Proud to Be aKazakh KerbyI remember the moment when I met my

host family in the airport, and they huggedme like we've known each other forever. Sofunny, friendly and outgoing, the Kerbyshave given me the incredible opportunity tofeel all the miracles of American life.Since we’ve been sharing our cultures

with each other, I've been amazed by howthey appreciate and love the history of mycountry. Now my dad calls himself “KazakhKhan Richard First” and my mom sayssalem, which is “hello” in Kazakh every timeI Skype with my family. My host sister, Julie,accompanies me when I play my nationalsongs on the violin and now everyone whogoes near our house sees a big Kazakh flag!Isn't this incredible?To my hosts, I want to say I am eternally

grateful to you for the warmth and supportthat you give me every single day. We canremember this year forever and smile everytime we meet and celebrate the significantevents of our extended American - Kazakhfamily. I love you and I am proud to be yourKazakh Kerby!Akmaral Kamaliyeva (FLEX, Kazakhstan)

Hosted by the Kerby familyBerryville, VA

IN THIS ISSUE

Part of the Community . . . . . . .3

Snow Days and Holidays . . . . . .4

Share Your Experience

Contest Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Discovering Our

Common Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Got Culture?

Host a Student . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

www.pax.org

NON-PROFITORG.

U.S.POSTAGE

PAIDWHITEPLAINS,NY

PERMITNO.1806

14WillettAvenue,PortChester,NY10573

February 2013Vol. XVIII, No. 2

Christmas is not about presents. It is notabout Santa. It’s not about going to churchand it’s not about family reunions. For me,Christmas is all about the lights and the spiritwithin people.It always captures my attention when I see

Christmas lights in movies. The lights are

fascinating! So, I wasn’t waiting for presentswhen the holiday season arrived. I was eagerto see the lights around town and put up atree and decorate it.Fortunately, I got to put up the tree lights

myself and I learned how to hang theornaments. I had never celebrated Christmasbefore so it was my first time.I also felt the Christmas spirit during the

Jefferson High School Choir holidayperformance. The music touched my soul.I found the Christmas spirit within the

lights, songs and Christmas movies. Inaddition to that, the presents were awesomeand a great bonus. I’m a Muslim and I loveChristmas!

Menna Abozied, (YES, Egypt)Hosted by the Hajek family

Cedar Rapids, IA

All Aboard!“So this is sledding,” exclaimed Jawaria Shah when she arrived at the sledding hill. At first

she had no idea how to propel herself down the hill, but with a few tips from her Wisconsinhost family, the Pakistani YES student developed quite a knack for it. Jawaria, second in thephoto, says, “I am very thankful to PAX for choosing such an awesome host family for me.”

Seeing Christmas Through Muslim Eyes

Up Close at theInaugurationIn January, we went to Washington, D.C.

to see and experience President Obama’ssecond inauguration. For the first time,we travelled in a subway and walked throughnearly all of Washington to see themagnificent memorials and the statues ofmany great men. Our wonderful host, BonnieFrank Hume, explained what they did andwhat made them great. On the day of theinauguration, we were lucky to get goldentickets, which enabled us to be closer to thepresident. We saw him with our bare eyesduring the very entertaininginaugural parade. The five days we spent inD.C. were absolutely wonderful. They aredays that will truly never be forgotten.

Farhad Ali (YES, Pakistan)Hosted by the Hume family

and Karim El Miari ( YES, Lebanon)Hosted by the Fournier family

Orange, MA

At Home on the PodiumOne of the best decisions I made was to

join the school speech and debate team. I’mnow performing an expository speech onwhat it is like to be an exchange student. Itravel to cities all over Montana fortournaments with my team. One time I evenbroke into the finals! I’m learning so muchand am having unforgettable experiences.Today a friend and I gave a TV interview forthe upcoming state tournament. Howexciting is that!

Vanessa Runft (Germany)Hosted by the Cox family

Butte, MT

Egyptian YES student Menna Abozied

The Kerby family with Akmaral, right

Learning about LiberiaFor International Education Week, YES student Satta Dinuwelle taught a group of Sedonachildren about what life is like in her homeland. Read page 7 for stories about student efforts topromote global understanding.

This year my Christmas was celebratedon a three-week road trip with my students.Most exchange students dream of MiamiBeach. Their dreams became a reality. Theyreally enjoyed swimming in the AtlanticOcean at Miami Beach. We also visitedDisney World and Universal Studios inOrlando.On our way we stopped in Washington,

D.C. so they could visit the historic sites and

buildings, the White House being one. Wealso visited Arlington Cemetery.When I told them that I was going to

drive, they thought that it would take usforever to get there. You see, in theircountries they do not have the greathighways we have here in America. Theyreally enjoyed being able to stop wheneverwe wanted.

Gil Roy, Community CoordinatorOakland, ME

Page 2

PAX–Program of Academic Exchangeis a not-for-profit educationalfoundation. Established in 1990, PAXsponsors international high schoolstudents from over 40 nations on fiveand ten month academic homestayprograms.For more information, contact:PAX–Program of Academic Exchange

14 Willett AvenuePort Chester, NY 10573

tel (800) 555-6211www.PAX.org

Thank you for submitting letters to PAXPress. Because of space limitations,however, we are unable to print eachletter in its entirety.

PAX Press is printed on recycled

paper with soy based ink.

Voting: A Right and aResponsibilityTunisian YES student Manoula Benkhalifa andher host mother, Sue Dawson, marked ElectionDay in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

History Came to Lifein LouisianaI am hosted in Louisiana. It is one of the

important places in the history of the UnitedStates. During the winter break, I visited the"French Quarter", the oldest neighborhood inthe city of New Orleans. It’s very interestingto connect what we learned at school aboutU.S. history with a visit to the place. I sawold buildings decorated with Frencharchitecture. I had so much fun with my hostfamily as we walked around and met touristsfrom different countries. This is what makesthe United States special. The U.S. has hugediversity and history that is related tocountries around the world. Thank you forplacing me in this amazing place! I enjoyhistory because we can heed the lessons anddo better for the future.

