As most of you know, I have moved to Sofia, Bulgaria, to work pro bono as Head of Strategy for a newly started not-for-profit organization, Step for Bulgaria. I have now been here for two weeks, and so far, so good! I am truly enjoying my time here, and the Bulgarians are an extremely friendly and hospitable people (in the picture to the left you can see my good friend Rossitsa giving me a tour of beautiful Sofia). The food is amazing, with shopska salads, sarmi, kebabche, and of course some nice, cold ariena alongside. And drinking of (home brewed) Rakia is mandatory for any male. ;)It is cold and snowy, i.e., perfect conditions for a Norwegian! The Bulgarians are almost as crazy about skiing as Norwegians, and the Peeva family generously invitied me to their holiday home in famous Bansko; Bulgaria's top ski-resort, situated just two hours south of the capital in the wild Rila mountains. The conditions (as well as the party scene!) were excellent, with 30 cm of fresh powder.
The work for the Foundation is moving along nicely. I am daily learning new things about the situation of Bulgarian orphanages through meetings with various people and by conducting literature reviews. This past Saturday was the highlight of the trip so far, when I got to meet some of the kids for the first time. We communicated as best we could in English, and had great fun together. Boriana Dimitrova, a lawyer in Sofia, was the guest lecturer for the class this weekend, talking about civil rights. The kids listened carefully as she spoke, and contributed actively in the discussions.
In one of the breaks, a 15-year-old boy named Victor started playing the piano, and soon he was teaching his 11 year old sister, Gallia and another girl, how to play! They were very enthusiastic about playing the piano, and we will try to provide them with a music instructor.
Today I also visited an orphanage to set up English classes with some of the kids. I am very excited to start teaching English, and it is a joy to see how happy the children become when they are shown lots of love and care.
Well, off to bed. Leka nosht!
Knut
