My 6 months in USA

It actually took me awhile to finish this report, but thanks to the diary i wrote in while i was there, it did help a lot. But i really should have done this so much earlier when everything was still fresh in my mind. But thanks for getting me this far. I really appreciate it. Enjoy the report.

“You will be surprised to find more things in common then of differences” I will never forget when Sanaa Nelson, the YES Program Specialist told all 30 of us students from Malaysia and left us to the experience.

It has been 5 months now since I have been back from the United States of America and it still feels like I just had my last meal with my host parents last night. The six months that I lived the American life were the most exhilarating 6 months of my life yet, challenging. I lived in Colombia, Maryland at Newberry drive. It’s a 40 minute drive from Baltimore. I lived with my host parents and my brother Jake, the dog. I went to Atholton high school, a 10 minute drive from my house, but took a yellow bus like you always see in movies to school at 6.30 every morning. The group that I have been associated with in the Howard Country Chapter under AFS had taught me more in 6 months than probably 3 years of my life time. Teenagers my age from all over the world who ended up at the same place from such different tradition and culture were brought together as friends, even family. I found it awesome that when we got together, we all spoke one language to each other but with different accents, but most of the time we often misunderstand one another.

Understanding where each of us came from helped us learn of our different aspects of life. Understanding each other was the first step to getting to know each other. But we had one important thing in common, that is carrying the flag of our own country as young ambassadors. Being a young ambassador of my country has shown me more than what is beyond my country. It has taught me what my own capabilities are and most of all, taught me to be a leader among other great future leaders from all over the world.

The YES (Youth Exchange Student) program that I was associated with was fully sponsored by the State department to bring out the leadership skills in us and to keep a good relationship with Islamic countries which was founded after the 9-11 incident. After our Six months we had a week of end year orientation with all the students under the YES program which consisted of Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey and Philippines. In that week, we went to the state department for a question answer session with Secretary of the State, Condoleeza Rice. Meeting our state congressmen and just making more and more friends, I learn then that, no matter how much difference our culture maybe in our own countries, everyone got so well together, maybe just because we were going through the same thing. I also realized that AFS has the best students whose personalities just standout among other students from different exchange programs.

Getting used to going in the right side of the car, and taking my shoes off before entering the house surprisingly needed getting used too when I came home. But due to AFS’s well planned and past experience, our end year orientation that took part in YMCA and again in Kuching helped a lot in fitting back in into my home land. Our chapter in Kuching seems to be getting more and more applicants for the programme, which is good so people around the world would know that Borneo island is not only home to Orang Utans. Though there were hard times, but those were the times that really mattered on how I handled it. I am very proud today to be affiliated with the AFS family.

MUSLIM STUDENTS AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES

When I first decided to go on a gap year abroad after sitting SPM, I knew I had taken a big step that was going to change my outlook on life forever. I had to encounter my first challenge even before leaving for my country of choice, New Zealand. The prospect of me living thousands of miles away in a foreign land under the same roof with a foreign family has raised eyebrows amongst friends and relatives – especially those who are Muslims. Many were doubtful that I could manage through all these in a year. Some even had thought that this exchange year was going to be a waste of time and that I was going to return home westernized (i.e. I will forget all about my religion and where I come from).

It is true that it is indeed very challenging to live a different lifestyle yet at the same time still hold on to one’s belief. These are some common factors that usually contribute to some of the difficulties experienced by Muslim AFS programme participants:

Food
This is definitely the main issue. Having grown up in Malaysia, I have never thought that halal food especially poultry is a rarity everywhere else in the world particularly in the west. I refused to touch any meat in the beginning of my stay unless I know where exactly they come from. But after a while, after having seen my host mother gone all out to find halal poultry (which is usually very expensive and only available at least once a month – that is if we have the money to go all the way to Auckland) and cooked separately for me, I started to think that it is just selfish of me to let such a thing continue to go on. So one day, I talked to my host family about it. I gradually adapted to eating just like the rest of the family members but still avoiding the obvious like sausages, ham and alcoholic beverages and also the regular fast food restaurants like KFC and McDonald’s over there. I believe that I was doing the right thing not to trouble anyone with my special needs. While it is undeniable that religion is a personal issue and one should not interfere with others’ beliefs, compromising is always the key. I have known some Muslim exchange students who resorted to being vegetarians for their respective exchange year. All I can say is, good on them! My host mother suggested that I go vegan if I don’t feel like eating the meat but I chose to say no. Although not a big fan of red meat, I still enjoy lamb chops once in a while.

Five times a day prayer
My host mother talked to the International Dean at school about me having to perform the Zuhur prayer at school since that is the only way possible. My dean, Mrs. Morgan offered me to use her office for prayers every lunchtime and everyone was happy about it in the end. Things like these should not even be an issue if people sit down and talk about it. As for at home, I was allowed to do any religious ritual in my bedroom since everyone has a room for themselves.

Fasting in Ramadhan
I had a very interesting Ramadhan while I was in New Zealand. My host mother who is an atheist supported me all the way through although we do not share the same faith. She bought me bread, salmon fillet, vegetables and fresh fruits so that I can prepare my own Sahur. She also suggested to me that I should cook and have a proper meal at 5 in the morning so that I can survive the famine during the day. However, a stranger to the pots and pans and always a sleepyhead, I ate only a little at Sahur and went back to sleep. In the evening, Mum or my sister Kathy, would prepare all the good food for me to break the fast. I represented the school in a cricket tournament during the fasting period. That was another unique experience.

*The prayer schedule and Islamic calendar (including details of the time in Ramadhan) can be printed weekly or monthly or even yearly from http://www.islamicfinder.org

Clothing
Every country that signed the UN Human Rights Act should respect freedom of religion. This is stated so in the Article 18. Any kind of violation of that act can be brought to any court of law that is suppose to protect everyone. Usually it is not a problem at all especially for Muslim girls who choose to wear the hijab. There is a lot of girls who practice hijab have been on this programme. Cases of students being expelled from schools in Singapore and France for wearing the headscarf may have been the main cause why a lot of Malaysian Muslim students are uncertain about the way they dress up abroad.

I hope this helps to clarify a few uncertainties. Any comments or suggestions, e-mail the author at liyannaazmi@gmail.com