11/18/2008 - A Student Shows What International Education Week Is All About!
This week is International Education Week (IEW). IEW is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education that gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This is not only an opportunity to share international cultures with U.S. students, but also an opportunity to share American culture with all the foreign exchange students hosted here this year.
Our exchange students this year were treated a special bonus: they witnessed our democracy in action as we elected a new president. Having the chance to experience it firsthand, and see how our political system works is something special that they’ll never forget. And as you’ll see from the student letter below, it also allowed our students to see that living in a democracy means having differing points of view and still working together to create a better world.
AFS-USA wants to thank all of our host families, volunteers, staff, and students for all that you do to bring people of different cultures, countries, and points of view together to create more understanding in the world. Happy International Education Week!
The essay below was written by Khayal G., FLEX Student from Azerbaijan currently hosted in the U.S.
Today I shook the hand of Barack Obama in the lobby of the hotel where we are staying.
It was really unexpected for me, and it was even more unexpected to see him in a baseball cap and running suit. He was coming from the morning exercise. I had expected him to wear a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, because he is a government man. My host mom introduced me to him. As he shook my hand, he told about his visit to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and said that he thought it was a very beautiful city. It was really very good to see a man who knows and was in my home country.
I also want to tell about my host family’s attitude towards Obama. Even though they disagree with his opinions and goals, they told their children to be respectful, and they shook Obama’s hand with a big respect. This did not surprise me, because my host parents are very well educated and know how to act in society.
I am learning that in democracy, disagreeing is really okay, and this is one of the most major things that democracy is built on. This disagreement makes America stronger. Disagreement encourages government, people, and society to make compromises and to move forward. When the people in America disagree, they may argue at first, but then they try to find a solution to the problem that they hope will work best for the people and the country.
My country is young, so it has less experience with democracy. We look to America like to a big brother from whom we can learn more. With coming to America, I have already seen what real democracy looks like. For example, in the presidential elections, I can see how people are interested in voting and how the government is trying to make the election process pass without any problems or illegal actions. This is different in my country, because we do not have very much experience with elections. Of course, the Azeri government tries to protect and care about elections, but our government could use well-educated and experienced people to help with this process.
I believe that the trip to Washington D.C. is going to open some doors for me by helping me to see democracy in action. I look forward to getting ideas, learning tactics, and asking questions to help me in improving democracy of Azerbaijan. Not to make the same democracy as America has. Azeri democracy will not and should not look like American democracy, because we must remember our Azeri culture and history as we look toward and plan for our country’s future. I look forward to helping Azerbaijan develop its own democracy and future. Maybe some day one student will feel an honor of shaking my hand, because I did something special for my country that can help it become better and stronger.
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