AbhinaV Tiwari reflects on the lessons he learnt as a KLYES exchange programme student

Before beginning my exchange year through the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (KLYES) Programme, I had heard countless stories about the U.S. I had listened to former exchange students, watched videos on social media, and imagined what my experience might be like. I thought I would discover a new culture, attend school in another country, make new friends and improve my English. All of that happened, but looking back, the most meaningful parts of my year were not necessarily the experiences I had planned for, but the small, ordinary moments.

Fresh start

Boarding a plan had always been a dream. Even now, it feels a little unbelievable that I travelled for almost 18 hours. My host community was Sitka, Alaska, a place very different from where I grew up in India. I was used to temperatures of 35-40°C while Sitka was around 4-5°C. I still remember the first dinner with my host family. I am a vegetarian so they had made a bowl of salad. I was expecting something more exciting but, looking back, I realise that an exchange experience is not always about grand moments. Sometimes, the simplest gestures make you feel at home.

When I started school, everything was unfamiliar — the classrooms, teachers, students, and even how people interacted with one another. But welcoming classmates and teachers, participating in activities, making friends, and becoming comfortable in my new surroundings reduced my nervousness. My host family also played an important role. My host brother drove me to school, my host mother taught me how to cook, which eventually became one of my hobbies, and my host father took me around Sitka and became the best tour guide I could have asked for. These small things transformed a new place into something that felt like home.

The exchange yearalso gave me opportunities that went far beyond school. A memorable experience was travelling to Washington DC, for a week-long English teaching workshop. I got an opportunity to learn learn, communicate, and look at education from a different perspective. Over the year, I completed more than 150 hours of volunteer service, participated in a community choir and orchestra, took part in long-distance running events, and tried activities that I had never imagined myself doing. Each experience pushed me outof my comfort zone, making me more confident about trying new things, meeting new people, and expressing myself.

Introducing India

Beyond my own learnings, I also introduced people to Indian cuisine through cooking classes and gave presentations about India’s diversity and culture. There was something special about speaking of India to people who were experiencing many of these things for the first time. I realised that I was not just representing myself but also my country. I began to think of myself as a young ambassador of India.

By the time I returned, I had learnt more about myself than about the U.S. I learnt to be grateful, that not everything needs to go according to plan for an experience to be meaningful, and to be more confident. Perhaps my biggest lesson has been that the memories that stay with us are not always the ones we plan for.

Looking back, I realised the KLYES exchange year gave me much more than a year in the U.S. It gave me a second home, new friendships, confidence, and a fresh perspective on the world. Most importantly, it showed me that home can sometimes be found in the most unexpected places — even thousands of miles away from where you began.

The writer is a student of VidyaGyan Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh.