Christmas

Sometimes, I wonder if Bulgaria is partly a test from God. Not to go all religious on you or anything, but I've found my faith both challenged and strengthened here. Don't get me wrong, some of my best memories will always be from Bulgaria. But I have had to grow in so many ways. I am supposed to be at home right now for Christmas. But due to a crazy impenetrable fog, no flights left Sofia yesterday. And due to the blizzard last week, flights to North America are booked solid through Christmas. In other words, because I missed yesterday's flight, I was up a creek without a paddle. Lufthansa told me that the soonest they could get me home was Christmas Day. I cried. And to put it all in perspective, the man behind the counter told me that he was supposed to be going to see his mom in New York that Sunday. But he no longer could go because of the craziness of flights. I don't know if he gave up his flight out of sympathy or has to work that day now because of everything or what. But he also doesn't get to go home. I felt so alone. And upset. And I finally came to terms with it today when I went to the airport to see all of my friends off on their flights. All three of them were able to fly out today. And I was left alone in Sofia. But despite feeling alone, I was incredibly happy for them. I returned to my hotel room prepared to cry and watch movies, and I found a message under my door telling me to call Lufthansa right away. I called and was told that they have found a way to fly me home tomorrow. The man at the counter kept looking for a flight for me even after I left. Because he knew how important it was to me to be home for the holidays. So, please cross your fingers that I am able to fly out of Sofia tomorrow morning in time to spend Christmas with my family. Much love and Merry Christmas.

Baking Cakes and Eating Eggs

I had an excellent day today. My classes were a bit hectic, mainly because my twelfth graders are getting extremely restless as Christmas break approaches, but I was able to spend my entire evening with some friends, which was quite nice. One of my fellow teachers, Mima, invited me over to her home tonight along with my new friend, Stefka - a former student of Mima's who is my age. We spent the whole afternoon and evening baking cake and pie and sampling them. Mima is an excellent cook, but she wanted to learn some more recipes for desserts. So, I taught her how to make my Grandma Mohs' apple crisp, and Stefka taught us how to make banana white chocolate cake. It basically tastes like banana bread with white chocolate and whipped cream. Very yummy. I ruined the crumble for the top of my apple crisp, and it ended up being more of a pie crust than a crumble, but it tasted good. So, it all worked out in the end.

While we were waiting for pies and cakes to cook, Mima made some dinner. It was a dish called Panagyurishte (don't quote me on the spelling), and it is named after the town where it is popular. Basically, you put some cerene (a white Bulgarian cheese similar to feta but more pungent) on a plate. On top of this, you place some poached eggs (Mima fried ours because it was easier and faster). Then, you put some garlic through a press and mix it with plain yogurt and a bit of salt, and you put the mixture on top of the eggs. Finally, you heat up some butter in a pan, add paprika, mix them together, and pour that on top of the yogurt. Then you eat it all with toast. It was really good. I'm definitely going to try this recipe at home. I'm not sure if it will be completely successful since I won't be able to get good Bulgarian cheese and yogurt, but I'll be able to make something similar for my family to try.

Over eggs, pie, and cake, the three of us discussed womens' rights. It was a fascinating conversation because we all disagreed and agreed on different points. Basically, we were discussing whether women or men are to blame for the poor treatment and objectification that women often receive in Bulgaria. This problem is not unique to Bulgaria, but for tonight, we focused our attentions here. Mima argued that women are to blame because they do not do anything to demand respect for themselves, and they pander to the stereotypes, but Stefka argued that men are to blame for making women feel like their only chances for success are to pander to men and to dress like sexual objects. She argued that men need to stop looking at girls lecherously and allow women the freedom to dress as they please. I do not think it is the fault of women but of society as a whole, men and women. Society constructs our ideas of gender. But, I agree with Mima that the solution must come from women because they are the victims. Men are happy with the status quo and will do little to change it. If women wish to change their role, they must stand up and declare their intentions and desires. This is true everywhere and for other, similar cases. I believe that people who want to change their circumstances and situation cannot sit around waiting for someone else to change it for them. They have to work to change it for themselves. Only then will others join them to create change.

And now, I'm heading to bed because I'm stuffed full and sleepy!

