The United States is a 220-year-old democracy whose growth has been fueled by a world-wide immigration that began in the 17th century and continues to this day. While the main ideals of the United States are: patriotism, liberty, equality, and justice for all, the country's history has not always lived up to these tenets. Slavery was only abolished in the latter half of the 19th century, and such institutions as segregation, and "separate but equal education" were big problems up until just 40 years ago. Nevertheless, America has made tremendous progress in developing a pluralistic society by building new relationships among its diverse elements. Nowadays, the U.S. is one of the strongest countries of the world, a "melting pot" where people of all nationalities and races come together to work and live their lives in peace. The cultural, ethnic, linguistic and social differences are a wonderful source of flexibility and strength for the United States and represent a remarkable achievement and a big advantage for the nation.
As an exchange student from Kyrgyzstan (in the Future Leaders Exchange Program - or FLEX), I'm getting a unique chance to see and experience a different lifestyle and worldview. Student diversity here at South Fork High School in Stuart, Florida exposes me to new ways of thinking and behaving every day - in class, on the soccer field, in the stands at football and basketball games, and sometimes after school at the local fast-food store. Personally, I get a big charge out of being surrounded by a diverse mix of young people, hearing different languages, regional and ethnic accents, and a wide range of colorful, local expressions. This daily experience is in stark contrast to what I have experienced in my own country.
Yet, every day I come to school, I see self-segregation among the students. Black students stay within the African-American community. Hispanic kids hang with their own group. And Whites congregate with other Caucasians. Of course, you have "mixed zones" - in the cafeteria, at sporting events, and even at school dances - where students interact without any tension or disrespect; but it's rare. On the surface, all of the students are equal, but if you look deeper it offers another picture. There are a lot of reasons for self-imposed segregation. Maybe it's just human nature - the need to feel safe and comfortable with a tight group. But nobody tells students to separate themselves from others. It just happens...voluntarily.
Although it's awesome that the country just elected an African-American president, just a few years ago it would have been considered a joke or something really impossible to achieve. Think about that. Until recent times, only Whites counted as full citizens, while others were seen as half-human and as property! I'm happy that the United States has made such progress and impressed by the flexibility of the American nation. It's obvious that building a country and society from so many different elements, with every nationality or ethnic group forming a small part of a big nation, is extremely difficult and takes time to perfect. It's what I heard candidate Barack Obama talking about throughout the recent campaign - building a more perfect union.
America's history and its younger generation's new horizons offer hope for Kyrgyzstan, a 17-year-old democracy with less diversity yet with major gaps between the North and South and other segments of our population. Although I don't believe our students segregate themselves as my classmates at South Fork do, Kyrgyzstan is a nation with strong cultural and religious customs that often make it difficult to realize democratic ideals. For me, spending a year in the United States provides an opportunity to look at the similarities and differences between our cultures. I can see the good, the bad, and the ugly and hopefully both learn and share ideas to improve how we treat each other.
In my next blog post, I'll explore some of the specific differences (and similarities) among youth from our two countries on issues of diversity - particularly on matters of education, work, gender, and other manners and customs. Meanwhile, if you have comments - of better yet - ideas and experiences of your own to exchange, don't be shy. Weigh in on my blog and let's explore a whole world of new horizons.