By: Yazan Daibes (YES 2016 – 2017, West Bank, hosted by American Councils in Tucson, AZ)

"I saw the application on Facebook." That's my answer when they ask me how did you come to America or how did you know about the program. It all started like that and now I'm in America. When I say America I mean a new country, new lifestyle, new language, new people, new culture, new friends and new family but I realized that we are all humans and we all have the same feelings. It was a big challenge to come to America alone but I believe that without challenges, we will never change.

When I first arrived to Washington D.C., I felt sick for three days, but when I arrived to my host state, Arizona, everything had gone. I had mixed feelings between happiness because I made it to America and sadness because it was the first time I left my family.

Now it has been four months, and these four months changed my life 180 degrees. In just a short period of time, I learned how to live alone, how to face the problems and how I have to get over them. In four months I went through bad and good moments. I went through problems but these problems taught me that there is nothing impossible and everything has a solution. Honestly, each problem made me stronger than the other.

Being an exchange means being a teacher and a student, being able to learn and teach at the same time. It is a nice experience to be a teacher and ambassador, to be able to share the culture and being able to change the thoughts that the Americans have about your country, to let them know the lifestyle, the food, etc, and to open their minds. I found some of them don't even know where my country is located or they have never heard about it.

On the other hand, I'm playing the student role in learning about the Americans, about my host family’s traditions, and about high schools. The most unforgettable part so far was when I was selected to be the prince for the winter dance. Learning about new stuff keeps my mind open and keeps changing my thoughts about Americans as well.

In exchange, you will not only be a learner and a teacher but you will also be able to help others. During these four months I volunteered in a lot of places but my favorite was being a translator. I felt a person who can speak two languages is an important person in society. Being bilingual will help a lot in my future life. I'm ready for the coming months to continue learning, teaching, and helping.

That post on Facebook changed my life and took me to where I am now. My advice to anybody who wants to improve his or her life is to just be exchange students and you will learn and experience everything. Don't worry a lot, just go for it. Whether it ends good or bad it will be an experience that you will never forget.