Editor’s Note: Every year, a select group of high school exchange students converge in Washington, DC for the Civic Education Workshop. For one week, these students learn about civic engagement, the US government, and share stories of their exchange and home countries with representatives in meetings on Capitol Hill. In between meetings with members of Congress and their staff, exchange students reflected on their time in America.
Aleksis Satka
From: Albania
Hosted in: Utah
"I think that Utah is one of the best states ever to be an exchange student in, just because the people are so loving and welcoming. It’s not only because of how they treat me. It’s because of how aware they are of others. It’s because of how nice they treat foreigners in their state. There are so many Latinas in Utah and every time I go to the grocery store, I love how all of the signs are translated in Spanish. I find it very nice, not because I can’t speak English, but many people who are coming here depending on their age don’t. It’s just beautiful to see that and it’s beautiful to see how people in Utah think about those who are different.
I feel like Utah has taught me a lot about loving people and loving myself and about what’s important in life. I really want to take that back to my community and help people back home and help people in the Balkans in general. I really want to try to make a difference."
Jehan Maunting Macadato
From: Phillippines
Hosted in: Oklahoma
"The best part about [Hill Day during Civic Education Week] I’d say is doing the meetings. You can see the senators or the staff making you feel like they are really interested in the program. It’s genuine.
My first impression [of Oklahoma] was ‘okay, I’m going to be criticized.’ That’s how I perceived America before. I have seen in movies that there are bullies and everything. Then I got here and it was totally different. No one cares if you are Muslim, if you’re Hispanic, Asian, black, or white. It doesn’t really matter. It made me feel really welcome. It’s not about fitting in. It’s about belonging."
Safa Emas Hammad
From: Egypt
Hosted in: Massachussetts
"Some people have stereotypes about Egypt. One time, in the [International Education Week], I gave a presentation to a middle school. One of the boys raised his hand and he asked me, ‘Do you have technology in Egypt?’
That was a shocking question for me. I said, 'If I didn’t have technology, I would not be here. How would I know about [the YES] program?'
Another question was, 'Do you go to school by your camel?' In that presentation I showed them Egypt — the actual Egypt. I showed them the cars and the public transportation and the trains and everything, so that was good for me."
Janet Sam Kobba
From: Sierra Leone
Hosted in: New Jersey
"I’ve been learning a lot of things and how Americans interpret things and how I interpret them in a different way. We believe in our culture that when older people are talking, you have to go and not sit there and listen. I learned that in America, everyone [can participate in conversations]. I mean it’s equality. You contribute. It doesn’t matter if the person is older than you or not.
The other big thing that I’m learning here is that you don’t judge people. You just focus on what you believe and forget about other people’s beliefs and I think that’s a really, really great thing. My plan is when I go back home to work on a project to bring Muslims and Christians together [without judgment]."
Muhammad Abdillah
From: Indonesia
Hosted in: New Jersey
“When you are in a very homogenous society, the feeling of [being] tolerant to others is not really there. It’s not actually your fault because you don’t really get any people that you actually know of different religions. You don’t really know how it feels to have different religion neighbors and things like that.
[Through YES] I learned that you understand how someone feels not just by observing them, but actually also by being in their position. I think exchange programs are one of the examples of how you can try to be in their position and in their shoes."
Amira Naji
From: Tunisia
Hosted in: Kansas
"One of the things I’ve learned is how to accept differences and how to accept people from different religions and different colors and different ethnicities. Also, I learned how to be more involved in community and how to be a role model in your own community and always work on improving [your community], even if you think that you’re doing nothing and you think that the thing you’re doing is very small. It’s not. There’s nothing that is useless. Everything is beneficial to the community, even really, really small steps."
Aima Shahid
From: Pakistan
Hosted in: Maryland
"You live here for a year, so when you want to go back, you must have some knowledge about what you did in America. I’m not just here to make friends. I want to learn about how America came into being. I want to study the history of America. It’s big and it’s really different than all the other countries. It was my main goal to know about how it’s different. Why is it a super power? What are the struggles America faces? Does America have any problems?
We always learn that everything is big here and everything is cool and calm, but there are problems. This changed my mind and let me understand the world. Now I trust my eyes. You have to experience something before just saying that ‘Oh, it’s the way I’m taught.’ I think that’s important."
Lemogang Andy Nkwane
From: South Africa
Hosted in: Kansas
"[This year I've learned that] a lot of Americans love animals. Their dogs, their pets—they treat them as family. That was something different for me. Dogs they don’t go in the house [in South Africa]. They are outside for security. For you guys, they are family.
In Civic Education Week, I learned that so much more can happen when great minds come together…It doesn’t matter where you’re from. You can all find a common ground and an objective that you guys want to pursue. If you guys do it as a unit, even if you’re from different parts of the world, you can make it happen. Just one small step at a time."
