By Anjela Ibrahim (YES 2019-2020, Bulgaria, hosted by ASSE in St. Louis, MO)

My name is Anjela, and I am currently a YES alumna, and formerly an exchange student since I arrived home from my exchange year just this past week. My program was cut short because of COVID-19, but now I’m embracing my quarantine in my home country as well as I did in the USA. I used to spend a lot of time with my host family during quarantine, and I cooked many meals for them from my home country, Bulgaria. My host family also taught me how to cook traditional American meals for when I get home, and they gave me a cookbook, so now I’m introducing my natural family to American cuisine, and they love it! 

My host family and I used to go on a lot of hikes and walks together, but currently in my home country even this is not allowed, so I’m stuck at home and I’m playing with my siblings and dog. In the USA, we had a movie night every single day, and now I am showing all the amazing movies I saw to my natural family. It feels so different now because I have a peaceful time at home to adjust slowly to life back here. I can’t believe a few days ago I was on the other side of the world and did totally different things. In Bulgaria right now, I don’t have the pleasure to go out like in the USA, so my furthest walk is to the backyard, and I started helping my mom plant her flowers and trees. I also got in touch and started video chatting with all my friends both in Bulgaria and in the USA. 

This quarantine time gives people time to catch up with everything they have been postponing all the time in their lives. Now, I have so much time to reflect, and I realize how important this is for each human being. I decided to be an active participant in the YES program, and I’ve been engaging in all the opportunities it gives both in my home country and around the world. I feel like a part of our global community. It is the most amazing feeling you could ever get!