After 9 months here I am…at home, but much stronger, braver and full of experience! For these 9 months I learnt a lot, I got so many new friends and knowledge for lifetime. None of these would be possible ASSIST! I had so many ups and downs, many of which shaped the person I am today! I grew up living far from home, taking care of myself completely alone without my family and friends and found many new perspectives about my character itself!
In the end it was really hard for me to say “goodbye” to my best friends and teachers because I got close to so many people there, which I will miss a lot! We will stay in touch, I have their social media profiles and even my representative from ASSIST in my school will come to visit Bulgaria next month and I promised her to take her and her husband for a walk around the prettiest cities in here! I cannot wait to see her again! Me and my Mexican and Korean friends – Ivanna and Gigi – are talking on the phone often and I hope we will keep helping each other in the future! It is priceless to have international friends from all over the world! I told them I am going to visit and that they are welcome any time at home!
The second semester in Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School was really fast but full with amazing activities and unforgettable moments! I have told you that I am doing Circus (acrobatics) as an afternoon activity. The whole time we were preparing for our final show – called “Vitrum” which means “glass” in latin and the whole performance (long hour and a half) tells the conception about the broken glass which represents a human’s life. Every single piece represents a different stage of life and it is a different act. I participated in 4 acts and an opening and final monologue. It was spectacular and everyone loved it!
About the academics I am “graduating” with A+ for each subject and A for AP Statistics. I took the AP exam at the end of the semester and now I am waiting for my results. I also took the SAT and I am somewhat satisfied with my score! We had an award ceremony for academics the last day before graduation! They gave me an award for the best student in French! I really loved studying French and I think I will keep on learning more about it here, too. My Math teacher gave me 6 math books as a gift and I am so happy about it. Every teacher is telling me that whenever I have a problem, question or need help for anything I can always contact them! I am so thankful I have them behind my back!
On April 5th I experienced an American prom day! I went there with Gigi – the girl from South Korea! I had a lot of fun, we took so many pictures and had a great time! On May 7th I had a birthday and I turned 18! I thought it was not going to be something huge because I am far from home but my friends made a surprise for me and actually I had the best day there! ASSIST sent me a card which was the sweetest thing ever, they gave me a cake saying Happy Birthday and many balloons!
For Easter Break I went to Dallas, Texas to see a friend of my mom and to be with Bulgarians for this holiday and at the same time to see another place in the USA. It was so fun, I went ice-skating, went to the cinema and also for a walk in downtown Dallas! I petted little puppies in a pet store, I went swimming and celebrated Easter!
This and so much more will stay in my heart and mind forever!
Magdalena Petkova
ASSIST 2024/25