"I realized that whatever I said and whatever I did, I was helping create my classmates? perception of what an Afghan person is," . He worked hard every second to "introduce Afghanistan through the eyes of my generation, a generation tired of the animosity and ignorance that had ruled Afghanistan, endeavoring to make the country a better place."
He's not the only one. Muhammad wrote in to say he had a similar experience when he went abroad for the first time, thanks to a scholarship to complete his high school education at the in Costa Rica.
But while his classmates struggled to understand his culture and beliefs, Muhammad found some of his classmates? behaviors just as difficult, and he says adapting to life outside his native Afghanistan was not always easy.
Despite his success in overcoming cultural barriers and misconceptions, when it came time to attend university Muhammad picked Middlebury College in Vermont, in part, he says, because there would be other Afghan students there. ?During the two years I lived in Costa Rica, there was no one I could share my thoughts and feelings with in my own language,? he recalls, adding that he was looking forward to having someone he could speak to in Dari or Farsi.
But Muhammad also says he thinks the experience he faced in Costa Rica as the sole Afghan on campus definitely helped prepare him to arrive in the U.S.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to overcome stereotypes about your country? Have you ever been taken out of your comfort zone by living in a place with totally different customs to your own? Tell us about it! Leave a comment below, or submit your story using this form.