7/22/2009 - Teen recalls US lessons

Antara Bose for The Telegraph, Calcutta

Jamshedpur: An 18-year-old resident of Ghatotand, Ramgarh district, who recently returned from the US where he had gone under an exchange programme, now wants others to follow suit.

“Everything changed during the 11-month stay in the United States. My accent, my lifestyle — everything underwent a change. I was not like this before. The change is for the better and the international exposure was a great learning experience,” said Najmuzzadaman Mohammad, the son of Tata Collieries employee Qamruzzaman Mohammad.

“I think all students should apply for the exchange programme as international exposure helps. All the students represent their countries as ambassadors. We also had a chance to talk to the panel under Barrack Obama and diplomats to discuss international issues,” he said.

After completing the Youth Exchange and Study programme sponsored by the US department of state and administered by American Field Service Intercultural Exchange, Najmuzzadaman, or Naz as his friends generally call him in the US, left for the US last August. He is now in the city to complete his Class XII studies from the DAV Public School, Bistupur.

Naz was among 37 Indian students but was the only one to participate in the inter-cultural exchange. Staying with a host family in Alabama and attending the Slocomb High School, Naz learnt base guitar, swimming and singing. He also spoke at an anti-tobacco youth rally. He also performed at the Southeast Alabama Community Theatre.

He also had a few unpleasant experiences.

“The racism problem still persists there. Some people in the region (southern region of the US) used to call me names and believed that we hail from the most backward country in the world. My friends in school used to ask me whether we use cell phones in India or there are snake charmers all around,” he said.

But those can not stop this former Holy Cross School student from dreaming further.

Naz said he would now try to make it to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and take an interest in avionics.

See the original article here