The feeling of success, no matter where one settles down, comes from communication with other people and the support you receive, from the achievements in work, as well as from pleasure in everyday life. When all this is present, one can be a successful person, no matter what part of the world they live in. Success for a girl from Slovakia came with her permanent settling in Bulgaria. Tatiana Rehmova feels at home, saying people are warmhearted and the country is very beautiful.

She loves the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and says it is extremely attractive to people like her, who grew up without connection to the sea. She was born in a small town in northern Slovakia – Namestovo, which is located in the mountains near the border with Poland.

After graduating from high school in Slovakia, she began studying to become a teacher, but her dream was becoming a translator. This dream took her to England, where she went to improve her English:

"After the first month, I really liked it and decided to stay in order to study PR and communications. There I met my friend Stanislav, a student from Bulgaria. I became interested in your country because he always said he wanted to return to Bulgaria after graduation. While living in England we often met with other Bulgarians. They were initially speaking in English, but then they relaxed and started talking in Bulgarian, so I learned the language. It was more difficult for me to write because in Slovakia we do not write in Cyrillic. It was a good year in England, but I didn't like spending time there as much as I did in Bulgaria."

When Stanislav and Tatiana came to Bulgaria she started working in a Bulgarian start-up company based in Sofia. There she has been working mainly with foreigners and does not have to use Bulgarian. She started learning Bulgarian grammar and spelling when she joined a non-governmental organization. With Stanislav’s helps she quickly succeeded without attending language courses and lessons:

"Life in Sofia is interesting as there are always some events happening. I feel very good here, I am glad that I found my environment with real friends, something that would have never happened in England. My whole family is in Slovakia and I like going there. But now I can't imagine living there and I feel that my place is in Bulgaria. I like the sea the most; it makes me feel happy and calm, it gives me a surge of energy when I'm around it. I love Bulgarians too. Even before we settled here, I saw that Stanislav had many good friends in Bulgaria. Bulgarians are very much like the Slovaks, so I did not experience any culture shock. The people I have met in Sofia have always been very kind, very active and ambitious."

Tatiana has managed to find her place here, which motivates her and makes her feel good. She also likes Bulgarian nature with its high peaks, mineral springs and other beauties:

"Me and Stanislav were hesitating between Sofia and Vienna because Vienna is close to Slovakia, but in the end my choice of Sofia prevailed. In a week we leave for Sozopol, which is my favorite place. I have also noticed that Bulgarians love and respect the mountains very much and this is also something Bulgaria has taught me.”

English: Alexander Markov

Photos: private library