By Eisha, Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program

It is a well-known fact among the exchange community that exchanges transform lives.  After all, exchange is a year of growth, adventure, and learning.  However, not many have talked about their journey of reintegration.  What happens when you come back home as a different person who has experienced so many things during an unforgettable year?  Leaving everything behind from the exchange year spent in the U.S. as a Kennedy-Lugar Youth and Exchange Study (YES) program participant and coming back home was definitely not easy.  I missed my host family, my friends, in short, all things small and big.

But then, that is exactly how I felt when I left for my exchange program as well. 

Reintegration, for me, has been centered on re-discovering my community.  The fresh perspective, the newly learned skills, and the brimming passion for change is a strong force in your bag once you are back in your home country.  My exchange program gave me rich experiences that have taught me how to think differently, appreciate diversity, and forge lasting connections with people from around the world.  However, the most important thing I learned about myself was my inherent passion for volunteerism.

I spent a large part of my exchange program as a volunteer.  I volunteered for cultural festivals and various embassy events.  I also taught English to a Japanese student English and spent time with a Jewish and an East African-American woman at a nursing home.  A lot of times, I was also mistaken to be from the Middle East and Europe and even spoken to in languages like Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic which both surprised and amused me.  I took classes like Comparative Religion and World History in my high school which educated me about the world and its people.  I can safely say that my culturally enriching exchange year constructed itself well to teach me life-changing lessons about cultures, languages, religions, and people-to-people ties.

Holding on to the same passion for strengthening people-to-people ties, I realized the best way to reintegrate myself and share what I had learned while in the U.S. was through volunteerism.  That is why, I decided to initiate a social media campaign called “Sync City” which aims to create a peaceful and understanding society by highlighting and discussing issues, challenging stereotypes, and promoting cultural understanding.  My friends from the global YES alumni network are also a part of the “Sync City” project.

Keeping in contact with my friends from exchange has also helped me quite a bit in my readjustment period.  Exchange students remain a tightly-knit family, during and after your exchange year; they continue to understand and resonate with you on a different level, primarily because they can truly relate to you and help you overcome your fears and inhibitions.

My exchange program has made me strong enough to realize that there is nothing more powerful or beautiful than traveling and connecting with people.  Exchanges give us the courage to do things we would previously be afraid of doing.  They allow us to truly become global citizens, think differently, and bring new ideas, like my “Sync City” to the world.

So, my dear exchange fellows, never forget how brave you are and how your journey could impact something much bigger than yourself!