As this year comes to an end, I can't help but think back to all the good, and bad, times I have had in 2007. This year I turned 25 (yikes!) and I feel I have grown so much due to the experiences and changes I have undergone.
The year started out with a lot of heartache. I lost a dear friend, one that I thought I would have forever. No, she didn't die (thank God), but after many tribulations I think we both decided it was best to be out of eachothers' lives. Although I loved her deeply and would have done anything for her, I feel I was taken advantage of. She was very unhappy with herself, and this negativity affected my life to the fullest degree. I found myself looking at life in a bad light, even though I have an amazing life and have always been a very happy girl. This was due to her effect on me. Jealousy can make people do crazy things, and her jealousy was ugly. Even when I attempted to reconcile things that weren't even my doing, I was shot down. I learned that the only person I can count on keeping happy is myself. I know now that nothing you do for anyone else will guarantee loyalty and happiness. I've also learned that you should NEVER, under any circumstances, lend your friends money. You will never see it again and it could potentially ruin relationships. I learned this the hard way; you can never depend on others to be as respectful and responsible as yourself. Thankfully, this negative force is gone from my life, and I don't intend to associate myself with people who constantly complain, mooch, and lie any longer. And that's that!
My life changed drastically after the removal of this person. The sun came back out again and life was good. I realized that I had a great group of friends who care about me, and who would never pull the shit she did. I developed a stronger and more real relationship with Jeff Molle, a guy who is irreplaceable. He has held my hand through my darkest hours, let me cry on his shoulder many nights, and listened to me vent repeatedly. Jeff, I love you and I don't think I would be the person I am without you. I will love you 'til the day I die, and I will have your back for the rest of your life. You truly are my angel.
There have been many others who helped me up when I fell...you all know who you are. A great asset and new addition to my life is Amber Yordy. She is a great roommate and even better friend. Amber, you don't know how thankful Jordi and I are to have you with us. You are clean, honest, and most of all FUN! We have had so many good times together, and I can't wait to return home and make more amazing memories with you.
Liz and Jorgie have been super supportive and I have some of my best times with you 2. Liz, I feel like I connect with you more than a lot of people, and I thank God constantly for your presence in my life. You are truly inspirational and I hope I can one day have your grace and poise when it comes to hardships. And Lord knows we both have had our share!
Melissa McMillian is responsible for so much in my life. You are my go-to girl. Whenever I need advice or just some answers, you never disappoint. Your love for your husband Ryan is what I want. You inspire me to want to settle down and grow up (not without a couple of drunk nights here and there!) and to look at life with a "who the fuck cares what anyone else thinks" point of view. Not many people in Orange County have that mentality, and I hope to adopt this outlook more and more. I love you. You are like a sister, and I wouldn't replace you for anyone in the world.
Jarret Rhoton is the source of all my laughter and tears (from laughing so damn much!) He has taught me to be more light-hearted, a better bowler, and to be a better flip-cup contestant. I never want to go to Vegas again without you, and I really hope we are friends forever. You'll always be in my top 5, J.Rho!
Brittany Alexandra Gery is my logical and caring friend. She has been there for me through numerous trials in my life. We have experienced soooo much together, and you seem to always know what to say to make my day brighter. You always have the best advice about guys, and you know what to say and when to say it. I have loved you from the first time we met in Mr. Shannon's class, and I will love you always. I am so happy you have found love this year and I hope it only grows over time.
Annie Song, my scissor sister. I love love love when you are around, and I truly think you are the most considerate and caring person I have ever met. We always have fun deflecting the lame comments frome Juice and Jarret, and I hope we have many more good times in 2008.
Lindsay and Kevin are 2 of a kind..really. You two are the funniest, most entertaining people I know. I love going out with you two! You have been there for Jordi through a lot, and I can never thank you enough. Until I find a way, Linds and I will continue to make our sexy faces and bust our famous dance moves for all to enjoy. I love you guys a ton!
And, of course, there is my sister. She is the best sister I could ever ask for. She puts up with all my shit, shares her life with me, and, most of all, is the best friend I could ever have. She and I have gone through a lot together over the last 23 years, and there is no one else I would choose to be by my side for the rest of my life. I cannot express how deeply I care for you, Seester. You are my sunshine. I love you with all of my heart.
There are many more people who have had positive influences in my life, so don't think I have forgotton you. I am so thankful for every person and every experience God gives me. Everything that happens is for a reason, and instead of regretting certain things, I have found that taking those times as learning experiences is the only way to go. This life here on Earth is short; it could end tomorrow. I am so happy with my position on this planet and I am so blessed to have these friends and the family I was given.
Spending this time in Europe with my mom, my brother and sister is truly the perfect way to end 2007. Although it started off rocky, now is the time to enjoy every experience that is handed to me. I have already learned a lot about myself and others in the short time I have been here, and I can't wait to see what new adventures await me in 2008.
