March 2015

March 2015

Newsletter

of the International Women’s Club in Sofia

Central Mineral Baths trip

New Charity Budget 2015

Executive Board Reports Sign up for March events now!

Annual General Assembly: 14th April at Matti-d

17, Patriarh Evtimiy blvd., Sofia 1142 +359 2 819 20 20; +359 882 600 600 www.UES.bg

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Letter from the President Hello!

Welcome to the March issue of the IWC newsletter. Hopefully you are all wearing your martinitsi having wished all your friends, family and acquaintances ‘Chestita Baba Marta’ on the 1st of March, banishing winter and welcoming what we hope will be an early and warm spring!

This is a tradition that our family have come to embrace since we have been in Bulgaria. We have nothing like it in the UK with its rather reserved population but I remember my husband being astonished that his male colleagues were just as enthusiastic as his female ones at wishing him ‘Happy Grandma March Day’ and tying bracelets of red and white thread around his wrist and giving him a bear hug! This is something that we will miss when we eventually move away from Bulgaria.

I do hope you will help us with another tradition this month and that is celebrating International Women’s Day by joining us for a lunch on 12th March in the beautiful surroundings of Restaurant Regina in “Ul. Han Krum”. They are offering us a special menu to include a glass of wine, the cost of which the IWC will subsidise, so you the members will only pay 20lv a head and the club will pay the balance. The last time we did this over 40 members enjoyed a lunch together, celebrating the power, compassion and vision of women across the globe. We hope that you will want to do the same. Please make sure that you give your name and have paid the cost of the lunch to Maria Naslednikova by the 10th of March at the latest.

The nomination committee are now busy finding candidates to stand for the positions on the executive board. You should have all received the letter from the committee explaining the posts on the board and the descriptions of the tasks involved with each job. I hope that many of you will carefully consider standing and serving the club. It would be lovely to have new ideas and enthusiasm and energy from different members willing to give something back to the club and charity. Some of the criticisms often levelled at the board are that it is always the same faces that are in charge of the organisation or that the board do not offer what the members want. If you feel this way now is your opportunity to make a difference and make changes for the better by being part of the managing body of the club. Elections will take place at the AGM which is held during the April coffee morning which this year is a little later in April on the 14th because of Easter. Please make sure you attend as this is your opportunity to vote in the ladies who will run the club and charity foundation for the next year.

Finally, we hope you will take part in the events organised for March. As well as the lunch on the 12th, the chef of the restaurant Aubergine will give a demonstration in the home of Maria Naslednikova and there will be an opportunity to tour some of the antique shops in Sofia with Lyuba.

Enjoy March!

Lynne

President Lynne Godding 0879 119 152/ 0887641295 president@iwc-sofia.org lynnegodding@gmail.com

Vice-President Maria Naslednikova 0879 119 150 firstvp@iwc-sofia.org

Our Board Treasurer Sibeal Reynolds 0879 506 800/ 0878 741 888 treasurer@iwc-sofia.org Charity Chairperson Maria Ilieva 0878 300 561/ 0879 119 154 charity@iwc-sofia.org Bazaar Coordinator Angela Bird 0879 506 799 iwcbazaar@yahoo.co.uk

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

Cover photo: Sophia Historic Public Mineral Baths, wikimedia.org.

We appreciate your support We are grateful to Lyuba Tours for continuously organising free tours for club members and for supplying the recipes on p. 13

Thank you Wonder Group for looking regularly after our children during coffee mornings!

Thank you Sense Hotel! We enjoyed tremendously the open doors event at your SPA!

We thank Borislav Novakov for taking the lovely pictures at the ‘Thank you’ cocktail in January.

Permanent and Waterproof PRINT on LIVE ROSES

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.

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 organization/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 organization; 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 rec-

ommendations 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.

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.

Notable dates and religious festivals

March 1st, Baba Marta, Bulgarian On the 1st of March Bulgarian people celebrate a traditional holiday called Baba Marta (or Grandma Marta in English) and it is related to welcoming the approaching spring. On that day, Bulgarians exchange, so called "Martenitsi" ("Martenitsa" - singular, "Martenitsi" - plural) and tell each other, "Chestita Baba Marta!" (Happy Grandma Marta!). This custom is essentially to wish good health, good luck, and happiness to family and friends. The name "Martenitsa" is taken from the Bulgarian word for March, or, as a legend tells, an angry old lady called Grandma Marta - Baba Marta in Bulgarian ("baba" means grandmother and Marta comes from word "mart", which means March in Bulgarian). In Bulgarian folklore Baba Marta is a grumpy old woman who changes her mood very rapidly and it reflects in the changeable March weather. When she is smiling the weather is sunny and warm, but if she gets angry the cold will stay for longer and it may even snow.

Holi is mostly condensed into this final mad day. The night before, huge bonfires are lit at major crossroads in towns and cities and effigies of the demon Holika are burned to symbolise the triumph of good over evil. Whether you think good or evil comes up trumps the next day might depend just how much gulal ends up being thrown your way. There are many places to witness huge Holi celebrations.

In Udaipur, the royal family hosts an elaborate function at the City Palace, while the Uttar Pradesh towns of Mathura, Nandgaon, Vridavan and Barsana are linked with the birth and childhood of Krishna, giving them special Holi significance Holi’s origins are little known but references to it have dated back to around the 3rd century BC.

The Martenitsa is made of twined red and white threads woolen, silk, or cotton. The white is a symbol of strength, purity and happiness. The red is associated with health, blood, conception, and fertility. The most typical Martenitsa represents two small wool dolls - Pizho and Penda. Pizho is the male doll, usually dominating in white color. Penda is the female doll, usually dominating in red color and distinguished by her skirt. There are many other variations and forms. Out of twined red and white threads are also made bracelets, necklaces, tassels, pompons, balls, squares, human or animal figures.

Over the past several decades the tradition has been innovated by attaching all kinds of representations and symbols made of wood, leather, ceramics, metal foil to the thread-made martenitsas.

When someone gives you a Martenitsa you should wear it either pinned on your clothes, on the hand tied around the wrist, or around your neck until you see a stork, or a fruit tree in blossom for the first time in the season. After that you can tie it on a blossoming tree for fertility. It is believed that the Martenitsa brings health, happiness and longevity.

March 6-7th, Holi, Hindu The most boisterous of Hindu festivals, Holi waves goodbye to winter and welcomes in spring in a rainbow of colours. In India it’s predominantly celebrated in the north of the country, and is quite rightly known as the Festival of Colours for the raucous events on Holi’s final day, when children and adults take to the streets throwing colourful gulal (powder) over each other. Dyed water is shot from syringes, thrown from buckets and poured into balloons, which are then tossed at people. It’s sanctioned anarchy and, as a visitor, you’ll be a particular target so expect to finish the day looking like gulab jamun (a red, sticky Indian sweet). Authorities urge the use of natural dyes, so they can be easily cleaned off, but you could be a mobile colour chart for days or weeks after. Though it runs for three days,

March 12-19th, Las Fallas, Spanish Exuberant and anarchic, Las Fallas is Europe’s wildest spring party, which is a pretty big deal for what is essentially a glorified puppet show. It’s a time when the city is all but taken over by the fallas, which are huge sculptures of papiermâché on wood, built by teams of local artists. Each neighbourhood sponsors its own falla, and when the town wakes after the plantà (overnight placement of the fallas) on the morning of 16 March, more than 350 have been erected.

Reaching up to 15m in height, with the most expensive costing more than €350,000 to build, these grotesque, colourful effigies satirise celebrities, current affairs and local customs.

Though the festival begins on 12 March, it doesn’t really get going until after the plantà. The fallas are placed at various locations around the city and you have four days to wander about checking out the displays as well as revelling in the around-the-clock festivities, which include street parties, paella-cooking competitions, parades, open-air concerts and bullfights. What Las Fallas truly prides itself on is fireworks, with afternoon shows that also reach their peak on 16 March. Valencia considers itself the pyrotechnic

capital of the world and each day at 2pm a mascletà (more than five minutes of deafening thumps and explosions) literally shakes the city, so much so that pregnant women are banned from attending a mascletà…this could be one of the loudest events you’ve witnessed. Unsurprisingly, Las Fallas’ grand finale involves fireworks when, at midnight on the final day, each falla goes up in flames in another fiery explosion, with months of work turning to ash in seconds.

become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation.

Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "Saviour". It is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the church year.

Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, nine full months before Christmas, the birthday of Jesus. The feast of the Annunciation is usually is moved in the Catholic Church, Anglican and Lutheran liturgical calendars when this date would fall during Holy Week or Easter Week or on a Sunday.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches do not move the feast, having special combined liturgies for those years when the Annunciation coincides with another feast.

Las Fallas is held in honour of St Joseph’s Day (19 March), though it’s said to trace its origins to a pagan celebration of the spring equinox. The first records of the festival are from the late 15th century. Banned in the mid-19th century, and then taxed almost out of existence, the fallas were revived in the 1880s. Today, the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Near the end of March, Hanami, Japanese

March 17, St Patrick’s Day, Irish

One of the most beautiful natural sights in Japan is of groves of cherry trees in full blossom, giving the appearance of earthly clouds of flowers. Viewing the blossoms is such a big event that national news services even carry maps of their progress, and it’s a time when the Japanese throw away their reserve and decide to party.

Hanami tradition is to have a picnic party amid the blooming trees, and parties begin with the arrival of the earliest buds and endure to the last clinging blossoms. Both daytime parties and moonlit soirees are standard, as crowds flood the parks with beer and good humour. You

Wherever in the world there’s a Plastic Paddy, there’s a St Patrick’s Day festival with green beer, blarney and craic, but the most authentic way to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint is in the country’s capital, Dublin. The mother of all Irish festivals, it sees hundreds of thousands gather on city streets and in venues throughout the centre to ‘honour’ the saint who apocryphally drove out Ireland’s snakes. You’ll find street theatre, a fairground and a music festival, with the famous St Patrick’s Day street parade on 17 March to round out the festivities.

The parade begins at midday. If you can’t make it to Ireland on St Patrick’s Day, think about heading for Chicago instead, where the Chicago River is dyed green to mark the occasion.

Two weeks around St Joseph’s Day (19th March), Starkbierzeit, Bavarian Meet Oktoberfest’s little brother – the tougher, more downto-earth sibling whose company can be enjoyed without the crowds.

For Bavarians, Starkbierzeit is like the opening of the fridge door to a new season of beer drinking, coming just as winter disappears and summer begins to peep over the horizon. For them it’s such a momentous occasion that Starkbierzeit has been christened the ‘fifth season’.

A celebration not just of any old beer but entirely of strong beer (and the only time of year this beer is available in Munich), Starkbierzeit is a time when brewers parade their most lethal amber ales, the doppelbocks, which have alcohol contents above 7%. The festival harks back to the ground-shifting work of Paulaner monks in the 17th century, who brewed the first thick and near-chewy doppelbock to help them through their Lent fast. Lent may be less rigorous today but that’s apparently no reason to give up the tradition. Starkbierzeit’s first keg is tapped at Paulaner Keller, the event’s traditional watering hole, and you’ll find stone-lifting contests – a staple event of the festival – taking place in the Löwenbräukeller beer hall. Just follow the grunts.

can enjoy Hanami anywhere there’s a cherry tree in blossom, but a few places have become favourites over the centuries.

In Tokyo, Ueno-kōen has 1000 flowering cherry trees and is ground zero for the Hanami explosion, making it arguably the most popular spot in the country. At Shinjuku-gyōen, one of Tokyo’s largest parks, you’ll be able to set up a Hanami party without such crowds. In cherry-central Kyoto, the pick of the spots is Maruyama-kōen, where the centrepiece is a massive weeping cherry tree. It’s truly one of the city’s most gorgeous sights, especially when lit at night. If you’re in Kyoto on the second Sunday in April, head out to Daigo-ji temple, where a special procession, in period costume, is held to re-enact a cherry-blossom party held here in 1598. Japan’s top cherry-blossom destination, however, is the mountain-top Kansai town of Yoshino, where the blossoms of thousands of cherry trees form a floral carpet gradually ascending the mountainsides.

March 25, Feast of Annunciation, Christian Annunciation is observed on March 25, 2015. The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com; http://www.cute-calendar.com, http://www.studyenglishtoday.net

6

Charity update February 15, International Childhood Cancer Day Global overview The International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organizations established International Childhood Cancer Day in 2002 to raise global public awareness about childhood cancer.

The tragic reality is that 175,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer each year, and an estimated 90,000 of these children will die from the disease.

Although cancer in children is a small fraction of the global cancer burden most of them can be cured if prompt and essential treatment is available, approximately 80% of the deaths will occur in resource-constrained settings as appropriate treatment is not available or affordable.

While there have been great advances made in the treatment of childhood cancer and subsequent improvements in survival rates, it is unfortunate that this has not reached the majority of children

What is the situation in Bulgaria?

Each year in Bulgaria between 100 and 150 children aged 0 to 18 years get cancer.

Unfortunately there is no psychological support for children, parents and other children in the family.

The main goal of Association "Children with oncology diseases" is to create normal conditions for the recovery of children with hematological diseases and to overcome the serious emotional consequences of the disease.

On February 15th, 2015 the association celebrated the International Childhood Cancer Day at the garden next to Ivan Vazov National Theater. Many children with oncology diseases and their parents attended the event to celebrate the date with faith for better days.

