Becoming a Successful Ambassador
Hiking, tacos, football, apple picking: all crucial
Hello, my name is Mahdi, and I am from Lebanon. I live with the Roussos family in Rochester, NH, and I go to Spaulding High School. I wanted to share my first month of this wonderful experience with you, since I think I am being a good young ambassador for my country.
First, I want to talk about getting involved in the environment surrounding me. I play soccer for Spaulding High School, and I am proud of being one of the Red Raiders. I am inspired so much by soccer, and who imagined that through this awesome sport, I would make a lot of friends. I play for the varsity team; I will join the track team for winter and spring; and I am willing to participate in more.
I also got involved in many clubs, like interact, key, and honor society clubs, which were another way to interact and make friends, in addition to improving myself and the community. Thanks to these clubs, I was able to practice my love of community service, and interact with the community in order to make the world a better place. I was able to do 26 community service hours in my first month, and I am sure this is just the beginning of a successful adventure.
Moreover, I was able to maintain personal growth, since I have noticed that my independence, leadership, and interaction skills have grown very much. I was also able to try many new things that I dreamed of experiencing in my life, and now I am living the dream to the fullest. Hiking Mount Major, eating tacos, watching football games, apple picking, visiting strawberry bank...these are only a small portion of the whole exchange year that is waiting for me.
The thing I like best here is the diversity. It makes the American culture a unique and different culture from other cultures all over the globe. But you need to be flexible and accept the change in order to hang loose and go with the flow.
I have participated in many school activities, but one of them was more special and meaningful for me than the others; it was called "Character Day." I represented my character as one of the most awesome youths in the world, the exchange student. I wore a YES shirt and went to school with pride. It was my honor to be such a unique character. This is only the beginning of an adventure that holds many treasures. The key to these treasures is to teach, interact, explore, and share. Success isn't easy, you have to work hard and have great ambitions and goals in mind. I seek more and more success through my journey as I exchange cultures with others, represent my country with pride, and hope the best is yet to come.
—Mahdi (YES, Lebanon), hosted by the Roussos family (NH)
