my virtual hobby … on things that impress me
When not running Coworking Bansko, Irina Pandeva is painting lively portraits. Some of her women’s portraits will be exhibited during the forthcoming Women on the Mountain 2017 conference in Bansko for women interested in business and technology. The co-organiser of the event Damilola Omole as painted by Irina. When art and technology meet in the mountain, the result promises to be a great weekend – 1 – 3 September 2017.
Irina Pandeva – oil on canvas
Zheravna – a gem of a place where time travel is real – in terms of atmosphere, architecture and in the last 10 years – the Folk Costume Festival. In a nutshell, some of my highlights – click on the images for larger views and captions.
And the magic of the Festival in a few incredible minutes:
Coworking Bansko has been up and running for a several months now and the community keeps on growing with people from all over the world. Thanks to those three – Bansko is seeing so many “co”s – co-living, coach-surfing, co-working …
Any time I visit here, I meet more and more amazing people – this time in my spotlight Rob Tijssen, DevOps Engineer at Mozilla. A world citizen who currently has made Bansko his home and makes it homey for all who visit him.
The Mastermind with Thalassa van Beek and her Freelance Kickstarter sounded like the thing for all who want to learn the skills they need to work online and how to find great clients.
Headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia Toggl has a mind-boggling Guide to establishing a successful remote culture.
An eclectic mix of people from all over the world united by the belief that software should empower people, not get in their way. They seem to believe that great people make awesome stuff anywhere and therefore hire globally. Togglers work where they choose from.
Another different recruitment approach – using Hundred5 initial screening tests aimed at hiring for skills. A good test checks candidates’ basics skills for a position, so recruiters can focus on the “top, say, 10 (or 3 or 30)”. Win-win!
Another engaging book I couldn’t wait reading by Elif Şafak – Three Daughters of Eve – a book about identity, politics, religion and God, provocative and philosophical as most of her writing.
The sinner, the believer and the confused – there Muslim girls all with different views in a class about ‘understanding God’ at Oxford University. And an enigmatic and controversial professor who encourages students to express their opinions.
Peri back then in her childhood, Peri back then at Oxford and Peri back now in Istanbul. The unresolved issues from the past seem to haunt her (as they do all of us) until we find the right solution for them. “Three Daughters of Eve” and the story of each girl resonated deeply with me.
The topic of digital nomads is very dear to my heart. My recent interview for Justine Toms’ blog:
It is fascinating to choose where to work from. What counts is output! The location is irrelevant!
