April 5th, 12 pm. My phone began to ring. I heard the conservative voice of a woman. – Could I talk to Dasha Batalova, please? My heart began beating faster when I replied, – Yes, it’s me. The lady introduced herself. I found out later she was a Program Assistant of Future Leaders Exchange Program which is sponsored by the U.S. State Department. Patiently, I waited what she was going to tell me. This woman, her voice full of happiness, congratulated me and informed me that I had won a scholarship for one year of school in the US.
After the period of excitement, there was a long process of applying for a Visa and searching for an American family that would like to host an exchange student for the whole year. Every day for some months I was waiting and waiting. Sometimes it really annoyed me and I was upset that I might lose the most valuable chance I had.
Well, I made it and it has been 2 months already. In this short period of time I have already gained experiences that feel like treasures in my life. I have to admit that when I came to the USA I had such a great cultural shock, because everything is so different, comparing to my native country, Ukraine.
The first thing that impressed me so much was the system of schooling. It was completely weird for me to choose 6 classes that I want to study during the entire semester. In Ukraine the high school curriculum includes much more than six classes, but students attend each class only once or twice a week. Part of the school day is also spent in activities such as chess, karate, and learning folk songs. But truly said, I was satisfied that I would have only 6 classes that I like most of all. Comparing to the USA, our school system education is only 11 years long and all studenst study in the same school building throughout their elementary, middle and high schools.
Another aspect of American culture that was difficult to adjust to was the food. I hope that it’s not a secret that all people that come to the USA gain some weight during their staying in this country. The same was with me, because food is so different than in Ukraine, it was a bit hard not to gain some pounds. In Ukraine people don’t eat as many snacks and we don’t have so many different types of snacks. Ukrainians really appreciate homemade food and don’t eat so much fast food and junk food. At the same time it is interesting to explore new eating habits and when everything is so yummy, it’s hard to stop.
Since I’ve been here, I had a great opportunity to teach Americans something about my country and culture. During some of my classes I showed presentations and told about Ukraine. I was really delighted when students were really interested and asked a lot of questions about me and my style of life back home.
Being an exchange student is a great blessing, because only in such a way you can see the world, explore something new for yourself and at the same time teach other people your own culture. For me it was a great but very difficult choice to become an exchange student. But now that I’m here, I can say that I don’t regret that I made such a decision. It’s an opportunity to learn, teach and explore.
So, if someday you have a chance to become an exchange student, don’t hesitate to say Yes, because it can be a trip that will change your whole life for the better.