IWC-Sofia role International Women's Club - Sofia is funding for a second year the Association "Children with oncology diseases" for urgent purchase of essential medicines. This year IWC-Sofia will donate BGN 5,000, which is part of the Annual Charity Budget for 2015.

Charity visit – February 16th, 2015 On February 16th, 2015 the charity team held the regular monthly visit. This time Asiya and I visited a person, suffering from a particular type of disability at his home in Mladost. He is currently undergoing a psychological support program with working with Light for Life Assosiation. We brought a bag full of essential food products, as Mr. Petrov lives alone in a dire financial situation due to his disease. He receives a pension of approx. BGN 350, but his medicines per month are worth a lot more than this amount.

Retirement home visit, February 2015

7

President’s Annual Report March 2014-April 2015 As ever, it has been a busy year for the charity and club.

• It began with the 25th Anniversary weekend in April, which was resounding success. Former members, including Presidents, joined us for activities such as cocktails in the Sense Bar, charity visits, a cultural walk and a lunch and it all culminated in the dinner-dance at the Hilton Hotel for over 80 people. A souvenir booklet covering the 25 years of the club was produced and given as a gift to all who attended and we have copies in the office to use for marketing of the club as well as for posterity and as a reference. A marvellous time was enjoyed by all those who attended and the positive feedback was wonderful to receive.

• Another notable achievement has been the clearing out of the storage area for the first time for years so that it is empty and ready to take donations for the next bazaar. In previous years items not sold at the bazaar, such as books, clothes and bric-abrac, have been put back into the store and then new donations put on top. This has caused a huge amount of work to the charity team as they not only sort through the new stuff but re-sort the old and has resulted in things, not sold in previous bazaars, reappearing at subsequent ones. The last two bazaars have had most of the unsold items collected directly from the IEC by charities that can use them and this means that fresh stock will appear at each bazaar and has created space for the charity team to work in.

• • •

The office team is working together very smoothly and efficiently.

Taking on the new responsibility of membership record holding incredibly well, meaning that new members get onto the email list more quickly and that records are kept up-to-date and confidential.

For the first time, a current data base of Embassies/Missions and Ambassadors and also a proper list of IWC donors. This was boring and grinding work for Elitsa and Zdravka over the quiet months of the summer but now means it is easy to contact the right people for support for the bazaar and other matters and is a much a quicker job to update as personnel change.

Our Facebook page is updated almost daily, which increases our profile and publicity as well as being informative to members and supporters. This year we opened a Twitter account , and, thanks to the generosity of a long standing donor, Matrix Solutions, we have a brand new website. This has bought the club and charity up to date making it easier for members but, just as importantly, enables potential new members and donors to find us and get the information they want and hopefully be impressed by what they see and want to join us.

However, it would be wrong and naive of me to suggest that the year has been all plain sailing. Sadly, it became even more evident this year that there is a small but vocal minority of the membership who are very willing to criticise but not to add anything positive to the workings of the IWC. Furthermore, an element of bullying and harassment came to the surface particularly in regard to the question of finding someone to fill the role of Bazaar Co-ordinator. Whereas any elected body should be held to account and different views have a right to be heard, bullying has no place in any organisation, least of all a female, philanthropic organisation such as ours and should not be tolerated, whatever the point of view trying to be pressed. Some of the behaviour shown to members of the board and those associated with it was quite shocking. I sincerely hope that a show of democratic tolerance will be more obvious in the future.

Also, as noted in the report last year, there has been a lack of willingness to take part in organised social activities which has lead to cancelled events and less activities being arranged. There was some comfort to be taken from a post in a newsletter from April 1999 which complained of exactly the same problem! Of course it has to be acknowledged, in a transient international population of an organisation such as ours, that the enthusiasm or energy from the membership will go in peaks and troughs but the continuous apathy on the part of the members is hard for those tasked with running the social side of the club to constantly contend with.

There is much that is good in the IWC and for the organisation to have grown in 25 years from a social group for diplomatic wives and girlfriends to be in the strong position of turning over more than a third of a million leva a year for charity is incredible. But it should not be allowed, by those who are resistant to change, to stagnate as an organisation.

• • • • •

It must be recognised that the atmosphere in Bulgaria and Sofia in particular has changed dramatically since 1989.

Women now make up almost half of the internationals posted here and there are less posts because of the global economic downturn so there are less international women who are eligible to be members than there once were.

The political system has changed from communism to democracy allowing for more tolerance and Bulgaria has joined the EU. The social scene in Sofia has exploded in line with other European nations and so there is much more for potential members to do in Bulgaria so the IWC isn’t seen by women as the lifeline as it once was.

The profile of the trailing spouses has changed dramatically over the 25 years. Now a majority of female partners are bringing up a young family and/or studying for a qualification while here and therefore do not have the time to devote to the club.

To survive it must be allowed to change and grow and be attractive to new, younger members.

All that said, and after a slightly rocky start, a Bazaar Co-ordinator was persuaded to take up the vacant post on the board and another brilliant bazaar was held in December. More people walked through the door, spent more money and more personnel and embassies were involved.

This increased our overall take for the year so it was up by BGN 8,000 to total BGN 321,000, which is remarkable given that donations were down slightly, there was no separate auction this year as last, to boost coffers and that the European economic situation remains difficult. For the first time the President of Bulgaria was our patron which was a coup for the IWC and I’m sure encouraged more embassies and Ambassadors to actively get involved. Certainly there was more diplomatic presence on the day than in recent years.

I will be recommending to the new board that they take a good look at the constitution with the help of our lawyer with the view to having it redrafted as large aspects of it are out of date.

There is much work still to be done to enable the IWC to retain its position as a well regarded organisation that arranges the biggest, single charity event in the Balkans. I hope the members will support and enable the new board to continue to expand the work of the IWC.

Lynne Godding, President 2013-2015 8

Treasurer’s Annual Report Dear Ladies, Please find herewith Income and Expenditure Reports for the Club and Charity Accounts. Whilst our 2014-2015 membership commences in September until August of the following year, our financial year is January until December 2014.

I will prepare a further report for January and February 2015 for the April newsletter.

