If you ask me what I’ve gained while being in America so far my first answer would be a wider perspective about the world. What does this mean? It means I’ve met so many people from different religions and cultures with their own diversity and beliefs. Being from Armenia where 95% of the population is Christian, and now living in the U.S., attending so many different churches has helped me to see the world with wide-open eyes. So far I’ve realized three things: every human being wants love and peace, there is no perfect religion, and each religion is unique and it requires us to respect each other.

Being aware of our rights is the one and only thing that we need. Before coming here I wasn’t even thinking about my rights as a female. Seeing the equality and the roles that men and women share just blew my mind. Here in America, it’s normal for both girls and guys to drive a car no matter the age. In my culture back home it’s not typical for teenage girls to drive a car. Don’t get me wrong, we do have women who drive cars but it’s more common among teenagers to walk to school or use public transportation. When I noticed girls my age driving cars it was surprising to me and at the same time motivating. Why shouldn’t I learn how to drive and have my own car?

It’s so amazing to see how my host dad cooks for us and that both of my host parents share all the house chores. When I came to America, I thought my only responsibilities at home was going to be like it was in Armenia: cleaning, cooking and taking care of my future children. Now I think that I CAN maintain both my career and house chores together. And, the person who is going to be with me will respect my opinion and help with the work I do because one person can not carry everything alone. It’s not ownership; it’s a partnership.

In my hometown, I have some neighbors that don’t allow their wives to work because the thinking is that women should stay at home and take care of children. Well, that is completely false. If you give the woman a chance to show herself, you might be surprised how many awesome things she can do. We shouldn’t let anyone limit us, should we? Why can’t women be leaders or do the work that men do?

All this time I thought it was not fair and it I was just that way, but now I think it’s not only about complaining that we don’t have the same rights everywhere. We do have our freedom and rights but we don’t know how to use them and live free.

Every single day here proves to me that if you want to take a step up and have that equality – YOU CAN. I wanted to do a project through my organization called “Melting Pot,” and talk about an issue that is important for me back in my home country and that is gender equality, for sure. I decided to ask American high schoolers what they think about “what MEN should do versus what WOMEN should do,” and I then asked the same questions to kids in Armenia. Do you know what was surprising to me? I thought while being here and seeing how my perspective has been changed, that somehow back home other’s perspectives might have magically changed as well. But, when I saw the responses, it was kind of sad. I realized that my mindset was the same when I was that age. Of course, there were good answers, too, like, “Men should respect women’s opinions,” “Women should be aware of their rights,” and more. But, when I saw the answers like “Women should cook well,” and “Women should do housework,”  I was a bit upset.

The good part of this is that now I know some issues still exist and when I go back I will try to take a chance and make my own steps to change something. One person can not change everything, but being united with others who have the same problem or same opinion about the problem will help us to take initiative to be a good leader.

That’s why all exchange programs really matter and can change your life or your way thinking and make you a stronger person. All the cultural exchange that students in these programs go through is absolutely life-changing. Some of the things I’ve learned in America I will try to incorporate in my daily life back home. However, there are also things that I’m not really fond of and I probably won’t take back with me.

What I’m asking of you as a reader is to share on the comments

the way or the time you realized you have rights and how you share them equally.

My advice to you whenever you have the chance to travel to another country is to experience all the differences possible. This can help you to think out of the box and look around to notice how unique every culture is and be able to identify what makes your culture unique to you, your country and others.

Maybe even hosting an exchange student will be a good opportunity to help you experience this?

After all, my motto this year is: Life is too short not to be a foreigner or an exchange student.

My placement organization is World Link and they help to find host families and schools for students who want to learn in another country. This year, participants represent 23 countries and our goal is to place 60 students in Iowa for this coming school year.  If you are interested in hosting an exchange student please contact:

Karen King Book, Regional Program Manager  (515-491-1551)

Learn about another culture and teach about yours.