As I wait for Tony to upload some videos for the blog on our laptop, I've decided that I'd write a little post on the internet zala computer.
I would like to say that we've finally gotten ourselves into a routine, but we haven't. Every day is a new adventure. Last Thursday we traveled to Sliven for our "medical exams" which consisted of no shots, no needles, no drawing of blood, but one, "simple" sample. I'll spare details, because I personally think it's really gross and embarrassing, but don't let your imaginations wander too far! :) We worked as usual on Friday, and we were both excited for the weekend.
We had planned a little outing to the nearest city, Kotel. We left on a microbus and wandered around for the day. We bought some peppers from a little pazaar on the street, and even witnessed a Bulgarian wedding celebration complete with the hora dance and a little band playing traditional Bulgarian music. There was a clarinet player attempting to be the violin in the band and he did a pretty good job! When we got home, Tony and I figured out that their song was in 7/8 time. Crazy! Kotel was a really fun little town, and we hope that our next place we live is similar to it. It has the same small town-ish feel that Medven has, but it's got a little more variety as far as stores, restaurants (it actually HAS restaurants), and things to do goes. We got home that night around 6:30.
Sunday we got up to begin our journey to church. We are assigned to a branch in Sliven, which is about an hour and a half away from here if you're driving a car. In order to catch the right buses to get there in time, we went out to the bus stop at 6:30am to board our ambulance that belongs to the orphanage that takes us to the bus station in Kotel. We then boarded a bus to Sliven, and arrived at the church building a little after 8:30...church starts at 10.
The branch was full of wonderfully nice people, who talked to me like I was a normal person, not some weird foreigner. I really liked Relief Society. It reminded me of young women's in Indiana. Just a few women sitting around the table, so tightly knit because they are the only few of their kind around. It felt "real" and genuine to me, and that's the first time in a while that I've felt that way about Relief Society. It was quite refreshing. I couldn't understand the lesson, but my heart was still touched by the faith of the women there. They love each other and you can tell they truly believe in this gospel.
After church we ate lunch with the sisters and elders serving in the branch. It was cool because one of the sister missionaries was a Bulgarian, who Tony baptized while on his mission here. It was nice to get to talk with some Americans and see some familiar sights.
We boarded our bus at 3:30 to go back to Kotel. One thing I don't understand about Bulgaria is that they keep selling tickets for the bus even if there are no seats left. We stood most of the basically 2 hour drive back. What was additionally frustrating is that Tony and I had purchased our tickets an hour before the bus arrived, and most of the people shoving their way in front of us were buying their ticket on the bus. We arrived at Kotel, safe and sound, ready to get off of the bus full of teenagers who thought we were German and who also didn't realize that we spoke/understood Bulgarian. Tony embarrassed them quite a bit when he started speaking to another lady on the bus! They kept trying to figure out what to say to us and trying to take pictures of us...it was weird. So, we're in Kotel, waiting for our little ambulance and what do you know? He forgets us! Again! Yay! We eventually got home at around 8:30 that night. So church from 6:30am-8:30pm....wow. Luckily, we're going to Russe this weekend to visit our friend Krassy and we won't have to ride the bus all over to get to church!
The kids are still wonderful, and we are starting to get to know them and determine goals we want to work on with them. I love being here, it's such a great experience for me.
9/24/08
A Happy Little Song brought to you by the Kids at the Home!
Here are the words in Bulgarian & a funny, literal, English translation:
Зеленчуци който не яде
Той голям не ще да порасте
Не ще има розови страни
Всеки ще го победи
Whoever doesn't eat vegetables
won't grow up big
Won't have rosy sides
and everyone will defeat him.
9/19/08
More Pictures and Videos
Here we are, in Kotel...waiting at the Avtogara
It was super-dee-duper cold!
This is Hrystian, a gypsy kid who tried to get some money from us. Instead, we took a picture.
This is me with Tanya on the left, and Feya on the right
Tony with the same kids
This is the "normal group" They are some spunky little childrens.
This is our internet zala...Tony likes it!
Tony walking down a lonely lane...on a pretty dismal day, too!
This is me in front of our house. It was raining all day.
Um, this is just a random Medven building.
Finding shelter from the rain!
