HeyJaredLife Exchanged: Stories of Understanding
Life Exchanged: Stories of Understanding is a podcast by YFU USA sharing real stories from exchange students, host families, alumni, and volunteers. Each episode explores the impact of hosting, studying abroad, and volunteering through cultural exchange.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Sep 11, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 3, 2026
Latest episodes
The Exchange Student Who Hosted Her Future Host Mom - Helena's Story (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Helena came to Saginaw, Michigan, from eastern Germany for her exchange year and landed with a host family she already knew. Years earlier, her own family in Germany hosted an American advisor named Janice during a two-week exchange. They stayed in touch for a year. Now that same advisor is Helena's host mom — and Kelsey is about to chaperone the very program that started it all. In this episode: Homesickness around the holidays Three host brothers who took a while to warm up (and eventually bec
Estonglish, Dance Moms & Life-Changing Moments - Rianne's Story (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Rianne traveled from Estonia to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for her exchange year — and along the way she picked up a host sister turned built-in ride, a cross-country and show choir schedule that wore her out (in the best way), and an accidental new language she calls "Estonglish." In this episode, Rianne opens up about weighing a gap year against finishing high school on time, the nerve-wracking first video call with her host family (turns out her host dad's deep voice was the real culprit, not the lan
YES Program Scholarship: A Full-Ride Study Abroad Journey from India - Anisha’s Story (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Anisha traveled from India to North Carolina through the YES (Youth Exchange and Study) Program — a full-ride, merit-based scholarship earned after a year-long selection process that saw only 30 students chosen from her entire country. In this episode, she opens up about the emotional moment she found out she'd been accepted, the family and teachers who rallied behind her, and how she went from being a self-described picky eater to a self-proclaimed "shrimp monster." Anisha also shares how she e
Our #1 Episode Just Got a Sequel - Lara & Lexy Return (opens the original)
Read excerpt
They're back! Lara (exchange student, 2024-2025) and Lexy (host mom & YFU staff member) return for our most-requested reunion episode — and yes, this is the pair behind our #1 most-listened-to episode on Spotify last year. This time, Lara surprised her host family with an unannounced trip home, and the whole thing was caught on camera. In this episode: The emotional goodbye nobody was ready for How they kept in touch across the ocean (spoiler: it's Snapchat and a standing Sunday call) Tips for h
What It's Really Like to Be a German Exchange Student in America - Lia's Story (opens the original)
Read excerpt
What does it take to pack up your life at 17 and move to a completely different country for a year? In this episode of Life Exchanged: Stories of Understanding, host Kelsey Ross sits down with Lia, a German exchange student living with a host family in Ohio. Lia opens up about breaking out of a cycle of fear and self-doubt before finally taking the leap, the surprisingly long application process (paperwork, visas, English tests, and a conversation with her school about grades), and the moment sh
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.