While talking to Iva I got the impression that I was talking to a world-class traveller, аs she speaks with so much passion and excitement about her travelling adventures around the world. All the amazing places that she had the opportunity to visit, she describes them so eloquently and vividly that you would get the feeling as if you travelled along with her to Southeast Asia last summer. Her stories, experiences and illustrations of these places, the people she met with, their customs and culture, she presents them so beautifully and uniquely that one would most likely start searching for flights to go on a quest and explore them.

Iva approaches the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Program with ease. For this 16-year-old high school student, the world of the IB is familiar territory, as she has been part of it since kindergarten. She grew up and has spent most of her life in Georgia, where the official language is nothing similar to anything Slavic. At home, with her family, she spoke, in her words, a "funny mix" of Macedonian, Serbian, Russian and English. She is fluent in Georgian, too, which she had to learn in 6th grade, and a year from now hopefully she will add Chinese to her list, as she will be studying Chinese as a second language at the United World College (UWC) in Changshu China.

After graduating from high school in China Iva envisions herself continuing her education in the United States...perhaps Europe or maybe China, depending on the circumstances. She’s considering studying something in the field of Nuclear Energy or sustainability. As Iva beautifully puts it: “My creativity does not match any office job.”

Iva is thrilled and looking forward to starting her new educational adventure in China. Understandably, she also feels a bit sad and nostalgic about all the people and places she’s leaving behind her friends, family, and even her beloved teachers at her school in Georgia, who, as much as they were happy to see her moving on, were also sad that she’s leaving. It’s so far away on a different continent. Yet from every ending comes a new beginning. Her friends already have standing invitations to come and visit her in China. Since UWC Changshu has an allowance of 2 suitcases, Iva had already meticulously planned what she would put in each one. One is full of clothes and 10 jars of ajvar and the other is full of memorabilia which will remind her of home and make her feel close to her family and friends. We're curious how many things she'll bring back to remember her time there. Maybe she'll collect so many memories that it'll feel like she's brought back a piece of China.

Nela Chestojanova,
July 2024