About

• Tweet

• Tweet

Ivan Temelkov

My name is Ivan Temelkov and I’m a 29 year old male that currently resides in Saint Louis, Missouri located in the United States Of America.  I was born and raised in a small town by the name of Rousse, Bulgaria.  A small city nested alongside the Danube River and  a few hundred kilometers from its Romanian neighbors.  Most of my childhood memories can be tracked back to my hometown in which I lived in until around the age of 13.

When I was 11 years old my father pursued a new journey into the New World where he hoped to start a new Life and offer more to his family.  It was November 1991 when my father moved to the United States Of America and on a quest to find new opportunities in the free land.  Between 1991 and 1994 he worked hard to find new  job opportunities in order to help bring his family along his side.  The 3+ years of hard work would later indeed pay off for the late nights and long shifts that he did not enjoy in particular.  For this time period he remained focused on his goal to be reunited with his family once again no matter how hard he had to work for it in order to achieve it.

It was the Winter of 1993 and indeed the weather was confirming  just that.  A distant call from my father came and unaware of my father’s situation I was anxious to find out what was happening.  Once my mother was finished speaking with my father on the phone she hung up the phone and turned slowly toward me and my sister with a serious yet excited look on her face.  She said, “You are going to see your dad!  We are going to America!”.  As corny as that statement may have sounded I was stunned and unsure of how to quite react.  One thing I realized right at that moment was that my Life was about to take a 90 degree turn and open doors to hidden opportunities for me and my family.

In January 1994 we flew 3,000 miles across the ocean and into Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on an extremely cold and snowy day.  After almost 17 hours of airport delays and air travel myself, my sister, my mom, and my father were extremely tired and the only thing we were seeking was peaceful rest and sleep.  My English communication skills at the time were very minimal as I had only taken a few courses of English back home.  The new atmosphere that I was presented with was a bit challenging and different to adapt to.  In most parts the closest thing in my mind during this time was whether or not I would like living in a new country, with new friends, and taking on new challenges.

After about a week of rest and adjustment to time change it was time for me to enroll in school and continue my education.  In the middle of January 1994 my parents enrolled me into Jefferson Middle School in Saint Charles, MO where I would remain an 8th grader for the rest of that school year.  For the next six months I would spend learning the English language, adapting to my new Life, and making new friends.  It was indeed a challenge but one that I have never regretted since that time and would definitely go thru it again if I had to.  In roughly three months time I was able to engage in informative conversations with new friends and everyone else at the Middle School.  It was a very exciting time for me!

Since the day I moved to the United States Of America I have on daily basis appreciated the opportunity that was given to me as it has changed my Life forever.  Many people await an opportunity to be presented to them and I was one of those people that were lucky enough to experience that.  It was an experience that will last with me for a Lifetime!