Very best regards

Sibeal Reynolds, Treasurer 2012-2015 IWC Club Financial Report 2014 INCOME Jan

Feb

Membership fees Guest fees Coffee morning raffles

190.00

Newsletter advertising fees

March

485.00

120.00

75.00

15.00

162.00

95.00

April 180.00

134.00

80.00

60.00

July 240.96

82.00

August

20.00

Sept

Oct

Nov

605.00 3,510.00 3,024.00 2,115.00

48.00

175.00

130.00 4,780.92

Commercial table rents

June

60.00 15.00

1,080.00 1,155.00

Events income (incl Dinner Dance)

May

Dec 485.00

10,824.96

120.00

135.00

30.00

390.00

157.00

195.00

229.00

1,292.00

355.00

175.00

5,960.00

1,640.00 1,380.00

100.00 20.00

TOTAL

5,010.92 40.00

20.00

20.00

60.00

Donations

320.00 500.00

Bank interest

500.00

11.08

Return of payment

840.00

Ref Charity Invoices with Bulstat of Club

84.23

264.60

6,216.00

Balance brought forward

11.08 1,188.83 6,216.00

13,719.14

13,719.14 45,432.93

TOTAL INCOME EXPENSES Jan Office Cleaning Telephones

Feb

March

96.00

96.00

345.82

327.41

334.18

Computer/website maintenance; software Transport (taxis, parking)

8.41

Office supplies Postal/stationery/office printing

55.66

44.30

89.80

3.58

April

May

192.00

96.00

198.20

483.43

1,298.00

68.00

3.87

June 329.01

July

August

192.00

96.00

323.44

340.44

Sept

Oct 96.00

316.33

Nov

Dec 96.00

1,056.00

440.07

448.57

3,886.90

570.00

61.44

16.60

58.63

TOTAL

96.00

4.28

1,936.00 43.00

296.19

109.00

202.38

6.58

Newsletter, Business Cards,Brochures & Guide Printing

657.60

266.40

6.58 423.00 1,287.60

607.54

526.80

72.00

300.00

115.00

419.52

357.60

470.40

486.00

379.20

5,462.14

252.00

624.00

Legal fees & expenses

0.00

Accounting & book keeping Coffee morning/events costs (incl Dinner Dance)

43.90 1,542.00 5,240.40

Raffle proceeds Donated

649.00

149.99

10.00

135.00

Bank /transaction fees & Taxes Point of Sale Terminal

17.00

8,186.81

195.00

330.00

4.40

7.74

5.60

32.46

5.60

6.20

16.20

6.84

19.04

12.00

13.52

7.44

137.04

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

14.40

172.80

Transfer to Charity Account

100.00

100.00

Taxes for May salaries Reimbursements - Membership/events Sundry (incl. flowers, Martenitsa, courier)

30.00

Office Petty Cash

100.00

176.20

200.00

317.19

96.58

200.00

200.00

96.97

96.97

130.00

130.00

60.00

171.60

453.12

87.12

100.00

50.00

200.00

62.64

1,454.45

200.00

1,250.00

TOTAL EXPENSES

25,328.26

.

Funds as of 31st December

20,104.67

IWC Charity Foundation Financial Report 2014 INCOME Jan

Feb

March

April

May

June

July

August

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

TOTAL

Annual bazaar income Other donations

654.00 1,150.00

Special events

5,612.10

Gift sales

5,460.00

10.00

120.00

2,300.00

10,675.50 52,944.00 261,091.24 328,814.74

5,542.68

7,024.80 6,587.85 1,102.00

2,232.75

120.00

31,329.43 2,482.75

Interest/bank fee reimbursement Balance brought forward 399,515.76

367.04

367.04

10.00

399,525.76

TOTAL INCOME

762,519.72

EXPENSES Personnel Expenses

Jan

Salaries

693.97

Benefits

358.09

Feb

March

772.64

April 1,745.26

408.60

917.76

Subtotal

May

June

July

August

Sept

872.63 2,617.89 361.91

917.76

Oct

Nov

Dec

1,891.52 3,391.14 1,748.12 557.37

872.58 1,745.18

959.30

TOTAL 13,733.17 7,098.55 20,831.72

9

Nonpersonnel Expenses

Jan

Feb

Annual Bazaar expenses

March

April

May

June

July

August

3,354.32

Sept 603.97

Oct

Nov

234.01

Charity Van

70.00

Travel/ Fuel/ Parking

150.00

3.95

Electricity/Water/Heating Bank fees and taxes

67.20

54.00

165.99

411.83

99.12

144.99

207.22

34.80 84.35

147.44

72.98

14.60

42.20

21.60

3.80

14.40

33,044.91 13,280.20

110.00

1,197.82

100.00

1,313.36

36.00 100.00 6.20

Office expenses

391.21 456.56 54.23

63.36

23.10

3.20

50.00

240.00

19.99

300.00

53.95

211.24

91.46

31.30

14.00

38.80

218.80

569.78

21.99

370.61

1,062.38

200.00

254.22

62.50

5.60

100.00

Transfer to Club Account

6,216.00

Sundry

100.00

200.00

TOTAL

13,280.20

Bazaar contribution reimbursement Postal & Courier fees

Dec

504.42 1,598.00 26,984.20

932.28

120.00 20.00

100.00

65.01

6,336.00

123.44

50.00

1,175.17

Subtotal

58,952.13

TOTAL EXPENSES

79,783.85

.

GRANTS AWARDED Jan IWC SUPPORTED CAUSES

Feb

March

April

May

1,200.00 218,465.0033,000.00

SPECIFIC DONATIONS

400.00

June

120.00 767.60 3,040.00

July

August

Sept

9,933.00 750.00

750.00

Oct

Nov

Dec

TOTAL

7,200.00 6,000.00 784.80

275,918.00

3,937.50 5,144.00 9,736.50

TOTAL GRANTS DISTRIBUTED

25,310.40 301,228.40

Funds as of 31st December

381,507.47

Charity Annual Report 2014 and Budget 2015 IWC Charity Foundation Commitments 2015 Projects Social Kitchen

45,000

Handicap Children's Home of Petrovo

20,000

Cedar Foundation

21,000

Light for Life Foundation

19,204

Karin dom

13,560

Agapedia Family Type Home Star of Hope

Dear IWC members, Another great year serving the IWC-Sofia is coming to an end. As I reflect on my third year as Charity Chairperson, I am inspired and in awe of the scope of work of the IWC Foundation. Protecting and nurturing children and youth, feeding those who are hungry, strengthening women in times of crisis, supporting those with physical and emotional disabilities and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our local community. All of these remarkable services are provided each day through IWC-Sofia financial support.

The work of IWC – Sofia and its charitable foundation truly impacts the community for the better. I encourage you to learn more about the great works contained in this report and invite you to join us on this mission of providing help and creating hope for all people in need.

With warmest regards,

Maria Ilieva, Charity Chairperson 2013-2015

Amount in BGN

8,480 10,722

Tabita

8,500

Animus

7,200

Smile Foundation Summer Camp Smile Foundation Furniture IN Bulgaria summer camp

6,640 10,000 7,000

Choir of the Blind

10,000

Teach for Bulgaria

20,000

BCAF Scholarship Program

40,000

Breast Cancer campaign - CPRH (Teodora Zaharieva)

17,000

Child and space

5,206

Lora Foundation

5,600

Pink Foundation

5,400

Children with oncohematologic diseases

5,000

New Proposals

Fortissimo Class

4,900

Association "Usardie"

2,000

Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria

6,000

Refugee Project - joint initiative between CVS Bulgaria & Caritas Sofia

5,200

Total amount:

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303,612

The Charity aim: The charity aim in 2014 – 2105 was to continue to provide high-end services and support, promoting IWC values and charity high standards to the community and our partners – donors, beneficiaries, volunteers and friends.

