July 2016

July/August 2016

Newsletter

of the International Women’s Club in Sofia

Mammoths and green meadows We meet HE Dr Nargiz Gurbanova

Your summer diary of events Next Monthly Coffee Mornings, 10.30am: Tuesday, 2nd August, Soho Terrace, Bulgaria Mall; Tuesday, 6th September, venue t.b.c.

Letter from the President

Dear ladies, We always look forward to the summer months, for warm sunshine, relaxing days and catching up with family and friends, but it can be a time of mixed emotions for our members, for some, they will leave Sofia and will move onto their next destination, others will return to find newly made friends have left, but there will be ladies who are arriving here at this time who will be looking for a friendly face and a helping hand.

This is when our club is at its best, we all know what it is like to be ‘new in town’ and we all remember coming to our first coffee morning and meeting other ladies in that same position.

Friendships are made quickly and we all share wonderful times together, be it an unexpected coffee or a trip out to discover this amazing country.

I hope our members who are leaving will stay in contact, send us their news, photos and friendship from afar, and hopefully we will meet again here or there! After all the world is now closer than ever.

I would like to give a warm welcome to the wife of the American Ambassador, Nicole Simmonds, to Bulgaria and the IWC. Having been in Sofia only a few months, she has already become a member of the club and kindly offered to host our July coffee morning at the American residence.

As a club we have even more changes this summer as we move out of our office in the business park. We have secured new office space on the same terms as before, which means the office, including storage space has been donated once again. I would like to thank Business Park Sofia and Allied Pickfords who supplied our storage facilities, for their massive contribution over many years to help us in our charitable efforts.

We will announce the new office details as soon as we have confirmed the date of commencement. This will be announced first on our website in the coming weeks.

If I don't see you over the summer at any of our events, I look forward to welcoming you back at our September coffee morning.

Angela

Cover image: Nadya Wuisan-Bratanova, Mammoth route and Trains outing

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IWC Executive Board 2015-2016 President Angela Bird 0879 119 152 president@iwc-sofia.org

Charity Chairperson Vacant 0879 119 154 charity@iwc-sofia.org

Treasurer Kelsa L. Smith-Mouskourova 0879 506 800 treasurer@iwc-sofia.org

Vice-President Nadya Wuisan-Bratanova 0879 119 150 vicepresident@iwc-sofia.org

Bazaar Coordinator Toi Castelló i Reñé 0879 506 799 c.iwcbazaar@gmail.com

Office Manager/ Membership Coordinator Zarina Benoun-Takova 0895 571 813 admin@iwc-sofia.org

Web/Newsletter Editor: Elitsa Lingorski 0877 369 483 office@iwc-sofia.org International Women’s Club Business Park Sofia, Building 11A, 3rd floor, tel: 02 951 6117 “Like” IWC on Facebook and check our website www.iwc-sofia.org

Club policy Smoking Please note that all IWC Coffee Mornings are non-smoking.

Bulgarian Applicants Unfortunately, due to a lack of available spaces, new Bulgarian applicants will be added to the waiting list, until further notice Language Don’t let a lack of fluency in English keep you from attending the monthly coffee mornings and other club activities. Many of our members speak other languages. Remember, we are an international club, and we are here to support you. You’re welcome at any time.

Suggestion Box The suggestion box is always available at the members’ sign-in table. Feel free to write your ideas, concerns, complaints, and suggestions to the IWC Board and drop them in the box. Because you’re important to us, we want to hear from you.

IWC Visitors Policy The IWC doors are open to visitors throughout the year. Visitors are welcome to attend up to two coffee mornings and two activities prior to applying for membership. A 15 BGN fee is payable upon registration at the sign-in table during the coffee morning. For more information, please contact the Member-ship Coordinator at office@iwc-sofia.org.

Events Charges All events are available to fully paid up members of the IWC. Where there is a cost involved, it will be kept to the very minimum.

Guests will be able to attend the events that are specified at the time. Not all events will be open to guests. Events that are open to guests will also carry a ‘guest’ surcharge as follows:

Monthly Events Free monthly events are free to guests. Events costing under 20BGN, there is an additional charge of 5BGN. Events costing 21BGN or more, there is an additional charge of 50%.

Monthly Activity Groups Monthly activity groups are free and any charge for guests will be at the discretion of the organiser of the group, a charge may be added for instance if a guest regularly frequents one of these activities without becoming a member.

A deposit is required from all members and guests attending an event with a cost involved. This deposit will be forfeited in the case of non attendance.

Event

IWC Member

Guest

Free Monthly Event

Free

Free

Free Activity Group Event

Free

Paid*

Paid Monthly Event

5-20BGN

+5BGN

Paid Monthly Event

21BGN+

+50%

Member only Event

Open

Closed

*Charge for guests at the discretion of the activity group organiser with a min. sum of 10 BGN. Use of IWC Logo The Board has established the following policy for the use of the IWC logo and brand name. In order to prevent any misuse.

