New Things Photo Contest Winners

When an exchange student experiences something for the first time, it's often a "lightbulb" or "A-HA!" moment for everyone involved;

The student, who has "never done this before" and never thought they would ever be able to do it firsthand, is actually here in the U.S., doing the very thing they may have only dreamed of before right now.

The host family thought this thing or event was a common, everyday experience anywhere in the world, and lights up at the smiles and excitement their students have over whatever "it" is.

The friends from school, teammates, and school staff, who are all overjoyed to be sharing a life experience with a student from another country for the very first time!

These reactions are what sparked the idea for our New Things photo contest!  We asked our newly-arrived exchange students to send photos, with a brief description, showing something that they are experiencing for the first time as a result of coming to the U.S. with ICES.

We were not disappointed, and we trust that you won't be either!  With 118 photo submissions, our three winners of the contest have been notified, and now we just want to share with you some of the wonderful photos that our students shared.

Here are our three winners and a little summary of the story behind the photo:

"That was the first time fishing for me and I caught my first fish ever. We were at their cabin in the mountains and hiked to this beautiful place."

-Elina from Switzerland, living in Casper, Wyoming

 "My host family lives on a farm, and my host parents are farmers. On our farm we have pigs, chickens, chicks and horses. The whole family is involved in the farm, both parents and siblings. We have about 300 chickens and every day we can collect more than 100 eggs! This is my first experience related to farms and I am really enjoying my exchange year!"

Marina from Barcelona, Spain, living in Bethune Colorado

"Before coming to America, the only cows I had seen were the ones on the milk cartons, but these past days I have even fed them. At the beginning I was a bit afraid of being that close to them but later I even caressed them. The one in the photo is Ginger. It has been a lot of fun. My favorite ones were the baby calves, they were very cute, and it was very touching seeing their mothers feeding them. Besides that, the landscape was very beautiful. When we went at sunset the sky was amazing, full of colors and with the trees and nature it was really relaxing. It has enriched my life because I have felt a lot of emotions, and I have been able to do things that I cannot do where I live. I have enjoyed learning new things that I would not have learned if I were not here. I am looking forward to living many more experiences."

Irene from Spain, living in Lawson, Missouri

Those last sentences perfectly sum up why we at ICES are so excited about international student exchange... "I have enjoyed learning new things that I would not have learned if I were not here. I am looking forward to living many more experiences."  What a great perspective on living your best life while on exchange here is the U.S.!

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Like I said, we received a LOT of great "New Things" photographs, so here are several of our runners-up, and even a few that were just too cute to not share!

Maria  from Spain went to zip lining in Florida with her host family, the McGoverns

"This has been a dream of mine for a long time to play football in the United States. I'm learning the game more each and every day between games and practices. It was a challenge at first but now it’s getting to be fun and rewarding."

~ Juan from Spain, living in Louisiana

"This is a picture from our last Friday game. I did something very new. Something so scary-looking I would never (ever) do in my home country, the Czech Republic. I think that’s the main reason I decided to do it here. To step out of my comfort zone (and it’s so iconic, too ). Ask someone to homecoming. In front of the whole student section. I decided to ask another exchange student, from Germany which is right next to the Czech Republic. The girls from my cheer team helped me a lot and it was really fun! I am so glad I did it in the end."

 Zuzana from Czech Republic, living in Michigan

"The game started at 7:30pm but we went there at 5am to party before the game; my host parents said that is a tradition so, why don’t do it?! It was amazing, we played games, we sang, we laughed, we screamed, a mix of emotions all together, I saw my host parents as real friends and not just as parents, and I had a lot of fun with all of them! This one was my real first American football game and guys, it was exactly as I imagined, it was CRAZY   This is only the first one of a series of adventure and experiences that I’ll do in this year and I can’t wait to live my life here in the best way ever with this amazing family!!!  Thank you!"

~ Emily from Italy, living with the Atkinson family in Indiana

"This was my first time ever going axe throwing, and my first time hitting the bullseye after many tries, It was so fun! Would definitely make going axe throwing a routine."