Farihah Lailah (YES, Indonesia)Hosted by the Edwards family

New Orleans, LA

Arizona Students Given a Spectacular Trip toWashington, D.C.On January 2nd we went to Washington,

D.C. with our PAX coordinator, MarciaGoebel. The entire trip was sponsored by agentleman from Sedona, Dorde Cedic. Westayed in D.C. for a week. The things wesaw and did were incredible. When wearrived at the airport, Dorde presented usall with flowers. For most of us, it was ourfirst time receiving a bouquet of flowers.Not everyone is fortunate to have

someone do something like this for them,and he did it for six of us! Dorde took us tothe Library of Congress, the SupremeCourt and Capitol Hill. We were invited toSenator Jeff Flake’s swearing in reception,met Senator John McCain and spent timewith Congressman Paul Gosar discussingpolitical issues.We also went to American Councils and

the State Department. It was fun for us tosee the people who are working hard to

ensure we have an amazing year in theUnited States. The last day was spenttouring the Mall and visiting differentmemorials and museums. Our favorite wasthe Native American Museum at theSmithsonian Institute.We know how lucky we are and we want

to let Dorde Cedic know how much weappreciate his gift. This was truly a trip ofa lifetime!

The Sedona and CottonwoodArizonaPAX Students:

Samira Ali (YES, Tanzania)Satta Denuwelle (YES, Liberia)Salma Elawaanni (YES, Tunisia)Katevan Mammasakhlisi (FLEX,

Georgia)Darya Nevrayeva (YES, Kazakhstan)

Nazokat Samandarova (FLEX,Turkmenistan)

Flourishing inthe FootlightsBefore coming to the U.S., I wasn’t

interested in theater. I didn’t consider myselfan artistic person. However, I decided that itwas my chance to have an experience in thedramatic arts. I learned a lot of actingtechniques and how to express what I feel. Inaddition, I made an enormous number ofgood friends. Each play we did during thefirst half of the year taught me somethingabout American culture. The last play wasmy favorite as it was a disco party set in the1950’s. The drama members only had a weekto prepare, so we worked hard. We had tolearn many songs and typical dances fromthat time. Our set was amazing. Wetransformed the school auditorium to a1950’s television studio with cameras,audience and even old advertisements. Thelast part we had to do before the performancewas to find costumes from that time. Thisplay opened up another part of me, mysinging talent. I love my drama club as it is asmall part of the greatest theater of the world.It is part of the American theater.

Yuliya Voloshyn (FLEX, Ukraine)Hosted by the Iwanisziw family

West Wareham, MA

Roman Filippov (FLEX, Russia), Coordinator Gil Roy and Shukur Sadikhov (FLEX, Azerbaijan)take the classic photo outside the White House.

From Maine to Florida

Bright Lights, Big CitySofia Garcia, from Spain, and her hosts,

the Towe family of Norway, Iowa, headed toChicago in December for some big cityChristmastime fun. Topping Sofia’s list ofthings she did were: taking in the amazingdisplay of Lincoln Park Zoo lights, shoppingon the world renowned Michigan Avenue,enjoying the WinterFest display at Navy Pierand ice skating at Millennium Park. She alsoenjoyed Macy’s store windows which weredecked out for the holidays. Like typicalteenage girls, Sofia and her host sister,Natalie, shopped from morning 'til night.They topped off their spree with a traditionalChicago-style deep dish pizza fromGiordano's.

Host mother Theresa Edwards and IndonesianYES student Farihah Lailah

Bring It OnCheerleading was a sport that I always

wanted to do. When I came to Vermont Idecided to do it, but my school doesn’t havecheerleaders. Theyexplained to me thatsince my high schooldoesn’t havecheerleaders, I couldjoin a team fromanother school. Then afriend told me that shewas going to cheerleadfor the basketball season. Both of us arecheerleading for a private school and we arehaving so much fun cheering at the games. Ina few weeks we are going to startcompetitions, and I’m so excited for it. Myhost family always supported me and gaveme advice.

Elisa Ramos (Spain)Hosted by the Cayia family

Proctor, VT

Fantasy FootballBecomes RealityWhen I came here I wanted to play soccer,

but I also wanted to try football to seewhether I liked it or not. The first days on thefootball team weren't that fun, but with time,I found new friends because my teammatesbecame my friends. At practice the coacheswere interested to see my strengths so theycould put me in the right spot, the spot thatsuited me and my abilities. I became thekicker for the team, and I made the team wina couple of times. My name has been in thelocal newspaper three times so far, andeverybody recognizes me. In schooleverybody salutes me and gives me highfives!

Karim El Miari (YES, Lebanon)Hosted by the Fournier family

Orange, MA

Advocating for AlabamaThis fall, State Treasurer Young Boozer met with Coordinator Cindy Thigpen and Lisa Dabb’sPAX students during their visit to the state capitol. Mr. Boozer explained how the state distributesfunds to the schools and what the state does to provide for education.

Page 3

Hospice VolunteerGains Valuable LessonsVolunteering with Hospice of Little

Traverse Bay in Petoskey has opened upmany experiences for me and taught me a lotof precious things about life.When I submitted my application to

volunteer, I worried that it might be reallyhard. Luckily, we were given two daystraining. I learned what to do and what toexpect. Also, I gained a lot of new nursingand health care skills.Although I learned a lot during training,

there are always obstacles in the real practiceof working with patients. Some patientsignore me, some are so weak that they cannotspeak at all, and some speak but not clearly.To overcome some of these obstacles, I usetricks like playing an instrument, reading theQur’an and listening while a patient reads hisBible. I have learned it takes a lot of patienceto deal with terminally ill people.In spite of the obstacles, I still love

volunteering in hospice. People might thinkhospice is a place for one who has only a fewdays to live, but that is not true. Hospice is aplace for care and help through the end-of-life. I volunteer not just to fill my communityservice hours but because it teaches me howto value my life, not to waste the seconds Ihave, and to appreciate the love from thosearound me.

Febry Utami (YES, Indonesia)Hosted by the Rambo family

Harbor Springs, MI

The Penguin PlungePossessing a lot of courage and dressed like apenguin, Ahmad Ladadweh, jumped into anicy Vermont lake to raise money for families inneed. “It was a lot of fun, but finger freezing!”exclaimed the West Bank YES student. He wasaccompanied by his host brother, SebastianDurfee.

