7/19/2004 - A Youth Ambassador Speaks Out

The following speech was presented recently by Divakaran Vasudevan – an AFS student from Malaysia hosted by the Lopatka family in Oregon, USA - at his Post Return Orientation to an audience that included representatives from The US Embassy in Malaysia, Ministry of Education, The Prime Ministers Office, AFS Malaysia board members, staff and volunteers.

Being an exchange student is not all fun and games. It takes a lot of effort, patience and most important of all, flexibility to make the experience a memorable one. But what I gained from this entire experience is more valuable than anything that I could have learnt from a class at school. What better way to learn about a foreign country and its culture than by living there? Before leaving to the United States, my perception of the US was pretty much molded by what I saw on TV. Lots of big cities, miles and miles of wheat fields, meat and potatoes for dinner… that kind of thing. But living in the US only proved how wrong I was. There was so much more to the US than just big cities, tall skyscrapers, and meat and potatoes. For instance, I was really surprised to see how diverse the US actually was. There were so many different people from varying ethnicities and backgrounds, all coming together to form this melting pot of cultures. This was just one of the many things that I learned about life in America which I couldn’t have possibly found out if I had not lived there myself.

Besides that, being an exchange student not only teaches you about the country and culture that you are living in, but you also get the chance to find out, who you really are and what you are made of. You find yourself doing things that you would never have thought of doing before. You become bolder and more daring to try out new experiences. Doing simple things like asking for directions from people on the street can be a big achievement to some.

Furthermore, as an exchange student, you start developing characteristics that you previously might not have had. I for one, started to develop a lot more tolerance and patience, because I had a host brother who was younger than I was, and this was another new experience for me because I had never had a brother before. As an example, my host brother had this rather annoying habit of just dumping everything that he brought home, whether it was his books, or toys or clothes, on our bedroom floor. Before, I would have probably just got mad and yelled at him, but then now, I realize that patience is truly a virtue and besides, he’s only 12 and he’s still got some time to grow up.

But what is the use of an exchange program, unless it has reciprocal benefits. I didn’t realize it at the time, but by accepting this scholarship, I was in fact agreeing to act as an ambassador for my country. Throughout the entire program, it gave me great sense of pride and honor to tell people all about Malaysia. This way, not only did I get to tell Americans about my dear homeland, but at the same time, I was able to forge a bond of friendship between ourselves.

Perhaps the most important impact that came out of this fantastic experience was the relationships that were made. I had a great relationship with my host family, especially my host mother. Besides that, I made lots of great friendships with kids from school, my teachers, neighbors and just people that I met on the street. With all the turmoil in the world today, relationships like these are probably one of the most effective ways of combating feelings of ill will and animosity. Just having discussions and talking about who we really are can do wonders in quelling distrust and prejudiced assumptions. I felt that by merely talking to people and explaining what we believe in and stand for was a great way to show them that on the inside, we really are all the same.

On an ending note, I believe that I represent all the YES students here in conveying our heartfelt gratitude to the US Government for initiating this program and giving us this once in a lifetime chance to experience life as a teenager in the United States. We also would like to express our profound thanks to the AFS for selecting us as well as providing us with the support and guidance that we needed throughout this program. I believe that this YES class of 2004 have done our country proud and have been great ambassadors to the global community. This program was indeed a great chance for us to not only interact with Americans, but also with students from other predominantly Muslim countries. Most of us left with heavy hearts, after creating strong, loving relationships with those who were around us. But these are the kind of relationships that are needed in the world today, and hopefully, the US Government will continue funding this noble program in the future to come. Before I end, allow me to leave you with this inspirational quote: “It is not our differences that divide us; it is our inability to recognize and celebrate those differences that do.”