Why do I want to be a Poly Global Scholar?

   The Role of Hosting Exchange Students in Expanding my Interest in the Poly Global Scholars Program

The experience that has played the largest role in awakening my interest in becoming a part of the Global Initiatives Program has been my family’s openness to hosting a number of exchange students throughout my elementary, middle, and high school years. I first remember being in 1st or 2nd grade when my aunt’s friend’s teenage son came from France to live with us for one summer so he could improve his English. I remember playing outside all summer long with my siblings, neighborhood friends, and this French boy, Thómas. We all loved playing with Thómas because he would introduce to us new games that he used to play in France. After having lots of fun playing these exciting new games, I remember thinking to myself what other games people around the world were playing. What other fun games did my brothers and I not know about?  What other fun games were we missing out on? While these were, of course, just childhood games to play outside on a hot summer day, I look back on it now as perhaps one of my first experiences of a cultural exchange. I think this was the first experience where I gained this understanding that there is so much to learn from people from different cultures and backgrounds. 

Then, in third grade, my family hosted the Poly Exchange Student, Alessa from Germany. Not only did I gain an older sister for life from this experience, but I also learned so much about her life and culture back in Germany. I remember helping her cook schnitzel and bake German chocolate cake, learning about how she celebrated Christmas with her family in Germany, and delighting in all the German candy she brought with her from home. Infact, in the years following Alessa’s time with my family, Germany became my favorite country. I even spent a significant amount of time in the fourth grade on Duolingo attempting to learn German–though with not much success. Regardless, I think that hosting Alessa once more bolstered my interest in cultures across the globe–Germany in this case–and reinforced this curiosity in things I wasn’t familiar with. 

In 7th grade, my family hosted the Poly Exchange Student again. This time, we hosted Catarina, from Italy. Similar to our experience with Alessa, my family and I were able to learn so much about Catarina’s life and culture back in Italy. She taught my family how to make homemade Italian pasta, and I even learned a few Italian swear words, much to my middle school brain’s delight. We learned about the Italian school system, and how a 70% on a test was considered a high mark! We learned about how she would have a 1 and a half hour lunch every school day, where she and her cousin would walk to her grandmother's house and dine together with the entire family. We learned about the Italian political structure and current events in Italy. Hosting Catarina strengthened my interest in thinking globally and my understanding that the United States is not the center of the universe. 

In 8th and 9th grade, my family hosted a number of shorter term exchange students. Jenna from Finland taught us about vanhojen tanssit, a more formal Finnish equivalent of a high school prom, where students sign up to take ballroom dance classes and learn choreographed routines in the months leading up to the dance. Students from Beijing broadened our horizons by introducing to us a new flavor of kitkat: matcha. 

My sophomore year of high school, last year, my family for the third time hosted the Poly Exchange Student. This time, our student, Maya from Bulgaria, was only one year older than me, so we were able to build a much closer relationship. Throughout our time with Maya we were able to gain an in-depth understanding of Bulgaria’s culture, customs, economy, political issues, and more. For instance, we participated in the Baba Marta tradition, where Bulgarians give their friends and family bracelets made of white and red yarn, symbols of health and longevity, to wear for the month of March. We also learned about Bulgaria’s prosperous rose oil industry, its ongoing social tensions with Romani people, and its typical cuisine. 

All of these international hosting experiences led me to want to do the same. Instead of hosting students leaving their home country to experience a new culture, I wanted to leave my home country to experience a new culture. I was lucky enough to have like-minded parents who supported and encouraged the decision to move to the Netherlands this year. Living in the Netherlands and attending an international school for about six months now has definitely expanded my global perspective and understanding of different cultures. I have made friends who are from and have lived all over the world, from Brazil to Israel to Kenya to Mexico to China to Georgia. Instead of driving everywhere, I use my bike as my primary mode of transportation. I have learned about the Dutch parliamentary system of government and the current political climate. All of these new experiences have impacted my worldview and I hope to be able to use them to contribute to the Poly Global Scholars Program. 

From the Global Scholars program, I hope to be able continue to explore other cultures and listen to perspectives from all over the world. I especially want to hear the perspectives that are most different from my own, because the more they differ, the more I will learn. I also think that it has never been more important to think globally. With issues like the Covid pandemic and climate change impacting essentially every person on this planet, it is necessary to find solutions that benefit the global community as a whole. These solutions come from people sharing their perspectives and experiences to create more globally minded citizens, a process that I think the global scholars program embodies.