Mid-summer day (school’s holiday) – 24.06

Today it was our school’s holiday at which we got to present the presentations we made about our trips to different Bulgarian cities. When it was my turn to get on the stage, I felt very nervous, but once I got under the spotlight I felt great and continued with my performance. I did make a couple of mistakes but I manage to cover them thank to my communicational skills that I have developed during my CAS projects, which always involve some kind of communication with a lot of people.  After the presentation we continued to participate in the programme as assistants, who helped to carry the awards to the stage. We also co-hosted the show and even sang on the microphone. This was not very successful because we can’t sing, but after all we had such great time that we didn’t care we looked stupid :D We laugh a lot and had a lot of fun, which is the important thing and in my opinion, this school’s holiday was one of the most interesting ones that I have witnessed. I just had the feeling that the whole school was one big family and I was quite disappointed when everything was over, because rarely do you see around 200 people being as united as we were.

Organizing Mid-summer day events – 23.06

On 23.06 I helped in the organization of our school’s holiday. First I had the job to gather all of the music that will be played and make a playlist out of it. After that I had to label the different rooms for the people who will change clothes for the show in them. After doing that, I proceeded with helping to build the sets on the stage, which was quite tricky because the work involved climbing on a very high ladder, which I was very afraid to do, because I have fear from heights. However, besides this unpleasant moment, I had a little bit exhausting but otherwise I had a wonderful day of full value. 

Making of awards for the Mid-summer day events – 22.06

Today we made the awards for the different categories of the show, dedicated to the school’s holiday. We used stars to me something like diplomas for the winners of the different competitions. While we made these awards we had so much fun that my stomach hurt from laughing. I also practiced my skills in painting, which I adore doing. In overall it was a great day filled with many pleasant emotions and activities!

Creativity club – 21.06

On 21^st June in Creativity club we had the very important mission to make Oscarius for the school’s holiday. This was very fun experience because we had to dress empty wine bottles as boy and girl and make them look like statuettes. We did a great job with them and we felt great when we finished them because they looked amazing! At first I didn’t think that they will turn up so good but after I again convinced myself that when you put your heart in something there is no way to be disappointed by the results!

Making of a presentation for Mid-summer day – 30.05

 On 30.05 I had to make a presentation, containing the most interesting information about the trip we had to Varna, Kavarna and Balchik. The presentation was part of our school’s project, according to which every class from the school had to go on an excursion in a different city. After our return we had to make presentation in order to tell the other student what we have saw and done on our trip. My presentation was not very long but it had a lot of amazing pictures from the trip. I told about every interesting thing I remembered from the excursion and I was very pleased with the final results from my work. It did not take me long to complete the task because making presentations is my hobby. I hope that my class mates will enjoy it, because I do J

Trip to Balchik – 26.05

On the next day we went to Balchik, where we visited the castle of the Romanian Queen – Maria. The castle is not vast but it is very beautiful and has an enormous botanical garden that has various exotic flowers and is very famous in Bulgaria. We spend more than a half day of touring around the castle and the garden, but the long walk was worth it because I saw some of the prettiest flowers I have ever seen. I was also amazed by the grace which the place radiated and I felt very sad we suddenly it was time to leave and get on the far more ugly bus, where the only flowers were the ones on the upholstery. 

Trip to Kavarna – 25.05

In Kavarna we visited the memorial of the famous heavy metal musician, singer and songwriter Dio, where we put some balloons in order to honour his memory. We also went to see the place where the annual rock festival is held and noticed that a lot of foreigners have chosen to stay and live in the town. We also went to great parks, which were very well maintained and impressed me with their great variety of flowers that were planted in the gardens. After that we went in a restaurant to eat and got on the bus again in order to continue our journey. 

Trip to Varna – 25.05

On 25^th May we went to Varna – a city that is known as the marine capital of Bulgaria. The city is the second biggest in the country and it is a really amazing place. There is a beautiful sea garden that we visited. In the garden we saw old ships and anchors that were exhibited, also there were swans swimming in the lakes and other exotic birds that inhabited the garden. After the garden we went to the beach where we had great fun. It was great to sit in the sand and just watch the waves crushing into the beach. Because Tarnovo is far from the sea, I cherish every moment I get to spend on the shore of Black Sea, because it is very beautiful and pleasant. After the beach we went to the centre of the city, where we visit the malls and shops, at which we went to a shopping therapy. This was a great ending of the visit and we got on the bus with smiles on our faces, pleased from the wonderful day we spent in one of the most beautiful cities in the Country. 