Donations reached those people in need not only in Sofia but also in remote areas such as Chuprene, Misia, Lukovit, Tran, Pazardzhik, Petrvo and others.

Thanks to members of the club were supplied products, clothing and other items to the population of the town of Mizia, which suffered flooding in 2014.

Our key objectives for the year included: ❖ To broaden our project curriculum and extend our charity services; ❖ To enhance and improve our daily job activities; ❖ To continue to develop the first class financial and in kind support we provide for our beneficiaries; ❖ To play our part in the life of our local community through our community access and service programmes.

With IWC funds was furnished a house for people with mental health problems in the area of Belogradchik.

The greatest achievement of the charity team was and remains the fact that all its members operate exclusively on a voluntary basis with a minimum of operational resources. This allows the financial and material resources to be used as intended and to expand the scope of impact so that more people in need to get support from IWCSofia. As an example, four new organizations will receive funding in the fiscal year 2015 – 2016.

During 2014 – 2015 the number of volunteers involved with the charity work increased, which helped us to be more flexible and to complete successfully a large workload.

On that basis, the number of organizations working in different fields who will receive financial support over the mentioned period, are altogether 22. In conclusion I can say that the IWC Annual Budget for 2015 is touching almost every human need!

Within the year the volunteers of the team received, sorted and distributed a number of donations such as clothing, shoes, food, furniture and others.

Maria Ilieva, Charity Chairperson 2013-2015

Vice-President’s Report Over the course of last year, actually there were two, my job at the club was to organise the monthly events. I am grateful to those ladies from the club who participated.

nevertheless. we went ahead with the planned activity even though there was only one participating member. Because for those who were interested, my efforts and those of the board where totally worth it. I am very grateful to those of you who showed their interest.

I wish the new board in the forthcoming year to feel the same gratitude more often and towards many more ladies in the club.

Unfortunately it happened quite often that we had to cancel some of the events because of lack of interest. Even in November only one lady put her name down for the monthly lunch and we had to cancel the reservation. On some occasions

Maria Naslednikova, Vice-President 2013-2015

Bazaar Coordinator’s Report Becoming the Bazaar Coordinator is not something I had thought of doing but when it became apparent that no one else was willing or able to commit to this task and when all other possibilities had failed, I was persuaded to step up and take on the challenge. The thought of the annual charity bazaar not happening was something that was impossible to imagine. This was our 20th anniversary and there were so many charitable projects relying on the money that it raised through this one event. Starting much later than usual and with a very committed and experienced team behind me, we moved quickly to arrange the first stallholder meeting and let it be known that the 20th annual charity bazaar would be happening!

the Bazaar Thank you Brochure. All other designs are included inside the brochure.

We had a record number of countries wishing to particpate, with first time stalls from Iran and Sudan and a welcome return of the stalls from the United States, Venezuela and Poland. We also wanted to do something special to recognise the fact that this was the 20th year the IWC members and volunteers had organised this event, a remarkable achievement which shows the dedication of the particpants, past and present. The idea was to ask all stallholders to take the '20' logo and decorate it however they wished, to express their culture, creativity or to capture the essence of this charity event, and they did not disappoint! The team had a hard job making a final decision but all agreed on the design from Vietnam, which features on the cover of

I would urge anyone who is thinking of getting involved in the bazaar, the charities it supports or the IWC Club itself, just do it, you wont be disappointed!

Although this was a very demanding and at times frustrating role, the rewards were evident, with the army of volunteers eager to help, our very generous donors and the hoards of visitors on the day, the fantastic sum of over 320,000BGN was raised so that we can support our charity projects for another year.

Angela Bird, Bazaar Coordinator 2014-2015

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Charity Bazaar 2014 ‘Thank you’ cocktail

Charity Bazaar 2014 reflections I am from India and living in Bulgaria. India enjoys "unity in diversity”, a country of diversities, diversities in religions, languages, food preferences and many more things. Bulgaria is a small country but she is very rich in diversities. I am connected not only with the shiny part of this beautiful country but also with its problems and pain. And what is the best way to find a solution, being part of the world, than to do something for your loving host country. One of the the answers is the Annual Charity Bazaar hosted by the IWC. This day of celebration is the result of hard work and dedication. This is not the result of only one day of togetherness, this is the final moment of sharing of every thought of support, friendship and happiness. On this day it seems to me that the world is joining hands in sharing the idea of peace, joy and love. A true picture of multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi lingual and multi-ethnic society. Every stall carries the fragrance of their countries. Every visitor feels the warmth in the atmosphere.

I have been a part of the IWC for a long period. It is giving me an opportunity to share and enjoy the “unity in diversity” through the charitable bazaar.This is our responsibility to maintain its unique feature. Here we think beyond the boundaries and work for the prosperity and progress in society.

12

Mauna Kaushik

National Theatre Visit During our very interesting visit to the National Theater Ivan Vasov we saw of course the pompous main hall and the foyer with the famous youth style decorations. We saw, where Ivan Vasov himself had his place in the theater, which till nowadays is not sold, but kept free. We were able to see the the technique of the stage, which is totally movable. This piece of mechanical masterwork works since the beginning of the 20th century and allows more movements than most modern stages. We also learned about the different curtains, one really artificial with a phoenix, which hides the stage, and another from iron, which was a very early fire protection and saved many lives. We had also the possibility, to get backstage and see the various costumes and the tailoring. It was a very interesting and entertaining visit, during which we were accompanied by a famous actor.

Eva Kreuzer

Central Mineral Baths Tour with Lyuba The tour of the Central Mineral Baths was a true eye opener for me. Being born and raised in this city, I would have to admit that I’d never had the chance to walk inside this prominent landmark building. Although, as I have come to realise, it was closed as late as 1986, I never visited the baths during my childhood ̶ at the times of their old glory.

Lyuba talked not only about the historical dates and facts, but gave us also an insight into the architectural, technological and artistic context of the building. But what I found truly remarkable was that she also spoke of her own experiences from her childhood when she was a regular at the baths with her family. Her account was so detailed and vivid, that after a while I could almost hear the clatter of the wooden ‘nalumi’ over the tiled floors and could see the steam coming out of the hot pools filling the rooms. The weekly visits to the public baths was a ritual of which my mother spoke of too, but after Lyuba’s story, I truly regret that I never got to experience such a delight!

building. Unfortunately she could not show us any artifacts from the collection yet (the museum items are still being arranged), but we saw from afar a beautiful carriage which belonged to Clementina de Orleans also known as Mademoiselle de Beaujolais, daughter of French King Louis-Philippe I, the mother of Tsar Ferdinand I. Now I am truly looking forward to the museum opening its doors and the vintage style cafeteria planned for the second floor, which I believe will be an ideal meeting point in the center of town and a perfect place for some ladylike chit-chat.:) The following two recipes were kindly supplied to us by Lyuba, together with a packet of medicinal clay (called huma). Huma can be still found around different parts of Bulgaria. It was used more in the past than these days, but it can give you an idea of the bygone days of the local idiosyncratic grooming culture.

