I'm almost at the end of my summer long journey to the U.S.A. Me and my brother return to Bulgaria on September 6th.

I've traced some positive moments and enjoyed a change from my life back in Bulgaria... a big change! Like comparing a cat with a dog, Pluto and The Sun.

But I'm not gonna talk about my experience here now, but the things I'm gonna miss leaving America. So here is the list.

1. Starbucks Coffee
You need to understand that back at Bulgaria the first Starbucks is due to open in 2009 and not even in my city. I'm not looking forward to it seeing that I won't be ordering coffee by mail and expect a package with spilled Frappuchino all over.

2. Cheesecake Factory
As much as American food goes this really takes the cake. I love everything about that restaurant... but the cheesecake. Some people must know I hate chocolate cakes. But they make delicious sandwiches and soup just makes you wanna have another order almost immediately!

3. Wi-Fi everywhere
Coming home with my iPod Touch will be kinda sad seeing that there are just 7-8-9 Wi-Fi hotspots in Burgas, Bulgaria rather than having wireless internet connection wherever you go in Boston. So I will pretty much be limited to offline working and programs and music and such.

4. Beautiful Parks
Free Shakespeare, free tennis courts in parks. Everything around you is green and everyone are relaxing, lying down on freshly cut and bug killed grass reading or relaxing... You could pretty much have that in Burgas minus the danger of finding a ladybug or mosquito in your head.

5. Free Tennis Courts
^ Says it all... So there are many tennis courts with a wall big enough for me to hit with seeing that my brother sucks at tennis the wall was always a difficult  opponent for me.

6. Borders
The huge 2-3 story book store can be dangerously addictive with so many books, CD's, movies you can spend the entire day on there reading on a comfy chair or couch while sipping Starbucks coffee <33 I suppose in this point I can add missing English books and a wide choice of them! Walking in Borders tonight I started on reading Twilight and got so addicted that a staff member had to come and kick me out of the store personally. It's gonna be my official hangout place until I leave I wanna enjoy the most of it!

7. Burritos, burgers, sushi and rich meals at fancy restaurants.
As unhealthy burgers at restaurants you occasionally wanna have one! Like me... Once a week. It's not what you eat that makes you fat... It's how much you eat of it. And it's tasty. All American food is. I could name a few restaurants that already have my five star rating - Apple bees, Panera, Cheesecake Factory. I will so much miss sushi buffets.

8. Technology
A person like me always wants to know the latest!

9. Concerts, Events, Crazy College Parties
Let's face it. Tiesto doesn't come to Bulgaria every week or so for a gig and Roger Federer doesn't play a tournament here I'm gonna miss all the events that happen here. Celebrities visiting, sport tournaments (tennis is particular). No other place like America is gonna bring you so close to such high events (and technology as pointed above) 
And gonna miss crazy college parties and dancing and drinking and such. ^^ 

10. Nice people
Saying "Thank You" so often... When somebody is holding the door for you, when you are exchanging change. The mood, niceness of people here. Being so open everywhere - in a convenient store, on the courts, on the streets.
Everyone are being so helpful while in Bulgaria it's every man for himself... In Bulgaria everyone are trying to be alike. Blend with the crowd... While in America you fight to be different. And that's the beauty of it! The difference... The change is just amazing. So Thank You! For reading my first blog entry.

P.S. I wanna wish everyone back in Burgas who are going to the "Spirits of Bourgas" MTV Festival through August 15-17 to have a good time.

The central beach in Bourgas, Bulgaria's second largest Black Sea city, has been closed for August 15-17 for the MTV music festival Spirit of Bourgas. To compensate, the Bourgas city provided 200 free sun umbrellas at the city northern beach, Bulgarian-language daily Dnevnik reported.

About 10 000 people are expected to visit Spirit of Bourgas daily. Many of the tickets were bought on Internet from abroad, but the local city hall said that by the end of the festival it would be hard to find vacancies in hotels in the seaside city. Some 1500 beds have been booked for the artists, who are performing at Spirit of Bourgas, and their crews.

The festival will be screened on nine MTV channels in 36 countries. The event’

s organisation cost two million leva, where Bourgas municipality took part with 250 000 leva, Dnevnik reported. About 110 policemen and bodyguards will provide security at the festival.

As previously reported by The Sofia Echo, on the specially prepared concert stages and dance areas performances will run from 7pm each day until sunrise. Legends such as The Sister of Mercy, Asian Dub Foundation and Kosheen will stage live shows. This will be the first show of The Sister of Mercy in Bulgaria, while the other two bands return for a second time.

The drum and bass group Pendulum, Pharoahe Monch, the DJ duo Groove Armada and the broken beats genius Bonobo are also scheduled to perform. The beach will be wired for sound by the early hours of the three days by local bands and DJs including Gravity CO, Wikeda, D2, Deep Zone Project, Panican Whyasker, Upsurt, and the DJs from Magrathea and Metropolis sound conglomerations.

A stage for the Latino fans will also not be missing, featuring Frankie Morales on August 15, Salsa show performance on August 16 and Kalin Veliov & Tumbaito on August 18.