1.Written Permission must be requested from the Board a minimum of 2 weeks prior to event; 2. The partnering organisation/company should be in good standing in the community; 3. The event should seek to pursue the goals of the IWC; 4. No third-party usage will be permitted. An agreement will be signed between IWC and partner organisation; 5. The Logo may be used only for the agreed event and for specified time period.

Guidelines for Paid Advertisement 1. Priority for any vacant advertising spaces will be given first to IWC members, then to outside advertisers.

2. Advertisers are welcome to run or extend their advertisements for a period of six months. After that time, if there is a waiting list for advertisements of that size, the situation will be reviewed, and priority for available spaces will be given to (a) IWC members; (b) new advertisers; (c) existing advertisers. The same order of priority will apply to smaller ad space that may become available.

3. There is no waiting list for advertisements of a given size, the current advertiser may extend their advertisement for the contract period of their choice.

4. These guidelines may be revised at any time with the agreement of the IWC Board.

5. Paid advertisers are not endorsed by the IWC.

Rules For Announcements From Members 1. Advertisements will be run in two consecutive issues. If the member sends a request to run the advertisement again, it will be extended for a further two issues. After that, the advertisement will be removed. If the member still wishes to include the advertisement after that time, the request will be considered, but placement is not guaranteed.

2. Advertisements must be submitted by members. Members may not submit ads for non-members (e.g., for a friend who is selling a car, etc.).

3. Members may not submit recommendations for businesses. These recommendations may be submitted to the IWC Go To Guide. Businesses are also welcome to purchase advertising in the newsletter.

4.Recommendations for individuals engaged in business (e.g., dentists, hairdressers, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Board.

5. Final discretion as to whether to include an announcement rests with the Newsletter Editor.

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We ask members to send all announcements for the newsletter via e-mail. The size of ads should not exceed a single paragraph of five lines. The IWC board is not responsible for the accuracy of the information provided in these announcements.

Please send your contributions to office@iwc-sofia.org not later than the 15th of the month.

European Festivals — 2016 Calendar July and August 2016 Festival dates and information from bugbog.com. Calendar Dates are sometimes unconfirmed and occasionally unreliable, so check before booking.

30 June – 20 July FRANCE, Aix-en-Provence, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence – International Festival of Lyric Art , a popular summer arts festival, especially for classical music.

25 June – 2 July DENMARK, Roskilde Festival– one of Europe’s five largest rock music festivals, has been running since 1971. It has been played by countless big artists in the past including Bob Marley, U2, Metallica and Radiohead.

1- 31 July (Free Opening Party on 30 June) SPAIN, Barcelona Summer Festival (Festival de Barcelona) – known as Grec Festival, named after its main venue, is an art and culture event with theatre, dance and music.

2 July & 16 Aug. (same dates, twice a year) ITALY, Siena, Il Palio – a costumed pageant begins a brief, crowded and totally insane bareback horse race around the city’s main square. Also August 16. Calgary Stampede vs Il Palio!, 1 – 10 July TBC DENMARK, Copenhagen CopenhagenJazz Festival – an annual jazz event, held in the capital since 1979, with more than 1000 concerts during the week.

8 July – 6 August FINLAND Savonlinna Opera Festival – a grand classical celebration in the Finnish lake district, set in magnificent 15th Century St Olaf’s Castle.

1 – 16 July

featured, in spite of the name, in an appealing location on the shore of Lake Geneva in Montreux.

6 – 24 July FRANCE, Avignon, Festival d’Avignon, a dynamic and diverse Arts festival, boasting over 50 productions and many more fringes in this stunning historic city.

16 – 17 July (Same dates every year) ITALY, Pisa, Luminaria e Palio di San Ranieri, Historical Regatta (also Feast of. . . ) of Saint Ranieri. During this celebration of the city’s patron, Saint Ranieri, buildings and bridges are illuminated by more than 70, 000 candles, along with thousands more tiny candle floating on the River Arno.

Fireworks end the first day, then the next afternoon there is a medieval boat race on the river.

4 – 26 July FRANCE, Tour de France– a threeweek cycling race for 3, 500km (2000 miles) over the country (the route changes annually). The world’s most famous French sporting event.

6 – 14 July (same date every year) SPAIN, Pamplona, Los Sanfermines (Bull Running) – don’t be bored, be gored! Six bulls are released into the streets every morning of this seven day Basque rite-of-manhood party.

You too can battle the big horns.

8 – 10 July NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND), Rotterdam North Sea Jazz Festival – perhaps the biggest jazz gathering in the world with over 20, 000 visitors a day and lots of big name acts.

11 – 24 July IRELAND, Galway Arts Festival – Ireland’s biggest arts jamboree, with all kinds of entertainment, street spectacle, theatre, comedy, literature, music, kid’s, exhibitions, concerts.

14 July (same date every year) FRANCE, Paris Bastille Day (French National Day) – parties, parades, fireworks, and picnics to celebrate the French Revolution.

