The Queen of the Animals and the Most Beautiful Gardens

When shown in Western European news, my homeland, Bulgaria, is described as the poorest EU Member State. 1,6 million young people have left the country due to a lack of opportunities. The parents who remain in the country hope their children will return someday.

15 years ago, my sister and I immigrated to the Netherlands in search of a better life. Last summer, our dear mother became ill. Our father, who shares his life with another woman, concluded: "Now you have to come back home." A friend of mine reacted with the words: "Maybe that's why your mother is ill, because you left her alone.” To make up for the gap that opened in her life, my mother surrounded herself with animals rescued from the street. For her, they are my brothers and sisters. She says: “When you live with animals, you become one”, or, “I am half-animal and they–half–human.”