| By :
Terry Galloway
You are expected to learn quite a lot of information while you are in school. However you cannot learn everything you need for life out of a textbook or by looking at an overhead projector. A great way to obtain a well-rounded education is to go on a cultural exchange trip. Imagine traveling the world with fellow students as you learn about other people, languages and cultures in the country of their origin. What you will be able to learn from summer community service trips overseas in only a few weeks could be as much as you would fit into a whole semester of classroom training. Get to know the people, hear the sounds, see the sights and become a better person in the process! Here are a few personal experiences from students who participated in summertime cultural exchange programs: • Mariette Tachdjian went to study Spanish in Granada, Spain during an exchange program, but she came back as an aficionado in flamenco dancing. She also tasted tapas in Grenada and savored delectable pastries in Moroccan tea rooms and teterias. • During a cultural exchange adventure in Cornwall, England, Ben Keene took his chances with the chilly sea and mako sharks in order to learn how to surf. However, he learned much more about the surf and sand as he met locals and other students with whom he had more than surfing in common. • In one of the world's most ecologically friendly places, Amy Angelilli participated in a canopy tour, visited a butterfly garden, and zip lined through the jungle in Costa Rica. She also discovered that it is possible to live in harmony with the environment, something she was able to bring back to her home country. When you participate in any of the service programs overseas you will experience total cultural immersion. Living in a different culture is one of the best ways to reflect on your own culture and way of life. As a result, you will become a more mature individual and an accepting person of other cultures. After you return to your home country you will have a newfound appreciation and respect for your own country. As you get older, your life will become busy, busy, busy as you become engaged with your career and maybe starting a family. There may be vacations in your futre, but you may not ever be in the position to take a cultural exchange trip as easily as when you are a student. Think about it. As an adult, a parent, and a business professional, your life will be too busy for you to be able to really appreciate a cultural immersion program. Do it now, while you are young and while you are free! A cultural exchange program will prepare you for your future so that you will be a better employee or boss, a better parent or spouse and a more well rounded member of society.
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