Elitsa Lingorski

We also met a lovely lady who is heading up the Museum for the History of Sofia, whose collection will be housed at the baths

Homemade linden soap

Body/face mask with orange juice and medicinal clay

Ingredients: 350 g white soap 300 mg strong linden blossom tea 4 table spoons grapefruit juice 5 drops of gillyflower oil or rose oil 5 table spoons of fine oats Plastic forms.

Grate the soap, add the tea and the juice until it melts down over some heat . Put the gillyflower / rose oil and the oats.

You have to stir with a wooden spoon until it cools down and becomes creamy. Put the mixture into the plastic forms, cover with a towel / cloth and leave for 2 – 3 weeks in a dry and

blood flow The medicinal clay stimulates the ction, and fun l teria -bac of skin and has anti s opening help ge oran the from C min vita the s. the skin pore Ingredients: 3 tea cups of orange juice; 2 tea cups of medicinal clay. icinal clay and the orange juice med the Put n till it into a bowl. Stir with a wooden spoo r face you n Clea . forms a cream-like mixture , ture mix the ad spre then and nce in adva it h Was . utes min 15 leave it for around away with water.

13

And, finally, some very amusing excerpts from a letter by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu about her experience at a bath in Sofia in 1717, which I cannot but share with you. They were also kindly supplied by Lyuba.

“In one of these covered waggons, I went to the bagnio about ten o'clock. It was already full of women. It is built of stone in the shape of a dome, with no windows but in the roof, which gives light enough. There was five of these domes joined together, the outmost being less than the rest and serving only as a hall, where the portress stood at the door. Ladies of quality generally give this woman the value of a crown or ten shillings and I did not forget that ceremony.

The next room is a very large one paved with marble, and all round it raised two sofas of marble one above another.

There were four fountains of cold water in this room, falling first into marble basins, and then running on the floor in little channels made for that purpose, which carried the streams into the next room, something less than this, with the same sort of marble sofas, but so hot with steams of sulphur proceeding from the baths joining to it, 'twas impossible to stay there with one's clothes on. The two other domes were the hot baths, one of which had cocks of cold water turning into it to temper it to what degree of warmth the bathers have a mind to.

immodest gesture amongst them. They walked and moved with the same majestic grace which Milton describes of our general mother. There were many amongst them as exactly proportioned as ever any goddess was drawn by the pencil of Guido or Titian, and most of their skins shiningly white, only adorned by their beautiful hair divided into many tresses, hanging on their shoulders, braided either with pearl or ribbon, perfectly representing the figures of the Graces.

I was here convinced of the truth of a reflection I had often made, that if it was the fashion to go naked, the face would be hardly observed. I perceived that the ladies with finest skins and most delicate shapes had the greatest share of my admiration, though their faces were sometimes less beautiful than those of their companions. To tell you the truth, I had wickedness enough to wish secretly that Mr Gervase could have been there invisible, I fancy it would have very much improved his art to see so many fine women naked, in different postures, some in conversation, some working, others drinking coffee or sherbet, and many negligently lying on their cushions while their slaves (generally pretty girls of seventeen or eighteen) were employed in braiding their hair in several pretty manners. In short, 'tis the women's coffee house, where all the news of the town is told, scandal invented etc. They generally take this diversion once a week, and stay there at least four or five hours, without getting cold by immediate coming out of the hot bath into the cool room, which was very surprising to me. The lady that seemed the most considerable amongst them entreated me to sit by her and would fain have undressed me for the bath. I excused myself with some difficulty, they being however all so earnest in persuading me, 1 was a last forced to open my shirt, and show them my stays, which satisfied them very well, for I saw they believed I was so locked up in that machine, that it was not in my own power to open it, which contrivance they attributed to my husband. I was charmed with their civility and beauty, and should have been very glad to pass more time with them, but Mr Wortley resolving to pursue his journey the next morning early I was in haste to see the ruins of Justinian's' church, which did not afford me so agreeable a prospect as I had left, being little more than a heap of stones.”

I was in my travelling habit, which is a riding dress, and certainly appeared very extraordinary to them. Yet there was not one of them that showed the least surprise or impertinent curiosity, but received me with all the obliging civility possible. I know no European court where the ladies would have behaved themselves in so polite a manner to a stranger. I believe, in the whole, there were two hundred women, and yet none of those disdainful smiles or satirical whispers that never fail in our assemblies when anybody appears that is not dressed exactly in fashion.

They repeated over and over to me; 'Güzelle, pek güzelle', which is nothing but 'charming, very charming'. The first sofas were covered with cushions and rich carpets, on which sat the ladies, and on the second their slaves behind them, but without any distinction of rank by their dress, all being in the state of nature, that is, in plain English, stark naked, without any beauty or defect concealed. Yet there was not the least wanton smile or

14

Membership news Welcome to our new members

Birthdays Mazie Hollenbaugh, 9th March

Ernesta Kazlauskaite-Tsakona/Lithuania

Assya Damianova, 10th March

Luisa Castelli/ Italian

Lilly Borisova, 19th March

Francesca Naso/ Italian

Katayun Roein, 23 March

Federica Sette/ Italian

Emilia Manolova, 30 March

Giusi Gagliano/ Italian

Nara Vasconcelos, 31 March

Ongoing activities fiction books from writers of all nationalities (voted on by the members) and usually meet on the last Thursday of the month at 10:30am. For more information contact: Dorothy Tomalin on her email: dorothy.tomalin@gmail.com.

Charity Action Group The group meets once a quarter 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! The date and place of the next meeting is published in the monthly newsletter & on the website. Contact Maria Ilieva on 0878 300 561 or at charity@iwc-sofia.org.

Architecture/Archaeology/History Club Calling all history buffs, and anyone else who is interested in exploring the rich culture and architecture of modern and ancient Bulgaria! The group meets once a month for walks around town or to visit museums, attend lectures, go on trips outside Sofia, etc. The cost of the trips will be divided amongst the members. The time and day of the week will be determined depending on all the group members’ convenience. Sign up at the Monthly Coffee Morning. For information contact: Lyuba Boianin at lyuboslava@yahoo.com.

Newcomers’ Coffee Morning Newcomers get togethers are usually organised once a month or as required. They are smaller gatherings, often in members homes, where it is easier to talk to others and to find out what the club is all about and what it can offer you. The date of the next such meeting is in the calendar at the back of this newsletter. For more information, contact the Vice President Maria Naslednikova at maria_nas@abv.bg or call her on 0879 119 150.

