Last Words…

Here I am …at the end of the semester. It was an awesome semester! I have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. I have tried so many different sports and I like all of them. The problem is that I don`t have enough time to practice all these activities. I am glad that at least tried them.

Honestly, that blog makes me happy. I wanted to do these things from such a long time. I was doing what I love to do. It wasn`t an obligation as in most of the classes where you should learn by heart 6-7 chapters and you are bored to death. That was my “journey of adventure and a lot of fun” as I stated at the beginning.

For the first time I tried fencing. I was interested in this sport because my mom was a national competitor in fencing. Once, she showed me some movements with a newspaper rolled up like a sword but that was just for fun. Then, I thought I should learn more about it. When I put the fencing outfit I felt the greatness of this sport. Prof. Krasimir Petkov, a lecturer and trainer of rapier, sword and sabre, told me about the history of fencing. The meeting lasted about 2 hours. He was so passionate and talkative that I couldn`t and I didn`t want to go.

Indoor climbing was another exciting experience. I met a guy named Ivailo Radkov (Fazata) who made me think about how lucky we should be that we live in Bulgaria.

“Bulgaria is really good country when you look about rocks because we have different kinds of rocks. We have granite, lime stone, sandstone… for example Sofia. You have to travel one hour and a half and you can go climb somewhere really close on rocks. It is really good place for rock climbing.”

As I was doing my blog, I decided to ask my parents about sports. It was great that they were involved in one of my academic assignments. First, mom said:

“Sport is awesome! It is good to practice sports at any age.”

Then dad added:

“Sport gives you many things but one of them is the incredible discipline….also mutual respect. Sports are: education, philosophy and a way of life.”

Then my next challenge was horse riding. I love horses. One of my dreams came true. I met Peter Mihailov, an instructor, who told me some useful tips how to ride.

“When you are in the saddle, put all of your weight through your heels when the balls of your feet are in the stirrups try keep your weight centered and sit up with a straight back, don’t shift your weight too much. To move, give the horse a nudge with your legs.”

It was AWESOME! I didn`t know anything about riding. It was so exciting.

Inspired by the horse riding…my next idea was being a cowgirl. Well my father already taught me how to shoot but here the challenge was different. I had to act like a cowgirl and shoot some apples. Again it was a lot of fun with a dose of adrenaline.

The last challenge which I overcame was to climb a tree with no branches, near the bottom. Climbing a tree is a great childhood pastime .Still I love to do it. Here you can see a video of the challenges that I accepted.

I had a great time doing all of these activities. I met people that are amazing, interesting, dedicated and passionate about sports. All of them were happy for doing the things they love.

Also, I am thankful that learned how to use Audacity, SoundCloud, Movie Maker, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Storify and the 22 tools and apps that every journalism student should know about.

What I really want to leave as a message here is that: “For what it`s worth, it`s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you are proud of .And if you find that you`re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” adopted from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  

AUBG Olympics

Storify by
Challenging Myself

Fri, Apr 19 2013 02:01:38

As I was pretty much involved in the organization of the AUBG Olympics…I decided to make a story about it. AUBG Olympics is a whole-day sports event. Read more about it.

1. AUBG Olympics

   About Olympics 🙂 The best description of AUBG Olympics is that it is much like the real Olympic…
2. AUBG Olympics 2013

   aubgdaily

   Mon, Apr 15 2013 16:58:46
3. AUBG Olympics Spirit Shared Once Again

   Three-time world wrestling champion Armen Nazaryan was among the honorary guests on this year’s AUBG Olympics day. The main event was hel…

   

   Ivan Stoykov
4. AUBG Olympics

   The AUBG Olympics event was created in the spring of 2006 by students in the American University in Bulgaria at Blagoevgrad. At that time…

   

   Aubgolympics

Being a Cowgirl…

Acting…

Revolver Smith & Wesson cal 38

Gun spinning ?

So lets just pretend…

Scowling face…

Seeking for my next challenge, I come up with the idea of being a cowgirl. Killing …apples… why not? Have you tried it?  Jumping around pine cones…climbing trees and scowling your face…

You can watch my video … doing that J

First Time Horse Riding

Many young girls have dreams of becoming a famous ballerina, actress or singer…except me! I wanted to be a farmer. I imagined riding a horse but I didn`t consider the manure piles that I will have to clean…

Anyway…I don`t have a farm yet and I am not sure if I want to fulfill my dream but…I still want to learn how to ride a horse.

