Sofia: The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

Other than riding the new metro out to Mladost (life altering!), Sofia wasn't any different than two years ago. Surprisingly both my geography and Bulgarian were up to par, providing for pleasant taxi experiences and tours.

I got to eat at all of my favorite places, including the doner stand in Mladost 1A by my old apartment, Под липите, and Annette. But more importantly, I got to spend time (not nearly enough!) with my favorite people, J&M and the boys, J, and R.

Mama still guards campus. She likes me much better now that I arrive sans-Arissa.

Pretty much everyone who heard I was traveling to Bulgaria for my February vacation thought I was crazy. "Why would you go to Sofia?" I won't deny that it's an unusual choice, or that it's a touch place to live, but I'm grateful both for the opportunity to have lived there, and for the chance to go back and share it as a tourist. Seeing the city through new eyes, it's a place that exists now in more than just stories, but is immortalized forever in sensory experiences and, of course, (get 'er done, JDS) Sofia BINGO :)

Довиждане Bulgaria!

Now that I've been home for five weeks, I'm finally getting around to writing this final post to say goodbye to Bulgaria.  

Many events took place this year that at the time I didn't understand, but looking back, I am once again reminded that everything happens for a reason.  Under Marie's tutelage, I've followed the road signs of the universe and they have led me to a pretty great place, home.  As Andre Aciman said, "One always longs for the other home but home, as one learns soon enough, is a place where one imagines or remembers other homes."  Leaving Bulgaria is bittersweet.  It has become home, one where I dreamt of New York, yet also one I am sad to leave behind.  As I depart from good new friends, shared experiences, crazy sights, intense history, exhilarating travel, and life-altering memories, I fly to a common history, an easy life I will no longer take for granted, a new sense of silliness and adventure, good old friends, and a newly deepened connection with family.  Home truly is where the heart is - after living abroad, mine is with all of you  For those who kept me close this year, thank you.  

And now...what I will miss about living in Bulgaria:

the Stephens family!

"I'll ram ya!"

PT Cruiser

the morning dude

"Stop building crap!"

too many dicks on the dance floor

dick in a box and sugar lumps

Polski food and music

the Soup Kitchen

hot and sour

coconut chicken ginger

chicken and dumpling

ESKIMO PIES

walking to and from school - the jungle way

solving the problems of the world, the meaning of life, and political discussions

buddies in self-destructive behavior

dorm life!

skyping my next-door neighbors

sporcling 

never-never land

rediscovering music

walking with my ipod, belting it out

tons of new tunes

cool computer tricks

ninjavideo

Seyna and Eastern European waxing

my dressmaker

Boris and the theatre

cream puffs

tik vanik

shopska

parsley croquettes

kavarma

mish mash

doners

tiramisu

dinner on the roof of Spag Co

cafe culture and sitting for hours

wine, lots of wine

power yoga

yoga mat naps!

the plethora of incongruities

Bulgarian BINGO

Bulgarian time

fashion

birthday wishes and chocolates

"Happy new..."

Baba Marta

partying like it's St. George's Day

school security guards

lunch dates and walks 'round campus

open campus and ten minute breaks

students who say hello and goodbye

travel

airport ease

all night skype dates

ям

I have so many wonderful memories and I have learned so much. Because this post is for posterity, I'll focus only on the good of Bulgaria.  (It isn't necessary to enumerate all the ways in which New York rules.  Any time I need a reminder, I can just play "Ode to Bulgaria," the best gift ever!  Thanks Danny!)  But NY is not my only home; Bulgaria became my home too...so my friends, though we're scattering far and wide, no tears unless they are tears of laughter because our paths will cross again as we text, email, blog, and skype to plan where we'll meet and what we'll eat! 

Here's to life lessons, forever friends, health and happiness - nazdrave!

"Ode to Bulgaria"

Oh, to live in Bulgaria..

We have New York steaks, smothered in onions

You have poorly paved roads that give your feet bunions

We have filets, prepared medium rare

You have magic rubbish that floats through the air 

We have chili, just bubbling with cheddar

You have "yellow cheese", now which one tastes better?

Our hot dogs and cold cuts sure are delicious

Your boiled eggs and oatmeal, I guess, are nutritious 

We have supermarkets, with items galore

You have fruit stands, and butchers, and corner stores

We swipe a card and go on our way

While you sit counting leva, just trying to pay

When we take a cab, we know what we're getting

Yours turns off the meter and leaves you there fretting

We have Spanish and Hindi, but English abounds

Your alphabet has numbers, and letters turned 'round

We have White Castle, baked goods, and Broadway

You have a calendar to mark off each lost day

For a quick home-cooked snack, we grab mac and cheese

Well, you can have it too! Just say "Fed-Ex" Please

A trip to Manhattan yields the best pizza but

the best you can do is good old Pizza Hut

Macaroni, sausage, and homemade meatballs?

Bad water, no fennel, and ground beef recalls

The one thing I'll give you is the splendor of your cream puffs

and how you dive in after rolling up your sleeve cuffs

When you speak of them, my ears do start buzzin'

If only I could walk to Wegmans and pay 3.99 a dozen :D

I guess which you like is a matter of preference

Unfortunately for you, time is of the essence

So make up your mind, decide what to do 

Then on your foot, get "I Eat" tattooed 

Whether you stay or whether you go

Each one of us loves you, this much you know

So drink cappuccino and eat tiramisu

And keep in your heart that we all miss you

Now, as for my poem, it's come to an end

It's almost midnight, and oh yes, my friend

I live in America, so this I can do

Order my takeout until well after two

What should I have? Well let me see

The possibilities are endless, but maybe Chinese

I'll pick what I want, and dial a phone

And in no time at all, they'll come to my home

I love this country!

татуировка

Go ahead...look up that title in a Bulgarian-English dictionary...I'll wait.

After visiting the passport office to renew my Bulgarian ID card, I headed to the mosque to relax by the fountain and listen to the call to prayer.  Cat met me downtown and we did some tourist kitsch shopping...cyrillic t-shirts, etc..  (There are some cool pics from the underground passage with Roman ruins that will appear in a later post.)  After shopping, we met up with Jess, had a little adventure, and ended the evening with dinner at Annette, my favorite Moroccan restaurant.  (Pictures of the food will also appear in a later post.)  Below are the amaretto sours we invented, since they weren't on the menu, but the staff there indulged us.  After our little adventure, we needed them!

The adventure began earlier that afternoon when Ivo called тату MoHиka to inquire about appointments.  He was assured that an appointment was unnecessary, on a weekday evening we could just walk in.  He got directions (which were fantastic, thank goodness, since I appear to have lost all sense of how to get around Sofia), and found out the price.  Apparently there is a minimum charge for any size up to the equivalent of a box of cigarettes...nice standard of measure, isn't it?  

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a shirtless man in white shorts, who Cat and Jess assure me wasn't wearing any underwear...it seems this time, my tendency to be oblivious was useful.  In any case, he was very nice, realized we were the internationals who had called earlier, and though he spoke no English, simplified his speech enough that Jess was able to understand - yay for Jessica's Bulgarian skills!  Basically, they were busy, but had a guy at another location 200 meters away who could help us.  That guy would arrive in 5 minutes to pick us up.  In the meantime, cigarette in hand, he offered us all beer, which we politely declined.  

Other guy did indeed arrive in only 5 minutes (this was a good omen, since in Bulgarian time 5 minutes could really have been anywhere from 5-45 minutes...in that sense, I fit right in!)  He walked us to his place, which was certainly NOT 200 meters away...maybe 2000.  Below are some pictures of his studio:

the view from his window...oh yes, we were in the basement!

