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Ralitsa Georgieva-Smith
Moved to Shaker
2010
I came to the Cleveland area to attend
the Cleveland Institute of Music, where
I completed a master’s degree studies in
piano with a professional studies program in
collaborative piano.
I find that sometimes when we relocate, along with feeling
the excitement and curiosity of the new place, we might miss
certain aspects of our origins. I found that Shaker became
for me the perfect combination of the New World style with
a touch of Europe – for example, the variety of architectural
styles of the buildings and the design of our neighborhood,
which allows us to easily and enjoyably walk to libraries,
grocery stores, and the lovely outdoor farmers markets in the
warmer seasons. There are also many restaurants offering
authentic traditional cooking from Europe such as Balaton,
Anatolia, and more, which make me feel like I’m in my mom’s
kitchen.
I have also found many wonderful friends at the
International Women’s Group of Cleveland, many of whom
live in Shaker Heights. We share with each other our similar
cultural origins along with our pasts and our visions of our
present and future lives. All these things help me design my
own present world that mixes the beauty of both worlds while
being an ocean away from my past. It is great to feel at home
in a different place.
Shaker became
for me the perfect
combination of the
New World style with
a touch of Europe.
Bulgaria
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