As an exchange student from Kyrgyzstan, I've been lucky to experience a school system in the United States that opened my eyes to new possibilities - as well as appreciate what I've had back at home from kindergarten through high school. Having experienced both systems, I can see some upside and downside in each. For example, here in South Florida, I‘ve been attending a public high school since August 2008 that has offered me a very different classroom experience than I had back home. At South Fork HS in Stuart FL, for the first time in my life I've been allowed to choose my own courses. I've been given a chance to interact with different students in a variety of classes during each school day. It's been a great pleasure to be surrounded by so many different students and making friends with many of them - in school and out.  Also, the school's diverse student body - ethnically, racially and linguistically - is very unusual. It helps demonstrate that teenagers from different cultural backgrounds have more in common with each other than some might believe and that this diversity is one of America's greatest assets - especially in a world gone global.

Another unusual phenomenon for me has been the incredibly strong school spirit in a public high school. It's amazing, especially when it comes to sports and competition with other schools. It brings the whole school together and makes each game or event special for both players and fans. Personally, I enjoyed playing for the school's varsity soccer team and competing with other schools for the championship. Student athletes have very busy schedules. But no matter what, the academic part comes first; because students can't participate if they don't have a satisfactory GPA.

As you can imagine, the educational scene in Kyrgyzstan and in my private high school in particular is very different from the experience I've been having in America. Back home, the academic part is more difficult and demanding because of the significant difference in the number of the courses you take each year. Students usually don't choose their classes and go all the way from elementary school through high school as a fixed group. There are no true electives, and non-core courses are few in number. In general, the athletic or non-academic aspect of school life is not well-developed.

The flip side of this comparison is that in my country, students have to win scholarships by excelling in academic Olympiads rather than sports. Students who win first place in national competitions are rewarded by a "golden free pass" to any university in Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, those who go ahead and succeed in a world-level Olympiad might gain entry to any college in the world. In my Kyrgyz-Turkish high school, classes are taught in four languages by both local and foreign teachers, giving us an exposure to a more international style of education. Teachers are very serious and demanding, and it makes students try to do their best. Of course, the social distance between student and teacher is greater than here at my American school. And sometimes that can be a lost opportunity - especially for a teenager with lots on his or her mind. Here in the States, students seem to kid around with many of their teachers and feel free to say almost anything, as if they were neighbors or your friends' parents. At South Fork, my weightlifting teacher made we work, but he also made me feel welcome.

Yet, there is something to be said for keeping things serious. American students are not strongly encouraged to learn foreign languages - or even to know where to find Kyrgyzstan on the map. They're fortunate to speak English - a language spoken and read all over the world - but that's  not enough. Nor is it enough to know where to locate only one country or one continent - even if North America has been pretty important for the past hundred years (World Cup soccer aside). I hope I've helped spark some interest in Central Asia, by showing them a DVD from my country or introducing them to a simple Kyrgyz shepherd's hat.

Also, many American students don't appreciate how lucky they are to live in such a diverse country, with people from all over the world. A lot of students have cars, computers, and other expensive things, and I think it may diminish their hunger to accomplish something on their own. I came to the U.S. and was very surprised that high school students drive to school in their own cars. Back home, it rarely works that way, because few can afford such a luxury. Most students have to find other ways to get around. Typically, they use public transportation and thereby narrow the social distance between students. In general, the youth in my country need to do their best in order to gain the benefits many affluent American students already have. To my way of thinking, this struggle makes their possessions seem more valuable.

What more can I say? I've loved my senior year here at South Fork HS - my fellow students, teachers, administrators, my soccer teammates and coaches, the football team's mascot and cheerleaders. Yea! Go Bulldogs!! My host family and many others at school, in the neighborhood and around town have made this 10-month joy-ride a dream come true. These guys rock! And I can't thank the U.S. State Department and my sponsoring organization - the Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI - www.cci-exchange.com) enough for all they've done to help get me here, show me the best time a teenager could have and, hopefully, send me back to my dear family and friends in Kyrgyzstan so I can begin sharing this experience with them as well.

Watch for my next blog post as I describe my anticipated culture shock on returning home - the national exams, my high school's exams, more exams to gain entrance to a university, and finally waiting for an acceptance letter and financial support from the school of my choice. I hope I have good news to report. And thank you, The Public Manager, for letting me share international exchange experience with your readers. I encourage them to volunteer and host a student like me during the next school year. They won't be sorry.

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of being one of 57 high school students who participated in a 5-day conference at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The event - Better Understanding for a Better World - was organized by Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat, President of the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (www.CECF.org) and an exceptionally caring person. Participants represented a variety of international exchange programs, including mine - the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program of the U.S. Department of State (http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/flex.html) - that accounted for more than a third of the students at the event.

We had an opportunity to spend time with young people from all over the world, all of whom are living with host families from across the United States. In five short days, CECF provided an intensive program of presentations, discussion sessions, visits to a mosque, church and synagogue, networking and, of course, having an incredible time at a variety of Disney theme parks. Such a big world became small during the program. In this unique environment, tiny pieces of a puzzle came together and formed a beautiful picture of peace and friendship.

It's amazing that young people of different religions, nationalities, creeds and races are not so different after all. We felt like we were part of a big family - and the conference demonstrated this reality in a powerful, and at times, emotional way. For example, there were exchange students from as far apart as Tunisia and Ghana in West Africa and from the Phillipines and Indonesia in East Asia. I myself come from Central Asia, and there were others - teenage boys and girls - from Central Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and South Asia. Almost lost among us, there was one lone American from Oregon. After five days of being surprised and inspired by each other, one girl from Indonesia expressed her sadness over our parting. But she also spoke for all of us in sharing her gratitude for the opportunity to experience this special joy. We were all deeply moved by her quiet words, as tears welled up in our eyes.

