The life of an exchange student sounds fun doesn’t it? You get to explore a whole new country, make friends from a different culture, and even get to activities you never thought you would do! But at the same time it can be overwhelming, tiring, and a wave of homesickness.
I am Ruwaidah Islam, an exchange student from Bangladesh, and a junior at RCHS. Today I will be taking you all on a trip with me and my life as an exchange in the U.S.
My day starts off at school. High school in the U.S. is very different than in Bangladesh; here we get to explore and select subjects of our own choices. This year I am taking journalism, Earth Science, Physics, Algebra, and Survey of Theatre and Dance. English and U.S. History is mandatory for exchange students.
After school, I get to do many activities, and one of those is volunteering. As exchange students, most of us are required to complete a minimum amount of hours.
Volunteering is a great way to connect and help people. I usually volunteer at The Community Table (TCT) or Habitat for Humanity Restore. I would also say I have gained more skills while trying volunteering. It isn’t common back in my country, so this was a very new experience.
Another fun activity is giving presentations on my home country. This has been one of my favourite activities so far. I get to make traditional snacks, wear traditional clothing, and share fun facts about my culture and traditions.
International Education Week was the time I got to give many presentations, in and outside school. People were really curious and asked many questions, which made me realize how proud I am of my culture and happy to be able to represent my country.
Sometimes me and my friends try to arrange hangouts, picnics, or sleepovers. In Bangladesh sleepovers rarely take place, so I would say this was my first time having a sleepover.
After I finish my after school activities, I go back home and have dinner. In Bangladesh we usually have dinner around 9 p.m. , whereas in the U.S. I usually have it around 6 p.m. , so it did take me some time to adjust with the time differences.
After dinner, I either focus on studying and finishing my assignments depending on my workload, or me and my host sister try a new activity or watch something together.
During holidays my local coordinator tries to arrange a trip to some nearby place for me and my other exchange friends. My host family also tries to take me to new places, and nearby states.
Amongst all these happy moments, there were also some difficulties. Socializing would be slightly harder because of cultural differences, there was also this fear of judgement. Overcoming homesickness was one of the biggest challenges. Every time I’d make a small mistake or felt sad, it makes me want to go back home.
But despite these difficulties, daily life became much easier with the new connections I made with people inside and outside the high school. Everything did become much easier when I started saying yes to new activities and thinking differently.
My exchange experience is definitely one of the most memorable times of my life. Each experience here is different, not good, not bad, just different each time.
