"Alexandra Wang has a book that holds 2,000 years of her family’s history. Between its red covers are the names of her ancestors dating back to the Han Dynasty, at roughly the same time the Roman Empire conquered England. But the book is a mystery to Alex, who lives in Washington Heights, because she can’t read Chinese – at least not yet.

'I want to learn how to read it so I can know more about my family,' she says with a smile."

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Tags: Russia

“'I’ve always been fascinated with Asian languages and culture, so the trip really [cemented] my desire to start learning the language,' Black said. . ."

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Tags: Korea

"Less than two weeks after returning home from nearly a year in Russia, E.C. Glass High School student Ian Bonner was invited to attend a performance last month with First Lady Michelle Obama and her Russian counterpart, Svetlana Medvedeva. . . "

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Tags: Korea, Russia

"The next time they meet an Indian, these American students could start off with a “namaste”, or perhaps even add a “kaise ho aap”. As part of the US government’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), seven American students have reached the city to learn Hindi under a six-week exchange programme at City Pride School, Nigdi. . ."

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Tags: Korea

Someone on this trip said, "What I hate about this kind of program is that you make new friends and then you never get to see them again." Yeah, it's sad to meet new people that you grow to care for, and then to be separated from them for an indefinite amount of time, but I think it's a feature of the summer program, not a flaw. Aside from higher level language learning, probably the most important aim of the NSLI-Y program is to promote international understanding and friendship.

When I was at the laager, I met many amazing young people, a few of whom I am sure will be my friends forever. I feel genuinely sad about going back to America, but not because I don't want to go, but only because I'm not sure when the next time I'll see my new friends is going to be. Even though this weighs heavily on my heart, it's important for me to hold on to the friendships I have fostered here.

First of all, these new relationships can serve me specifically. If I ever need to go to Russia, I'll have contacts who can help me. Also, it's just cool to have friends from other countries. But probably more importantly, my international friendship helps the world. Lack of understanding between cultures is a huge factor in international conflicts. Imagine if every Israeli had a good Palestinean friend. Maybe it wouldn't irradicate their conflict completely, but it would definitely make them less willing to kill each other. While it's unrealistic for every person to have a friend in every country, any international tie helps. If I have Russian friends, then I can tell all my American friends about my Russian friends and perhaps change their ideas about Russians and Russian culture. Also, just having this international and intercultural experience helps me be more open-minded- not only about Russian culture, but about all cultures. These are the reasons why international friendship is an important piece of the puzzle; each new friendly international bond is a step towards world peace.

Tags: Russia