On the road of job search again

Hi there folks,

Long time no witting, I know it seems weird. In the past months I had some tough experiences, one of which connected to a newly found job at an advertising agency called G.I.D. Consult. It should be among the first companies of that kind in Varna. Unfortunately, the working conditions were worse than I expected - again like in Slovakia, bad and arrogant behaviour from my boss, totally stressful emotional environment. I accepted this job because I needed some money but the main outcome I would like to share is - never do this! Money is not all in our lifes so be careful when selecting your work place. The health is absolutely more important!

Meanwhile, I started a new professional blog focused on the 22 immutable branding laws as presented by the all time classic book written by Al and Laura Reis. I describe the Bulgarian business reality viewed from the branding perspective. I may say it's kinda successful as some of the posts rank very well on Google search pages - among the top 10 list! :) It's in Bulgarian language but those of you who speak or understand it will find the articles useful, I'm pretty sure. Branding is all around us no matter if we feel it or not ;)))

These days, I dedicate some time to teaching foreigners my mother tongue. It's susch a great experience that give me plenty of emotional and long-term rewards. Nevertheless, it helps forigners get in touch with the Bulgarian culture. I got to know 2 nice Russian girls via the social network Vkontakte.ru and now I'm reviving my Russian speaking skills which is amazing! And they are so nice, friendly and always careful! :) That's one of the reasns I feel the Russian people very close to my heart - as brothers! The Central, Eastern and South Slavs rule ;))) Poland is my all time specialty but Russia is moving up front :)))

I don't stop reading books on marketing and branding. Currently, I'm on the "Love Marks" written by the advertising creative guru Kevin Roberts. Also, I try to catch up on the ClickZ Online Marketing articles I receive as newsletters in my mailbox every working day. Now I still have around 140 unread but my plan is in the up-coming 15 days to reduce this number to 0 :)))

Well, regarding personal life, I still look for that special blues-rock-hearted lady that will make my days! It doesn't have to be located in Varna or even Bulgaria as for the love there are no boundaries, you know. "If you need some lovin', honey, you must have the blues", as Fleetwood Mac perfectly have written in their classic song "Rattlesnake Shake", performed genuinely by my favourite band Aerosmith. These days I started again listening to all of their albums one by one and bought some new CDs. My goal is to complete the CD collection and move to it from the cassettes. The digital sound is far better :)

That's all for now, dear friends!

See ya in the next post and of any questions arise, feel free to ask in the comments box.

Cheers!

Personal update

Hi there folks,

In the last month-and-a-half I have been involved in the following activities:
- participation in the Organisational Committee of the biggest exchange project of AIESEC in Bulgaria - "The Battle of The East" as responsible for the Slovak team and the leisure activities of the interns;
- looking for my new job (it's been already 4 months);
- reading articles and books in my areas of expertise - marketing, branding, tourism, online marketing;
- traveling across Bulgaria - I visited thanks to the AIESEC project plaaces like Etara, Gabrovo, Dryanovo Monastery, the Bacho Kiro cave, Shipka Monument;
- partying and meeting with a lot of friends.

After getting to know people from 5 countries and 3 continents, I may say that the summer was very nice, relaxing and full of cultura experiences.

The AIESEC project "The Battle of The East" was a huge success and it was an honour for me to have the chance to support it with everything I could do. My personal goal was to show the old school style of interns reception - the one I was tought in my early 3-4 years in AIESEC Varna. I'm sure that together with my colleagues from the OC team we have set very high standard of reception in the minds of all our interns. Their positive feedback just proved it completely!

Very soon I will add in Flickr new photos from my summer adventures as well.

Stay tuned for upcoming updates, guys!

See ya in the next post,

Victor Tomov

Daily Nutrition without Chemical Conservators

Is it possible to eat on a daily basis food without any chemical conservators?

My answer is YES!

Here's my personal diet as an example:

1. Breakfast - rice-rolls (substitute the bread, packed, without salt and gluten) + white brine or yellow goat cheese +/- boiled egg + tomatoes or other vegetable.
2. Lunch - baked or boiled food (lentils, beans, potatoes, rice, pasta) reach in carbohydrates + goat cheese + vegetable salad.
3. Second breakfast in the afternoon - raw nuts + honey or dark chocolate (min. 70% cacao).
4. Fruits between the meals.
5. Dinner - chicken or fish meat stewed on water vapour or baked only with salt and wine / mushrooms filled with cheese, eggs and vegetables + salads +/- rice-rolls +/- wine.
6. 2 hours before sleep - cane of yogurt (2% fat).

As you see, there is no even a single food having chemical conservators as ingredients. It's really possible!

Of course, I can add to this the draft beer or especially the so called "live" beer served in the bar 'Maestro' in Varna. I also eat some food with conservators but this is only during parties and some special occasions :)))

Excluding from your diet the packed and preserved food will save you additional body fat, intoxication, and not at the last place - money. It will help you optimize your budget and focus it on healthier stuff.

See ya in the next post, folks!

Victor Tomov

Branding vs Sales - The case of the Local Business in Varna (Bulgaria)

As mentioned at the end of my previous post, in this one I will share with you my recent observations and thoughts of the local business environment in Varna, Bulgaria.

From employment point of view, it's easy to notice that almost every marketing oriented job is related to or focused solely on sales. What does this mean? The local companies or the Business units of the international corporations are using mainly the 'push' strategies for their interaction with the customers. In the job offers we see usually a sentence like that - "following the process of market growth we seek to hire a motivated person for the position of trade representative / sales executive". Another thing to consider is the very low employees retention rate in these 2 areas. Why is that? Because sooner or later, every individual realizes that nowadays success is not driven primarily by sales but by buys! Then comes the slow but gradual process of motivation decrease and discomfort in presenting the products by interrupting the potential customers. This issue will be speed up by a higher exploitation level.

People become cleverer these days, especially with the wide range of choices and sources of information they have when purchasing. Everybody knows what is the salesmen' intent - to make you buy and then to receive his/her commission and that's all. This is the wrongly arranged reality.

The opposite to selling is buying which correctly gives the power in the hands of the consumers. They no longer just choose the quality but the brands! Marketplace isn't a physical space but a mental one - all the consumers are won or lost by their minds and perceptions. People no longer believe to the sales reps but to the recommendations from their peers and friends. Here comes the cure - the branding! Producing a good with superior quality is the important initial stage of success. Building it as a strong brand - perfectly, developing a completely new category - by popularization is the second phase. The third is to defend by advertising the brand once it reaches the maturity level. Attention should be earned, not bought or forced. The product category associated with the brand should be inside the media stories, not aside of them, especially at the building phase. This is a truth that is a huge pill to swallow for most of the companies. Why's that? Because it challenges and shakes completely their comfortable world-view!

What's the situation in my city? Almost all the businesses neglect their branding efforts and rely ultimately on sales. I know that it's hard to make a shift in the policies but somebody has to start. The one with the highest power and leadership skills within an organization. Be the first or the competition will be smarter and take and advantage. This could be vital, especially in time of a global crisis. Even tough I also apply for sales jobs, I look at them as an opportunity to shift the aggressive approach with more customer oriented and care-driven one. The case with the big companies presented on the local market is similar. Most of them have the marketing units in Sofia and just sales ones in the other cities. This may lead to a business myopia caused by a lack of focus on the local specifics. The sales force at least should provide valuable real time insights apart of executing it's persuasive function but nothing can replace the effect of the local marketing research, product and branding optimization.

Local sales force is usually the cheaper option compared to building a marketing and branding unit which requires longer period for ROI evaluation. Keeping the things short-term oriented will result in an unstoppable brand damage. The decision - focus mainly on branding and customer service to ensure that the awareness and interest stages of the buying funnel are adequately covered by a strong CRM team. No sales needed - if you know how to instill desire and action :)

From a customer perspective - imagine a world with no interruption from irrelevant salesmen but a careful consulting from a customer care reps only when you need it. World with no stupid and annoying ads but funny, useful and engaging brand experiences that can show us also nishes of undiscovered needs and products. Sounds nice, ah? I'll work for that!

Let me know what do you think ;)))

Cheers mates!

Victor Tomov

The Global Financial Crisis Influence on the Employment

Hi there guys,

These days I look for a job and reflect on the recent employment issues that the Global financial crisis has raised. We all can hear and read a plenty of stories with employers (usually big companies) murmuring about cost cuts and staff optimization.

