June 24, 2008
Source: PRNewswire/AFS-USA
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-24-2008/0004838363&EDATE=
Thanaporn "Jar" Panitchanok arrived from Thailand last August with certain notions of what America
would be like. After ten months her views have changed; plus, she's shown St. Paul that "Muslim" does not equate to the negative stereotypes so common in the post 9/11 United States.
Jar is in a program sponsored by the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State with AFS-USA. The Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program was created after 9/11 in an effort to build bridges of peace and understanding between the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations.