I was born in 1979 in Bulgaria, a picturesque country in the Southeastern corner of Europe. I grew up in the capital of Sofia, where I acquired my MA in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Sofia and then ventured out to faraway India to complete a second undergraduate degree in Indian Classical Dance.

I currently live in North Arlington, Virginia, and I am the loving mother of two elementary schoolers — an 11-year old boy and a 6-year old daughter. I have also served as a high school-level Literature teacher at the Bulgarian Educational and Cultural Center in Washington, DC since 2017.
While I am a native Bulgarian speaker, I am fluent in English and conversational Russian. My experience as a professional dancer and a writer has helped me to facilitate
several children’s storytelling workshops, both in English and in Bulgarian.

I have a natural inclination to engaging children at their level, and there is nothing quite like fueling the wide-eyed imaginations and pure-heartedness of children. I believe that beyond the basics like a feeling of absolute safety and emotional security, children need inventive entertainment to help them stay engaged and learning. With my own children, I am careful about rationing screen time. This frees up time for art, reading and other learning opportunities, as well as various outdoor activities.