By Shebnem Niazi, YES 2013-2014, Bulgaria, hosted by World Link in Kolona, IA

When I came back to my home country after a life-changing year as a YES exchange student in the United States, I knew I wanted to continue volunteering so that I could help my community. I became a part of the YES Alumni Association and helped implement projects and initiatives to help with everything from spreading love with the “Love Note Project,” to making handmade jewelry and Christmas cards for charity. I volunteered at the municipal shelter for homeless animals in my hometown, helped organize activities for kids on International Children’s Day, informed others about the merits of vegetarianism and participated in the nationwide eco-campaign “Let’s Clean Bulgaria in one Day!” 

However, I also desired to broaden my worldview and the scope of my volunteering, so I was excited when I learned about the Greenlion & Greenway program in Thailand. This program brings volunteers to the Sing Buri area in Thailand, where they then help at the Sri Udam orphanage. I felt like this was the opportunity I had been looking for, so I began fundraising. Through an online campaign on FundRazr.com and through selling handicrafts, I raised enough money to volunteer in Thailand for two weeks!

I arrived at the Sri Udam orphanage on July 24, 2015 to an extremely warm welcome from the children. Although they lived in cramped conditions, the children were so loving and full of warmth. Every single morning they greeted us with beaming smiles, and even though their English was limited, they tried their best to communicate with us. 

I contributed at the orphanage by teaching English, which was extremely rewarding because my students were very thankful. They were incredibly sweet and very eager to learn. I felt a really strong connection to them and looked forward to seeing them each day. I also helped around the orphanage by painting and doing some construction projects. It may sound cliché, but I gained so much more than I gave at Sri Udam. Volunteering at the orphanage reminded me that doing community service is the best way to wage peace through bringing justice worldwide.

Although it was heartbreaking to see children living without their families, I believe it is also incredibly important to see how others live. As a student from Bulgaria, I had never experienced the reality of poverty before; watching movies and documentaries cannot bring the understanding that experiencing it for myself did. I went home with a new outlook on the world and a better, more complete understanding of how it works and doesn’t work. 

Thailand is no longer just a country on a map to me, but instead, it represents a diverse set of humans who welcomed me with open arms and open hearts. Whenever anyone asks me about my time volunteering abroad, my answer is the same: “It was simply a journey through which I reached a deeper understanding of life, and without a doubt, I would return to this magical adventure in a heartbeat!”