9/17/08
In other news...
We've been told we have to have a medical exam to make sure we aren't carrying any communicable diseases. We cant work with the kids until we go to Sliven (a town about an hour or so away) and let some Bulgar doctors make sure we aren't a threat to the children's health.
Hmm...would've been good to know that we needed this before we left. But, what do you do? I just hate needles *shudder*.
Hmm...would've been good to know that we needed this before we left. But, what do you do? I just hate needles *shudder*.
9/16/08
Another Update
Hello loyal blog readers,
We are finally in our selo, safe and sound. We didn't get here without much stress, though. It wouldn't be our Bulgaria trip if it went smoothly! :) Just kidding. We really enjoyed our time in Sofia, but I think both Tony and I were ready to get out of the big city atmosphere. Neither of us are really into that scene.
We left Sofia on Sunday morning. We took a taxi to the local bus station (with our four suitcases in hand) and loaded on to a big, charter bus with plenty of room for us and all of our junk. The ride to Kotel was a fairly smooth one, and I even slept some of the way! We were pleasantly surprised and began to think that this trip would be smooth sailin', contrary to our beliefs before boarding the bus in Sofia.
We arrived at Sliven, one of the stops on our route, and I heard the "bus attendant" announce that the bus to Kotel would be in Sector 3 (go me for understanding!). I turned to Tony and asked him if I had heard her correctly but he hadn't been listening. He figured we were to be on the nice big bus for the entire trip, which made sense. Come to find out, we were supposed to board a different bus....a micro bus. Now remember, we're toting around 4 suitcases. Obviously, our things didn't fit in the "trunk" of the bus, so we had to load up our stuff in the middle aisles. We were the stupid Americans who had to bring our whole house and home with us on vacation, haha. I made Tony quickly explain to them that we were actually MOVING to Bulgaria, not just visiting. The people on the bus were very helpful and didn't mind our luggage, but we still felt a little dumb.
The ride on the smaller bus was so beautiful. As I looked out the window all I could see was vineyards of grapes for miles and miles! I've never seen so many grapes! We were traveling up in the mountains, and so of course that was lovely. These mountains are more like Virginia mountains than Utah mountains, and I love them. So pretty!
We arrived early to our stop in Kotel, and it was FREEZING outside! We sat on a bench and waited for our ride to come and take us to Medven. We waited......and waited......and looked at our watch to see that it was almost 6pm. Our ride was to pick us up at 5:26. Tony had our new, Bulgarian cell phone on him, and so he whipped it out to call our good friend Nickolai. As you all know, with new cell phones you are supposed to let the batteries run out completely the first time you use it. We had been trying to run the batteries out all week and you know the moment we really need the phone, it dies. We had no batteries in our cell phone, and no place to plug in our charger. We finally asked the worker at the bus station and she let us plug in our phone behind her desk. She was a really friendly lady and was planning on calling us a taxi to take us to the nearest hotel in Kotel if our ride didn't show.
Long story short -- the people had been waiting there since 4:50pm but "didn't see us". Tony and I still have yet to figure out how you don't spot two fair skinned, light-haired Americans with their four suitcases scattered about the bus station sidewalk. But it didn't matter much, we were happy to be out of the cold.
We reached our home in selo Medven and put our suitcases away. This place we are staying in is quite...rustic. I was joking to Tony that we are living in Laura Engell's Bulgaria home (that won't be funny unless you know who she is.....the Little House on the Prairie girl). Our room is really nice, with it's own [small] bathroom. The kitchen is a cellar where the homeowners make Rakia, a homemade brandy. Chicho Kolio tells us that his Rakia is like Fire water. (He even says fire in English, it's funny).
At first I was quite distraught by the looks of our new home, but now I think it's pretty darn cute. I love Maria and Kolio, they are so nice to us and have provided us with everything we need! The people in this selo are some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. They're all so willing to help out and they all say hello as we pass on the street despite our American ways.
The Orphanage!
We began in the orphanage on Monday. We arrived at around 9am and had an orientation of sorts, then after a pochifka (little break) we began working with the children at 2pm. The atmosphere actually reminded me a lot of my old job at the House of Hope.