At Your ServicePAX Coordinator Cliff Fournier, front, is known for helping his students get plugged into serviceprojects in the Orange, Massachusetts area. Pictured with him working at a community meal areYES students Karim El Miari from Lebanon, Farhad Ali from Pakistan, Ibrahim Abu Khiranfrom the West Bank, Decky Tri Isdian Novinoor from Indonesia and Muhammad Khattak fromPakistan. They say that volunteering gives them a better understanding of the needs of acommunity and counters the stereotype that all Americans are wealthy. Some of the teens alreadyhave 200 community service hours tucked under their belts and are hoping to complete 500 hoursby the end of the year!

From Concern to ActionThe differences between American

culture and mine weren’t notable until Iattended an American high school. I wasimpressed by how students feel free to talk totheir teachers and how people are concernedabout each other.I’ve seen this concern since I joined the

Key Club. One hour of volunteer time canhelp hundreds of people. For the club, Igather canned food donations to send toagencies that help homeless people. We alsodonate money to a local charity, Caring andSharing. Our school collected $3000 andwith that money we bought things for kidsfrom poor families.It is really heartwarming how Americans

teach their children to take care of otherpeople besides their family. And our host

families are the perfect example of this. Iadmire the hospitality of my host family andhost school.

Chehronai Fozil (FLEX, Tajikistan)Hosted by the Thomas family

Westerville, OH

Andrii Kucher (FLEX, Ukraine), ValentinaBiciuc (FLEX, Moldova), Emma Wouters(Netherlands), Luisa Stoegbauer (Germany),Mild Porasuvira (Thailand), Kazumi Noda(Japan) and Yuliya Akentyeva (FLEX,Kazakhstan)

Santa for the DayFor low-income families, Christmas is a

particularly difficult time of year. To helpthem out, the Southern Utah PAX students"adopted" a needy family with two childrenthrough the “Coins for Kids” program. Theteens and their host families donated to thecause, and then the students shopped for giftsand clothes from the "wish list". All agreed itwas a great joy to see the two happy girlsreceive their gifts, including two bicycles.

Ringing in DonationsThe Salvation Army's Red Kettle campaign gotan extra boost from Spaniard Sofia Garcia,right, and her host sister, Natalie Towe. Theyrang bells outside of a grocery store in CedarRapids, Iowa.

Feedingthe NeedGeorgian GiorgiRostomashvililoaded crates forthe NettletonFAITH food pantryin Mississippi. Hewent there withUkrainianAnastasiiaAlekseienko, afellow FLEXstudent, who is aregular volunteerat the pantry.

Trees for TomorrowI was selected to represent Appleton

North High School at the Trees forTomorrow four-day program held in lateNovember. I learned about resourcemanagement through field experiences andstudies of the forest ecosystem. I also lookedat the linkage among humans, wildlife,plants, water, soil and air resources. I becameacquainted with Wisconsin’s Northwoodsand the experts in this field: natural resourcespecialists, biologists, foresters andenvironment educators. It was interesting tonote how humans interrelate and alter theenvironmental realm.Trees for Tomorrow enabled me to

become sensible about the decisions I makeand how these could potentially hinder lifeon earth. I established great friendshipsbased on mutual interests. Trees forTomorrow left a profound impression on mypassions and values.

Leigh-Anne Bosch (YES, South Africa)Hosted by the Frelich family

Appleton, WI

Training Future EngineersOver the winter break, Tygran Daniyelyanvolunteered at the Shreveport Science Port. “Itwas a lot of fun,” he said. “Those kids werereally smart.” The Odom family hosts theUkrainian FLEX student in Louisiana.

It Feels Good to Do GoodDuring my life, I have done many

volunteer activities but none have been asinteresting as theones here. In myprojects right now,I work with othersin teams to helpthose who need itmost.My host family

has an old piano in the garage, so we decidedto fix it and sell it. With the money, we willhelp a kid in Georgia, my home country.I also work with my classmates to raise

money and clothing for the homeless. Itmakes them happy and us as well.So my point is that if it were not for the

American lifestyle, host family and highschool experience, I would never be as activein civic action as I am now and I am going tobe in future.

Bakar Khachidze (FLEX, Georgia)Hosted by the Stang family

Hilliard, OH

Snowflakes for theSandy Hook SchoolAfter the December tragedy at Sandy

Hook Elementary School in Newtown,Connecticut, Yuliya Voloshyn and her fellowMassachusetts classmates sought a way tohelp. The Ukrainian FLEX student writes, “Itwas decided to decorate the new elementaryschool to make it look like a winterwonderland with thousands of papersnowflakes. During our advisories, studentshad an opportunity to use their creativity tomake snowflakes. We tried our best to makethem pretty and extraordinary. By the end ofthe two-day project, my schoolmates hadmade over 300 snowflakes, which were sentto Newtown.”

Recorder/Paul Franz

Part of the Community

Yasser Untong (YES, Philippines), ChehronaiFozil (FLEX, Tajikistan), Baqari Khachidze(FLEX, Georgia) and Nino Samsonidze(FLEX, Georgia) helped out at theInternational Dinner in Columbus.

Safety FirstIn Iowa, host mother Debi Towe, OscarNgombo (YES, Kenya) and Sofia Garcia(Spain) volunteered to be safety workers at theCedar Rapids “Holiday Delight” parade.

RubiconPhoto

Growing by GivingOur school DECA Club had an angel tree

for the Salvation Army. On the tree were thenames of twenty angels who are kids thatneed things for Christmas. There weremostly toys and clothes on the wish lists.Groups of three DECA students wereresponsible for one angel so that moneycould be pooled to buy presents of goodquality. My group went to WalMart to shopfor our angel. When we got back, there werestill several angels on the tree left so I tookcare of one by myself. I bought a warm coatat the Galleria. I hope that the coat will makethe little girl feel better. No doubt, it madeME feel better. It doesn't matter that you willnever see the person whom are you helpingbecause understanding that you brought amoment of joy to a kid is the reward.