Tennis – 13.05

While yesterday I was not able to win the match with my trainer, today I actually won! I could not believe it and I am still dizzy from the winning. It was great day and I even celebrated because I really did not think that I am good enough to win against him. At the end of the game, my teacher said to me that I have finally reached the moment when the student surpasses the teacher, which made feel very proud! I can only hope for my skills to continue to thrive in future! 

Tennis – 12.05

On 12.05 I went to play tennis again and I was even better than the last time I played. My teacher said I getting more confident in my moves and I was very pleased to hear that because I have always had trouble with taking quick decisions for the game. I was very happy to hear that I am now over this flaw of mine and I continued my game with even more determination to win. Of course I was not able to beat my tutor, but there is time to get good enough in order to beat him. I had so muc fun that I am really looking forward to the next training!

Tennis – 10.05

Today was my first tennis lesson for the 2^nd term and it went great. The last time I played tennis was long time before but I found that I haven’t lost shape and I am still good at it. As usual when playing tennis, I was very tired at the end of the practice but I was also pleased from the game. I improved my backhand and service skills and managed to win a couple of points in a match against my teacher. I had a wonderful time and great fun while playing! This training really kindled my passion for the game and I am now eager for more action on the court. 

Theatre play – 09.05

We visited the local theatre to watch a student made play, called “The Party”. At the beginning of the play I thought it looks promising but after a while I found out that the actors lack any sense of acting and I spend the rest of the play in complete boredom. I was really annoyed by the play and I could not wait for it to finish. At the end of it I was grateful that everything was over and hurried to leave the hall in order to save myself from the negative feelings that took power over me during the play. 

Giving the collected books to the local library – 21.04

When we went to give the books we collected with our campaign we did not expect such a warm welcoming form the staff of the library but the people working there were really grateful for the donated books. They showed us around the library and let us see the archives of the building which was an incredible experience. I had the feeling that I was walking around history when we got down stairs in the basement where the archives of national document is housed. I had the chance to see some very interesting pieces of written history which would not be possible without the assistance of the librarians.  I would like to thank them very much for the tour around the library and the things they showed us. I found out that being a librarian is not an easy job and it takes a lot of organizational skill to do the job. The women working there showed us some of their daily obligations and explained us the way books are organised and classified. I learned many new things and started to realise how important and valuable libraries really are. 

Seeing off the seniors – 02.05

Today we said “Goodbye” to our senior at schools. It was a really sad day for me because a lot of my best friends are graduating this year and they are leaving the school. We gave them flowers on their way to the auditorium where the ceremony was held. I was very sad to see my friends leave and I cried a lot. However I realised that it is time for them to move on and managed to stop my tears just in time for the pictures outside of the school. 

Painting eggs for Eastern – 19.04

On 19^th April we went in the local retirement home for old people, with which we have a long lasting relationship of events for helping the residents of the facility. As it was the Great Thursday – the day when woman should paint the eggs – we went to help the people in the home to do their eggs. It was extremely fun to do this and we made some very beautiful eggs. As always the people from the home were incredibly kind and open hearted and I spend an amazing time with them. Before painting the eggs we put a little show for the residents of the home as we read to them some of the best poems dedicated to the bright holiday that was still to come. I found myself developing my communicational skills because I had the chance to talk to most of the home’s dwellers. It was one amazing day spend with amazing people and I was very glad that I had the opportunity to participate in it. 

______________________________________________

Collecting books for charity – 14.04

Our charity club decided to help the local library as we collect vintage books in order to donate them in the library. The books were gathered from any students and teachers that wished to donate some books. We managed to collect a lot of fine literature works that I am sure will be of great value for the library. I was glad to be part of such a wonderful initiative because I myself am a very keen reader and I was very excited from the chance to help the local public library. 

Flash mob with ecological cause (against pollution) – 22.03

After giving away all of the stickers, we continued our participation in the holiday with taking part of an amazing act of performing art and more precisely  - a flash mob! The goal of the mob was to attract people’s attention to a very important issue – pollution. People that took part of the flash mod had to come up with a scene that illustrates their own appeal to people against pollution. The flash mob was frozen one, which means that on a given signal everyone should freeze in a still picture until another signal is given. The scene that we chose to freeze in was illustrating a plastic bottle that was falling on the ground and our idea was to show how reckless we all are as human being when it comes to keeping our planet clean. I was extremely proud that I had the chance to become part of such an event and I must say that I will always remember it! It was really amazing and incredible to participate in and observe!

