Vasilena Pirinska, a member of RC Sofia-Balkan, had the opportunity to visit Germany as part of the Rotary exchange program in mid-June. Earlier this year, in April, we welcomed friends from Germany to Sofia, Burgas, Dupnitsa, Kazanlak, Plovdiv, and other cities in Bulgaria, where they were warmly received by their friends in their homes.

The Bulgarian group, representing multiple Rotary clubs including RC Sofia International (3 members), RC Dupnitsa (1 member), RC Sofia-Balkan (1 member), RC Samokov (1 member), and two representatives from RC Burgas-Primore, embarked on this journey.

During the visit, the group participated in the District Conference of District 1950 “Thuringia-Franconia.” Given the presence of German-speaking friends within the Bulgarian group, it was decided that club and topic presentations would be conducted in Bulgarian with simultaneous translation, rather than in English.

Throughout their week-long stay in Germany, the group had the opportunity to visit several German clubs, including RC Hochstadt an der Aisch, RC Herzogenaurach, RC Erfurt-Gloriosa, RC Karlstadt-Arnstein, and RC Altenburg.

Productive meetings were held, during which all Bulgarian clubs presented their past, present, and future projects. A primary topic of discussion revolved around the outdated medical equipment in various hospitals in Bulgaria. The German hosts showcased a renovated, modern clinic with specialists from different fields.

In addition to club activities, the Bulgarian group enjoyed visits to museums, castles, cultural centers, and actively participated in the regular meetings of the host clubs. They also had the pleasure of visiting the companies of some of their friends in Altenburg.