Loading ...Culture Shift: Bahraini Exchange Student’s Life in America
Image of America/Bahrain Flag. Source: Freepik
Yousef Ali is a foreign exchange student from Manama, Bahrain. This year he travelled to Washington, DC to participate in a foreign exchange program called, ISE (International Student Exchange). Yousef lived in Bahrain for 18 years before travelling to America to pursue his college education. He currently still lives in Bahrain and is planning to move to Washington, DC after completing his bachelor’s degree.
Why did you want to come to America to pursue your college education?
“Being an exchange student has always been a dream of mine. I really wanted to push myself to get out of my comfort zone and experience a new culture. What better place to experience a different culture than in the United States.”
“The daily life of Americans has always fascinated me and I wanted to learn more about how life is in America apart from what I see on the news. Being in a country where freedom is the main priority was very appealing to me and I wanted to compare how life is in America compared to Bahrain. I didn’t just come to America to experience the culture, but to also share my culture with my friends and classmates and see how things differ”
What has American culture taught you and how have you shared Arab culture with other people?
“American culture is much different then Bahraini culture, the etiquette, politeness, and speech was very different. Table manners are also very different in America and I was confused the first time I had a sit down meal with my friends. I also took note of how freedom blends so well into American society, it seems like every American lives by the virtues that the country was founded on. This aspect was appealing to me as I thought most Americans would have the same ideas and personalities. Even in American schools, how students express themselves and portray their ideas is different than in my home country. The curriculum was much different and there was much more open discussion”
“I tried showing my culture with my friends by talking with them, showing pictures of Bahrain, making Arab foods, and hanging my country’s flag in my room. I felt like I was able to talk about my country casually and everyone was open to learn about it. I’m glad that I demonstrated my culture to my friends, because not many people are familiar with Arab culture and even when someone asked me questions about my country, I never felt offended, I was always happy to share with them my story. I think that many countries lack clarity in their culture and if people from all different parts of the world were able to see that, I feel that we would get along much easier.”
Have you liked living in Washington, DC?
“Yes, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to live. Being in America’s capital is a dream come true of mine and being able to experience it first hand is pretty amazing. My first week here I made it a point to visit all the museums and experience as much of American history as possible. My favorite museum in DC was the spy museum. Although the natural history museum was a close second. I also was able to explore all the monuments and war sites that are placed around DC. I really was able to immerse myself in American culture by seeing these memorials and what the people that are in them experienced.
I’ve also been exploring DC in general, the food in Adams Morgan and other neighborhoods is incredible. Even the street hotdog I got at the national mall was delightful. Seeing a city have such vibrant cuisine from all different countries was something I wasn’t expecting. I was able to find Lebanese, Indian, and Thai food all within walking distance of my apartment. However, I was especially excited to try authentic American food. It seems like there’s a burger or pizza joint on every corner. My favorite pizza I’ve tried so far has definitely been Pizza Boli’s, I would give it 5 stars.”
Do you plan to come back to the US after you graduate?
“Yes, I love my home country of Bahrain and I’ve enjoyed living there for most of my life, but I would love to move to the US. The people and sights are amazing and I want to make my permanent home here some day.”
Check out our blog here!
