This is the sign we made for our community project...and by "made" I mean we provided the funding in order for my host dad and helper to make this sign for the town.
Then we had an unveiling ceremony. Here the mayor (my mom) is giving a speech. We said a poem in Bulgarian, a speech in Bulgarian, some kids said a poem in English, and we even had a singing group! It was very special.
My satellite Group with our language trainer Veronica after swearing-in.
(Me, Mary, Veronica, Adrienne, Thomas)
My Host family and I. I love them.
(Dad, Mom, Inni-green, Didi-blue)
The morning I left after the cry fest.
(Me, Didi, Baba, Inni, Daido)
My New House, Kitchen looking toward living room.
Tiny Kitchen and front door.
Living Room. Side 1. Pink walls.
Living Room. Side 2. Dining area.
Living Room, side 3. New Nice Cabinets.
Hallway to bathroom and Bedroom.
Bedroom sitting area? yes, the chairs are covered in blue velvet and those are fake flowers.
Bed. You may notice the velvet thing above the bed...most likely used for a T.V. You may also notice the plastic bull, and the tiny ship in a bottle.
I thought you would be interested to see a closer look at the bull that is on my bed.
DINO Schnitzel! (aka Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets!) I was STOKED.
I decided to label everything in my house so that I would learn the Bulgarian words.
This was says, "Тиган" which translates to "frying pan." I forgot that I put it on the bottom, and proceeded to cook. whoops. I have since removed some of the labels.
Well...My first week went by great! It was nice to get some much needed rest and relaxation. I find that now that I have privacy and I can, I no longer wear pants at home (it's rather hot here)
I am loving cooking and so far have made (among other things): Chicken Curry, Fajitas (including tortillas), Banana bread (2 actually-one burnt, and the other turned out lovely!)
Here's a great story from week one:
The Time I Nearly Flooded my Apartment
By Katelyn
I was taking my wednesday morning душ (shower), bez Adrienne, and decided to shave my legs. So with conditioner in my hair and razor in my hand, I decided that to save water I would turn off the water for the time being, but as I turned the knob the water pressure rose (and it gets high here! seriously tons of water). I thought, whoops! I shall turn it the other way, but the water kept gushing out all the same and I realized that the water was continuing to pour out at full pressure no matter what I attempted! Before I knew it, water covered my bathroom floor and there was nothing to stop it from leaking into the hallway! So, I grabbed my huge washing tubs (3 big tubs for washing my clothes) and put them under the tap. I realized I had to find tools at once in my apartment to stop the water BUT I didn't own any tools!!! Oi Vey! Then I remembered that my landlords had left things in random drawers and places around the house. So, my very naked and wet self ran around frantically searching for tools, all the while the tubs filled completely and the water was drowning my bathroom and leaking into my hallway. I kept thinking to myself, "This is NOT a good way to meet your neighbors!! I must find tools!" Finally, and luckily, I found a set of pliers and a screwdriver! Praise Jesus. So, naked me ran back, and I was able to unscrew the covering, jam the nob back into place and miraculously got the water to turn off. I have since had no problems with this knob (is it nob or knob?). I used the water in the tubs (now the only hot water left in my house) to get the conditioner out of my hair. It wasn't until after I soaked up all the water in my bathroom and hallway (luckily both tiled floors), and got myself back together that I realized that all the blinds in my living room were wide open and all the people in the block apartments across from me could have easily seen this whole debacle. And that is how I came to be known as the crazy naked american living in Svishtov.
