Pinoy exchange students have time of their lives in US

WASHINGTON — Forty-one high schoolers from across the Philippines, many of them poor, some of them disabled but all of them smart as a whip, are heading back home with a lifetime of happy memories after a year as exchange students in the United States.

The Filipinos were among 454 students from countries with significant Muslim populations awarded full scholarships under the State Department’s Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program to spend one academic year in various US states.

They lived with host families and attended local high schools to learn about US society and values and help educate Americans about their own countries and cultures.

Started in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001 the YES program aims to build bridges of understanding between Americans and other peoples.

In the 2003-04 academic year 160 students from Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, Egypt, Kuwait, Syria, Yemen, Turkey and Pakistan participated in the program.

The number of participants rose to 454 in 2004-05 and the list of countries expanded to include the Philippines, Iraq, Morocco, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh and the Israeli Arab community.

The majority of the students are Muslims, but there are also many Christians.

The Filipinos said they were chosen from among 360 of their own peers after hurdling divisional, regional and national essay competitions.

While in the US they received a monthly allowance of $125.

They said a key lesson they learned and the one they would carry with them the rest of their lives was the importance of being independent and self-reliant.

All agreed they had the time of their lives in America and given half the chance would want to come back.

Some were so overwhelmed by their experience they were moved to tears.

Joel Francia, 17, of Sampaloc, Manila said the first time it snowed in Buffalo, New York where he lived, he ran into the streets with his arms outstretched, catching snowflakes. Then he burst into tears at the thought he was doing something he never dreamed was possible.

Now, of course, he’s a ‘seasoned’ veteran and nonchalantly told The STAR that Buffalo had eight feet of snow this winter "but it wasn’t too bad."

He can’t wait to tell his father Raul Francia, a taxi cab driver, and his mother Imelda Acosta his experiences.

Armieyah Ayob, 16, a Muslim from Cotabato, lived in Wisconsin and said she never once felt discriminated against because of her religion or the color of her skin.

"It was great because they treated me just like they treated everyone else," she said.

"They gave me every opportunity to practice my religion. They encouraged me to go to the mosque regularly and my American mom even accompanied me to the mosque," she added.

But for Carla de la Cruz, 17, of Quezon City, who studied in Maryland, her initial reaction at being treated just like everyone else was one of shock.

She expected special treatment, she said, because she suffers from spinal bifeda and is wheelchair-bound.

Marlon Celso, 18, of Manila also expected special treatment in Michigan because he suffers from dwarfism and has to move around in a wheelchair.

Celso, whose father Diosdado is a tricycle driver, has a scholarship waiting for him at Lyceum University in the Philippines as soon as he graduates from Villamor High School.

Recounting her first experience on reaching the home of her host parents, De la Cruz, one of 11 children of Pedro and Adoracion de la Cruz, said when she asked for a glass of water she was shown the fridge and told to get it herself.

"I couldn’t believe it because back home my siblings or parents would do it for me," she said. 

"When my American mom and dad told me I had to do most everything on my own, I was horrified," De la Cruz said. "Now I want to do everything on my own. It feels good to be independent. It feels good to be your own boss."

De la Cruz and Celso were among several dozen youths from a number of countries presented at the State Department on Wednesday (June 29) and made available for press interviews.

Many of the exchange students said they came to refer to their host parents as "mom" and "dad," not because they had to, but because it felt natural after awhile.

For Don Michael de Leon, 16, of Makati, Rizal who spent his year in Texas and whose real father abandoned the family when he was young, "it was the first time I had a father figure to look up to." 

And what did the Filipino students miss most? 

"Our own food. Talagang miss na miss naming an pagkain Pilipino," they chorused.

They said it was unfortunate that the few times the Philippines was mentioned in news reports, "the news was not good."

They were always put on the defensive, they said, having to explain repeatedly that the situation in the Philippines was not as bad as news reports portrayed it.

Many said they were able to disprove the stereotype that American parents do not love their children as much as Filipino parents do or that US students are spoiled.

"Back home, we think Americans are tough because they encourage children to move out of the house when they turn 18. But actually they are teaching them to be independent, to look out for themselves.

"In contrast, a lot of Filipino parents have married children still living with them," said De Leon.

Ayob said the variety of courses offered at US schools and the opportunity to switch subjects to "find something that you like doing is a big bonus we don’t have back home."