While the economic downturn affects all sectors, the singe most important factor for success and survival are the people within the organization. Thus, attracting the top talents and retaining them is crucial for all businesses. First comes the recruitment and selection processes. From negotiations perspective, the fight for power increase is absolutely vital! Most of the companies try to be clever and use the "empty cellar of mom Hubbard" technique while presenting the remuneration packages to the primary approved job candidates. At this point of the employment negotiations, the following alternatives are available for the career pursuers:
- accepting and believing what the corporate HR reps are telling and decreasing the salary expectations to fit in the "dedicated budget";
- stressing on their individual skills to differentiate among the other candidates and imposing more attention to the fact that quality comes along with its adequate price.

Which option do you think is more likely to be chosen by especially young applicants? I bet the answer will be the first one. Statistically, it will be correct and that's what the companies rely on, more intensively in times of crisis. But all of them perfectly know that the talents are the only thing that can bring them out of the bad situation and lead them to success in long term! It's all about perception and belief in the own qualities (unique mix of knowledge and skills). Lack of self-awareness and confidence is a sure way to exploitation.

What's the decision for the people that are still at the very beginning of their careers? Look at your past experiences - both educational and working. Reflect on them and appoint the milestones. They should be used to increase the belief in your abilities.
What if you are still students? Cool! Look for an NGO to join, especially one that can provide you with enough freedom to practice your knowledge, learn a lot and be successful. Voluntary active membership in such organizations could fill the experience gap that most of the employers set in ther job offers.

My personal story:
In October 2002, I joined AIESEC - the world's largest platform for young people to develop and discover their potential. Now, after working in every possible functional area, taking different responsibilities, I tend to present myself as a young professional and recent graduate with 4,5 years of management experience, with 2 internships realized abroad, strong values and principles and a network of good friends. AIESEC was the thing that made this huge difference in my life.

As a conclusion, believing in my own abilities, I won't let any future employer to exploit my potential by using the cheap tricks of the critical budget constrains related to new employees. Optimizing the business process should start from the staff management. More qualified the people are, less likely they should be fired or encouraged to leave. The only people that can be afraid are the badly educaated and low-qualified employees. They are the ones that could be replaced any time.

In the next post I'll get a bit more local in the business perspective.

Cheers,

Victor Tomov

Nutrition and Stress - the 2 Major Health Factors

In our intensive daily life there are 2 major health factors - the Stress and the Nutrition. As the former is usually out of our control, the situation is different with the latter. While everybody is exposed to a considerable amount of stress factors, nowadays, it becomes far more important to know and leverage the nutritional aspects of our life. Establishing control over the own diet that leads to better health condition isn't an easy process. It requires several elements (note that all of them are equally important):
- information and knowledge;
- technologies available;
- strong will, positive attitude and decisiveness towards all potential life-style changes;
- support and understanding from the closest friends and relatives.

Once all of the conditions set above are present, every individual will be able to make the necessary adjustments, learn what and how to consume the right food according to his/her personal specifics, and take over the control of the Nutrition factor. Fortunately, there are few helpful tools available to everyone in this regard. They provide very important information about all the foods and ingredients that our organism accepts, tolerates (accepts one a week) or rejects when consumed. With this insight in mind, help from specialist and individually gained knowledge, we can start and realize a crucial shift in our lives - to better nutritional habits and health.

The 2 most popular tools are: blood test and vega test. The first one is very expensive, though it gives the correct and most detailed results for all food kinds at once. The second one is far cheaper, requires triple testing and after a period of 18 months gives the correct results for approx. 200 food kinds.

My personal story:

After coming back from Slovakia, almost a year ago, my mom told me about the vega test that she did in april 2008. I got attracted about it and decided to undertake the first test almost immediately. We appointed the date and then the screening showed me the results. "Wow, what the heck!", I said, after seeing that I should not drink beer, eat pastry stuff, milk chocolate and some other widely popular foods. But then, I realized that this is a great possibility to introduce another major change in my life which seemed to be exciting and interesting in the end :) I started to follow strictly the test and the specialist's recommendations and for less than 2 months my weight became normal! I lost 14 kilos and got the primary shape I wanted. Then, it was very easy to continue, already adapted to the new reality. Together with my mom, we realized that our expenditure on food got optimized as we removed plenty of conservant-rich things. So, 4 months later, the time for the second test came. After giving to my organism a valuable break from the unhealthy (in my specific case) food, it responded more correctly in the screening. The results were unexpected - the beer became acceptable, as with the pastry (partially), milk chocolate and some other cool things I liked before. Now, I'm following the test prescriptions and can't wait for the third final one that will show me the real results I should follow for the rest of my life :)) These days, I eat a lot - only the food accpeted and tolerated by my body, don't gain extra weight, feel good and keep myself in a fit shape by exercising.

I think everyone of us can take the control of the Nutrition factor in his/her life. It's not that hard but the consequenses are great! Being healthy is not only a responsibility to yourself but to other people that love and rely on you as well. Realizing this is an important step towards a positive change.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments box below, guys! :) If you like to learn more about the vega testing, don't hesitate to ask me for details.

See ya in the next post.

Victor Tomov

Idealism in the Real World

"Tell me what it takes to let you go...", Aerosmith first sang 20 years ago in one of their all-time favourite hit songs ("What It Takes", Pump Album, 1989). Now the question still remains, although slightly changed in the following way - Tell me what is takes to be an Idealist in today's world of pragmatism and mercantilism.

I strongly believe that the ideals are a driving force for the evolution in the society and the business. Knowing what does an ideal state of a thing or situation mean will enable us to pursue it consistently. Even though it's hard to reach it, having a clear vision will always keep us focused. Compromising the ideals could result in a short-term success but will harm our identity comprising of values, principles and inspirations. This mix unleashes our true creativity, makes us confident and determined.

What does it take to be an Idealist these days? Here are some of the important components:
- strong will;
- consistent set of values and principles;
- supporting cultural environment (friends, family, relatives, partners etc);
- clear vision for success;
- commitment to the pursue of ideals;

Idealism is a good source for inspiration and important behavioural guide. It can add another piece of love and enthusiasm in our work and/or relationships. Though, it's not the panacea for success and should be balanced by the relevant doses of realism and optimism. Otherwise, we will lose our perspective of the present situations. Being idealists means that we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Having along a realistic view will ensure that this light won't blind us on our way. Optimism will nurture our will to walk towards the light but being careful as it may be a coming train ;)))

I like being Idealist, knowing what I want to achieve and what's the state of success. Mixing it with realism and optimism is hard but I can do it. Besides, combining idealism with optimism and realism is an ideal state itself, isn't it? :))) What do you think, folks? I'll wait for your comments and thoughts on this topic.

Cheers,

Victor Tomov

My recent conclusions about the successful salesperson qualities

Hi there folks,

As you know, I'm in a process of finding a new job. Apart from the applications, I have free time to study by reading plenty of interesting articles on online marketing (my current professional passion), branding, customer service and sales management. For everybody interested in the aforementioned topics, I'll strongly recommend subscription for the ClickZ newsletters with White papers on marketing and its online implementation. Just follow this link www.clickz.com/subscribe.

After completing the self-reflection stage based on my previous working experience and getting valuable insights, I've reached the conclusion for the most important characteristics of the successful sales person. Here they are:
- strong in-depth knowledge about the product;
- personal advocacy for the product based on valuable positive experience;
- total focus on the customer's needs - exploration, definition, addressing, caring and loving;
- empathy;
- honest, polite, delicate and gentle behaviour allowing the customer to feel appreciated, safe and in control of the situation;
- ability to match, present and emphasize on the most important product characteristics that may influence and educate additionally the customer in his/her buying decision;
- active listening ability;
- proactive approach;
- confidence and decisiveness.

I'll be glad to hear your comments on the presented salesperson profile. My believe in the concepts of 'relationship building marketing' and the 'customer care' have helped me to establish this vision for a really successful sales that drive long-term results and customer satisfaction. I'm eager to demonstrate my selling and negotiations skills in my next job if it requires it. Therefore, I will prove that this is the right mix of qualities in this area.

See ya in the next post :)

Victor Tomov

Public money raising for charity

Hello there dear friends,

As most of you have already noticed, now in Bulgaria the TV show VIP Brother is realizing one great initiative of raising money for different charity causes. The mechanism uses the means of sms text messaging and calls to a specified numbers along with individual donations. In this case, several parties are equally involved - the TV, the show' producers, the spectators, some rich people and the mobile operators.

