Udhav Badrinarayan shares about his experiences with a student exchange program.
About a year ago, my mom got an email from my school district. There was a student exchange program, and they were looking for students. I saw that email too, but I immediately dismissed it after seeing that the town was in a rural area, thinking it would be boring.
However, my mom thought differently. She saw an opportunity for me to have an amazing experience, and so, she forced me to apply. I did not want to go. I was way too lazy to fill out the entire application and actually research. However, my mom pushed me through, and I got in!
The students from Italy came here for a week in March. It was really nice to be able to show them around, talk about the difference between Italy and America, but we also found that we were also really similar. They liked Formula 1 racing, same as me, and we bonded over playing soccer with my friends at lunch. That week was great, and it got me really excited to visit Italy in April. When the time came for the trip, I was nervous, but also thrilled.
The trip was amazing. Italy is a beautiful place, and everyone there was really nice. All the food was out of this world, and although it was rural, I enjoyed the trip, and the pace of life really just let me slow down and experience new things. When I came back, I realized something.
I had learned a lot from this trip, working with people and adapting to new environments. Two lessons stuck out to me though. First, even if something seems weird or hard in the beginning, go for it, because it can take you to insane places. Second, in times of turmoil, differences are being viewed with fear. I realized that while we are different, we are all still human, and everyone deserves respect. With a Perspective, I’m Udhav Badrinarayan.
Udhav Badrinarayan is an Eighth grader at Miller Middle School in San Jose where he lives with his parents and sister. He enjoys playing soccer, tennis, making short films and is an avid F1 fan.