By Suelv Sulo (YES 2021-2022, Albania, placed by Aspect in Bremerton, WA) 

As a person who always dreamed of attending an American high school since I was young, I had always searched for a way to make this dream come true. I was in eighth grade when I first heard about the YES Program. At that moment, it became my goal to be one of the lucky students to study abroad in the United States.

And like a dream come true, that’s what happened. I was 15 when I applied and received the scholarship that would allow me to live and study in the U.S. for a year. Throughout this year, I lived in Port Orchard, Washington, and spent my last week in Bremerton, Washington. Having a double placement, a fellow YES finalist from Egypt was a special part of this experience. If you had asked me if I was excited to have a double placement, I would have said yes, but at the same time, I was a bit scared since I wasn’t used to sharing a room with someone. At first, I wondered what would happen if we didn’t get along.

Having a double placement might sound scary, but now I can say it's something to be excited about as an exchange student. Having a double placement means you can learn about another culture besides American culture, make a best friend, and gain a new family member somewhere in the world (in my case Egypt). Most importantly, you have a person going through the same things at the same time as you. It's also like being on a sleepover with a friend every day for a year.

My double placement became my best friend, but as an extrovert, I went to the U.S. with a clear goal to make as many friends and connections as possible. Looking back, the old me thought that most of those friends would be temporary, friends I would have just while I was living my American dream. However, after getting to know them and spending time with them, they did not become my friends, they became family.  

As an exchange student, I made friends every day, shared my culture, and gained new perspectives; it’s the small things and these bridges that I built which made my year unforgettable. Seeing how teenagers in another part of the world were curious about my culture, asked me questions, and included me in their activities constantly made my year better.

 The little things I experienced with my friends, like car rides, casual hangouts, musicals, concerts, and karaoke, are memories which I will cherish forever. If I look back at my exchange year now, it feels like a dream. I’m very grateful for this experience because it changed me. I became more mature, more grateful, and more determined to succeed. 

Even after all this time, I still keep in touch with my friends in U.S. and other exchange students daily. We update each other on our lives and make plans to see each other soon. I have already visited two of my exchange-student friends, and I am looking forward to visiting more of them. It has been months since I came back, but a part of me never left. A part of me is still there, laughing with my friends, happier than ever.