I have now been in Bulgaria for 6 months! Lots of things have happened, birthdays celebrated, holidays celebrated, and I have changed as well....but I still have 21 more months in Bulgaria, so bring it on!
Ways in which I have Changed:
- Literally, I am WAY older (I had my birthday in October-it was wonderfully celebrated but I didn't get married...black sheep of the family for only girl who didn't getting married at 23...)
- I speak Bulgarian fluently (oh wait, that's still not true...dag.)
- I make everything from scratch
- I find large cups of coffee from Starbucks daunting and can not drink it all before it gets cold (this was never an issue before)
- I am attracted to any guy that speaks English (seriously, my standards have lowered significantly and am terrified of what will happen when I return to an English speaking country)
- I feel the need to purchase the following:
- Leather Jacket
- Knee-High Boots
- Another Track Suit
- Skinny Jeans (just super tight clothes in general)
- Cheese (сирене at least once a week)
- More Dresses
- Coffee out of a Coffee Vending machine at least once a day
- Things that I feel I must do:
- eat bread with every meal
- run home to do laundry when it's sunny
- put corn and/or pickles on my pizza
- remove my shoes and put on my slippers immediately upon returning home
- Beliefs I have acquired:
- There are only 2 types of beer in the world: light for summer and dark for winter
- Yelling makes people understand you better
- Cappuccinos are made from sugary powders out of packages
- Huge chain stores are amazing! (especially, if they are German. Now hang on all you hipsters! I remember when I used to root for the little man but honestly-If I want thai food there is no other option!-plus big ones carry EVERYTHING! Incredible!)
- Chocolate Croissants are Bomb!
- There needs to be an hour everyday dedicated to Wafers (вафла-o'clock)
- Things that no longer surprise me:
- Bulgarian Bands playing right outside my door in the hallway of my apartment building-yeah, whatev. (found out it was just for a wedding-no biggie)
- A classroom will never be entirely quiet
- People will randomly show-up at my house without prior warning
- Yelling is acceptable in every situation
- The fact that every student in my class fell under the fashion category of "clubber"- as in someone dressed ready to "hit the clubs" (no goths, no skaters, no grungers, etc. -I'm pretty sure most people in Bulgaria would fall under this category also)
- There's no such thing as "stopping by"-if someone comes to my house or I go to someone else's, it is expected that the guest will get coffee, juice, wafers, chocolates, and cakes And stay for about 3 hours.
Well that's all I think of right now. Here are some highlights of the last month or so:
- My Birthday
- The Bulgarian Band playing literally right outside my door
- Halloween at my school-weeklong festivities. kids got really into it-sneak a peak at my halloween photo album
- VAC Meeting-lots accomplished. exciting things for PC Bulgaria
- Halloween Party in V.T.-I photo-bombed the night away
- My appliances now all work!!
- So far, November has been SUNNY AND WARM!
I'm doing fairly well, my work here is really hard and draining but I think that things will get easier and better with time. Luckily, I love teaching and still love my kids at the end of the day. Keep me in your thoughts and your prayers!