It was announced that half of the collected money goes to the 3 mobile operators - GLOBUL, M-Tel and vivatel/BTC. The rest is divided by the producers, the TV and the donations fund. Indeed, a simple calculation may show that no more than 30% of the total sum raised by sms reaches the main goal of the charity campiagn - to help the unprivileged children in Bulgaria. This means that out of 1,20 lv only approx. 0.40 lv go for the cause.

My retoric question is - was it possible for the mobile operators, the NOVA TV and the producer to take a valuable part in this noble initiative by simply waive their shares and ensure that all the money from sms messages reach their intended destination?

It's easy to motivate the normal people that struggle each day for their salaries to donate, but it's far more important to support their efforts by personal example as an organisator.

Now almost 1 200 000 lv are raised. If the operators, NOVA TV and the producer supported the cause, this amount can tripple and a lot of children will receive a great chance to survive, improve their living conditions and involve themselves fully in the society!!!

I think this is possible and absolutely easy. The only thing necessary - these corporate and media big fishes to start walking their social responsibility talks.

What do you think about that? I'll be gad to hear your opinion in the comments field :)

Cheers!

Victor Tomov

Looking for the perfect... job!

Again, I'm on the road - the highway of the professional realization and career development. Looking for the perfect job!

One thing I've found very useful is the self-reflection skill I exercise these days the most. By reading different books, one of them I will recommend to everybody - 'The 80/20 revolution' (by Richard Koch), I crystallize my job seeking approach.

Here are some conclusions about what I'm looking for:
- a company with clear vision and mission towards excellence;
- a strong and socially relevant corporate cause I will be expected to defend and fight for;
- a manager with in-depth specific knowledge and ability to communicate and motivate effectively;
- a job description focused on marketing communications (especially branding), consultancy, analysis, project management and execution, negotiations;
- a friendly environment with no intrigues and back-talking.

When I find this company or entity, I will be more than happy to give all my best to help it achieve the excellent results and sustainable growth. I'm ready to devote my energy and unique mix of values, view-points, knowledge and skills on diverse range of topics - marketing, economics, sustainable development, social responsibility. The ideas, the creativity, the personality, these are the most important components of every successful enterprise. Finding the perfect job is all about matching your passions and skills with certain business needs. It requires patience, will and a little bit of luck :)

I don't believe to any employer that uses the cheap negotiating trick of emphasizing on the global financial crisis when discussing its remuneration and hiring policies. It's not about crisis, it's all about right people for the right job. If I see that a workplace deserves all my devotion, then I will give it and will be motivated to fight against and overcome the critical business situations. Nowadays, no longer the capital rules, it's the talents who do!

Interested in discussing this topic further? Don't hesitate to write your comments, folks :)

See ya in the next post,

Cheers!

Victor Tomov

What's new about me these days

Hey friends,

Whata unbelievable series of posts today, hah! Yeah, there should be days for updating this blog, right ;))

Ya know, guys, after coming back from abroad, I decided to have 2 months of holidays on the sea side ;) For me, Varna is the best place to do it in the summer. But the relax was quite active including - sports, friends, clubbing, self-reflection, books, adaptation and preparation for starting a new job campaign. Wow, thanks God everything passed normally without problems :P ;)) With such a busy schedule... I even had the chance to make new friendships - with Bulgarians and foreigners. One of them - the Polish AIESEC intern Łukasz, I began to teach our language. Quite successfully I may say, just ask him if you don't believe :P

But apart from all these activities, I had a time to dedicate myself to one of my great passions - the photography!!! Thanks to a book about DSLR photography which I received as a birthday gift, I discovered plenty of new techniques and functionalities of my Sony Cyber-Shot Creative Style camera. This inspired me to invest a bit more into enhancing my photographs by buying filters for the lenses - UV, Neutral density and Polarizing ones, and a tripod :) Below you can see some examples about my recent work with them:

Wow, the sky is so blue, thanks to the polarizing effect :)

Light post in the Sea Garden

Great landscape with rich coloured sea

Super contract and rich colours

The warmness of the Neutral density filter

I have also found a great model for portraits photography - a girl with divine beauty, which makes me really proud and gives me the chance to improve my shooting skills, especially using the tripod and the reflectors for bringing more light on the face. If somebody is interested in these photo topics, we can discuss them a lot more in personal.

As I planned, on 1st of September I've started to look for my new job. The process goes slower than I expected but I won't lose my hope and believe that I will find the best job here - in the best city of Bulgaria - Varna! :)

These are the recent news about me. Btw, on Facebook I've created a new group - AEROSMITH! Fell free to join it if you like the band and be active in the discussions :))

See ya, folks,

Victor Tomov

Photos from my birthday parties

Why "birthday party" is in plural? Well... coz I celebrated the occasion in 3 parts - with my parents, with my best friends, with some of my good AIESEC friends. Here are photos from these events:

With my parents

My best friend Mitko, Mimi and me

Me, Melek, Vladi, Łukasz and Toshko, and ... the 12-old whiskey Chivas Regal

Photos: Victor Tomov

The end of my internship in Slovakia - the reasons

Hello dear friends,

As some of you may know, some of you may not, I terminated my internship in Slovakia in the beginning of July 2008. Here are the main reasons for my decision:
- total mismatch of the working conditions and the expectations according to the TN form - I was lied to completely during the interview;
- high level of exploitation - I was forced to work a lot of hours extra without being paid and I was manipulated, lied by the management to be convinced in doing so for the past 3 months;
- negative and aggressive working atmosphere that increased the stress on a very high level;
- work focused on hiding the true identity of the company most of the time and saying a lot of lies;
- the big manager of the department does not have even university degree, was thrown away from his University and tends to humiliate people in front of others with his aggressive verbal and physical behaviour;
- not an open-minded and free communication culture if a problem with demotivation arises and is needed to be shared;

After 3 month of compromises with my ethical and moral
values, and trying to adapt to this exploitative working
system in the company, I decided that I won't stand this
shit anymore and waste my potential for this bulk company
called Jacob Fleming. I quit the company and terminated
the internship!

When I came in Bulgaria, I had to realize another trick from the company - regarding the payment. I didn't receive the money for 2 of my commissions which finally showed again the morale of the story in Jacob Fleming.

I decided to share this with you after some time that I needed to reflect on the situation and the experienced I have gained at all. I've learned an important things - I should never compromise with my personal values&principles and let someone to exploit me in such cynic manner.

See ya in the next post,

Victor Tomov

Great picture - all good close friends together in our flat

Photo: Victor Tomov

Beautiful sunset in Bratislava :)

View from my flat :)

Photo: Victor Tomov

Photos from my BG night

Cool :) Finally some impressions on the BG night which I organized on my third week stay in Bratislava. There weren't many people but everybody enjoyed it so I am happy at all :)

A lot more pictures coming soon... ;))

See ya,

Victor Tomov

Jacob Fleming's interns and room-mates in a Thea House

All of us together (I wish this could have been happening more often) - Me, Erofili (Greece), Said (Turkey), Rafal (Lodz, Poland), Teodora (Romania).

Wow - nargile and Said - whata combination :)

Teodora - no comment ;)))

Getting ready for the cards game :)))

Photos: Victor Tomov

Fancy stuff from Bratislava :)

Thea house ghosts ;))

Cool shooting angle ;)

Bratislava at night :)

Some ghost interns ;)

Only the shit is standing still :P

And of course is forbidden for dogs :))

Photos: Victor Tomov

Pictures from Bratislava ;)

Finally, here are some interesting and attractive pictures made by myself in Bratislava:

This is the block where I live along with 3 more interns

Martenitsa in Slovakia ;)

Slovak Architecture style

Comenius University

Slovak High School

Photos: Victor Tomov

My free time life in Bratislava

Hello guys,

This story is related to the ways I spent my free time here in Bratislava.

