By Viktoria P., YES 2018-2019, Bulgaria, hosted by AYUSA in Stewartstown, PA 

One month has passed – a month that felt extremely short, but at the same time long; a month that was exciting, but not easy; a month filled with many challenges. 

It was a great month because I am starting something new: I am experiencing a new home, a new environment, new food, and new people – but everything so different from what I’ve always known and so far away from my home. However, this month went by fast because there is not enough time for everything that I want to try and do. 

At school, I’ve found that my journalism and personal finance classes are so interesting and are going to be so useful in my future. The time spent in my media production classes has been unforgettable, too. My school has a TV channel called KRAM. Every day we do the morning announcements in our school; it is like a small TV production. We have a director, cameraman, anchors, people on the teleprompter, and audio. It is so amazing to see how things are happening behind the cameras. Everyone in the class gets to work every job position. Then, during the day, the announcements are shown on TV.

By the second week, I already had the opportunity to be on the school’s morning news channel. Although everything wasn’t perfect, many people, even some I didn’t know, congratulated me and supported me, which made me feel motivated to improve even more for the next time. After the announcements, we have different projects, such as making news stories and creating and directing small movies. 

I also started volunteering at the local library. I help people find books and keep everything in order, and I am really grateful that I have this opportunity and that people trust me. The most exciting thing, however, was last week’s auditions for the fall play and musical that the Drama club in my school creates. I am incredibly happy that I got roles for both, and I can’t wait for the shows! 

Nonetheless, beyond these activities, the most important thing to me is that I’ve found friends - people who I can talk and share with, people who support me, motivate me, and trust me! All of this would not be possible without the support, attention, and care of my host family. Every weekend we visit different places and do many activities together. They make me feel as though I’m a part of the family, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this.

I believe that many more new things lie ahead of me and I can’t wait to experience them!