~ Lucia from Spain, living in Lincoln, Nebraska

"We went to yoga goats"

~ Maria from Spain, living in Florida

"I  was crabbing, I loved it, it was so fun we had almost 30 crabs and we had dinner them.
I will remember this experience all my life because it was so original and similar and since now I know how to catch them.  Even we saw alligators and one of them jumped next to me."

~ Marina from Spain, living in Lousiana

"I participated in a archery contest (at the Rogers County Fair) and was in 5th place. it also had rides and games, and some animal exhibitions. It lasted four days and it was really fun!!"  

~ Bruna from Spain, living in Oklahoma

"First trip to the mall"

~ Albane from France, living in Illinois

"Today I had my “cardboard boat race” at school. I’m taking an AP Physics II class, and our first project was building a boat out of cardboard and wood. Me and my team went in search for the materials and today we competed against other teams. This helped me socializing with my other classmates, so I made a lot of friends and I learned how to build a boat that floats!! This is the best experience i had so far, I hope you like it. (I’m the one with the yellow paddle)"

Carola from Italy, living in California

"This is my first time stepping foot in US. And of course, it's the first time I've seen the Statue of Liberty. This was the most wonderful experience of my life. This place is beautiful and memorable. I've been here only one month, but my host family and my sister from South Korea made me feel like here is "home" A home where I can always come back to recharge my heart whenever I want. And I hope I will be a good memorable daughter for my host mom and host grandmother. I will not disappoint them for choosing me. I had a dream of coming to US since I was a kid. I'm proud that I can, and this dream will be impossible without the warm support of my family"

~ Shiryu from Thailand, living in Michigan

"I asked my friend’s sister to go to Homecoming. He asked me if I knew how to dance. Since I didn’t know, the youth group taught me so I would be prepared for the dance. After this I know how to slow dance.  This is me dancing with my date's brother (he's the one that is wearing a hat)"

~ Alejandro from Spain, living in Utah

"Hey! This was my first time cheering as a Pep Squad. In this moment me and my friend we were going to the Alamodome Stadium to my first football in a School Bus. It was amazing!"

~ Lola from Spain, living in Texas

"This is me trying s’mores for the first time. It’s just so iconic for America and I was really looking forward to trying them! I just love this picture, it had been taken a couple days after I arrived. There are my little host siblings which is another new thing for me. I do have siblings but not as little.  I really enjoyed this evening!"

~ Zuzana from Czech Republic, living in Michigan

"This was my first water polo game in the USA. It is very important to play sports here and at the same time it is a lot of fun. I have met the best friends I have here, it is a great experience to be able to go to other high schools to play games, and those days are the best for me! "

~ Angel from Spain, living in California

"Throughout my years of watching American movies and TV shows, I saw the American passion for school spirit. This was most often portrayed through cheerleading. When I had the opportunity to come to the United States, I had to be a part of this culture. Luckily, I am a dancer and positive person, so cheerleading is a natural fit. By joining the Page High School JV cheerleading team, I have become a part of not only my schools athletic program, but a leader in the school’s culture. I have learned about the sport of cheerleading, its contribution to the American high school spirit, and how to balance a school and athletics lifestyle. My teammates have embraced me and I have made wonderful friends through this experience that is providing me with an enriching opportunity that will impact my future."

~ Leonie from Germany, living in North Carolina

"In this picture I’m with my Host sister, Izabelle (the one in the left), she is my same age. We were in the applejack festival, we went for a walk in the tree houses, and after that we picked some apples, and of course, the whole festival."

~ June from Spain, living in Nebraska

"My new experience was definitely the pictures we took on my first day of school. My hostmum bought signs for us and after we took the pictures, me and my hostsister went to school riding a yellow school bus. It felt like a movie and it was a magical experience and a great start into the school year!"

~ Maya from Germany, living in Oregon

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Thanks to all of our wonderful students, we had tough time choosing winners in our New Things photo contest. Congratulations to our winners, and as the year rolls along for all of our students, be sure to take pictures of all the memories you build in it.  Like Irene, one of our winners said, keep "looking forward to living many more experiences!"