Alaska is known as the biggest and prettiest state in the US. It just happened that I was lucky enough to be placed there for my exchange year by Lea Tchavdarian It's been more than a year... And I know that time flies fast for sure... I remember my first day away from my parents, first time on the plane, first day with my host family, first day at school... Everything. I would be lying if I said that it wasn't a difficult year, nevertheless it was eye opening. Alaska is known to be unique when it comes to its weather. It's labeled as the coldest state in the US. But not to me anymore.. I mean, it gets pretty cold not going to lie, but it all felt different because of the nice people there.. In that state you can find people from all around the world and the US, but not from Lebanon though. At first it felt like I was all alone in that big country. It was all unreal. However now, I miss there... It's like my second home. I remember my last day there, just like it was yesterday. It was hard leaving my second life and coming back here... I miss everything. My home, family, school, teachers, friends...
My school was humongous. I got lost 4 times on my first day.. Can you believe it? It's kind off weird to remember my first and last week.. My first week, nobody looked at my face. Well except one of my best friends and the teachers, but other than them, nobody. My last week was totally opposite. Everybody was actually crying that I was leaving so soon, that it has been a great year, that they were happy we've met and they're never going to forget me. I remember, my last period felt like it was taking forever and I couldn't wait to get out.. I had memories in every corner of South Anchorage High School. School wasn't a challenge for me, I just considered it a new experience. High School there resemble to college. Of course there's councelors and the students choose the classes they take. There's always electives too! When it comes to sports, I've tried literally everything. Cross-country skiing, throwing, jumping... It has been really fun, especially when you have to compete, race or have a game. My host family consisted of four people. The Mother, father, brother, and sister. They were really supportive, caring and welcoming. They put a roof on top of my head this whole year and they were there for me when I needed them. They also encouraged me to do a lot of stuff that I was afraid to even try. They introduced me to the American culture and helped me adjust. The funny thing was that they lived in Saudi Arabia for more than 7 years and actually visited Lebanon. They knew everything about the food, the places, and I helped them learn a little bit of Arabic and Armenian... They made me feel at home and helped me through a lot. Just like everybody knows, social life there is totally different from here. I've had a lot of friends from school, church, doing sports and relatives of the family. My two best friends were and always gonna stay the best friends anyone would ask for. Just like the family, they helped me throughout my year. There was a little annoying sentence they used to say that i'll never forget, which was "You're have an accent", but now I actually find it funny. It's true and I knew it, but I didn't want to believe it back then. Compared to Americans I do have an accent, but in my opinion I ''did not".I remember the times we spent together, how they supported me with every sport I did, when I graduated highschool, when we went to Junior Prom and left early just to drive around Anchorage, screaming and laughing. Till now I do talk with my family and friends and sometimes I wish I can live last year all over again and not change any detail that has happened. Being an Exchange student means you're also an international student. I'm proud to say that I have friends from all around the world. Palestine, Indonesia, Egypt, Pakistan, Germany, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Tunisia and a lot more. As part of YES, our first three days and last five days are spent in Washington DC. Those days are never going to come back. Going to the white house, meeting the Vice President, visiting all the historical places and museums, is always fun. Also, going to 5 different states is interesting. I was happy to be able to go to Alaska, Colorado, California, Chicago and Iowa. Exchange year, is a world within a word. Just like every exchange student said and will say "it's a life in a year" . In my opinion, this year has helped me grow mature and understand how life works. It shaped me, and made me become a better and stronger person. It helped me know the values of life, by simply volunteering more than 100 hours of community service. This year gave me an example about how college life works after my senior year. I'm really excited about finishing highschool and going to college. I have a lot of projects in mind that I want to do in Lebanon, to make an impact on the lives of the people living here. In the end, I learned that us, teenagers, are the future of this world. We have to help people from all the experiences we learn from. Exchange is important and will change someone's life in a really short time. Everybody should try it. It's not easy to adjust and live life like nothing happened, but in the end it's a part of the experience that I agreed to live. It's not about learning english, it's about being independent and learning about life by experiencing different stuff. Learn to be risky and live your life like there's no tomorrow, just like I plan on doing! Peace out!
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4/4/2016 12:16:41 pm
Alaska is known as the biggest and prettiest state in the US. It just happened that I was lucky enough to be placed there for my exchange year
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ՄԵՆՔՄեսրոպեան Վարժարանի Աշակերտներ Արխիւ
April 2015
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