Giving stickers at Veliko Tarnovo’s Street Parade – 22.03

After visiting school and decorating the eggs we went home and prepared for the other part of the holiday - the street parade. Veliko Tarnovo is the only city in Bulgaria that has a street parade and we were very excited that we would be part of the event. This evening we had to give away stickers to people with the hope that the positive wishes that were printed on these stickers would make the day of the strangers happier and more positive. At first I did not expect people to react very well but once we started giving the stickers I realised that they were actually really cheering up the people we gave them to. It was amazing to observe the strangers we handed the stickers to, because at first they looked at them with a bit of a frowned faces but as soon as they read the message on the piece of paper everybody smiled and looked back at us with gratitude. I once again felt very useful to the people and it was very important for me to receive these positive reactions because they remind me that everything we do is in order to help somebody. This event also gave me opportunity to develop my communicational skills because talking to so many strangers it’s not an easy job if you don’t know how to approach people. Generally speaking the whole involvement in the holiday of Veliko Tarnovo was really amazing for me and I will always remember the night as a very special one.

Creativity at Eastern Workshop – 22.03

22^nd March was our school’s open door day when everyone who wants could visit the school.  The open door day is always in the same day as the official holiday of Veliko Tarnovo. Every open door day is study free and we do not attend classes but still we have to be at school because we must present what we normally do in our classes. So on this open day we were at the library decorating some wooden eggs with paint and glitter. In my opinion my egg became the prettiest one form all and I was very proud with it. It was very fun and useful for my creative side, because it has been long since I have done something as interesting as this. 

________________________________________

Selling tickets for charity campaign – 14.03

On 14.03 we were engaged in selling tickets for the charity concert that will be held on 17.03 in the Municipality’s concert hall. Four schools will take part in the initiative and every school will be competing for a financial prize that consists of the money raised by the ticket sale. The money will go for the cause of the school that wins. Every school had a different cause for which it raised money, our was for the earthquake in Japan. I and my class mates sold a lot of tickets and I felt very good as I always do when I contribute for a charity event.  The price of the tickets was 2 leva and everyone could go. 

Theatre play – 10.03

On 10.03 we went to the local theatre, where actors from Sofia were visiting with a performance of “The three musketeers”. One of the actors was Kalin Vrachanski, who is currently very popular in Bulgaria, because he participates in very modern TV show called “Glass house”. The performance itself was great – very amusing and entertaining since the actors played their roles wonderfully and they managed to stay in character even in the funniest scenes, when everyone in the theatre was laughing. I was glad to visit a theatre play because I really needed something to take my mind off some personal problems I have. I felt refreshed and relaxed after the play and I can’t wait fgor the next time I will visit the theatre. 

________________________________________________

Training at the municipality – 09.03

On 09.03 we gathered in the municipality with representatives of other school in VelikoTarnovo in order to be instructed for our engagement with the organization of Veliko Tarnovo’s holiday. We had two tasks for the holiday – the first one was to give away stickers with positive wishes to random people on the street in order to cheer them up and help them feel more optimistic about life. Our second task was to help in the lighting of more than 200 paper lanterns which are a traditionally set off from our city greatest landmark – the castle of Tsarevets. The training of the municipality was long and throughout and I felt a little sleepy in the end of it but I managed to gain vital information which I needed in order to communicate effectively with people. The person who trained us was the head of the PR department of the municipality and he was very kind with us and gave us a very detailed demonstration of everything we had to do. I felt fully prepared and ready for the event and again I had the opportunity to meet new and interesting young people from other schools that shared the same understanding of the world. I was truly amazing! 

_________________________________________________

Bulgaria’s national holiday – 03.03

Today was Bulgaria’s national holiday and it was honour for me to participate in the official honouring of the victims that have lost their lives in the liberating wars against the Ottoman Empire. Our whole school gathered and bought flowers for the occasion and in 9 o’clock we were in front of a memorial of the victims where we laid our flowers. After doing this there was a special service in the near church. The mayor of the city and the Bulgarian prime minister were present at the event and showed their respect for the victims too. I felt very patriotic, which is rare for me, but actually this time I was really excited and I actually cried when we all listened to the national anthem and watched the Bulgarian flag being raised on the pole. 

_________________________________________________

1^st of March (Giving Martenitsi) – 01.03

On this holiday we spent our whole morning before classes on the front door of the school, waiting for every single student and teacher to give them a mertenistsa for health, luck and personal prosperity. Everyone loved the surprise and I saw that we actually cheered up a couple of grumpy students. I was glad that everyone was happy and well-disposed on the holiday and thought to myself that I couldn’t wait until I will get home and give my own family martenisti. 

