By: Melek Bali (YES 2016 - 2017, hosted by CCI Greenheart in Everett, WA)

Mutual cultural understanding is perhaps the most important task that an exchange student works on achieving during and after his exchange. This is why several alumni and I agreed to volunteer with the Pakistani embassy in order to help them prepare for their coming 70th Independence day celebration in Tunisia. 

Our first task was to meet up at the Embassy the day before the celebration to get informed about our duties, and then go to Ibn Rachiq Cultural Denter to set up. Houssen Saafi (YES 2016 - 2017), Youssef Kharrat (YES 2016 - 2017), Ranya Khemeri (YES 2016 - 2017) and I met with our liaison and other volunteers at the Embassy, where the employees were very welcoming and approachable. We were handed our uniforms and headed to the cultural center where we met Wessim Chaabani (YES 2016 - 2017).

The next day was the big event. Some of us stayed at the main entrance to welcome the visitors and show the VIP guests to their seats. Others worked inside to make sure everything ran smoothly and according to schedule. At 7PM sharp visitors started swarming the center. It was insane. People from different nationalities, actors, and multiple diplomats representing countries such as the United States, Switzerland, Russia, France, and Britain - including ambassadors - attended the celebration. Abdel Fatah Moro, the first Vice President of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, was present too. Being the social butterfly Houssem is, he didn’t miss the opportunity to talk with the American ambassador  to tell him about how great the YES program is, the incredible journey he had gone through, and how much it impacted him. Despite the large crowd, soon everyone was seated and a famous Pakistani band played wonderful tunes throughout the course of the event. 

National television covered the celebration but even that didn’t stop us from embarrassing ourselves by dancing in front of the whole country and all who were present. We couldn’t miss such an opportunity to showcase our well trained Tunisian traditional dancing skills. I couldn’t say the same for myself as I’m not the best dancer, but Houssem and Youssef put on a great show in an impromptu dancing competition with our Pakistani friends.  The celebration was incredible. No matter what age, everyone enjoyed the show. We made a lot of memories that day through all the laughs, the jokes, the dancing, and the work we did. Although it was just for a few hours, we got to experience another culture first-hand again. I learned a lot and for a while I remembered how it feels to try to communicate in another language and to do something outside your comfort zone. As an awesome mentor of mine once said before I left for my exchange year: “Great things happen when you step out of your comfortable bubble so don’t hesitate to do so”. This was definitely one of those moments. 

 After the show we gave out shirts and souvenirs for the attendeed, and we met Pacha, the Pakistanis Ambassador's son. We made sure that he enjoyed his stay in Tunisia before he leaves to college again. We took him to the medina where he enjoyed traditional Tunisian culture, food, and the view from the top of one of the medina’s famous old cafes.  All of the YES alumni that participated in this celebration agree that it was an exquisite experiences. From Ranya's perspective, "I didn't expect to have this much fun at the event. Opening oneself to a new culture really is fulfilling. In fact, volunteering with the  embassy was only a small insight into the rich culture of Pakistan; one that made me want to discover more and even visit the country. "

Houssem also fell in love with the experience, as he explains, "My participation in the Pakistan independence day celebrations in Tunis was not only an enjoyable experience through which I have discovered and learned more about the affluent Pakistani culture, but also a great evidence that the Tunisian YES Alumni are still and will continue to be attached to all the countless values learned through the YES experience including the love and tolerance for all the world cultures."

This was an educational and fun opportunity where we made so many good memories, met new friends and got to enjoy the company of some wonderful individuals.