by Maya Blanc

My name is Maya, I'm 19 and I just spent 3 weeks in June in the United States with the SYLE program. I wanted to have an experience abroad and discover a little more about the United States and Americans. Traveling with this program allowed me to go off on my own, but still meet incredible people, make unforgettable memories and stay safe. I could travel alone without ever finding myself truly alone on the other side of the world.

I flew from Bordeaux to Boston on June 3. What a whizz of a tour... I stayed with seven hosts between Boston, Philadelphia and New York in only three weeks. My first stop was Marblehead, a small harbor village near Boston, at Alexis Soule' place. It was a week of wandering around the harbor, entering Alexis' life as she showed me around, meeting her friends and family, discovering the association she belongs to and attending some of its meetings, taking painting lessons with her adorable friends, and going sailing. In short, a week of pure happiness -- sounds like a stay at grandma's house.

After Marblehead, I spent 2 nights in Boston at Faith Girdler's house. She took me to her favorite museum, THEN we walked around the city and even went to a baseball game. All incredible experiences! I also got to eat with a member of the Italian Servas youth group, Lucy, who lives in Boston - so cool!

Next stop was Northampton, a small village west of Boston near Springfield. Three days with John and Lyly. We talked a lot, I hiked with John, climbed with their son Luke, and spoke French with Lyly, who lived in France a long time ago.

Then I headed east to stay with Lisa Aiken who lives in Belchertown with Tom and their two children, Emma and Andrew. Lisa introduced me to a small art gallery festival; Emma and Andrew invited me to a concert at their friends' house. We took part in a “No Kings” demonstration at which there were many people. It gave us hope. I really got into their daily lives, eating with their friends, kayaking, pizza night and fire and marshmallows in the family garden – it was an American dream!

Then I headed to the Catskills, to stay with Bill Magargal and Marie Spodek's friend Rachelle at Cobalt Studios. A timeless place, just incredible, where they create huge, twenty-meter scenery backdrops for the theater. They were painting one for a New York City production of "Nutcracker" for the upcoming season. Cobalt is a big house where everyone lives with   a studio for their work in the middle of the woods. I had two great, peaceful days in the New York countryside.

Then Bill drove me to Philadelphia where I met up with Marie again. A show by Bill's men's chorus, a meal at a top-quality canteen where I met their friends at Cathedral Village Retirement Community. They showed me around Philadelphia – its landmarks and food  specialties -- the Magic Gardens, the famous Pat's cheesesteak...

And for my last stop, it was off to Connecticut to stay with Radha and Nila Radhakrishna and their son Surya. They took me to Rockaway Beach with their friends, a great expedition with dream weather and the feeling of being on a family expedition. I also explored New York under the guidance of my hosts, who showed me around their little waterfront town of Darien. Three dreamy days to end my trip on a high note.

This trip was just as crazy as I had imagined. I was able to meet some unforgettable people, experience some unique moments with them while traveling and discovering the United States in a different way than being a tourist. My “solo” trip wasn't really a solo trip traveling from hotel to hotel wondering if I'd find nice people, if I would be safe, if I'd manage to get to the next stop on my own.

I was able to meet a wide variety of people, families, young and old, who I wouldn't have met otherwise. I was able to discover and immerse myself in their daily lives. It was also reassuring as they often accompanied me from one stay to the next to ensure the transitions were easy. My host families made me do the things they preferred around their homes, things I would never have done on my own.

Servas is also a community of people who share the same values, so we were able to talk a lot about what was going on in the US, especially under their new president.  We had many meaningful, enriching in-depth discussions.  In fact, when one of them asked me what I didn't like about Americans, I didn't know how to answer, because thanks to Servas I'd only met great people, who undid any clichés I might have had.

All this to say that it was an unforgettable experience, a trip that would never have been the same without Servas and SYLE. Travelling with Servas was like discovering and creating a family with people happy to share their daily lives. It was the best thing that could have happened to me, especially travelling alone at nineteen on another continent. Obviously, I want to do it all over again! Thank you for this fantastic trip!!!!