Our students - 27 Oct. to 7 Nov. 2008

I've saved the best until last -- the students of UNWE. They are the main reason we came to Bulgaria.  And they did not disappoint. When we were asked what was the highlight of our trip, it was easy to answer: "The people of Bulgaria!" No one made us more welcome than the students and faculty. Between 13 and 25 attended our evening classes each night for two weeks.   In our first class I said, "Bulgaria might as well be on the moon, for all I know about you and your country!" But we were eager learners. At the start of each class, we told what good things we had learned or done that day. Even more than gaining new knowledge about our subject, the students came to hear and speak English. And they surely came more for my wife Marilyn than for the instructor.

__________________________________

ON OUR LAST DAY, the girls (who outnumbered the boys, 2 to 1) brought a colorful, handmade table cloth and napkins FOR Marilyn.   Also, Bogdan Landjev (front row above, two over from his father Boris on the end, and our most active participant) gave us a cartoon. It showed an official telling both a donkey and an elephant -- while pointing to a cart filled with the many USA problems of debt, war, etc. -- "OK, the fun is over! Now how about pulling the cart?" On its back side was this priceless note from Jenie and other class members: "Life is an endless journey. On our way, we meet people who give us various and unique memories. We are glad and honored that you are some of those people. Thank you!" We are the ones with rich memories of the many great people we met in Bulgaria -- especially the students. We miss them already!

 

University of National & World Economy (UNWE)

This was one of the largest and oldest institutes of higher economics in all of southeast Europe, with 7 faculties (including law) and 36 departments. It was founded in 1920 as the "Free Bulgarian University of Political and Economic Sciences." Under the Soviets in the 1950's, it became the "Karl Marx Higher Institute for Economics."

In 1990, the National Assembly created its current name and status. The law school was established that same year, now with about 40 faculty members. In a ceremony on 21 May 2007, a monument was installed for Prof. Stefan Bobchev -- first Rector of UNWE.













____________________________

OUR CLASS -- THE MOOT COURT ROOM
We taught "Introduction to American Law, Government and Business" for 2-1/2 hours, from 5:30 to 8 pm, every week night -- except two, while we attended the Black Sea academic conference. It was an elective course, with no credit given. Some students came straight from work without having dinner. Then they had a long (1 to 2 hour) bus ride home, except for the few that lived in the student village. Yet, 15 came on our last night, Friday 7 Nov. All who finished the course received a signed and dated certificate. They mainly came to meet Americans and hear how we spoke English. As the sign says, we had the "UNWE Law Faculty Moot Court Room" for all of our classes. It included a large screen and a PPT projector -- so that we only had to connect our laptop.














___________________________

THE UNWE FACULTY
We appreciated the faculty professors as much as the students. Jivko Draganov met us at the airport and spent two of his Sundays showing us around Sofia and the Rila Mountains.I also shared office space with him. Boris Landjev arranged for all of our classes and actively attended most sessions. He also arranged for our expense-free participation in the Black Sea academic conference during our 2nd weekend, even translating my presentation into Bulgarian.

____________________
Ilonka Goranova also attended in each case. (She was in the law school's charter graduating class and became the first to join its faculty.) She and the others took us out to dinner, then our last night we returned the favor at the same place. On the last day she and her son picked us up at 5 am and took us to the spacious new airport (see photo last above), even staying to wave good bye. Diana and Svetla Marinova (not related) supported us during the conference and attended several of our classes at the law school. And, of course, Viktor Ivanov! He came to our first class, to the conf. and to each of our dinners. His English wasn't as good as the others, but he was a better dancer and clown! The first day, he brought us a scholarly article, written in English, by Judge Evgeni Tanchev. We are proud to know each of these colleagues and to have considered them our good friends.

Academic Conference -- Bulgaria's Centennial

On Friday 10/31/08, we heard law and history professors from Austria and UNWE (speaking only in Bulgarian) celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bulgaria's complete independence on 22 September 1908 after 500 years of Ottoman control. Four years later, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia pushed the Turks out of the Balkans. But dissention over control of Macedonia led to another war in 1913 and then the two World Wars. In each of these wars Bulgaria, sadly, was on the losing side. Then came communism for the next 50 years and the current wrenching transition into a free enterprise system. This nation may yet regain its former glory, although not to the level of the two great medieval Bulgarian Empires. Today, it aspires to become a free, prosperous and modern people -- with leaders like Philip Savov, Jenie Dinkova & Hristina Georgieva and our other law students in charge!

_______________________

That afternoon, after our walk back from Old Nesebar shown above, I presented my paper on "Federalism in the United States." It was translated by Prof. Boris Landjev (also in photo last above, alongside Prof. Ilonka Goranova). My paper addressed the U.S. presidential election coming just four days later, compared it to the Bush v. Gore election in 2000, and noted the existence of Civil Law in America (thru Louisiana and Puerto Rico and Mexican influences). That evening, back at the UNWE Center after our walking tour of Old Nesebar, four of our UNWE law students also presented papers, along with some of their professors and the law school dean (Kristina Balabanova, 2nd photo below). Everyone was pleased with this long and fruitful day.  The next full day, Sat. 11/1/08, we returned to Sofia for another week of adventures and teaching at UNWE, as described on preceding pages. 

Nesebar -- Jewel of the Black Sea

On Friday 10/31/08, Marilyn and I took a break from the Bulgarian-only presentations at the UNWE center and walked for several miles toward Old Nesebar. This is truly Bulgaria's "jewel of the Black Sea" -- a small rocky island, pretty as a postcard.

After dinner and before sundown, we returned by bus  to explore the island.  Just past the causeway linking the island with the mainland was a 3,000 year old fortress -- first built by the Thracians and expanded by the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines.  Once, Nesebar had 80 medieval churches, with distinctive arches and pilasters. Today, most are in ruins or converted into art galleries, museums and shops. Built in the Byzantine style -- with horizontal strips of white stone and red bricks -- some were destroyed by pirates or conquerers; others by a 1913 earthquake.  

 

On a nearby street, we saw a lively children's parade -- including Olympic veterans and the Bulgarian flag. The town was filled with charm in that calm off season, not choking with tourists and traffic as it is in the summer. For us, it was a step back in time.

____________________________________________  THE BLACK SEA -- CAUSEWAY AND MARINA. A long manmade causeway connected Nesebar to the mainland. A marina was on one side and a rocky beach (walled off by distant development) was on the other. The Black Sea is a popular resort destination for many Europeans outside of Bulgaria. It usually has mild weather and blue water. But it can become ugly, with fierce storms that have destroyed many ships. The "black" part comes from algae that covers rocks and sand, giving it a dark aspect.

_________________________________   THE SOUTH BEACH As we walk away from the island towards the UNWE center earlier that same day, we saw this lovely, wide sandy beach with good views of Old Nesebar and some decent park improvements -- but with only one small public access road.  this lovely, wide sandy beach with good views of Old Nesebar and some decent park improvements -- but with only one small public access road.

 

 

NEW NESEBAR Walking further south for a few miles on 31 Oct. (Halloween in the U.S.), we passed through "New Nesebar." Speaking environmentally, it was a "frightful experience." High-rise condos and apartments of every size and style marched like an army, almost down to water's edge, in a solid wall of concrete and brick. It reminded us of Malibu before the days of planned development. Unless one walked along the sand and high tideline, you could neither see nor gain access to the water and sand from any public road or walkway. Only one project that we saw (first below), near Old Nesebar, seemed well planned -- with parkscape and sidewalk access all the way down to the beach. After our morning walk, we returned to the UNWE center for lunch and the afternoon presentations.