Letter from Uta Christianson, Founder of the InterExchange Foundation
Dear Friend:
A working abroad experience is one of the most worthwhile experiences to make before starting with your chosen career. But many young people never even contemplate it and those who do may have very little idea about what to expect from an encounter with a different country: its people, culture and language. Working overseas, whether it’s a job that will help to defray your expenses or an internship to broaden your knowledge in your field of endeavor, either way, it will likely be a life-changing experience.
Over the years, InterExchange has helped many thousands of people from all over the world to obtain visas with permission to work legally in the US for varying periods. However successful we are at welcoming international participants to our shores, sending young Americans on similar exchange programs overseas has largely escaped us except for a few popular programs. It has become my mantra to try and change that. To this end we have established the InterExchange Foundation as a division of InterExchange, Inc., a not-for-profit organization under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. By funding grants for eligible young Americans interested in exploring the world around them, we hope to increase the number of Americans involved in international work exchanges.
Whatever you hope to achieve, spend some time abroad and work in order to get a better feeling for the people and their culture. Along the way, pick up a foreign language or two. You’ll also learn to adapt to all the “strange” customs you will encounter. You may, for example, have to get used to the newspaper being different, the bread to being just about awful (and forget the coffee!) and other cultural differences you may encounter such as manners, behaviors and habits.
My own working abroad experience, though not always a “piece of cake,” was the start of a very rewarding encounter with the New World. I am totally convinced that such endeavors as exposure to living and working abroad should be part of everyone’s personal education.
Go abroad now. Make a difference!
Uta Christianson
Founder, InterExchange Foundation
What Our Grant Recipients Say
“I came to understand so much about a culture that is completely different to mine, directly from the mouths of the people who represent the heart and soul of this pueblito. I believe the people from the La Y with whom I spoke about these issues also came to understand me better and understand where I was coming from. . . . From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank the InterExchange Foundation for supporting me in this experience. I have come back a different person.”
~ Kenta D., Christianson Grant recipient, Ecuador
