Louisa Wanbal: The German civil servant who fell in love with Bulgarian

Louisa Wanbal is employed at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. What connects this young German woman to Bulgaria is her love of the Bulgarian language.

Although she studied French language and culture at university, she has always been fond of Slavic languages, starting with Russian. It was during a trip around Bulgaria in 2018 that she discovered her passion for Bulgarian. And it seems this is not a passing interest. She has set herself the goal of learning Bulgarian well and attends a language course every Saturday in Berlin. She admits that the language is challenging, particularly the verbs, and the lack of a case system, which is unlike German or Russian.

She says that her family and friends support her in her desire to learn a less widely spoken language. She also plans a career change, hoping to become a teacher.

"I want to change my career. I want to become a German teacher for foreign students. My current experience will help me better understand the struggles students face when learning a difficult language like German," she says.

Describing the beauty of the Bulgarian language, she says:

"I love the alphabet, the sound of the spoken language and the mixture of Slavic, Greek and Turkish words, as well as some French."

When asked if learning Bulgarian has taught her more about the country's history, culture and mentality, she replies:

"I like that people are hospitable. They are very open, but it takes them time to get to know new people. At first, they can be more reserved,' she says.

The German woman says she has not yet dared to read books in Bulgarian, but hopes to do so soon.