Weekends of Fun

I am going to be a busy kid for the next couple of weekends. Last weekend, I visited the Fulbrighter in Haskovo for Indian food and wonderful conversation along with several Peace Corps Volunteers. It was a lovely quick break from the mountain of grading I have, and it was really nice to talk to new people. I was there for just about 24 hours, and it was really nice.

This weekend, I'm going here. There is a Survakari Festival in a town near Sofia. According to tradition, men in the village dress up either around the New Year (Survakari) or right before spring (Kukeri) and dance to ward off evil spirits and bring in luck and fertility. Around Sofia, men dance around the New Year and are called Survakari, and that is who I'm going to see. Around Stara Zagora, there are Kukeri who dance in early spring, but I don't know yet if I'll be in town for any of the dances because of spring break.

Next weekend, I'll be here at the largest monastery in Bulgaria. Fulbright has arranged for all of us to be given a tour of the monastery. It should be cold but incredible. The pictures look amazing. I can't imagine what it will look like in person!

After that, I'll be in Stara for several weekends, getting ready for a possible trip to Vienna followed by spring break in the UK with Kari and Mitch. I hope all is going well with you guys, and that you aren't freezing this winter!