Exchange is far from just a personal journey. As a youth
ambassador of the program, I have been conscious of the fact that I represent
the humanity of America
-Kyra Jasper-
|
on 2015 : Me and Kyra at Sanur Hotel Bali, Indonesia |
Let me say,
Here is the letter from my friend exchange during my month in America 2 years ago. She is Kyra, Jewish Women that was born as truly American. She already change my stereotype about Judaism. Before I meet her I thought that Judaism is cruel etc, actually not all jewish are bad. Kyra is one of my exchange friend that smart, open minded, friendly, and still keeping in touch with me until now. She has a beautiful journey, after her exchange with Indonesia US Youth Leadership Program she go abroad again with Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study
Abroad, full scholarship. KL-YES almost similar with American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Program. KL-YES and AFS are Exchange Program with one roof, Bina Antar Budaya in Indonesia. I am on waiting date play for AFS as candidate. I hope I could go abroad like Kyra, one of my inspiring friend that always nice to share anything about her life.
I hope this 'peace message' (as I call) would inspire you all who read my journal haha, the simple is my journey's story, most of post in Marvelous Walker. Walk over the world and you'll find who are you and why you live in except to gives kindness to others. Let's see deeply :))
Dear Nabila,
Here is a writeup that I made !
I hope you and your friends find it informative!! Thanks again, and sorry for taking soooooo long to send this to you :(
My time so far on the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study
Abroad program, which is the reverse exchange program of the YES program for
students coming to the US, has been a very challenging and very rewarding
experience. I remember the excitement leading up to my departure in the spring
and summer of 2016 and about my passions, interests, and intentions of even
wanting to spend an academic year in a different country
.
And announcing this incredible opportunity to my friends and family was very
exciting and impressive. But the full magnitude of what it means to leave your
home to come to a place that you have never been before, living with a family
you have never met, attending a school you know nothing about, in a language
that you do not speak, in the context of a culture that you do not understand,
with a different set of customs and expectations, without the comforts or the
familiarity of friends or family, did not hit me until I stepped foot out of
the airplane in Skopje at midnight on August 18, 2016 and realized—this is home
for 10 months.
This drastic change, in essence, dismantles the structure of
our previous life, leaving us with many disjointed aspects that we must
assemble. It’s a balancing act of learning, then understanding, then balancing,
our perceived expectations with our own personal fulfillment. And this process
of growth is what I have found to be beautifully challenging and immensely
rewarding. That after months of highs and lows, trial and error, tears of
frustration and tears of joy, you realize that you have established a community
that will be with you through trying times and be genuinely happy during your
times of triumph. It’s a mix of time and effort that produces a result that
makes a place a home, your host family feel like actual family, and friends
you’ve only known for months feel like lifelong friends.
As with
most things, though, exchange is far from just a personal journey. As a youth
ambassador of the program, I have been conscious of the fact that I represent
the humanity of America. Think about it. Most of our knowledge of other
countries and cultures is through the media, and typically relates to current
events—which places a lot of emphasis and value on one perspective of a very
narrow facet of a place and people. But when I meet others, as an American, I
am a face to a name. I am a human interaction and a reference of a large
country. And I obviously don’t and can’t represent every American, but I am a
reference point for understanding that the American people, like people of all
other countries, are kind, thoughtful, caring, and want the best for all. So
while no one person can or should characterize the entirety of a culture, my
presence hopefully grounds people’s perceptions of America and can view the
country, despite all of the current chaos that it has incited and involved
itself in, in a positive light.
It’s still wild for me to think that I did not even know
that Macedonia was a country before I applied to the YES Abroad program and
ranked it highly—and how a little more than a year and a half after submitting
my application, Skopje is now my second home. I’ve lived here for 8 months, but
I do not pretend to understand the culture to the depth that natives do; I have
only been able to understand this culture as far as I can perceive it, which is
with minimal language skills, a limited perception of the Albanian sector of
the city of Skopje, and being forced to spend 99% of my time in Skopje. But
through my daily interactions at school and with my host family, my curiosity,
my discussions, and my questions, I have been able to understand a lot about
this beautiful and quirky country.
Macedonia is a new country, establishing itself as an
independent nation only 25 years ago. It was formerly a part of Yugoslavia, and
was the only country of the five countries that formerly comprised the former
republic that gained its independence peacefully. But “peace” is rarely a word
used to describe the political, economic, and social scenes now. While
Macedonia is not engaged in any wars, there has been a lot of heightened
tension – especially recently – as a result of a corrupt democracy, horribly
poor economy, and recent reports of the current political party wiretapping
into thousands of people’s telephone conversations and mail. There is also a
lot of tensions between ethnic-Macedonians and Albanians, with discrepancies
with collaborating on both sides.
I have fallen in
love with this beautiful country and its people. And that, to me, is the magic
of exchange.
-Kyra Jasper-
But the overall cultural feel is rooted in a sense of
easy-goingness, calmness, and peace. There is a lot of value placed on social
relationships, and it is more uncommon than common to not go out for coffee
with friends at least once a day. It is over coffee that people catch up,
discuss their ideas, and really bond – verses in, say, the United States where
this bonding would occur mainly through club activities and in school.
The school structure differs depending on where you go to
school, but something unique that I have experienced by going to my particular
public high school is the shift system. Because there are too many students to
fit into the school all at one time, they divide the 1st and 2nd
year students and the 3rd and 4th year students and have
them either go to school in the morning (from 7:30am to 12:30am) or in the
afternoon (from 1:30pm to 6:30pm). Every two weeks, the two groups switch. I
honestly prefer having it in this way, since the change spices things up and
makes it more interesting.
Unless a student is attending a specialized high school
(such as a Medical high school or a Music school, where all four years of their
high school career are dedicated towards a specialized profession), students
will have to select a “track” to enter for their 3rd and 4th
years of high school: science and math track, arts and humanities track, etc.
Additionally, starting from the 3rd grade until
their 3rd year in high school, students must take 14 subjects a
year—subjects that they continue to take until declaring a track. These
subjects include Macedonian, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math,
History, and Art, among others.
Macedonians are very expressive and communicative, and will
always be there to help you if you need it and ask for it. The community spirit
is thus rooted in empathy and compassion for helping one another.
While there are still problems that the country is trying to
address, I have fallen in
love with this beautiful country and its people. And that, to me, is the magic
of exchange.
Regards,
Kyra Jasper