It's nothing supernatural, it's, in fact, too natural

There are nooks within the boundaries of Bulgaria that are worth visiting. Beauty spots, nothing short of cosy and calm, giving you all those warm, relaxing and fulfilling feelings you wish for during the flux of your regimented routine. An illustrative example of these is the lake ‘Crystal Eye’ and its green grounds, situated in Pirin Mountain, 10km away from the small town of Goce Delchev.

Doubtless, ‘Crystal Eye’ brings back a priceless backpack of memories to the locals, who have always reckoned it was their greatest pride. But if once upon a time only these people seized with both hands its beauty and energy, now time has come for them to show it off, opening its doors towards everyone who yearns for a piece of it. Impressive, luxury hotels have spotted the landscape. Around them, tiny markets and souvenir shops have grown, offering all stuffs tourists may need. For the visitors themselves, all is a perfect idyll, though for the locals and their natural wealth, it proves to be a mixed blessing. All the buildings scattered around are in consequence of merciless deforestation. Admittedly, providing such a comfort is abreast also of natural pollution of various kind – air, noise, water. Logically, the more people are there, the higher levels of garbage, noise, traffic are there, too. However, for environment is what is offered and sold, after all, rural people are attempting to make up for the damages caused. As is evidenced, they are caring for the animals by preserving their habitats; they are planting trees; they have governed by law fines for people who contaminate the water pools and the grounds.

What is to be admired about the tourist development of ‘Crystal Eye’ is that it is a perfect instrument in realizing cultural interaction. As part of the offers, locals are organizing get-togethers and walkings where cultural traditions are shared. Besides, rural people benefit also from additional incomes because to sustain tourism industry finances are essential. A hike in working places is also felt through more young people being appealed to the area. Though a bit less friendly and united, people are competitive and, hence, successful. Not unknown is that competition is what soars the spirits and determines people to develop and progress.

Every coin has two sides and same goes with the case about ‘Crystal Eye’. Not only benefits are there, but also some demerits that make the path rocky. After all, obstacles and hardships are to motivate us and aid us in stretching our imagination and ideas. The thing is we should save the togetherness of ourselves as a community and the respect for the Mother Nature. Nothing is irreversible – if we take with one hand, we may give with the other. It’s all about thought and belief.

Scirocco island (or a place you should visit)

Me and my friend are on a small airport on a small island. On the airport there is only one more airplane even smaller than ours (which was small). One smiley blond woman is calling us. She is from the tourist agency as she knows our names. We get into BMW cabriolet which is driven from this very nice woman. She asks us about the flight. Yes, it was pleasurable. Now we are in front of one small orange, typically Mediterranean house, which is our accommodation. I am so interested in what is happening that I forgot to tell you where we are – Scirocco island in Greece (an amazing Mediterranean place).

Me and my friend who is with me here – Bobby were here seven-eight years ago. The island was lonely and empty with few houses, olive trees and palms on it. We expected the situation now to be the same. Surprisingly, it is completely different. The island is significantly changed with more buildings (however, small), cars, tourists. The whole infrastructure is changed which is commendable having in mind all these new buildings.

Never mind. Now imagine: fresh fish in mixture with a great variety of wine; palm trees with their coconuts, small cabriolets, narrow streets up and down like in San Francisco and one floored orange or yellow houses. The atmosphere is… sorry, I don’t have words to express it.

However, logically, if for seven years, let’s say, a place change from “Nothing” to “Paradise”, it means that the prices are also changed from “Cheap” to “Expensive”. For example, my room in the one floored orange hotel costs 110$ but it has nothing more than a TV set, air conditioning and a sea view. The cheapest (but very delicious) fresh fish is 20-30$...

Finally, I have one recommendation for the locals – ban the building making for some years. Let the things like that – they are amazing. And OK, let it so expensive but don’t let entrepreneurs destroy this paradise with five-star hotels, big airports and highways.

The blond woman with the cabriolet is driving us to the airport as we are getting back to Bulgaria. Instead of saying “Bye” to the nice woman, I told her “We will come back soon”.

Maria Almisheva

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Envirinment

Dear Editor,

I am writing in reply to your article on global warming, which appeared on Monday’s edition of “Daily News” newspaper and would like to share my ideas with you. I do believe that global warming is not a problem that will be impossible to solve. However, many people do not realise the magnitude of the problem and have not done their part to stop it from happening.
Having said that, it is also true that most of us would never forget modern conviniences for the Earth’s sake thinking that it would be pointless no matter what is the price. For example, no one would swtich off all power gadgets in his home while the boy next door is having a soothing hot bath or playing games on his computer.
However, we don’t have to return to ‘dark ages’ to do something to stop the effects of global warming. The main problem of energy supply can easily be solved with the use of solar power or any renewable sources. Simply installing solar panels is beneficial in terms of cost of energy, efiiciency and enviromentally friendly. Hence we do not restrain our energy needs.
The same applies to our cars and the other comforts and convieniences. Of course automobiles are vitally important but with just buying a fuel-efficient cars or considering transportation alternatives such as mass transit, carpooling, bicycling or telecommunicating we would be beficial to both environment and us ourselves.
To sum up, we do not have to scientics or diplomats to prevent the process of global warming. The underlying problem is that many people are not aware of the magnitude of global warming and have not done their part to stop it from happening. What we do need is simple information, and not to forget that individual choices can have an impact on the climate change.
Yours faithfully,
Suzane Karamanova

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Years ago, you were always reading about the so-called ‘generation gap’ and all about the conflict between the rebellious young and their mystified parents.Well, you may not read so much about it any more, but it’s still there. Perhaps it’s just human nature that children, their parents and even their parents’ parents are poles apart. Perhaps it’s just the natural result of time passing that each generation sees the one that follows them as being in some way ‘not like we were’. Perhaps people of every generation, as they get older, look back on a ‘golden age’ that may never really have existed.Perhaps the generations just aren’t meant to get along.


Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the newspaper article on the subject of the generation gap. The article was very intriguing and I would like to share my ideas on the matter.
I would definitely agree that there has always been generation gap since the dawn of the civilization and I assume it will not make our lives any more comfortable to know that this is normal and natural, and we should go through it. Having said that, the gap, however, is a much deeper malady than viewed superficially. Actually, it is an inevitable and maybe eternal age-versus-youth conflict between authority and rebellion, between responsibility and freedom, between limits and exuberance, between experience and naivety. This phenomenon is being characterized by children’s desire to cast off and parents’ fear to let them go.
The reasons for the irreconcilable conflicts which are so often set in motion between two set of generations are numerous. What can be said for sure is that they are divided, not by chronology, but by attitudes. It is generally observed that the mystified parents usually act like frogs in the well. They are fully convinced that their ideas and viewpoints are the ultimate and ideal. The elderly people consequently tend to think that the new generation is deriving from the older and, in their opinion, better standards and do not approve youngsters’ behavior, tastes and even ways of thinking. Their expectations are of trouble. The older generation is always bemoaning the ‘golden age’ – a wondrous period of their youth when everything was much simpler and happiness was spread among people. In stark contrast, the younger generation is flexing its muscles against the older one with a longing for independence from their parents and their history. They look with mockery on parents` ‘dark age’ being grateful for the vast opportunities their time can offer.
In conclusion, I think that as individuals, we cannot control such generation differences. We participate in them whether we wish to or not. Like it or not, we should simply admit defeat and accept the facts that the chasm between the conservatism of age and the iconoclasm of youth is all but unbridgeable.

Yours faithfully,

Suzane Karamanova

ARTICLE: The Day That Changed My Life

Neli Urumova

The night was already spreading its azure veil along the boisterous city, with the curtains slowly falling on the serial busy working day. As a caring girlfriend, I was all but ready with the Sushi, waiting for my man to come back after the prolonged conference.
Not until the clock showed 22:30 did I got the needle and decided to go to my mom’s house not to spend the rest of the night in silence and loneliness. I stuck a slip of paper on the front door and succinctly wrote ‘At mom’s.’
Understandable as it is, Ma welcomed me with open arms, unfolding her endless thoughts and feelings born by what she’d heard. Such a bore, you bet, though it was the better option.
Not long afterwards, the phone rang. I guessed it was Ben, my boyfriend, insisting I returned. ‘It’s too late already, dear’, my voice was rather nervous, although I attempted to conceal it, ‘I’ll get back early tomorrow.’ ‘Please! I gotta tell you something that can’t be put off.’ ‘Something bad?’, I asked anxiously. ‘Well, … almost.’
I was quick to go home. There, I found Ben sitting on the sofa holding a ticket in his hand. All of a sudden, the affectionate girlfriend in me woke up and I tenderly said ‘Darling. how are you? How was the conference?’ ‘Fatiguing, but successful. How was your day?’ This game didn’t appeal to me, however. I was restless with the ticket my eyes were catching sight of, even though Ben was trying to hide it. ‘Come on. Out with it, Ben’, I said instead of answering to his question. To my surprise, Ben smiled, casting a loving glance at me, which at that moment seemed mocking to me. He put the ticket on the table and calmly said, ‘That’s it. I’m afraid, I gotta go.’ ‘Excuse me, my temper was ironic, where ‘you gotta go’?’ Ben smiled again. ‘Paris. And I’d be grateful if you do me a favour.’ ‘A favour?!’ I uttered. ‘Exactly. While being at Paris, looking after the business, I’ll need someone to care for… my heart. And as it belongs to you, would you take the responsibility?’ He opened a glossy box with a gold ring shining from within. I was amazed! ‘Yes! I will!’, I screamed in a swoon.
In a while, I asked ‘What was the bad in this?’ ‘Ur… your mom’s not coming.’ Both, we burst in laughter.
I knew I had the best man by my side and I was going to live a fairly tale, as it actually happens at present.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

