Monte-Carlo, Monaco - September 29, 2006  Here I am at the Sylvie Vartan gala for underprivileged children in Bulgaria, which was held at the Hôtel de Paris in Monte-Carlo. This was the most momentous event that I have ever gone to in my entire life and this very memorable day would be one of three major turning points in my life:  The first one was on July 22, 1962, the day when I went aboard the Flight to Freedom.  On that very special date, I escaped from the hell of communism in Bulgaria along with my mother, my uncle Boubi and Mrs. Vetka Tchaprachikova, a dear friend of my family and a distant cousin, too.  When the horizon became too dark, all the birds left on the path of hope and we followed them to Paris*.  The second one was on August 5, 1968, the day when I took the Flight to America.  On that date, I went to the United States, the land of freedom and opportunity.  The third one was on September 29, 2006 (pictured here).  It was on this date that I met in person Sylvie Vartan, my favorite superstar, who also happens to be the ambassador of hope for children. I also participated in a fund-raising event to help the underprivileged children in Bulgaria, my homeland.  All this started with a dream:  About a year earlier, after reading the autobiography of Sylvie Vartan, a book that inspired me more than anything else I have ever read, I dreamed that someday I would meet Sylvie Vartan in person and help the underprivileged children in Bulgaria.  This dream of mine became reality on September 29, 2006!

In this photograph, I am sitting at my table at the gala.  All the tables were named after songs that Sylvie Vartan sang.  Mine was called Par Amour, Par Pitié  (Through Love, Through Sorrow) and it happened to be right next to La Maritza, the table where Sylvie was sitting!  When she autographed the sign that was on my table, which had the name of the song Par Amour, Par Pitié, I became the happiest guy in the entire Galaxy!  I also had one of the best seats in the house:  When Sylvie Vartan sang, I had an unobstructed view of her and she was only a few feet away from where my table was!  She was truly unbelievable and put on one of the best performances I have ever seen anywhere.

*English translation from my favorite song, La Maritza, as sang by my favorite singer Sylvie Vartan.  These lyrics were about a group of four people (that included Sylvie Vartan, her father Georges Vartan, her mother Ilona Vartan and her brother Eddie Vartan) who arrived in Paris on December 24, 1952, after fleeing from communist Bulgaria.  What’s really amazing is that these same exact lyrics are also quite appropriate for that group of four very lucky people (made up of my uncle Boubi, my mother and I, and Mrs. Vetka Tchaprachikova) who also fled Bulgaria only to end up at the same destination as Sylvie’s family:  Paris.  What an incredible coincidence!  Original French lyrics:  Quand l’horizon s’est fait trop noir, tous les oiseaux sont partis sur les chemins de l’espoir et nous ont les a suivis à Paris.