On a warm day in August, Alexander Beard gathers with his friends at a national park in Germany. After a full day of playing frisbee and chatting, everyone sits down for a final picnic before Beard heads to the United States on a foreign exchange program. There’s obvious apprehension, since the setting of their goodbyes was chosen specifically to follow COVID guidelines. Nevertheless, two days after the picnic Beard was well on his way to school in the United States. Whether it’s the inability to visit family on breaks or the insecurity of participating in foreign exchange programs at all, international students face a whole new level of uncertainty during the pandemic. Their experiences in the U.S. differ greatly from past students, whether it’s through a positive or negative light.