Затова се почувствах странно, когато в 5 без 15 (15 минути преди началото) се озовах на сборния пункт, Тройката, и не видях нищо друго освен 5 полицаи и 3 клоуна. Без особени надежди да стане нещо, с приятеля ми заехме позиции на паметника. С идеята след 20 минути да отидем някъде, където не духа, така си и останахме. На площада се появи екип на канал 0, а един от клоуните се покачи на кокилите.

Може пък да се съберат, знаеш ли... Седим и чакаме. Появиха се две-три с рокли, по-скоро официални, отколкото карнавални, с маски и тежък грим, няколко деца, като феички, една малка гейша и още няколко платени клоуна. Площадът биде залят с шумове, които успяха да привлекат повечко зрители. В един миг цъфнаха ето тия момичета...

...а един с тях мъкнеше второ знаме, което ни бе връчено по церемониален начин, без думи, само със знаци, жестове и свиркане на бибитка. Нямам си идея как съм направила тая снимка:

Факт е, че знамето (паното?) увисна, а аз седях върху въжето. Мда, от прости сеирджии със сапунерка-фотоапарат се превърнахме и в участници, че дори и поддръжници. Натрупването на хора в шантави дрехи долу набираше сили. Тълпата сеирджии също нарастваше:

Докато участниците дефилираха съсредоточено, Негово величество ни изненада в гръб:

Мда, Лордът се появи в бляскави одежди от не-знам-си-кой век. Компания му правеше някой, който съм сигурна, че познавам, но в този му вид не можах да разпозная:

Определено Ицо се представи уникално. Може би защото знам, че костюмът му е шит по поръчка, ми направи повече впечатление от онези с костюми под наем и от театъра. И почти до края мислех, че той е най-интересният долу, но когато се появиха петте "тела" - две мускулести и 3 скелета, започнах да се колебая:

Изтрепаха рибата с индианската стъпка ей!

Иначе в един момент ми стана леко гузно, че в тълпата виждам сума хора с прекрасни черни фотоапарати с големи обективи, а аз със мойта сапунерка съм от малцината, добрали се до високото. За миг се замислих, дали има блогъри или изобщо хора, които съм засичала в нета сред масата долу. Видях ето този тип от девиантарт. Сигурно е имало и други. :)

Надявам се на сайта на карнавала да се качат доста повече снимки. За по-пълна представа: http://www.carnavalburgas.com/

]]> http://bulgariaproperty101.wordpress.com/?p=70 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:00:09 +0000 Equilibrium http://bulgariaproperty101.wordpress.com/?p=70 Rene Beekman from SofiaEcho reported more good news for property investors in Bulagria. "Bulgaria's National Statistics Institute (NSI) said that real estate prices in Bulgaria had, on average, risen by 28.9 per cent in 2007, compared to the year before.

Price increases in 2007 ranged between 44.3 per cent in Turgovishte to 15.6 per cent in Yambol, the NSI said.

Ranked by price increase, Sofia was fifth with 35.1 per cent, with Vidin (36.5 per cent), Silistra (38.7 per cent), Pernik (40 per cent), Rousse (140.9 per cent) and Turgovishte ranking ahead of the capital city.

Sofia was still the most expensive place to buy real estate, with an average price of 1813.17 leva a sq m, according to the NSI data.

Though the Bourgas was a close second with 1762.63 leva a sq m.

Other Bulgarian cities where real estate prices were in the above-1000-leva range included Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad and Pleven.

The cheapest real estate was available in the Sofia region outside the capital, where the average price was only 488.14 leva a sq m."

Source: SofiaEcho

Здравейте казвам се Велчо Михалев и съм турскоговорящ ром/циганин

от град Айтос, област Бургас.

Работя в СНЦ "Областен Мултиетнически

Младежки Съюз - ТОЛЕРАНТНОСТ" гр. Айтос - член в УС, също така работя

и въвФондация "Партньори България" гр. София - като ко-обучител. Но

предимно се занимавам с проблемите на малцинствата и пулноценната им

интеграция. В момента работя по три проектта 1- ежемесечно мултичетническо

младежко издание /вестник/ "ЕТНОСИ" - журналист, 2 - Театрална трупа с деца

с увреждания и с деца сираци, който се нарича приключенията "БУРАТИНО" по

Алексей Толстой - технически сътрудник, 3 - "Модерна комуникация в Етноса"

/ компютърен клуб/ - техническа поддръжка.

Велчо МИХАЛЕВ

The terrain will be used for the construction of a mall with supermarkets and trade areas, called Bourgas Retail Park, investor.bg reported.

The fund will participate in the project with 70 per cent. It will provide a loan of 8.925 million euro for the project implementation.

Bourgas Retail Park will cover 60 000 sq m. Its total value would be 60 million euro.

Construction is expected to be completed within 30 months.

Bourgas Retail Park is ECDC's fifth project realised together with other partners with which its total investment reached 36 million euro.

Source: Sofia Echo.Com