November, 2009
The International Exchange Center is proud to announce Huw McDonald as this month’s Exchange Visitor of the Month. Each month, we select an exchange visitor who has made an effort to get involved in his/her community and explore American culture.
Huw McDonald, 27, of Johannesburg, South Africa, is a J-1 exchange visitor with City Year, a US community service organization that recently expanded into South Africa. Huw trains with City Year in Boston, Massachusetts. Huw worked with City Year in South Africa and was excited to come to Boston to do his training at the organization’s headquarters. Having been introduced to Boston during past City Year conferences, Huw is enjoying the opportunity for a more in depth exploration of the city during this stay. He particularly appreciates the easy-to-navigate transit system and the vast number of live music shows the city offers.
When Huw isn’t in Boston, he’s traveling around the United States and meeting Americans from many different walks of life as part of his training. “The division of City Year with whom I am training (Care Force), engages City Year’s corporate sponsors and their employees in high-impact community service events that improve youth and family-focused educational, recreational and residential facilities.”
Huw’s travel and training schedule certainly keeps him busy but he also finds time to have fun. During a project in Indianapolis, IN, Huw and some of his coworkers took a side trip to the Indiana State Fair. “I had a really good time,” Huw shared, “but without a doubt [I] ate too much deep-fried everything.” One of Huw’s favorite experiences during his time in the U.S was helping with a City Year project in which he and a group of volunteers transformed a community center in New York City.
While his training program has allowed him to experience a part of American culture that many may not see, there are other facets of American culture to experience too! The cultural, sporting and social events outside of his training have helped to give Huw a well-rounded familiarity with the American landscape. The time an Exchange Visitor gets to spend in the U.S. can pass incredibly quickly so Huw’s advice to other J-1’s is to “engage fully in the experience of being in a foreign country”. You never know what adventure may be waiting for you just around the corner, so get out there and have a new experience today!