Transitioning to high school can be a wake-up call for some, as well as a rewarding experience for others. Omar Sayed, a sophomore foreign exchange student from Egypt, gained insight on this when he began attending Perry for the 2016-2017 school year.

By filling out an application in Sept. 2015, he was chosen by a host family through the Ayusa organization, allowing him to pursue his goal of giving the world a better idea of what Egypt is.

Some stereotypes he wanted to break include the fact that “we have phones, I don’t go to school by camel I go to school by car, we don’t live in deserts anymore, we have schools, pharaohs don’t exist anymore, we have microwaves – somebody asked me if we had microwaves,” Sayed said. Along with shattering any pre-existing beliefs some may have had about Egypt, Sayed is working on something even bigger.

He also “came to America as an ambassador of change for the Muslim community. He was given a chance to dispel myths and prejudices about Islamic faith,” Sayed’s host mother, Kristen Suddarth, said.

By attending multicultural activities held by the Ayusa organization, Sayed was able to answer any questions that people of different religions may have had.

At Perry, Sayed is a well-rounded student who got involved in his interests from the very beginning. He is currently a part of French and Acapella club, exhibiting his knowledge of multiple languages along with a love for singing.

Principal Dan Serrano said he believes foreign exchange students add to Perry’s atmosphere and “I like to engage with people from other countries because I like to know what it’s like and what they eat, but I think the culture here is very welcoming of people from other countries, so I think it’s a win-win.”

Sayed’s club experiences were also accompanied by the “wake-up call” part many high school students know all too well.

“It’s different in a lot of things; my school back in Egypt isn’t as spread out as this school, so usually classes are in buildings with five or six floors. For the system, we stay in the same classroom and the teachers switch,” Sayed said.

English class and American history was a challenge for Sayed in the beginning since both subjects are extremely different from that of Egypt.

Along with the American high school experience, Sayed’s host family helped him adjust in a number of ways.

“American sarcasm was really hard because sometimes when I think something is funny, everyone is looking at me like ‘Why are you laughing?’ and when everybody is just bursting out laughing I’m [confused],” Sayed said.

Apart from getting a feel for the language, Sayed’s host family gave him many “firsts,” such as tubing, fishing, seeing snow, and trying new foods.

He also travelled extensively with permission from the Ayusa organization and his family back in Egypt; in less than a year he’s been to California, Florida, Mexico, and Utah.

“[Hosting] was actually a spur of the moment decision. I was made aware that some kids who worked so hard for a year to get here still didn’t have a host family and would miss out on actually coming to the U.S., so we sent a message and decided to host three days later,” Suddarth said.

The Suddarth’s would host again as it shed light on a whole other culture and religion; hosting seems to have impacted them just as much as it impacted Omar.