At The Opera Tonight!

Hello fellow world enthusiasts!!

The internet went wonky here yesterday so...no post. I am sorry! But I will make it up to you.

Aida: We are lucky that we have a Mozart festival playing literally in our backyard with these gorgeous sets and amazing singers. I went to watch it with the other Fulbrighter’s and we got all dressed up, grabbed our cameras and settled in. It was beautiful, but I still can’t help but prefer the musical. Maybe because I am only at intermediate Italian so there are some lost parts, but also because the ending is sadder in the opera. The Egyptian man and the Nubian woman who have fallen in love in a time of war and against all the rules are buried alive together, but in the musical they are reunited in the next life showing that love truly never dies. A very beautiful thought (even for a cynic about love like me.) However a man spun fire and awhile after the opera when I was in my pajama shorts and tank in the lobby I got off of the elevator and walked straight into the fire man who laughed at me in a friendly way and said goodnight. I am so lucky to have these fun cultural exchanges!  

Dressed for the Opera!

There are so many beautiful things I am learning here. I am learning that there is a Fulbrighter here named Aviva that wants to be a clinical psychologist and is a truly inspiring person. She also plans to direct the Vagina Monologues at a university and I am hoping to take the bus to Varna and join in. Spread feminism, attack sexist issues, and have fun while doing it. 

Then there is Jake who is always a laugh, in the best possible way. He likes to get us really excited and energetic so we can make it through a hectic day. He will do funny things like the other day, he was so thrilled he remembered “bagladaria” which is how you say “thank you” that when the restaurant worker responded in Bulgaria he panicked, not remembering what to say next and gave her two thumbs up walking away! Then would struggle eating eggs out of tiny bowls, and we have a great time as a group at breakfast just bonding, discussing life, our homes, fandom, the “Southern Region Rangers,” and comment on our fantastic teacher who when we said the word for free she responded with “freedom is an illusion.” I agree but god we love her! 

We also have “cat time” here! Back story: When I went to live in the Czech Republic I left my cat who is a “tortoise” cat which only bonds to one person, at home. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old, she is extremely bonded to me, we “talk” since she has a voice box, and she has to touch me to fall asleep.  Well when I moved there for the summer after the first week she was not eating, sleeping dangerously on the stairs where someone could step on her and looking out the door. So my mother takes my kitty to the vet who asks if there was a major environment change for my kitty and they say no. So the vey asks who usually feeds her etc. and when she found out it was me, I am her mother, and I am in a different country she was adamant that, that was the biggest possible environmental change! What we ended up doing was skyping every day for a few moments so she could hear my voice or see my face and instantly she was back to eating. While here I now skype my mom during lunch at 2, which is 7 am her time when she is getting ready for work and my cat will eat then. But the other amigos here overheard what I was doing and now they join in, meowing at her or asking if it is cat time. It is a silly tradition I know but I am glad people are joining in and having fun with it. Plus my kitty is eating.

Angry that her Mommy is gone!

Fun fact section: in Bulgarian “here” is TYK and “there” is TAM…but TYK is pronounced “took” like the last name of the hobbits in the Lord of the Rings…I am overwhelmingly thrilled every time I say that word! We also learned the words for things like “free” and now I use it in the most ridiculous situations like when a baby is allowed out of his high chair I say he is “svaborna” which is how you pronounce it. Or when I want juice it is pronounced “sock” so I combine the two to reference Dobby from Harry Potter and say that by giving Dobby juice he is free!

Today:

So as you all read I arrived here very ill but it hasn’t left me yet. Today I was so sick during language class that the man in front of me who is a professor at the conference turned around and after asking how I was, he sent me back to my room to rest. He went to my instructor for me to tell her I needed to rest and it was truly wonderful of him. His name is George, which just made me think of my godfather and how supportive he has always been about my health and life choices. I ended up napping in my room after being sick some more and finally felt better. The head of my program offered to take me to the hospital, but I wanted to stay here. They think I probably got food poisoning L but it was comforting how much they focused on my being well over missing half a class. 

He is brilliant and very "House" like

We ended up at a round table discussion regarding journalism and though we were all tired and thought it was not required and had the grumbles when we found out it was- god was I glad we went! First off we found out a lot about the Bulgarian culture and media over here. Bulgarian papers and media are not allowed to mention bank names or criticize, the same with politicians during election season. And many papers are owned by a monopoly so it is hard for journalists to make a living on the truth.

Further though, the Professor at the table was the equivalent to the Bulgarian Hugh Laurie. He was amazing and brilliant. You could tell he couldn’t stand when someone spoke who wasn’t as intelligent. I asked him for his information after to follow his writings as well as for my sister Kate, who is a journalist and I think she’d like his writings. He took a picture with me and I was over the moon!

Tonight we have the first week closing ceremony at the Golf Club, which is a fancy event and I am pretty excited. This first week has been a wonderful experience of learning Bulgarian language, preparing to teach 540 students, bonding with each other, forming inside jokes, preparing for travels, plotting adventures, and having a wonderful time. This is truly the first week of the rest of our amazing lives and impacting others lives. Dream come true!

Tomorrow we travel to Saeva Dupka cave and the Troyan Monastery! I can’t wait to report back with pictures!

Anna

Today's song is:  "Every story is a love story" from Aida the Broadway musical. It let's you think about love never dying. I like to insert "passion" for love, and my passion for being an activist will hopefully never die. But it also points out that human kind has sweeped throughout history and it is good to think on that, how unique each persons story is and take that to heart when you discount others, their rights, and their lives. (Warning it seriously kicks it at 2:30, don't put it up too high!)