Exchange
students enjoying P'burg stay
Sunday, October 16, 2005 • By
SARAH CASSI • The Express-Times
PHILLIPSBURG -- Forget Philadelphia's
history or the institutions of government in Washington,
D.C.
Phillipsburg is providing a front-row
seat to democracy for two exchange students this
year.
Christine and Dale Smith of Phillipsburg
are hosting exchange students from Africa and Asia as part
of democracy-promoting programs sponsored by the U.S. State
Department.
Azza Baaziz, 16, is visiting from Tunisia
as part of the Youth Exchange and Study program.
The YES program focuses on bringing high
school students from predominantly Muslim countries to
America to experience life in a democratic society.
Participating countries include Gaza, Iraq, Arab Israel,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan and
Syria.
Medina Donaeva, 17, hails from Tajikistan
and is here as part of the Future Leaders Exchange program.
Both exchange programs are similar but the FLEX program
chooses students from countries that were part of the former
Soviet Union, such as Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova,
Russia and Tajikistan.
The goal of both programs is to have
participating students promote the democracy and
institutions they observe in America when they return to
their native countries.
The girls will spend a year in town and
currently attend Phillipsburg High School.
They arrived in August and have spent the
last few months adjusting to the differences in language,
culture and food.
"I wanted to come here and to discover a
new culture, new people, a new system of studying in school.
I wanted to be better in English," Baaziz said. "When I came
here I didn't really understand. I was like 'Am I really
studying English in Tunisia?' It was so different, but with
time it became easier."
Donaeva had a hard time with everyday
aspects of American life.
"I wanted to feel how to live in another
county, to live in another family, to have new friends, a
lot of friends, to stay in a new school," Donaeva said. "The
first days (felt) like I was from another planet, actually.
The houses are different but, actually, everything was
different. Even the people were different, but now it's much
easier for me to have friends and to talk to
people."
Now that they have settled in and gotten
used to attending Phillipsburg High School, both girls are
ready to hit the road.
At home Donaeva traveled around
Tajikistan as well as Russia, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and
Kazakhstan. Now she wants to see New York City, Washington,
D.C., Florida and, of all places, Michigan.
"I want to see everything, the whole
States," Donaeva said.
Baaziz said she wants to visit Niagara
Falls and California
"And New York City, of course. It doesn't
matter for me the state. I just want to see something new,"
Baaziz said.
Besides learning about America's history
and government, the girls will experience Thanksgiving for
the first time as well as America's version of Christmas in
the coming weeks.
They are also learning about the American
family dynamic from the Smiths.
"It's not just the government, the
politics and the English they're coming here for," Christine
Smith said. "Our culture as a family is completely different
than their culture at home."
Christine Smith said she wants the girls
to see as many historical sites as possible. They visited
Atlantic City over the summer and plan to visit
Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C.
"I think it's important for the girls to
see as much history as they can," Smith said.
Even with their packed schedules, both
girls said they miss their family and friends. Donaeva talks
to her mother once a month, and Baaziz talks and e-mails her
parents once a week.
The girls are already thinking about what
they want to bring home with them. Donaeva said she's
thinking about bringing an American flag home with
her.
"Something special that will remind me of
the good things that happened to me here," she
said.
Baaziz said she isn't thinking about
bringing an object home.
"It would be more like my behavior," she
said. "I'm pretty sure I'm changing now, but maybe I'm not
realizing this. They way I act, we've become more mature, I
think. We just have much more knowledge. You can't imagine
how much we learn here."
Reporter Sarah Cassi can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by
e-mail at scassi@express-times.com.
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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