By Sara Hamadneh (YES 2020–2021, Jordan, virtually placed with CIEE in Monroe, LA) 

When I think of the numerous memories that I gained from the YES program, the first thoughts that come to mind are the friendships I made with my YES peers from around the world. Being friends with people from different cultures is an enriching experience, and I’ve learned a lot about their traditional cuisine, values, and their countries’ histories. For example, my friend Tako Obregadze from Georgia introduced me to a traditional Georgian dish called “khachapuri.” I tried it with my family and we really liked it even though the ingredients were new to us. 

Breaking down stereotypes between cultures is the result of such friendships. Hearing my friends’ stories and sharing mine with them made me realize that every society bears similar principles. Everybody has dreams to chase and goals to achieve. Furthermore, all societies stand for tolerance, humanity, respect, and loyalty. We are all different, yet at the core we are all the same!

Throughout the program, we were given the opportunity to participate in the Preparing Global Leaders Forum where I met YES and FLEX students from different countries like Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Poland, Georgia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Egypt, and the list goes on. Thanks to this forum, I discussed my ideas with people from diverse cultural backgrounds which helped me see things in a new light. 

So much could change for the better if we met people from different cultures, heard their stories, and created friendships. Then, we would realize that the factors that unite us outnumber the trivial issues that drive us apart.