#yesprogram

Ho visitato luoghi straordinari, conosciuto persone provenienti da diversi atenei e vissuto la Cina da più prospettive: culturale, storica e naturalmente gastronomica, grazie ai piatti incredibili che abbiamo avuto modo di assaggiare.

Chengdu è stata una città meravigliosa da visitare. Ho potuto rivedere i panda, i miei animali preferiti, un’esperienza che ogni volta riesce a emozionarmi come la prima. Ho anche avuto l’occasione di seguire una lezione di economia in un’università cinese, un’opportunità unica per osservare da vicino un diverso approccio allo studio.

Un altro aspetto speciale di questo viaggio è stato conoscere la mia buddy, con cui ancora oggi mi capita di scambiare messaggi e conversazioni. È bello vedere come da un’esperienza così intensa possano nascere rapporti che continuano nel tempo.

Un ringraziamento speciale va alla mia università, l’Università di Torino, per avermi permesso di vivere questa esperienza unica, e a tutto lo staff dello YES Program per il loro supporto e la loro professionalità.

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今年我想和大家分享我在中国的经历。得益于 YES 项目，我有机会进一步学习中文，并全身心地沉浸在一个既不同又迷人的文化中。

我参观了许多令人惊叹的地方，结识了来自不同高校的人，并从文化、历史以及美食等多个角度体验了中国，尤其是那些我们有机会品尝到的绝妙菜肴。

成都是一座令人难忘的城市。我再次见到了大熊猫——我最喜欢的动物——每次看到它们我都会像第一次那样激动。此外，我也有机会在一所中国大学旁听一节经济学课程，这是一个能够近距离了解不同学习方式的宝贵机会。

这次旅程中另一个特别的方面是认识了我的 buddy，我们至今仍会互相发消息、聊天。能够从这样一段深刻的经历中建立起能够延续的关系，真的非常美好。

最后，我要向我的大学——都灵大学——表达特别的感谢，感谢他们让我有机会经历这段独特的旅程，同时也感谢 YES 项目的全体工作人员给予的支持和专业指导。

We are proud to announce that World Learning YES student, Jarin Raisa from Bangladesh has been selected as the U.S. Department of State's YES Student of the Month! Jarin has not only exceeded expectations at school, where she ranks first in her class, but also within her community of Tulsa, OK!

World Learning’s April student of the month is Saryal from Pakistan. Saryal has completed about 106 hours of volunteering and aims to complete more hours before his departure. Even more impressive is that he has given over 70 cultural presentations throughout the program. He is on the school leadership team and gives morning announcements each day. He plays varsity soccer, and serves as a teacher assistant for staff and teachers. With all these extracurricular activities he still maintains above average grades.

Saryal is very aware of how this year has impacted him. He says, “During my 8 month stay here I have learned the real meaning of diversity. I have friends from all over the world. I have learned that how to accept other people's opinions and to respect everyone. The best thing so far I found in America is that how people love to volunteer and that how they pay back to their country.”

In the words of Saryal’s host mom:

“In trying to describe Saryal's impact on our family, I would have to go back to before he even moved in. Being a host family to an exchange student was not something our family had ever considered. On a Friday afternoon early in November 2015, I picked up my then 15-year-old son Grayson after school. Although he doesn't hate school, neither has Grayson ever been very enthusiastic about school. However, on this particular Friday, Grayson was excited. He described for me a presentation given in his French class that day by an exchange student from Pakistan. This was the most animated I had seen Grayson about school in a long time. He described the presentation and how interesting the student, Saryal, was. Unfortunately, Saryal was about to be moved to a new family in Washington, DC and would be leaving Oakton High School. After briefly discussing with Grayson the possibility of Saryal moving in with us, Gray emailed his French teacher about our interest. The rest, they say, is history. 

While making it look effortless, Saryal has been able to make an impact everywhere he goes. Given the current atmosphere in America regarding Muslims, these YES students have been thrust into the role of ambassador not only for their country, but for an entire religion. Saryal has handled this responsibility with a grace truly remarkable for a 16-year-old. He patiently answers everyone's questions, while thoughtfully asking his own about our culture. He has shared Pakistani food and traditions with our family, while enthusiastically joining in Christmas and Easter festivities. He has embraced everything that Oakton High School has to offer, including the OHS leadership team, the Muslim Club, varsity boys soccer, the cultural festival, homecoming and prom, and countless other in school and after school activities…I will forever be grateful to Saryal and for that day in French class, when a one-hour presentation turned into a life-changing experience for our family.”