We are pleased to announce Samiya Id-Lefqih as the January 2024 CBYX German Participant of the Month! Samiya, a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) High School program participant placed by AFS, is hosted by the Warren family in Bothell, Washington.
Samiya is thankful for her host family and for everything they have shown her. On most weekends, the family does an activity together such as attending a ballet performance or visiting Seattle to see Christmas lights. During the week, Samiya enjoys gathering with the family for dinner as well as the now traditional post-meal walks with her host mother and family dog. She was excited to experience American Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions with her host family, and Samiya, whose mother is from Russia, shared some of her culture as well by preparing selyodka pod shuboy, or dressed herring salad, for Thanksgiving.
Whether by sharing a dish for Thanksgiving or making sure her friends know that German culture is more than Bavaria, Samiya is excited to promote mutual understanding between Americans and Germans. One of her favorite experiences is when she organized a Laternelaufen, a German tradition to celebrate St. Martin’s Day, in her community. With the help of her host mother and sister, Samiya printed out flyers describing the tradition and went house to house inviting neighbors to join the event. The approximately 25 attendees made lanterns and sang traditional Laternelaufen songs as they walked around the neighborhood. After the event all were invited into Samiya’s host family’s home for traditional children’s punch and conversation. Not only did the event share one of Samiya’s favorite German traditions, but it helped bring her host community together as well. Samiya says, “Sharing this event here with the people – people who became friends and family and who make me feel safe and at home so far away from Germany – really meant a lot to me.” She adds, “I really understood what people mean when they talk about a second home.”
Samiya is also expanding her horizons and skills through several activities in her community. Since her school in Germany does not have a newspaper, Samiya decided to try the newspaper club. She has enjoyed authoring articles for the school paper, The Lab Report, on topics ranging from the significance of indigenous cultural performances during school to the loss of the school’s mental health counselor. She also joined the cross-country team. While she did not run much in Germany, Samiya enjoyed trying a new sport and even experiencing travel to a regional meet in Boise, Idaho. She says, “The community was really cool. We were all friends and we supported each other.”
Congratulations, Samiya!