As I was waiting for my instructor many thoughts came to my mind: what if I fall off the horse and break a bone?”

Then my positive thinking came out and I was absolutely sure “I will do it!”

My instructor Peter Mihailov helped me to mount up. Of course, it was necessary to adjust the horse’s girth and fix the length of my stirrups. He said:

“Make sure not to kick the horse”

Woll, I don`t want to kill myself…I will not do anything that might threaten my life.

Though, I did something that I shouldn`t… I stood right in front of the horse. I didn`t think that his eyes are so far apart that he cannot see me. Then Peter told me:

“You should stand to the side of the horse and not right in front of him. If you stand directly in front of him; the horse cannot see what is in front of him and may spook.!!!”

Fortunately, nothing bad happened.

Also, I didn`t know but it is good to pet the horse and maybe feed him a treat before you ride, so that you can get to know him.

Other advices that Peter gave me were:

“When you are in the saddle, put all of your weight through your heels when the balls of your feet are in the stirrups try keep your weight centered and sit up with a straight back, don’t shift your weight too much. To move, give the horse a nudge with your legs.”

Ha…sounds easy…but it is not. At the beginning, I was just bouncing on the horse… Then, I concentrated and tried to follow his moves. At the end, I felt the connection between horse and rider. Not as much as I would like to but I thought about it.

The romantic idea of travelling together through a long road in which a relationship begins as strangers, then becomes friends, molds a relationship where a private code of movements is established between the horse and the riderJ

Live every moment, Love everyday :)

As I was stuck in Blagoevgrad for a 3rd week…..I really miss my parents. Yes, it sounds like a 3 years old girl crying for a toy…but I love them. It is not just the basic underpinnings — love and shared memories. Most of the people can add mutual respect and common interests and may find a more fulfilling relationship with mam and dad. However, my relationship with them is something more than that. They inspire me; they make me believe that person can be happy every minute even every second. They taught me how to live and how to enjoy every moment.

So I decided to ask them about sports …Mom is a fencer and Dad is a wrestler …Now you can understand why I chose this topic for my blog…

Climbing >>>

I have one more sport crossed off my bucket list-  Indoor Climbing!

What I came to realize is that: even climbing is a physical activity you climb with your mind—your hands and feet are extensions of your thoughts and will. Becoming a master climber requires that you first become a master of your mind.From the three pounds of brain matter between your ears emanate not only your thoughts, but also all motor skills, muscular recruitment, and the mystical forces of intuition and will power. The brain is the epicenter of all aspects of climbing performance and brain training is of great importance to participants in all climbing disciplines.

When I went in the National Academy of Sports to try my next challenge I met a guy named Ivailo Radkov (Fazata). He works there as a climbing coach and climbing is almost everything in his life. I asked him where he goes to climb and Fazata explained to me:

“Bulgaria is really good country when you look about rocks because we have different kinds of rocks. We have granite, lime stone, sandstone… for example Sofia. You have to travel one hour and a half and you can go climb somewhere really close on rocks. It is really good place for rock climbing.”

Also, there are World Cups and European Cups organized in Bulgaria. Fazata has been 3 times Balkan Champion in the style Bouldering (It is climbing on a small wall about 5 meters height and the aim is to get to the top  where  the movies are really hard and dynamic with big jumps between them) .

Well, I wasn`t able to do something like that but I tried to climb a 14 meters wall slowly and carefully without to freak out  J

Another person who gave me some tips about climbing was Stanislav Minchev. Here are some of them.

1. Before you even put a foot on that wall, do a quick warm-up. Raise your body temperature so that blood starts flowing through all your muscles.

2. Try to hang from straight arms, supporting the bulk of your body weight on your feet.

3. Visualize your route before you start.

Then, I was ready. I was so concentrated that I didn`t look down at all. After a while, I was on the top. I couldn`t believe it. I was so proud of myself .Suddenly, I realized:

“Mhm, how do I get down?”

I had to let go of the holds and use my feet to “walk” down the wall. I was like a sack of potatoes, spinning around J Finally, I was down to Earth. I had a lot of fun and plan on bringing some other friends next time.

