Blagoevgrad… Leaving home for home

In four days, I will be boarding a plane at Sofia airport for my last trip… This time, I will not be returning to Blagoevgrad. In four days, I will be landing at JFK in New York, excited as ever to walk out of that gate and see the faces of the three people whom I’ve missed more than anything. I’m just hoping I won’t be too jetlagged to stay awake the rest of the day to tell them everything. I think I’ll be running on adrenaline by that time.

For the past 20 years, America has been my home, so naturally leaving the only culture I’ve ever known for four months by myself, there are of course things I’ve missed and cannot wait to get home to. I can’t wait to get up in the morning and stuff my face, for lack of a better way to say it, with bagels, pancakes, fresh fruit, waffles, French toast, eggs… I could go on forever naming the foods I’ve missed. I can’t wait to drink my favorite Tropicana orange juice every day. I can’t wait to sleep in my big double bed on a mattress that I can’t feel the springs digging into my back. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of my car and drive wherever I want, not worrying about bus times, taxi fees, and figuring out metro systems. I can’t wait for those Connecticut summers and family cookouts. I can’t wait to see my best friends and stay up long nights talking with them. I can’t wait to get back to my old and familiar IGA job. I can’t wait to not be stared at everywhere I go, because well, a tall, blonde girl in Eastern Europe is not something you see every day. I can’t wait for my mom’s home-cooked dinners. I can’t wait to watch my Yankees play baseball. I can’t wait to spend my Christmas gift cards that I didn’t get a chance to destroy before I shipped off. I can’t wait to eat at my favorite restaurants and to not have cigarette smoke immediately meet me at the door. I can’t wait for the familiar feel and scent of my house. But most of all, it’s the people I miss and can’t wait to be reunited with. Although I’ve had this once in a lifetime opportunity and I’ve seen some places and sights I’d only ever dreamed of seeing, in the end it’s all about the people, not the place.

What am I going to miss about my life in Bulgaria? Well, Blagoevgrad. I love this city. It’s been home for the past four months, and I love everything about it. I love the way you can look up at anytime and see snow-covered mountains surrounding you 360 degrees, even when it’s sunny and hot in the valley of the city. I love how at any moment, a dog will come up to you and guide you all the way back to the door of Skapto 2. I love that anytime you feel lost, all you have to do is look for the Bistrica River. I love seeing horses, cows, and goats grazing free in the fields and along the side of the roads, merely emphasizing the simplistic back-to-basics lifestyle. I love hearing the sound of Bulgarian being spoken and the feeling of achievement when I can understand some. I love the early spring weather and talking to people back home, feeling so happy to be avoiding the March mud season and April showers. I love the feeling of walking through town on a beautiful day and seeing families out, little kids running everywhere and realizing all over again that Bulgarians are just like everyone else in the world. I love how it feels to return to Blagoevgrad after a weekend away, like it’s good to be home. Though I’m ecstatic to be coming back to my own bed and the people I love and have missed, the truth is, I’m leaving one home for another. I’m leaving opportunities I never thought I would have. I’m leaving memories and experiences that have changed me as a person. Most of all, I’m leaving a family. I’m leaving people I love and will miss.

So that is all for me from Bulgaria. To anyone who has followed me on my journey (most likely my parents plus a few...), I sincerely hope you've enjoyed what you have read. When I originally made the decision to blog about my travels back in the fall of last year, I thought it might be somewhat of a daunting task, but I wanted people back home to be able to have the opportunity to share in some of the amazing experiences I would encounter. At some point along the way though, blogging became less of a task and more of a reward. I began to not worry about getting behind on sending people back home an update of my life, and I started to record my travels for me. I know as time goes on, I will forget the little details of my Bulgarian life. I know I will be thankful to have a place where I can go for reminders. So whether my readers are two (Mom and Dad) or twenty does not matter, but I thank you all the same.

Много благодарности.

