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Dreaming of Snow

Phi Nh15 Jan Art Serna Afs In Co Web Article Small

By Jan Art Serna, YES 2015-2016, Philippines, hosted by AFS in Denver, CO

"You won't know you are failing, unless you try.” That quote represented me. I am a young dreamer from the home of more than 7000 islands, the Philippines. Just like a normal teenager, I struggled every day with ups and downs. I thought I was not particularly special and nothing special would happen to me. But I never stopped dreaming of places I wanted to go, of touching and playing with snow and creating my own snowman. But I thought these dreams would all stay as just drawings forever until I realized that the opportunity to achieve my dreams was right next to me, I just had to work for it.

It was in the midst of November 2014 when I received the news that I had qualified for an academic year scholarship in America. I had dreamed of this opportunity. I had spent hours working on my documents, but it was all worth it. Upon my arrival in Washington, D.C. back in August 2015, it didn’t feel like I was in the States, but I saw noticeable diversity. Before I arrived in my host state, Colorado, I had asked myself "How could I survive walking in Filipino shoes (identity) in another land?"

My journey began full of excitement, but I was nervous to face the whole new world in front of me. There was so much to adjust to and hundreds of questions, big and small, in my head, like "Why do Americans serve uncooked tomato or carrots for lunch?" Everything was very different back in my country. Funny stereotypes taught me a lot as a grown citizen of the world. I learned so much from it in understanding diversity, humanity and the aspects of tranquility. As an ambassador for my country I was asked weird questions too, such as “Do people wear clothes in the Philippines?”  “Do you know what Google is?”  “Do you have McDonald's back in your country?”  It might sound insulting to others, but to me, it was an opportunity to introduce myself and my country. I saw it as my obligation to teach others about my culture and I was proud to be the first person they’d ever spoken with from my country.

The year went by so fast, and then one day, I woke up without noticing it was snowing outside, the lifetime realization of a dream for someone from a country where snow doesn't exist. The front of the house was covered by 6 feet of snow. I was so excited that the year had been full of first time experiences for a young leader like me. I had finally created my own snowman that I named "Cuttie" because its nose was made from a piece of orange instead of a carrot.

I had enjoyed my year with my friends from Pakistan, Thailand, Germany, Russia, France, Palestine, Japan, China, and from all around the world. We made a global community that promotes peace and unity within all cultures of the earth. I saw the world from a larger perspective. One thing for sure that I will never erase from my mind, in this world that is full of wars, bombings and greediness, we need to learn that there are no wrong or right cultures, just different ones. My exchange student journey consisted of many surprises that helped me evolve to be a better citizen of earth. Not all people in Spain are Spanish, not all Asians know how to eat with chopsticks, not everyone in Germany drinks beer all day – all of this diversity is easy to reach and understand if you learn to open your mind to the possibilities of uniqueness and differences.

I went home bringing the newly-transformed and matured me. I'm no longer just a Filipino, I am now a citizen of the world. I have set in my mind the importance of serving humanity and respecting diversity for peace, unity and one world.


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