Page 16 of Exchanged

“I actually can’t, thanks to you.”

“Fuck you,” I say.

He glares at me from the doorway, his eyes fire and ice. My own eyes are stinging because I’m the kind of loser who cries when I get angry.

His eyes narrow, and I’m positive he sees the waterworks building. Then he shakes his head in disgust and steps away into the semidarkness of the hall. A second later, I hear his door close.

I go back to my keyboard and start plunking out the “Concerning Hobbits” theme from The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, but I turn all the chords minor. Fuck you, Garrett, in D minor, then G minor, then A minor.

A half hour later, when I pull my headphones off, I can hear Garrett’s voice drifting through the half-closed door of his room.

“… so many hicks,” he’s saying. “A dude showed up to the ice cream shop on a fucking four-wheeler.”

I hear teenage laughter. Through the crack in his door, I see Garrett propped up on his bed, holding his phone at arm’s length. He’s on a video call.

“And the dude I’m staying with … he took me to this place where everyone just jumps off these rocks into a lake. It was hella lame, but at least I met some guys who seem cool.”

A girl’s voice, still carrying the final notes of laughter from his last comment, responds. “I thought you liked swimming?”

“Yeah, but he acted like it was this big deal. And so did everyone else. Like, I think it’s literally the only thing the locals do around here for fun. That, and getting wasted and fucking their cousins.”

More laughter.

“Seriously,” Garrett says, “there are seven bars on one street alone, and I bet no one gives a shit if I’m underage.”

“Oooh, can we come up for Christmas and do a bar crawl?” This time a boy’s voice.

Garrett laughs. “I care about y’all too much to let you set foot in this shitty town. But I suppose you’d at least understand the unique hell I’m about to live through.”

“Any closeted rednecks for me to hook up with?” the boy asks seriously.

“Rednecks? They’re everywhere. But I’m pretty sure there’s a total of one gay boy in this town.”

“And?” the boy’s voice prods. “Verdict?”

“You’re way too good for him.”

I get up and close my own door, then slide to the floor with my back against it and sit there for a while. For some reason, Garrett’s comments about the stark differences between his home and mine make me think of what my life will look like next year.

Because, other than the School of Mines in Blue Harbor, the nearest university in a real city is six hours away. There’s no in-between option: Either I move far away from everything I care about, or I go to the nearby school I have no interest in.

I feel a sudden resentment toward people like Garrett who live in big cities with big opportunities, places that have a dozen fantastic colleges within arm’s reach. He’d never have to make a choice like this. He could go to any number of nationally ranked schools and still be close enough to home to see his family and friends on the weekends.

So maybe I should go to the School of Mines like Dad wants me to. I’d be there with a lot of people from Irontown. I’d live at home. I’d still work at the shop. No life-altering seismic shifts, no need to move away from my family. The thought is consoling and safe, though it also fills me with a strange sense of emptiness I don’t understand.

This future is good, I tell myself.

It’s comfortable. Feasible. It makes sense.

I’m not stuck in Irontown, I tell myself. You can’t be stuck in a place you love.

One of the most rewarding parts of hosting a Youth Ambassador is having the opportunity to learn about a different culture. This experience, however, can bring challenges. The following tips will help ensure your success as you bridge the cultural divide.

Ask questions. Rather than making assumptions, demonstrate genuine curiosity for your Ambassador’s background by posing questions about their family, home, and community.

Include your Ambassador in family activities. Your Ambassador signed up to be part of your home for the year; trust that they are excited to join in your family’s favorite pastimes!

Be flexible. Once the honeymoon period is over, it’s normal for cultural differences to cause friction. Your Ambassador is in this program to learn about another culture, but so are you! Be willing to change some of your own habits as you settle into life together.