Bridge Interested members are invited to play bridge. An intermediate/advanced group plays on Thursday mornings at 10:30 am in the “King of Clubs” club, just behind Matti-d. Fee is 5 BGN for the session. There is an English-speaking group and a French-speaking group. For more information, contact Diana Kolarova at dianakolarova@ yahoo.com or 0888 423 150.

We also welcome visitors!

Local Coffee Groups Local coffee gatherings take place in different homes (on a rotating basis) for people who live in the same neighborhood.

These get-togethers, at which coffee and snacks are served, enable people to become better acquainted in an intimate atmosphere. The Lozenets Coffee Group is organized by Emilia Slavova (emilia@audioarte-bg.com). Please contact her for more information. For more information about the Dragolevski/Simeonovo/Boyana coffee group, please contact Sandra Guilder at sandrasbulgaria@aol.com. Anyone interested in starting/joining other local groups, please contact Maria Naslednikova at maria_nas@abv.bg.

Bulgarian Language Group Elina Kirova is a professional teacher and translator. The Bulgarian conversation or language group meets every Friday from 11:00 AM–12:30 PM at the IWC Office. For further details, please contact Elina Kirova at elinakirova@yahoo.com, or sign up at the monthly coffee morning.

French Conversation Group

Book Club

For more information, contact the Vice President Maria Naslednikova at maria_nas@abv.bg or call her on 0879 119 150.

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-

15

details, you can visit their website at http://www.bodyartkally.com/index-en.php. Sign up at the coffee morning or contact Monika Slosarikova at 0877 997 075 or monika.slosarikova@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 Lynne at lynnegodding@gmail.com.

Henna Indian Body Art Avantica Shinde Nielsen would like to offer classes to our members to share this wonderful traditional Indian art style.

Each beginner’s course is 4 weeks, once per week. Day and timings will be decided according to the convenience of the group members. All materials will be provided. For more information and costs, please contact Avantica on her e-mail: avantica@gmail.com.

Spanish Conversation Group 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 Toi Castelló on 0882 008 518 or write her an e-mail: iotcas@gmail.com.

Patchwork Group The group meets every Monday from 10:00 AM-–12:00 PM at Dusica Trkulja’s apartment. The address is Evlogy Georgiev 99, floor 6, apartment 27. Interested ladies are

Children’s Dance Classes We are now offering ballet and hip hop dance classes for the children of IWC members. The instructors for the hip hop class are an award-winning and popular team. Every Saturday from 11:00 AM–12:00 noon. And while your kids are enjoying themselves, you can join the Bulgarian folk dance classes! The venue is the Dance Studio, which is centrally located.

The address is ul. Skobelev 58. The price is 120 BGN for 4 classes for a group of 4 (about 7.5 BGN per class). The price goes down to 7 BGN per class if we have more than 4 kids enrolled. The price includes a bottle of water (0.5 l). For further information, please contact Avantica Shinde Nielsen on her mobiles at 0889 490 646 or e-mail avanticashinde@hotmail.com.

welcome to bring ideas, patterns, and materials. For more information, please contact Dusica Trkulja on her landline: 02 980 0948.

Icon Painting Course

It meets most Tuesdays at 10am and people take it in turns to host. Please, contact Amy Dincuff at adincuff22@ gmail.com.

Bulgaria is famous for its beautiful and colorful Christian icons. Learn to draw and paint your own icons. The classes are taught in English by a professional artist in Boyana. The entire course costs 150 BGN per group of 5 people. The cost of materials will be approx. 30–40 BGN, which is a one-time cost. The time and day of the week will be determined depending on all the group members’ convenience. There is an option for either a morning group or an afternoon group, or both. Everyone is welcome! Contact Sory Almonacid de Jan at 0894 716 182/0894 716 182 or (preferably) via e-mail at jansory1@yahoo.fr, jansory35@gmail.com.

Golf

Sculpture class

We meet every Wednesday and tee off at 10 o'clock, any one interested in playing email Sandra Guilder on sandrasbulgaria@aol.com or call 0879866790.

From copying an antique torso to studying Aphrodite’s head, this course will make you to familiar with classical clay modeling. All tools are provided at the atelier. Your finished art work will be turned into terra cotta (raw or glazed). Costs are 10 Leva per hour, lessons take 3:00 hours with a group of 3 to 5 people. Monday to Friday 9.30 – 13:00 and 12.30 – 16:00 with a lunch brake. Contact Sory Almonacid de Jan on 0894 716 182 or via e-mail at jansory1@yahoo.fr.

Mum and baby play group

Cricket Devam Women's Cricket Club meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 PM at the National Sports Academy in Student City. If you are interested, contact Mona Kaushik at devamibsac@gmail.com. Age is no barrier! No fee!!! Let’s play cricket!!!

Choir Sofia Ladies International Choir (SLIC) is a ladies four part harmony choir here in Sofia. We sing everything from ancient to modern, sacred to secular and songs from different cultures . Our rehearsals are conducted in English but we have sung in Latin, French, Spanish, Bulgarian and even Korean! Our practices take place in a music studio in Borovo district from 19.30 on a Wednesday evening. We are small but make a good sound and have already performed several short concerts at the Catholic Cathedral and the US Embassy. Our choir director is a Bulgarian/Canadian who is great fun. We are looking for some more good singers. The ability to read music would be an advantage but is not essential. For more info: Lynne Godding at lynnegodding@gmail.com or 0887 641 295 or Daniela Videv at danielavidev@hotmail.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 or to join the mailing list, please contact Diane TromansBerg dianetromansberg@yahoo.co.uk or 0885 721 841.

Zumba Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program created in Colombia during the 1990s. Get your body ready to Zumba!

The classes are taught by instructor Galya, who speaks excellent English, at Stadium Vasil Levski in the city center. Each lesson costs 7 BGN per person. The classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 AM–12:00 PM. For more

16

March events Wednesday, March 4th

Tuesday, March 24th

5:30pm: Newcomers Apero

10:30am: Guided tour of the Archaeological Museum, including a special exhibition "Bulgarian archaeology 2014"

You are kindly invited to our newcomers’ afternoon tea/aperitifs on 4th March at the Rose Bar in 3 Ivan Vazov St. The Rose Bar is located centrally and is housed at a previous rose oil laboratory. Recently the site has been converted to a ‘ladies friendly’ territory boasting designer interior, quirky cocktails and an innovative menu (ideal for those of you who get peckish). We will gather around 5pm-ish for an informal get together to meet newcomers to the club and catch-up on stuff you might want to share (ski holidays etcetera….)

Please let us know if you would like to come to office@iwc-sofia.org.