Chilling in Stara Zagora

The weather here is driving me nuts. Last Friday, I wandered town in a t-shirt and jeans. By Monday, I was wearing a sweatshirt, winter coat, and scarf to work and was still chilly. Today, warm again. Not quite t-shirt weather, but getting up there again. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. As most of you know, I hate being cold. I don't mind winter as long as I am bundled up in cute, warm, winter gear, but I prefer being warm to being cold. So, the warm weather is quite nice. I couldn't walk around much today due to some strange tummy upsettedness and a huge stack of grading I needed to get through, but I have managed to get out a lot more than I expected this December due to the surprisingly pleasant weather. It feels like September back home. But this back and forth stuff has to stop. I'm going crazy. I like being warm, not on fire. And lately, I'm on fire. I dress for cold weather and am fine most days, and then out of nowhere, I'm sweating and panting and dying in my sweatshirt as it hits 60 degrees or more. I'm told that cold will come, and it will come with a vengeance. In the meantime, however, I'm not really sure what each day will bring. I guess I ought to think of it as an adventure.

In other news, my wonderful mommy has sent me another package (she's amazing!) filled with Kraft mac and cheese. I just ate an entire package of mac and cheese in one sitting. I'm blaming that mostly on the fact that I haven't really eaten today due to not feeling well. And the fact that it's Kraft mac and cheese. It's delicious and tastes like home. It's interesting how I have begun to crave foods that remind me of home even though I don't really eat those foods at home very often. I can't really remember the last time I had Kraft mac and cheese before Bulgaria. I'm the same way with peanut butter these days. And I've been craving steak. I almost never eat red meat. Maybe I just need more protein. That would explain the peanut butter and the steak...I wonder what peanut butter would taste like ON a steak...

I feel like this post is really disjointed, but I only have little things to share this week instead of one big story to tie everything together. I start auditions next week for the spring play. I'm flying by the seat of my pants, and it's both terrifying and really fun. I modernized a shortened script for Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing. The script should be about one hour in length now. I'm also going to add some song and dance to it because my students really wanted a musical. I'm not really up to doing a musical. But, Shakespeare originally ended his plays with a dance. And there are two different party scenes in Much Ado. And nothing goes better at parties than song and dance. I'm not doing anything about singers and dancers till after break, though. Next week is just about finding actors. Luckily, I have several students who have already expressed interest. Hopefully, they'll show up for the audition, and this show will get off the ground. Next week, I cast the show and then leave town Thursday night. I have been summoned to Sofia by the Fulbright Commission to make my midyear report. After our meeting, I'm staying with a friend in Sofia until my flight home on the 22nd. Merry Christmas! I'll be home two weeks from today!

By the way, the Fulbright Commission sent me pictures this week from their visit to my school back in early November. Enjoy!

From the left: My principal, my mentor, the director of the Bulgarian Fulbright commission, my contact person in the commission, me, and another member of the commission. Notice how professional they all look compared to me. :P

Maria (my contact in the commission) grew up in Stara Zagora. She invited me to her mother's house for tea and coffee, and we had a really long talk about Van Gogh. It was excellent. :)

Orphan Thanksgiving

Last week was Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving away from my family ever. Luckily, I'm friends with some pretty amazing people, and a bunch of us decided to get together for an orphan Thanksgiving in Sofia. My friends Katie and Keith agreed to host the entire shindig, and they managed to rustle up two turkeys from somewhere. Everything else was potluck. I taught myself how to make pumpkin pie from scratch, and it turned out amazingly good. Ellen helped out by making crust, and between the two of us, we made four pies. Only three made it to the party. The fourth mysteriously disappeared. :)

The party was an amazing tribute to friendship and fun when far, far from the comforts of home. Not all of the Fulbrighters were able to make it, but those of us who did had a blast. Enjoy the pictures!

Laura Y, Byeong-Hun, Mark, Katie, and Ellen. There's a whole lot of plaid going on.

All of the gang who made it to the party. I'm on the right side. What a fun looking group! :)

Drinking wine out of plastic cups and eating brie off of napkins while waiting for the turkey to finish roasting. This is way classier than Thanksgiving at home.

And then we looked out the window and saw a political protest going on. Super cool.

Our amazing spread. It included turkey, broccoli, an eggplant dish, a Korean pancake thing, carrots, cabbage salad, squash lasagna, mushrooms on garlic bread, and brie with crackers. And to top it all off, apple and pumpkin pie with ice cream for dessert. It was an excellent Thanksgiving, and it helped dispel the touch of loneliness brought on by holidays away from home.

London, Take Two

Here's the rest of our time in London, by photograph:

The British Museum

The Elgin Marbles! I've also seen the blank spot on the Parthenon in Athens where they're supposed to go. Now, the puzzle is complete. :)

The Egyptian goddess Hathor

War Horse, the play we saw in London. It was incredible. It's set in WWI and had huge puppets of horses. The whole thing was just absolutely amazing. I can't even describe it.

Warming up with lattes while waiting for the theatre to open.

