Junior Guergana Petkova has been learning about international relations since the moment she was born. Growing up in Bulgaria, Petkova was accustomed to a biased wealth disparity. While there were a few rich citizens, "everybody else is poor," she said.
At the age of 12, Petkova left Bulgaria, relocating to Chicago and then to Florida. In contrast to what she expected, Petkova's first year in the United States was very difficult. Besides having to adjust to the different culture and relative wealth distribution of her new home, Petkova needed to become accustomed to the language.
Petkova embarked on a journey through middle school knowing very little English (her younger brother knew three words in English before coming to the United States, "cat, dog, and hello"). Soon, though, Petkova started to "pick up the language and have fun with it."
Further complicating matters, Petkova's middle school required that she learn Spanish in seventh grade, just a year after she started school in her first foreign language.
Petkova found that learning Spanish in English was not as hard as she expected. Her teacher, who knew eight languages, was a "hero" for her. Modeling herself after her teacher, Petkova aspires to know five languages before she is 25.
Nonetheless, the language barrier was not the only obstacle Petkova encountered in her move. Petkova's image of America before coming over was of a "mecca," where every one of her dreams would come true. She found, however, that the journey left her disconnected with one of the most important aspects of her life - her extended family back in Bulgaria.
While contact with her Bulgarian relatives continued once a week, "[the relationships] just changed," Petkova said. She recalls seeing a picture of two adolescents without realizing that they were her younger cousins, who she had last seen as toddlers.
Petkova did not return to Bulgaria until last winter break, when her family traveled back to the country that had previously been their home. Since Petkova's father spends about a month in Bulgaria every year, the trip was nothing new to him. But for Petkova, it was strange to reconnect - and to see how different life is for her relatives than it is for her in the United States.
Petkova described a vivid example: while eating dinner one night, Petkova noticed that her grandparents' refrigerator was the size of her microfridge at Tufts.
Petkova believes Tufts to be "very politically aware." In comparing the United States and Bulgaria, Petkova said that although Bulgarians know much more "factual information," Americans seem to have much stronger opinions.
Last summer, Petkova took part in an internship through the EPIIC program, working with James Nachtwey, a photographer for TIME magazine. Petkova credits her experiences in New York City with releasing her from the "tunnel vision" she felt she had suffered from since before she even came to Tufts.
Petkova realized that she had been so focused on her international relations major that she never thought of a career outside of the field. Now, Petkova is excited at the prospect of bringing photojournalism into her international concentration. She is also considering a concentration in Spanish, and would like to pick up Italian as her fourth language.
Petkova continues to look towards the future, as she is currently in the midst of applying for internships for the summer following this academic year. Though her career plans are not definite yet, "I'm okay with not knowing what I want to do," Petkova said.
In addition to studying international relations at Tufts, Petkova has also become involved in many extracurricular activities that have shaped her interests. Petkova says she is interested in "anything with the word 'international' attached," hence her strong involvement in the EPIIC program.
Besides her international interests, Petkova has also participated in the Tufts Dance Collective since her first semester, and has hosted prospective students. She was also a part of the Tufts Special Friends program, which is similar to the national Big Brother/Big Sister program. (In fact, Petkova said, none of the children were able to pronounce her name, so instead they called her "Special Friend.")
Petkova, however, is also a person conflicted. When asked where home is, she said, "I don't really know." She feels that she is equally Bulgarian and American, and to make a choice is too difficult.<$>
