a team.  I found so many friends there which was very important for me in my first months.  We had our songs to sing and dance, we helped each other and they made my first months here awesome!  It was pretty much a busy season but I liked it.  I loved practices because I didn’t have to think about school or my home country.  I really enjoyed it.  And I’m glad that I decided to play volleyball and have this experience.  In spring, I started to do track and sometimes I have a hard time there but I enjoyed it too.  I made another bunch of friendships and we had so much fun.  I love when I can go somewhere and recognize new places, people and that’s why I’m sad when I have to think about leaving.

The end of this year is coming to the finish line and I’m trying to enjoy every single day here.

I’m so thankful for my amazing host family, especially my host sister who has become my best American friend.  They are helping me a lot and I don’t know what I would do without them.  So now, let’s rock and roll to the prom and graduation…

Lenka from Slovakia

www.icesusa.org/about-a-year-ago-i-made-a-big-decision/

"To become an exchange student" - the best decision in my life. I'm blessed with all my new friends, my basketball team and especially with my family (I don't wanna use "host" because they mean more for me). I couldn't ask for better family, better friends and my American school. Thank you mom and dad that you gave me opportunity to live my "American" dream. Also I'm so thankful for the best agency I could ask for – ICESlovakia - thru you my dream became the reality. God, thank you that you blessed me with many wonderful and never forgotten experiences, new friendships, and every little things you brought into my life. Please, continue to be with me and my family (here and in my home country) and blessed rest of my time here - in America.