Holidays, Village days

Somehow it's already mid-May.  I don't know if it's just getting older, having a kid, or a combination of both, but time really does seem to fly by these days.

This month started off with the Easter holiday, followed by St. George's day, which is a pretty big deal name day here in Bulgaria.  Martin and his parents had off for a week, so we had ourselves a nice "spring break", complete with perfect weather.

We started off by going to see Mark Knopfler at the National Palace of Culture.  We found out about the show about a week beforehand, so we ended up with standing room tickets, which was interesting since the venue is a seat-filled auditorium.

In typical Bulgarian fashion, no one had determined where all of the folks without seats would go, because there really is no standing room.  They sold a whole bunch of tickets anyway, cause why not?  When we entered the auditorium, we just sort of planted ourselves near the front off to the right of the stage.  There was no designated standing area at all, so it was more like every man for himself.  The whole scene was a bit chaotic, with people being told to basically press themselves up against the side walls- no organization, no pre-planning, so very Bulgarian.  Someone tried to tell us to move once or twice, but as the concert began, we held our position right behind the press area.  Once the photographers were ushered out after the 3rd song, we couldn't believe our luck!  We practically had a front row seat to the concert, and ended up sitting on a wing of the stage anyway.  Right next to people who had paid a hundred leva for their tickets, whereas we had only spent 40 each.  My first concert experience in Bulgaria, good and memorable.

Tuesday we headed out to the village for a week of badminton, beer, delicious food, and endless sunshine.  80+ degrees everyday.  It was bittersweet in a way, because our time here is really winding down.  I find myself holding on and letting go at the same time.  We can sense that the people around us are growing sad, obviously.  It's hard to feel too excited, because I don't want to be insensitive.  We waited so long and worked so hard to get to this point, and to be this close is a little overwhelming.  6 weeks left...

Still here

See?  Here I am in front of the parliament building

My time away from blogging this month was pretty unintentional.  I thought about writing a few times, but there was always something more important or interesting to do.  But, I'm still here!

After a chilly and rainy start to spring, gorgeous summer-like weather has finally graced Bulgaria with its presence.  We have been taking full advantage- enjoying long walks around the neighborhood, celebrating birthdays, and even venturing downtown.  It's been a fun and busy month.

Our wonderful little lady turned 2!  Her ever-emerging personality delights me to no end.  I look at her everyday and I wonder how it's possible to love her any more than I already do, and yet somehow, it is.  A mother's heart truly knows no limits. 

I paid off my student loan debt, which was a huge personal goal for me this year.  I worked hard to make it happen, and I'm so thrilled that I was able to stick to my original timeline and pull it off.  That alone was another reason to celebrate.  We now have a clean financial slate, and a true fresh start awaiting us in the states.

We booked our flights, and in less than 2 months, the 3 of us depart together.  With so little time left here in Bulgaria, I've been trying to soak it all in.  It hasn't really hit me yet, though.  We are leaving in June with no real plans for when we'll return.  It's bittersweet, a little sad, and a lot overwhelming.  I try to imagine how it will feel when we return to Sofia someday, and how it will feel familiar, but slightly foreign.  It's an odd thought, knowing that I'll eventually be so removed from the place I called home for the past 2 years.

I've been reflecting on my time here a bit, but for now I just want to focus my energy on making the most of these next 2 months.  With such beautiful weather to be enjoyed, as well as the company of loved ones, we can make some great memories in these remaining weeks.

New fountain in front of the bathhouse and people selling honey


Tulips in full bloom downtown


Cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings. Just off to the right, a small protest was gathering in front of the mayor's office. The elections are coming up soon.

Abandoned Amusements

Source: photo-forum.net via Lauren on Pinterest

Sofia Land, it was fun while it lasted

I was checking the weather forecast a few days ago when I got sidetracked by a link for a slideshow of "Creepy Abandoned Theme Parks".  Since I've got a penchant for urban exploring, I quickly fell down the rabbit hole.

Most surprising to me on the list was a Disney water park, River Country, that closed down in 2001.  I had never even heard of it before.  Apparently there were rumors after it shut down that it was because visitors had died from a brain eating amoeba found in the water.  While it's true that it did in fact happen, that isn't why the park closed.  Disney says that visitor numbers were down, so they basically needed to cut their losses when tourism dropped after 9/11.

Bulgaria actually has it's own abandoned amusement park, Sofia Land.  I've known about it for some time, as Martin once pointed it out to me when we were on the bus headed somewhere.  When it opened in 2002, it was the largest theme park in the Balkans.  Unfortunately, it shut down in 2006 after changing owners and has never re-opened.  All of the rides just sit there in the city, rotting away.  I wonder if any of the attractions are even salvageable at this point.  You can see it when you're by the Sofia Zoo or headed to the US Embassy.  It's so sad, but not really surprising in a country with more than it's fair share of abandoned places.

April prepares her green traffic light

and the world thinks Go.   -Christopher Morley

We didn't celebrate Easter here in Bulgaria this past weekend because according to the orthodox calendar, it isn't until May 5th.  I'm not religious, so this is of little consequence to me.  If anything, it gives me more time to mention the Easter bunny, which I just realized 2 days ago I have failed to do at all, so my kid is basically clueless on that front.  Don't worry, I'll be sure to sufficiently freak her out over the next few weeks with images of a life-sized bunny hopping up into our 5th floor apartment and leaving a basket of goodies.

