I am Olivia, an exchange student from Finland for the school year 2025-2026. I decided to be an exchange student during my senior year because I lived in the USA when I was younger and I missed living here.
My goals for the year are to meet new people, improve my social skills in English and build independence. So far I have really liked Los Banos. I absolutely adore the warm weather, since the weather in Finland is significantly cooler. I especially missed the American small talk culture, since that isn’t big in Finland. I also like how big the school is because my high school back in Finland only has around 300 students.
My favorite things that I have experienced so far are for sure the football games and water polo. Alongside that I have enjoyed senior activities like senior walk-in and senior sunrise. I am really looking forward to experiencing the rest of the senior activities as well as the school dances. School in Finland is more education based, so I am really enjoying all of the activities and sports the school has to offer.
The biggest difference I have noticed between the two countries is definitely the food. Fast food is a thing in Finland, but it isn’t as popular there as it is here. The variety of fast food places in Finland is also noticeably smaller. I have loved trying all the different fast food places here. Another thing I adore is getting Starbucks or Dutch Bros in the morning before school. I feel like that is a typical American thing.
In Finland especially teenagers are dependent on public transportation, because the age for getting a driver’s license is 18. It definitely took me a few weeks to get used to having to make sure that I can get a ride for everything. I am really thankful that my host family has been really sweet about looking out for me, for example by organizing rides for me.
The biggest challenge I have faced so far is homesickness. Especially at the beginning of my exchange year, I was experiencing more homesickness because everything was new all at once. What I miss the most from back home are my family and friends. Throughout my first month here I have learned to live with the homesickness by keeping myself busy and limiting contact with my friends and family back home.
I am grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this year here at Los Banos High. I am excited to see what the upcoming year has in store for me.