Most of the kids are mentally handicapped and the majority of them cannot speak and are bedridden. There is a "normal" group but there are only two children who are normal enough to attend the public schools here. Man, these kids are precious. I have learned so much from them! Even the ones that can't speak. One of the little girls named Nadia (she's one of the ones that goes to school) has taught me so much Bulgarian it isn't funny. The kids call me Kako (big sister) and Tony Batko (big brother)...CUTE! They've been singing us this song about зеленчуци (zelenchutsi = vegetables) and I can't get it out of my head. I'm going to tape them doing it and post it here for you all to see. It's great.
I've already grown to love these kids and I'm expecting some great experiences. It will be really sad when we have to leave them, I can already tell.
We are finally in our selo, safe and sound. We didn't get here without much stress, though. It wouldn't be our Bulgaria trip if it went smoothly! :) Just kidding. We really enjoyed our time in Sofia, but I think both Tony and I were ready to get out of the big city atmosphere. Neither of us are really into that scene.
We left Sofia on Sunday morning. We took a taxi to the local bus station (with our four suitcases in hand) and loaded on to a big, charter bus with plenty of room for us and all of our junk. The ride to Kotel was a fairly smooth one, and I even slept some of the way! We were pleasantly surprised and began to think that this trip would be smooth sailin', contrary to our beliefs before boarding the bus in Sofia.
We arrived at Sliven, one of the stops on our route, and I heard the "bus attendant" announce that the bus to Kotel would be in Sector 3 (go me for understanding!). I turned to Tony and asked him if I had heard her correctly but he hadn't been listening. He figured we were to be on the nice big bus for the entire trip, which made sense. Come to find out, we were supposed to board a different bus....a micro bus. Now remember, we're toting around 4 suitcases. Obviously, our things didn't fit in the "trunk" of the bus, so we had to load up our stuff in the middle aisles. We were the stupid Americans who had to bring our whole house and home with us on vacation, haha. I made Tony quickly explain to them that we were actually MOVING to Bulgaria, not just visiting. The people on the bus were very helpful and didn't mind our luggage, but we still felt a little dumb.
The ride on the smaller bus was so beautiful. As I looked out the window all I could see was vineyards of grapes for miles and miles! I've never seen so many grapes! We were traveling up in the mountains, and so of course that was lovely. These mountains are more like Virginia mountains than Utah mountains, and I love them. So pretty!
We arrived early to our stop in Kotel, and it was FREEZING outside! We sat on a bench and waited for our ride to come and take us to Medven. We waited......and waited......and looked at our watch to see that it was almost 6pm. Our ride was to pick us up at 5:26. Tony had our new, Bulgarian cell phone on him, and so he whipped it out to call our good friend Nickolai. As you all know, with new cell phones you are supposed to let the batteries run out completely the first time you use it. We had been trying to run the batteries out all week and you know the moment we really need the phone, it dies. We had no batteries in our cell phone, and no place to plug in our charger. We finally asked the worker at the bus station and she let us plug in our phone behind her desk. She was a really friendly lady and was planning on calling us a taxi to take us to the nearest hotel in Kotel if our ride didn't show.
Long story short -- the people had been waiting there since 4:50pm but "didn't see us". Tony and I still have yet to figure out how you don't spot two fair skinned, light-haired Americans with their four suitcases scattered about the bus station sidewalk. But it didn't matter much, we were happy to be out of the cold.
We reached our home in selo Medven and put our suitcases away. This place we are staying in is quite...rustic. I was joking to Tony that we are living in Laura Engell's Bulgaria home (that won't be funny unless you know who she is.....the Little House on the Prairie girl). Our room is really nice, with it's own [small] bathroom. The kitchen is a cellar where the homeowners make Rakia, a homemade brandy. Chicho Kolio tells us that his Rakia is like Fire water. (He even says fire in English, it's funny).
At first I was quite distraught by the looks of our new home, but now I think it's pretty darn cute. I love Maria and Kolio, they are so nice to us and have provided us with everything we need! The people in this selo are some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. They're all so willing to help out and they all say hello as we pass on the street despite our American ways.
The Orphanage!
We began in the orphanage on Monday. We arrived at around 9am and had an orientation of sorts, then after a pochifka (little break) we began working with the children at 2pm. The atmosphere actually reminded me a lot of my old job at the House of Hope.
Most of the kids are mentally handicapped and the majority of them cannot speak and are bedridden. There is a "normal" group but there are only two children who are normal enough to attend the public schools here. Man, these kids are precious. I have learned so much from them! Even the ones that can't speak. One of the little girls named Nadia (she's one of the ones that goes to school) has taught me so much Bulgarian it isn't funny. The kids call me Kako (big sister) and Tony Batko (big brother)...CUTE! They've been singing us this song about зеленчуци (zelenchutsi = vegetables) and I can't get it out of my head. I'm going to tape them doing it and post it here for you all to see. It's great.
I've already grown to love these kids and I'm expecting some great experiences. It will be really sad when we have to leave them, I can already tell.
Pictures from Bulgaria!
In the Houston airport...
Tony hates layovers.
So do I, but I put on a happy face.
Breakfast in Bulgaria.... 
At the Alexander Nevski Cathedral
Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
We each got some books in Bulgarian to help us study the language.
Tony got Forrest Gump....
and I got Sleeping Beauty!! Haha, we're on different levels, OBVIOUSLY.
Fries and Feta! I told you I'd get some!
More of the Cathedral
Bulgarian Statue of Liberty
9/11/08
We're there...
*This is the same message as the "mass email", so if you recieved that there's no need to read on. Unless, of course, you'd like to read it again. It will be different once we get more pictures and videos taken.*
Wow, we're really here and it's been an adventure already. We arrived yesterday at around 2pm Bulgarian time (9 hours later than Mountain time) on time and to my surprise, with all of our luggage! I thought that they would lose our luggage for sure with all of the crazy connecting flights we had to go through. After we arrived and got our bags, we grabbed a taxi at the airport and headed for our hotel. Holy cow---Europeans drive like madmen! I couldn't bear looking out the front window for fear of crashing into the car ahead of us. It's a very different style out here, more of a "fend for yourself" driving attitude. Same with walking around town, you really have to be confident and kind of just step out in front of traffic. Don't worry, though, Tony and I are nowhere near as confident as the Bulgarians. We usually just find someone to get behind as they cross the street, haha :)
After paying our taxi driver waaaayyy too much money for the ride, we checked in to our hotel and went up to our room. All I can say about our room is... "hahahahaha!" There are two very narrow, very hard, very separate beds to sleep on. In the bathroom, the toilet and shower are basically the same thing with just a curtain separating the two. If someone takes a shower, the floor gets completely wet and drains through a drain in the middle of the bathroom. It's really funny! After sleeping from 6pm to about 2am (we were exhasuted!) we decided to start our day this morning...another fun adventure :).
Our hotel comes with breakfast, so at 7:30 this morning we went down to eat. This morning before breakfast I jokingly commented that I wasn't in the mood for breakfast consisting of hot dogs and cucumbers and that I hoped we had something else to eat. I totally called it! They brought out these pre-prepared plates with...HOT DOGS, cucumbers, tomatoes, a boiled egg, some cheese, and a big loaf of bread. Funny, huh? I tried everything but the hot dogs, and it was really tasty. These cheese was way yummy and I loved the bread. They also served us some herbal tea with breakfast, which is customary here. Herbal tea is something I'm going to have to learn to like. I think it tastes a lot like warm, watered-down kool-aid, but Tony likes it and everyone here seems pretty fond of it so I suppose I can learn to appreciate it. Like almost everything here, it will take some getting used to.
After breakfast, we began our voyage out to the city of Sofia. Yesterday we ventured out to find some food, and because we were so tired and so culture-shocked it wasn't very fun for us. One good part about yesterday was the yummy fruit we got from this adorable little fruit stand in town. I want to go to another one today, but I think we've got enough fruit to last us. I just really liked the little stand :). Today has been really fun! We actually looked at a map to see where we needed to go, which always helps, and decided to head toward the Alexander Nevski cathedral. Wow, that church is really cool. We ran into a church that we thought was the cathedral on the way, but it ended up being a smaller version of it. We walked in to both of them and witnessed some authentic Bugarian Orthodox worship complete with chanting, incense burning, and people constantly crossing themselves as they kissed pictures of different saints. It was a really interesting experience. Sitting in Alexander Nevski was actually an uplifting experience. Even though our beliefs are different from those of the church here, it was still very spiritual. I loved it!
Heading from one spiritual to the next, our second stop was at the LDS Mission Home. We actually just came from there. We talked with the mission president for a while about what branches we would be in, branch president's numbers, and all of that kind of stuff. It sure made me feel a lot better to talk with him about Bugaria. President Bennett gave us his GSM number in case we ever need him. It's comforting to know that more and more people are watching out for us around here. He told us that there is a senior missionary couple living in our Sliven branch, and so maybe we'll be able to get a ride and be on time to church! We were afraid that we would get there 30 minutes late every week because the bus only runs a couple times on Sunday from Medven.
It's funny for me here because after 10 months of learning Bulgarian from Tony...I can't understand a word. If you've ever seen the move The Best Two years, you know the part when Kirby Heyborne first arrives as a missionary and first speaks to a Dutchman and then he says "that's not the language they taught me in the MTC."? That's kind of what I feel like. Today, being more alert and awake, I can understand bits and pieces of things people say, but I'm going to have to work so hard! And the nodding the head the wrong way is confusing the heck out of me! For "no" they nod their head up and down like we would for "yes", and for yes, its like we would shake our heads back and forth for "no". AHH! I think I've confused a couple people and heaven knows they're confusing me. It's nuts! Even the missionaries do it! I don't know if I'll ever get used to that, but hopefully I can fake it well enough to get by.
We still have yet to find an internet cafe near our hotel, but President Bennett gave us the name of a girl who works in our hotel building so hopefully she can help us find our way around Sofia. If we find a cafe close by, you can expect a couple more emails from us before we leave for Medven. After we get there, it's going to be a different story. We'll have to find out where the cafes are in Kotel. But never fear! We'll let you know every step of the way.
Sunday is our last day in Sofia and we will take a bus to Kotel to meet the director of the orphanage. We'll be working at the orphanage starting on Monday. I'm so excited!!! We'll send as many updates as we can! We'll get some pictures up once we've actually taken some. We only have a couple right now.
Until next time...
Wow, we're really here and it's been an adventure already. We arrived yesterday at around 2pm Bulgarian time (9 hours later than Mountain time) on time and to my surprise, with all of our luggage! I thought that they would lose our luggage for sure with all of the crazy connecting flights we had to go through. After we arrived and got our bags, we grabbed a taxi at the airport and headed for our hotel. Holy cow---Europeans drive like madmen! I couldn't bear looking out the front window for fear of crashing into the car ahead of us. It's a very different style out here, more of a "fend for yourself" driving attitude. Same with walking around town, you really have to be confident and kind of just step out in front of traffic. Don't worry, though, Tony and I are nowhere near as confident as the Bulgarians. We usually just find someone to get behind as they cross the street, haha :)
After paying our taxi driver waaaayyy too much money for the ride, we checked in to our hotel and went up to our room. All I can say about our room is... "hahahahaha!" There are two very narrow, very hard, very separate beds to sleep on. In the bathroom, the toilet and shower are basically the same thing with just a curtain separating the two. If someone takes a shower, the floor gets completely wet and drains through a drain in the middle of the bathroom. It's really funny! After sleeping from 6pm to about 2am (we were exhasuted!) we decided to start our day this morning...another fun adventure :).
Our hotel comes with breakfast, so at 7:30 this morning we went down to eat. This morning before breakfast I jokingly commented that I wasn't in the mood for breakfast consisting of hot dogs and cucumbers and that I hoped we had something else to eat. I totally called it! They brought out these pre-prepared plates with...HOT DOGS, cucumbers, tomatoes, a boiled egg, some cheese, and a big loaf of bread. Funny, huh? I tried everything but the hot dogs, and it was really tasty. These cheese was way yummy and I loved the bread. They also served us some herbal tea with breakfast, which is customary here. Herbal tea is something I'm going to have to learn to like. I think it tastes a lot like warm, watered-down kool-aid, but Tony likes it and everyone here seems pretty fond of it so I suppose I can learn to appreciate it. Like almost everything here, it will take some getting used to.
After breakfast, we began our voyage out to the city of Sofia. Yesterday we ventured out to find some food, and because we were so tired and so culture-shocked it wasn't very fun for us. One good part about yesterday was the yummy fruit we got from this adorable little fruit stand in town. I want to go to another one today, but I think we've got enough fruit to last us. I just really liked the little stand :). Today has been really fun! We actually looked at a map to see where we needed to go, which always helps, and decided to head toward the Alexander Nevski cathedral. Wow, that church is really cool. We ran into a church that we thought was the cathedral on the way, but it ended up being a smaller version of it. We walked in to both of them and witnessed some authentic Bugarian Orthodox worship complete with chanting, incense burning, and people constantly crossing themselves as they kissed pictures of different saints. It was a really interesting experience. Sitting in Alexander Nevski was actually an uplifting experience. Even though our beliefs are different from those of the church here, it was still very spiritual. I loved it!
Heading from one spiritual to the next, our second stop was at the LDS Mission Home. We actually just came from there. We talked with the mission president for a while about what branches we would be in, branch president's numbers, and all of that kind of stuff. It sure made me feel a lot better to talk with him about Bugaria. President Bennett gave us his GSM number in case we ever need him. It's comforting to know that more and more people are watching out for us around here. He told us that there is a senior missionary couple living in our Sliven branch, and so maybe we'll be able to get a ride and be on time to church! We were afraid that we would get there 30 minutes late every week because the bus only runs a couple times on Sunday from Medven.
It's funny for me here because after 10 months of learning Bulgarian from Tony...I can't understand a word. If you've ever seen the move The Best Two years, you know the part when Kirby Heyborne first arrives as a missionary and first speaks to a Dutchman and then he says "that's not the language they taught me in the MTC."? That's kind of what I feel like. Today, being more alert and awake, I can understand bits and pieces of things people say, but I'm going to have to work so hard! And the nodding the head the wrong way is confusing the heck out of me! For "no" they nod their head up and down like we would for "yes", and for yes, its like we would shake our heads back and forth for "no". AHH! I think I've confused a couple people and heaven knows they're confusing me. It's nuts! Even the missionaries do it! I don't know if I'll ever get used to that, but hopefully I can fake it well enough to get by.
We still have yet to find an internet cafe near our hotel, but President Bennett gave us the name of a girl who works in our hotel building so hopefully she can help us find our way around Sofia. If we find a cafe close by, you can expect a couple more emails from us before we leave for Medven. After we get there, it's going to be a different story. We'll have to find out where the cafes are in Kotel. But never fear! We'll let you know every step of the way.
Sunday is our last day in Sofia and we will take a bus to Kotel to meet the director of the orphanage. We'll be working at the orphanage starting on Monday. I'm so excited!!! We'll send as many updates as we can! We'll get some pictures up once we've actually taken some. We only have a couple right now.
Until next time...
9/7/08
Before we go...
Wow, time really does fly! We are leaving tomorrow for Bulgaria (well, at midnight we can say that). As I scramble to finish preparing for our trip (arranging cell phone plans, credit cards, etc.) I keep thinking of all of the things I'll encounter in Bulgaria...and all of the things I won't.
So, here's a list of some of the things I'm excited to experience in Bulgaria:
1. French fries and feta cheese and diuners. When Tony told me about this french fry concoction, I thought it sounded SO odd. But, don't knock it 'til you try it! I made a version of it and I love, love, love it! I used greek feta cheese and so I'm excited to experience BULGARIAN french fries and feta. Yummmy! It will probably be the first thing I get while I'm there. As far as diuners go, I've only heard lots of good things about them, and I'm really excited to try them!
2. Big city vacation, small town life. We are planning on spending four days in Sofia before we start working in the orphanage. On Sunday we'll move to Medven and begin our selo (village) adventure. It will be so nice to be in this beautiful, tucked away town with a mere 260 population. I think I'll learn so much from Medven and the people there.
3. Helping children. Over the past year this has become one of my favorite things to do. My job at House of Hope was all about helping children and I can't find a greater joy than the feeling I get when I've helped a child. I can't wait for this experience!
