International Education Week: 3 Things I learned as an American Student in the USSR

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my first trip to the Soviet Union. Actually it was my first trip anywhere across the Atlantic or Pacific oceans for that matter. I had been fortunate to attend a public high school in New York with a Russian language program which later inspired me to major in Russian studies in college. I came from a family of modest financial means, but realized early on if I wanted to make a go of Russian, I would need to spend some time on the ground. So, I sacked away all my summer job funds to join a study abroad program. I still remember vividly standing at JFK airport with two very nervous parents as they watched their college junior get on an Aeroflot plane headed to Leningrad (with a few refueling stops in between).

That trip changed my life. Participating in an international exchange program changes everyone’s life and while I don’t have any scientific data I would say it’s almost exclusively for the better.

Today is the first day of International Education Week, a time when schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, and community groups come together to celebrate international learning and exchange. It’s a day that gets me thinking each year what I learned as an international exchange student. Here are my top three:

• Global Awareness—I was not really aware of the rest of the world until I studied abroad. News items about other countries influenced me more after my exchange. And not just stories about Russia, stories about the entire world. I had gotten a solid pair of global bifocals that not only let me see the world as an American, but also how others might see it. I had a new appreciation and empathy for all people, their hopes and challenges.

• Personal Confidence—While at first the tasks of going to classes all day in a foreign language, eating different food, meeting new people, and managing daily transactions like taking the bus were overwhelming, they eventually became personal successes that increased my confidence in all areas of my life.

• How to speak like a real Russian- The ability to marry formal language study with personal immersion in the culture and daily life catapulted my language acquisition. Sure, even 20 years later I still make my fair share of mistakes, but my speaking pace, turns of phrase, and intonation have garnered me a lot of compliments from native speakers over the years and are thanks in large part to my study abroad experience. It’s the type of things you can’t learn in a book or classroom.

Every year IREX works with almost 1,000 American and international exchange participants (students, teachers, faculty, journalists, NGO leaders) from around 60 countries. I meet many of them when they arrive and just before they go home, I get to see first-hand the change in them. I know that I’m lucky to have the opportunity to have coffee and conversation (two of my favorite things) with amazing people from all over the world.

Let’s celebrate this week and do all we can to send more students, teachers, and others of all socioeconomic means and from all nations to meet each other face to face, learn from each other, and acquire global bifocals that contribute to improved global understanding.

What’s your exchange story?

Joyce Warner is the Chief of Staff and Vice President for Education at IREX