SWITZERLAND, Montreux Jazz Festival – all sorts of non-classical music

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22 July – 31 August AUSTRIA Salzburg Festival – opera and concerts. ‘Europe’s most prestigious summer musical event. ‘ Very large, very expensive. Held every year in Mozart’s pretty home town of Salzburg.

15 – 17 July (the third weekend every year) ITALY, Venice Festa del Redentore – the Festival of the Redeemer celebrating the end of the plague involves hundreds of beautifully decorated and illuminated boats full of beautifully decorated Venetians that gather around sunset, have dinner on board or beside the Giudecca canal, then watch one of Europe’s best fireworks. displays at 11. 30pm on Saturday night.

15 July – 13 August ITALY, Puccini Festival – the world’s only annual opera festival dedicated to the works of the great composer Giacomo Puccini. At an open-air theatre located in Torre del Lago, near Lucca, Puccini’s birth place.

29 July – 15 August FRANCE, Marciac International Jazz Festival, one of the world’s finest jazz festivals annually held in the charming medieval town of Marciac southwest of France, where Jazz is taught as a routine subject in local schools.

29 July (Same date every year) SPAIN Santa Marta de Ribarteme, Fiesta of Near Death Experience in As Neves, Galicia – lucky survivors get carried in their coffins in a procession.

28 – 31 July ENGLAND, Cambridge, Cambridge Folk Festival – one of world’s longest running folk events – the real deal for the folks who like the music.

‘A festival with a prestigious reputation for quality music in intimate surroundings’ in Cherry Hinton Hall.

Family friendly.

14 – 21 August IRELAND, Fleadh Cheoil – a huge celebration of Ireland‘s music, dance and arts, with over 10, 000 musicians roaming and playing all over the place. It is also know for its Irish music competition run by Comhaltas. Hosted by a different town every year: 2015 was in Sligo, 2016 are to be held in Ennis, situated on the River Fergus.

also feature comedy, film and theatre.

31 August (last Wednesday of August) SPAIN, La Tomatina at Buñol town 40 kms from lovely Valencia – a huge and incredibly messy public fight with 25 tons of tomatoes, one day. Big kids should get down to Bunol and let rip.

17 – 23 August IRELAND, Tralee, Country Kerry, Rose of Tralee International Festival – a massive party celebrating Irish communities and romance!

29 – 31 July

20 – 28 August (Starts 3rd Saturday)

IRELAND, Waterford Spraoi Street Festival – 3 days of free music, street theatre, parade and fireworks in Ireland’s biggest street party.

SPAIN, Bilbao, Aste Nagusia (Great Week in Basque language) – a big basque celebration including free concerts, fireworks nightly and strong man contests.

26 – 28 August (Bank holiday weekend) ENGLAND, Reading Festival, Richfield Avenue in Berkshire – the world’s oldest popular music festival, which started in 1961 as the National Jazz and Blues Festival. Reading attracts more than 80, 000 people annually.

26 – 28 August (Bank holiday weekend)

5 – 29 August (Both festivals) SCOTLAND, Edinburgh International Festival, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe – over a thousand shows of all kinds, ranging from opera to stand-up comedy, from near porn to mere corn. A true European art attack in great Edinburgh city. Not to be missed.

20 – 28 Aug TBC SPAIN, Feria de Malaga (also known as Feria de Agosto) – the biggest party in town with fancy dress, exotic food and dance, and fireworks.

Malaga Pictures.

ENGLAND, Leeds Festival in West Yorkshire – a rock and pop music festival, held in Bramham Park near Wetherby, with campsite. It is run by the same organization as the Reading Festival.

26 – 28 August (Bank holiday weekend)

5 – 14 August

16 August & 2 July (same dates, twice a year)

IRELAND, Kilkenny Arts Festival – Ireland’s oldest multi arts festival with music, theatre, literature, dance, visual art and craft, set in superb surroundings. Every summer it draws over 25, 000 visitors to the city.

ITALY, Siena, Il Palio – a costumed pageant begins a brief but totally insane bareback horse race around the city’s main square. Also July 2nd.

Calgary Stampede vs Il Palio!, Il Palio Info

10 – 12 August every year.

18 – 21 August

IRELAND, Puck Fair in Killorglin, County Kerry. A large and loony street fair, one of three oldest fairs in Ireland, with plenty of singing, dancing and horse shows, and all overseen by King Puck – a goat. Ireland Guide

WALES, Brecon Beacons, Green Man Festival – a 3 day live music fiesta held annually at the Glanusk Park Estate in the Usk Valley. This no-sponsors event is environmentally conscious and modestly anti-establishment. The line-ups vary from folk to dance, Indie to Americana but

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ENGLAND, Daresbury, Creamfields in Cheshire – the UK’s biggest dance music festival, also held in other European places such as Andalucia, Prague and Lisbon (dates vary). Creamfields has been so successful that it stages events across the world – Sydney, Istanbul, Buenos Aires and more. England Counties Map.

