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Then and Now: A Year-long Journey

Sijel Mtns

By Sijel Monawar, Pakistan 2011-12

I had never thought my life  would be blessed by such an enchanting journey. My journey of my exchange year. This journey started from the time I was recruited by the YES Program through iEARN and was hosted by AFS.

So many things in life never turn out the way we want or expect and sometimes we are amazed at the goodness of something. I am among those people who never planned their future beforehand. But at this point I can say there's an inspiration that makes me think of my future and directs me how to move on.

It might be interesting for you to know how this experience was for a girl who had not even crossed the boundaries of her city before and had not even thought about it. When I was in Pakistan, I never thought about what I was going to do, I was always doing the things that everybody did and doing what was expected of me. I never thought about what was happening outside of my world. Before coming here, I could never imagine living in a family that is not my birth family.

But now that I have been here for more than half a year, I would assume myself a little more mature and one who has gained understanding about the world. In my journey, I have not only learned about different cultures and customs, but also learned how to cope with daily challenges, how to be responsible to budget my money, make decisions and other skills,

My life in Pakistan is very different to the life I have right now. Every day is an adventure for me because every single day I learn a word that's not from my language; a new culture that is far more different than the one I am used to. Here in the United States I not only met Americans but also people from countries I had never known of before, and now I strongly believe that races and cultures can never be barriers in any way. I wonder why the nations have been fighting forever. But I know we, the young people from many countries, live together under one roof happily and cheerfully. I strongly believe that our future is bright...because we have better understanding among us, we can prove ourselves the bridges between nations.

I learned that the Media has helped to create stereotypes about both Pakistani and American people and that politics has played a great role in serving as a source of creating perspectives about both peoples. Once I am back in Pakistan, I believe nothing could be any better than making my people from Pakistan aware of this fact.

This experience could have been really tough for a girl like me who has never had an experience of living without her natural family and who has never been out of her home city before. But the whole big hand to help make my year successful for me is of my host family, who cares about me more than I expect and adores me more than I deserve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Photos: Sijel and host family, courtesy of Sijel Monawar


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