Before he came here last year, Ketan Chaudhari knew of the U.S. as a dream country and one that all of friends in India wanted to visit.
After living here for almost a year, the U.S. still lives up to that dream for him.
Chaudhari, 17, is a Rotary Youth Exchange student from India who has lived with Richard and Barbara Lewis in Concord since August.
This week, he spoke to the Concord Rotary Club about India and his experience here before it concludes at the end of this month.
"I really had a good time," Chaudhari said. "This is the best year (of my life) so far."
He is one of the seven exchange students who are currently hosted by Rotary clubs in this district.
During Chaudhari's time here, he not only lived with the Rotary Club of Southwest Cabarrus' president, but he also attended Concord High School as a junior.
There, he took the same classes as other juniors, including U.S. History and Algebra II, which was his favorite course.
While he said the class structure was very similar to courses he has taken in India, the homework was difficult for him at times.
The social scene was very similar to his school in India, though.
"We do the same things in India," Chaudhari said. "We hang out, play sports."
He plays soccer at home and was a member of Concord High School's team this year.
Of all the American sports, Chaudhari said he liked football the most, but he also enjoyed going to his first baseball game in Kannapolis and his first ice hockey game in Charlotte.
During his presentation at the Rotary Club this week, he shared photos of these and other events, along with information about India, including its flag, emblem, festivals and information about his city of Jalgaon.
He also showed photos from his trips this year to New York City, Washington, D.C., and the beach.
During his presentation, Chaudhari wore a jacket covered in various pins from places he had visited and ones of flags from other exchange students he met.
As he was reflecting on his time here, Chaudhari spoke of how hard it was to adjust to living in the U.S. at first, with the time difference and speaking English more than ever.
The accents people used here made it challenging, as well, but he has adjusted to them since.
"Now I know some words like, 'y'all,'" Chaudhari said.
And even though there are some things that have been different here, compared to India, Richard Lewis said his family and Chaudhari focused on all of the similarities they shared.
"Families are families and have a lot of the same goals," Lewis said. "The fact is, a lot of the stuff is the same."
Lewis said that Chaudhari has handled being far from home for a lengthy amount of time very well.
Chaudhari has been able to keep in touch with family and friends through e-mails and Skype, an Internet calling service.
Now that he is returning home, Chaudhari said he is sad about leaving.
"I'm not going to see my (new) friends again," Chaudhari said. "That's kind of scary."
But as he reflected on the months he has been here, he recalled some of his favorite places and memories so far.
He said his favorite place to visit was New York City, and his favorite memory was a surprise birthday party his Algebra II class hosted for him last month.
"(I went to my) Algebra II class, and there was a cake that said, 'Happy Birthday,'" Chaudhari said. "I was so surprised."
He will continue to make memories over the next few weeks before he returns home.
In a few days, he and more than 70 other Rotary Youth Exchange students will visit, among other places, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Yellowstone National Park, during a two-week trip.
Chaudhari will then return to Concord briefly before going home on June 30.
The experience has not only been a positive one for Chaudhari. It has been rewarding for the Lewis family, as well.
"It's been a fantastic year," Lewis said. "I recommend it highly to host an exchange student. It makes you understand about other parts of the world and find out how similar we are."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement