It takes a certain person with an adventurous heart to leave everything behind and start a new life.

Leaving home and adapting to a different country makes someone feel like a fish out of water. For most people traveling to a different country is scary and challenging, Barbora Rihackova took that challenge to a whole new level. She left everything she knew in the Czech Republic and is making a fresh start as a foreign exchange student in the United States.

Rihackova stays with the Novacheck family, which seems to be the perfect fit. She fell in love with the English language and took a leap of faith studying abroad to further her ability to speak the language.

When she arrived, the skies of her future in America darkened as she feared she would not be able to understand people. She said, “I’ve only been here two months and my English is already better.”

Although her English is improving, she has found her history class and English class to be the most challenging. Though she may have a harder time understanding classes, school is the main reason her English has been excelling at a fast rate.

School is different in America than the Czech Republic. Typically she has one class a day in the Czech Republic, and she has the same students in her class every year. Here in America, she is able to meet many people by having several classes a day with new people in each class.

Rihackova has been enjoying all the clubs and activities that NHS offers because her school in the Czech Republic does not offer a single extra curricular. Rihackova has especially enjoyed football games. The Czech Republic does not have football, so Rihackova has been soaking up every high school game and is hoping her host family will take her to a Packer game in the future.

Along with school being different from the Czech Republic, she also mentions the food being much different as well. Junk food is new to her. The foods she is enjoying most are Doritos and chocolate chip cookies.

The American meal schedule is also new to Rihackova. “We usually eat a big breakfast and a big lunch then a small dinner or sometimes no dinner at all,” she said.

Being a foreign exchange student has been an incredible adventure for Rihackova, and she plans on continuing to explore the country while she is here. Rihackova would love to come back for college but does not think that will be an option for her because of how expensive college is in America. In case she will not make it back for college, she plans on soaking up every moment like a sponge while she is here.