My Classroom

Finally, I've taken photos of my classroom so you can see some of the cool stuff my kids have created.  You know how I love souvenirs!

A poster of what happens to the brain when impacted by corruption...done as part of a pop-art/postmodern project.

On top of the bookshelf are pyramids showing the evolution of music and it's relationship to race relations.

On the 10th grade bulletin board are images related to Hemingway and WWI.

The shirt shows how cool smoking looks on the outside, and how dangerous it is on the inside.

And, of course, this is my super-cool bulletin board created from all the photos you guys have so generously been sending me.  Thank you!

All that Jazz

Inside the National Theatre

Before I get going about the theatre (yay!), my friend and tech guru, John, created a feed for you loyal readers to access the blog. (For those of you who use feedreaders...aren't we all so tech-savvy these days?)  Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to know when I update.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/GormandizingBulgaria

On to All that Jazz...in the midst of the gas crisis (check out this news report for an alarming description of the impact: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28692207, controversial art, and protests (about which I haven't blogged, but I'm sure you've seen the news...there have been multiple and sometimes violent protests the past week, continuing this weekend, in front of parliament about corruption in the government and such...) that make you all think I live in a third world country, I got a taste of Bulgarian progress. 

Boris Pankin, the performing arts director at school, is also a director at the Ivan Ivanov Bulgarian National Theatre. He very generously took Betsy and me to see his production of All that Jazz. For the non-theatre folk in my audience let me give you a brief backstory: All that Jazz, the 1979 movie about Bob Fosse was never performed on stage. Boris contacted Sony and acquired the rights to turn it into a stage production, and to translate the dialogue into Bulgarian (though he kept the musical numbers in English.) He told us that he was later contacted by Fosse's daughter by letter wishing him success with this project. So cool. So what we saw is theatre history, and successful history at that as it is running in it's fourth year. Also of note is that musical theatre is virtually nonexistent in Bulgaria. There are actors, singers, and dancers in the country, but no one is trained to do all and incorporate them into musicals. Boris and his team have provided all of the training for these performers. It's pretty amazing.

props backstage...the white bed which was used in the second act was our hangout

When we went downtown on Thursday night, Boris showed us other theatres on "Bulgarian Broadway" including the military theatre, where all members of the company were in the armed forces, the theatre of tears and laughter, the all comedy theatre, Theatre 199, so named for its 199 seats, and the Children's Theatre, currently showing Oliver (shown in that order below).

He taught us that the Bulgarian version of "break a leg" is "have a nice trip" and that their superstition is to never whistle (apparently it invites the audience to whistle back.) We toured the theatre, which is beautiful, hung out backstage before the show and during intermission (actually sitting on props from the show), and met everyone from the stage manager to the props guys, the lighting designer to some of the most famous stage and tv actors in the country. We watched some rehearsals before moving to the best seats in the house. They were all so nice to us! The theatre community here is small and friendly. Perhaps the highlight of the evening for me was when Boris gave us permission to photo and film anything we wanted, even during the show.

pre-show rehearsal

Enjoy the benefit of Boris's generosity and the best of Bulgarian theatre in photos! I'll upload video under a separate post.

For more video, photos and stories, check out Betsy's blog entries:

http://fromanotherangle-bb.blogspot.com/

European Art

Tonight I am attending a production of All that Jazz at the Bulgarian National Theatre. I am lucky to be friends with the director of the National Theatre. He is giving me a tour and introducing me to everyone before the performance. Of course I'll photograph this awesome opportunity to share with you all. Until then, have a little entertainment in the form of installation art. For those who don't read the BBC website regularly, check out this link to a story that has upset Bulgaria in its controversial portrayal of my current home:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7827738.stm

Check out this link

As I am sick and dying (okay, and a little melodramatic, but seriously, I have such a nasty sinus infection and cold...I'm so gross;) I can't leave my house.  (Which, by the way is a GREAT excuse to avoid the gym and instead catch up on all the Oscar-nominated films, but sadly counts me out of fun social engagements as well.)  This means no new photos for you guys.  Instead, I'll pacify you with a link to my friend's blog.  He's a way funnier writer and way better photographer than I am anyway.  Please note - I am the nameless colleague in the most recent post, as if you couldn't have guessed!

http://isoglossia.com/

Happy reading!

