“We don’t know whether any of these children living abroad won’t one day choose to return to Bulgaria,” says Elena Pavlova, organizer of the initiative. It is a proven fact that the native language forms a child’s intellect, she says, that is why it is important that children first start talking in their mother tongue, and not forget it. “In Austria it is even public policy – they believe that only children who are fluent in one basic native language can learn other languages, be integrated into society, and develop their intellectual capacity.”

“It all began because of my own children,” says Elena Pavlova who lives in Austria, and goes on:That is Elena Pavlova’s greater objective - to familiarize more Bulgarian children with the Bulgarian language, so they will actually encourage their parents to communicate with them in Bulgarian. “My Bulgarian summer” has a diverse programme to offer that is fun. First – a holiday by the sea, where the children coming from abroad are able to meet children from Bulgaria. 

“Since they were born abroad and grew up there, I wanted to keep their bond with Bulgaria alive in every way possible. I wanted it to be emotional, but I also wanted them to know about the life, history and nature of my country. For many parents living in other countries that is a very difficult job. Many want to but aren’t able to keep up that bond with Bulgaria. That is precisely why I decided to start organizing camps for the children of Bulgarians living in other countries. The role of the mother is crucial in handing the mother tongue down in the family. During the time of “My Bulgarian summer” we can’t teach the children to speak Bulgarian if their parents do not speak Bulgarian at home. And we can’t provide the knowledge necessary for a language proficiency level, what we can do is offer an experience that is diverse."

"I try to include lectures as well – about our arts and crafts, about the nature in the country, about the mountains etc. Because we all know that the things we come in contact with, the things we share with friends are the things that will stay with us for life as a childhood memory. That is what this initiative is all about – building an emotional bond with Bulgaria, and with Bulgarian children whether they live in the country or only meet in summer when they come from different countries.”

“My Bulgarian summer” has been organized for the third consecutive year on a voluntary basis. The programme Elena Pavlova and the people helping her in this enterprise have drawn up includes two visits with groups of children to the town of Obzor, and one week, with a group of children, at the open-air ethnographic museum Etara near Gabrovo. So far, and by popularizing the initiative on social media only, children coming from the US, France, Finland, Germany, Austria, Czechia, the Netherlands have joined the initiative in Bulgaria. Families from the UK and from Israel have also shown an interest, Elena Pavlova says: 

“For example, the focus this year, during the visit to Gabrovo and Etara, was that we contacted the Madara Horseman school for reenacting proto-Bulgarian martial arts who gave us a quick archery lesson, and showed us some martial art techniques."

"We go to Gabrovo and Etara because the children can learn all sorts of things there. I try to show the children how important education has been in the formation of the human being and of the nation – something we tend to forget in our day.”

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova

Photos: Facebook /mybulgariansummer