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Neamat Sleiman, Lebanese High School Teacher
May 2005 BRIDGE Exchange Lebanon to Verona High School, Madison, WI
Personal Reflection
Hello iEARNERs All Around the World,
It's easy to talk about daily
routines, but the mission gets...harder when one is asked to express
[her] feelings and reaction toward a novel experience. First of all,
thanks [to] iEARN [and] thanks [to the] Bridge Exchange program. As I
was packing my things on the 30th of April, I was indifferent to the
experience ahead of me; I [had] no idea about how tremendous and
massive the exchange program is... The reception at Madison airport was
so warm and the host families so welcoming, Miss Reget had nuts [and
snacks] in case we were hungry...[The] next day, we went to school and
we were really surprised at how big the high school was. As a
teacher, I was impressed at how disciplined the students were in class,
and felt really dazzled by the big and wonderfully decorated classes,
though very simple and creative. The curriculum was interesting
and different from what we are used to, still many procedures and
approaches can be adopted and used here in Lebanon.
The
extracurricular activities were great. We went canoeing, visited
a cave, attended a symphony, enjoyed a day at The Crane Foundation, and
many other things. All were unique experiences, not because they were
new, but because the company we had was great. The three weeks flowed
smoothly, not because we were perfect, but because we had American
friends facilitating things throughout. If I were to say what I
gained from this experience, I would definitely [say] that
Americans are extremely friendly and nice people [and] are always ready
to help. Wisconsin is so green and beautiful...they respect their
country and abide by its laws, and I guess that's what makes America
play a leading role. I do believe now the United States of
America is not what we see on TV, it's a great country made so by the
effort and perseverance of its people. One more thing to add,
when I was given the chance by iEARN to attend a regional conference in
Amman, [Jordan] I felt so grateful, now I feel I owe iEARN a great
deal, I believe the great deal I owe iEARN is working harder, and by
this I mean benefiting more students and improving myself at the same
time. This is iEARN, whenever you help others learn, you do learn
novice things too.
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