Introduction
I should start by saying that I learned about the program from my older friends. I listened to their enthusiastic reviews, was surprised, and felt inspired. I remember sitting in my kitchen at the time, and it all seemed like another bedtime story that existed in some parallel world. It is worth saying that I am from a town with a population of 10,000 people, and neither I nor my parents had much opportunity to travel. Besides, I was only in the 8th or 9th grade, and the program is only for students. Therefore, a trip to the USA remained just a distant dream.
When I entered university, I started listening to more and more stories from other participants (thanks to YouTube) and realized that it was all real. My dream of going on the program automatically turned into a goal. The experience of other people helped me a lot.
Consequently, it is worth noting that it was people who gave me such a dream; it all started with a simple dialogue. Perhaps I would never have even heard about the program if it weren't for communication. And I hope to meet people in the USA who will be able to inspire me for another "fairy tale."
I will note right away that here I mainly used examples from my school or everyday life, because I do not yet have experience participating in exchange programs or living abroad. And my goal for this trip is to collect so many stories, to experience so much, that in the next essay, whatever it is dedicated to, I could get by with stories only from this trip.
About different worldviews
Until we name a thing, it does not exist. Accordingly, a specific language represents a specific worldview. And even when learning a second language, we often base ourselves on our native language; we translate what is in our language. However, another language is capable of teaching us to think differently. Take modal verbs, for example; for just the Russian "dolzhen" (must/should), there can be have to, must, should, ought to, need, be to, etc.
Another example - in English, there are the words salary and wages. For us, in fact, they make no difference. Salary is salary. However, for native speakers, the first will have a hint of comfort and stability, while the second is associated with unstable earnings.
Exchange programs are an opportunity to "feel" the language. For me, as a linguist, this is especially important.
Another example. I am currently writing a paper on translation theory. It is called "Does hybrid work actually work?" I encountered difficulties with the translation starting from the title. The fact is that while for Americans hybrid work is a relatively old concept, we only encountered it during the pandemic (with the exception, perhaps, of programmers), so there is no word yet that has taken root in our language.
What am I getting at? I cannot say what I want to learn in the USA, because I might not even suspect its existence. As Smash Mouth sings - You’ll never know if you don’t go.
Identity
Once I went to a summer camp. To say that it was difficult for me is an understatement. Every minute of ours was scheduled, everything was decided for us. Most people liked it very much, because it didn't let them get bored.
However, I felt constrained; I had no time for myself. At that moment, I realized that freedom and time alone with myself are very important to me. Before that, I considered myself an extrovert, but as it turned out, my social battery is much weaker than others'.
And any trip in which you radically change your living conditions helps you understand yourself. Some will say that they change you. I disagree. Such trips make you closer to yourself, which is why a feeling of a "new self" arises. But it was always in you.
Knowing yourself gives you freedom. You know what you want, and this makes it possible to refuse without regret what is not a priority for you.
By going to America, I will be very far from my family, from everything familiar. In such a situation, you have to solve problems that would not have arisen in a normal environment. You don't just leave your comfort zone; you are thrown out of it. And this is very important for personal development (I think nothing needs to be explained here, many articles have been written).
Clash of cultures
The next aspect of exchange programs is the clash of cultures.
My English teacher, Maya Doronina, once managed to organize a visit of native-speaking teachers to our gymnasium. My role was to prepare information about our city and culture in general, or rather to systematize this information for perception by Americans. This became a push for me to study my own traditions and history. Americans, by the way, were doing the same.
Already at the moment when we were sharing music, games, traditional dishes, and generally discussing attitudes toward life - at that moment I saw how different we are. Even in such trifles as the choice of clothes for school and the payment of taxes.
Against such a contrast, I felt my national identity like never before.
Thus, exchange programs push us not only to study other cultures but also our own.
Work and finances
It is not even necessary to say that money is very important to me in this program. This is one of the main reasons. However, if you dig deeper, it is not purely quantitative benefit.
This summer I worked for $1 an hour. In the USA, I will be paid $15 + tips (which, according to stories, are very good there). I cannot say what I will feel when I receive my first pay-check (I believe that this will happen), but I have guesses.
I will start with the feeling of the value of my labor and my time.
I am already working part-time as an assistant manager. I get paid for the hours worked. But sometimes I can stop the timer and continue finishing some task, just because it seems to me that I have already spent too much time on this task, someone else could have handled it faster, etc., etc. Spoiler - usually this is just my insecurity.
During this program, I want to at least partially get rid of my inflated demands on myself and value my time more.
I have revealed the most valuable point for me, but in general, a lot of things fall under this category: the desire to learn how work is organized in the service sector in the USA; the feeling of financial independence from parents; a huge plus to the resume when applying for a job in Belarus; stress resistance; financial allocation; responsibility, independence, etc.
People
My mom is a super sociable person and has a wide circle of acquaintances. I highlight 2 main reasons why this happened:
She is a very open and sincere person, she has no prejudices, and she generally knows how to build communication.
Her main job is to host guests (our family business is an agrotourism farm). Accordingly, some of her close friends in the past were ordinary guests.
As a result, if she decides to go to Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, or Germany (this list can continue for a long time) - she will have someone to stay with and someone to visit. When she decided to learn how to snowboard, she found herself a coach in 5 minutes. When I was thinking about entering college, she was able to organize a meeting for me with an official. And so on.
What am I getting at? My mom is a guru in terms of networking development. She will always sincerely ask a person about themselves and tell them about herself. And this can easily grow into something more. As a result, when some problems arise, she can find a solution within her circle of acquaintances and turn to them for advice. On the other hand, she may also receive offers that she does not expect. Some people call this "luck." But it is just competent networking (even if sometimes unconscious).
I will return to the reasons.
The first is about soft skills. Working in the service sector in the USA, I will definitely develop them; I simply won't have a choice :) Plus, this is an opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge about communication (including intercultural) in practice.
The second reason is a place where you can meet interesting people. Students from all over the world go on this program. Moreover, I have no doubt that these are very driven, life-enthusiastic people. For me, this is the most important thing. What can I say, by this moment I have already met 8 cool guys who are either going to go on the program or have already completed it. And I have only just sat through the first interviews with employers. You can imagine how much my circle of communication can expand by the end of the program.
In movies, other people always help the main character. Well, in this, movies definitely don't lie.
In conclusion, I will say that I will realize the value of this program in full only when I return home. And the main reasons too.