AUBG student Teodor Nedev ('24): 'Here I have the ability to choose, to try different things and to eventually decide'

What are the three most interesting things the AUBG community should know about you?

My experience has shown that the things I find interesting are not really interesting for other people. So, it is difficult to answer this question. One would be that I love History. So, if there are people in the AUBG community who like History as well, I suppose that’s interesting. I am interested in graphic design, which is something that I began doing out of necessity. I am part of an organization called “Bulgaria of the Youth” and someone had to take over the visual content and I decided that I was up to the task. I must say, though, that I don’t think anything I do is close to the professional level, but I think I have a few cool tricks under my belt. I am obsessed with architecture. I suppose this has to do with my hometown Ruse, because there are a lot of beautiful buildings there.

How would you describe your personality with one word and why?

Probably reserved. I usually don’t like talking about myself and I don’t like having attention brought to me.

Why did you decide to continue your education at AUBG?

When the thing with COVID kicked, I decided that AUBG would be the best option. What draws me to this university, is the time we get to decide what exactly we want to study, which isn’t really an option in the other Bulgarian universities, neither with the British ones. Here I have the ability to choose, to try different things and to eventually decide.

What do you intend to study at our university and why?

One of the majors I am planning to do is Political Science & International Relations. The experience I have had pushed into this direction. I am also very sure that I want to study Economics here. And this is something that I decided after I was accepted at AUBG. With the other universities it was just Politics & International Relations. So, it would probably be a double major. Recently, I started having doubts whether not to study Math as a major. It’s something that perhaps comes from my family. A lot of my relatives are mathematicians. So, there has been some peer pressure to study Math and usually they give me great career prospects as an argument. But, the plan for now is Economics and Political Science & International Relations.

How do you combine Geography, History and English? What sparked your interest in each of these subjects?

These were one of the most interesting classes which I had at school. I had a great English teacher and this was a class that allowed for more discussions. I wouldn’t say I am that interested in Geography, but there were these competitions in which I did really well and that’s how this subject entered the field of my extra-curricular activities. For example, if you ask me, name the capital of this country or what’s its population or something like that, I probably wouldn’t be able to answer that because, to me, those things are very trivial and not really interesting. There are a lot of things in Geography that I find intriguing, but they are not those facts that one usually associates with this subject. History is truly my passion. This is the thing I am mostly interested in. It’s been like that probably since the fifth-sixth grade, something like that. And History is a passion, which is compatible with all others, because whatever field one may choose, it is connected to history. As a result, it is easy to combine this interest with everything else. 

What are the foreign languages you know and the ones you want to learn in the future?

I know Bulgarian as a native speaker. English is my second language. At school,I studied Russian, which was a bit of an intimidating experience because actually Russian is very difficult. In the twelfth grade, I wanted to challenge myself and decided to start learning German. This actually proved to be usefu; because now I can continue my German lessons here at AUBG. A lot of my peers are fluent in more languages than me, as I have studied in a math school and the focus there wasn’t on foreign languages. Because of that, I really want to “catch up." Also, it is said that people learn languages with more difficulty after the age of 25, and because of that I feel in a bit of a rush. If thing go well with Russian and German, I would like to begin studying French or Latin.

What has been your experience participating in Model Republic of Bulgaria and Model European Council Sofia in 2018?

These are actually very big events. Particularly the Model Republic of Bulgaria in 2018. It is organized by an NGO called “Bulgaria of the Youth.” One of the presidents is actually a student here at AUBG, Velyana Georgieva. So, we were friends before that and she told me about it and I attended it. The event was essentially a simulation of how the Bulgarian government works. I applied, my application was reviewed, and I was accepted, which was really nice. There, I met lots of young people who were interested in Politics. The experience was something new for me. It exposed me to things that I haven’t really thought about at this point. Also, because of this event, I met a lot of new people who I still keep in touch with. And, actually, I have become part of this organization of the event, which I am very happy about because I am very devoted to it and its purpose. In fact, in 2019 a second edition of the event took place here at AUBG, and I got the chance to experience it from the other side as part of the organization team. So, yes, this was a big change. The other model, the European Council one, was a bit smaller. It happened just a week after the other one and I went there spontaneously. I was very nervous for it because I thought I haven’t prepared well, but in the end everything turned out well and I came to the realization that I tend to underestimate myself.

What did you learn as part of Model ‘Congress of Vienna’ in 2019?

It was interesting to see people who were as interested in History as me and to have this simulation because it’s not organized anywhere else. The experience was more personal, just to be in an environment of people who are very focused on History. It was just to please myself with something that I enjoy and not so much to try something new or push my limits.

What has been your experience studying at AUBG so far?

With the campus life, there weren’t any surprises because I knew everything around as I had visited the university before. I find it comfortable and I find everything that I study interesting. I am actually very lucky because a lot of my lectures are on-ground.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

A lot of my free time is dedicated to the “Bulgaria of the Youth” Club. There, we do informational campaigns in certain subjects. We try to post regularly in order to inform our audience about the things that are happening. Also, getting feedback of the opinions of people in Bulgaria, about what is happing in the country. So, basically the idea is to create a more conscious society of young people who are aware of what’s happening around them. What I personally do there is related to content creation and particularly, a lot of the visuals that you see on the page of the organization. I also like reading books, though it’s become a bit difficult to go through a lot of pages at once, as there are a lot of things that distract me. This is a surprisingly common phenomenon that we’ve recently discussed in the Introduction to Politics class. I also try to go regularly to the gym, not because I enjoy it, but because I feel that I owe it to myself. When I don’t do it, I feel guilty. I also like just the usual activities – going out with friends, going to clubs and listening to music.

What are you looking forward to?

I look forward to finding out what I want to do in life. The whole idea of me studying here is choosing a certain path. I must say that things have become a bit clearer since I came here and hopefully I will soon have everything figured out. Hopefully, I will find what I want to do here and it would not be so far from now. I am also looking forward to the winter vacation so than I can go home. Since my city is very far from here, I wouldn’t be able to visit it as often as some other people from Bulgaria do. I am a bit homesick, but the semester is not that long, so it’s not too big of a deal.