This is a true story about my friend, Maya. She’s in her 40s now, but never lived in one place for long. Maya calls herself a woman of the world. She thinks that home isn’t a country—it’s wherever you find yourself.

Maya was born in Australia, to parents from South Africa. They moved when she was just a baby, and she spent her early years growing up in the UK. By the time she was 10, her family moved to Canada, where she finished her schooling. Maya loved learning about different countries and languages, and after university, she moved  to Italy, then Japan, and later Kenya, working as a website designer.

Her hobby is photography, taking photos of the world, forests, lakes, rivers and people she meets on her travels. Maya often stays with local families, learning languages, and their way of living. She doesn’t have much stuff, just a camera, her laptop, and a small backpack. She likes living like this, being free.

Once, in Morocco, she was taking pictures in a small village. A local man saw her and asked, "Where are you from?" Maya smiled and said, "I’m from everywhere—and nowhere. The world is my home."

• What do you know about Ravi? What do you know about Maya?
• Are the two stories similar? How?
• What is the difference between the stories?
• Make a table with their similarities and differences.
• What do you think, are they both happy? Do they like their life?
• Are they poor or rich?
• Are they strong or weak?