By Wendy Marinaccio

Hasan Arslan, a 15-year-old Turkish exchange student, is looking for a home in Los Altos for the remainder of the school year.

Arslan is attending Los Altos High School this year as part of the Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study program (Pal YES), a State Department-sponsored exchange program, created in response to the 9/11 tragedy, that brings Muslim students to the United States.

“Everything is new,” Arslan said. “California is a beautiful state, and the weather is good.”

He said he is aware he serves as a representative of Muslim and Turkish culture and will be an ambassador of the United States when he returns home. “Only a few people know Turkish culture. I like talking about my country a lot,” Arslan said.

Arslan is one of three Muslim students currently in the Bay Area through Pal YES. “All three of them fit in quite nicely. They’re making friends, they’re doing community service,” coordinator Karen Hagewood said. “The kids are just kids, so it’s really great to have them here and experience the culture.”

The Pal YES program attempts to bridge American and Muslim culture. “It’s a religion we just don’t know very much about. It (the program) introduces people in the community to another person. Let them be a person regardless of their religion,” Hagewood said.

Arslan has been living with Mary and Dave Arnone of Los Altos, his “welcome family,” since his arrival in August. Mary said she learned of the program in August and wanted to become involved.

“This is a really courageous thing for them to do, and I want to bless that. I may never go to Turkey or set foot in the Muslim world, but they’re willing to come to America,” she said.

“I think it’s been a learning experience for all of us,” Dave said. “He’s open to really getting his feet wet in the culture — not necessarily in classic touristy ways, but in ways I think are more significant, like sitting through a Yom Kippur service.”

Arslan enjoys chess and plays on Los Altos High School’s chess team. “Although I lose the game, I always enjoy it. The important thing is having fun,” he said.

Although he loves chess, Arslan said, “I prefer my lessons because they are more important than chess.” Arslan is a high school senior by the American system, but when he returns to Turkey he must still complete two years of school before attending college. He hopes to apply to universities in the United States.

Arslan needs to find a host family by Nov. 1. “He just wants a place where he can settle in,” Hagewood said. “It’s been a good chance for him to bond with somebody else and get used to the American way of life.”

To inquire about being a host parent or for more information, call Karen Hagewood at (415) 928-7894 or e-mail her at: