Bina Dekalo and her friend Berta

This is a photo of me and my friend Berta (on the left). It was taken in Lom in the 1930s. After my father Yosif Aroyo went bankrupt in Rousse, we were left with no money and we went to our brother Marco Aroyo in Lom, where he worked as a correspondent in French in the newly-opened branch of the General Bank. Without his help, I wouldn't have been able to finish my high-school education. He insisted that I should study, while I wanted to work and help my parents. I continued to study there in the local Bulgarian high school. There I had a music teacher, Motsev, who had formed a choir, in which I took part. He liked my singing and advised me to apply for the conservatory and study singing.