By Faryal Fatima (YES 2019-2010, Pakistan, hosted by AIFS/AYA in Veneta, OR)

I have always been exceptionally keen on trying new things. I love to do something that nobody has attempted previously. Becoming part of an exchange program is one of the most astounding things that has ever happened to me. Traveling halfway around the world was a tremendous choice and a huge responsibility for an individual like me, who had never travelled up until the start of my exchange year. This year wasn't like ordinary family trips.

This year was unique and important. It was an educational and cultural trip for one year. A totally unique year, where I became a member of a family that I had never thought to be a part of, a family located many miles away from my hometown. The changes, discoveries, love, relationships, and the companionships that this year brought me would have never been accomplished without me participating in this exchange program. The change that this year brought me was something that I truly needed.

Going out in your town and working for individuals you don't know was the most energizing experience for me. I was an individual who didn't have the foggiest idea about something called "community service" before coming to the U.S., but I ended up spending a lot of my time doing it. I also came to learn about a variety of celebrations that different cultures have, including festivities like Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah, among others. I am certain that a large portion of exchange students like myself have found out about these holidays, and a few of us have even attempted to celebrate them.

Indeed, one can attain a truly wonderful feeling by celebrating these holidays with one’s host community. I found out about the endlessness subtleties of celebrations that were previously known to me just by names. The delight you experience when you give a customary bit of craftsmanship from your country to your host family as a Christmas present and the happiness you feel when you get the chance to eat a conventional supper from your country of origin on Thanksgiving is unmatchable. The minute when I found an association between these events and celebrations from my country was strange but comforting, in that in one way or another I felt a solid association between two ways of life separated by thousands of miles.

Joining a volleyball team was something else that I did for the first time. We were a group where everybody supported one another. We both endeavored to be the best and to have a great time. This team allowed me to understand that there is something else to life besides simply studying and reading books. It's something that we don't see regularly in our country. I don't think a great deal of schools have after-school sports or clubs where youth can interact with their community, find themselves, have a good time, and simply be kids. Small things like this mold your personality, strengthen you, and unknowingly build up your confidence.

These seemingly insignificant details acquired exceptional weight for me. I underwent great change and this could never have been conceivable without this exchange year. If someone asked me, “what changes did your exchange year bring to you?”, then my answer would seem basic. Yet, in reality, all these little changes I would mention would add up and reveal a change to my whole character. Indeed, I notice significant changes in myself. I feel so upbeat, sure of myself, and fulfilled. There is more to go, but these 10 months have changed me in an amazing way. It's something that would have never occurred had I not made the decision to go on this exchange program.

It is great to feel fulfilled and confident with yourself, but it is important to be humble as well. The minute you think that you are superior, it starts affecting you negatively. It hurts a lot the minute you realize that you kept yourself in the shadows and deceived yourself. Try to remind yourself that the learning process never stops. This year gave me so much and I am extremely thankful to God for that. Also, this year gave me some additional weight to carry, some alarming scars, and pimples. Yet I believe it's justified and it was all worth it, despite the trouble. I think of it as a little payback for the positive changes that I have experienced while participating in this exchange program. As someone said: "Magnificence gets the consideration, character gets the heart."