White Knights of the 21st Century

What do you associate with the well-known motto of the Three Musketeers “All for one, and one for all?” Immediately, I imagine a picture of three crossed swords.  Respect, honor and dedication come to my mind.  The swordsmanship has always attracted me. Therefore, I decide to try fencing. I thought it is an elegant sport that would make me feel like a movie star 🙂

Unfortunately, the real fencing isn`t swinging from chandeliers or jumping off balconies but it takes place on a strip called a “piste”. The action is so fast that it is judged electronically rather than by eye.

However, I went to the National Sports Academy “Vasil Levski” and had the great honor to meet with Krasimir Petkov who is a lecturer and trainer of rapier, sword and sabre. My mom and he were teammates in the national team of Bulgaria. I was so excited to take a dip into another world of knights, swords and armors.

At the beginning, I was just watching the movements and the techniques of this sport. A fencer may choose to specialize in any one of the three available weapons: foil, épée, and sabre. I chose the sabre. Then, Prof. Petkov gave me the necessary protective clothing. Honestly, I didn`t know how to dress myself. Did you know that there is a plastic chest protector which makes you look like a strong Greek God?Well, I looked with bigger boobs. I was impressed with the whole equipment. Fencing outfits are made of tough cotton or nylon. Kevlar was added to top level uniform pieces (jacket, breeches, underarm protector, lamé, and the bib of the mask). Interesting fact is that the fencing suits are white, because in earlier times, touching was recorded with a piece of cotton at the tip of the weapon dripped in ink.

Finally, I was ready for my first lesson. The instructor taught me basic footwork, attacks and defense moves. What impressed me was that prior to starting a bout, both fencers must salute each other and the referee. The common theme is that the fencer stands upright, mask off, facing whomever he/she is saluting and raises his/her sword to a vertical position with the guard either at or just below face level, and then lowers it again.

Fencing is a sport of  grace, beauty, and perfection of efficient movement and form. I learned the simple things as stepping forward, stepping backward and extending the weapon to hit a target.

Suddenly, I looked at the clock and realized I was there for almost two hours. I couldn`t believe how fast the time had past. I felt so empowered like I was Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie The Mask of Zorro. It was a great work-out, challenged my mind and reflexes.

Halfway Done!

I can`t believe that I am right in the middle of my semester. I am so grateful! My Multimedia Journalism class inspires me to do so many things that I tend to delay. Also, I learn how to use twitter, how to interview people and how to edit audio and video.

The first person who had the honor to be interviewed was Dragomir LazarovJ. He told me about his experience with sports and gave me the idea to try snowboarding. What a great experience. Also, Flori Ivanova contributed to my passion about snowboarding. She stated:

“Snowboard allows you to explore parts of the mountain shortcuts, pathways that have not been touched yet. There you can feel the soft snow that has just been fallen and the feeling is simply ineffable. I prefer using these virgin places because there I`m all alone with my favorite thing – my snowboard and I can completely concentrate on nothing else, but my passion. ”

It is hard not to fall in love with snowboarding. Now I want to buy whole equipment which will cost me a lot.

Another sport which I tried was Zumba. The instructor Patriciq Vasileva had an infectious energy that makes you believe you could dance like her.  It is definitely a fun and effective workout system. After I spoke with her I thought more deeply about my body. Patriciq Vasileva explained what the sport gives you:

“The first change is internal: the sense of yourself, your body movements. You start to feel lightness, cheerfulness. The movement energizes you. The movement gives you joy and pleasure. It gives a lot to your body, a feeling of confidence in absolutely everything. ”

Well, I couldn`t resist not to challenge myself again so I went to Yoga this week. I wasn`t obligate to make a new interview but I wanted, I needed to do something new. I was studying all day for my Marketing exam and I was eager for some adventure.

I didn`t know anything about Yoga. It was a totally new field for me. I asked, the instructor Denitsa Pashova, question after question to make clearer my perception of this physical, mental, and spiritual discipline. She teaches Hatha yoga. There through physical exercises (asanas) and breathing techniques one prepares his mind for a meditation. Interesting for me was that she said:

“I would like to stress the importance of one principle, which is non-violence or “ahimsa”. Ahimsa is not concerned only with physical violence, it also applies to internal. Even in yoga practices I see that students are not in the “golden middle”. They apply violence to their body, for example, if I say do candle position. I can hold in the pose for five minutes and I tell students to follow their own comfort and get out when they feel pain. Most of them don’t listen and try to hold more. Yoga is not a competition and everyone should follow the capacity of his body, because we are all different. ”

Damn. I was from these students that she mentioned. I thought I should feel pain in order to feel alive, as old people are saying. But dear readers, I am obviously wrong.

