In the tiny Montana town of Plentywood, Firdavs Temirov, waits at the bus stop for his ride to high school. Even though he wants to fit in (as any high school student wants), Firdavs is different than his high school peers. First, he is an exchange student from Tajikistan, a country in Asia bordering Afganistan. Secondly, he is Muslim. And last of all, he is an amputee due to a birth defect.
A New Chance
Firdavs, known as “Phil,” is staying with a host family, Joy and Del Kranzler. The Kranzlers have hosted a few students from Tajikistan and say they have had wonderful experiences with each of them. So when they were told of Firdavs disability they only hesitated for a moment (and that was only because the spare bedroom is at the bottom of a flight of stairs!). Once he was in Plentywood, the Kranzlers found someone who was able to get a prosthetic leg made for Firdavs for free.
The new leg is giving Firdavs a new start. Now he runs, kicks a ball without fear of his prosthesis flying off, rides horses, and is enjoying life to the fullest. He is learning English (it is his fourth language) and is a very hard working student according to the many people who work with him. His religion doesn’t seem to be a hurdle either in this mostly Christian environment. Nowadays Firdavs seems to be fitting in just fine. And so are the Kranzlers, they have even visited Tajikistan with one of their former exchange students as a tour guide.
An Improved Perception
I think this is a wonderful story. We all need to be reminded of how we affect each others lives. Many of us, myself included, as well as the Kranzlers are too often reminded that many in the world do not view Americans as the nicest people on earth. Maybe it will be through foreign exchange experiences like this that the world will begin to understand we are all just alike no matter where we are from…
