Mohamed Haggag's Testimonial
My experience in the USA
All my life I've wanted to come visit America which , for a long time now, has been my 2nd country. I confess that it might be closer to my heart than even my own country. The major reason for this is that my mind is really closer to the western culture than the eastern. It's been eight months and so far America hasn't disappointed me yet :-) I know it's a little cliche but for me the best thing about America is its people. My only wish right now is to go visit the heart of America and that's New York of course.
My experience at Richland College
The education system in the US in general and in Richland College specifically is so fundamentally different from the Egyptian education system I've been used to all my life. I won't compare the two of them as that would take a very long time but suffice to say that I love the American system. My favorite thing about it is the interactive experience inside the class room as it makes learning much more fun. I had to struggle a little with it specially because the difference in the work ratio between student and teacher. I'm used to 30% student and 70% teacher but it's reversed here which is a very good thing once you get the hang of it.
My experience with my mentor family
Well, My mentor family turned out to be a wonderful surprise. I was dreading this part of my experience a lot because I'm not a very social person. But to my amazement this family made me feel as much comfortable with them as my own. It would have been an absolute hell the first couple of weeks without their help and support. I had fun visiting their warm home and was grateful to know they had a place for me anytime I want. The best experience was at the holiday times where we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas together and had some moment that I'll cherish forever. I feel indebted to them for all this and much more and I just hope I get the chance to pay them back.