The cool thing in the city is that there are lots of different opportunities to enjoy yourself according to your mood, sub-culture and current desire. So far I experienced the following activities:

1. Clubbing - mostly in the discos and clubs within the central old town area, such as:
- Sparx - definitely good place for pop and black music where there is enough space for dancing, not too big crowd, good air condition but too much the same stuff everytime.
- Charlie's - I went only once but I won't go there again. Not a nice place for me - mostly house and techno music, too crowded and smoky...
- discos in Mlinska Dolina (the local student town) - not good for me at all coz of huuuge crowd, entrance fees, bad air conditioning and so on.
- Manana - good place but I enjoy it only when I am with good company. The music is retro style so no doubts that I can get crazy on the dance floor.
- few more coming soon - DOPLER (the biggest disco in Bratislava), Harley-Davidson (cool hard rock club) and more ;)))

2. Pubbing:
- Slovak Pub - I love it, especially to drink there the typical Slovak Kofola! It's too popular and often visited so it's not the most creative place where you can go with bunch of friends but there I feel nice.
- cocktail bars - very expensive at all, just for relaxation, but nothing compared to our pride in Varna - PENCH's! :))
- Channel S - cool place but only when there is no Gay night! Don't ask me more about my experience with that shit there ;)
- Thea houses (Cajovn'a) - one of the coollest type of bars I've ever visited!!! Very popular in Bratislava. You go there for drinking only thea, eat cookies, smoke nargile, lay on the pillows or floor without shoes and talk with friends in a cosy relaxing atmosphere :)
- bar Lounge - cool latino place where I attended a crazy Latino party when I got my first real life lessons on the basic steps :) It's not hard but I'm not the most passionate latino fan ever :)) For a while I can enjoy it but for a whole night will be tough ;)
- others - hard to say something specific about them.
- coming soon - KARAOKE!!! Wow, I miss the great singing bars in Varna and here I will visit the local ones for sure :)))

3. Exercising:
- football - every Wednesday with the colleagues from the company and almost every weekend with few BG friends and guys from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Portugal etc. The open air playgrounds are not for free which compared to the ones in Varna pisses me a bit off.
- beach volley - very new thing in my schedule that will probably replace the weekend football. It's cool to play on the sand and under the sunshine allthough your skin may get burnt. At least I will have good brown tan when I come back for my holidays in Varna :)))
- bowling - wow, I started to love this game. It's funny, a bit hard, tricky but very interesting. I went only 2 times to play it but I got into it! :)) Looking forward for the next plays ;))
- shooting - for first time in my life I shooted with real guns - 3 types (automatic, semi-automatic and non-automatic). A crazy feeling - a but scary, noisy and weird at the beginning but then you start to enjoy it. I still keep my target at home ;)))
- coming soon - table tennis, billiard, forest trips :))) but I think to bring my backgamon from Varna here ;))) Come on, I have a Turkish guy in my flat! :))

4. Movie nights:
- one Dannish guy organizes very cool movie nights at his flat and so far I watched "Children of men" and "Kontroll" (nominated for Oscar in 2004 Hungarian cult movie);
- in my flat together with the other interns in Jacob Fleming, 3 of them my roommates :)
- cinema - "The Eye" and "Indiana Jones" were the movies I watched on the big screen in the 2 huge shopping malls in Bratislava - Aupark and Polus Center.

5. AIESEC events:
- LC Meetings;
- Coffee talks;
- parties in the flats;
- cultural nights;
- outdoor events - campings, reception weekends etc;

6. Concerts and festivals:
- yesterday I attended the biggest one in Bratislava with free entrance and open air - Zlaty Bazant! It was a huge crowd of young people representing different subcultures so you see there a mixture of colours and styles. Life persormances until 6 AM.

7. Sight-seeing:
- museums;
- galleries;
- monuments;
- castles;
- parks;
- the Old town;

The thing that I don't like is that everything and everywhere I have to pay for entrances, even for the playgrounds. I think there should be some free places but just we need to find them on the map ;) There were only 2 exceptions - Open doors for museums for 1 weekend for the beginning of the tourist season and 1 night, recently.

Weeelll, after a long time without writing I think that's enough info for now. I hope soon I will have the chance to add more pictures coz there are funny ones :)

See ya in the next post, folks :))

Victor Tomov

My interniship after the first 2 weeks

Hello guys :)))

The moment to share my first impressions of my stay and internship in Bratislava, Slovakia, has come. I think 2 weeks are enough time to create the primary opinion about the life and work here. It's just a basis for my next observations and explorations :P Wow, the last sentence sounded scientific :))) Now my moto is - "How big is your Bratislava? Explore it's dimensions!" Hehehe ;P :))

I like very much the Slovak capital! This must be clear from the very beggining :) Here it's not too crowded and the traffic is not as huge as in the bigger capitals. There aren't so many green parks within the city but this is compensated by the very nice Old town, its compact size and the small distances between the important places. There is wide pedestrian zone with bars, pubs, pizzerias and of course shops. The main street is called "Obchodna" wich translated in Bulgarian can mean "Pazarska" ili "Magazinna". On it is situated probably the most impoartant and famous among the young people place - the "Slovak Pub". I even have the strong impression that some of the Tarantino's movie "Hostel" scenes were shot there. It's cosy, very big and with reasonable price list of food and drinks ("jedla a napoje" - I'm getting better and better in Slovak language as well, hehee). There was my welcome drinking party. A lot of people came from the both LCs - Bratislava and Comenius (mine). The Slovak AIESECars are very nice people, warm and curious about the interns. I felt their hospitality and interest. It was nice and I stayed there till almost midnight. I tried the Slovak nationwide famous traditional non-alcoholic drink - Kofola. It looks like Coke Cola, but the taste's different and more freshy :)) I liked it very much which surprised almost everyone :)))

The first full weekend spent in Bratislava was during the Easter. Here there were 4 days off and I had the chance to do a photographic day on Saturday, to visit a very cool and relaxing Thea house where everyone can smoke nargile and play chess or cards. In the city center and especially in the Old town there is a plenty of interesting details to discover - an improvised telephone composed by 2 wooden boxes at a distance of 50 m one from the other; 9 metal blocks in a square shape that play sounds when you step on them so you can perform a music; monuments and metal statues (of paparak, voyeur etc.) and many many more. All the time there is something specific as event. On my first day in Bratislava I saw a "freezing" exercise in one of the shopping malls - Polus Center, when everybody freezed and didn't move for 3 minutes (between 2 whisles). It symbolized that we need time just to think and reflect at ourselves. Creative, isn't it! ;) Also few AIESECars participated.

I was invited to a hockey matches but the prices are a bit high for the good seats and the standing area gets sold out very quickly but I think I'll go to watch a game of Slovan Bratislava playing in the final or during the championship year. The footbal is less popular than hockey but I met also very fanatic and kean fans. In Slovakia the strongest team in almost every kind of sport is Slovan. Most of the times they win without problems :))

The last Friday night was my first hang out with the colleagues from my company. We visited one restaurant for warm-up and then a disco club called Charlie. It wasn't good - very crowded, smoky and hot without good ventilation. This was supposed to be one of the high quality discos in Bratislava so imagine about the others ;)) Prior we went to a Latino disco pub but it was soooo overcrowded that I had the feeling I'm in the bus to the Student town in Sofia - 280 for example :D

The bus drivers here are crazy, guys! Most of the time I feel like I'm on a roller-coaster. Once, the bus even did a short jump and I noticed how the wheels are loosing the touch with the asfalt!!! "Wow, that was something", said my friend from Poland with whom we travelled back home from the biggest Mall in the city - Aupark. In Aupark you can find everything so I won't get in more details about it now.

In Bratislava, I live in a huge flat along with 4 more interns - all of us in the same company - Jacob Fleming Group (the Slovak leader in the Business Intelligence field). So, we are 5 people and 4 from the Balkans - from Turkey, Romania, Greece and Bulgaria ;))) The fifth one is from.... Guess where! LODZ, Poland!!!! That was an amazing coincidence when I realize it. He was an active AIESECar for 3 years but during my internship he was abroad so we didn't meet there ;) The world is small - how many time I have to realize that!? :D :))) It's also very funny to see how a Turkish boy and Greek girl live in one flat for the first time in their lifes. They became great friends and that's really cool :))

Yesterday, all of us did our first sightseeing together. We climbed the hill to the TV Tower, paid 100 Sk to get up and enjoy the view towards the entire city. It was pretty cool I have to say :)

Last week, I started the real job - after Easter and the 3 days of intensive trainings and practice. I have to do phone calls selling in order to execute with my team a campaign for a conference related to Talend management and Leadership development. I like very much the topic but this will be my real practice to improve and get confident about the comapny's next products. The seeling campaign I'm working on now will end in 2 weeks and then I will form with 3 more guys a team for a new project. The goals and standards that everyone has to achieve in order to be paid very well and receive alot of money from comissions are very high. I work hard and I think soon the results will appear :))) The atmosphere in the company is nice as the average age is 26. On each Wednesday the boys gather to play football. Every month there is s company party as well.