CAS meeting - 24.02

On this CAS meeting of ours, a reporter from one of the local newspapers came in our school in order to interview our CAS advisor Ms. Petarcheva on the topic of our acitivities and events we have participated in. Our long lasting charitable record was very impressive for the reporter and we were told that the job we do is something very rare for today’s generation. We all felt extremely proud from our work and for me it was one of those moments when you realise that something you have done had helped another person somewhere out there. I felt proud, because I have the opportunity to be part of something so amazing. After the interview we all made some pictures for the newspaper and shared our own opinion on some questions concerning our work as IB students. The article that was published in the newspaper is available on the following address:http://www.borbabg.com/?action=news&news=10628

_________________________________________________

Making martenistsi for 1^st of March – 21.02

On 21.02 we again made martenitsi for 1^st of March because we still did not have enough for every student in the school. So we spend a lot of time creating our own models of the traditional adornment. I must say that as every time we do something so creative, I felt indescribably happy, because I love to do and achieve something with my own hands. However, it was amazing oporunity to have fun with my friends too. We laughed a lot and had a great time!

Creativity club for 1st of March – 17.02

1^st of March is a unique Bulgarian holiday that is strictly national and does not belong to any other nation except ours. This holiday distinguishes us form every other nation and makes us feel proud that we are Bulgarians. Because of the popularity of the holiday we decided that we must do something special for it and this thing would be to do martenitsi by ourselves. Our CAS coordinator – Ms. Petarcheva – showed us how to handle the materials and how to create original martentsi and we were able to once again let our imagination lead us. We spent a lot of time having fun and being creative and this was one of those moments when I was able to literally feel my dexterity in hand crafting improving. I felt as my hands were learning and I was amazed of the fact that with every next martenitsa that I done I was getting much and much better. At the end of the class I saw that my martenitsi were the best one and I felt proud form my achievements.

_____________________________________________

Saint Valentine’s Day – 14.02

On 14.02 we went to school without uniforms, which was something really weird for me. The headmaster gave his permission for us to be civilly dressed because we played the role of angels. We bought pink wings and we went around school with the mission to give every love card that was put in the live mail, made especially for the holiday by us. It was very interesting to observe the different reactions people have when you give them a love card. I felt like a cupid when I gave people their holiday greetings and the good mood of everyone created a unique Saint Valentine’s atmosphere that is only possible on such holidays.  

______________________________________________

Training for the European Voluntary Corpus – 10.02

On 10^th of February we had our training for the European Voluntary Corps. As every voluntary event, this training bristled with good hearted and determined to help people, who harmoniously created an unique atmosphere, that witnessed our mutual dedication to philanthropic activities. It was incredible for me to meet so much young people that actually cared for the world they live in and believe that we are the one that can change the thing we do not like in this world. We played interactive games for leadership and team building and this provided me with the opportunity to become more acquainted with the people I will work with in future. 

_______________________________________________

Selling Valentine’s cards – 07.02

On 7^th February we sold cards for Valentine’s Day on an improvised bazaar in our school’s lobby. The cards we sold were the same ones we personally made in our workshop and we were glad to see that everybody licked them. It was amazing to observe the reactions of the people when they saw what the messages in the cards were and probably the most significant moment of this event was when one boy proposed to a girl he licked to become his girlfriend with one of our cards. It was really amazing for me because I realised how important is to be socially involved – it is really the only way of becoming part of somebody else’s life. I felt proud with my work and I told to myself that my new goal in life is to make people as happy as this girl was. 

_______________________________________________

Making Valentine’s cards – 03.02

Right after we figured out what events we will be participating in the 2^nd term, we started to fulfil the tasks one by one. The first event we had to prepare for was Saint Valentine’s Day. For this holiday we chose to three different kind of greeting cards, which would be sold on a special bazaar in the school and the gathered money would as always be spend for charity. While making the cards I discovered that some of my classmates have a real passion for this holiday and I was very glad to know a bit more of the people I spent so much time with. While making the cards we also have a lot of fun as usual and since we are girls after all, we gossiped a bit about the new couples in school. We also made cards for each other to show our love. In overall this day gave me the rare opportunity to bond with my friends in a way I that made me feel loving and loved in the same time. 

CAS meeting for the second term - 03.02

On the 3^rd of February our first CAS meeting for the 2^nd term was held in our school’s library. We all sat down and considered the events we would get involved during the 2^nd term of the International Baccalaureate programme. Again we had some disputes and even we argued a bit for some of the events we had to choose, but in the end we managed to reach consensus and came up with our brand new planning page for the 2^nd term. In the process of its composure I found myself enjoying the opportunity to communicate on an organizational level with my class mates and I even discovered that I am getting better in sharing my opinion with other people. I must say that I have always found this difficult but since our CAS classes I have been improving this personal trait of mine. I felt a strong feeling of self-accomplishment and I honestly cannot wait until our next meeting. The planning page we came up with is as it follows: