Geography Series Bulgaria

I did not know what to expect when I attended Holcombe Geography Series as a guest for the first time, when Morocco presented in early September. I was genuinely surprised by how interactive and informative their presentation was. We, as guests, had the chance to learn first-hand facts and interesting topics, which cannot be easily found on the internet and which are easy to remember when presented in such a free-hearted manner.

When I was asked to give a presentation myself, together with the other two Bulgarian students at the U of A, I got very excited and anxious at the same time. This opportunity meant that we were going to have the chance to present our country and make a valuable contribution to the U of A community by sharing our own culture. On the other hand, I was aware that it was also a huge responsibility, because this presentation may be the first, or one of a few, exposures to the Bulgarian culture for some people and our presentation will be a big part of what they think of Bulgaria as a country.

Kalina Bozhkova

Another challenging part for me was the process of finding cultural items and supplies which we could use during the presentation and ingredients to cook Bulgarian food for our lovely guests! Unfortunately, we did not have many cultural items or ingredients, so we needed to be creative. We contacted some people from Bulgaria in the Fayetteville community and they contributed things they had. For me, it was such a pleasant experience. One person even drove from Bentonville to bring us a Bulgarian meal and beautiful table cloth! It was amazing to have all the help and support from the community.

Teodora, Kalina, Nami & Teodor

The presentation day itself was very hectic – I was running between classes and studying for a test while cooking the cold yogurt soup in Holcombe Hall. However, after all, when I entered the Holcombe living room before the presentation, I smelled the smell of Bulgarian food and heard Bulgarian music while being surrounded by people from all over the world. At that very moment, I knew that every effort we made was worth it. I felt so comfortable to present together with Teodor and Teodora while supporting each other. I guess that was one of reasons why it went so smoothly. Also, the audience was all interested, engaging and supportive, that made me feel inspired and rewarded at the end of this program. It turned out that being a presenter at Holcombe Geography Series became one of the most rewarding experiences for me as international student at the U of A.

Bulgarian food

by Kalina Bozhkova