AFS Meet & Greet

The American Field Service (AFS) program honors the legacy of its founders, WWI and WWII ambulance drivers, who hoped to "prevent future conflict through cultural exchange and understanding". The global AFS network offers educational opportunities in over 45  countries and hosts exchange students from 90 countries, supported by more than 50,000 worldwide volunteers.  Our local AFS annual Meet and Greet was held on Sunday, March 8, at the Jiang-Zhou residence in San Marino. There were three AFS high school students in attendance: Carlos from Chile, Maya from Bulgaria and Aleena from Germany, as well as many students and families from the Poly community. The three AFS students are living in different parts of the Los Angeles area: Carlos is attending school in Los Cerritos, Aleena in Chatsworth and Maya in Pasadena. We enjoyed foods from many countries and had time to meet with the AFS students. Aaron and Jacqueline then had everyone sit down as they led a panel discussion. They asked many questions about the AFS students' experiences in their home countries and in America, including their previous stereotypes about Americans and how those had changed, what they found most surprising about their experience in the US, their favorite foods and activities, favorite words in their native language, among other questions. I learned that although we may be from different countries and backgrounds, high school students all have a lot of the same interests, hopes, and concerns. It was a great event in all!