I'm loving it...

…First - A Public Service Announcement: I had every intention of updating this sooner and more regularly. Truly I did. But as it happens, time (made swift with the excitement of a new experience) has gotten away from me. I do upload pictures fairly frequently, so if you scroll down a bit to click on the Flickr Pics! link on the left hand side or any of the pics here in the blog, it will take you directly to my Flickr account featuring many more photos that are hopefully as interesting for you to view as they have been for me to take. It's also my goal to try to update at least once a week as Bulgaria is a tremendously fascinating place... and if I do my job right, perhaps I will persuade at least a few of you to visit me...

Now onto your regularly scheduled programming…

I left Maryland on December 21 having packed everything I possibly could into two suitcases, a backpack and a laptop case… not a lot of space for what I presume will be two years, but, overall I was pleased. I became slightly less pleased as I trudged my way through the myriad lines and security checkpoints and downright concerned as I waited at the gate for United/Lufthansa to assign me a seat. Apparently the flight was overbooked. For a few anxious minutes, I was worried that I would be left behind, and briefly pondered if pleading my way into the cockpit might be an option… would cleavage work… or would I have to resort to a cash tip? Gosh, maybe if all else failed they could strap me to the wing and provide me with a blanket and an oxygen mask? Perhaps, if I was really lucky, a pillow too?

But all the worrying was for naught because eventually one of the representatives handed me a boarding pass. As it happens, they had even upgraded me free of charge and I excitedly made my way onto the jet ahead of all of the coach passengers feeling oh so rich, undeniably suave and, it must be said, very, very sexy. Until, that is, I arrived at my seat and realized almost instantly I was going to have to work really hard to keep my cool as my first instinct was to jump up and down, grab my cell phone and call everyone I know squealing, “I am in first class! I am IN FIRST CLASS!!” They checked our coats. They gave us champagne and a little dish of warm nuts at take off. They plied us with free wine, green salad, crab salad, filet mignon, potatoes, fresh asparagus, ice cream and a goody bag with warm socks, a toothbrush and one of those sleeping masks. We had even had what amounted to Air Beds with fluffy pillows, extra long blankets and our own private TVs. Later I learned I was actually in Business Class. I can’t even begin to imagine what the First Class passengers had that we didn’t… probably they got to take home, like, Prada handbags, Sony Play Stations or, I don’t know, maybe Plasma screen TVs or something. Regardless, I thus decree this should be my new method of travel forever and ever... provided it is free. I knew I was missing out on something by opting to pursue my career in the nonprofit sector.

Anyway, following a nice (albeit brief) rest and an incredible breakfast of croissants and fresh fruit, we landed in Frankfurt. I have to say I detest this airport. It’s positively sprawling… it took me forever to find a place to buy a water… the bathrooms are super tiny… and people are smoking everywhere. Welcome to Europe! However, my distaste of my layover location was strongly tempered by the knowledge that I was but a two hour flight away from my ultimate destination.

The second flight was not nearly so luxurious… and I had the dreaded middle seat… but I chatted amicably with the two Bulgarians on either side of me and proceeded to get more and more excited as we flew over the Alps. Once we landed, I traversed easily through the passport checkpoint and made my way to find my bags. After watching the same bags circle aimlessly for 45 minutes, presently I realized, unlike me, my suitcases evidently had not made it to Sofia. Given the number of people grumbling unhappily at the luggage carousel, I was not the only one in this predicament. Regrettably I could not find someone who could explain what I needed to do in English, so I fretted and paced and fretted some more hoping that I could somehow spontaneously learn to speak fluent Bulgarian. After about ten minutes of this – and still no miraculous Bulgarian skills gained - I changed some money so I could use the pay phone, but as it turns out – go figure - all of the pay phones are in Cyrillic, so I couldn’t decipher what I was supposed to do or, for that matter, how much I was supposed to pay. I should clarify, I place the blame for this confusion solely on my shoulders. A few months ago I took pains to learn the Cyrillic alphabet and a few important phrases, but under pressure, everything I had learned simply disappeared from my head and I grew more and more agitated. I knew Ryan was waiting for me, but I couldn’t call him to tell him what was going on, nor could I exactly gaily sail on past Customs to tell him in person. To add to my stress, for all I knew some hairy, sweaty, burly man in Frankfurt was now happily sorting through my sweaters and trying on my lingerie.

Swell.

