PAX - Program of Academic Exchange is a program of PAX Laurasian Exchange and is designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program sponsor.

Turks and Texans: commonalities?

 

I had crossed an ocean and the only thing that changed was my location! I had no idea how people would be in the United States, but they turned out to be the same as the people I know back home.

You might say, "How? It is the other side of the world!” Well, people play football here, while the ones in Turkey play soccer. People enjoy barbecue here, while the ones in Turkey cook vegetables. Families get together for Thanksgiving here, while the ones in Turkey do the same for Festival of the Sacrifice. All these differences somehow make Turkey and the USA look like they are worlds apart to people. But these little things do not describe our entities. I saw the same sincerity, happiness, concerns, thrills, and fears on different faces. I watched a football game for the first time in my life. I saw the people cheering for their school's team, and they were not strangers anymore. Football was pretty strange to me, but enthusiastic people were just familiar.

My friends back home kept asking me about my American friends. My friends here in the U.S. wondered about Turkish teens as well. So I asked them, "What do you want to learn about American/Turkish teens?" through my social media accounts. Thanks to technology, I prepared all of my questions in a short time. I received many videos of my friends responding to those questions from Turkey and had many of my American friends willing to shoot videos answering the questions. They were all so excited to meet each other through the videos.

My purpose with this video was to show the only thing that creates strangeness between us is bias. When we overcome prejudices and want to meet one another, we realize how familiar all people are. In this video, you will see some teenagers with completely different hobbies, goals, and family relationships. You will listen to some of their concerns, and hear thoughts that are pretty similar. However, the point is not the things they say but how they feel about them. You will see the same smile on their faces when they are asked about their favorite food. People can become friends even though they are six thousand miles apart.

—Sila (YES, Turkey), hosted by the Conatser family (TX)