Answers began to appear in my curious mind little by little, which brought some peace of mind.

Three days later, my friend took me to the International Exchange Center office, where all my worries and fears vanished, which I was very happy about.

While the memories are fresh in my mind, I decided to share what I learned after getting to know the International Exchange Center. But first things first.

So, various exchange programs had been familiar to me since childhood: they were written about in English textbooks (yes, those ones with the perpetually happy faces), my school and language courses participated in experience exchanges, and private exchange agencies were promoted by linguist teachers (in my school, these were trips to countries like Germany, the UK, and Finland).

However, it was scary and expensive to participate in such private programs: you are alone, in a host family, without classmates or friends, and communication with relatives in your native language was kept to a minimum. One fine day, in a critical situation, you could simply be put out on the street with your belongings. Such a prospect did not please me at all, so I always refrained from such events.

Now, a completely different, modern, and effective type of international exchange has opened up to me: full informational transparency, interesting speaking clubs, and the support and help of the wonderful International Exchange Center team (for which I am very grateful to them). I was surprised that you are supervised, in fact, until the very end of the program, and most of the paperwork, which I don't like very much, is handled directly by the International Exchange Center. In a word, doubts are gone, and risks and fears have been minimized as a result of interacting with the organization. This is very helpful when participants, like me, come without experience, knowing almost nothing about exchange programs.