Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv University took an active part in the first summer school of its kind “On Bulgarians Today – the Young in Dialogue”. The event was part of the cultural calendar of ESN Bulgaria in the city of Plovdiv and took place from 02.07.2023 to 13.07.2023 in the seaside town of Ahtopol. The forum brought together undergraduate and Ph.D. students from eight countries – Bulgaria, Georgia, Poland, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Turkey, and Greece.
The participants had the opportunity to improve their spoken fluency in Bulgarian during the practical classes and broaden their common knowledge during the lectures on Bulgarian culture, literature, folklore, and Bulgarian language history. Additionally, the Summer School included visiting some of the loveliest corners of Bulgaria – Ahtopol (a panoramic walk of the town), Nessebar, Bulgari village, and Begliktash. The educational interactive games, quests, and quizzes were another intriguing activity for the students to be engaged with.
Professors, Ph.D. students, and members of the International Relations Office of Plovdiv University took part in the curriculum of the forum: Prof. Lyubka Lipcheva-Prandjeva, Assoc. Prof. Ani Kemalova, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Nadya Cherneva, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Boryan Yanev, Ph.D., Ph.D. student Elka Petrova, Ph.D. student Teodora Kashilska, and Anastasia Kehayova.
Some of the participants in the Summer School shared their impressions:
I met wonderful and smart people from different countries who, like me, study the most wonderful language – Bulgarian.
The people in Bulgaria are warm, I made new friends, and I fell in love with the food and the air.
I found people with interests similar to mine, learned new things, and got to know better the language I had chosen years ago.
Thank you so much for this wonderful experience that I will never forget.
I liked the summer school very much, I started with very cool people.
