Having been raised by a mother who was a Bulgarian Olympic skiing hopeful, I was on the slopes from an early age. I’ve had my fair share of adventures, from getting snow blindness to cracking my tailbone and breaking my collarbone, but I’ve also made some of my absolute best memories skiing! Out of all the places I’ve been fortunate to ski around the world, my absolute favorites are Rusutsu (ルスツ) in Hookaido, Japan; and Taos in New Mexico, USA. Rusutsu has the BEST powder skiing and the kindest people and is still relatively unknown so the crowds are smaller. On the other hand, I grew up skiing at Taos and can remember when it still banned snowboarders. Taos has a special place in my heart. #freedom! 

Enjoying the fresh mountain air, the incredible scenery, the sounds of nature, and the thrill of being on the edge when skiing.

I was a Lego boy and a tinkerer, and often ended up breaking more things than building them, but in the process I call “creative destruction” I also developed an appreciation for the fine craftsmanship and patience that are required to create complex systems with one's bare hands. In high school, on the advice on my friends, I combined my childhood tinkering with my love of computer games by building my first desktop computer from spare parts repurposed from several computers at home. It’s hard to describe how rewarding the feelings of accomplishment and pride are when after many hours all the pieces are put in place, you push the “power on” button and everything magically works (except it’s not actually magic). You tell yourself, “Hey, I just did this and it really works. Really!” I hope everyone will have the chance and take the initiative to take a deeper dive into the everyday technologies that we all enjoy. Knowledge is power after all! #engineering

Feeling technology working through your fingertips at the bridge between software and hardware. 

Having been born in Bulgaria and raised in the US, I flew on my first international flight when I was only 8 months old. Since then, I crossed the Atlantic every summer and in the process developed a habit and fascination with travel. In my subsequent journeys around the world I’ve discovered that no places are the same and that everything is in a constant state of change. As a result, I enjoy returning to previously visited destinations with more experience to uncover changes and new experiences. In an increasingly globalized world, I believe it’s imperative that everyone is open to becoming global citizens. I believe it’s through genuine human-to-human interactions and cross-cultural exchanges with people different from ourselves that we can begin healing our increasingly divided world. It’s through these exchanges that I have been fortunate to develop an appreciation for differences in mindset and to realize that there are many ways to approach life, none of which is the sole “right way.” I hope to continue deepening my cross-cultural understandings and contributing to a more positive world for all. #understanding

Some of my all-time favorite destinations have been:

Our fabulous world is one microscopic speck in the gigantic universe, but it provides boundless opportunities for life changing experiences.

Ever since I first learned that the TV cartoons I was watching as a kid weren’t actually cartoons, but Japanese anime, I was hooked on learning more about this far away and unique country called Japan. I’d have to wait almost 15 years though before I had the chance to visit Japan for the first time, with a friend and colleague for New Years in 2014/15. I immediately fell in love! It’s no surprise then that when Rakuten Founder and CEO Hiroshige Mikitani-san visited my first year HBS LEAD class I jumped at the opportunity to return to Japan in a professional setting. When I meet someone for the first time, almost without fail one of the first two questions I’m asked is, “Why Japan?” What follows is my best attempt at a succinct answer that has three parts, listed in order of importance:

1. Omotenashi (お持て成し) Mindset: my experiences in Japan have shown me that at the core of the Japanese existence is a mindset that isn’t individualistic, but collectivistic. People genuinely care about other people and take actions that don’t always serve themselves, but that are also beneficial to their communities. A great example is the annual bridge-cleaning festival at Nihombashi (日本橋) in Tokyo, where the local community of families, children, office workers, police, etc… get together and spend a whole day washing the bridge, something they see as a public good that should be collectively maintained. Another famous example are the actions some Japanese fans took after the last World Cup to clean up other fans’ trash following one match. Imagine what our world would look like if we all acted in such a magnanimous way. 

2. Business & Learning Opportunity: Japan is a fruit ripe for the picking when it comes to the data science (DS) field. While the US and China have a robust competitive landscape of top-notch DS companies, Japan, as the third largest economy, lags very far behind on this dimension. Further, Japan is facing some serious headwinds in it’s declining and aging population, it’s urbanization and the decay of rural society, and a stagnating economy. Many of these ailments will impact significant parts of the world including the US, Europe and China in the decades to come. What better place to learn and find solutions to these 21st century problems than the place where it’s occurring now: Japan. 

3. Culture: I would be remiss if I din’t mention my appreciation for Japanese culture, but this is my third reason for being in Japan and comes deliberately after the previous two. With that said, I’m less of a Japan foodie and more into unique Japanese forms of expression, such as anime/manga, Kabuki theater, cosplay (as an observer), some elements of otaku (オタク) culture, Shodo (書道) calligraphy, Byobu (屏風) Japanese folding screens, Termari (手毬) Japanese handballs, and Bonseki (盆石) miniature landscapes. I also find that Japan has some absolutely stunning landscapes and I can’t wait to continue exploring them!

