Home

Home for me simply means Plovdiv. Plovdiv is the second biggest and populated city in Bulgaria and it is the place where I grew up. It used to be situated on 7 hills and people often refer to it as The City of Seven Hills. But unfortunately due to urbanization now we are left with only 4 of them. Nevertheless, the hills are still significant. They are the symbol of Plovdiv. No matter where you travel from and you go to Plovdiv as you approach it you can see the 4 mighty hills hanging above the valley. If you take a look from the sky you would see the houses and buildings scattered among them, looking tiny and unsignificant. Each of the hills has a special history. For example, on the top of the second biggest hill, a huge statue of a Russian soldier is built and it is looking toward Moscow, the capital of Russia. The biggest one is called The Hill of Youth, for many young people gather and spend their free time there. Another one is called The Old City, for on it the old houses of the people of Plovdiv remained untouched and it is like a museum. My parent’s house is situated on the foot of the second biggest hill, which is called “Bunardjik”. I hike on the top of it whenever I can, watching the sunsets or sunrises. Or I simply run on its roads for sport, or walk my dog, or drive my bike, or make long walks among its nature on deserted paths. Also, Plovdiv is the place where my friends are and where I belong. Plovdiv means home!

-Dimitar Drumev

The place I feel closest to home is the municipal region of Mladost in southeast Sofia. The American College in Sofia is also located in Mladost, Mladost #2 to be exact. Mladost is divided into several smaller regions ranging from 1a and 1b to 4. All my life I have lived in Mladost. It is the second biggest region in Sofia and yet I know it like the back of my hand - every little street and alley, every block and every playground. Although most would say it’s a dangerous place and some even go as far as saying that it’s a ghetto, since I knew a lot of the kids in Mladost when I was younger, I am never in any trouble. In fact, I feel the most secure here than anywhere else. All my life is connected to this place from the day I was born. It has its problems like every place does but I still love it and it will be hard for me to imagine living somewhere else. Currently the municipality has a flourishing economy so construction is going on everywhere. I am so used to Mladost, that sometimes when I’m away from Sofia, I feel like a big chunk of me is just not there. By the way, in Bulgarian the word ‘mladost’ (младост) means youth. Mladost will forever stay in my heart as a place I would call home and let’s face it, there’s no place like it! -Goran

For me, home is my grandmother’s hometown. It is a big town in Bulgaria called Pleven. Every time I visit my grandparents, I feel really happy and I feel the warmth all around me. I have lived in this town for a while before I started going to school and I am addicted to it. I miss this place all the time. Even though I am born in Sofia, I feel Pleven more close to me. Every time I go there I feel safe. I feel somehow protected. I know this city, as well as I know my hand. It is a special place with special characteristics. When I am there, I see the moon in a different way, the sun shines brighter, and the birds sing louder. I feel that this city is “alive”. I know its structure. I know every single person in our block and many people in the whole quarter. And all these people also contribute to the specialty of the city. Nothing really changes in this town. The streets, the blocks, the kinder gardens, the shops, the schools, the trees, even the grass smells the same way and the birds sing the same song. Everything there is cozy and the people are friendly. I have many friends there and even our friendship had stayed the same for all these years. Maybe I like this place so much, because I associate it with security and stability. Everything stays the same and never changes. And home is the place where you feel safe and secure isn’t it? I have traveled enough to understand that there is no other place where I feel that way. There is no other place like home…

-Iva

For me home is a huge and spacious field. It is located near my village. Every summer we go there and stay for the long hot nights. We had a garage in front of the house and a tree next to it. Since my cousins and I learned how to climb on it, we started going there constantly. As I already mentioned in my previous letter, I am addicted to the sky. I like sitting on the garage and looking at the sun set above the field. The colors in which the sky is painted and the trees in the far away distance create such a beautiful picture. They make me dreaming and only good thoughts pop up in my mind. Everything around is so quiet and I can stare at the endless field for hours. Sometimes during the afternoon one shepherd and his sheep can be seen in the distance.

This field has gathered many memories. I remember running and chasing the lizards and flying a kite. Now everywhere I go and I see such field, all scenes return back to my head and I feel joyful and sad at the same time. -Lewbina