Thankfully, several people who spoke English took pity on me. A young girl of about 12 or so took me by the arm, leading me to the line of people waiting to claim lost luggage and a man kindly let me use his cell phone to inform Ryan that I was here, but was officially immersed in lost luggage hell. Ultimately I was told my suitcases had been left behind in Frankfurt, but that they would deliver them to our hotel at about midnight that evening. Satisfied with this outcome, I made my way through Customs... and through the crowd of people milling about, Ryan stepped forward and gave me a huge smile, hug and kiss. Call it cheesy if you will, but after five months of separation, the reunion absolutely made everything worth it!

We checked in to the Hotel Jasmin, which was excellent, and enjoyed a very nice dinner... not to mention just being with each other. I was so excited so see Ryan… and to actually be in Bulgaria… that I wasn’t even tired. We stayed up as late as possible, catching up, making a valiant (and, as it turns out, successful) effort at helping me avoid jet lag. The next morning, Ryan and I headed to the bus station. It was jam packed and we wound up having to wait about four hours for a bus to Ryan's site in Stara Zagora, so we sat on my suitcases and munched on slices of pizza. The ride from Sofia is quite scenic as you drive past mountains, rivers, small towns and lovely (but bare, given the season) countryside. Additionally, my fears of sharing bus-space with chickens or other domestic animals were completely unfounded; in Bulgaria public transportation is generally clean and, on longer trips, may also include a beverage service and movie.

Since my arrival in Stara Zagora, we have spent a lot of time just hanging out… as well as introducing me to the local establishments. Stara Zagora is a truly beautiful city of about 180,000 people and features Neolithic dwellings, the Roman Forum, an opera house, and numerous outstanding restaurants and bars. Additionally, Ryan lives right off a tree-lined street close to the center of town, making it very convenient. If you click on the videos below, you can catch an idea of what the elevators are like in his building (scary)…

…and his apartment (huge)…

Christmas was wonderful; we spent much of the day just being lazy and opening presents and stockings generously sent courtesy of Santa and Ryan’s mom (Thanks Gloria!) Later we joined Shane, one of Ryan’s site mates, for dinner at Venezia, an Italian restaurant with tasty pizza and cheap wine.

New Years Eve was one for the proverbial record books. A few of Ryan’s friends and fellow Peace Corps Volunteers came to Stara Zagora and we spent some time trying to find an open restaurant. Most, however, were either closed or designated for private (and expensive!) parties, so we wound up grabbing some duners and heading back to Ryan’s apartment. For those of you who are curious, duners are one of my new favorite foods and are composed of a warm pita filled with a spicy yogurt sauce, French fries and rotisserie style chicken or lamb shaved off a spit… similar to a gyro, they are yummy and cheap! Anyway, we came back to Ryan’s apartment and shared some laughs, as well as wine, homemade rakia (Bulgarian moonshine), and a few games of Apples to Apples.

Shortly before midnight we went onto Ryan’s balcony to watch the absolutely amazing fireworks unfold. The most spectacular displays were launched from the roof of the Municipality, but enthusiastic amateur pyrotechnics fired off their own fireworks all around the city so we were presented with a 180 degree show for at least 30 – 40 minutes. The clip below is only a small portion of what we saw. I had to cut out a great deal as I tended to repeat myself over and over again with articulate and enlightened phrases like “Wow!” and “This is incredible!" and "Wow!" and "It's, like, 360 degrees!” and “Sh*t it’s cold!” And, of course, the ever popular "Wow!" Plus a smattering of very creative and emphatic curse words. (It really was very cold). Anyway, in the interest of editorial conservatism, I ended up with what you’ll find below.

After the show ended, we went down to the town center to find live music and everyone dancing the horo. It reminded me very much of Greek dancing and in my inebriated state, I felt certain I could join in… so we grabbed hands with fellow Stara Zagorans and horo we did. It was great fun, although I was hardly Dancing with the Stars material…. as it turns out my memory of the exact steps was somewhat faulty, so a lot of what I did was smile and kick my legs around as I moved in a circle, much less competently I assure you, than the folks in the video below.

Anyway, our night ended with us heading back to Ryan's place to crash. And the fun hasn't ended there... all in all I am having a terrific time here. Trying to get a job is somewhat challenging as I sort out work permits, D visas and long term residency. It is a complicated process, but I feel confident it will all work out. I do have a cell phone, as well as an address to which you can send stuff (if you’re so inclined)… big thanks to Laura and Jessica/Nick who have sent a package and card respectively, so if you’d like to join in with mailing long distance love, send me an e-mail and I’ll give you the info! However, that aforementioned long distance love also comes across quite well via Skype - and that's free, so sign up for an account today so we can chat!

I have quite a bit more I want to share, but this is running obnoxiously long at this point, so for now I will sign off with a hearty "приятна вечер"(pronounced "Priatna Vecher" and meaning, naturally, "Have a Good Evening").