By Laila Abuharus (YES 2017 – 2018, Libya, hosted by AFS in Allentown, NJ)

Imagine leaving your home and everything you’ve ever known to go 6000 miles away to live with strangers you’ve never met before for a whole year, and go to school with students from all different backgrounds, and try to become part of a community that is the complete opposite from your culture. Sounds scary, right? It is.

My name is Laila and I’m an exchange student from Libya. My first week in Allentown, NJ was the scariest week of my life. I couldn’t understand anything in class, I was late to class most of the time trying to find my way around, and everyday I’d ask at least three people for directions. Now I’m eight months into my exchange year with only two months left before I have to say goodbye to Allentown and the life I’ve created here.

In just eight months, I was able to decide on a career path and discover three new hobbies. Where I come from, we don’t have any school sports and I was able to accomplish my dream of being part of a team when I joined the Allentown High School swim team. It was a challenge, but because of it I’ve gained friendships and confidence and I’ve learned that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. I’ve also picked up a love for horses and horseback riding. I had never ridden a horse before I came here!

Most importantly, I have had the opportunity to share my culture and talk about my country in class presentations, answering funny questions like: Do you ride camels to school? Do you eat with your hands?

Thanks to all the amazing conversations I’ve had with people about my country, my religion, and the differences between our cultures, my experience as a youth ambassador has helped me realize my goal of becoming a diplomat and representing my country on a wider scale someday.

Every single person I’ve met here, every conversation I’ve had, and every moment, will forever be precious to my heart. It has been a year of constantly learning new things - about the US, about other countries, and even about myself. The words “I’m an exchange student” are what I identify myself with now. They mean that I’m no longer only Libyan, and I’m not American; I'm an international student that is lucky enough to meet people from all over the world, and each one of them has a special place in my heart.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank everyone that made this year so special - my amazing host family, my placement organization (AFS), and all of my teachers. It is extremely hard to come to terms with the fact that I will be leaving all of this behind in a couple of weeks, and even scarier to think of what’s to come after. But I’ve got high hopes that I’ll be able to use all that I’ve learned here to make my country and the world a better place by spreading peace and global understanding.