American Overseas Orientation

Also known as: A lesson in culture. 

A few weeks ago, there was an American Overseas (as in Americans going overseas) orientation at the YFU rep's house.  There was a grand total of 7 students in attendence.  Three others besides me were year students (all to Germany) and then there were three summer students, who will spend 6 weeks in Japan, Japan, and South Korea (respectively).

We started off by getting to know each other.  It was awesome when we first arrived how we instantly had something in common.  Besides the usual 'where ya from', we wanted to know where each new friend was going.  This is pretty awesome, I think, because instead of, where are you now, you could see people's goals and dreams:  where are you going.  Maybe only for the short term, but we each had a goal and a sense of purpose in common.

When we got started, we learned about culture and living with a host family.  The goal is for the student (me) to really become a family member, not just a guest in the house.  We had a short session about who to go to if we needed help and in cases of abuse.  We also brainstormed some ways to deal with homesickness and other common problems for exchange students, and ways to respond to people who criticize our American culture.  It was really interesting!  The day ended on the practical side, with info about preparing for departure and then the parents came in.  They all had lots of questions, of course. 

One of the most important things I learned that day was a story that went something like this:  In country X, all people are born with 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, 2 ears, and a pair of yellow sunglasses.  They don't question the sunglasses because that's what they are used to.  Everyone has them.  In country Y, all people are born with 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, 2 ears, and a pair of blue sunglasses.  That's what they are used to, so they don't question anything.  Then one day, a teen from country X goes to visit country Y.  He realizes everyone there wears blue sunglasses, so he buys a pair and slips them on.  When he gets back, he tells everyone all about his adventures.  "Wow!"  he says.  "Everything was green!"  The guy forgot about his yellow sunglasses, so he didn't get an accurate picture of the culture of the country he visited.
Here's the moral of the story:  sunglasses are like culture.  We are all born into our culture and it is part of us.  Even if it's hard to completely abandon our cultural perspectives while we're on exchange, we need to remember that our culture is there, filtering our observations about the world.  So, basically, try to see your new country with fresh eyes, not all through the filter of your own cultural 'sunglasses'.

In other news, I officially have an exchange sister!  I love that I'm tripling my amount of siblings this year.. Anyway, she's from Germany, and she's going to hopefully get here at the beginning of August. 

If anyone is thinking about hosting, do it!  I am so lucky to have this opportunity and it's a great experience to give to another person.  I have lots of information if you want it-just let me know!  The area rep for YFU is especially trying to place a YES student, that is, a scholarship student from a Muslim country.  They aren't all Muslim, and you can pick the student who you think best fits your family.  Really, if you want to host.. go for it!  It doesn't matter if you have kids, don't have kids, anything.  Host, host, host!  It's the only way programs like Youth for Understanding can succeed in spreading Understanding!