AFS Arrival Orientation: A Little Bit of Déjà Vu
Last summer, around this time, I arrived back from one of the most life-changing experiences I have had so far in my seventeen years of existence. I remember getting off the plane and immediately lugging my backpack and purse to meet my dad after walking the short stretch separating jet-lagged travelers from expectant family members and friends. We grabbed my suitcase and headed home, and I was inundated with a plethora of questions about every aspect of my travels from panda bears to hot peppers. Soon after, I was thrown into the swing of school at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, starting one of the most difficult and most rewarding years of learning in my academic career. In truth, at the beginning of August, I felt like I was on air and, at the same time, treading water, struggling to stay afloat at times.
Feeling immense gratitude for being given the opportunity to travel to the Sichuan Province in China through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, I shared my experiences as a TEDxNCSSM speaker, joined the NCSSM Chinese Dance Team, became a volunteer for the American Field Service (AFS) Carolinas East, and even entered the NC Chinese Speech Competition as an Advanced Non-Immersion Mandarin Chinese Speaker. One major experience led to so many others: the experience of speaking in front of students, faculty, and even the Chancellor about one of my greatest passions, the experience of fan dancing in front of hundreds of community members and students, the experience of reciting Chinese poetry in front of Chinese intellectuals, and most recently, the experience of déjà vu.
Last Thursday, students engaging in study abroad experiences through AFS flew to North Carolina to meet their host families and AFS volunteers. Over the summer, I completed the training to become an AFS Returnee Ambassador to engage more in AFS Carolinas East through outreach presentations, orientations, and other related events. Being unable to drive, but desirous of meeting the students coming to America from across the globe, I hitched a ride with another AFS volunteer, Maura, who is attending UNC Chapel Hill. During the half hour ride to Morrisville, I learned that her family had hosted a number of students in the past and that she was about to travel to Ecuador through UNC to take classes at a university there and then Washington D.C. for an internship related to public policy.
Upon arrival at the house hosting the Arrival Orientation, I was greeted by two other AFS volunteers who had engaged in study abroad programs. One of them, Sejal, a female who is my age, had recently returned from Malaysia through YES Abroad, another study abroad program funded by the U.S. Department of State. The other volunteer, T.J., is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill who had prior engaged in a summer program in Japan through AFS and then went to Germany for a year through CBYX, which is yet another study abroad program funded by the U.S. Department of State. Interestingly enough, although many people interested in study abroad programs through the Department of State are interested in engaging in international and/or public policy through governmental institutions, T.J. is majoring in Chemistry and Japanese.
Currently, I pursue research in the field of neuroscience and psychology relating to first language acquisition at the Bergelson Lab at Duke and hope to continue to learn about child development from a neurological and psychological perspective in the future. In aiming to engage in a scientific field and conduct research, I understand that, although most research literature is written in English, beginning a globally minded scientist provides a sense of understanding of scientific issues and institutions internationally. One interesting observation I had while in China last summer was the fact that I did not see many children with disabilities in public; that led me to wonder how the notion and culture around disability differs in America and China and how institutions and policies aiding individuals in America and China differ. Scientists must be conscious of these sorts of differences and disparities in conducting research meant to initiate change.
*Steps off soap box.*
Any who, at the beginning of the Arrival Orientation, T.J., Sejal, and I headed to RDU to pick up an exchange student from Thailand named Nara. We stood with all the expectant family members and friends with three signs welcoming Nara, as well as all the other jetlagged travelers, to North Carolina. A few travelers thanked us for our greeting, and one even mentioned that she had prior hosted an AFS student. When Nara arrived, we could tell she was the person we were looking for: the name tag, the yellow tag, the bubbly persona. After a few pictures, we grabbed the rest of her luggage and headed back to Morrisville. Then the orientating began with Nara and Emma. We explained everything from U.S. currency to tipping to ticks to fast food. After overwhelming the students with information, we then discussed their hosting placement.
Greeting Nara at RDU
As a matter of fact, Emma, an exchange student from Slovakia, is going to attend my old high school, Pinecrest High School (PHS). I was elated to find out because I was able to provide her more personal advice about the school, the important things (i.e. football), and the awesome classes and institutions at PHS. More exchange students arrived from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm from Italy, Spain, Chile, and Germany. We repeated the orientation twice more and almost thrice, but the exchange students from the Netherlands didn’t arrive until later that evening. More students will come later this month, including a German, a Palestinian, a girl from Switzerland, and potentially more. That night, probably the oddest thing that happened to me was when the Chilean boy kissed me on the cheek. He did this for practically every female in the room. I wonder if it’s a cultural thing… I returned back home around 10:00 pm with T.J. and then practically fainted on the bed from exhaustion.
More AFS exchange students
Guessing the population of the countries where the AFS exchange students come from
As an update, I recently contacted my host family, and 吴璨 sent a picture of the new C class. I can’t believe I was returning to China around this time last year; I still miss C class, the awesome teachers, and my wonderful host family.
New C Class