"I can't complain. My husband helps me a lot. He is a shipbuilder, an engineer. The children already know him, and when he is not here, they ask me about him," says Nadezhda Damyanova.

Organising the teaching of Bulgarian to children of different ages and levels of proficiency in the Bulgarian language is not easy. How did Nadezhda manage?

"The first year was very difficult. There were children of all ages. Some of them only spoke French and we were learning Bulgarian as a second language. Gradually I started to form groups according to their level of language. And now they are in different classes. I have a kindergarten, I have two classes of first grade and one class of second grade."

As well as teaching Bulgarian Sunday school children, Nadezhda Damyanova is also an English teacher at the Catholic school in a small town near Saint-Nazaire.   

"Working with children is a must for me. I cannot imagine living without them, without cuddling and holding them. I adore children. I worked as a teacher in Bulgaria for about 14-15 years and I am very happy to have the opportunity to continue my profession abroad". 

Asked what other problems she faces and whether the Bulgarian state can help her solve them, Nadezhda Damyanova replies:

"At the moment I would be happy if I could find another teacher. I have put an advertisement and I expect to find a teacher soon. I also need help now because the number of children is growing. But in general I am managing. I don't need anything extra. Come to think of it, for a year I did absolutely everything on my own - with my own budget, resources, materials and so on... At the moment I am supported by the Bulgarian state. And I can only be grateful.