28 – 29 August (Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday) ENGLAND, London Notting Hill Carnival – fiesta with music, dance, and parade by London’s Caribbean community; sponsored by London Pickpocket Support Group.

Bulgarian Festivals — 2016 Calendar July and August Beginning if July - end of September Bourgas Sand Sculptures festival will be held for the ninth consecutive year. Organised by the municipality of Bourgas, this impressive display of massive sand sculptures is well worth seeing.

was revived nine years ago it has been a continuous success.

peak in the Rhodope around an open fire!

29 - 31 July

6 - 13 August

The Blueberries Festival is being held high in the mountain, on the famous and almost century old Ambaritsa hut.

The International Jazz Festival in Bansko is the biggest summer musical event in Bulgaria. The enormous popularity which the festival enjoys among specialists and fans across the world has turned it into one of the foremost international cultural happenings in the Balkans.

15 - 17 July 30 July Rozhen Open Air Folklore Festival is visited annually by 350 000 people.

The first festival of Rhodopean folk singing was held in 1898 and after it

Perelik Eco Jazz Fest - jazz under the stars near the Perelik mountain

Charity update: ‘Together we learn and help each other’

The project "Together we learn and help each other", whose goal is to develop the language skills of boys and girls of Roma origin, was launched in April 2016 to motivate Roma children to take part in the project and selection of an English teacher. The English teacher is from the "Hristo Botev" primary school and travels to the Roma neighbourhood.

Since the beginning of May, courses in English were begun in premises provided by the director of primary school "Ivan Vazov" located in the Roma neighbourhood in the town of Kyustendil.

Currently the group consists of 15 boys and girls studying in different schools in various areas of the city. A school timetable has also been prepared in accordance with the students availability to attend classes.

The course is held on Monday and Wednesday from 5.00pm.

During the summer months there will be no lessons because of the inadequate conditions such as the fact that the rooms are not cool enough and the children's health is the top priority. However, some fun activities will be held - trips to the park "Hisarluka". English classes will then resume in September and will run on until November according to the children's availability.

Angela Filipova

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‘My French Gourmandises’ patisserie workshop

It was a sunny Friday morning and a group of enthusiastic dessert lovers headed to the impeccable laboratory of Tamta Khalvashi, French cuisine specialist and creator of My French Gourmandises. After a brief chitchat over freshly-brewed espresso and delicious nibbles, our chef initiated us to the art of éclair making. With professional aprons and hats, we followed Tamta’s clear instructions and carefully listened to her valuable tips and tricks – we made éclairs from scratch, starting from the dough, through the three types of amazing creamy fillings, finishing up with the toppings. And this was the fun part: with an array of fruits, nuts, sprinkles and chocolate shavings (just to name a few) we let our

imagination run free and created the most original and colourful éclairs we had ever come across. This was actually the promise – and perhaps challenge – that Tamta had made at the beginning of our almost 4-hour session: the creation and presentation of a new and different type of éclair, closer to those one can find in France nowadays. I believe we all passed the test and brought home a bit of contemporary French patisserie flavour! This could not have been achieved without Tamta’s grace and professionalism and we all hope that a similar experience can be repeated in the future.

Annamaria Giannakos

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June Art Tour On Mon 13 & Wed 15th June, the ladies of IWC enjoyed a new and exciting venture organized by Daniella & Violetka Slavova of "Art Tour". It is a new project that was recently approved and supported by the Culture Program of Sofia Municipality, involving a tour visiting 3-4 art atelier around Sofia, to promote home grown artists of Bulgaria.

This was an excerpt from Daniella about journey that we made: Our meeting point was in front of the City Art Gallery, we traveled by a bus that was rented specially for the tour.

As a starter we went to the atelier of the jewellery designer Dia Nikolova. The brand she is creating is “Krepej” which sounds (kre’peз) and it is the Bulgarian word for a “fastener” - because actually her jewels are not made of gold or precious stones, but are made from elements and materials used in the building construction processes!

Dia gave us a very warm welcome and explained to us how she started to develop her brand - from her work as an interior designer in a “men’s world” as she said. These jewls were her way to oppose to the idea that "women are not creative enough"! Behind each of Dia’s earings and bracelets there is a big idea, a deep inspiration and a message to the world - her “wrist watch of the personal time” for example reminds us of who we are every time we look at our wrist to check out the time…And some of the ladies bought wonderful jewels there with a good discount for Art Tour. Thank you Dia! www.krepej.me facebook: krepej accessories tel: +359 894 34 01 57 Our second art-place was “Nirvana" Gallery on “Angel Kanchev” street - one of the most interesting streets in Sofia, with good restaurants and small shops. We were welcomed there by sculptor Todor Todorov, who personally showed us his retrospective exhibition. There was such a rich variety of forms, materials, ways and searchings - Todor has been working hard for so many years and he has gained international fame. He has so many completed works, so many won international competitions… His recent book was published by Cambridge before it was edited here and it has become posession of 150 libraries among the whole world by now! He is an artist who trully brings fame not only for himself but also for Bulgaria!

