Everyone has a cherished goal that they secretly hope to achieve, even if it sometimes seems unattainable. Dreams are the one thing no one can take away from us. It is no coincidence that I chose this title for my story because for a long time my family and I lived abroad, but I never stopped dreaming of returning to Bulgaria and becoming a nurse. Even before I finished my secondary education in my native Red Bank, I wanted to continue studying human health care, while my parents insisted that I go into veterinary medicine. I got stuck and decided to skip applying until the following year. And as often happens, life turned me in another direction, I started working in Lukovit, soon after I got married and became a mother to a beautiful daughter, and after another year we went to work in Spain. So studying stayed in the background.
During the 15 years we lived abroad, however, something unusual happened. During the summers we would come home for holidays and I would take the opportunity to sit for the entrance exams at the Medical University in Pleven. Afterwards, I was eagerly reviewing the rankings and each time I had passed the exam successfully, but because of our choice to work in Spain, I gave up with a pain in my heart to enroll to study. Even if no one understood why I was putting myself through this bittersweet ordeal every year, it was important for me to keep my dream at arm’s length and keep my knowledge in shape.
This continued until we decided to return to Bulgaria for good. In 2018 I applied again, but this time I was the happiest person in the world because my dream became a reality. At the age of 34, I crossed the threshold of the Faculty of Health Care in Pleven and I am now in the fourth year of my dream specialty “Nurse”. My husband and my daughter have not only always supported me, but they are now both students as well. My daughter is studying International Relations at the University of Sofia and my husband is studying Pedagogy, History and Geography at the University of Veliko Tarnovo.
During my training I had good and difficult moments, but the desire to achieve the goal was stronger than the challenges. There is a kindergarten close to our home. I often pass by there and stop to admire the children running carefree in the yard. When I was feeling the most stressed, my dream of working as a nurse to these little girls and boys gave me the strength to keep going. And just like in the fairy tales, one fine sunny day I received a call from Anahid Mikhailova, the director of this same kindergarten.
He suggested me to participate in the project “Role Models in Early Childhood” of the Trust for Social Alternative. I gladly accepted and was very happy to be able to share the satisfaction of what I had achieved with more people. I hope I can spark the interest of those who are hesitant about whether they can continue in the direction that is close to their heart. I would say only one thing – believe in your dreams and never give up on them, because there are no impossible things, I made sure of that.
