Liliya shares a special memory reuniting with her host family.
By: Youssef Rhanimi (YES 2023-2024, Morocco, placed by STS Foundation in Rogersville, TN)
When I first arrived in the United States, I was told several times that the state of Tennessee, especially the town of Rogersville and the surrounding area where I lived with my host family, doesn't get much snow. Even still, I couldn't stop hoping for it. I am from Morocco and snow is very rare here. It only snows in a few cities. When it got very cold in November and December, I thought it was finally the moment I'd been waiting for - it was going to snow! Unfortunately, we didn't get any snow, but the hope persisted until the day they announced a large amount of snow on the eve of Monday the 15th of January 2024. We were also informed that there would be no school the next day, so I concluded that this would be serious business!
On that Monday morning, I heard Ismail, my double placement brother from Nigeria, cry out joyfully, "It snowed, it snowed!" I quickly got up, put on warm clothes, gloves, and a hat, and opened the door. I was speechless! It had indeed snowed during the night, and it was still snowing. A beautiful white blanket covered the whole front yard, where the day before there had been nothing but grass. The trees, which had lost their leaves and become bare, now had snow all over them and looked as if they were cold as well. It was a spectacular landscape, worthy of a high-quality movie! I was completely fascinated and amazed!
The first thing Ismail and I did when we saw the snow was to take several pictures of this beautiful white expanse, as if we were afraid the snow would suddenly fly away. After that, we set out to enjoy the long-awaited snow. I tried out many games and activities that I was used to seeing in comic books. There was, of course, the snowball fight - perhaps my favorite - but there was also the snow angel, that angel shape we create on the snow by moving our arms and legs. Finally, I spent a lot of time outside making what I've been dreaming of for a long time: a snowman!
We had a lot of fun! Personally, I'd like to live in a place where it snows for two months - that's how long I needed to enjoy the snow to the fullest! I loved the snow; it was worth waiting for. It was a great, unique, and unforgettable experience, one of many that I had the chance to live during my magical exchange year in the U.S.