By: Ali Hamada (YES 2018-2019, Kuwait, placed by Ayusa in Tacoma, WA) 

Living with a host family was one of the many reasons I chose to go on the YES program. Before the program, we were made aware that living with an American family might be challenging at times. Despite this, I still believed optimistically that I would get over any issues in a week or two. I soon found that my expectations were naïve, and the process would be much more strenuous. Nonetheless, it is the hurdle that I am most proud of jumping. Altering my life when I moved in with a host family with a different routine and social norms required months of work and led to a turbulent yet ultimately fulfilling year with my host family.  

Initially, I did not feel a significant change in my daily activities. My host parents were still treating me more like a guest than an actual member of the family. Perhaps the first noticeable change came when I had to inform them of my dietary restrictions, which were difficult to conform to as Halal meat was a rare find in my city. Aside from that, my family was supportive and accommodating. I was not assigned any specific chores at the beginning, as I learned everyone’s role in the house.   

After the first month with my host family, my routine started to drastically change. Since it was difficult for my host parents to drive me to and pick me up from school, I had to learn to navigate the bus system on my own or catch rides home with friends. I also started to take on new chores and rules that I wasn’t used to in my home. My main chore was doing the dishes, and I would also help my host brother take the trash out. This was unfamiliar to me since these tasks were usually taken care of by a visiting maid back in Kuwait. Regrettably, I would sometimes forget to do my chores, making my parents angry. However, I would always make it up to them by apologizing and doing extra work. Since these chores were new to me, I was satisfied to learn to rely on myself in this regard.  

Beginning from my arrival at the airport, my host family and I found a lot of common ground that brought us closer. There were a few activities I would do with the kids, such as playing video games, building LEGOs, or watching YouTube together, which made us feel like brothers in every sense of the word. Volunteering at my mom’s family business meant I spent more time with her, while also getting to know her family and friends better. My dad, a veteran who was deployed in Iraq and Kuwait, was a student during my time there so we would often talk together after we completed our studying. Completely different cultural backgrounds but a mutual interest in sports and hip-hop music meant that our talks could last hours. We would also give each other sentimental gifts on important occasions, many of which I still hold onto to this day. 

Changing aspects of my lifestyle entirely was jarring at times, but the outcome was wholly positive. My host family and I are still in contact constantly, and I am happy to be a part of their family and see my brothers grow. It would be a lie to say that the journey to this point in our relationship was easy, but every step of the way was worth it.