Beautiful Budapest and Last Days at AUBG

Without a doubt, one of my favorite places I have traveled to this semester was Budapest, the Hungarian capital. For a few months now, my friends and I had all intentions of spending Easter weekend in Budapest. We had no classes on Monday, so we were able to fly in on Friday and fly home on Monday, without missing any classes. After landing on Friday in the late afternoon, the first thing that struck me about this city was the unique architecture and the beautifully well-kept buildings. Hungary is another Eastern European country that suffered nearly a half century under Communism. However, the recovery process in comparison to Bulgaria is of massive difference. Budapest, for many in the West, is a location of destination. Bulgaria’s capital of Sofia, on the other hand, is pretty much off the map.

Hungarian forint

So after navigating our way from the airport to the city center using public transportation and asking some locals for directions from the metro station to our hostel, we finally came across it. It was on the second floor of a building which has a courtyard in the center. Needless to say, probably one of the coolest hostels I’ve stayed in. A friend of a friend from the U.S. was meeting us there, so reunions commenced the moment we walked in the door. After settling in for a bit, we ventured out to a traditional Hungarian restaurant, enjoyed a delicious meal, and tried to get used to our first encounter with Hungarian currency (1 U.S dollar = 178 Hungarian forint). I ended up taking out 27,000 forint at the ATM. No big deal. After a trip to a bar in the former barracks during Communist times, we called it a night, as we had a good amount of exploring to do the next day.

St. Stephen's Basilica

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day. We set out to see the city. It seemed that around every corner was a different view, equally as beautiful. We saw St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Opera House, and did a little shopping, where we stumbled across an adorable second-hand English bookstore, where I purchased a novel for the long plane ride back to the States. We made our way down to the Danube River, and began the hunt for a place to enjoy lunch. It was just the beginning of our lovely food discoveries in Budapest. We came across a vegetarian Indian place, where I lit my mouth on fire with some delicious Indian soups. We then walked for a while along the Danube, taking in the stunning views and stopping every once in a while to bask in the sun. After a stroll down some more hidden streets, some gelato, and souvenir shopping, it was early evening, so we headed back to our hostel to relax for a bit. We had a nice dinner out, switching up the cuisine once again to Mexican. We finished up Easter Eve with a night of dancing.

The following day was Easter Sunday, and it was definitely different from all the Easters I have experienced in my life. It was fairly laid back, as the weather decided to get a little cloudy and chilly. We had spent all of our time thus far in Budapest on the “Pest” side of the Danube River, so we decided to venture over to the “Buda” side to see what it had to offer. We walked across one of the many beautiful bridges and made a quick stop in a neat little church that was in a cave in the mountainside. We then burned a few calories walking up the hill to the Buda Castle, which is a historical castle and palace of the Hungarian kings, dating back to the 14^th century. On top of castle hill is a small little village with beautifully picturesque homes and shops. We stopped into a confectionary for some tea and sweets, then spent a while taking in the view of the city before heading back down the hill and across another beautiful bridge back to the “Pest” side. We walked to the Parliament building and through some more unique streets, until we again struck gold with a brilliant food discovery: a hummus bar. We thoroughly indulged here, with hummus, falafel, and black tea. We were on the verge of exhaustion, so we worked our way back to the hostel, watched some movies, and made dinner for ourselves in the hostel kitchen. We flew out the next morning, tired but so happy to have made the trip we’d all been waiting to take. Budapest is way up there on the top of my list as one of the best weekends I’ve experienced during my time in Europe.

Our hike through the Rila Mountains

The semester is in its final days. My time in Bulgaria can be numbered to six. Last week was my last week of classes here at AUBG. Yesterday, a group of us ventured out to the Rila Mountains to hike the Seven Lakes. It was a difficult hike, but rewarding beyond belief. Without a doubt, one of the most beautifully breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen, and the best part about it: pure nature. Today and the rest of this week will consist of studying for finals, packing my life away, making some final memories, and saying goodbyes. Sad but an exciting time. So for now, back to studying!

Shots from Budapest...

Opera House

"Buda" side along the Danube River

Parliament

My girls :)