From Rubab Malik…
My name is Rubab Malik and I am an exchange student from Pakistan. I have spent the 2013-14 school year living in Jefferson, Iowa and I am going to Greene County High School. I am on a scholarship with Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS) through the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program. The YES Program was created in 2002 by the U.S. Department of State to promote international understanding, development, and peace.
My experience in Iowa has been amazing, it might take me pages to write the great things I have experienced in Iowa that I would not have otherwise experienced. First of all, thanks to my best host community who welcomed me with their great kindness and open arms. I feel privileged by saying that every single person here was exceptionally nice. I don’t really have words to describe my great host family, if it was not them I would not have been here today. Thanks to every single person I met here, who helped me, supported me and became friends with me.
I have had amazing times here in Jefferson, Iowa. It feels like my second home now. All the presentations I gave and all the people who came to listen and people who asked me questions, it was just great. I loved telling you all about my country, and learning about your culture and practices. I enjoyed going to church every Sunday where everyone welcomed me and I made a lot of friends. Church was good and a different experience for me (as I am a Muslim) and I liked it. If it was not here I would probably had never gone to visit a church. I especially enjoyed experiencing Christmas, my birthday on Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving and Easter.
I played for the Greene County HS basketball team and it was fun . I have also completed over 100 community service hours in Jefferson, Iowa. It was amazing and different for me since I had never done anything like that in Pakistan. We always hired people to work, but after doing community service myself I love it. I discovered that after you help people through community service without getting paid it is a really good feeling, inner satisfaction. Now I have planned to take this experience back to Pakistan with me and do a lot of community service over there too. The same way that I gave presentations about my country to people in USA, I will make presentations and show them videos of my experience here to present back to people in my country, Pakistan. The kindness of people in America and their service for humanity has inspired me a lot and given me a different perspective of Americans than I had before. This has been an unforgettable experience, I will never forget Iowa and its loving people. Thanks to my host family, Julie, Dennis and their sons James and Isaac. Cool! I think I have siblings now!
I thank you all on behalf of my country, my family and myself.
Sincerely,
Rubab Malik
P.S. If you want to host a YES student like me, please contact IRIS (www.iris-center.org).
…and from Rahaf Ruby
I am a high school student from Palestine. I have spent the 2013-2014 school year living in Jefferson, IA and attending Greene County High School. I am on a scholarship with Iowa Resource for International Service (IRIS) through the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. The YES program was created in 2002 by the U.S. Department of State to promote international understanding, development, and peace.
I am thankful for the way my host family and people in Jefferson welcomed me. I am also grateful for all the opportunities available that I do not have back home. I was on the volleyball, basketball, and golf team. I participated in Interact club and marching band. I have also encountered unexpected experiences and relationships that I will forever cherish. Golfing while it was raining was a real new thing for me.
My plan is to take what I learned about life in Iowa and make a big change back home to improve my community in Palestine. I want to thank IRIS, my placement organization in Ames, IA and last but not least, I want to thank my host family, Julie Poulsen, Dennis Fox, Isaac and James Fox-Poulsen, and Rubab Malik. They were with me on this journey and will remain forever in my heart.
Sincerely,
Rahaf Ruby
PS: If you want to host a YES student like me please contact IRIS (www.iris-center.org)
