Kathy Pardew fell in love with Bulgaria and Bulgarian people from the very first moment she came to the country. Perhaps because of her open nature, her love to travel, art, and people, no language or any other barriers existed for her. I have never had more friends anywhere else in the world, she shared. Her concern about people, her sensitivity to their pain and problems are part of her personality but to the Bulgarians – they also are an expression of friendship. Employing all her charm and as wife of the ambassador of one of the greatest countries on the global map, she launched a remarkable charity campaign and took on, I would say, an enlightenment mission – that of helping Bulgarian women learn how to live better, by taking and requiring cares for their own health.

Mrs. Pardew, with what feelings did you arrive in Bulgaria?
I can remember so well the first day we arrived. My household was here – the people who take care of us here in the residence and have become part of our family. It was the day before Orthodox Easter, so that night we went to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral for the Easter service and the people were just so happy and so friendly and so open… I expected Bulgarians to be reticent and standoffish and they were not. In my neighborhood where I run every morning I know my neighbors, I know their dogs. So I found Bulgaria not just a beautiful country but a country of beautiful people that I am going to miss terribly.

Now that you know the Bulgarians much better, what is your opinion of them?
They are very open to friendship, very open to new ideas. Sometimes we have the same idea but we have a different approach as how to implement it. But eventually we find a way that we can all work together, solve a problem or complete a project. I think we had a very good partnership.

You travel a lot around the country. Is there a big difference between life in the big city and that in the smaller towns and villages?
Sofia is my home and I think it is a very sophisticated city but I am also very happy when can get outside of Sofia. I especially like the mountains. The people outside of Sofia are not as busy, they are more relaxed although they are just as ambitious. They want just as much for their children and for their community. They seem to be more willing to work together on a problem. People know one another better and therefore they feel comfortable working together. In a big city it’s more difficult to get people to work together. I love travelling – I feel so free and the mountains make me feel so protected – this is my favorite place.

You usually drive yourself. Our roads are not very good, do you feel safe?
I think it is very safe. I travel a lot, I love driving but I am not alone. Only once have I had any problem on the road. I have got lost many times but when you get lost it’s a kind of another adventure and people are very helpful. But once I hit a rockslide in Strumyani and my tire just blew up. A gentleman stopped immediately to help us get off the road and to take the tire off. And then a young man named Ivan from Strumyani came as my knight in shining armor and helped me replace the tire and we were on our way. I think there’s always a helpful person when you are driving.

The roads are not the best in the world but they are getting better. There are more road signs so I don’t get lost so often and I feel perfectly safe driving.

How do people receive you in the places you visit?
Everywhere we go people are always friendly and warm. I meet a lot of women’s groups and we sit and we talk about our children, we talk about what our children are hoping to do with their lives and we talk about our problems and how we attempt to solve them – it is just like any other group of women that might meet for a cup of coffee. I think I am always received just as another sister in the struggle to raise families and build a community.

What are the main problems they share with you?
They are a little concerned about their future and the future of their children. They want the best education they can get for their children – it is still the most valuable thing they have. They would like for their children to have the opportunity to study abroad but they also know that if that happens then we must create more jobs and a better economy here in Bulgaria so that the young people will come back and work in Bulgaria.

And of course the health problems are gigantic and people are concerned about the access to healthcare, especially those who live in outlying regions. They want the same access and the same quality of healthcare that we have here in Sofia. And they have every right to that healthcare. You have wonderful doctors in Bulgaria. I know, I have seen many of them, I have been a patient here. Outside of Sofia they don’t have the proper equipment and that’s another concern.