The IWC ladies had the unique chance of being welcomed by this impressive and outstanding author directly to his home where we had our third stop.

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“Where do you you keep your works after the exhibition? - This question was asked by a lady from the club. - Under the bed! - said Todor and everybody laughed. So we went to see under the bed! www.todor.amateras.eu todor.sculpture@gmail.com tel: +359 899 642 322 The door of this home-atelier was opened widely for us by Todor’s wife - Daniella Todorova, who made us hot coffee and also made us feel at home in the cosy atmosphere of the attic. We spent the next hour enchanted by Daniella’s story about her art work and inspiration. As she described herself - “I am a believer!” Her strong belief in the Spirit, her suble feminine intuition and positive energy were revealed to us through her art in the next hour. We saw especially her paper works, as Daniella is very keen on working with paper. Actually it was her love for paper that brought Daniella to become the organizer and the main engine of the "Sofia Paper Art Festival" - a focus event for paper-artists from all over the world.

Daniela and Todor are also the founders of "Amateras Foundation" that was recognised by the Japanese Embassy for its efforts in the fields of art and culture. www.danyo.amateras.eu info@amateras.eu +359 878 40 88 63 Our last Art Tour stop was the atelier of Angelina Pavlova - an eminent Bulgarian glass artist. First we had a coctail with tasty food bites and Bulgarian iced rose which was welcomed by all the ladies, because we were already a little bit exhausted and hungry after the first three places.

When we restored our powers Angelina played for us a short movie about her life and art work. She has studied glass in the universities in Sofia, Prague and Paris and glass is her big love. She works with this material in so many was - she makes sculptures and small pieces, but she also makes enormous colored glass for churches.

When you have time, go to Bankya - it is only 10 minutes by car from Sofia, where in the Bankya church you will see her unique work. The glass windows there are made in a thechnique that she has invended and patented! Angelina has made the scetches of Svetlin Roussev glow in color on a huge scale on these windows! The ladies bought from her little glass angels and some interesting flat glass bottles and this is where our tour went to an end. www.angelinaglassart.eu abagarp@gmail.com +359 887 65 96 87

Daniella Slavova

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Azerbaijan F1 Brunch at the Embassy of Azerbaijan

The ladies of IWC had the honor to be invited to the opening of the F1 2016 season at the Azerbaijan Embassy, by H.E. Dr. Nargiz Gurbanova, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

laid over the cobbled streets of his old section of the city to ensure the drivers can race here.

For those who saw the F1 race, it was indeed an exciting weekend in Baku. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg led from start to finish and won Sunday’s European Grand Prix on the Baku street circuit, extending his lead in the Formula One championship from nine points to 24.

The 2016 season sees Azerbaijan become the latest addition to Formula One, with capital city Baku playing host to the fastest street circuit of the season. F1 track architect Hermann Tilke claims to have created a challenging street circuit, in terms of engineering and design, and one that thrives on Baku's very attractive urban atmosphere and its great combination of history and 21st century style. The historic city centre, the beautiful seaside promenade and the impressive government house all combine to provide the perfect backdrop for a spectacular new track.

Thursday 16th June 2016.

Baku City Circuit loops around the central and the most picturesque streets of Baku. When it came to selecting the perfect route for the race, the organizers decided to emphasize the panoramic view of the city. Another interesting fact is that the cars will race in an anti-clockwise direction.

Overall 30,000 spectators are expected to watch the race live from grandstands located at different parts of the circuit. The length of the widest part of the track is 13m, and the narrowest width is 7.6m between the 7th and 8th turns, which are situated along Icheri Sheher (Inner City). The circuit length is more than 6 km, the longest of all.

Following the 19th and 20th turns, driver speeds are expected to reach up to 340 km/h as they race along the 1500 meter long straight.

The track is be surrounded by UNESCO-protected Old City – Icheri Sheher, passing its gates on the left side, and the cities residential buildings on the right. A special, temporary asphalt layer has been 10

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Mammoths and Trains family trip

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‘Mums and babies yoga’ in the park

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Charity Bazaar 2016 update Dear members,

participate in the event’s organization and enjoy the Bazaar from another perspective.

I am pleased to inform you that the preparations are underway for the 22nd Annual Charity Bazaar scheduled to take place on Sunday 4th December 2016 at the Inter Expo Center (IEC) Sofia.

All together we look for sponsors. We create the event from the ideas of everybody. We contact stallholders and Embassies and help them to design their stalls. And of course, we do have great fun while dedicating some of our spare time for this noble cause. All together we make it THE MOST INCREDIBLE EVENT EVER!!!!