AIESEC in Comenius University is ok. I like very much all the people I met and I enjoy every moment we are together. I received great welcome package full of useful materials about the city and some hard stuff like the traditional vodka - Borovicka. Some the members are very active and all the times we hang out together. That's nice. There are some other interns as well and reguratly I meet them. There is a team called "Partyslava" so it's another opportunity to have fun here ;)))

On the upcoming Saturday I plan to do the Bulgarian night. I brought with me sushenica, lukanka, servilat, liutenica, shipkov marmalad, kaisieva rakia and alot of music, presentations and movies about Bulgaria. I found also the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Bratislava which can be useful as well. I have some gifts to the AIESECars and the company as well and they will be presented soon :)))

I will end up this story with my Slovak mobile number - +421908614975. You can contact me on it all the time. I will call you from the company's office which I can use 24/7. Out of working time I can call everyone for free and talk as much as I want. So, let the phone calls be the way for stay in touch, and then the e-mails ;)) Chats I don't have here so often so we'll keep in touch that ways mostly ;))

That's all from me for the moment. Expect soon pictures as well ;)))

See ya in the next post,

Victor Tomov

I'm on the road again ;)))

Hi guys! :)))

Finally, I'm abroad again! This time in Slovakia - the little big city Bratislava! ;) This is the advertising slogan of the Slovak capital. It's like the Varna size regarding the population - around 450 000 (half during holidays coz everybody goes home! hehehe).

Let me tell you more about the trip to this small but really beautiful part of Europe.

Well, I had the feeling that these 19 hours scheduled as a duration to go from Sofia to Bratislava were not soooo true and updated... and I was right! My bus arrived 3,5 hours earlier at the bus station Mlinske nivy!!!! Wow, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?! Whata luck I'm having here, guyyys. But compared to Lodz, this time I arrived at 2:30 AM in a rainy weather with a huuuge (yeah, bigger than for Poland) luggage ;) And whata surprise - the bus stopped in front of the barier at the station's entrance, then the driver put his entrance card to open it but it didn't work out. So, he waited 10 seconds and told me - "you have to get off here, coz I cannot open the barier" So I did it in front of the bus station, it dizzled and was very cold. Then I took my luggage and saw how the station guard who had to open the barier came while the bus was driving out. "Teraz je neskoro" I said to him ("Now is too late") and we together watched the bus departure nodding in aggreement.

Well, then the waiting began - almost 1,5 hours for my buddy to pick me up from the station. It was sunday, morning, not regular buses at that part of the day so she did her best but it was impossible to pick me up in that situation exactly on time. Again like in Poland, I had the chance to get to know in details the bus station :))) It was closed but I figured it out after 200 m 10-mins luggage-whrestling walk from the barier to the main pedestrian entrance and peron No. 1 ;))

So, it was a short trip but mixed first impressions. Bratislava looks beautiful at night - with huge modern high tech buildings - Malls, business centers, offices of world corporations, illuminated from everywhere. Compared to the ugliest EU capital - Sofia, Bratislava looks amazing! :)) Very compact city - old town, and center full of sightseeing places at a walking distances one from another.

That was the story about my trip and arrival.

See ya in the next post, folks :))

Victor Tomov

The New Year Eve home party

Here are some photos from my home celebration of the 2008th New Year :))

French champaign, Turkish Raki, Red wine, Whiskey - all in a row ready for the party :)

Pick up your good luck from the banitsa ;)

Me, my mom and my dad

Me, mom and dad again at the Chrsitmas tree

See ya folks,

Victor Tomov

Holidays time

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you - my friends! :)

It was an year 2007 - full of joy and dreams came true but let's keep dreaming and follow our goals and ideals for life! Let's make the up-coming year 2008 even more joyful and successful! :) It all depends on us, guys, ya know ;)

Stay tuned for more interesting materials in my blog and a lot of pictures as well ;)

See ya in the next article,

Victor Tomov

Pictures with my colleages at Magam, Poland

These are some pics of me and my great colleages and friends from the Polish company - Magam, where I had my first AIESEC internship. They were taken during our dinner at "The Mexican" restaurant organized for me and Ariana (the Romanian intern and my colleage, too):

Gosia and Ariana + small cocktails "Margarita" ;)

Ariana and me

Malgosia, Gosia, Ariana, me and Monika

Malgosia, Gosia, Ariana and Monika

Me, Marcin (my boss), Robert and Piotr

It was a great night at all as I realized that my colleages from the Marketing department are true party animals ;)))

Photos: Victor Tomov

Back in the saddle again! I'm in Varna, finally :)

Now I'm in Varna, after 11 hours of travelling backhome with 2 buses - from Lom through Sofia. I spent an amazing time the last week-and-a-half - in Kraków, and Bulgaria.

In Kraków was really beautiful I may say. I spent there 3 days with 2 more Bulgarian interns - girls from Olsztyn and Kraków. Finally the BG delegation was the majority among the other guys in our company :))) I visited Wawel, the Old Town with the beautiful Cathedral, traditional Georgian and Polish restaurants, bought alot of souvenirs and enjoyed every single minute of my stay :)

In Sofia and Lom I met with all my relatives. I gave them the presents from Poland and showed alot of pictures from Krakow and Lodz. It was relaxing time coz the environment at some moments was completely different comparing to the one in Varna, including the topics of discussions from the daily life. This was the best start of my re-integration in Bulgaria.

Being at home again is great at one side! I will always remember the feelling when I saw the huge Bulgarian flag and the national symbol on the border - my eyes filled up with tears and I felt this special emotions that you can feel on your skin and back :) It's hard to be explained but you could imagine. It is just the love and the miss of my country. And of course I missed very much Varna - the most beautiful city in Bulgaria.

This Wednesday (21.11.2007) I will make a detailed presentation of my internship in front of the AIESEC Varna members just to give them a short impression how great such experience is! :)

See ya in the next story, my friends,

Victor Tomov

My vision for a perfect couple

This is my methaphoric expression of the intimate relationship between man and woman

Victor Tomov

The differences between Poland and Bulgaria

This is just my personal comparison between the different realities in Poland and Bulgaria, but especially Łódź and Varna as these are the places I have observed the most:

1. The architecture:
- gates on almost every street inside which the bars, the parkings and the entrance of the buildings are located - this is very useful and positive for the big crowded cities;
- gothic catholic styles with tall decorated buildings and sharp edges;
- all the churches and cathedrals have unique symbols on the top of their towers;

2. The drinking habbits:
- most of the Polish girls drink beer with sweet juice and straw;
- there are Polish beers with fruit flavours;
- the Poles are stronger in drinking than Bulgarians - not an even average drinker gets almost drunk from 400 ml 40 deggrees wodka!

3. Manifestation of the people's marginalisation on public places:
- on the streets of the Polish cities very often drunk people no matter of the gender or age can be seen walking dizzy with a bottle in hand, crawling and trying to establish contacts with the tourists for change or cigarettes;
- Polish drunk people can be found on the streets during the whole day;

4. The green spaces:
- all the artificial lakes in the Polish parks are full of ducks;
- in the Polish cities there are lot of small parks with names and similar structure;

5. The language:
- alot of similar or same words but with completely different meanings which can make very funny or confusing situations;

6. The food:
- the yogurt;
- the products for the traditional dishes;
- the white brined cheese;

7. The climate:
- in the beginning of August when the rain falls the temperatures are around 10 deggrees and the people can wear very warm clothes;
- more cloudy and cold days in Poland than in Bulgaria;

8. The working time of the shops:
- almost all small shops or even bars in Poland are closed on Sunday or late Saturday;
- only the plenty of alcohol stores are open 7 days per week in the Polish cities :)

9. The public transportation:
- it's very good that in the big Polish cities there are schedules of the transport lines (trams, buses, trolleys) and if there is a change the number of the line is marked in red to warn the citizens;
- the roads in Poland, especially the intercity ones are better than in Bulgaria;
- the ticket prices in Poland are higher than in Bulgaria but the quality of the long distance bus trips is lower as there is only one big Polish bus company - PKS, which decreases the competition;

10. The bars:
- self-serving style in almost all the bars in Poland - everyone goes to the barplot to order, pay and bring the drink to the table which safes time regarding the bill but makes the plot crowded with a queu :)
- the small pizza in Poland is 30 cm served with sauces for free :)
- the Karaoke bars are not presented at all in Poland - there are only Karaoke nights in some bars where the microphone is one and the songs are sung in front of the audience;
- the prices of the drinks in the Polish bars are higher than in Bulgaria - especially for beer and cocktails;

11. The religion:
- as Catholics the Poles are far more religious than Bulgarians;
- the main religious holidays are slightly different;
- the cementaries (especially the Jewish ones) are tourist attraction in some of the big cities - there is an entrance fee for visiting them;

These are the main differences between Poland and Bulgaria in my point of view. I must say that the people are very similar as mentality and this helped me alot to adapt quickly in the new environment. And last but not the least - the Polish girls are also very beautiful! :)

Victor Tomov

The cultural life in Łódź

Hi guys,

Let's talk about culture this time. Even after my internship in Poland I still can feel the cocktail of emotions about it. You know, when we discuss such kind of experience, it's all related to cultural understanding and communication. Some people may say that Łódź is not an attractive tourist city and probably they will be correct, but only in the part "tourist". I would completely disaggree that in the biggest industrial city of Poland there aren't attractive places. Let me mention some of its unique selling points:

- Łódź is the biggest European city build on a forest land;
- Łódź has the biggest commercial main central street in Europe - Piotrkowska with more than 100 bars on it;
- Łódź has the biggest shopping and leisure center in Poland - Manufaktura with 306 shops, restaurants, cinema center, garden, own transportation and beautiful surface with dancing colourful fountains;
- the biggest Jewish cementary (40 dka) in Poland is situated in Łódź;

Well, if you like churches, rivers, sea then better go to Kraków, Wroclaw or Gdańsk ;) But if you are interested in a urban style beauty then Łódź is the best option for visiting.

