Bulgarian compatriot Nina Vasileva-Zaneshev is one of the examples among the diaspora abroad, who give us confidence that wherever they are in the world, Bulgarian communities will not lose their connection with Bulgaria. Born in a small town in Northern Bulgaria, Nina graduated from the Southwest University in Blagoevgrad and the Academy of Economics in Svishtov, but her professional pursuits took her abroad. After some time she became a consultant and expert on all topics related to the life of Bulgarians in Austria. Bulgarian compatriots there call her "The Woman with the Big Heart". This is also the reason why she has been nominated five times for the prestigious award "Bulgarian Woman of the Year – St. Zlata of Meglen" of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad.

The Bulgarian woman set out on her journey to Austria 29 years ago, driven by adventure:

"I studied psychology in the University of Salzburg, then I moved to Vienna because I thought I could do a lot more and be much more active in a bigger city, where I have been living for 25 years."

In 2008, Nina was among the founders of a consulting and integration center in Vienna, aimed at new European citizens, such as Bulgarians and Romanians at that time. She led it for 14 years and although it no longer exists today, she continues her work helping Bulgarians:

"I am a business consultant and I am part of the pool of consultants of the Chamber of Commerce in Vienna. So, my work has not ended and I continue to do it with Bulgarians who intend to settle permanently or develop their business. Currently, the trend is for quite a few young people to arrive in Austria to study and start their own business, as they have the self-confidence of European citizens. They know that they are not running away from Bulgaria and that they will return there someday, being able to live wherever they want in the world."

Our compatriot is part of the team involved in another activity related to Bulgaria – the only Bulgarian radio show broadcast in Austria:

"The show is called ‘We, the Bulgarians’. We focus on an important guest who has a reason to be invited. Then we talk about interesting events taking place in the country, but also about those in Bulgaria. We also garnish all this with short reports on various topics."

It is not necessary that the guests in the show are Bulgarians living in Austria. They can be from anywhere in the world, as long as what they have done or plan to do is related to Bulgarians in Austria, Nina Vasileva-Zaneshev said.

The idea for creating this monthly Bulgarian radio hour on the Austrian airwaves belongs to Ivan Karchev, who is the inspirer and organizer of a number of events, media projects and initiatives aimed at Bulgarians in Austria. In his memory, Nina decided to continue his work and not allow this Bulgarian hour to be lost. She says that today she is happy, as the program is running, informs and strengthens the national pride of Bulgarians in the country, who can hear a Bulgarian radio broadcast on the Austrian airwaves once a month.

• Useful information and charity causes gather Bulgarians at BGInfotag in Vienna

• Why it is so important to invest in the Bulgarian communities abroad

Although she is not a professional musician, Nina has taken on another challenge – she is the conductor of the non-professional folk choir "Kitka", part of the folklore ensemble of the same name at the Bulgarian Rhythms Association in Austria.

With her inherent drive and inspiring enthusiasm, Nina managed to organize the singing group in just twenty days and impress both the audience and professional musicians, winning a silver medal at the World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna:

"I gathered women who are mothers and grandmothers, who came to take care of children and grandchildren, who sang in their families and inherited abilities from their ancestors. I counted on their authentic voices and brought them to the stage of Musikverein. This happened two years ago and I think this will continue, as from the moment we stepped on the big stage we became an extremely sought-after and respected choir. The women did their best to reach quality that would allow us to be invited to the big stages. We work between three and four hours every day to maintain this level."

Motivation has always been with her during all these years: "A cause is a cause, a vocation is a vocation and must be followed by all means!", says the Bulgarian, who never stops working to find like-minded people, to unite and contribute to the better visibility and life of Bulgarian compatriots in Austria.

Author: Yoan Kolev

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: BTA, personal archive, Nina Vasileva-Zaneshev