Stepping foot into the United States, junior Sofie Van Voorthuizen was filled with unexpected hope and excitement. While full of questions that a 17-hour plane ride of 4,292 miles from the Netherlands and countless iconic American high school movies couldn’t answer, she vowed to take on this experience with an open heart and mind. 

Her process began last December when Van Voorthuizen applied to the Information Planets Study Abroad program and anxiously awaited a response. Her journey began in June 2024 after her acceptance.

As she stepped foot onto campus, the excitement of exploring a new school,  country, and meeting her new family hit her in a huge wave. 

“I just tried to not have many expectations when I came here,” Van Voorthuizen said.“In the beginning, it was a little bit awkward with my host family, but now I feel like it’s normal. School is pretty normal now too.” 

Van Voorthuizen entered a new environment with the distinct social dynamics and academic expectations of an American high school.

“I was like what the heck? the football games and the pep railles are bigger,” Van Voorthuizen said.

Van Voothuizen goes onto share the comparison between lunch in the Netherlands and her experience in Texas.

“I only have one thing in [the Netherlands] my cafeteria where you could buy overpriced things…Here you have many restaurants …The tables and everything, it does look like movies and everything.” Van Voorthuizen said. 

Van Voorthuizen addresses the discrepancy she notices between social dynamics in the Netherlands and the United States. 

“It’s more group based here. You can make friends really easily. Everyone just talks to you and everything. So that’s nice.” Van Voorthuizen said. 

Van Voorthuizen discusses the difference in social groups in the Netherlands compared to the United States. 

“In the Netherlands, it was just school, school, school, really, and your free time,” Van Voorthuizen said, “You didn’t really have free time.”

Van Voorthuizen shares her first homecoming experience in Texas. 

“Homecoming was a huge thing. I thought it was just a school party,” Van Voorthuzien said.“But, like, there are pictures before the dinner and everything, and then the after party.”

Van Voorthuizen noticed the apparent contrast between the after-parties in the Netherlands and the United States. 

“In the Netherlands, our after party started and then there was not really an end time,” Van Voorthuzien said. ”We had music and everyone just danced.”

Van Voorthuizen shares her experience from American after-parties.

“Here there are activities you [can] do at an after-party. And I’m just not used to that.” Van Voorthuizen said. 

Von Voorthuizen also discusses the questions people have asked her after learning that she is an exchange student from the Netherlands.

“People ask me these dumb questions,”Van Voorthuizen said. “They ask me, if we have black people in the Netherlands, if we have gay people, if we have cars.How else will we get places?”

Van Voothuizen has already graduated in the Netherlands. 

“I graduated when I was 16. This experience it’s just for fun,” Van Voorthuizen said.