Above, IWC members make jewelry at the May Jewelry Workshop.

For the latest information, you can check out the clubs and activities section, and the events calendar, of the latest newsletter. You can also find them here on our website!

As I am writing this, Bulgaria is enjoying (or sweltering!) in record breaking temperatures. We seem to have skipped spring altogether and have leapt straight from winter to summer! I do hope that, when you are reading this, the sun is still shining.

This is always a busy time of year. Many are preparing to say goodbye as their time here in Bulgaria comes to an end. Some are returning to their home country others are starting a new international adventure. If you are leaving Bulgaria and the IWC this summer, do please let our membership secretary know so that we can acknowledge you in the newsletter and say ‘bon voyage’. Our very best wishes go with you.

Schools are also winding down for the summer break and Mums and Dads are rushing to see their children’s last exhibition or show of the academic year.

Holidays are being anticipated and planned. Packing is being arranged. For some this is of whole houses, for others just a suitcase. However much packing and planning you have to do I hope that is goes smoothly and is as stress free as possible.

The new board are still settling in and are frantically trying to arrange activities for the whole summer and finalise events so they can be advertised to the membership in the joint July/August issue of the newsletter before a number of us head off for the summer holidays. So there are plenty of activities and events to attend this month. Please take a look and either sign up at the coffee morning or look in the newsletter or on the website to get details on how to get involved.

I hope you enjoy the hospitality of our new summer venue, Continental Plaza. Thank you to them for the last minute arrangements that they put in place for us last month.

Do please think to invite guests along to the coffee mornings in July and August. There will be an influx of new people arriving during the summer and I know that I really appreciated having things to do and being introduced to new people straight away as it stopped me feeling homesick. With so many families on holiday the summer can be a lonely time for those new to Sofia, particularly for women whose partners are busy settling into new jobs, so do suggest the IWC and help us to help them to find their own place in this city.

Whatever you are doing this summer, have a wonderful time and I hope to see lots of you enjoying the things we have arranged.

My very best wishes,

Lynne

We would like to share a story. We received a call from the wife of one of our patients, a man on age of 64, who is suffering from neurological disease and has 100% loss of operability. His wife takes care of him and no one in the family is working. The woman was crying on the phone and said that they had a very small amount of money and no chance to celebrate Easter. The asked themselves how they handle the upcoming holiday, and when she opened the package, they became extremely happy.
Through your support we provided you warmed the hearts of the 34 families.
On behalf of the team of “Light for Life” and our patients we would like to express “Thank you.”

Our next coffee morning will be Tuesday, June 4th. Please come enjoy this fun time as we kick-off the summer months together!

Location to be announced.

A new board has been elected and I would like to thank those who came to the AGM in April and voted or who sent in their proxy voting slip. I feel very honoured that you have decided to elect me as the President of the club this year and I follow in some great footsteps.

I would like to give a big thanks to the out-going board for the huge amount of work that they have done this past year. I hope that those who are not working on the board this year will get a well earned rest but will still take an active part in our club. I feel that a particular mention should go to Avantica, our retiring President, who has served on the board for the last three years and who has put an enormous amount of time and energy into the running of the club. I am sure your husband, Anders, is feeling the relief in equal measure to the trepidation and fear that my husband, Roy, is when thinking about the year ahead!

I mentioned at the April coffee morning the well known children’s character Mary Poppins, made world famous by the actress and singer Julie Andrews in the Walt Disney film and noted that we had some similarities.

1. We are both women
2. We are both British
and
3. We both sing!

I also said that were many things that we didn’t have in common

1. I don’t have a magic umbrella
2. My husband (or boyfriend) isn’t a chimney sweep!
and
3. I couldn’t, with a magic sweep of my hand or a tuneful song, instantly change things.

In fact no one person could, or should be expected to do that. Any positive changes have to come collectively from within the membership of any club or organisation and cannot be instigated or driven by one person alone.

I also mentioned at the last coffee morning that I had a vision. That vision was a hope that every woman that walks through the door of any IWC event but particularly of the monthly coffee morning, seeking to find out about us and ultimately join our organisation, will be greeted with friendly faces and smiles and by people willing to talk to them; by a warm welcome that says please come and join us because we remember what it feels like to be in a new country having left all of your support back at home or at your last posting and we want to help you to make friends and feel at home here in Bulgaria. As the membership coordinator I have seen many women walk through the door as guests. Some of them are lucky enough to be brought along by existing members (as I was) but many are brave enough to come along for the first time completely alone. We as members have to work to make those ladies like what they see and make them feel completely comfortable and want to come back.

The other thing that we have to do is have a range of regular and occasional activities for the membership and guests to participate in and enjoy. We have some great activity groups that have been running for a long time and are well supported but we have some others that are currently not functioning and they haven’t been replaced with alternatives. This is to be expected as all organisations, especially one such as ours, go through ‘peaks and troughs’ because of our changing membership. We already have new volunteer leaders for some of the foreign language conversation groups which is very promising. What we need now is more ideas for interest groups and people willing to lead them. It could be a couple of people or a small team that arrange a group it doesn’t necessarily have to fall to one person. If you have an activity that you think our membership would like to be involved in, either as a one off or as a regular part of the clubs activities then please let the board know (particularly Maria Naslednikova or Sory Jan). We will try our best to support the ideas.

I see the role of President as being the public and media face of the club and charity foundation and the leader of a team that runs the IWC. Let us harness the power that is women cooperating, working and socialising together to enable everyone to enjoy being a member of the club and to increase the membership. In turn I promise I will endeavour to promote our organisation and activities to the very best of my ability.

My very best wishes for a lovely May,

Lynne

They had a guided tour at the Mineral Show and could see there beautiful mineral samples, gemstones and jewellery from Bulgaria and all over the world.  The exotic reptiles show was offered to them as a special surprise which they gladly accepted and happily posed for  pictures.

- Sonya Petrova

Maria Nasledkova
1st Vice-President

Maria Ilieva
Charity Chairperson

Asia Alexandrova
Vice-Charity Chairperson

Sibeal Reynolds
Treasurer

Johanna Alcantara de Tejeda
Membership Coordinator

Joanna Smith
Newsletter Editor

Christina Stoimenova
Website Editor

Fatma Ustun
Bazaar Coordinator

Still Available:
Secretary of the Board position
For more information please contact Lynne Godding at lynnegodding@gmail.com.