The forecast (which really ought to come with a disclaimer) had promised 70 and partly cloudy, so we packed up and went to the village on Saturday morning.  Not even close! I don't think the clouds could have been thicker through the day, and even with a wood burning stove and 2 heaters going, I still had a blanket wrapped around my shoulders all afternoon.  But Sunday- Sunday was a different story.  We were finally able to warm  up under that big ball of fire, and it was glorious.

Charming teacups in charming cabinets

Salad Fixin's

Fish for the grill

I'm so proud of our little family right now.  Martin completed his master's program last week, our girl will be turning 2 this month, and I'm making strides on a few personal goals.  This is a time that we have been waiting for and working towards for so long, so there's a real sense of accomplishment, and also a fair amount of anxiety because what was once someday is now today.  Despite the uncertainty of the future, things seem to be falling into place, at least for now.  For that, I am so grateful and optimistic.

Hide and Seek with Daddy

Signs of Spring

Noisy neighbor

Renewal

I won't miss you, Sofiyska Voda

Think about a typical day at home.  You wake up, go to the bathroom.  Put in your contacts, brush teeth, wash your face. Head to the kitchen, put the coffee on and start breakfast. Fill your child's cup with a drink.  Eat breakfast, wash dishes.  Get dressed, put in a load of laundry. Spend time playing with your child, eat snacks, which inevitably requires cleaning up a sticky mess or five.  Go to the bathroom.  Make lunch, eat lunch, wash dishes.  More playing, more snacks, more trips to the bathroom.  Make dinner, eat dinner, wash dishes.

Now think about doing all of this without water.

You don't realize how many times a day you go to turn on the tap until you can't.  My biggest pet peeve about living here in Bulgaria has been the unreliability of the water service.  The water is often shut off for lengthy periods, with or without notice, at least once a month.  Sometimes several times in a week.  We live in the capital city, a modern European city!  And yet residents here are made to endure hours, days, and sometimes even weeks of spotty water service.  There was a 2 week stretch in the summer where there was no hot water in our neighborhood.  None.  Not unless you boiled it, of course.  Very convenient for bathing.

When you have no water, it suddenly feels like you're camping, roughin' it.  Only you're not; there's no hiking trail and no campfire and no s'mores.  Just you sitting in an apartment in the city, feeling gross and using hand wipes and sanitizer in an attempt to feel clean while trying not to think about the fact that you haven't been able to brush your teeth all day (that would be me at this exact moment).

On the one hand, I hate complaining about this and being angry over it.  I think "First World Problems! There are people in this world who do not even have potable water!"  That is true, but everything is relative.  And quite frankly, a first world nation really ought to have reliable utilities, especially something as basic as water.  When the water is shut off in blocks of buildings, it affects everyone- businesses, doctor's offices, restaurants and cafes, and all of the people just home in their apartments, trying to go about daily life.  It's more than inconvenient; it's unsanitary.

So Sofiyska Voda, I will not miss you and your outdated, unreliable water service.  I hope for the sake of the citizens that you will get your act together, modernize, and quit leaving the people here water-less for hours and days on end.  

This Week: A Birthday and Bulgarian Dentists

This week was a weird one.  A wicked toothache had me temporarily out of commission, then visiting the dentist's office multiple times.  The weather has been on the blah side.  Yesterday was the first day of Spring, but we're looking at a forecast of occasional warm-ish days sandwiched between cold and crummy ones. Today it was snowing like crazy.  Punxsutawney Phil sure got one over on us this year!

On Sunday, we had a birthday dinner party for Martin. Birthday dinners are kind of a big deal here- there is an exhausting amount of food and drinks to be purchased and prepared.  But this is no surprise, as Bulgarians love a good celebration.  March/April is a busy birthday time for us; we have Francie's 2nd coming up in just a few weeks!

I had my first real visit to the dentist in Bulgaria, and I cannot say enough good things about the experience. I will admit that I was nervous before going in, but the quality of the care I received was absolutely on par with any I've had in the states. The most amazing part was how little it cost.  We're talking less than $10.  The dentist didn't even charge for the subsequent visits I had after the emergency evening on Tuesday.  I really want to bring in some chocolates or something for him and the nurse because I am just so grateful.  Maybe that would be weird?

I can't make this stuff up

Back in February, my mother-in-law bought martinitsa to send to my family in the states.  We addressed the envelope, attached a little note to each one, and she mailed it off.  That was over a month ago.

My mother wrote me today and let me know that the little package had finally arrived, a few weeks late, but finally!  International mail is unreliable, at best.

Our package had not fared well.  It was torn open, taped back together, placed in a plastic bag, and labeled as "Damaged", apparently written in both English and German.  Inside, rather than the thoughtfully selected martinitsa, my mother found this:

I have been staring at this picture for far too long and trying to figure out how exactly this particular undergarment works.  Thoughts?

A word of advice when mailing packages across the ocean through regular post- expect nothing, except the unexpected.  You too may be on the receiving end of a bizarre bra/undie combo!

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