The Archaeological Museum is one of the oldest museums in Bulgaria. Situated in a former Ottoman mosque from the 15th century, the displays are spread out in four halls according to the historic period: ancient history, Thracian treasures, the Central hall, Medieval hall. During our trip to the museum we will make a few stops at some of the most valuable artifacts, which represent pivotal points in the development of our civilization. We will look at some examples from the oldest inhabitants of our land from the Paleolithic period up to the Medieval Ages. The highlight of our visit will be an exhibition of the most valuable finds from archaeological sites in 2014, which will be on only until the 29th March. Last year Bulgarian archaeologists worked on 400 excavations throughout the entire country. Most of the excavations sprang up from some large infrastructural projects like roads and railway constructions. These were not so lucky in unearthing impressive gold pieces, but all finds presented in this exhibition are important because they represent different aspects of human presence on the Balkans. Please, confirm to Maria Nas on 0879 119 150, 0878 968 010 or maria_nas@abv.bg, Price for tickets to the museum is 10BGN.

Tuesday, March 10th 10:30am: Monthly Coffee Morning at Matti-d

Thursday, March 12th 12.30pm: : Women’s day lunch at Regina Restaurant We do hope you will help us with another tradition this month and that is celebrating International Women’s Day by joining us for a lunch on 12th March in the beautiful surroundings of Restaurant Regina in “Ul. Han Krum”.

They are offering us a special menu to include a glass of wine, the cost of which the IWC will subsidise, so you the members will only pay 20lv a head and the club will pay the balance. The last time we did this over 40 members enjoyed a lunch together, celebrating the power, compassion and vision of women across the globe. We hope that you will want to do the same. Please make sure that you give your name and have paid the cost of the lunch to Maria Naslednikova by the 10th of March at the latest: 0879 119 150, 0878 968 010 or to maria_nas@abv.bg.

Monday, March 30th 10.30am: 'Brush off the dust' tour of antique shops We will be visiting some of the numerous antiques shops of Sofia, which are off the beaten tourist track. Come in very casual attire, for a little bit of an ‘Indiana Jones’ adventure to some very dusty places! Sofia is not rich in finds like Vienna, Paris or Amsterdam, therefore you must not expect to see Belle Époque examples during our special trip, but you never know what kind of peculiar treasure you might stumble upon. Duration of tour will be about 2.30-3 hours. Meeting spot: in front of the Sofia City Museum (former Central Mineral Baths of Sofia). Confirm to Maria Nas on 0879 119 150, 0878 968 010 or maria_nas@abv.bg,

Tuesday, March 17th 10.30am: Cooking demo at Maria’s home Venue: The home of Maria Naslednikova: ul. "6-ti septemvri" No:58 The chef of the restaurant Aubergine will cook for us at Maria Naslednikova’s home. Please confirm to 0879 119 150, 0878 968 010 or maria_nas@abv.bg.

March calendar National holiday

17:30 Newcomers tea/ apero 12:30 Women’s Day lunch

10:30 Monthly coffee 10:30 Cooking demo 10:30 Tour of Archaeological Museum 10:30 Tour of antique shops

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Announcements My Bulgarian Recipes by Sonja Kapsazov Available now in time for Christmas!

Beautifully illustrated, strong new binding and other small revisions. Beautiful full colour illustrations, easy to follow recipes in Bulgarian and English.

n! ditio E New

Price 45 leva

Discounts and invoices available for bulk orders 10+ copies Please call Paromita on 0888 408647 to order your copies or for more information

Dear Ladies, Stela Hyde-Pironkova is a new member of the IWC who recently arrived from the States. She is a fullyqualified fitness and wellness instructor/consultant with more than ten years of teaching experience with Sport and Health Club fitness centers in Northern Virginia and other facilities in Europe. She holds professional certifications from the USA in Pilates, as well as in Yoga, Core Bare, Balleton and swim instruction, as a former professional swimmer. Stela is experienced in working with people in private and small group classes, targeting athletic conditions, extensive spine, lower back, neck and shoulders issues, posture correction, as well as prenatal and postnatal training.

She is currently forming groups at the Kempinski Hotel, but she can be flexible with the time schedule and type of classes. You can reach her on her email (stelapilates@gmail.com) or on her mobile (087-667-1778) to tell her what might suit you best.

New Butcher Shop in the town. Selling excellent calf, veal and lamb meat.

Awaiting your orders...

27 A General Iosif Gurko St. shop@butcher.bg, +359 2 954 54 57

www.butcher.bg

I would like to recommend my cat sitters, Teddy and Peter, brothers who adore cats and will make sure the feline member of your family has its own holiday while you are away. They are totally committed to making your cats stay as comfortable as possible. Please contact them on pettedkittylovers98@gmail.com

I would like to recommend our cleaner

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Vanya. She has been working days a week for us for the past couple of years. She is very reliable, trustworthy and a very thorough cleaner. She also loves children and doesn’t mind babysitting if required. She

Penthouse to Let

doesn’t speak much English but does speak

Unique penthouse with total area of 664 sq. m. located in the heart of Sofia, occupying the last two floors of new luxury building with video surveillance, 24-hour security and controlled access. The amazing panoramic view due to its beautifully landscaped terraces (197 sq. m.) and the unique luxurious furniture made by famous Italian designer make this property one of a kind. This fully equipped penthouse, combining modern and classic style will suit even the most refined customers’ taste.

Russian. Her daughter Nikoleta speaks English, so you can contact her for further information on

0889135214.

On the first level there are spacious living room, kitchen with dining area, two storage rooms, laundry room and a guest toilet. In addition there is a separate bedroom with en-suite bathroom, walked-in closet and cabinet which are connected to the main apartment and are ideally suitable for guest accommodation.

Diane Tromans-Berg

On the second level there are three bedrooms with bathrooms.

Central heating and air-conditioning, light and airy rooms with big windows, the fireplace are only some of the amenities which make the stay in this penthouse cozy and relaxing after the long working day.

For contacts Katayun Roien 00359 878740521

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What children have in common is that they are different.

We are too.

Highly trained educators. Fluently English speaking staff.

From day care to advanced learning programs. Children from 2–6 years old. 16 nationalities. Two different locations: 25 Knyaz Boris I Str., NDK and 27 Hr. Smirnenski Blvd., Lozenets.

For more information: Call +359 889 229 666 or visit www.abckinder.org

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it’s all about you Dine under the glass roof and savor delicious cuisine paired with a vintage from the restaurant's impressive wine list Adding Color to LifeSM

parkinn.com/hotel-sofia

Park Inn by Radisson Sofia, Atanas Dukov Str. 36, 1407 Sofia, Bulgaria T: +359 2 861 57 00, F: +359 2 861 57 10, info.sofia@rezidorparkinn.com

PIbyRD_AdGeneric4_210x148.indd 1

24-02-2015 11:08:52

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