I'm here, now what?: Seeing France from Bulgaria

My students walking through the Louver

When I was in the 5th grade I remember having a project where I had to pick a country and present it to my class. The country I selected was France, and from that day on I dreamed of traveling to the land of baguettes and the Eiffel Tower. Almost four years ago I was luck enough to go there and I enjoyed ever millisecond of it, it was such a profound trip and really shaped my outlook on the world. It really inspired me to travel more, to see more of the world, and you could even say that it was driving force in my joining the Peace Corps. So when I found out that my school here in Bulgaria was organizing a trip to France sponsored by a European Union exchange program I was really excited and made sure that I would be able to tag along. The trip, like all trips to France, was really magical for me but by far the most amazing thing for me was seeing how my Bulgarian students', and the four teachers that also came, reactions to this captivating country. To me, France was always alluring but it was never outside of my means, or most Americans. If I really wanted to go there I could just buckle down and save money to go there, but for many Bulgarians it well outside of their ability. So for them this trip to France was truly a once in a life-time trip for them. Knowing this and being able to see their reaction to this place was beyond great because I got to see humility and amazement in it's truest and purest form. I am so lucky to be able to see this because very often it is over looked and written of as something simple tourism but for my students and a few of my fellow teachers this was real magic from which I know will inspire them beyond measure.