Every year the Annual Charity Bazaar provides an opportunity for the countries to proudly showcase their handmade crafts, music, souvenirs, folklore, national cuisine, clothing, literature, culture and tradition. At last year's bazaar there were 70 stalls, 50 of which were representing 52 countries, 11 charities and 10 IWC Stalls. 1200 volunteers kindly dedicated their time and efforts to make this happen and more than 8000 people visited the bazaar.

At the moment, we have several open positions at the Bazaar Team. If you want to be a part of the team and share the joy and responsibility that runs this multicultural project, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time, via email: c.iwcbazaar@gmail.com or telephone +359 879 506 799.

Call us for a meeting so you can find out more about the Bazaar Team and how you can contribute to the upcoming IWC Charity Bazaar 2016.

Tell us all your ideas and suggestions about how to organize the event and help making them true.

As a result of it, last year we raised more than 340,000 BGN to be distributed among the Bulgarian charities and foundations that we support.

The Annual Charity Bazaar is an international event, which unites different cultures, habits and people for a very good cause. And what is the most important, is that every one of YOU can be a part of this event!

Experience the rewarding satisfaction of the charity work and make friends forever.

See you soon,

Toi Castelló i Reñé

We are currently looking for active, committed, enthusiastic and responsible people to

IWC Bazaar Coordinator 2015-2017

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Food festival review

The food festival was organised by the company GTC in cooperation with the Bulgarian tourism board and participating Embassies. We were asked to partner them in the Charity aspect of the festival, to advise on appropriate local charities who could benefit from money raised on the day and to aid in the collection and redistribution of these funds.

be able to ask for donations, this drastically reduced the amount of money we were able to collect.

The attendance varied at each venue, as did the setting of the food festival at each mall, the food festival occupied space in food courts, space outside the malls and some in a space confined only for the festival. I would suggest attendance figures ranged between 1,000 and 4,000 at any one venue.

Following discussions between the IWC, GTC and the mayors of the cities involved, the following charities were agreed upon to receive the funds raised. Most of the charities were available on the day to aid in the collection and some also bought hand made gifts to sell to boost the overall collection of money.

The IWC eventually had to pay all expenses for iwc representatives to be at each venue and due to this fact we decided to keep volunteers to a minimum, with mainly the board splitting the venues between them and working the whole time period individually (10am- 9pm without travel time)

Our initial understanding of our role was to sell tickets at a set price, 3bgn, for the public to gain access to the food festival area. However, immediately before the festival began we were informed there would be no entrance fee and we would only

The money was collected and deposited in the IWC foundation bank account and will be distributed the the charities in the following weeks. All the expenses and donations will appear in our normal financial reports.

Angela Bird Amount Raised in BGN

Venue

Local Supported Charity

Plovdiv, Mall of Plovdiv

I want a baby fund

Stara Zagora, Mall Galleria Stara Zagora

Ambulance equipment

2048.56

Burgas, Mall Galleria Burgas

I want a baby fund

1715.82

Varna, Grand Mall Varna

Karin Dom

722.32

Veliko Turnovo, Inter Hotel

I want a baby fund

840.00

Rousse, Mall Rousse

Child and Space association

626.64

Mall of Sofia

Association for children with Leukaemia

239.10

Bulgaria Mall

Association for children with Leukaemia

3801.07

You can find current information on the GTC website www.iknowbulgaria.bg

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535.00

Members news and Announcements July and August Birthdays

Natalia Evtimova-Sotirova, 2 August Franziska Bieri, 4 August Jordan Swartz, 4 August Petya Videnov, 6 August Jane Ewing, 6 August Diana Kolarova, 8 August Stephanie Karaolis, 10 August Marsha Foster, 13 August Marianna Maclaren, 20 August Maria Piguleva, 28 August Asya Alexandrova, 28 August

Sara Sedó, 5 July Dusica Trkulja, 9 July Toi Castelló Reñé, 18 July Sory Jan, 23 July Maya Alexandrova, 23 July Penka Baltova, 24 July Sevdalina Rankova, 25 July Denislava Ruskova, 25 July Ekaterina Vatashki, 26 July Maria Naslednikova, 28 July

Apartment in the centre of Sofia

Apartments for rent

Apartment situated on the second floor in a three storey building, 150 sq. meters, central heating, living room, dining room, three bedrooms plus separate toilet, kitchen with storeroom. The apartment has been recently renovated and comes with antique renovated furniture made to measure. Rent — 1,500 Euros per month.

IWCS would like to exclusively present you three brand new luxurious and fully furnished apartments in the Vitosha region – one three-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartments. The apartments have functional design and beautiful panoramic views. They are stylishly furnished and fully equipped, ready for moving in.

Layout: Entrance hall, living room, dining room and kitchen in open common area, two/three bedrooms, two bathrooms, balconies Features ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

Completely new apartments Gated compound Underground parking Panoramic view Quiet and connected area Located near embassies Near international schools Rent directly from owner

For contact: Emilia Slavova, Mobile 0898 477 170

AUGUST MONTHLY COFFEE MORNING:

SOHO TERRACE, BULGARIA MALL — 2nd August, 10.30am 18

Ongoing activities (updated) * Enquiries * 1. Would anyone like to be the contact for the Golf and the Tennis club?