За много години!

With the return to school, I have been negligent in taking out the camera to document the insane snow, so this post will be sans-photos. (I know you upstate New Yorkers think 6-8 inches is no big deal, but please remember we have no salt here! Furthermore, if you'll recall October heating woes, it seems we are not out of the woods yet...evidently, thanks to Putin's embargo, Sofia is without central heating beginning today, indefinitely until our supply is restored. Considering it was -5 centegrade this morning, classrooms and flats are going to get cold fast! Looks like I'll be using my oven and dryer for warmth again.) Speaking of the return to school...I came back yesterday expecting questions about the holidays and travel, but instead was greeted repeatedly with the phrase, "Happy New Year for many years!" (Yes, my students said it to me in English.) They all also came in with very specific wishes for my happy new year, including our traditional health and prosperity, but also wonderful trips, good food, good times with friends, visits from family, etc... It was an unexpected and lovely moment of Bulgarian culture. And in other very exciting news, for two consecutive days, the faculty bathroom in my building has had toilet paper and soap - yay for starting the new year off right!

And now, in spite of my resolutions to enjoy the little things, embrace my inner Italian and New Yorker, and to truly live carpe diem...that planning queen is still lurking...thus I leave you to go grade papers, hang pictures, research tickets to Vienna, and write a semester final before I can begin planning my next 3 units. (Note to anyone who has stuff for 1984, Heart of Darkness, or Things Fall Apart - I'll gladly take handouts!) It is my hope to have the semester planned before my trip (I think to Istanbul) at the end of the month.

Before I go, I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to print photos and trek to the post office to mail packages to me. My bulletin board rocks! I'll take some classroom shots when I bring my camera to campus this week and show you the fruits of your labors. Other upcoming posts will include William, Williams, and the neighborhood dogs (who have finally returned in search of food after the fireworks scare of New Year's Eve), and the Bulgarian National Theatre which I have been invited to tour backstage.

With that, I wish you all a happy new year, za mnogo godini (За много години)!

Budapest - Churches and Nativities

Budapest - city of food and drinks

Unfortunately, I did a terrible job documenting my food consumption in Budapest.  We ate at Iguana's Bar and Grill - a Mexican place that had great guacamole, but after our day at the baths, I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures!  I also forgot to take photos at Mamma, an amazing Italian place near the basilica.  We had bruschetta pizza, pumpkin ravioli, a gorgeous fennel salad, and tirimisu.  Below are the places that I did remember to photo:

Almond hot chocolate, french chocolate cake, and cream dessert - yum!

These amazing coal-fired and grilled treats were both breakfast and dessert on this trip.  They tasted a bit like a cross between a cinnamon-sugar pretzel and a donut.

This was dinner on Christmas Eve.  Clearly I was hungry, as I forgot to take a picture until I was almost done eating!  I had veal paprikash with cabbage and potato dumplings.

And these are the rolls that Alanna kept insisting were potatoes

Fun signs!

Things to see and do in Budapest

It seems appropriate to begin my "Things to see and do in Budapest" post with a cow.  Those of you who have been following my travel adventures know that I am frequently on a hunt for various animals of the art world.  There was Cow Parade in New York, the horses of Saratoga, and the infamous Pike's Place pig hunt in Seattle (where I proudly photgraphed 88 of the 100 pigs hidden throughout the city).  Imagine my pleasure to discover a stray cow in Pest!  Sadly, he did not have any friends.

Alanna and Roxanne after a day at the Szechenyi baths.  This was awesome!  We were in 46 degree (Celsius) water, outside on a day that was below freezing.  The steam was coming off the pools and we bathed as the sun set.  

After j-walking across a major intersection (and stopping traffic!), Alanna thought a simulated picture of our game of Frogger was in order.

Gerbeaud's cafe.  We ate breakfast here one day and watched the musical and light show another evening.

Inside the National Opera House

St. Stephen's Basilica on Christmas night

Parliament

Apparently, the sculptor of the lions, upon realizing his lions were flawed (they have no tongues) was so distraught that he drowned himself in the Danube.