My American Experience: Finding Joy In Giving Back
Each year, we ask our students to reflect on their exchange years as part of our My American Experience essay contest. Judy from West Bank shares how her small American hometown made a big impact and instilled in her a passion for volunteering that will last a lifetime.
Finding Joy In Giving Back
By Judy Marzouka
“American life and culture are viewed in a way that resembles the famous cities. Well, what about the rural and small town areas? What about those states that no one talks about? Well, here I am, an exchange student that lives in Homedale, Idaho. A town that not even Idahoians know. A town that's drastically underrated. I've only lived here for 8 months, yet I feel as though I've lived here my whole life.
“The lessons I’ve learned from volunteering are ones I’ll never forget in my life. The amount of joy that fills me in helping someone out is one that is for the book”
American culture relies heavily on helping the community. This is something that I've learnt my second week here. It helped in aiding the path to my growth as a person. My host community is one of those places. If you would like to help and volunteer, ask around and you will certainly find a place you can help at. They can be something constant or something temporary. Despite either, it still has a big impact on the person or community as a whole. I, personally, have experienced both kinds. I constantly help out at the public library. It is my second home here in the United States. I've met kids there that always greet me when we see each other outside. I've become close to the staff that work there that I even got invited to an outing with them to see ice sculptures. The hours I've spent there aren't hours that are required of me, they are hours I spend helping my family out. My more temporary volunteer hours are helping out at the Homedale Schools. It ranged from doing concessions to helping at the elementary food bank to decorating the halls and dances.
The lessons I've learned from volunteering are ones I'll never forget in my life. The amount of joy that fills me in helping someone out is one that is for the books. It is something I'll definitely do when I get back home. I learned just how much it impacts a person when you make life easier on them. When you give them food at food banks or distribute clothes and blankets or even shoes. They'll never forget that and if you don't have volunteers giving their time to help box the items, then the families won't get the help they need.
In school, you are required to help out in the community in however way you can. It doesn't matter if it's something small or big, as long as you have helped someone out. As a senior here in Homedale, you are required to complete at least ten hours of community service to pass. On top of that, you have to complete a senior project which is one that helps out the community. Students do coat drives, shoe drives, blanket drives, can drives, and many more. These are the ways in which you give back to your community. For my project, I designed an address book for a group of elderly ladies that needed to have this information in one place. It certainly has helped them a lot. No matter what it is you do, it counts as something big.
“It’ll forever be in my heart to give back to my community and it always will be.”
Helping out my community isn't something big that I've looked into before coming to Idaho. Not to say that I haven't helped out my community back home, but I've never made it part of my routine and life as I have done here in Idaho. That just won't do. I know there are places I can help out at back home. All I have to do is go and ask them when and where. It'll forever be in my heart to give back to my community and it always will be.”
Interested in sharing your corner of America with another exceptional exchange student? Find out more about how you can host a FLEX or YES program exchange student with American Councils here!
See Recent Exchange Stories
Looking for more stories?