Regrettably the persons who use to manage these two groups are no longer able to.

It would be unfortunate to remove these two interesting sports from our ongoing activities.

If anyone would like to continue or have some information regarding a person who manage these two sports, please contact Nadya Wuisan-Bratanova (vicepresident@iwc-sofia.org).

2. Anyone has a successful/regular/ongoing club or group you want to share with us?

Anything that could be beneficial for our members and be can be a great addition for our “Ongoing Activities”! Please contact Nadya Wuisan-Bratanova (vicepresident@iwc-sofia.org).

Charity Action Group

Spanish Conversation Group

The group meets once a month to discuss new charity projects, the progress of ongoing projects, and the finances of the Charity Foundation. Part of the follow-up is frequent visits to these projects. If you want to make a difference and contribute something, please join us. We meet at the office in Business Park Sofia for now, after the move there will be a different address. For more information, please call 0878 300 561, charity@iwc-sofia.org.

Everybody who wants to practice and improve her Spanish is welcome to or weekly meetings. Also, if you are already fluent in Spanish or if you are a native speaker and you would like to participate, please contact Liliana Padilla by e-mail: lilianagpadilla@gmail.com.

Hiking Club The hiking group is an energetic group of dedicated hikers who head up to Vitosha and the surrounding mountains every Friday. We usually meet at 9 am at Fantastico in Dragelevtsi. An email is sent to all hikers every Wednesday with more specific plans and this often includes different meeting points. A typical hike will bring us back to our meeting point at 2 or 3. For more information please write to Dobroslava Simeonova (dobroslavabg@yahoo.com).

Book Club Members read one book a month, and then get together to discuss the book (discussions are in English and are usually very fun and lively). We read a variety of fiction and non-fiction books from writers of all nationalities.

There is a morning meeting once a month on Friday. For more information contact: Sonya Petrova: andsonya@yahoo.com.

Bootcamp/PiYo (Pilates Yoga)

Bridge

We are an English language OUTDOOR exercise group. We meet every Wednesday (bootcamp) and Fri (PiYo) at 10.30 am. Almost always we will meet at the park behind CCS (City Centre Sofia) mall. Meet up place is Costa Coffee at CCS before 10:30. Motivated by our expert instructor Ivan Germanov, we spend up to 1 hour of great workout with plenty encouragement and support to reach our fitness goals while enjoying exercise in a group atmosphere. Any level is welcome! Contact Nadya WuisanBratanova (vicepresident@iwc-sofia.org) for more information.

The bridge group is renewing its playing sessions once a week starting from April as the private bridge club ”King of clubs” is not open during morning hours any more. Interested members are invited to play bridge with us. A place of the meeting will be fixed for each session. There is an English-speaking group and a French-speaking group. For more information contact Diana Kolarova: dianakolarova @yahoo.com, 0888 423 150 or Marieta Neykova: neykova-mp@dir.bg, 0889 84 93 54.

Patchwork Group

Tuesday Playgroup

The group meets every Monday from 10:00am –12:00pm at Dusica Trkulja’s apartment. The address is Evlogy Georgiev 99, floor 6, apartment 27. Interested ladies are welcome to bring ideas, patterns, and materials. For more information, please contact Dusica Trkulja on her landline: 02 980 0948.

Mums and dads with babies, toddlers and small children, please come along to our weekly playgroup! We meet every Tuesday at 10am, at someone's home or in a park or play centre. It's a great opportunity to meet new people (some of us have lived in Sofia for many years so are great sources of advice and information too), and for the children to make friends. It's totally free and there is no obligation to host, so please do come and join us! For more information or to be added to the mailing list, please email Stephanie.Karaolis@gmail.com.

English Conversation Group We are five native English speakers who take it in turns to lead a weekly conversation group every Thursday from 10:30 AM–12:30 PM. Different venues and topics are chosen every week. All members and all levels are welcome.

If you would like to join the sessions, please e-mail Albena Jones at albenajones@yahoo.co.uk.

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July events Tue 5 July - Monthly Coffee Morning Time: 10:30am Location: Residence of the American Ambassador Mon 11 July – Summer Greek Meze Lunch with Annamaria & Maria A. Time : 12:00 pm Location : Maria Alexiadou’s apartment, near Southpark.

Max no. of people : 10 Deposit : 15 Leva

As a newly opened Indian Restaurant, Swaagat, comes with its own authentic freshness that can be felt in the food and its interior. Centrally located in the heart of Sofia and a pleasant garden to offer as well, Swaagat is the new Indian Oasis in town. You will experience vibrant colors and new tastes that suits vegetarian, vegan and non-vegetarian with traditional home recipes from India, Pakistan, Himalaya & Nepal. Come visit, and take back a luscious spoonful of authentic and exotic taste from the Indian subcontinental.