I miss the theatre!!!

The Tate Modern. I don't have any pictures from inside, but it was one of the best put together modern art exhibits I've ever seen. I'm not a huge modern art fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed this museum.

Shakespeare's Globe. Drool.

Crossing the pedestrian bridge to the other half of London. It was super windy and cold!

Egyptian obelisk! You can't really see it in this picture, but it's there!

See? I told you so. And you doubted me...

So. Good.

Trafalgar Square by night. I love this city.

London Part 1

I've decided to separate London into two posts because there are so many pictures involved! Even though Ellen and I were only in London for two and a half days, we managed to see an incredible amount of stuff. We went to the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum, the Tate Modern Art Museum, a play, and a showing of Harry Potter. Plus, we walked all over the place just soaking in the view and being surrounded by native English speakers. I love Bulgaria, but at times, I really miss hearing English spoken all around me everywhere I go. It's hard not being able to understand the majority of what's going on around me. Mike and Deb let us stay with them while we were in London, and it was great to see them again as well. It feels like just yesterday that I was visiting them from Malta, but it's actually been almost three years now. Time flies! Anyways, on to the pictures!

Mike and Deb. I swear, they never age. This is exactly how I remember them looking eighteen years ago.

Jazz! She was adorable, but she made me miss my puppies back home!

Waiting for the train into London

Looking adorable and ready for a day in London

My favorite place in all of London - the Imperial War Museum

Truth.

One of my absolute favorite posters of all time

Recreation of the trenches

Bulgarian soldier, WWI

Bad form, Peter. Bad form.

Cruising around Krakow

I hope you're all ready for some image overload. Krakow was a beautiful city, and I took tons of amazing pictures there. I've narrowed the list down to some of my favorites, but it's still a lot of photos. Do not be misled, however. I was in Krakow for a conference, and I spent most of my time in class. These pictures were taken during lunch and dinner breaks. Most of my time was spent in the hotel conference room stuffing myself on delicious Polish snacks and way too much coffee while listening to presenters and trading advice and ideas. The conference was quite interesting. I took away a lot of useful information and also discarded some advice that did not apply to my situation. I think that most conferences go that way, though. Some ideas and activities really click well and prove useful, and then there are other ideas or activities that you would probably never use. I'm happy to have participated not only because I learned from my classes but because it gave me the opportunity to talk to my colleagues around Eastern Europe. The conference was for all of the Fulbright ETA's teaching in Eastern Europe, and I got to learn about their classrooms and what they have found useful as well as share my own stories and successes. While I disagreed with some of the management advice given, I walked away with a lot of ideas for activities and lessons that I hope will prove useful, especially with the ninth graders. I'm hoping to implement some of my new ideas in the spring. In the meantime, enjoy some beautiful pictures of Krakow!

The church in the center of Krakow

Same church, different angle

Love this building!

Central market where you can buy amber and pottery and other souvenirs

This used to be the town hall, but only the tower is still standing

On our way to visit Jagiellonian University, one of the oldest universities in Europe

Rocking my nerdy smile

Inside the courtyard of the university

I want one of these! You put a book on each little shelf thing, and then you can spin the wheel and access up to six books at one time. So cool!

Playing the artsy Chopin piano with my friend Laura

We found a cupcake store! So yummy!!

Krakow at night. Look at the way the light throws up a bat signal on the opposite building. :P

April Uprising

In the late 1300's, Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and remained subject to the Ottoman Turks until 1878. From April to May of 1876, Bulgarians rose up, unsuccessfully, against the Turks in what is now known as the April Uprising. Although the Uprising was ultimately unsuccessful, the violent repression of the Bulgarian rebels created sympathy for the Bulgarian liberation movement across Europe and the United States. In 1877-78, the Russians came to the aid of the Bulgarians in the Russo-Turkish War, and the Bulgarians finally achieved independence. The April Uprising began in the small town of Koprivshtitsa, and Fulbright took a trip to the town to see some of the houses of the rebels.

Arriving in Koprivshtitsa

The house of the merchant where the uniforms of the rebels were made

Awesome, hand-painted detailing

Love the view!

The house of Dimcho Debelyanov, a famous Bulgarian poet who died in WWI

A statue of Dimcho's mother, awaiting his return

Tiny doorways!

The bell that rang to announce the April uprising.

Todor Kableshkov, one of the leaders of the April Uprising. After the uprising began, he sent a letter to a nearby town to let them know that things had begun. After signing the letter, he drew a cross on it with the blood of the first Turk slain in the uprising. His tombstone has a gun and knife crossed on it. I'm both frightened and fascinated by this man...