Many years ago, a local teacher, Nadezhda, was told she had a grandson. She loved him very much and knew that carefree and constant games in childhood would not bring him significant benefits when he became a man. He needed skills, such as reading and writing. She taught him to read and write and opened the door to the endless space of books. The little boy loved books. When he became a teenager, his love for them did not diminish. On the contrary, he read every day and hid in the world of books, where reality was more beautiful, better, friendlier and fairer. In the other reality - the real world - there were often injustices. His mother and father quarrelled, the people around him also often did not understand each other and even fought, others threw their garbage where it was easy for them, others destroyed every day whatever they could. At school, there were children who bullied the weak and vulnerable.
The world of books was different - there was justice, respect, gratitude, faith, devotion and the true power of the characters - to create and change the world around them.
It was time for Nadezhda's grandson to go to a larger school and he wanted to be where his grandmother worked. Although she loved and was proud of him and believed that what she gave to her students was the best, she refused to allow her grandson to graduate from the school where she worked. She didn't want him to enjoy privileges and be "Mrs. Nadezhda's grandson," so she sent him to another school. She gave him one of the first examples of justice in the real world through her actions: "Even if one has the opportunity, one should not enjoy privileges."
Over time, Grandma Nadezhda instilled in her grandson patriotism and the love for Bulgaria. Her grandson at the time had read more books than his peers. He knew about Levski, Botev, Rakovski, Hadji Dimitar. He knew about slavery and the need to protect her, to be a protector of the Motherland, began to arise in him. He even regretted that he was not born at that time to fight the evil enemies. He knew, even from a fragile adolescence, that from now on, while he was alive, Bulgaria would live on. This need and love of his homeland soon began to acquire physical manifestations.
He began to seek and distribute justice on his own. At school he defended the weak. On the street, and especially in the evening, he protected women from their attempts at harlotry. Where his eye saw injustice, he was there. From an early age he learned the laws of the street, the city and the bad people. He knew that for them capriciousness and the values in the books meant nothing and that on the street there were only one law : the stronger one wins and survives.
Grandmother Nadezhda often quarrelled with him, but she was secretly happy that her grandson was already a man who was visibly distinguished by steadfastness, intransigence, and a strong sense of justice. She even often told him: "You will suffer in this life! You can't put up with it! ” In her heart she was proud that she had done her job when he was a child - she passed on the values of life with her reading and writing.
Later, her grandson managed to understand the world around him and the nature of people so much - again through books and experience in the real world, he no longer ran away from it - that he began to be a creator every day in small steps. He created a successful and prosperous company that helps people have a better life by properly planning their finances. He created the only company in the Balkans for the reconstruction of ancient treasures, historical reconstructions, sculpture and painting. Later, his scale and goals spread throughout the country : he wanted to make an "economic injection" in Bulgaria and at the same time to include everyone who loves the country and looks in the same direction as him. At the same time, he created a family and four children, and the transfer of skills in organisation, leadership and financial achievements extended to thousands of people. How? In the first place through reading and secondly through diligence.
Today, his ultimate goal has become, through his skills and those of his supporters, to elevate the whole country, make it a better place to live and show daily the steps by which the average person can create the world around him, because everyone carries a part of God in himself and God-like is the one who used his power given to him by God to create! He educates, helps, speaks, integrates, shelters everyone who wants and is ready to work and cope with the challenges of life, so that Bulgaria lives on!
Baba Nadezhda was a native of Gorna Oryahovitsa and her grandson was Ivcho, most now know him as Ivelin Mihailov, Executive Director of the Historical Park.
She died soon after, and Ivelin Mihailov named the round tower in the Historical Park in her honour, just as people used to build monuments in gratitude and respect to someone who has contributed much to the common good. Grandma Nadezhda gives the love of reading and patriotism to a Bulgarian, ready to defend the true human values and his country while he is alive. "As long as I live, I know that Bulgaria will survive!" He often says. The Nadezhda Round Tower is located next to the Evtim Tower - you can read the story about it here.
The team of the Historical Park thanks Grandma Nadezhda, as well as her grandson Ivelin Mihailov, for the fact that today Bulgaria can boast of a project as a Historical Park, as well as for the opportunity to be part of the creators! Thank you. In memoriam of grandmother Nadezhda.
