Borislava Miteva │borislava.miteva@gmail.com
Once upon a time, when I used to live between three continents and five houses, a friend of mine expressed her opinion that I would never settle down and have a home of my own unless I find THE love of my life. She was partly right.
After I graduated, I returned to my Canadian home, only to leave it again three months later to move back to Europe. I travelled around, got involved in various transnational projects, and in the meantime kept on trying to figure out where, out of all the incredible places in the world, I wanted to settle down. After two years of contemplations I still haven’t found the answer. Maybe I never will. How can I decide before I have seen the world?! I’ve explored only forty countries, but I know that there is so much more undiscovered beauty and interesting people. And I want to see them all! Only time will show whether I would succeed in exploring the entire world in or finding ‘the’ place to settle. But, what I am aware of right now is that I am far too curious to settle for the known, because “[l]ife begins at the end of your comfort zone” (Neale Donald Walsch). In open sea. In the sky. On top of the mountain. At the bottom of a canyon. Finding the strength to try. Taking the step to forgive. Following your intuition. Loving without reservations.
“I finally have a ‘home’ of my own now that I found THE love of my life. But don’t you dare imagine that I am talking about a cheesy-sweet love story.”
And here comes the correct part of my friend’s statement: I finally have a ‘home’ of my own now that I found THE love of my life. But don’t you dare imagine that I am talking about a cheesy-sweet love story portrayed in the Hollywood romantic movies! No, I don’t see pretty pink hearts in the sky instead of stars, and nor do I hear merry bird songs instead of traffic noise on the streets. The love that I am referring to doesn’t cancel out problems and doesn’t magically make all the dreams come true. But it is a love without reservations, doubts, insecurities or suspicions. Because it is profound. Because when THE love of your life is your best friend you are empowered to be your best self, to always be honest and forgiving, to listen and understand, to give your trust to him without expectations or fear.
“It is a love without reservations, doubts, insecurities or suspicions. Because it is profound…”
It’s understandable that a house (or any other construction for that matter) might not be a home. What I have to add, however, is that a home does not require such a physical shell in order to exist. My home is my heart, where my love is being nourished to grow stronger every next day. I am happy because I don’t have to place boundaries around my home, and most importantly—I can carry it around me everywhere I go. During my wedding, my home was on a boat in the Adriatic Sea, close to the Dalmatian coast. Then it travelled along the Tara Canyon in Montenegro, followed by breath-stopping mountains, sunflower-laden meadows and mineral basins in Bulgaria. And if all goes well, my home will soon witness the African savanna and its diverse wildlife…
Borisl
ava Miteva, Copy Editor
Borislava is Bulgarian-Canadian and has a BA in Social Sciences (UBC) and in Italian Studies (UniBo). As part of MA Euroculture (2009-2011), which she undertook at the University of Groningen, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and the University of Pune, she relied on her previous academic studies by focusing on sociological issues, often related to migration and discrimination practices. Since graduating from her MA, she has continued her commitment to these fields by becoming involved in a relevant trans-European NGO, thus exploring the respective legal and human rights approaches. When she’s not in work (and sometimes when she is), she laughs a lot, pretends to be a cook, and fights for her right to write.
The Euroculturer 