Lunch with Maya

In years past, the school has hosted teens from Finland, Italy, Yemen, France, and Turkey for a year at a time. Foreign exchange students stay with host families and interact with the Global Scholars program. In December, I had lunch with Maya, a Bulgarian student. I expected, because of our divergent high school experiences, to talk mostly about her time in a private American school and the newness here. In actuality, we talked mostly about our shared interests (natural medicine, psychology) and laughed frequently. However trite it sounds, I enjoyed focusing less on emphasizing what connects us over our critiques of America, school, our peers, or our differences. I hope to spend time studying Bulgaria's traditions and history as Maya is studying those of America.