By Vyara Nikolova (YES 2017-2018, Bulgaria, hosted by YFU in Farmington Hills, MI)

Many students believe that the best moments of the YES program happen during the exchange year itself. And that the adventure ends with coming home. While I agree that nothing in my life can compare to precious moments like attending the Civic Education Week in Washington, D.C., doing presentations about Bulgaria in the U.S., or graduating from my American high school together with my host sister, I still do not think that these moments are more valuable than my experiences as an alumna. To me, coming home was equally as exciting, challenging, and fun. 

After returning to Bulgaria, I couldn’t stop wanting to get involved with the YES alumni community, because I felt like giving back was as enriching, enjoyable, and important as making the most out of my year in the U.S. was. Showing the YES Abroad 2019 cohort fun and interesting aspects of Bulgarian culture, doing interviews about YES for one of the biggest radio stations in the country, having lunch with U.S. Ambassador Eric Rubin and U.S. Secretary of State John Sullivan, and being mentored by the YES program team in Bulgaria are just a few of the awesome experiences I have had. 

I also got to become the Alumni Coordinator for Bulgaria: a demanding and fulfilling job, full of opportunities for self-improvement, giving back to the community, and meeting great people while supporting alumni in organizing activities to help their communities.  It had many amazing moments. One of my biggest achievements was the promotion of Iacocca Institute’s Global Village for Future Leaders of Business and Industry program, a summer program in professional development that offers scholarships for YES alumni. We had never had any alumni from Bulgaria participate in this program, so I personally wrote to each eligible alum; encouraged and supported those interested throughout the entire application process; and ultimately we set a record with not just one, but TWO alumni from Bulgaria being offered this prestigious scholarship!  I chose to work on this task rather than going to a festival with my friends, which led one of my closest friends to ask me why I put so much of myself into something that didn’t impact me personally. “You can just write a mass email and say ‘job done.’” Well, I truly believe that every good thing that happens to a person in this world makes the world better for everybody. So even though I was not a recipient of the scholarship myself, seeing my country represented at such a prestigious event and seeing fellow alumni experiencing such an amazing program made those extra hours of work more than worth it.  It may sound naive and idealistic, but that’s how I choose to see the world.

As a YES alumna, I also met people I sincerely call best friends, including fellow YES alumna Elitsa Stoeva (YES 2016-2017, hosted by ASSE in San Antonio, TX) and YES Abroad student Joey Johnson (YES Abroad 2018-2019). Together, not only have we had incredibly thought-provoking conversations about our unique experiences as YES students and fun adventures in our lovely capital, but we have conducted some pretty important projects.  I worked with Elitsa on a workshop raising awareness about sexual harassment. With Joey, we interviewed diverse people from a wide range of backgrounds in Bulgaria for Joey’s capstone project. One of our subjects was Dimitar Bochev, a famous writer and former program editor of Radio Free Europe.  

I also expanded my understanding of diverse communities in Bulgaria.  Never in my life did I imagine choosing to attend prom in a small Turkish community in southern Bulgaria with people I had only recently met over going to my own prom in one of the fanciest hotels in the center of the capital city with my classmates, but I did, because I felt like that choice would be better in so many ways--more educational, more unique…  Alongside Alper Ahmed (YES 2017-2018, hosted by AYA in Baldwin City, KS), Milena Ivanova (YES 2017-2018, hosted by AFS in Fort Collins, CO), and Lauren Leadbetter (YES Abroad 2018-2019), I got to learn about the life, traditions, and culture of the Turkish population in Bulgaria. It is not as common as I wish it were for people to go to celebrations of people from different religious or ethnic communities.  This experience had a big impact on me; afterwards, I had many discussions with my close friends and family about minorities in Bulgaria. And thankfully, I had an amazing time. I am very sure that this prom experience was a 100% better than the one I would have otherwise had. The only thing that can really compare to this celebration was my American prom. Neither was better or worse than the other, per se--they were just different.

Now, as I embark on my next yearlong journey abroad--this time as a European Solidarity Corps volunteer to the Canary islands in Spain--I can not wait to arrive there and have another brilliant experience.  But I also can’t wait to come back home, either, recharged with energy and inspiration to do great things in Bulgaria as I did last year! Coming back home is underrated.