The day of my prom seemed like the beginning of a magical fairy tale with a foretold happy ending – my long-time friend Desislav asked for my hand in marriage, and I excitedly said the cherished “Yes!”. It was a warm and sunny day at the end of May 2018, and I couldn’t imagine a future with even more light than the one I saw springing from my dreams of a prosperous family life. That summer, my husband and I had both decided to go abroad in search of a better future. But fate had other plans for us and today I, 21-year-old Toshka Ventsislavova from the picturesque village of Butan in Vratsa, work as a teacher’s assistant in the local kindergarten “First of June” while I am about to finish my higher education.
My husband and I were preparing to travel to Golden Prague, where our relatives live. Even before we set foot on Czech soil, we had been offered a job in an automobile parts manufacturing plant. The prospect of living abroad was appealing, but also somewhat saddening, because until then I had not left Bhutan for a long period of time. I grew up in a close-knit family of a musician and a saleswoman and am the proud grandmother of a younger sibling. Our childhood was a happy one and though my father was often absent from work in his desire to provide us with a better future, I always felt the support and love of my relatives. Now I was flying away from the nest. Everything was organized, all my husband and I had to do was pack our suitcases and head to the airport.
Exactly two days before our departure, I accidentally came across a social media post announcing a competition for the project “Young Roma Educators”, funded by the Trust for Social Alternative (TSA) and implemented locally by the New Path Association. These organisations were looking for motivated, responsible and persistent young people of Roma origin to start their higher education and subsequently take up teaching positions in the local kindergarten. This publication intrigued me greatly. It was like a sign from fate that I should stay and try.
I was hesitant to share with my husband as I still wasn’t sure if this was my calling. I knew we would lose a lot of time and money if we didn’t go to Prague, but I decided to tell him anyway. We discussed the possibility of continuing my education and decided to stay. Together we went to my interview for the Young Roma Educators project. I remember that day – it was in September 2018, when I crossed the threshold of “First June” and waited anxiously to be admitted to the principal’s office. And even though Denislav believed in me and supported me unconditionally in everything, my heart was shrinking like a child who was separated from his mother for the first time. So if they approved of me my life would change and take a different direction than planned! What I didn’t know then was that the change would have been towards brighter days filled with childlike laughter and magic.
As we waited, I kept telling myself that there was a reason I was there and I prayed that I would be able to win over the people who would make my following possible. I was met at the office by the director of the garden, Nina Marinova, whose student I used to be. A woman with reddish hair, light blue eyes and freckles on her cheeks sat next to her and smiled encouragingly. It was Spaska Mihaylova from the New Path Association. When they saw the worry in my eyes, they prejudiced and reassured me. And a few days after the interview, Spaska Mihaylova called me with the good news that I was approved.
I couldn’t keep my feet on the ground with joy. I am a Roma woman who is not ashamed to declare to the world who she is and to boldly demonstrate that the majority of people in our community are educated, ambitious and socially responsible. Now was my chance to really do something to change the prejudices that still exist in society against Roma.
After a few months of hard preparation and extra lessons in Bulgarian language and literature, I passed the candidate exam and in the autumn of 2019 I was already a student of “Preschool Pedagogy with a Foreign Language” at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa branch. The first obstacle on the way of my growth from a timid girl to a true professional was overcome.
Not long after, I started working as an educational mediator at ,,First June”. Again I crossed the threshold of the kindergarten, but this time more confident and motivated that I will cope with all the difficulties and become a good teacher. My job consisted in taking care of the relationship between the children’s families and the kindergarten. At that time, I saw closely both points of view, the parents’ and the educators’, and I understood how big a problem the attendance of children in preschool was before they enrolled in first grade. I met with families whose children were not attending regularly or were not even enrolled with us and often left their homes with promises that the child would start attending kindergarten, but to no avail. Part of the Roma community in Bhutan still did not realize the importance of pre-school education. But it also happened that after talking to me, mothers and fathers changed their minds and started taking their children to kindergarten, and for me this was a step forward in our mission to ensure equal chances in school for all children.
I have been working at First of June Kindergarten for two years now, and my current position is teacher’s assistant. My role is to assist in the organization of the children’s games and daily routine, in the preparation of materials for work and in the conduct of pedagogical classes. I look forward to the weekdays and enter the garden in the morning eager to give my best to the little ones. And they reciprocate with genuine love and kindness and that makes the profession of teaching the most rewarding job in the world. For me, children are a blessing and a life. They are the sun that brightens our dark days and warms our souls. They are our hope and our future.
The next rung I have to climb is to the teaching place, but I believe in myself and I can now confidently say that I have found my calling. Children are what make me feel complete and truly happy. I am eternally grateful to the TSA and the New Path Association for their support and motivation, as well as to the headmistress Nina Marinova and the whole kindergarten staff for welcoming me into their big family, believing in me and guiding me in mastering this so responsible profession. Sometimes the strain of combining family care, work commitments and lectures is great, but with the support of my family, colleagues and teachers I manage the busy days. My heart is also filled with gratitude to God for the opportunities and family he has given me – they give me courage to keep going.
“Believe that you can, and half way is already gone” said Theodore Roosevelt and I fully share this sentiment. When you overcome doubt and commit to your goal, success is certain. All it takes is diligence, perseverance and motivation. Nothing is impossible and I prove it every day, with every exam passed and every inquisitive little one who confidently steps out of our kindergarten and into first grade.