The Forest You Carry
It started as a mistake. The kind that rewrites you. Five friends, one tired taxi driver, a road that turned from asphalt to dirt without…
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The Pattern Blindness
I spent two years writing a book about acceleration. As a futurist, I thought it was time to put my thoughts on paper, but here’s…
The Next Bulgaria – A personal reflection on the future that should be.
On a winter morning in Sofia the station smells like coffee and brake dust. The departures board flips with that little clatter you feel more…
From the Ottoman Empire to Today: The Legacy of Political Apathy in Bulgaria
First a confession. I’ve been deeply interested in politics for decades at this point. I was born in Washington D.C., the son and grandson of…
The Hidden Currency – Dataius the Great visits Stoian in Bulgaria, with Middleton in the Middle (a short stroy)
I often find satire to be one of the most powerful tools not just to tell a story, but to simply tell the truth. What…
The Stars Over Bulgaria
I’ve always loved the story of the Michelin star system. It began as a clever trick by a tire company, which tells you almost everything…
Bulgaria’s Path Forward: Learning from Patterns, Not Places
When a former foreign minister recently told me that “those who have power have no imagination and those with imagination have no power,” I realized…
The Coherence Conspiracy: Lessons from a Culture That Still Touches
I had the honor of giving a talk at the Sofia Tech Park event Pro during September. The topic was how authentic experiences create lasting…
Driving Past Yesterday – How Bulgaria’s Integration Is Reshaping Europe
On a blazing August morning, the road to Greece hums with the rhythm of summer. Cars snake southward through sun-baked valleys, windows rolled down, the…
Celebrating a Country Worth Knowing
I am Kalina, founder of This is Bulgaria. My story begins far from the country whose name I now carry in my work, my heart,…
The Bulgaria Advantage: How to Monetize Being Different in a Standardized World
I gave a talk once about falling in love with a Bulgarian woman, then falling in love with Bulgaria itself. At 51, I find myself…
From Brain Drain to Brain Gain – Bulgaria’s €6.3 Billion Answer
Bulgaria has more developers than Estonia, world-class technical universities, and cheaper costs than Poland. So why are we the only ones without a unicorn? Last…