Here is the artist at work.  Fortunately, his limited English was not a concern.  Someone was definitely looking out for me.  This studio was much cleaner (notice he's wearing gloves), he wasn't drinking or smoking, and he had a girlfriend who spoke perfect English and translated exactly what I wanted.  Phew!

Yes, you may think I'm crazy.  I prefer adventurous, thank you.  As you can see, I lived to tell about it and I'm still smiling!

The final product, hours after completion...the drafting ink hadn't even all washed off yet.

Yes, it's a Bulgarian word, written in Cyrillic.  But I'm not telling what it means or where it is!

Below is the video for the song we were singing after this little adventure:

We should do this more often!

We've had lots of school functions and staff parties this year, but the St. George's Day celebration on Friday night was by far the best! Back in December, the international staff hosted an American Thanksgiving for the Bulgarian faculty. We spent numerous hours slaving away in the cafeteria kitchens (quite an adventure!) to make lots of turkey, stuffing, and fixings (I was on team dessert, of course...pumpkin, apple, and banana cream pie...see December blog posts for pictures). The Bulgarians reciprocated by hosting this party. Traditional Bulgarian food such as roast lamb was served; however, their efforts were concentrated on the entertainment, as you can see in the videos. The combination of being outdoors, great event planning, and music made this a night to remember...we should do this so much more often!

Here is a little history on St. George's Day. And yes, we know it was on May 6, which was the end of a long weekend holiday (I was in Baden Baden then). We were going to celebrate on May 29, but our party was postponed. So, we were a month late, but not to worry...our party was worth the wait!

From novinite.com:

Bulgaria Celebrates St. George's Day
Society | May 6, 2008, Tuesday


Hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians are celebrating their name days on St. George's Day, May 6. Picture by webcrafts.bg
Bulgarians are celebrating Tuesday (May 6) "Gergyovden" - the day of one the most popular saints - St. George, who is among the few venerated by Christians and Muslims alike.

St. George was a Roman officer during the rule of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), who became one of the martyrs for Christianity. He was tortured and then beheaded (on April 23, 306) because of his refusal to renounce his Christian faith.

The holy martyr St. George the Victor has been considered one of the most important Saints ever since Christianity became the official state religion in Bulgaria in the 9th century.

In Bulgaria St. George is the patron of spring verdure and fertility, and of shepherds and farmers. His Day, May 6, is believed to set in summer and the new farming cycle.

Several hundred thousand Bulgarians, including President Georgi Parvanov and Parliament Speaker Georgi Pirinski, celebrate their name days on Tuesday.

A common ritual is to prepare and eat a whole lamb, which is an ancient practice possibly related to Slavic pagan sacrificial traditions and the fact that St. George is the patron saint of shepherds.

Special place on the table is attributed to the ritual Gergyovden bread. All sorts of bread are made for the feast - the cross bread, the shepherd's bread, the large ring-bread, as well as small ones, or the special ring-shaped bun baked by the young wife in the house.

St. George is praised by the Bulgarians as "liberator of captives, and defender of the poor, physician of the sick". For centuries he has been considered by the Bulgarians as their protector. Possibly the most celebrated name day in the country, St George's Day (Гергьовден, Gergyovden) is a public holiday that takes place on 6 May every year. A common ritual is to prepare and eat a whole lamb. St. George is the patron saint of farmers and shepherds.[42]
St. George's Day is also the Day of the Bulgarian Army (made official with a decree of Knyaz Alexander of Bulgaria on 9 January 1880) and parades are organised in the capitol Sofia to present the best of the army's equipment and manpower.

Now that you know the history of the celebration, take a look at the ACS version of the party:

DINNER!






My reputation precedes me...multiple people brought me ice cream...and of course, I ate them all! Much to the amusement of my Bulgarian colleagues, my foodie status is official, though I will refrain from publishing the proof here, at least for now...


Dancing!



Drinking: (it is Bulgaria, after all, home of rakia!)




Games:





Friends and fun:











The Fountain...such a perfect night for a party:







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