Poly AFS Student Experience


Before my outing with Maya, Poly’s AFS student, I had never met anyone from Bulgaria, a country situated in the Eastern Balkans. Hoping to acquire some background knowledge about her country before we spent the day together, I read a bit about Bulgaria’s recent history. I learned that Communism didn’t end in Bulgaria until 1990. For the next few decades, Bulgaria struggled with its transition to a market economy. Today, Bulgaria is an  upper-middle-income economy securely anchored in the European Union (workbank.org).
Easy-going, friendly, and appreciative of everything - even the everyday conveniences such as “Jamba Juice” that I take for granted - Maya’s grateful attitude was infectious. As we window-shopped together on Colorado Boulevard and enjoyed the views from the top of Angeles Crest, Maya’s positive presence led me to forget about the often stressful, “trafficy,” fast-paced living in LA, and focus instead on all the city has to offer. My day with Maya impressed upon me the value of stopping, even if it’s just every now and then, to look at the world in a different light. It reminded me of one of the reasons I find travel and meeting people from foreign countries so fascinating; we often make new discoveries about ourselves and our own homes in the process of learning about others.

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