When Adriana Turkmen met her future husband in communism in Bulgaria, she had no idea that they would spend the rest of their lives together. Raised under a strict upbringing where families were thought of as absolute together, Turkmen’s transition to a more western culture as a young woman was not as smooth as she might have expected. The transition was not always easy and despite her initial misgivings about her looks – and the negative media attention that followed – she managed to find the kind of love that many women fail to find when they first approach a new relationship.
But what is it about Adriana’s personality that led to her meeting her future husband? She had always been attracted to men who were taller than she was. In fact she had always imagined that she would marry a man much taller than she was, but finding the courage to ask about his height was something that was not possible for her when she was growing up. So, when the opportunity to meet and fell in love with a tall athlete, she seized it. And after a brief stint as a professional basketball player, she discovered that she had found her calling as a teacher.
In truth, the only thing that set the wheels in motion for this career path was a personal experience. After working in different schools as an English teacher and later for a photographer one evening a friend asked her to go with him to try out for the Bulgarian national basketball team. Although she knew that the standards for selection are high and that it would be a difficult task to crack the team, Turkmen elected to give it a shot anyway. Her tall height did not prevent her from being one of the fastest scorers in the team, but it certainly helped her gain the confidence needed to succeed in this very competitive sport.