Anastasiya Khlopina (FLEX, Russia)Hosted by Hyche family

West Blocton, AL

Celebrating American holidays is a trulyremarkable experience for me. It is achance to learn about American traditionsand beliefs.I had a lot of fun decorating our house

for the holidays. I helped put up theChristmas tree and the colorful lights. Myhost mom took out little wooden figures ofbiblical characters that were present duringChrist’s birth and asked me to positionthem under the miniature wooden stable onthe cupboard. It was really somethingspecial to me.

We spent our Christmas with a lovelyfamily from the neighborhood. Theyprepared a very large and diverse mealfollowed by two big cakes for dessert. Weexchanged presents and talked about thestory of Christmas and how the holidaytraditions are connected to the Bible. Iknow that I will never forget my firstAmerican Christmas, not just because itwas a first, but also because it was alegitimately wonderful and fulfillingexperience that will always be part of me.Dorde Cadenovic (A-SMYLE,Montenegro)

Hosted by the Dussinger familyWaxhaw, NC

A Special Christmas

Page 4

Live from the CapitolThe Quinone family brought ThunchanokRusmeererkset (Thailand) on a wonderful roadtrip from Tampa, Florida to Washington, D. C.for Christmas.

A Sweet Start to 2013In Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Thai studentPiyaporn Sae-Leaw kicked off the new yearwith a cookie party with her fellow exchangestudents: Angel Polishchuk (FLEX, Russia),Anđa Paunović (A-SMYLE, Serbia), AikaSydykova (FLEX, Kyrgyzstan), Daneil,Rosemalin Hama (Thailand) and Ann-ChristinLangejürgen (Germany). Piyaporn says,“Thank you to my host mom, Michelle Smith,for this party.”

Frozen in My MindWhen I was a kid watching television

shows, I was amazed by the white stufffalling from the sky. When my father told meit was snow, I said, “I want to go there andplay with that thing called snow.” Then hesaid, "One day, son. One day.” That day isright now. I'm in one of the coldest places inthe U.S. — Ohio.I came from a very hot country so my first

reaction to snow was to open my mouth andlet it fall onto my tongue. Of course, nobodyhad told me that snow doesn't taste like icecream, which is what I’d been thinking all ofmy life! I love snow because you can make asnowman, start a snow fight or even writeyour name in it just like I did. The beautifulwhite snow will be a memory frozen in mymind! Amo la nieve (I love snow).

Matias Romero (Mexico)Hosted by the Shimko family

Columbus, OH

An Avalanche of GiftsIn my country, Christmas is not as

important as it is in the U.S. Some shops anda few houses are decorated. People haveChristmas trees and children get presentsfrom Santa Claus, but that's all. We celebrateNew Year more than Christmas in Japan. SoI was surprised that everyone was lookingforward to Christmas for a month and weredoing many things for it. I got lots ofpresents. I had never received so manypresents at one time. I was very excited whenI opened them. It is one of my bestmemories.

Kotaro Imai (Japan)Hosted by the Schroeder family

Hanover, IN

Ho, Ho, Ho!On Christmas Eve my host brother and I

served dinner at a homeless shelter. I alsotaught Arabic in Sunday school and helpedmy neighbor make Christmas cookies. Icelebrated Christmas a week later when myhost family and I went to Lake Tahoe inNevada to see friends and my hostgrandparents. It was my first timesnowboarding and building snow-womenwith my host sister, Hana. We had a snowballfight and played the game Risk. I also wentice-skating with my friends, Dawn andRebecca, for my very first time, and I didn'tfall at all! My biggest challenge is missingmy family but my host family is amazingwhich helps a lot. I appreciate each momentthey spend with me.

Adan Daibes (YES, Israel)Hosted by the Abdul Cader family

San Luis Obispo, CA

A-SMYLE student Dorde Cadenovic from Montenegro appreciated the holiday feast.

Loving the White StuffI’ve lived seventeen years in a tropical

country – Indonesia. Coming to the U.S.gave me the opportunity to see snow andhave my first winter experience. It was earlyon a December morning when I saweverything was white outside. I immediatelychanged my clothes and did what I usuallyonly see on television – I made a snow fairy!Although it was so cold outside, it didn’tmatter because finally my dream becametrue.

Decky Novianoor (YES, Indonesia)Hosted by the Chapman family

Orange, MA

From Terrified toTriumphantApparently, skiing is difficult, particularly

if you haven't seen snow before. But onceyou know how to ski, it is the easiest thingever. When I started, I was literally terrified.I thought I would break my back. By mythird class, I had moved to the chair lift fromthe J bar, which I thought I would never everbe able to do. Now I ski regularly with theschool every Wednesday. I am becomingbetter and better over time. They tell me thatI will be a professional by the end of theyear!

Said Alhousreini (YES, Gaza)Rhodin-Swanberg family

Sharon, VT

Counting Down with CandyAt the Lambert home in Tampa, Florida, MiraHartmeier (Germany) shows FernandoSerrano Da Silva (Spain) the strings of ministockings filled with German candy that herparents sent to her and her host sister.

He’s Got GameThis was the first time that I celebrated

Christmas. I was excited but anxious becauseI had no idea what to do. It was trulyawesome. We had people from Ukraine,Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Pakistan and Brazilhere. My host dad has hosted students for thelast nineteen years, so it was amazing to hearfrom many of them on the phone. I hadplanned to buy a digital camera by the end ofthe year, but to my total surprise, my host dadgifted me one. It was my first time to seesnow.My host dad and another PAX official

arranged a trip to Boston to watch the BostonCeltics vs. Rockets game. I met a Pakistanifamily there and we had lunch together. Itwas hard to believe that I could meet peoplefrom my city here, thousands of miles away.Then we watched the basketball game. Iloved the environment at the arena. Theenthusiasm with which the fans supportedtheir teams was good to watch. I wascompletely lost in the game.

