The thirty-ninth seminar of the Bulgarian-speaking foreign community ends on August 12th after a month of cultural lectures, dances and language classes. About ninety students wanting a better idea of traditional Bulgarian folklore, media and progress within the country studied for several hours a day in Bankya (near Sofia).

Participants from 29 countries examined the latest problems and developments of Bulgaria. They spent a month of busy days and relaxing evenings in the typical Balkan atmosphere, drinking rakia or simply chatting in Bulgarian.

Students were divided into three categories: advanced, semi-advanced and language lovers. Most of the seminar participants were advanced and fluent in the language, said Ivanka Konstantinova, secretary of the summer seminar. "I am extremely surprised to see so many amateur linguists who are professionally occupied in other fields such as architects, historians and archaeologists," she added.

Folklore classes and dances greatly interested the foreign students who were shown national Bulgarian outfits and dances, such as fire-dancing (barefoot dancing on hot charcoal) and horos (group circle dances for celebrations).

"Tuesday was a great success for the tiny community of learners, where everybody took part, representing the country with its own vision and idea," said professor Yordanka Holevich.

Practical Bulgarian, lectures on Bulgarian modernity and Bulgarian anthropology, were only a small part of the intensive schedule that has kept the foreigners busy for a month. Eminent linguists from Sofia University and professors from the Bulgarian Academy of Science were among the lecturers.

Students from Romania, Germany, Albania, Belgium, Turkey, Russia, the U.S., Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Japan took part in two round tables to discuss Bulgarian spelling and mass media in the transition period. The Ministry of Culture organized a visit to the Cyril and Methodius National Library. There were also two educational excursions - to the Rila Monastery and the old town of Plovdiv.

Another educational and entertaining event was the talent night held on July 26th, in which the nationalities present made a short sketch about their culture or performed a typical dance.

"The presentation of the various cultures in Bankya is an educational exchange for us in a way, too," said professor Yordanka Holevich, director of the summer seminar. "Most of the famous foreign linguists in Bulgaria started at this summer seminar," said Konstantinova.

Francisco Frangalis from Spain is a lecturer who could not speak Bulgarian 15 years ago and now teaches old Bulgarian in the central university in Madrid. His love for Bulgarian began at that seminar, he said.

Some of the students are attending the gathering for the third and even fourth time. For them it has been surprising to discover the positive changes within the people and the nation as a whole. After the opening of the month-long learning session the dean of Sofia University held a reception in the Egg restaurant on July 23. The final day of the cross cultural event will be August 12.

One of the foreign students, Svetlana Kostadinova (English and French interpreter), said she was excited to come to Bulgaria for her third seminar due to the variety of things she learned and the skills she acquired here. "My grandma was a confirmed communist but I was not very acquainted with this. I knew how Bulgarians treated their neighbours with hospitality and respect even though I've been told now that whenever help is needed the locals just hide inside. The Nestle and Coca Cola advertisements have also amazed me since I didn't see them much in my previous visit a few years ago," she said. What astonished her most was the fact that the teaching and studying process was not the fearful experience she had imagined before coming. She added that a little more of a challenge would not do her any harm.

"All of us have put a great effort into the studying process but were a bit disappointed with the disorganization. We never knew what was about to happen or when. That is a part of the past mentality of the Bulgarians," said Simona Azamfirei from Romania. "What was hard for some students was the poorly defined class language levels where some of them were blaming others for not knowing something or for being too slow," she said.

The mass media lecture was the most interesting lecture for Burnt Rusher from Germany (married to a Bulgarian) because he learnt that the newspapers tend to stress the emotional side of a problem rather than view it objectively. He can speak Bulgarian well but has difficulty reading his wife's notes. As a sociologist he found the course quite useful. Reading the Trud and 24 Chassa newspapers will now be a pleasure for him. Traditional customs and the Easter celebration were his favorite topics and now Burnt is eager to cook his wife a sweet bread bun as an Easter surprise.

Christine Milner's memories of a similar seminar from 1991 are still vivid today. "They must have done something to me there because I came back the following year for good," she said. The loveliest nights she remembered were the cultural presentations from various countries Her own contribution was to sing the song `Old Macdonald had a farm' and make corresponding animal sounds with four other English girls. "The most charming thing about the whole event was that the lack of organization was compensated by the organizers strong wish to have a successful and exceptional seminar. "We absolutely adored the fact that everybody was so friendly and nice," she said.