Monica's path to Bulgaria is perhaps more indirect than most, spanning three continents and landing her in a place where her home country has no diplomatic presence. She was born in Mexico City, where she grew up and studied communications and graphic design at the university. After graduating, her desire to live near snow-capped mountains lead her to Switzerland for a year as an au pair.

Following her return to Mexico, she began working for an airline company. She soon found herself working for Malaysian Airlines and on her way to Kuala Lumpur for a seven-month training programme. It was in Kuala Lumpur that she noticed the amazing respect people can have for each other. Witnessing such a wide mix of nationalities such as Chinese, Malays and Indians, as well as a religious mix of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians, living together was simply inspiring. It was in this cosmopolitan city that Monica met her future husband, a representative of a German construction firm, in the unlikely place of her friend's heavy metal concert.

After living briefly in Munich, Monica went to China with her husband, who was working on a hydroelectric project. Monica's four-year stay in China was punctuated with travel around the country and its neighbours, as well as the birth of their fist son.

Following several years back in Munich, life had yet another move in store for Monica, this time to Santiago, Chile. While in Santiago, Monica turned her attention to studying landscape design and participating in garden clubs.

Years later, upon learning that they would be going to Bulgaria, Monica's first thought was simply: "I don't know anything about Bulgaria!" It was also difficult to find any information about Bulgaria in Spanish. However, a quick glance at a map revealed to her the variety of Bulgaria's natural gifts, as well as the potential to visit some very interesting neighbouring countries.

Arriving in Bulgaria in the spring of 2006, Monica was initially dismayed by the grey city that was to be her new home. However, as spring turned to summer, the colour and life returned. She has since found Sofia to be a charming, easygoing city, much unlike her hometown of Mexico City.

Naturally, moving to a new unfamiliar country is difficult, and her two children were predictably unsure of their new surroundings. However, a summer visit to Primorsko and the warm water of the Black Sea helped endear them to the country.

As a coffee lover, the abundance of coffee shops and the thick, rich brew appeal to her. She also enjoys discovering the hidden restaurants that abound in downtown Sofia. Though you may pass them many times before realising there is even a restaurant there, she finds Sofia offers great dining options at very reasonable prices. She loves Bulgarian cuisine, with the slight caveat that it lacks some of the spice of her native Mexican dishes. However, she has taken to ordering some extra hot peppers with her meals to compensate.

Although Monica admits Bulgarians are not initially the warmest of people, she has had almost exclusively positive experiences. In one instance, she found herself with a flat tire. Luckily near a petrol station, an attendant filled the tire, and even waved off her attempts to pay for the service. Such a thing would never happen back home, she adds.

Perhaps most charming, Monica says she is almost always mistaken for a Bulgarian. So long as she remembers to adjust her head nods, and is not required to speak, no one is the wiser.

Monica's biggest criticism is the plastic bags she sees blowing around the city and fluttering in the trees. Despite the curious looks, she brings her own grocery bags to the store and also diligently re-uses Ziplock bags around the house to cut down on plastic waste.

She admits to having a Latin temper, but finds she is rarely incensed. Her positive attitude is reflected in the smiles and helpfulness of the people with whom she comes in contact. According to Monica, a negative attitude just amplifies bad experiences. Always careful not to complain too much in front of her children, Monica instead uses her energy for positive purposes. For example, instead of complaining the street is dirty, she'll just goes out to clean it.

After a year in Sofia, life for Monica has begun to settle down. The children are settled into school and her husband's construction firm is busy with new projects. With time to pursue her own interests, and take occasional breaks from being the "family manager", she enjoys bowling, yoga, gardening and continuing her study of landscaping. She regularly takes the children on hikes to Mount Vitosha, or on bike rides around Sofia's many parks. As any mother would, Monica finds solace in the safety she feels around Sofia.

Though still in the early stages of learning Bulgarian, Monica has few problems communicating. She is amazed at how multi-lingual Bulgarian people are. Almost everyone she meets is proficient in one of the several languages she knows. Between Spanish, German and English, it is rare she cannot communicate with someone.

Monica is also a huge fan of Bulgarian wines, and she particularly loves the local reds. One of the things Monica would most like to see is the development of Bulgaria's wine industry. From her time in Santiago, she saw the success Chilean wines have had in recent years. With great wine and thousands of years of wine making history, Bulgaria has all it needs to succeed.

Perhaps it is due to her extensive experience living all over the world, but Monica reports to already feeling comfortable and at home in Sofia. People generally have similar values everywhere, she says, and with friendliness, honesty and tolerance, once can live and prosper anywhere.