By Idriss Guerziz (YES 2021-2022, Tunisia, placed by CIEE in Indianapolis, IN) 

My first Christmas! I had never imagined having this kind of experience prior to the YES program, but I loved the atmosphere, the joy in people’s eyes, and the love spread all over the community.  

From decorating the tree, to gluing our names on the stockings, to baking amazing sugar cookies, the entire week of Christmas up to the 24th was full of excitement. I joined my host mom and her father in caroling at a retirement community. We also volunteered with the Salvation Army to collect funds, "jingled bells" and spread holiday cheer. On Christmas Day, I burst into tears of joy seeing my host family try on the traditional Tunisian clothes I brought for them. Yet, the memory that sticks out the most is rushing to find gifts for unexpected guests we had so that everyone could join in on the holiday experience. 

That experience gave me another day of the year to celebrate when I returned home to Tunisia. YES alumni often get together to celebrate American holidays, such as Christmas. This year, we hosted an authentic Christmas dinner at the American Corner. We were joined by seventeen Tunisian YES alumni from many different cohorts.  

With Christmas music playing in the background, we mingled and got to know each other. Then, dinner was served which brought back so many memories. Our Christmas dinner included roast turkey, green beans and carrots, gravy, salad, and grilled cheese. It was a great time for us all to sit down together and talk about where we are in life, catch up on academic and career progress, and exchange our favorite stories from our YES exchange experiences.  

After dinner, it was time for some competition! We split into two teams, set a timer, and raced to see who could decorate the best Christmas tree. It was fun and chaotic, and the result was two beautifully decorated trees, which added to the festive spirit of the evening.  

The fun continued as we decorated our own Christmas cupcakes. We had different toppings to get creative with and we sure did! At the end of the evening, we ate our cupcakes, along with chocolate chip cookies and soft drinks. We wrapped up the night with a group picture and plenty of hugs.  

It was a heartwarming gathering for our group of alumni and a reminder of all the beautiful moments we shared with our host families and friends in the U.S. We are looking forward to future opportunities to get together, catch up, network with alumni from different cohorts, and share meaningful memories and good laughter.