However, Japan is a complex country and my love and appreciation for the many positive aspects of Japan does not betray the fact that there are also many challenges. These include women’s and LGBT rights; racism towards some foreigners; a rigidity towards a predefined process that is often insurmountable; and a work culture that can lead to depression, anxiety, and suicide; among many others. In my view, Japan is like an onion: on the surface it’s quite nice, but as you peel back the layers and go deeper the more complex it gets. I acknowledge this complexity about Japan and I also acknowledge that every country is complex. I firmly believe that Japan can and will rise above the challenges it’s facing and I hope that my company can be part of that positive story. #complexity

Complex love in the land of the rising sun.

Japanese Whiskey: The Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 was selected as the World's Best Whisky in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2015. From that moment I realized how naïve and simplistic I had been in my whiskey knowledge up until that point. Thank you Jim Murray for opening my eyes! Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one paying attention and since 2015 Japanese whiskeys have seen supply shortages, exemplified by Suntory's announcement that they are discontinuing their Hakushu 12 Year and Hibiki 17 year for the indefinite future. Such a clear example of supply and demand at work! Below are some of my favorite Japanese whiskeys:

Suntory's Yamazaki 12 Year: My go-to reasonably cost-effective and delicious Japanese Whiskey! There's places in Japan I can find it for about $100.

Suntory's Yamazaki 18 Year: My favorite expensive whiskey out of the one's I've had the privilege to try. Unfortuantely, due to supply shortages it's hard to find this one for under $750.

Suntory's Hibiki Japanese Harmony: This whiskey has a similar price range as the Yamazaki 12 year but offers more honey and oak flavors that I enjoy. 

Kentucky Bourbon: I have to thank Deloitte for assigning me to a two year project in Kentucky for my love of bourbon. I’m particularly fond of the following bourbons:

Woodford Reserve (if you’re lucky enough to be able to visit their distillery in person, make sure to get an engraved bottle; makes a nice gift!)

Bulgarian Rakia: is a fruit brandy that’s very popular in Bulgaria and in my humble opinion superior to most hard alcohols due to it’s smooth finish and sweet taste. Bulgarians believe that Rakia, while being a drink found across the Balkans, originated from the 11th century in Bulgaria. It’s often paired with salad, although I use any excuse to indulge. During the summer Rakia is generally served as cold as your freezer will allow, while in the winter it’s often served “cooked” (греяна). Some people choose to drink their Rakiya with 1-2 ice cubes, although I prefer to have it straight just like with bourbon and whiskey. I’m particularly fond of my family’s home brewed Rakia and as anyone who has visited my apartment knows, I’m always happy to indulge in a sampling of the various Rakiyas in my collection. In case you can’t get a sample of my family’s batch, I recommend the Rakias listed below. The great news is that the best Rakias don’t cost an arm and a leg! For example, the base version of Burgas 63 costs about $12-15 for a 700ML bottle in Bulgaria. 

I'm also a fan of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, which can be found affordably at Don Quijotes around Japan for more than half off the average spot price in the US! 

Japanese Sake (日本酒) is a fantastic beverage and my usual go to when I host events at my apartment in Tokyo.

Japanese Whiskey, Kentucky Bourbon & Bulgarian Rakia

From professional swimming to body surfing to scuba diving to hunting for seashells, I feel at home in the water. I grew up spending my summers in a small seaside village in Bulgaria called Sinemorets where my grandparents maintained a delicious vegetable garden and I would have the chance to go multiple times per day to the three nearby beaches. To this day I feel the most at peace when I lie on the large coarse sand of the Veleka beach at around 2am and look up at the cloudless sky with the full moon staring back at me while the waves crash in the background. #eyphoria! 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g12444878-Sinemorets_Burgas_Province-Vacations.html

Whether it’s feeling the liberation of the wide open oceans and becoming one with the awesome power of nature or calmly lying in a pool with raindrops gently kissing my face, I feel at peace being in the water. 

I was walking home from a workout one day when I was stopped by some random people with a TV camera on the streets of Azabu-jūban (麻布十番) in Tokyo. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was cooking Bulgarian Banitsa while Skype calling my grandmother in Bulgaria on Japanese TV. Crazy! I hope you enjoy! 

Why Did You Come to Japan (YOUは何しに日本へ) Episode Featuring Simeon Bochev

Click here to see a collection of shareable media appearances.

Interests

Japanese Whiskey, Kentucky Bourbon & Bulgarian Rakia

Three drinks for any occasion