Features: A Message from Claes Nobel A Message from Outgoing Student Council Advisory Board Highlights New Student Council College-Bound Advice The Value of Taking AP Classes Begin College Applications Now My Take on the SAT Getting a Head Start Never Hurt Anybody Spotlight on Service -- From your own Backyard to a Nicaragua Village The Power of Committed Citizens -- Helping the Poor in Nicaragua J.M.H. Academy Volunteer Effort -- Cordele, Georgia, Health and Rehabilitation Center Giving Back to Your Local Community Special Opportunities -- Students Take Advantage of Exciting Programs AFS Exchange Program -- Living in Brazil Summer Business Institute -- LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) Summer in Switzerland for Natasa Kovasevic Food for Thought For the Devout Carb-Quitters: New Bread that is Literally Nothing Living Successfully AFS Exchange Program -- Living in Brazil by Mehnaaz W. Khan Culbertson High School Culbertson, Montana My name is Mehnaaz Khan, and currently I am an exchange student in Brazil with the AFS Intercultural Program, which has international exchange programs in over 50 countries around the world. There are a million words that I could use to try to describe how an experience like this can impact lives, so I'll just tell you the single word that I feel every day that I am in this vicinity of cultural influence. That word is "Wow!" Imagine all of the things that one can learn from such an opportunity! Primarily, there is the independence that is acquired from living without your parents. This is something that a majority of students will have to face once they graduate high school and enter college. Nobody can deny the fact that independence is a crucial accessory in the process of starting our lives without the direct guidance of those with more experience. Here in Brazil, I am an active volunteer language teacher in a private school. I teach English at an intermediate level to students from the ages of 15 to 37. While teaching English, I have learned how to practice patience, plan lessons, and form leadership skills in order to motivate my students to take the initiative to learn English at a higher standard. Not to mention, I have improved my Portuguese and kept my English to an acceptable level. A good tip to remember if you are ever in any non-profit or volunteer organization is to ask for an official certificate of some kind as proof of your work. It helps profoundly in résumés and college applications. My future goals are to join the Peace Corps and later on to work with the United Nations in pursuit of a way to eventually achieve world peace. Obviously my exchange year here has also influenced my choice of future occupation. I could go on and on about the great ways that this past year has opened my mind and prepared me for the situations that are still to come, but the only way that anyone can truly know the good that this does is if that person sees it first-hand. So, this is my personal invitation to all of you to make new and different friends, learn a new language, and have a great adventure that you will never forget. Visit the AFS website at: http://www.afs.org/AFSI/ << Back to Journal Home page