Today's youth are the future and hope of the entire planet - no matter which country we come from. It is very important that people understand and appreciate the potential of the world's youth, their desire for change right now and in the future. That's why international student exchange programs can be so valuable and effective. They represent a great opportunity to create strong bonds of friendship among countries. Moreover, the exchange experience helps students understand social and cultural differences, provides them with new perspectives and information, and allows them to reflect on how to translate new ideas into leading change back home.

One incident at the Disney gathering illustrates how our views were influenced by the diversity of participants. Our group included a Turkish girl and an Armenian guy. At first, they didn't talk at all until the very last night of our gathering. Why? Because of the complicated history between the two peoples. But after being encouraged to reach out, they spent an hour talking about the gap between their two cultures and realizing that this generation should not be held back by their grandfathers' choices. And other students whose national, ethnic or religious backgrounds have kept their societies apart also took the opportunity to get to know one another.

The CECF conference was a big deal for those of us who care about peace in the world. More than 50 students, who speak different languages, live in different cultures and belong to different faiths were given a chance to actually spend quality time together and communicate with each other, to learn so much, and to think and behave as citizens of the world. Imam Arafat reminded us that there is no need to divide people and countries, to judge religions and beliefs, to close yourself off from the rest of the world. As the only participant from Kyrgyzstan (http://plus.aol.com/aol/reference?query=Kyrgyzstan&flv=1), I felt a big responsibility to be an ambassador for peace and cooperation. What I learned was that all change begins with an idea and belief in the possibility of achieving a more perfect world. The rest is up to people who can make it happen.

This remarkable event at Disney World which focused on the role of youth in understanding and communicating new global perspectives gave me a lot to think about and inspired my continued optimism. I want to reach out to my new friends and keep them in my life for many years to come. I'm very grateful to my sponsoring organization, the Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI - www.cci-exchange.com) for including me in this event. So far, it's the high point of my 1-year international exchange in America.

The United States is a 220-year-old democracy whose growth has been fueled by a world-wide immigration that began in the 17^th century and continues to this day. While the main ideals of the United States are: patriotism, liberty, equality, and justice for all, the country's history has not always lived up to these tenets. Slavery was only abolished in the latter half of the 19^th century, and such institutions as segregation, and "separate but equal education" were big problems up until just 40 years ago. Nevertheless, America has made tremendous progress in developing a pluralistic society by building new relationships among its diverse elements. Nowadays, the U.S. is one of the strongest countries of the world, a "melting pot" where people of all nationalities and races come together to work and live their lives in peace. The cultural, ethnic, linguistic and social differences are a wonderful source of flexibility and strength for the United States and represent a remarkable achievement and a big advantage for the nation.

As an exchange student from Kyrgyzstan (in the Future Leaders Exchange Program - or FLEX), I'm getting a unique chance to see and experience a different lifestyle and worldview. Student diversity here at South Fork High School in Stuart, Florida exposes me to new ways of thinking and behaving every day - in class, on the soccer field, in the stands at football and basketball games, and sometimes after school at the local fast-food store. Personally, I get a big charge out of being surrounded by a diverse mix of young people, hearing different languages, regional and ethnic accents, and a wide range of colorful, local expressions. This daily experience is in stark contrast to what I have experienced in my own country.

Yet, every day I come to school, I see self-segregation among the students. Black students stay within the African-American community. Hispanic kids hang with their own group. And Whites congregate with other Caucasians. Of course, you have "mixed zones" - in the cafeteria, at sporting events, and even at school dances - where students interact without any tension or disrespect; but it's rare. On the surface, all of the students are equal, but if you look deeper it offers another picture. There are a lot of reasons for self-imposed segregation. Maybe it's just human nature - the need to feel safe and comfortable with a tight group. But nobody tells students to separate themselves from others. It just happens...voluntarily.

Although it's awesome that the country just elected an African-American president, just a few years ago it would have been considered a joke or something really impossible to achieve. Think about that. Until recent times, only Whites counted as full citizens, while others were seen as half-human and as property! I'm happy that the United States has made such progress and impressed by the flexibility of the American nation. It's obvious that building a country and society from so many different elements, with every nationality or ethnic group forming a small part of a big nation, is extremely difficult and takes time to perfect. It's what I heard candidate Barack Obama talking about throughout the recent campaign - building a more perfect union.

America's history and its younger generation's new horizons offer hope for Kyrgyzstan, a 17-year-old democracy with less diversity yet with major gaps between the North and South and other segments of our population. Although I don't believe our students segregate themselves as my classmates at South Fork do, Kyrgyzstan is a nation with strong cultural and religious customs that often make it difficult to realize democratic ideals. For me, spending a year in the United States provides an opportunity to look at the similarities and differences between our cultures. I can see the good, the bad, and the ugly and hopefully both learn and share ideas to improve how we treat each other.

In my next blog post, I'll explore some of the specific differences (and similarities) among youth from our two countries on issues of diversity - particularly on matters of education, work, gender, and other manners and customs. Meanwhile, if you have comments - of better yet - ideas and experiences of your own to exchange, don't be shy. Weigh in on my blog and let's explore a whole world of new horizons.