Щастлив великден! (pronounced shtastliv velikden) …Happy Easter!

Quick post. I just wanted to give you all a small peek into my life on this absolutely gorgeous day in Blagoevgrad. I have four things I thought you may like to know.

One. The weather is absolutely beautiful. I just got in from sitting on my deck, taking in the beautiful view of the river, the grassy field, the people walking up and down the path with their kids and dogs. I only have a couple more weeks to enjoy this view.



View from my window



Our purchases split in half!



Two. With the semester coming to end and having done my fair share of traveling over the past four months, my funds are running low, to say the least. My friends here are pretty much in the same boat, so we’ve come up with clever ways of saving money. Today, my friend Jen and I went on a grocery shopping spree (if you can count spending approximately 17 leva, or about 12 US dollars, as a shopping spree). When we got back to our rooms, we split everything in half. Needless to say, living on a budget can be done (something I usually fail to do back in the States), and we got approximately two days worth of food for about 6 US dollars each. Included in our purchases was traditional Easter bread, which I have had back in the States, but it is a million and a half times better here. I had to get in the Easter spirit a bit!



Easter bread! yum

 Three. Blagoevgrad is showing its true summer colors. Walking to class today, my friends and I realized that the park was being mowed for the first time this year. The smell of fresh cut grass was a beautiful thing. Colorful flowers were blooming and kids were out playing. We even bumped into a long line of little school kids walking to or from class (I can never be sure). The campus gardeners have also been working hard the past few weeks, planting trees and flowers, and pruning bushes. I am falling more and more in love with this city every day. A couple days ago, my roommate picked some flowers and put them in a vase in our room. I love it. Every time I walk in, I am greeted with the smell of spring.

Four. When I’m thirty, I can say that ten years ago, I spent Easter in Budapest. Three of my friends and I fly out tomorrow and will be touring the beautiful Hungarian city until Monday afternoon, when we return home to begin our final week of classes at AUBG (all three days of them).

Happy Easter everyone!