Muhammad Khattak (YES, Pakistan)Hosted by the Fournier family

Orange, MA

Holiday on ParadeRepresenting PAX at the Wilmington

Holiday Parade in North Carolina wereDenisse Arnold (Mexico), Jana Antonelli(Spain), Andrea Cardona Santos (Mexico),Ilaria Romanello (Italy), Anna Graf(Sweden), Panitporn Sivakunakorn(Thailand), Olatz Muneta (Spain) and hostsister Cecila Britton. The group plasteredCoordinator Tracy Bickel’s car with theirhomeland flags, dressed in their nationalcostumes and led the way with a banner.

Gaza YES student Said’s first and only fall

Snow Days& Hol idays

Designed to DelightThese teens proved quite talented at the art of gingerbread houses. They made them at the homeof Ronald and Tami Young in Tupelo, Mississippi. Pictured are: Katarina Astala (Finland), EllaRauth (Germany), Anastasiia Nikiforova (FLEX, Russia), Carlota Manzan (Spain), NattanidKittisorayat (Thailand) and Nikolette Kolkinn (Norway).

Winter is something new for me because Iwas born in a tropical country. That’s whywhen my host family asked me to gosledding, I said, “YES!” I felt a little bitafraid before I went. At first, negativethoughts passed through my mind such aswhat if I break my head or legs or arms?But then I had positive thoughts. Well, I

can’t go sledding when I go back to my

country, so I better try it now. Everything willbe fine. From the top of the hill, I rode thesled down. It went so fast. I felt so happy thatI screamed, “LET’S DO IT AGAIN!”If there’s an experience that I can’t do in

my country, I’ll say yes to trying it, even if itis just once. That’s better than never, right?

Wahyuni Putri (YES, Indonesia)Hosted by the Paske family

Layton, UT

Now or Never

Page 5

‘Tis the SeasonOur exchange students and their host

parents held a potluck meal at the home ofGary and Pam Monaghan to get the holidayseason started in fine fashion. Host parentJeff Bowen gave the invocation. Afterenjoying a delectable meal, the groupenjoyed playing “Dirty Santa.” Everyoneloved the game and had so much fun. Someof the gifts were hilarious! After the giftgame, host father Joe Lukas asked eachstudent questions, and their answers werevery good. We ended the night by singingChristmas carols led by host father MichaelBarron.

Mary Payne HairaldCommunity Coordinator

Nettleton, MS

Hats off to the Northern Mississippi PAXclusters for winning second place in the TupeloChristmas Parade. The Monaghans, hostparents to Ukrainian FLEX student AnastasiiaAlekseienko, designed and built the giganticfloat which featured reindeer pulling a sleigh, atrain loaded with presents, several Christmastrees, elves, and of course, Santa. CoordinatorsMary Payne Hairald and Glenda Jones rode onthe float while the students walked alongside itwith their flags.

Nader Hanna (YES, Egypt), host brother Zach Paske, Wahyuni Putri (YES, Indonesia) and hostbrother Trake Paske take on a Utah hill.

Stars and StripesI looked forward to Christmas and it

finally happened. My family made me thegreatest gift, a big American flag with thesignatures of my host family! A few dayslater New Years Day came. I've noticedAmericans are less excited about it thanChristmas. In my country it is a veryimportant holiday. The whole family gathersaround the table, listening to the president'sspeech at midnight with lots of food, etc.

Tygran Daniyelyan (FLEX, Ukraine)Hosted by the Odom family

Shreveport, LA

The Big SurpriseWhat was most exciting was the surprise I

received at Christmas. It was when thedoorbell rang. My host asked me to open thedoor. I wondered, "Oh, why don’t they get itsince they are closer? As I got to the door, Ifelt something. Then, I opened the door andwhat I saw, I'd never expected to see. It wasmy real Argentinian little brother withgingerbread cookies, and right by him, myreal Argentinian parents!As soon as I saw my family, I fainted.

When I opened my eyes, there were my hostparents and my real family staring at me,laughing and crying of happiness, andrecording it with a video camera. It was likethose dreams I used to have when I firstarrived, where my Argentinian life wasmixed with my American life.I enjoyed a beautiful Christmas with my

two families. We took them to the main citiesaround here, introduced them to myAmerican friends and to the people at mychurch. I'm so thankful that my familiesorganized all this for months in secret inorder to give me an awesome surprise gift!They made me so happy!

Federico Canosa (Argentina)Hosted by the Lantrip family

Enumclaw, WA

Share Your ExperienceCongratulations to the Contest Winners

Video “My California Dream” by Lionel Adrichem (Switzerland)

Project 1 Theme: Welcome to the U.S.

Winner: Lionel Adrichem (Switzerland)Hosted by the Kline family in La Grange, CA

Runner-Up: Camille Frippiat (Belgium)Hosted by the Hilton family in Richland, MO

Third Place: Sadhana Annamalai Dhananjayan (YES, India)Hosted by the Rivet family in Springfield, MO

Project 2 Theme: Share Your Culture

Winner: Aida Oktombekoa (FLEX, Kyrgyzstan)Hosted by the Moe family in Waltham, MN

Runner Up: Raquel Jiménez (Spain)Hosted by the Stapp family in Alpine, UT

Third place: Veronika Radinovska (FLEX, Ukraine)Hosted by the Taylor family in Westport, IN

Students, be sure to check your PAX emailaccounts to find out how to enter the next two

“Share Your Experience” contests.

Drawing by Veronika Radinovska(FLEX, Ukraine)

To view the fivewinning “Share YourExperience” videos,follow the links on the“What’s New” pageof the PAX website,www.pax.org.

Snow Day!December 20 was a snow day! It cheered

up some students. We did not have schoolbecause there was a big snowstorm, abouteight inches. No school not only meant abreak for the students and teachers, but it alsokept people safe. The roads were blocked bysnow and so slippery. It’s pretty common forcar accidents to happen in those conditions.On that day, my host family and I had fun

shoveling the snow. Back in my country, Ionly see ice in the freezer. Learning thedifferences can open our minds!

Anis Wulandari (YES, Indonesia)Hosted by the Graf family

Appleton, WI

When I told my friends that we don'tcelebrate Christmas in Kyrgyzstan, theywere very surprised and said that I wouldlove it. They were absolutely right! It is amagical time. My favorite part was early inthe day. My host siblings and I ran out andsaw a lot of presents under the tree. It was

super exciting. We were in pajamas all day,which made for the atmosphere ofChristmas. We had a wonderful dinner andthen watched Christmas movies. I'm sothankful for such a wonderful newexperience with my host family.

