ICES Blog

Falling in Love with Autumn from Coast to Coast

Written by Kari Owens | Nov 22, 2024 1:36:24 PM

Autumn in the U.S. is a season of vibrant colors, cozy traditions, and unforgettable experiences. Fall offers countless moments of connection and discovery, from pumpkin carving to high school football games.

We asked our exchange students and host families to share their favorite memories of fall in the USA.  Their photos and words capture the joy and wonder of the season. Enjoy their stories and see fall through their eyes!

 

 
Vasily from Russia loved carving Halloween pumpkins with his host family, the Pruitts, in Tennessee.
 

 

Luna from Italy says her favorite fall activity was going to football games with her friends in Michigan.  She loved the atmosphere and seeing everyone dressed up for the different themes.

 

 

 
Miguel from Spain is loving living in Southern California and had a super fun trip to Disneyland with his host family, the Salgados.
 
 
 
Jette from Germany had some colorful fun at the neon-themed football game at her high school in Montana.
 
 
 
 
Oto from Japan had a blast volunteering as a face-painter at her high school's football game in West Virginia.
 

 
Living with the Hodne family in Iowa gave Alice (Brazil) the unique--and fun!--opportunity to ride along with her host dad as he harvested corn.
 
 
Kevin from Germany attended his first ever football game in Tennessee--and it was incredible!
 
 
 
Irene (Spain) says one of her favorite memories of autumn in West Virginia was attending a pumpkin carving party with her friends.
 
 
 
 
Vega from Spain had an unforgettable experience celebrating her school's football team winning the Division 1 state championship in Alaska.
 
 
Claudia from Spain showed her school spirit as a cheerleader for her high school in Michigan.
 
 
Maria from Spain is loving her year in Arkansas!  She says, "During this fall I’ve done lots of things like going to the fair, football games, hanging out with friends and doing family activities! My favorite fall activity was “Friends-giving”. This activity consisted of bringing an appetizer that started with the first letter of your name (I cooked macaroni and cheese), taking pictures together, bring some urgent needs that we donated to “The call of Southeast Arkansas” and also write some letters for the call."
 
 
In some places, fall colors can be white!  Charlotte from Germany had a chilly-good time at a snowy football game in Montana.
 
 
  
Daniela from Spain had a memorable Halloween in Oregon, as she and her friends were "Men in Black"!
 
  
Enrico from Italy is loving life in California!  He and his host dad are both basketball fans, so they took in an NBA pre-season game at the Chase Centre, and visited San Francisco the next day.
 
 
Liva from Denmark and her friend had some fall fun carving pumpkins in Georgia.
 
 
 
Anmol from Italy had this to say about fall in Wisconsin:  "The best memory of this spring is my school bus, with orange and green colored trees behind it, this represents the active of the new season for me."
 
 
 
Sometimes you just need a little taste of home!  Martin (Czech Republic) shared this photo from Chemistry mole day in Michigan.  His chemistry teacher gave the class a drawing to color--one of which was a character from a Czech cartoon!
 
 
 
Carolina from Spain delighted in the fall colors while hiking in West Virginia.
 
 
 
 
Lina from Germany loved the Friday night lights and cheering for the football team in Wyoming.
 
 
 
Rukaya from Germany says one of her best memories was carving a pumpkin with her host sisters and friends in Louisiana.
 
 
 
Living in Michigan has made Adanne from Finland (right) and her host sister from the Czech Republic big Michigan wolverine fans. 
 
 
 
Luca from Italy shares his favorite memory of fall in Indiana:  being crowned homecoming king!
 
 
  
Rocio from Spain loved the festive Halloween decorations of this house in Wyoming.
 
 
 
Beatriz from Spain loved the red fall leaves in Washington and being part of her cross country team.  She says, "They were the first ones in the school that made me feel included, and it was so much fun."
 
 
  
Maria from Spain had a blast during the fall season.  She loved carving pumpkins and going trick-or-treating in Wisconsin.
 
 
 
Florentine from Germany loved experiencing this football game with her host parents in Ohio.
 
 
 
Letizia from Italy enjoyed a visit to Yellowstone with her host family in Wyoming.
 
 
 
 
Federico (Italy) enjoyed celebrating a friend's birthday with a bonfire on the beach in California.
 
 
 
Senior night was a fall highlight for Amelie from Germany, who's enjoying her exchange in Michigan.
 
 
 
Lorenzo from Spain is living in Nevada and loved his trip to California with his cross country team.
 
 
 
Mencia from Spain has lots of special fall memories, and most of them include her very special swim team in Michigan.
 
 
  
Although Clara from Germany is living in Colorado this year, one of her favorite memories is this beautiful view of the Columbus skyline in Ohio.
 
 
 
Lisa from Germany has many special memories of football games with friends at her high school in Minnesota.
 
 
  
Izadi from Spain visited Mount Marquette with her host sister after cross country practice.  She had so much fun on that day and every day in Michigan! 
 
 
 
Playing football tops the list for Ondrej from the Czech Republic.  Ondrej (left) is with his host mom and host brother in Wyoming.
 
 
 
Laura from Spain has made special friends in the marching band at her high school in Ohio.
 
 
 
Lucia from Spain shares this photo of her special friend in Michigan.  Lucia says, "I have created a lot of good memories this fall, but one of the best ones has been riding horses for sure. In this picture, I show one of the horses that we have. Before coming, this was an activity that I was not used to do, but now I just love it."
 
 
  
Fritz from Germany shares his favorite fall memory: bowling with his host family in Michigan.
 
 
 
In addition to living in beautiful Minnesota, Esther from Germany also had the thrill of experiencing California on a trip with her host mother.  Esther says, "...it was incredible to see everything and it brought my host mum and me closer together.  It was awsome and impressive to see all of the sights. My favorite part about the trip was , that I could get to know people with different backgrounds, who live in LA and the life you live in LA."
 
 
 
 
Amara from Spain shared this photo of her volleyball teammates in Georgia on senior night at one of their last games.
 
 
 
 
Aleix from Spain enjoys the fall view from his window in Michigan.
 
 
 
Vittoria from Italy was honored to be inducted into the National Beta Club.  She is eager to represent her high school at the State Convention in Mississippi.
 
 
 
Saioa from Spain loves this memory with her field hockey team in Virginia, taken after one of their last games.
 
 
 
Rosa from Spain enjoyed attending an NBA game--just one of her many fun memories of fall in Minnesota.
 
 
 
Rebeca from Spain is having so many fun and wonderful experiences living in Ohio!  This special memory is bringing dessert home from the Cheesecake Factory--yum!
 
 
 Exploring a corn maze was just one of the fun experiences Marcos from Spain enjoyed with the Viar family in Virginia.
 
 
Wow!  These guys have been busy!  A big thanks to each one for sharing a slice of their American fall. 
 
Keep on making those awesome memories as you enjoy every minute of your exchange!
 
What's your favorite part of autumn?  Share it in the comments below.