Back again

Sorry! I haven't updated in awhile. I've been on the move again. I went to an education conference in Krakow, Poland followed by a visit to my godparents in London. Both were absolutely amazing, but I'm exhausted now! Six plane rides in seven days. Yikes! I am now back in Stara Zagora and settling back into my routine. My students had a free period last week while I was gone and some were a little overwhelmed by the idea that they have to work now that I'm back again. Luckily, they're all bright kids and will get right back into the routine. I have assigned my eleventh graders a 2-3 page essay on White Fang. They were horrified. Apparently, the thought of writing three whole pages is ludicrous. I have complete confidence in them. More so than they have in themselves, apparently. What a lot of them forget is that they wrote a 1-2 page essay for me that they did not do any research for. Add in a little bit of research, and 2-3 pages becomes easy as pie. I don't understand that expression, by the way. Pie is not all that easy. It's not as difficult as, say, a souffle, but it's not exactly a baked potato either.

Speaking of pie, Thanksgiving is in two days! I am having a few of my fellow teachers over tomorrow night for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner of roasted chicken, corn, and roast pumpkin. Plus, I'm considering attempting some traditional Bulgarian salads (Mlechna - a yogurt and cucumber salad and the ever present Shopska salata - cucumbers, tomatoes, and cheese). I'm having my Stara celebration a day early since I will be on a bus to Sofia Thursday night. I'm headed to Sofia in order to attend the Sofia opening of Harry Potter as well as the Fulbright Orphan Thanksgiving. A bunch of us Fulbrighters are getting together for a potluck Thanksgiving dinner. I'm bringing pumpkin pie and white wine. I left a bunch of baking supplies with a friend in Sofia. So, all I have to do is roast and drain some pumpkin to bring with me on Thursday, and I'm set. Ellen is making the crusts, and I'm providing the filling. I'm capable of both, but we decided it would go much faster if we teamed up. That way, we can crank out two or three pies instead of just one. I'm so excited!

I'll be posting my photos and stories from Poland and England either today or tomorrow. So, keep an eye on things. :)