<p>It all started the summer after my sophomore year of high school. I was psyched to be going out of the country with a bunch of my friends from school. We had talked about our trip for months: what we were going to pack, the places we wanted to visit, the souvenirs we wanted to bring home. <br /> <br /> However, this all changed the moment I stepped off of the plane and into the city of Moscow. I did not understand a word anyone in the airport was saying. Sure, I knew how to articulate a few common phrases in Russian such as 'hello' and 'good morning', but I was not able to brace myself for the week ahead.<br /> <br /> It was next to impossible to ask for directions or find out where the closest subway was located. Surrounding me were people who looked down upon me from the moment they heard the English language coming from between my lips. I felt like I had landed on a different planet when I stepped foot off of the airplane.<br /> <br /> I felt like an outcast. All I wanted to do was to go home. To America. To where I belong. I finally knew what it was like to be a foreigner. Trying to live in a world that was not familiar.<br /> <br /> Trying to communicate in an unknown language. I understood what foreigners living in America have to deal with every day. However, for these foreigners, there is no end to their trip.<br /> <br /> They do not have a flight back home. They are stuck in this bleak situation until time could tell. They have no way of escaping from the malicious comments and nasty gestures coming from some ignorant Americans. These innocent people are forced to live as strangers in American society until they are able to completely master an entire language and culture.<br /> <br /> Though my experience in Moscow was a culture shock for me, my time in St. Petersburg was very enjoyable. Moscow was a busy city where no one had time to stop and take the time to help another person. St. Petersburg, conversely, was a slow moving city where people went out of their way to help others. This kindness and patience made a world of difference to me. I was finally able to appreciate the beauty within the scenic country instead of dwelling on my inability to effectively communicate in a foreign place.<br /> <br /> Before my trip to Russia, I was unaware of how difficult and frustrating the lives of foreigners living in America were. When I traveled abroad and assumed the position of a foreigner, I was able to experience firsthand what life as a foreigner was like. I learned that a little compassion and humanity could really make the world a better place.<br /> <br /> Now, two years after my trip, I continue to go out of my way to help people who are unaccustomed to the American way of life. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to see things from an entirely different perspective. I believe that everyone should be able to have the same experience so that they would be able to learn the difference that a little kindness and understanding could make. To a person who is trying their best to function in a world where they are different from the rest of society, kindness from a stranger is the greatest gift they could receive.</p> Brittany Ioele 2007-09-23T00:00:00Z F 2006-06-30 false 2685 555 Scholarship 2007-09-23T00:00:00Z 2693 active 10 2010-03-10T23:33:08Z 8685