Far not the least, the city where I had my internship and lived for more than 3 months is applying for cultural capital of Europe 2016! I will share with you my impressions why it has good chances to win :)

The biggest cultural event that I attended in Łódź was the Festival "Dialog of 4 cultures" which represented the Polish, the Jewish, the German and the Russian cultures via musical performances for 10 consecutive days - between 31.08 and 09.09. It was amazing! I saw some blues rock bands, some traditional music, modern and acoustic ones during the concerts which were held at Manufaktura's square. The entrance was free. The concerts were open air and because of that there were few people in the audience during the rainy days. I may say almost the entire festival passed with rain. Again my good luck, hah! ;)) So I had the chance to remember the Rhyana's song "Under my umbrella" :))) My umbrella is enough big for 3 persons so you can imagine why I made this methaphore ;))) The Festival was closed with concerts of Alpha ville - the German band that did the songs "Big in Japan" (which was actually never popular in Japan) and "Forever young" (at least the band members were young at a certain time of their career), and another band whose name I forgot. After all - huge 10 mins long fireworks show was done that completed my positive impressions from the event! :)

For the rest of my stay there were plenty of art expositions. To name a few - Earth from above (photos from all over the world settled in one park), Photography contests, Egyptian exposition etc. The museums are also quite interesting including topics related to the famous persons lived in Łódź, history, cinematography, Jewish culture, arts. The biggest square in the city I think is the one of the Theater - plac Dąbrowskiego.

All kind of subcultures also can find something for their members. I may say that I visited really cool cult places such as Jazzga - bar for alternative jazz and rock music, Blu - the black parties zone, Przychowalnia - bar for artistic bohema, Honey Bunny - bar with stylish and sweet interior, The Mexican - the best ever Mexican restaurant I've visited and plenty others :)

In the first big city shopping mall - Galeria Łódzka, there was exposition about the life of the Indians in America before 4000 years. Almost everyday something happens in the cultural affiche.

At the end I can say I didn't waste my time regarding the cultural experience in Łódź. Even the local AIESEC invented something special - a drink which is combination of wine and sour cream which both Polish and Bulgarians call "kisel/kisiel". It is served hot and tastes very nice! Taratatata, I'm lovin' it! :)))

See ya in the next story, folks! Thank you for your attention and visit of my blog! Enjoy yourselves!

Regards,

Victor Tomov

My birthday spent in Łódź!

Hi guys,

I hope everyone is doing so well that can easily manage to read completely my next story! Heh, I think this one won't be sooo long but enough funny and interesting.

Yesterday, I celebrated a Birthday for 24th time in my life. The fun started from the morning in the best possible way. On the way to the company, I was kissed twice from my great friend and colleage - the Romanian girl Ariana! She said that in her country they kiss 2 times on the cheecks compared to the Polish 1-time kissing tradition. Wow, I will begin to like Romania even more since then! :) Greets to Anamaria Androne - my sweet mentee ;P

During the working time almost half of it I spent in answering birthday wishes on Skype! It was really amazing to see how many people would like to greet me and to realize how good is the program function - Birthday alarm! :)) The day was generally also successful coz I sent again some offers and established good contacts with potential Magam's clients from Bulgaria. Only my satelite phone-call connection wasn't working properly but this was not a big deal for my good mood :)

After work I got home and started the preparation for the evening event - a party in 1 of my favourite pubs here - Biblioteka. It was sooo kind and nice that the EB had organized everything in advance booking the place and inviting as much guests as possible! The party started at 19:00 but I arrived with the 2 chinese interns almost 1 hour later. Guess why! Changes in the tram lines, again! The schedule wasn't regular so we spent a lot of time waiting for the transportation. At my arrival at the place there weren't many people but afterwards the number of the party "delegates" increased and reached 13! Lucky guy, am I?! ;))) All the interns, some recent friends and AIESECars from different generations - this was the profile of my guests.

The atmosphere was very nice and cosy as everyone was drinking, talking and laughing alot about different stories. Then the special time came - my present was brought and given to me - a bottle of traditional Polish wodka (made of fruits probably, but I will tell ya for sure if some of you is interested). Of course, I decided to share it with my friends, but during the next party, which I plan to be a Bulgarian night - presenting my culture!

After the gift-giving, first all of the party attenders started to sing for me "100 lat" - the Polish Birth-/Nameday song! Then I heard consecutively the Chinese and 2 Romanian versions of the famous "Happy Birthday"! It was amazing, really touchy!!! Afterwards everyone asked me to sing the Bulgarian version of the birthday song and I suddenly realized, that there is no such one with BG lyrics! Hey, we have to think about changing this! ;) After the singing part I released my 2 boxes with chocolate bonbons and the fun continued....

Here comes the photo part of my story! Enjoy yourselves watching:

Me and Tomek - one of the best party guides I've ever met! :)

Monika, Maciej, Krzysztof, Marzena - AIESEC guys from Łódź.

Me, Tomek and the beautiful Maja Mozer :)

Monica and Winie (China), Ariana and Ana (Romania).

The photos was brought to us by the nice and sweet Ana Petrescu (Romania).

On my way home after the party again I realize how magical and great is AIESEC as a community/familly of amazing people. I was walking and listening how a Polish girl (Maja) was explaining to 2 Chinese girls the emotional relationship between the Bulgarians and Macedonians! She spent 1 year in the Macedionian MC so she had enough impressions about the country and the Balkan mentality. AIESEC - connecting people! :)))

That's all from me for now, folks. See ya in the next posting and wish ya nice days!

Keep in touch!

Victor Tomov

New friendships with AIESEC interns

Since I'm here in Łódź, I haven't met sooo many people from AIESEC. I'm quite happy that I got to know with interns from Romania - 2 girls + 1 boy, and China - 1 boy and 2 girls. It's a bit funny that I'm probably the first Bulgarian intern especially in LC Łódź so my role is very important - to show the culture and to shake the worldview of the locals demostrating how close are our languages :)

When I arrived in Poland there were in my LC around 3 interns:
- a boy from China who is popular rock singer in the Mainland of the coutry;
- a sweet Chineese girl who adores gofrys (gofretti) and has the strangest English accent I've ever experienced;
- a Romanian girl from Bucuresti;

The next day my colleage in Magam arrived in the train station - the second girl from Romania with the "beer-branded" name Ariana! I went to pick her up and then to accompany her to the flat. I realized how lucky she is, finally then! She should live in the central street in a flat with the other Romanian intern and the VPX! What else can a person need ;)

Few days after, our double-welcome party was done in a quite small, cosy and relaxing atmosphere when I met also some friends with Polish origin with whom we still hang out during our weekends. All the time when we are together partying I realize how much can a Polish person drink, even a high alcoholic stuff. One of my friends said once that he is not a strong drinker regarding the Polish standards, coooz he could fall down "only" from 500 ml of wodka! Wow, bring me the Russians, please! :))) Here everyone says that the Polish people are average drinkers far away from Ukrainians and Russians. Could be, could be! ;) Btw, the tosts are very popular while drinking with friends.

After my release from the hospital having already grown beard I met the second Chineese intern here - a Cantoneese girl. I immediately informed her about my usual look in order not to scary her from the beggining, hehehe :) Later on, we had the chance to travel accross Łódź exploring the different tram and bus lines, mainly to her company and back. I felt so good taking care of her and being somehow "second AIESEC budy".