Sagipa Chorobekova (FLEX,Kyrgyzstan) Hosted by the Makela family

Ipswich, SD

A Magical TimeKyrgyz FLEX student Sagipa, right, with her host sisters on Christmas morning

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Marching ForwardIn South Dakota, Germans Celine Derer andSophie Kranhold carried the banner for theirschool! They are hosted by the Bender familyand Schnoor family, respectively.

American DreamChildhood dream of freedom country

Fairytales about native life tree.One day the dream comes true...First I was afraid, I was petrified.

Kept thinking I could never live without Kazakhstan.America is freedom land, it's a multinational place,

First time in another space,With other people, another culture.

But I braved this adventure.Oh the culture shock, all the problems that I facedAnd in this case, I was alone, I was depressed,

I had been stressed.I couldn't hide what pain I had inside.

But then I spent a lot of days and nights,Who, tell me, helped me to survive?

Who was near me all the time?Who supported me when I tried?

I am so grateful for you, my host family.Only you saw how I felt awfully,You opened your doors for me,

and taken care so warmly.In school I was lonely, sad enough,I couldn't smile, talk and even laugh.

Everything was so hardI started to think that I took the wrong card!

But time goes fast every day,I realize that I'll go home in May.

Unique chance God gave me to be here:To be part of a big world, to be what I really want.

I am ambassador from my country!Now I am not afraid!

I am here to distribute my country to this worldIt'll be not enough to say a couple words.

I am here to break a stereotype,To stop the thoughts of people our type.

Borat is a lie. It's not a truth.Who, if not me, will show the proof?

Now four months have past,I blow fear as dust.

One day the dream comes real,People just don't see what they have near.

I will not stop, I will surviveI will explore to change our life.

And now I know that work and studying hard,Will show me a good result.Grass is green, sky is blue

Now I realize, America, how I love you!For being here, for having an awesome time,I want to thank you from this heart of mine!

Tokzhan Zharkenova (FLEX, Kazakhstan)Hosted by the Erdmann family

Waubay City, SD

Earned First Place inBusiness CompetitionI am a DECA (business club) member at

Neenah High School. I was extremelyexcited about my first competition in GreenBay, Wisconsin. As soon as I stepped into thebuilding I felt that it was going to be a greatday because I saw my flag hanging from theceiling!The first part of the competition was two

tests in marketing and economics. Thesecond part was role plays in front of judgesto solve problems. I had so much fun playinga vice president and a manager.After lunch we went to the award

ceremony. I clapped as Neenah students gotawards. Finally, the marketing managementresults were announced. My heart startedpounding because they called my name,pronouncing it wrong, of course. They gaveme two medals for the highest econ andmarketing score!Shortly later, they announced the overall

champions. I was in seventh heaven when Iwas given the first place award!

Inna Tsoi (FLEX, Kyrgyzstan)Hosted by the Novy family

Neenah, WI

FLEX student Inna Tsoi’s host sisters don herchampion medals.

Filipino Radzmier Abdul is in the first row, second spot. His fellow YES student, MoroccanAnouar Hilali, is in the second row, far right.

The Free Press/Janet S. Carter

The Real SopranosCongratulations to Yuliya Akentyeva, a

FLEX student from Kazahkstan, who wasselected to be in the Washington CountyUtah Honor Choir. Students from six localhigh schools practiced and performed underthe direction of a college professor at DixieState College in St. George, Utah. Yuliyalives with the Simpson family this year.

Laurel Paul, Community Coordinatorand Utah Area Manager

The Big WinWith two goals at critical moments, StanVanclooster led his soccer team to victory in theteam’s first ever state playoff match. TheBogan family hosts the Belgian student inKinston, North Carolina.

I Love PAXCoordinator Tracy Smith’s PAX students spelled it out in Minnesota: Anouar Hilali (YES,Morocco), Radzmier Abdul (YES, Philippines), Fairuz Prastyanti (YES, Indonesia),Alexandru Mahmoud (YES, Lebanon), Kseniya Garbuzova (FLEX, Ukraine), KristinaMakarenko (FLEX, Russia), Eltaj Hasanova (FLEX, Azerbaijan) and Aida Oktombekova(FLEX, Kyrgyzstan).

Cruisin’ for FunWhen Sofia Miron Barroso (Spain) and FannyWillieme (Belgium) saw this card onChristmas, they couldn’t believe it. On theback was an invitation to go on a cruise withtheir New York host family, the Jordans.

Girls Hockey RulesThis was my first time playing ice hockey.

I was not sure I should play it because it costsa lot of money for the equipment and fees,and moreover, I can’t bring all the equipmentback home. But after I watched my first realhockey game with my host brother, JacobBailey, I totally changed my mind. Beforethe season started, I went to stick time at theice rink to learn basic hockey. Guess what?My host siblings were my coaches! We diddry land training for four weeks beforegetting on the ice. It was hard, making mealmost out of breath (seriously). The firstweek on ice wasn’t that good because I wasstill new but all my teammates and coachesreally inspired me, especially Rebecca, myhost sister. She is really enthusiastic andalways gives 110% in both practice andgames. I want to be like her some day.This has been the best part of my life here:

doing something I never did before, doing itwell and meeting nice people who becamemy best friends.

Bhacharawarai Wongluang (Thailand)Hosted by the Bailey family

Guilford , VT

Talking TurkeyKajo Krummenacher (Switzerland) and his host brother, Gabe Evans, chowed down on turkeylegs at an Alabama festival.

Deciding which sport to do was a harddecision to make. I am from the Philippinesand most people there like basketball,including myself. But then I had a secondthought. I came here to America with amission, like in a video game. For mental,spiritual, and physical reasons. With thehelp of my host dad and a friend, Edgar, I

made up my mind to wrestle. It was not thathard at first, but then I realized that I'm nothere just to be physically active but also tolearn and have fun in wrestling. I amwrestling at 106 pounds. I have 2 wins in 9matches and more to go. I can do this!

