Feature

THE Near East and South Asia undergraduate exchange program is a programme of the United States Department of State which provides full scholarships for outstanding students from the Near East (Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen) and South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) for one semester or one academic year of undergraduate study in the United States. Each participant is assigned a placement at a qualified institution in the United States according to his abilities, English language test score and field of study. The goal of the programme is to increase the mutual understanding between young emerging leaders from the Near East and South Asia and the United States by providing meaningful academic and cultural experiences at US academic institutions. The selection process generally starts at the beginning of the year and if selected, the NESA UGRAD programme will provide the participant with visa along all the expenses in the USA.

Last year ten students were selected from Bangladesh and I was one of them. It was a great opportunity for me to be enrolled in Georgetown University as the only NESA participant in spring 2009. It offered me a unique opportunity to spend an exciting semester as an intern in Washington DC, while living and studying on the campus of one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the United States. As a student of American Politics and Public Affairs, I have gained an insider access to witness the inner-workings of American government by visiting the National Archives, Pentagon, White House, National Public Radio, C-SPAN, National Press Club, American Enterprise Institute and attending lectures by former presidents, scholars, politicians, noble laureates and many more. What I enjoyed most was my internship at the renowned think-tank the Hudson Institute with Dr. Hillel Fradkin, director of the 'Center on Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World' and research fellow Eric B. Brown. At Hudson, I have participated in a wide range of analytical projects focused on Islamic affairs, international security and strategy, public diplomacy, Sino-Muslim relations, the future of Asia, Islamic feminism, reasons behind European population joining Jihad, Madrassa education in Bangladesh and so on.

NESA participants are obliged to do 20 hours of community services at their host institutions. My first community service was in a two-day conference called 'Transition 2009' at the National Press Club to discuss and examine key topics facing the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress. It was a great honour and privilege for me to work as a staff there while it was also broadcasted in the C-SPAN! My second community service was to organise Georgetown University's second annual 'Spring Mela', which was a celebration of the regional diversity of South Asia presenting its cultural, linguistic, artistic, religious and culinary customs. We organised live performances, vendors selling small items, cultural trinkets (flute, jute weaving, sari etc) and food samples (naru, bhel-puri, pitha, sweets, kababs and traditional drinks).

Georgetown University is a multi-ethnic University and I loved the diversity of people, languages, cloths and food here. The weekends and my trips to nine different States were memorable. Moreover, I felt proud to represent and uphold my country's traditional aspects in front of my Hudson colleagues and supervisors and in Georgetown University. Many of the audiences were interested to visit Bangladesh after my presentations. Another personal accomplishment of mine was to be interviewed by the Voice of America!

The most exciting part of my NESA experience was the re-entry workshop designed to learn about reverse culture shock to reflect on our experience and develop strategies on how to use the exchange experience in our future plans. All the spring semester and academic year participants travelled to Washington DC in April 18, 2009 for a 3-day workshop. This event allowed participants to share their individual experiences. It was amazing how quickly we develop a strong bondage of friendship among the students from Near East and South Asian regions. The authority as well as the students was very much impressed by the Bangladeshi students' leadership potentials, friendliness and traditional cloths.

Overall, my semester in Georgetown University helped me develop my interpersonal, leadership and management skills. I really enjoyed the freedom of life and individuality in the USA. It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed the program. I would say I had the time of my life. I believe that those experiences would guide me in my future career as a social worker, and as I try to figure out how best I can serve my country.

(Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University 2009)