For a Pakistani in the US, “Little Gestures Say it All”

Home in Pakistan after studying in Minnesota, Nayab shares her new perspective of the US to her community. “Americans really do not care about what country you are from. They respect you for who you are,” says Nayab.

One Saturday night last September, Nayab was homesick and frustrated. To comfort Nayab, her roommate suggested they go for dinner and a walk. “She came back from work, tired and all, but still she took me out - with the intention of bringing a smile to my face.”

Nayab credits this simple gesture as what triggered her perceptions of the US to change. Before studying at St. Cloud State University as a Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Pakistan fellow, she echoed the beliefs of many Pakistanis, “that Americans do not care about others, that everything for them is about money, that they have no family values, and everything else the media tell us.”

Coming to the US reversed Nayab’s perception of Americans. She found that Americans were not only hospitable but also interested in learning about Pakistani culture.

The fellowship also changed Nayab’s perception of US foreign policy. “I thought that the US wants all the power of the world, and that it wants war, but that isn’t true.” Her experience with individual Americans has helped her turn attention to US efforts in development, foreign aid, and international collaboration to improve conditions around the world. She wants other Pakistanis, especially youth to have the opportunity to experience another way of thinking and learn firsthand about American culture.

Nayab said that her home community has many questions about her time in the US “Everyone was curious to know how I managed living alone in the US, and they wanted to know if people mistreated me for being a Muslim,” she said. “They were all happy and surprised to learn how well people in the US treated me.”

After listening to her stories, her fellow students became interested and applied to the same program and Nayab is pleased that two more students from her school were selected for the fellowship this year.

Nayab plans to get involved in community work and help Pakistan build capacity in its community development organizations, similar to what she saw while volunteering with community service organizations in the US She now believes that she can contribute in many ways: “I’ve learned that you do not need to do big things to make someone happy, like buying them big gifts. Sometimes your kind words and little gestures say it all.”

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Pakistan is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and administered by IREX.