Regarding the communication breakdowns I had here, for sure the funniest ever are the ones with the other Chineese girl. All the time when we speak she needs I to clarify or repeat what I have said and then say it on her own way to prove she's got it! After "hundreds" of attempts I'm on my way to give up teaching her the Polish pronounciation. It seems quite impossible! :) But, I think she's not a regular example coz the other interns from this part of the world speak good. It depends of the region, probably, but it's still sweet to listen to her :)) I'm lovin' it!

The third Romanian intern I got to know is a boy coming from LC Galati. He's great guy and after 2 weeks stay in Poland he is back to Romania and Bulgaria for 3 weeks for a business trip with his manager! Of course, I prepared for him a long list of foods to try that are traditional for Bulgaria. I hope he will like boza but we'll see later ;)

Finally, on the last party I met one guy that has a lot of friends who formed a football team - amateur one. They will call me for their games every weekend from now on. So, I'll have the chance not to forget what's to be a goal-keeper ;) It's a surprise for me that here most of the boys I got to know are not interested in football or even volleyball. But I'm happy that I met some exceptions ;)))

I hope that I'll meet the other Bulgarian interns in Poland - Titi from my LC who is in Olsztyn, and Mimka - from AIESEC Plovdiv, who is in Krakow. And I won't forget about Mimi - our lovely LC member that will stay for 1 year Erasmus study in Warszawa. Around my trips accross Poland I expect to meet a lot of new interesting people and make some strong friendships as well :)

Victor Tomov

Some photos from my internship in Łódź

Mmmm, GOFRY! :))

D'you wanna visit Bulgaria?! ;))

Me as a ghost! ;) Spooky ;P

Whata nice fountain :) Close to my dorm in the garden of the Managament Faculty, University of Łódź

Believe it or not - the Library of Łódź University!

With some of my AIESEC friends in the Silver Screen Cinema Center, Łódź

Typical urban style silhouette in Łódź - church, traffic lights and trees together :)

The modern Łódź

Beautiful but ghost ;)

It's good to have balls but for a girl?! ;)))

Welcome to Poland!

The one and only - Manufaktura!

The shitty floor in my shitty room!

The shitty dirty wall aside to my bed!

Me in the Magam's office :)

On the stairway to the Lublin's Castle

Łódź - actually it means a boat! This is the symbol of the city :)

That's how I looked after 3 and-a-half weeks without shaving because of the varicella!

Photos: Victor Tomov

Party stuff with AIESEC Łódź. Polish and International cuisine.

Hellooo, my dears!

After 2 not sooo much positive stories, this one will be related totally to the funny life in Łódź :)

All of you probably already had read in one of my previous updates in the Varna Community about the reception party I had few days after my arrival in Poland. It was a small one - around 8 people, full of fun and drinks - the Romanian "t,uica" ("tsuyka" in BG, soorry not to spell it correctly in Romanian but I don't have the special letters in my computer here) - something like the Bulgarian slivovica; and of course - rakia :)) After this party I had the chance to visit the following party places:

- Port West - the worst club ever for me! The music was a mix of techno, electronic, non-commercial house end something else probably. But the problem was that it was veeery monotonic so I got bored quickly and left it earlier than the others.
- Fabryka - famous as the oldest bar for young people in the city but for me it wasn't anything special and interesting - very small and smoky hall that I experienced only for few minutes while planning where to be the next stop for drinking :)
- Biblioteka - this is one of the most popular bar "to drink beer and watch some football game" for the young people, mostly students in Łódź! The atmosphere inside is cosy and nice and I like the place very much. There I attended an welcome party of 2 EPs that came back from internship in Romania. They are a couple and the girl is only 2 days younger than me. I think to combine our birthday parties but we'll see next week. This bar has a garden house located on Piotrkowska street as well.
- Piotrkowska street - the longest commercial street in Europe - with around 100 bars on it! Actually, almost all the interesting places for enjoying are situated somewhere around or on this street - the main one in Łódź. At almost each 50-100 m there is a statue of a famous Polish person - writer, compositor, musician. There is a walk of fame with golden stars as well. In the summer all the pubs and bars have gardens outside were I drank a lot of times beer with friends.
- Cotton club - billiard & beer club where everyone meets to watch mainly football games! It is something like the Varna club - The three Lions. The interior is related to footbal clubs, there are TV screens and 3-4 billiard tables. It is one of the most popular Karaoke bars in Łódź as well. But there is only one night for singing and it will start in October. Here there aren't specialized Karaoke bars like in Varna. There are only Karaoke parties in some of the clubs. I'm impatient to visit one of them to show my singing skills developed under the label "Shower Records" :))) If you know what I mean ;)
- Łódź Kaliska - expensive pub where you can see erotic or a bit pornographic materials everywhere on the walls. It has the name of the biggest railway station in the city so the floor and the tables are similar to the ones in the trains but of course with higher quality and purity ;) There is a separate floor for dancing but the music and the mood was not the best I've ever seen so I didn't try it. This bar is also famous with it's toilets, again decorated with some a bit disgusting sexual pictures. It's usual to go there just to "pee for free" :) and then continue to some other place with less expensive drinks. I did it with my friends twice ;P
- Piano Cafe - 2 small rooms bar - one for sitting, talking and drinking and one for dancing. The interior is similar to the one in the ex-Budha Bar (then transformed to Potato House) in Varna stone-walls, wooden benches, chairs and tables. The DJ there was dressed as a mixture of styles but I enjoyed very much his work so I spent great time finally dancing on a nice music! I went there with the biggest bunch of people (since I'm here) for finishing the bye-bye party of one EP who will go to Belgium for internship.
- Peron 6 - the House of the Beer! This is probably the best pub I've ever visited during my stay in Łódź! It is famous with the wiiide range of international beers offered in the menu. It is something like combination between ALBA & PENCH's but of course with less than 1000 beers, hehehehe ;P The Balkans beer brands weren't presented but for sure I will visit it often to try some unique ones - white, from cherry, from honey etc. :) Inside is cosy and not smoky which is good for a no-smoker like me. Usually, the beer is almost all the time around me as my Romanian colleage-intern is named Ariana ;) She works at a bit more than "1 hand distance" from my desk :P

These were the most interesting bars&places for enjoy I've visited. Of course there are more that I cannot remember now or weren't so special. Here there is a plenty of so called "gates" where you can enter and look for pub or disco to enjoy during the night. There is an entrance fee only for boys - 10 zl (5 lv) and if the place is not worthy I don't feel good after spending these money. The prices are a bit higher than in Bulgaria but it depends on the bars as well.

In the end of this story I will tell you about the cooking AIESEC party I had 1 week after going out of the hospital. It was really amazing and the best one for the past 6 weeks since I'm in Łódź! I met a lot of new people and AIESECars older then me!!! One of the girls was a very close friend to Kamila Antczak so I fanally got her contact details and we re-established our connection afterwards! There was one Alumni from the 1998 generation! I had the chance to try dishes from China (tomatoes with fried eggs), Poland (2 traditional soups and "sarmi" from cabagge but not sour like the BG ones) and Romania (meat with of course - mamaliga! and sweet panned and fried balls filled with plums or curds)! Very, veryyy delicous night! :))) I cannot see and find here sheets of pastry so probably I coudn't make banitsa for the friends to try. After the eating part and the leaving of 5-6 people we bought 1 bottle of Żubrówka - the famous Polish wodka for playning bitches-bitches! GREAT! I was sooo happy that finally I would play my favorite drinking game again. I was missing it all the time since I left Bulgaria. Here they have some good players but mostly the Polish guys drank ;))) And here there are not so attractive players like our great Ico Parvanov! The party was in the flat of the VPER and I'm a bit proud of myslelf that I almost find it and reached it leading one of the chineese girls. Well, I missed the right tram stop to get off but it was again my usual bad luck ;)))

Tonight (Monday) another party is on the road - bye-bye for a chineese intern and welcome for 2 girls coming from CEED and stay abroad. I think in Varna we can learn a lot from LC Łódź regarding the preparation of packages for this kind of parties. Every intern or EP receives a bag full of gifts :))) So, the fun is going on around me these days!

In the weekend I plan to visit Krakow finally along with the 4 other interns here. It will be great fun and I will meet with Mimi (Trupchinkata) from AIESEC Plovdiv, who is now on an internship there. I'm happy that I will have a person to speak in Bulgarian as everyone here in Łódź has another person from his country, except of me :) Whata surprise regarding my luck! ;)))

That's all from me for now, folks!

