After a full academic year of study at Thai high schools, five young American students in the Department of State’s “Youth Exchange and Study” (YES) program left Thailand on May 31. On their final day, the group chatted with U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer (CAO) J.P. Schutte about their memorable year abroad in Thailand. The students lived with host families scattered throughout the country allowing each to gain different perspectives and experience a variety of Thai cultural traditions. Despite their different experiences, they all unanimously agreed that the year was interesting, worthwhile, and most of all fun!
One week later, AFS Intercultural Programs Thailand welcomed 17 new Americans to Thailand who will spend six months as teaching assistants in Thai secondary schools. The participants in this program, funded by U.S. Embassy Bangkok and the State Department’s East Asia Pacific Public Diplomacy (EAP/PD) bureau, will be a terrific resource for their schools, bringing a little bit of the United States to even the most remote regions of Thailand. During their orientation, Embassy Regional Security Officer Randall Bennett and CAO Schutte spoke to the group about the political situation in Thailand, personal safety, and adjusting to a new culture.
Nura Mohammed, Omar Omar and Sylver Iyam, high school international exchange students from Africa, recently returned home to finish their high school educations in Nigeria and Tanzania.
These students, along with 57 others from Nigeria and Tanzania, spent the past 10 months living and studying in the Midwest through Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS) and the U.S. Department of State’s Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program.
During the seven-year collaboration, IRIS has worked to provide scholarships and exchange opportunities for 235 students from East and West Africa.
Nura, Omar and Sylver spent the year at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. Before leaving, they each wrote a letter to the community explaining their experience.
Nura writes:
I have learned many American experiences. Some of them have utterly changed my life for the better. America is great nation with great people.
I was lucky to visit two American cities: Washington, D.C. and Chicago.
When I first came to America, I was welcomed in such a way that I felt so comfortable – like I was with my own family back home. I used to live with a single man for the first part of my stay. He was very nice and curious, and he always tried to make me happy and feel comfortable. My first day in American high school, I attended Starmont, a school with about 400 students. I met new friends, especially when I joined cross-country. I got more friends that are curious and eager to learn something from me especially about Africa. Almost everyone knew me within two weeks of school.
I moved to a different family in a different town called Waverly, and I had to change schools, so I met more new friends. As I continued with cross-country in the new school, I also got more friends on the team.
Food was one of the challenges I faced here in America. Im used to rice, beans, yam and homemade food that is always cooked with seasoning. I had to adjust to food with different tastes than what I was used to.
Weather is the next challenge. It is very lucky and amazing to witness snow for the first time in my whole life, but it turned too cold, and that made me dislike it because I’m not used to it.
The American school system is very standardized, and I wish my country had this kind of sound education system for people in Nigeria. We have the resources and economy to establish good education, but we lack good leadership to execute that kind of system. With the experience of knowing the value of education, people and community, I will now try to contribute towards the success of my community at all costs.
As soon as cross-country season ended, I joined the basketball team, where I also got chance to interact with many more people. The same thing happened when I joined track.
I’m really enjoying my community service because it influences me to know the value of contribution towards the community.
One of my best experiences is computer literacy. I didnt know anything about computers when I came to America, but now I have learned lots about computer systems, and I think I’m ready to teach some basic computer literacy to people back home. Other experiences include visiting the Mall of America, a horse sale barn, American prom and church. I went to an AC/DC concert in Des Moines with my host family.
Coming to America was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. I learned a lot about life in a totally different culture. When I go back to Nigeria, I will have many memories that will stay with me as long as I live.
One of the main things that I have learned on this trip is that American people are so nice and always make me feel welcome and tried to become friends with me. I will never forget this trip as long as I live.
The inaugural class of American YES Abroad students, who spent the past year hosted in Malaysia, Indonesia, Ghana, Egypt and Turkey, returned to the US on June 24th. The 25 students spent several days in Washington DC for their re-entry orientation, where they visited their Congressional Representatives and were welcomed by Sen. Richard Lugar.
An interview with the students by Alhurra TV, an Arabic language station, is below (video is in Arabic).
For more student stories and related articles, visit the YES Abroad page
Photo: Sen. Lugar greets American YES Abroad students
Surabaya – June 7, 2010. Thirty-one students from Eastern Indonesia, who are selected to participate in the YES (Youth Exchange and Studies) program, and representatives from Bina AntarBudaya Foundation, the partner of the U.S. Department of State in implementing the program, were invited to lunch at the Consul General’s home.
During opening remarks, Consul General Caryn McClelland noted that this event celebrates the students’ achievements and opportunities. Caryn also said the YES program is about increasing cross-cultural understanding, not only for Indonesians but also for the American families and communities where they will live.
She hoped the students would continue the tradition of YES alumni, who come back from their time in America and strengthen people-to-people contacts between Indonesia and America. The alumni have organized events on earthquakes and disaster preparedness, English language camps, and so many others. More importantly, Caryn told the students to enjoy their time in America and take advantage of the wealth of opportunities that were now opening up to them.
After lunch the students used the opportunity of meeting the Consul General by asking her lots of questions about America. They also performed a dance that Caryn hoped they would teach their American friends while they are in America. The Consulate also invited several YES alumni to participate in the lunch and speak directly to students about their experiences living in the United States and attending an American high school for one year.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed a group of 280 high school exchange students participating in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program on June 16 at the Department of State.
Secretary Clinton’s address highlighted the importance of high school youth exchange to international and public diplomacy and commended the students for successfully completing the program during the 2009-10 school year. Secretary Clinton also extended her appreciation to the families and communities who help make these exchanges possible.
“You’ve spent a year in this country. You’ve lived with a host family, people you never knew before you arrived. You’ve gone to school with people you had no reason to believe you would ever meet. And just like any group of people, you liked some and you didn’t like others. You got to know some better than others. But it’s all that process of reaching out, getting beyond your own experience, and finding that we really do share this same planet and we really do have a stake in the future.”
She also spoke about the growth and impact of the YES program over the past seven years.
And I’m thinking about when this program started, it was back in 2003 and there were only 160 students. This year, we have 875, and there are more than 4,400 young men and women who have already participated from nearly 40 countries. And it is really important that we arrange for you to stay in touch with one another and to be part of this network of alumni from the YES program. And in the coming year, the State Department will continue our pilot program to send American high school students to your countries and to have a similar experience to what you have had here in our country.
