I live in a tiny village in Bulgaria, in the municipality of Elin Pelin at the foot of the Stara planina mountain. The capital Sofia is only 20 minutes away. The area is a paradise for nature lovers: beautiful trails that are ideal for mountain biking and hiking crisscross the countryside. Originally I’m from Botevgrad, a city further east of Sofia. Unfortunately, the career prospects in my home town were very limited. So I left and now work at Gebrüder Weiss Bulgaria as a dispatcher for overland transport. My family was quite poor, but that wasn’t my parents’ fault. At the turn of the millennium, many Bulgarians could hardly make ends meet. That’s why, at the age of 15, I vowed to become someone who could offer his family a better life. And even if the standard of living is low compared to most of Europe, I love my country and really like living here.