By Eisha Fnu

It has been more than a month since I have arrived to this wonderful country, and I have been able to enjoy every part of my stay by learning about American culture and sharing my cherished Pakistani culture. I am Eisha, a State Department sponsored exchange student from Pakistan, currently studying at RM.Pakistani culture is made of vibrant henna dresses, delectable spices, and much more. However, the cultural diversity of America never ceases to fascinate me and is probably my favorite thing about this country. The fact that you can interact with people from different parts of the world and experience different cultures at the same time is truly phenomenal.

In the U.S. I have had the opportunity to volunteer at a Turkish festival, in addition to attending  a Pakistan festival and an event at the Pakistani embassy. I am doing my best to play an active role in the community and volunteer even more. I have also been participating in numerous fun activities. I went to “The Beach” at the National Building Museum and found out that the National Mall has nothing to do with shopping at all. I also celebrated Eid with Muslims from around the globe and got interviewed for television, which will be aired in Bahrain. I have had such an international experience.

  Addressing one of the most commonly asked questions, I would like to share some of the differences between Pakistan and the U.S.. Though we do not have many differences, one thing that I noticed was that in America, the food portions are surprisingly big and so are many other things. As for high school, teachers in Pakistan switch classes, so it is very odd to move to seven different classes during the day. In Pakistan, we also wear uniforms, so I have the difficult choice of choosing my clothes each morning here.

The importance of extracurricular activities and clubs is somewhat unique to America and is a major part of the high school culture. I appreciate this a lot and have joined many clubs that I will be active in this year. As for sports, I have started learning about American football. It is a completely new experience for me and I still do not understand why it is called football if the players do not use their feet.

I also enjoyed spirit week because we do not have much school unity like this in Pakistan. Participating in “Black and Gold day” and so many other spirit days makes me feel part of a tight-knit community at RM. I will be very sad when I leave America, but as for now, I am enjoying my time with my friends and new school. So far, America has been beautiful and welcoming, and I hope to return in the future.