Samuil Iliev
Samuil Iliev smiles a lot. Probably the most when talking about his childhood friends. “Me and my friends from the neighborhood went out to play, we were playing gonenitsa, krienitsa… the normal stuff,” he says and laughs. By using the Bulgarian words for tag and hide-and-seek, Samuil shows he brilliantly understands the AUBG Bul-English slang, even though he is a freshman. “One of the best times in my life,” he adds, even though he has been enjoying living in Blagoevgrad as well.
“I am currently adjusting to the university life and so far, it’s been great for me,” says Samuil. As a person, Samuil is chaotic and organized at the same time. He explains that he sometimes tends to leave the important things for the last moment, while organizing the insignificant ones. Samuil laughs when saying AUBG has taught him a thing or two about procrastination and time management. Always being on time would be his choice of a superpower as even though it is not crazy, it is helpful.
Samuil is from the town of Svishtov, where his fondest childhood memories were created. He agrees that being from a smaller town helps you know people there but says that his childhood friendships are more than that and he makes the effort to remain in touch.
He also believes it is crucial to keep the connection with your hometown and country. That is why Samuil is passionate about making smaller towns like his more known to people. He wishes people could discover the hidden beauty of Bulgaria, as he thinks this is a part of one’s identity and past and “By forgetting it, by letting it go, I think we’re letting go of a part of ourselves.”
A big part of Samuil’s life is inspiration: “I get inspired easily,” he says with a big smile. Samuil describes the people who influence him: “They think outside the box, they like to create, not of obligation, to make money or to make themselves famous but [to] make the difference.” He often finds motivation in movies, art and music.
Samuil’s favorite movie is “The secret life of Walter Mitty” and he likes it because “the main idea of it is just to leave everything (…), to prioritize following your dreams.” The movie tells the story of a man who is tired of his ordinary life and needs a change. “The circumstances led him to go on these crazy adventures and he started to feel alive again,” Samuil explains.
Such a feeling may seem rather faraway, but Samuil says that forgiving someone can often help you feel free and disburdened. There is no one to whom he has not forgiven, but it was particularly hard for him to understand why his father work would so much during his childhood. “I was angry with him, saying ‘Stop working, come home’,” he remembers, and explains that he eventually understood that his dad showed love for the family by working a lot. “I believe that those who are forgiven by others can forgive the most,” says Samuil and highlights that forgiving is crucial for maintaining relationships even if it is hard.
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Boyana Kostadinova is a sophomore at AUBG, majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications, and Business Administration. She remembers her first year at university as fun but also challenging.
