US Sailing Interview- Bulgaria Sports for Social Change - Exchange June 8-20, 2025

Описание: Is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... or a sophisticated passport scam?

In this special, in-depth interview with US Sailing, Yona Decker (the man behind the camera for this series) tells the unbelievable origin story of the U.S. State Department-sponsored exchange to Bulgaria.

It all started with a "too good to be true" email for a fully-funded trip. Follow the story from Yona's initial suspicion (picturing a "guy in an Eastern European basement" trying to steal his passport) to the bureaucratic nightmare that almost stopped him from going.

Hear how the New York City Department of Education required a 27-page 'Conflict of Interest' application and a minute-by-minute itinerary... and how a chance phone call and a sailing trip on the Hudson River proved to be the "divine intervention" that made it all happen.

Yona also shares highlights from the 10-day trip, from adaptive horseback riding and unified basketball in Sofia to the main event: adaptive sailing on the Black Sea, where he presented the Bulgarian National Sports Academy with gifts from US Sailing.

And yes, you'll hear the full story behind the famous 🐷 or 🐮 "is it pork or beef?" incident!

⏰ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introductions with US Sailing
0:53 - The "Trip of Serendipity"
1:13 - How it Started: The "Up Your Alley" Email
1:50 - "Sounds Too Good to be True" / Is This a Scam?
2:51 - The "Eastern European Basement" Passport Scam Fear
3:41 - Verifying the Trip with the State Department
4:21 - The Biggest Obstacle: The NYC Dept. of Education
5:24 - "A Bureaucratic Nightmare"
6:00 - The 27-Page Conflict of Interest Application
6:27 - The Chance Phone Call: The Trip Organizer is in NYC
7:39 - "How About I Take You Sailing?"
7:54 - Why Yona Was Chosen (OT + Sailing)
9:44 - "Divine Intervention": Meeting at the Boathouse
11:30 - The DOE's "Approval": You Must Use Your Vacation Days
13:05 - The Fun Stuff: The Trip Begins!
14:40 - Arriving in Sofia: Meeting the Interpreters & NSA Guide
16:18 - Day 1: Adaptive Horseback Riding (Hippotherapy)
18:08 - Unified Basketball, Badminton & Field Hockey
19:54 - Cultural Highlights: The Food! (Cheese & Yogurt)
20:21 - Highlight: Adaptive Sailing in Nessebar (The Black Sea)
22:00 - Presenting the US Sailing Care Package (Autographed Manuals!)
23:30 - The FULL Story: "Is it 🐷 or 🐮?"

Thank you to US Sailing for the interview!
► Learn more about US Sailing: https://www.ussailing.org/
► Learn about US Sailing Adaptive Programs: https://www.ussailing.org/education/a...
🔔 Subscribe to relive the entire journey!    / @yona3914  

► Watch the full "ISPI Unified Sports: Bulgaria" playlist:    • ISPI Unified Sports: Bulgaria  

► Watch the "Unified Sailing in Nessebar" video mentioned in the interview:    • Видео  

This video is part of the U.S. Department of State's International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI).

#AdaptiveSailing #SportsDiplomacy #ISPIBulgaria #USsailing #Bulgaria #OccupationalTherapy #UnifiedSports #Serendipity #HudsonRiver