Hello Everyone,
It’s
hard to believe I’ve already been here five days. Wow.
Tomorrow starts my first full-week of classes. I learned Friday that I did finally get the
Intro to Bulgarian class that I had been hoping for. Maybe now, I’ll actually be able to order
what I want in the canteen. I confused
the poor lady behind the counter when I tried to buy a pack of crackers earlier
today. It took a couple of tries before
everything was figured out.
I’ve
been having a challenge getting over this whole time difference thing. I’m used to going to sleep around midnight or
so back home, but that’s around 7 or 8 am here.
Kind of a problem, although I’m making progress on this. Friday I didn’t surface until around 2,
yesterday it was 1, today it was noon.
I’m getting there.
I can’t
believe how at home I feel here.
Somehow, it doesn’t matter where am I in the world, it always seems like
I’ve been there my whole life after the first few days. It really felt like that yesterday when I was
sitting on a bench outside by the river that runs behind the Skapto campus,
enjoying some of the nice afternoon sunshine.
Apparently all the locals are like the locals back home and when the
weather turns nice they all enjoy a walk along the river. It made for some good people watching.
The old
people sat on the benches gossiping in Bulgarian. Even in a different country and a different
language some things never change. There
were a lot of families out walking as well and the gleeful screams and laughter
of children was an almost constant sound filling the air. It was interesting to see that there almost
as many men pushing strollers as there were women here. Many of the other AUBG students came out as
well. Four guys had set up a pick-up game of soccer, the universal get-together
game, on the lawn next to the library.
Couples held hands or linked arms as they strolled along the
sidewalk. Some of the building security
guards swapped small-talk as they took a smoke break. At one point I saw the hilarious sight of a
little puffy Pomeranian chasing off a German Shepherd looking mutt, one of the
few strays that seem to enjoy hanging out around campus. The snow-capped peaks of the Rila Mountains,
some of the tallest in Bulgaria, rise above the town in the distance. There was even a little taste of home in that
one of the many saplings planted along the walk looked to be a magnolia tree!
One
thing that never ceases to amaze me is that the sun and the stars and the wind
never seem to change wherever you are.
It’s still the same sky that you see back home in North Carolina. The breeze felt just as cool and refreshing
as it does back home and the sun just as warm.
The moon still rises and sets just the same. No matter where you go some things just never
change.
On
Friday, I received an e-mail about becoming a Writing Tutor in the Writing
Center here. I decided that sounded like
fun. Be a good way to spend some of my
spare time and meet some of my fellow students.
I have a meeting with the Writing Center coordinator tomorrow afternoon
between classes. Tomorrow will also be
my first shopping expedition since I got here.
Should be interesting. I also
joined a chapter of the SCA that operates here.
For those of you who don’t know this is the Society for Creative
Anachronism, which re-creates 17th century Europe. This sounds completely amazing as I’m a big
medieval history fan. Turns out my
Advisor is a member of the group and we got on the subject of it when I
commented on her screensaver of medieval photos.
Crossing
the streets here is a rather risky business.
They have crosswalks here, but no crossing signs like back home. They have a couple of police officers at the
main crossing by the Skapto campus, but for the most part you basically just
have to pick what looks like a good opened to cross and start walking, trusting
that the oncoming cars will actually stop rather than run you over. It’s definitely a new experience.
Well,
that’s about all I have for this post.
Keep checking back for more of my adventures in Bulgaria. Until next time!
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