Join our two enthusiastic Greek friends Maria and Annamaria for lunch at Maria's edgy apartment, overlooking South Park. You will be enticed with an array of colorful and yummy Greek-style meze dishes, mainly inspired by the girls' love for summer and sea flavors. Just bring your good mood, open sandals and contagious smiles, they will provide the rest! Desserts and drinks will also be offered.

Fri 29 July – Monthly Night Out – Cache Bar Time : 08:30 pm Location : Caché Bar & Café (City Center Sofia Mall: Blvd Arsenalski No. 2; next to Costa Coffee) Max no. of people :- Deposit : -

Enjoy a breezy night in an open cocktail park overlooking the dog park (park behind CCS mall) with friends of IWC with live music/DJ. Feel free to bring your partner/ friends. Cache is a new bar/café in Sofia, strategically located by a park, with a very edgy and metropolitan design and monochromatic interior. Let’s unwind and enjoy the night away in this new hotspot in the fabulous city of Sofia.

Tue 12 July – Chinese Tea Tasting with Dessy Tian Time : 10:00 am Location : Tian Clinic - Ul. Chekhov 78 apt. 2 Max no. of people : 8 Deposit : 5 Leva

Sat 30 July - International Day of Friendship: Family Picnic in the Park (Potluck) Time : 11:00 am Location : CCS Mall Park (exact location TBA) Max no. of people : - Deposit : BYO food/Potluck

Dr. Dessy Tian will share her knowledge about the Chinese tea, Chinese medicine and the great benefits and effects it has for the body. She will present various different tea for its medicinal, therapeutic and relaxation qualities that we will be tasting for the day. Dr. Tian will also show her clinic that specializes in Chinese Therapies (e.g. acupuncture, herbal medicine, tai chi & qigong therapies (energies), dietary therapy, moxibustion, etc).

The idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

Family gathering with kids for a potluck picnic at the City Center Sofia Mall Park. Bring you Frisbees, badmintons, volley balls, game of chess, board games or anything else you fancy and let’s get together at the park for a day filled with games, fun, food and friendship.

Mon 18 July – IWC Monthly Lunch at Swaagat Indian Restaurant Time: 1:00 pm Location: Swaagat Indian Restaurant- Ul. Hristo Belchev 6 Max no. of people : - Deposit : 5 Leva

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August events If you have a passion for cocktails, The Cocktail Bar is the destination. Their modest menu with selection of drinks is guaranteed to satisfy every taste and mood.

They boast to only using the finest alcohols and liqueurs, only fresh fruits, fresh herbs and spices, syrups and special bitters. Their bartenders (or mixologist more like) love to experiment with new and existing products, they will gladly accept a challenge. Come and join this fantastic evening of quality cocktails in the favorite bar of cocktail lovers.

As usual, this evening event is an open one, you may bring friends/partners along. See you there!

Tue 2 August - Monthly Coffee Morning Time: 10:30am Location: Soho Terrace Cafe in the food hall of Bulgaria Mall Fri 5 Aug – Lithuanian Brunch at Ernesta’s Time : 11.00 am Location : Simeonovo Max no. of people : 12 Deposit : 10 Leva In the warmth of the summer come to taste some freshness whiff from the Baltic Sea, where the water and wood land, a pocket size country Lithuania stands. Come to see some Lithuanian products and to taste some snacks of Lithuanian specialties at Ernesta’s home garden in Simeonovo.

Fri 26 Aug - Starosel Wine Tour & Lunch Time : Leave at 09:30 am from Sofia (location TBA) Location : Starosel Winery — 170 km away from Sofia (2 hrs drive), near Plovdiv Max. no. of people : - Deposit : 20 Leva Walk and reveals secrets of the Thracian sacred drink and immerse yourself in a beautiful and serene atmosphere of the Starosel Winery, Hotel & Spa. We will do a tasting of a specially selected bottled wines from STAROSEL winery served with appropriate snacks and mineral water. The "Temple of Wine/ Vinotvorchestvo" is a unique experience to create a blended wine to your taste. After which, we will continue to have lunch in Starosel’s restaurant while enjoying the nature and the beauty of the Bulgarian wine province.

Fri 19 Aug – Evening Time Location Max no. of people Deposit

*Price for wine tasting is 18 Leva, lunch is separate.

Night Out – The Cocktail Bar : 09:00 pm : Ul. Angel Kanchev 9A : - :-

RSVP to Nadya Wuisan-Bratanova: vicepresident@iwc-sofia.org, 0879119150.

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July calendar

10.30am: Monthly coffee morning

12pm: Summer Greek Meze

10am: Chinese Tea

1pm: Monthly lunch

8.30pm: Bar night

August calendar 10.30am: Monthly coffee morning

11am: Lithuanian brunch

9pm: Bar night

9.30am: Starosel winery tour

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11am: Family picnic

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