See ya soon in the next material and I'm waiting for your comments regarding the topics. Of course you can write me e-mails as well.

Btw, from this web site - sms.orange.pl you can send me free smses, for example for my Birthday which is on 24th of September ;) To do so follow my instructions coz the site is in Polish:

- "Nadawca" (sender) you write your name;
- "Odbiorca" (Recipient) you right my number - 798504338;
- in the field "Twoja wiadomość" - your text message;
- a bit down - "Potwierdzenie" where you can see some symbols (usually letters), you must type them in the text box aside to the button "Wyślij". Then you click this button and the message is sent :)

This is the entire process :))

Greetings from sunny (finally again!) Łódź ! :))) Take care and keep in touch!

Victor Tomov

The conditions of my new room in a Dormitory for international students in Łódź.

After I got out from the hospital I was informed that because of my disease I couldn't stay in the same dormitory (V Dorm) for the next month and few days. So, the AIESECar responsible for me had to arrange my movement to the International students' dormitory of the University of Łódź. The behaviour of the manager of V Dorm was a bit funny and panic, because in the moment of my come back I was at least 10 times less dangerous to infect than during the 3 days I spent in there before the hospitalization :)

Anyway, I packed aaaaalll my stuff (again the huge luggage!) and I was lucky (somehow finally!) that there was a car waiting for me to take it to the next location - thanks to one girl from the EB. On my way back from the hospital I also did some shopping and we moved everything to my new room. It was double one but separated (weell - isolated is the more appropriate word) especially for me. When I saw it I was completely shocked! The floor was with some kind of very dirty spotted brocken terracotta, there was dust everywhere, the walls were at some places blacky dirty from their original yellow colour and finally - the worst thing - FULL of BUGS - small and medium size ones everywhere dead or smashed at the walls!!! In every wardrobe or cupboard there was plenty of them :( At this point the room in the previous dorm, which I had some complaints about, seemed to me as Paradise...

After checkin' in and discussing with the staff some "impossible" ways of changing the room, I went to the AIESEC office to use Internet and so on 'till the night when I had alone to cope with the conditions in my room - killing bugs, trying to put somewhere the clothes, to clean with water the shelves etc. While I was trying to fall asleep looking around panically in the darkness whether some bug approached my bed, I received sms from my budy here that "due to some reasons" he cannot take care of me anymore and another person will be responsible for me. Whata nice situation....

In the next morning I asked downstairs for some detergents and cleaning stuff and I experienced the "hospitality" of the dormitory. The people said that I have to buy everything, even the cleaning tools - steer, basket for the water etc. because they "don't have such" and cannot provide me with them. Hm, I went to Carre-four then and bought everything necessary to clean this fuckin' shitty room. It took me 2 days to do it and to make it not shiny but normal to stay in. To make it normal to live in, I had to find a solution about the bugs. After asking several AIESECars, and trying some gear, I fanally choosed - RAID - a new triple formula! :) Another 2 days I spent in spraying all around the room and finally I calmed down. All the nests of the bugs and their roads were cleaned so I had to wait for the result of the operation. Fortunately, it was mission possible! :)

Meanwhile, I had problems with my fridge which was leaking with some oil that durtied my food, especially the yogurts I bought. This problem was solved by the dormitory management in 1 day so it was quite ok :) Now I have a new fridge that keeps also the food of my neighbours - 2 chineese girls - AIESEC interns.

Nowadays, my room is rearranged, emptied from some unusefull wardrobes, clean and normal to live in. Its only one advantage is that I have own bathroom and I don't need to share it with the entire floor. And about the bugs, well, they are still around but with less amount - only 1 or 2 I see (and of course kill) for the whole day. Actually, they enter from outside, coz there is a gap of 1,5 cm between the edge of my door and the floor. This is the only one thing I don't think I can prevent and repair. But looking back at all I had to cope with, that is not a big deal :) The whole cleaning costed me around 65 zl. unexpected and unplanned expenses. With this amount of money I can have good lunch meals in a Vietnamic bar for a week!

Can you imagine, that the prices in this dormitory which is 15-years old and not repaired since foundation are higher than in the previous one which is 5-years renovated one!? Some Polish mistery, I guess ;)

As all you may realize, I won't have only toilet stories anymore, but room ones as well ;) :P And again useful experience.

The next topic in my daily life is the washing of my clothes. Different from the V Dorm when the Laundry service is for free and running 12 h per day, in the one for International students it runs in September only 3 hours (15:00-18:00) during 3 working (!!!) days - from Tuesday until Thursday and there is a fee - 7 zl. per washing! This is freaky! I think I won't give money to this dorm except of my accomodation fee which is 280 zl. (140 lv!!!) and I cannot manage to use the Laundry coz I usually come back from work at around 17 and I neeed an hour to wash one group of clothes. Since I've learned how to wash my underwear this is the first time when I practice it in such conditions :)

I wait to move to another dormitory at the end of September as I was informed that I cannot stay longer in this one. I hope the next room will be better or like my first one at least. But we are lucky that IU-Varna doesn't cooperate with the Uni of Łódź in Erasmus, coz the students from the program are always accomodated in the shitty dorm :)

That's all for this story, folks ;)

See ya in the next posting,

Victor Tomov

My 1 week stay in a dermatological hospital in Łódź

Hello my dear friends,

As all of you already know about my great experience and masterhsip in being "karuk" (bad luck person), probably you won't be surprised with the news that somehow (and I still don't now where and when!) I got a chicken-pox on my 3rd week here in Łódź. Unfortunately I passed another small type of this rash disease and I caught the other one finally - varicella! It seemed at the beginning just a flu (but not a rockin' one as in the Aerosmith song) with high temperature.

After 3 days vomitting and strong fight I saw some unexpected rashes on my body and became very very afraid about my health. Then it was good luck that the AIESEC EB here found one guy to drive me in the nearest hospital. First the the doctor thought I had some alergy and sent me to another hospital - with toxicological and dermatological sectors. There for the doctors was obvious - I had varicella, a typical one! Actulally, this was the hardest time for my AIESEC friend coz he hadn't passed it at childhood. So he became afraid about his health as well and we were informed that this disease shows its symptoms after 2 weeks of preliminary periode. Thus, all the persons I had met the last 3 days only had to wait to see what will happen with them if they hadn't passed varicella.

Anyway, with temperature of 39,3 degrees I was immediately hospitalized for 1 week at least. I became some kind of huge attraction for the entire hospital staff since my first day there! I was the only one Bulgarian (foreign) patient and I was the first case within the past 10 years of a person at this age (23) that has caught varicella :) Wow, whata star we're having here!!! ;)

My stay in the hospital was a combination of funny, tough and interesting moments. At one point, only the doctor responsible for me spoke English so I had the chance to practice, learn and improve my Polish language. And I did it with completely new lexic! :) Since my second day in the room along with 2 more persons I started my sociological observations on the different types of behaviour of the people in the hospital - the patients, the staff and the visitors. Heh, some of them were really funny and nice at the same time. Everyone was polite with me as well :)

For the first time in my stay in Poland I had a TV in my room. To use it everyone had to pay but one of the roommates did it several times so I watched Formula 1 and a game between Tottenham (with Berbatov missing the score few times) and Manchester United :)) Cool, yeah!

At another point, I had the chance finally to experience the Polish traditional cuisine coz everytime there were something different served for lunch. I even tried the Polish szynka (ham) which I cannot afford to buy from the supermarkets coz it's a bit expensive. For sure my stay in the hospital was full of positive moments and added another chapter of my personal experience. The AIESEC EB members were very helpful as well bringing me clothes and some cosmetics, driving me with their cars as well.

The most obvious result of my illness which can be seen even nowadays is my grown beard. I haven't shaved myself for already 2 and-a-hafl weeks and for around 1 week more I won't do it so I expect to have a look like Hristo Botev :) Now I look like BG terrorist and all the time when I enter the dormitory the guards check me (probably searching for bombs, weapons or so). All the time I meet someone new, especially a girl, I mention that this isn't my regular view :))

A good thing that came from the fact that I hadn't eaten anything for 5 days is the weight loss. Now I feel good and in my normal shape which I aimed since 2 months :))))

Unfortunately, coming back to work I learn that I infected one of my colleages from the company when I came the morning before the hospitalization to the office. It's a pitty and good for her at the same time, coz later you got varicella, worse your condition will be. So, she caught it at middle age which is acceptable but still bad.


That's all about my hospital experience in Łódź. See ya in the next story from my internship :)

Thank you for the attention!

With kind regards,

Victor Tomov