As I was doing the Yoga I wondered how to concentrate. That is a big issue for me. When I was little, my sister told me that if I go to a doctor he will probably gave me a diagnosis attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. It was a joke but believe me it is hard for me to concentrate. I was trying not to think about my exam while I was practicing but a thousand questions popped up into my mind.

After the session I asked Deni to give me some tips about concentration.

“The whole practice of yoga helps for concentration. The thoughts of modern people are like a monkey, which jumps from tree to tree. It is necessary that everyone pays more attention to his thoughts. One should simply observe himself. Breathing techniques are a quick way to concentrate your thoughts”

Yes, I prefer breathing techniques instead of some medicine to handle my attention deficit.

Moreover, Deni told me about the asanas (physical exercises) that bring harmony between the left and the right parts of the brain. She stated that in contrast with gym or aerobics, yoga gives energy and leaves you refreshed, whereas from the former you feel exhausted. Also, yoga makes your body more flexible and the asanas have beneficial effect for all body organs. She assured the breathing exercises clean your lungs and help you to use their full capacity.

Another question which bothers me was: Can you do Yoga if you are not flexible?

“Of course you can do yoga if you are not flexible. With time you become more and more agile. The only condition is that you have to be patient, regular and persistent with yoga practices. And remember: ahimsa (non-violence), your body will tell you to what extent you have to do one asana. ”

I had images in my mind of hyper-flexible people positioning themselves into seemingly impossible, pretzel-like positions. Fortunately, you don’t need to be ridiculously flexible to begin a yoga practice.

To end up my story, I would say that Yoga contributes to your sensitivity and self awareness.I made a great decision to go and tried it. I will advise you to do the same. If you are an AUBG student you can go to scapto 1 fitness gym every Monday and Wednesday from 8:30 p.m.

My First 5 shot video

This is nothing to do with my blog. I made my first 5 shot video of my classmate Teddy.

Yes, I know it is not perfect….believe me it is not so easy as it looks .

Have you tried Zumba?

You have probably heard of the fitness craze Zumba, a workout known as a dance fitness party. So let me tell you more about it.

The first class I tried left a huge impression on me. Our instructor Patriciq Vasileva– Elia has a perfect body. I could see every little muscle under her cloths. I was excited to ask her so many things about Zumba and how she builds her muscles.

Patricia explained to me that Zumba came in Bulgaria before about 2 year ago. So, it is kind of new thing. May be that`s why it is so popular right now. Zumba’s choreography incorporates hip-hop, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, martial arts,and some belly dance moves. Just for me. I am interested in all kinds of dances. Unfortunately Bulgarian folk dances (hora) are not included. Still, it is good enough 🙂 The exercises include music with fast and slow rhythms so you can take a deep breath and rest for a minute until the next movement.

I asked Patricia if there are days in which you just don`t want to practice.

“I honestly don`t have such days. I am doing that all my life. There are days that I am not in my top shape, I feel tired or I catch a cold but that is until you enter the sports hall and star doing the exercises.”

Patricia is a Zumba, Yoga and Tae Bo instructor. Can you imagine she can handle all of these sports? I was watching her and thinking she should be in some special diet to be in such a good shape. So I asked her.

“I’m lucky because I have never been on a diet. I eat everything. Maybe over time I’ve developed a feeding regime that gives me energy because I practice throughout the whole day.”

As I heard these words, my next question was: how fast can Zumba whip you into shape?

She said to me that your body needs about a month just to switch from one mode of work to another one. The first visible changes in physical appearance will be after 3 months.

Wow, don`t be discourage. Three months are nothing compare to your life (I expect to live at least 70-80 years more). So, just be persistent. One hour in a room with people who were having a good time,dancing around to high-energy Latin music in an entertaining atmosphere, was amazing. Our instructor had an infectious energy and the ability to make you believe that you too could dance like her.