4. Getting better at Bulgarian. Even though I'm semi-dreading this part of the internship, I know that I'll speak better Bulgarian when we return and that makes me excited! Maybe we'll post some Hollie Bulgarian improvements videos on here every once in a while so you can see my progress :).
...and here are some things I'll miss while in Bulgaria:
1. Talking to family & friends on my cell phone. We'll have GSM cell phones in Bulgaria, but I don't think we'll be able to just call up the fam whenever we darn well please. I have to admit I'll miss that.
2. ENGLISH. My brain hurts just thinking about the fact that in our village there won't be a single person who speaks a word of English. I know enough Bulgarian to get by, but the thought of not being able to understand well is frustrating. I always feel like the kid trying to converse with the grown ups when I speak Bulgarian.
3. Tacos, ketchup, and other sauces known to Americans (BBQ, for example). We are planning on going to the store tomorrow to pick up some of the dry packets of gravy, taco seasoning, pasta sauce, etc. But the meat in Bulgaria is minced meat. Basically half pork and half beef, because it's cheaper that way. So, no matter what we bring to Americanize our meals, it won't be the same. I am very excited for the food, but I know I'm gonna miss my Peanut Butter sometimes!
4. The luxury of having the Internet when I want it and where I want it. Living in a selo (village) is going to teach me a lot about luxury items and how I can live without them, but I am going to miss the convenience of wireless Internet. We'll have to travel 15 minutes on a bus to the city to go to an Internet cafe for Internet usage. It will be good for me....but I'll hate it.
I'm nervous. I'm anxious. I'm worried. And I'm SOOOO ready to go!!!!! :) :)
So, here's a list of some of the things I'm excited to experience in Bulgaria:
1. French fries and feta cheese and diuners. When Tony told me about this french fry concoction, I thought it sounded SO odd. But, don't knock it 'til you try it! I made a version of it and I love, love, love it! I used greek feta cheese and so I'm excited to experience BULGARIAN french fries and feta. Yummmy! It will probably be the first thing I get while I'm there. As far as diuners go, I've only heard lots of good things about them, and I'm really excited to try them!
2. Big city vacation, small town life. We are planning on spending four days in Sofia before we start working in the orphanage. On Sunday we'll move to Medven and begin our selo (village) adventure. It will be so nice to be in this beautiful, tucked away town with a mere 260 population. I think I'll learn so much from Medven and the people there.
3. Helping children. Over the past year this has become one of my favorite things to do. My job at House of Hope was all about helping children and I can't find a greater joy than the feeling I get when I've helped a child. I can't wait for this experience!
4. Getting better at Bulgarian. Even though I'm semi-dreading this part of the internship, I know that I'll speak better Bulgarian when we return and that makes me excited! Maybe we'll post some Hollie Bulgarian improvements videos on here every once in a while so you can see my progress :).
...and here are some things I'll miss while in Bulgaria:
1. Talking to family & friends on my cell phone. We'll have GSM cell phones in Bulgaria, but I don't think we'll be able to just call up the fam whenever we darn well please. I have to admit I'll miss that.
2. ENGLISH. My brain hurts just thinking about the fact that in our village there won't be a single person who speaks a word of English. I know enough Bulgarian to get by, but the thought of not being able to understand well is frustrating. I always feel like the kid trying to converse with the grown ups when I speak Bulgarian.
3. Tacos, ketchup, and other sauces known to Americans (BBQ, for example). We are planning on going to the store tomorrow to pick up some of the dry packets of gravy, taco seasoning, pasta sauce, etc. But the meat in Bulgaria is minced meat. Basically half pork and half beef, because it's cheaper that way. So, no matter what we bring to Americanize our meals, it won't be the same. I am very excited for the food, but I know I'm gonna miss my Peanut Butter sometimes!
4. The luxury of having the Internet when I want it and where I want it. Living in a selo (village) is going to teach me a lot about luxury items and how I can live without them, but I am going to miss the convenience of wireless Internet. We'll have to travel 15 minutes on a bus to the city to go to an Internet cafe for Internet usage. It will be good for me....but I'll hate it.
I'm nervous. I'm anxious. I'm worried. And I'm SOOOO ready to go!!!!! :) :)
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