I have read the article about the generation gap between ‘rebellious young’ and ‘mystified parents’ and I was utterly pleased to see that other readers were invited to give their opinion on the subject.

Generation gap is that major reason why parents and children are moving away from each other. As we all know, the environment has changed so has the lifestyle and the children’s attitude toward life. However, the old generations still live in the past. They try to impose the old ways of thinking and behaving on their children. Thus, a huge inevitable distance occurs.

Our parents think that the time of their childhood was better than the today’s. They believe that they were well-behaved, studious, stricter and more pressurized. They do not estimate the stress we live in, how much is required from us and how our childhood is limited to minimum. They consider their past as simpler, better and happier. However, they do not take into account the new developed facilities, the entertainments and the opportunity we are given. For them the past is what is really worthy.

Moving next, the parents are nostalgic about the past days. They hold dare for something that will never happen again. Parents do not want to accept that their children have different thinking, opportunities, surrounding and diverse priorities. They can’t stand the truth that we, these days generation, believe in something completely disparate from what they believed. Therefore, the generation gap still exists and will always exist. Because every generation has its typical surrounding -technologies, education, media, standards of living which influence the way of thinking, developing and behaving.

It strikes me that this problem is faced by people of every part of globe but still nobody can find a proper solution. Maybe parents and children will never find something in common? Perhaps they will be always in fight!

Yours faithfully,

Maria Prashkova

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Years ago, you were always reading about the so-called ‘generation gap’ and all about the conflict between the rebellious young and their mystified parents.
Well, you may not read so much about it any more, but it’s still there. Perhaps it’s just human nature that children, their parents and even their parents’ parents are poles apart. Perhaps it’s just the natural result of time passing that each generation sees the one that follows them as being in some way ‘not like we were’. Perhaps people of every generation, as they get older, look back on a ‘golden age’ that may never really have existed.
Perhaps the generations just aren’t meant to get along.

Dear editor,

I am writing with a view to extending on the topic about generation gap that you set in your last issue. I am glad you give us, the readers, this opportunity.

Truly, it’s no wonder that ‘generation gap’ has always been a buzzword in people’s life. Unconditional as it is each of us is fated to go through the hardship of sitting on the one side of the fence whilst our elderly kin in full strength is menacingly pointing their finger at us from the other side. Actually, the conflict arises in the context of adolescents’ struggle to be the masters of their lives which encounters obstacles in the face of their caring parents. This controversy continues to appear between the different generations even when the youngsters are already adults and the adults are already old people. It is just that their conceptions still differ and it seems to me that all this turns into, or more probably turns out to be, simply the natural being of humans.

That change is the engine of life is indisputable. Like a part from the indivisible, alterations occur in every aspect of life – we change our mind, tack, tune, ways... We launch a change of heart and hence we change the whole scene. This is where divergence of convictions between generations stems from. Need I say, parents equip their children for life but when these children set foot in real life in sooth, it appears that circumstances are changing and new skills are requisite. Youngsters’ fresh brains are able to apprehend them and neither are their parents’. So, the generation gap is not merely the natural result of time but also the inevitable result of social changes and development. Nothing short of familiar is the ‘golden age’ that elderly people tend to talk about for hours. It is the time when they have been young and that ‘it was so different and so much better’ is justified to be heard from their mouths for it is what they experienced and therefore all that is understandable for them. In one or another way, they just cannot take in the innovations.

In fact, every generation is right in its own premise. After all, everyone has the ownership of themselves though to sustain our mankind we need compromises because, as it appears, different generations are just not meant to fit tight.

Yours faithfully,
Nelly Urumova