PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is a program of PAX Laurasian Exchange and is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program sponsor.

The Fresh Prince of Fort Worth

[This article is featured in the Nov. 2022 issue of PAX Press.]

My name is Laurens, and I am hosted in Fort Worth, Texas. I'm originally from Germany, but now I'm Texan. Over the last few months, I have had some really interesting adventures.

We visited Austin, Texas, and Whitefish, Montana. I was also shown a lot of Dallas and Fort Worth. I have attended quite a few concerts. I absolutely love the regional food and culture and discover more of it every day. My favorite food so far is "Nashville hot chicken" but the Texas one is also incredible.

I absolutely love the regional food and culture and discover more of it every day.

It's going great at school and in terms of sports. I have a fun time in school every day, and everyone is just so nice to me. I just recently made the JV basketball team and have attended a lot of college football games.

My host family is just so incredible, and I couldn't have asked for nicer and sweeter people. Our two dogs are Dolly and Georgia. I get a lot of physical activity every day, because we often go to the rec center and work out either before or after school. I also play basketball and football with my host parents who are very good at both. Overall, there are no downsides, all upsides.

—Laurens (Germany), hosted by the Montgomery family (TX)