Vionet11

Time for reflection for my year of heat in the USA as a Fulbright exchange teacher in 2004/2005 came with the Fulbright Conference and Orientation Workshop in Sofia (May 12-14, 2006). I presented the outline of our book, which I have been writing with Boyan, about our impressions of life and schools in the USA. A Year of Heat in the USA should have been published by the end of July, 2006.

The 7th International Conference of the Fulbright Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange Culture, Education and Leadership Today and Tomorrow was hosted by the Vitosha Park Hotel, Sofia.

Ready to go! 

Prof. Randall Baker was the keynote speaker. He started his interesting presentation at 10.47 a.m., May 12, 2006. He used an allusion to introduce the pessimism of the Bulgarians. The name of the ancient prophetess Cassandra who always had something bad to say but nobody believed her has become a god-mother of Bulgaria according to Prof. Baker.

I met old friends and we had a lot of useful and pleasant informal communication during the conference. In the picture (L->R: Violeta, Dimiter Andreichin, Shtiliana Halacheva, Julia Stefanova). 

Thirty two teachers from 12 European countries participated in the two-day orientation program that was moderated by Jennifer Nupp and Karen Paide, Fulbright Exchange Program Officers, USDA Graduate School, USA.

First, I participated in a round-table discussion on cultural dialogues between Bulgarians and Americans, which was moderated by Julia Stefanova - an Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Bulgaria (May 12, 2006). Next, I gave a presentation about the similarities and differencies between the American and the Bulgarian high school at the round-table discussion on secondary school education today and tomorrow moderated by Ekaterina Vitkova, a deputy-minister of education and science in Bulgaria (May 13, 2006). Third, I contributed to the Orientation Program for Fulbright Exchange teachers from Europe (May 13-14, 2006) as a resource alumnus. In this photo (L->R): Ekaterina, Julia, and Violeta.

 

The 7th International Conference of the Fulbright Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange, which was dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the Fulbright Program, contributed to the better understanding of the problems and concerns about culture, education and leadership today and tomorrow. 

May 1 is Labor Day in Bulgaria. There was a park event in the Borisova Gradina Park in Sofia to celebrate Labor Day. It was a day of songs, books, dancing, balloons, flowers, and smiles.  

Labor Day was a day of Bulgarian books in the Borisova Gradina Park in Sofia. Some of the writers were there and were giving autographs. 

This two-yeard old boy wanted to have all books for children that were at the booth of Zahari Stoyanov Publishing House.

With two of the colossi of modern Bulgarian literature - Leda Mileva and Anton Donchev, on May 1, 2006.