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By Rahil S., YES Abroad Bulgaria 2023-2024

My first experience with the YES Abroad program was certainly a unique one. I was first accepted into the program in 2021, during my junior year. I was to be placed in Indonesia. However, with the COVID pandemic still spreading and evolving globally, the program in that country was unfortunately canceled. My host country was then moved to Morocco, which was later delayed and then also canceled. This initial experience, admittedly, shook me to my core. I had built so many preconceived notions about my impending exchange to the point that I had already gone so far as to connect going abroad with my very own identity – given that my first name, “Rahil”, in Urdu translates to “the traveler.” However, after the cancellations I decided my first name was destined to be as accurate as my middle name, which means “handsome,”… which clearly hasn’t worked out so well either.

I took a year away from YES Abroad. However, not wanting both of my names to remain inaccurate, I applied again during my senior year and was fortunate enough to receive another opportunity to go abroad, this time to Bulgaria. I must admit, I was initially surprised. You see, Bulgaria is one of the few YES countries where the majority of the population is not Muslim, and I was not sure what to think. As a Muslim-American, I had once again built preconceived notions on what my experience on YES would be like. In the U.S., I eat Halal. I fast for Ramadan. My parents worried, Would these Bulgarians take care of their son like they would? Like a Muslim family would? Fortunately, however, I pushed through this initial apprehension and remained committed to going abroad.

Fast forward, I am both grateful and relieved that I chose this path, as I would end up becoming a part of a family and community I’ll always feel at home with, no matter how far I may be. One of my fondest memories in Bulgaria is the Christmas celebrations with my host family. Together we traveled to the coastal city of Varna, where I was able to meet our extended family for the first time and enjoyed days of celebration while learning long-time traditions for Christmas unique to my host country. Unlike most American households, growing up, my family never celebrated Christmas, so this will forever be a memory I cherish.

And my parents actually had no need to worry! The first – and one of the only -- times my host mother got truly upset at me was the first day of heavy snowfall in my city of Sofia. In typical Southern Californian fashion, I had spent the day outside in nothing more than a sweatshirt and jeans, eventually returning home feeling quite under the weather. After telling me that I had practically gone out “naked,” she said a statement in Bulgarian that I did not yet understand: “а би мирно стояло, не би чудо видял,” which translates roughly into, “If you sit still, you will not witness a miracle.” Now, usually this phrase is used in a more negative, “I told you so” context, which I understood to mean something like,” If you don’t go out of your way, crazy things won’t happen to you.” However, I would actually end up finding that the direct English interpretation would go on to define much of my exchange experience.

Suddenly being placed into a city you’ve never been – away from all that you have ever known – and potentially trailed by religious or racial stereotypes and prejudices is certainly daunting. I’m sure on many occasions it simply felt easier to seclude yourself and find comfort in the things you’ve already grown accustomed to. However, I’m sure we can also corroborate that our greatest experiences have come through taking the initiative to step outside of our comfort zones and embrace whatever challenges we faced, refusing to sit still in the hopes of witnessing our own miracles.

For my part, taking those first steps outside my comfort zone allowed me the opportunities to coach my school’s English debate team, join local sports clubs, and interact with radically different people. These steps would inevitably lead to many great experiences. In fact, perhaps my most gratifying experience was my time volunteering with the Solidarity Project, an NGO based in Sofia. Through this organization, I was able to teach English and other topics primarily to refugee children in and around Sofia. My time with the project also immersed me in another community of committed volunteers. I was even selected to represent the NGO at two different international trainings, in Poland and Belgium, during my time overseas. While being accepted into my host community was certainly a satisfying experience, being respected and appreciated enough to represent a community I had only been a part of for some months on an international level is a badge of honor I will carry for a lifetime.

I strongly urge my fellow YES alumni to take initiative, refuse to sit still, and harness the skills we’ve learned over the last year to educate and improve our communities, so that we all may witness a miracle.