"That we won't even discuss, 'cause what we got that can't smother, we trade our life for no other, they've only got one another, but we've. got. us!!"
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| CHILDHOOD LOVE! |
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| Undergrad graduation day |
Fun moment: Today marks my 4th completed month in Bulgaria. One of my students yesterday told me this is my "graduation day" that I am now really a teacher here and fit in I suppose. Weird to think I have yet again matriculated, and yet my bonds grow stronger with some students and I feel like maybe it's appropriate!
I spent the last weekend in Sofia, the capital of
Bulgaria. Yes I call it the capital to my students as I constantly try to
reference literature, esp fun literature like the Hunger Games. (Not that kids
killing each other is cool, it isn’t but you get my point!)  |
| Why is it always clowns? |
I took the 1 am bus on Wednesday to get in at 7 am so I
could go to see a specialist in Sofia since there seems to be complications
from my surgery in February. I got to the bus station and began to read “The
Fault In Our Stars” which is a horrible and wonderful book. Horrible because it
basically reminds me of the years I spent being ill and terminal and how it
tore me apart to see my mom wonder if I would die. Wonderful because it is a
beacon of hope and filled with dark humor that I completely understand. Found
me bus to find my doctor and when I got there I felt like I was in the hotel in
the 7th season of Doctor Who where one door held my greatest fear.
It was very different from American hospitals, which I mean
fair enough it’s a different country. But the doors had lights and words in
Bulgarian that I couldn’t read and I just had to play it by ear hoping I got to
see the Doctor! Then after I walked around until I found my return bus and
checked into my hotel to sleep off the very long night. I don’t know when I got
old, but I got old!
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| When 23 became old? |
I went to dinner with Carolyn and had a wonderful time, then
prepared for the next day when we would tour the US embassy and figure out if
we wanted to apply for the foreign service. Boy was it a great tour! I loved
it! I would definitely love that type of job. Then we had the rest of the day
to bond some more and catch up on everything we’ve been missing in each others
lives.
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| What I want to tell my students about dreams |
Fulbrighters are a very interesting breed my dear readers.
We are pretty intelligent and we can sit together debating gender and
stereotypes for hours, but we also want to just relax and just let go
sometimes. So we went to see Catching Fire! It was fantastic! I had already
seen it with my sister, Kate, when she came to visit but it was nice to just go
and sit with my friends and relax. It was also nice to get to know some of my
colleagues better. One totally understands what it is like to always be ill and
we had a great discussion about how you live with that and stay upbeat.
Then the next day was the 100 Days in Bulgaria
presentations! We discussed our schools and how Harry Potter totally lied to us
with those Durmstrang students who are perfect and obedient, and well behaved
and how half the time our students are opening umbrellas in class and dancing.
J.K. Rowling LIED TO ME! Lol.
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| Seriously, first knowledge of BG |
But we supported each other, we listened to each others
struggles, and we shared each others joys. Thus the muppet quote for the title
of this post! It’s fantastic to have this support system and it’s also really
cool because one of the Fulbrighter’s has these adorable children that we are
fortunate enough to get to interact with and they are delightful! I had tons of
fun with them, singing reindeer songs and discussing getting their 2 front
teeth for Christmas. We had a great Christmas party at the Fulbright office
which was interesting because last year I was at my departments Christmas party
with all adults, and tequila, and fun; and I could have never imagined being at
this Christmas party this year! But we all walked home together with me
carrying Annabet so she
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| she caught tons! |
I took a nice long shower, and went to bed happily. Then the
next day we were up and off to the Rila Monastery. Ladies and gentlemen if you
have no seen the Rila Monastery, you have not witnessed one of the best man
made gifts in Eastern Europe. It was gorgeous! Even better in the snow so I am
told! We got there and it was freezing which didn’t work out well for Jake
since he only had a vest and fingerless gloves. One woman asked me: Why is your
colleague dressed that way? To which I responded with a dead serious face: Well
, you see, he’s chosen the thug life, and once you’ve chosen the thug life you
can’t go back, not even in times of snow. The woman took a moment and then very
seriously: oh, well, I see. To which I smiled and said: nah, I’m just kidding,
he is just crazy and didn’t buy a winter coat yet!
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| It was gorgeous!! |
I wish I could have used this humor on our tour guide though
as she was a captain crabby pants who glared at us most of the time. But as
usual we all tried to still enjoy and really take in the beautiful artifacts.
As my first major was History of Archaeology, Archives, and Museum Work, this
was especially pleasurable for me! Then we went back outside throwing snow
balls and seeing the actual church and just enjoying both the glorious beauty
of the paintings and church as well as the beauty of the nature around us.
Leaving was hard but we went to get lunch before having a tour at the American
University for Bulgaria, in Belouevgrad.
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| There is absolutely no purpose for this. I just loved it. |
The tour was pretty nice, it reminded me why I wish I’d
really done college tours before I went to undergrad. It’s an essential part of
applying. But it also made me feel so old! I finished undergrad, I’m half way
through my MA, and I am living here. It’s weird to be back at an undergrad
institution and just seeing students who want to apply. Seriously, WHEN DID I
GET OLD?!?!
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| Basically |
Then after the tour we headed back and I went for dinner
with a few of the Fulbright ladies just celebrating the weekend and
reconnecting. It is very hard being so far apart. Especailly since I know that
it would be much easier for me if I was nearer to Kelly and Kaitlyn, we really
get along well and it’s hard to be so far from them when we are a great support
system. But we enjoyed, went back to pack up and hit the hay for our final
night in a truly amazing hotel (seriously if you hit up Sofia, go to the Best
Western Thracian Hotel) really nice!
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| "I'm not sure how well this plan was thought out!" |
The next day we were up and at breakfast where I got to
commandeer my little helpers to help me check my room for anything I missed.
Annabet really wanted to see my hotel room so I brought her up to play there
and enjoy. She told me how much she did like learning Turkish, but that
Bulgarian was a bunch of silly words so it was ok. From the mouth of a 5 year
old ladies and gentleman, I really enjoyed that moment. Then it was grabbing a
taxi together (during the ride we made up a group story about a princess who is
looking for her lost wizard in the desert and there are pirates, and T-Rex, and
magic, and butterflies, you really missed out!) then got on my bus for home.
On my bus though I got an awesome surprise. I was seat 5
which means I am supposed to get a
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| Just let me have my seat! |
It’s always hard to leave each other but ironically I
constantly use a quote fro Horatio Hornblower to get through it:
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| So many places left to go! |
"Just thinking of the distances we travel and yet how far
we've still to sail as men." (Just change it to "women")
Tonight’s song is from the Muppets showing just how crazy we
Fulbrighter’s are but how wonderful it is to just have us!
For some reason Youtube wasn't working but follow this, or just punch in "Muppets and Dom Deluise!"
Anna
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