Radzmier Abdul (YES, Philippines)Hosted by the Roberts family

Elkton, MN

I Can Do This!

Bhacharawarai Wongluang (Thailand) and herhost sister, Rebecca Potter, show their hockeyplayer game growl.

What’s the Buzz?When Jessica Inglesis (France) came to

Alabama to host mom Betty Frater’s home,she was told that she would soon fall in lovewith sweet Alabama. Jessica knows sweetwines and champagne from her region ofFrance, but she had much to learn aboutharvesting sweet gooey honey frombeehives. Beekeeper Bobby Short taught herhow to smoke out the bees to access thehoney for another kind of sweet.

Cindy ThigpenCommunity Coordinator

Maylene, AL

Go Green!See www.pax.org “What’s New” pagefor the PAX Goes GREEN contestdetails. The entry deadline is April 24.

Reveling in RussiaNovember 16 was a busy day! For six

hours I gave presentations on Russia to sevenclasses at McAdory Elementary School forInternational Education Week. The time that

I spent with the students was fun andeducational, entertaining and challenging,full of new discoveries of the world,questions, smiles and thanks. I hadn’timagined that it would be so interesting andexciting for fifth graders to meet somebodyfrom Russia. They learned a lot and nowsome of them want to study Russianlanguage and visit my country one day. I toldthe children about our magnificent land andnature, fascinating cities and historicalplaces, outstanding Russian people anddelicious food. Most of all, the students likedlearning how to say “yes”, “no”, “bye”,“thank you”, “hi” and “my name is” inRussian.

Anastasiya Khlopina (FLEX, Russia)Hosted by Hyche family

West Blocton, AL

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Ask Me about KazakhstanDonning a ceremonial hat from Kazakhstan, Kuralay Talgat answered questions about hercountry’s government and culture. The Hixon family hosts the FLEX student in Iowa.

Celebrating CultureAt the St. Petersburg, Florida InternationalFolk Fair, these PAX girls enjoyed seeing someof their countries being represented. Picturedare: Onjira Kiatchalermkhun (Thailand),Chanhwi Park (South Korea), SolvaarEspeland (Norway), ThunchanokRusmeererkset (Thailand) and Yunfan Jiang(China).

The Heart of BangladeshDuring International Education Week I

gave ten presentations on Bangladesh.Currently I am in Future Leaders of America,on my school newspaper and in forensicswhere I will be giving a speech on exchangestudents.I was able to enjoy the Wisconsin winter

and snow which was fascinating to me.Moreover, I tried some fun activities liketubing, bowling and snowball fights. I wenton a trip to Old World Wisconsin to learnabout Christmas during the 18th and 19thcentury. At present I am managing the girls’basketball team and it is a totally newexperience for me.

Tabassum Shahjahan (YES, Bangladesh)Hosted by the Pennings family

Bonduel, WI

Memphis, TennesseeGiorgi Rostomashvili (FLEX, Georgia) andJavier Ferrer Diaz (Spain) went to see the city’sNBA team play basketball.

Rubicon Photo

Tanzanian Chosen forTeacher WorkshopJanuary 8th turned out to be a nice day

because I got selected to participate in theYouth Leaders in Teaching of Englishworkshop. Twenty-eight YES, FLEX and A-SMYLE students werechosen. It seemedimpossible to getselected from the 250students who appliedfor it. My host parentswere really proud whenI told them and thatmeant something big to me. They have beenmy inspiration on everything, even when Idon’t believe in myself. I am also proud thatI am going to represent my country because Iam the only person from there to be chosen,so that is a big thing, too. I have alwaysdreamt of being recognized for something ina foreign land and finally my dream hascome true. I can’t express how happy I am.

Samira Ali (YES, Tanzania)Hosted by the Buckley family

Sedona, AZ

St. Petersburg, FloridaOnjira Kiatchalermkhun (Thailand) andYunfan Jiang (China) and their host mom,Yvonne Morgan, hit the beach.

Niagara Falls, CanadaSpaniard Laura Luengo Bravo went with herMichigan hosts, the Hinkley family, to see oneof the world’s great natural wonders.

Orlando, FloridaItalian Ilaria Romanello, Spaniard OlatzMuneta and German Tobias Wirtz had a blastat Disney World and Universal Studios.

POSTCARDS

Discovering Our Common BondsThis past November during International Education Week, PAX students pouredinto classrooms to give presentations. Students and teachers alike appreciatedthe chance to hear their international studentsʼ perspectives.

All About IndonesiaYES student Wahyuni Putri gave a well thought out presentation on Indonesia to her classmates.The Paske family hosts her in Layton, Utah.

Spotlight on FinlandAlong with a presentation to my English

class, I did other ones during InternationalEducation Week. In my music class, I playedthe Finnish national song and then performed"Jingle Bells" in Finnish. I had the classguess what song it was. For my history class,I spoke about some current events in Finlandand my favorite president. I read a famousFinnish children’s storybook to my hostmom’s primary school class.

Karoliina Koivupuisto (Finland)Hosted by the Olsen family

Taylorsville, UT

Iowa PAX Students Take 200 Guests on aGourmet Tour Around the WorldThis past November Cedar Rapids PAXstudents treated school administers, teachers,family members and friends to a feast,complete with entertainment and songs fromtheir homelands. The guests received recipecards so that they could repeat the nationaldishes the students prepared. The groupextends a special thanks to Mount VernonHigh School for hosting the event.

Rubicon Photo

In back: Sofia Garcia (Spain), Cristina Santamarta (Spain), Kuralay Talgat (FLEX,Kazakhstan), Guillermo Vega (Spain), Madelen Kittelsen (Norway), Nathalie Blasin(Belgium), Ruixin "Jasmine" Deng (China), Jeanine Kaemper (Germany), Menna Abozied(YES, Egypt) and Coordinator Jeff Schmatt. In the front row: Marco Marco (YES, Tanzania),Oscar Ngombo (YES, Kenya), Tim Schwarzwald (Germany) and Arthur Piret (Belgium).

