Petko has a Bulgarian girlfriend who was also educated at VIA and works in Horsens. Photo: Archive.
It has been seven years since Petko came to Denmark to study in Horsens. Back then, he was unsure what the time after his graduation would bring, and whether or not he would stay in Denmark or return home to his native Bulgaria.
But Petko decided to learn Danish. For no matter how long he was going to be in Denmark, he was aware that he needed to make an effort when it came to integration.
Something new almost every day
As a Datawise employee, Petko Tsutsumanov is part of a small business. So he needs to be able to do many different things, and he is challenged every single day:
”I like that when I start work in the morning I don’t always know what’s going to happen during the day. And because we are no more than we are, I have to be ready to do many different things. I really like that,” says Petko Tsutsumanov and continues:
”I’m close to the boss. So if there is something that I’m in doubt about, I can just ask him. He’s always good at helping me and he is very flexible. And we’re also good at taking various social initiatives, so we also have fun together.”
Education was a good foundation
At VIA in Horsens, Petko was part of a strong academic environment, but also a learning environment that is both international and diverse.
This, along with a good internship, provided him a good foundation for solving the tasks he is now working with:
”My education gave me, first and foremost, a solid foundation. I was well-prepared with the theory that I now put into practice today. At the same time, I learned how to make a collaboration work, even if you are different people and come from different cultures,” explains Petko Tsutsumanov and elaborates:
”For part of my educational programme, I was a trainee at Vestas. And it was very exciting for me to get out into a Danish workplace. To see and experience how the workplace functions – it was exciting to experience how you can work together across different areas.”
The future is in Denmark
Petko has a Bulgarian girlfriend who was also educated at VIA and works in Horsens. But even if they are both from Bulgaria, they have no plans to return to the country at the moment. That does not mean, that there are not things that they miss – the food, for instance:
”Bulgarian yoghurt is the best is the world – I miss that. I miss Bulgarian food in general. But we’ve become very good at making food at home. There are not very many Bulgarian restaurants here in Denmark, so if we want Bulgarian food, we have to make it ourselves,” laughs Petko Tsutsumanov, explaining why he intends to stay in Denmark:
”We have many friends from around the world here in Horsens, and I play tennis in Horsens Tennis Club and do Cross Fit. My girlfriend is also very social – she teaches yoga when she’s not at work. So we have many activities on the go here in Horsens and we’re very happy for that”.
Employ more international employees
Claus Kirkegaard Clausen is director of Datawise. It was he who employed Petko Tsutsumanov in the company three years ago:
”We have had many Danish and international students on internships and as student assistants. And our experience is that it has really worked well, regardless of where the students have come from,” says Claus Kirkegaard Clausen and concludes:
”If we are to have employees, who will have a lot of contact with customers, then it is necessary that they speak fluent or nearly fluent Danish. However, many of the international graduates are capable of doing that in due course. So I could employ more international staff in the future”.