Page 8

Korean Pig Feet —Surprisingly Good!Hyungyung, our foreign exchange student

from South Korea had her birthday onDecember 26th. We celebrated by going toan authentic Korean restaurant. Although wehad experienced several Korean dishes thatHyungyung had prepared, this diningexperience was a treat for all. The only non-Koreans in the restaurant were us. We werethe foreigners and Hyungyung was right athome.Hyungyung enjoyed chatting with the

waiter and telling us about her favoritefoods. It was a BBQ style restaurant with thecharcoal grill right in the table. You orderyour meal and they bring you a bowl of rice,raw meat, and many side dishes. It is yourresponsibility to cook your own meat to yourdesired temperature.Before we enjoyed the main courses of

samgyupsal (pork belly), bulgogi (beef), andchadolbagi (thinly cut beef), we ordered anappetizer jokbal, which is pig feet. Never inmy life would I have dreamed that I would

love pig feet wrapped in a lettuce leaf with avery salty sauce. I had to make myself stopeating it to have room for the main dish.The food was delicious but the best part

was seeing my two children embrace theexperience. They tried many new foods andwanted to learn Korean words such as “thankyou” and “where is the restroom”.I'm sure if Hyungyung wasn't in our life

we would have never sought out thisrestaurant and had this experience. On theway home, the children talked about otherethnic restaurants we should try. Thank you,PAX, for helping make this possible.

Hyungyung Lee (South Korea)Hosted by the Payne family

Rushville, IN

Sweet SixteenSouth Korean Juree Jeong hugs her Alabamahost mother, Donna Ott, during her birthdayparty.

This Song is For YouSo I say a little prayer. Hope my dreams willtake me there. Where the skies are blue. Tosee you once again…my love. All the seasfrom coast to coast. Find the place I love themost. Where the fields are green. To see youonce again…my love.A song called “My Love” from the group

Westlife was the song that I sang in the talentshow at my school on January 12. I dedicatedit to my hosts, the Gonzalez family. When itwas my turn, they did not know that I wouldsing this song and give a short speech aboutthem. I wanted to surprise them. After myperformance, I saw their tears.I am really happy to have them as my host

family. They are such a nice family and arevery understanding. I like to share everythingwith them such as my culture. Cooking isone of my favorite times with them. We cookall kinds of foods, such as Thai food,Mexican foods and Indonesian foods. Theylike the Indonesian peanut sauce and fruitsalad that I make. I just want to say thanksfor everything they have done for me since Ihave been here. I love you, my Americanfamily.

Stella Monica (YES, Indonesia)Hosted by the Gonzalez family

Berryville, VA.

Our Bright LightOn the dark, cold nights of Lake Oswego,

Oregon, our student Natan is the bright light.His good nature, sense of humor and athleticprowess make him an incredible addition toour family. He’s on the undefeated LakeOswego High School basketball team,ranked #14 in the nation, so we get to watchhim play at least two nights a week. We havehosted team dinners and the guys enjoyPortland Trail Blazers basketball gamestogether. Natan also participated in the 17thAnnual Les Schwab Invitational Slam Dunkcontest over winter break. The highlightvideo of it on YouTube has gone viral!

The Bolger familyHosts for Natan Jurkovitz (Switzerland)

Lake Oswego, OR

got culture?

PAX students speak English, have personal spending money and are fully insured.To learn more about hosting, call PAX at 1-800-555-6211 or visit www.pax.org

host an international high school exchange student and bring the world to you

it’s closer than you think

Little Brother, Big Fun“Having a little brother for the first time is awonderful experience!” exclaims Khloud AlZubi, pictured playing in snow with him. TheJordanian YES student is hosted by theDryden family in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The ThreeMusketeersInes Martinez (Spain),host sister Sweet Davisand Selina Rachor(Germany) are quitethe trio in theClanton, Alabama.Coordinator CindyThigpen notes that theexchange students,now like Alabamanatives, argue overwhich is better, theAlabama or Auburnfootball teams!

Once Strangers,Now a FamilyMattridi Ramansiriwong (YES, Thailand)

and Dusan Stanojevic, (A-SMYLE, Serbia)are enjoying Alaska with their host parent,Edward Morgan.Dusan and Mattridi were not used to the

Alaskan winter. Mattridi had never even seensnow before getting to Alaska. In Decemberthe temperature got down to -47F degreesbelow freezing! Even though it was hard forthem to adapt to the new climate, they gotmaximum help and support from their hostfather who helped them choose warm arcticclothing.Four mornings a week Ed drives Dusan to

play guitar for jazz band practice at 5:30 am.After school Mattridi works out at the gymwith Ed, while Dusan has cross-countryskiing practice.They are from different cultures and

different parts of the world, but that never

presented an obstacle to having good timestogether. They spend every weekend eitherdoing volunteer work or visiting the culturalcenters of Alaska.Labor Day weekend found them sailing

out of Valdez in Ed's sailboat. Over the two-week Christmas holiday break, Ed took themto Hawaii where they played in the surf andsunshine, enjoyed many outdoor activities,rode in a submarine, and toured both thePearl Harbor Memorial and PolynesianCultural Center. They had an amazing time!None of this would ever have been

possible without their host dad, Ed, whohelps them to the best of his ability.At one point they were just three strangers

at the airport, but now, a half a year later,they have become family and Ed Morgan hasbecome their real father.

Pamela TwitchellCommunity Coordinator

Fairbanks, AK

Our Greatest Gift“We had a wonderful holiday season with Kristel. She is such a blessing to our family. We lookforward to having a friendship with her for many years to come,” says host mother, Lori Pence ofIndiana. “Hosting has been a very rewarding and fulfilling adventure.” Kristel Orantes Coello(Mexico) is pictured on the far right with Lori’s nieces.

Catch Me if You CanMy host family is very kind to me.

They’ve taken me to many places such asMoab, New Mexico and caves. During theweekends, we cook Thai food (yummy!) andwatch a lot of movies and TV shows. Thosehelp my listening skills improve! With myhost sister and brother, we play games suchas tag, hide and seek, etc. They fulfill amissing part of me because I have five oldersiblings in Thailand. Now, I am the oldestone. I love what I have, the best host family.

Suthida Sujaritsrichaikul (Thailand)Hosted by Villalobos-Flores family

Eagle Mountain, UT