Happy New Year, everyone! I pray that 2008 brings happiness, health, and prosperity to all. I can't wait to see you all in April!
xoxox, Kati Grae
Friday, December 28, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul was amazing! The trip there, however, was not so great. We decided to take an overnight bus because it was cheaper than any other form of transportation. It was really nice: it had comfortable reclining seats, televisions, and even it's own attendant who brought drinks and snacks. The drive was awful though. The main road that took us from Sofia's bus station to Turkey's border was filled with potholes and bumps. The driver would slam on his brakes for the tiniest bump, so it was next to impossible to sleep. Then we got to the border. Christ...the border! They took our passports, passed them back. Then we all had to get up from our warm seats to the 2 degrees Celsius outdoors to show our passports ourselves to border patrol. We piled back in again after about 25 minutes in the cold, where they took our passports again! Then, because we were the only ones on the bus without Turkish visas, the 4 of us Americans had to get out again, walk in the cold to a little visa bearer, wait 15 minutes for the 99-year-old to put 4 fuckin stickers on 4 passports (heaven forbid she put her cigarette out to place the stamps!), then back to the bus. Oh, but that's not all. After re-boarding the bus and removing our jackets, we crossed the border and got about 3 feet into Turkey when we stopped again. Now it was time for everyone to do their duty-free shopping for the holidays! We waited another 20 minutes for everyone to buy tax-free booze. Dylan couldn't take it anymore and went to buy a bottle of Jack Daniels to help him relax, and I couldn't blame him. This was bullshit! This is when Jordi and I had our infamous bathroom trip. We had to pay to use what they call a "water closet." This is merely two footholds with a fucking hole in the ground for you to do your business in. Now, I am notorious for peeing wherever I need to, be it a bush or a curb. But this was just fucking disgusting. I literally gagged the entire time I went pee. This made port-a-potties look like thrones for a king! So we get back on the bus, remove our jackets and get comfortable again. But what do you know? We have to get back off again! It seems what we thought was the border was just a tease. This time we had to remove all of our baggage from the bus, open it, and wait for an "inspector" to "inspect" our bags. After waiting another 10 minutes in the cold, the "inspector" merely glanced at all of our bags and waved us off. I wanted to throw Dylan's bottle at the inspector, but Dylan would have probably killed me. So we boarded again and FINALLY crossed the border, where they took our passports and passed them back for the final time. The whole time I was thinking, "This country better be worth it." And it was.
When we arrived at the bus station in Istanbul, the scene was kind of disturbing. Not only was it 6am and freezing cold, but there were Turkish men everywhere yelling at you to buy their wares. Call me crazy, but if you shout at me continuously to come look at your products at six in the morning after a hellish bus trip, I am going to either ignore you or murder you. At that time, Turkish prison wasn't looking so bad. And on top of all this, we heard this eerie sound coming from loud speakers. We later found out that this is a Muslim chant they do on loud speakers throughout the city, 5 times a day every day. Each chant is really loud and lasts about 10 minutes. The first one of the day is at 6am, so we were thrilled to hear the morning's prayer. (Sarcasm, people.) I thought Dylan was going to get another bus ticket and head back to Bulgaria after 5 minutes in Istanbul. This whole scene was very intimidating, and again I wondered if this was the right destination for our family vacation.
We finally got a cab to our hotel, The Blue House. Jordi and I were to share a room, and the second we dropped our bags, we collapsed onto our respective beds. It was so nice to be lying horizontally, in a still and quiet place! We slept for about 6 hours and it was one of the deepest sleeps I think all of us had been in. We even slept through another loud chant!
I woke first, and I was thrilled when I looked out of our hotel room window. The sun had come up, and it was so warm, comparatively speaking. The narrow roads were made of old cobblestone and there were people of all races and colors milling about. Istanbul has a population of about 16 million, about 2 of which are tourists, so it is a very busy city. When everyone was dressed and ready, we went for some lunch at the famous Pudding Shop. This is a restaurant that started in 1959 and was made famous by the hippies. It is said that the hippies would come here to plan their treks to Nepal and Afghanistan, all uniting to drink beers and share their adventures with one another. It is now in a more modern and classy form, but it felt cool to sit in a place that holds that kind of '60s and '70s history. The employees were knowledgeable and warm, and it was so nice to hear that they all spoke perfect English.
Our hotel resides next to the famous Blue Mosque, where Muslims go to pray 5 times a day (during the daily chants). The Blue Mosque is absolutely stunning. It is named for the beautiful blue Iznik tiles that cover the interior, and it was constructed in 1617. We visited this mosque that first day, and I was blown away. Dylan didn't want to attend, but the 3 of us put our head scarves on, removed our shoes and entered the historic mosque. The domes covered in the blue tiling and the numerous chandeliers leave you breathless. There were several Muslims praying in a fenced-off area and it was fascinating to watch as they went from their knees to their feet, and back to their knees again to touch their foreheads to the carpeted floor to praise Allah. The Turkish prayers inscripted in gold were mesmerizing. Although we couldn't read them, the writing was very interesting, and we took several pictures.
After the mosque, the three of us walked around the city to take pictures and immerse ourselves in the culture. Everywhere you turned, another Turkish man was prodding you, trying to convince you to come to their shops to see "the finest silk carpets in Turkey" or "the most beautiful pashminas you have ever seen." It reminded me of a cleaner, nicer Mexican bazaar. Unfortunately, the Grand Bazaar was closed for festivals, but that did not stop us from going into the many shops that line the streets of this wonderful city. Bargaining is a must, as they will try to charge you the most outrageous prices for the the cheapest things.
That night, I convinced everyone to go see a Dervish dancing ceremony. This is a traditional show in Turkey. Basically, they played music for about 30 minutes, which was beautiful but eerie. Then the dancers came out. There were 5 men dressed in traditional long skirts and tall conical hats. When they came out, I was really excited. This was supposed to show us how many people choose to kind of transcend the human body into this spiritual state, leaving the body to earth and the soul to Allah. I hate to simplify this method of praise, but all they literally did was spin around with their hands in the air. It just goes to show you that you don't always have to understand something to totally respect it. After the dancing (which no one was too amused with), we went back to the hotel and called it a day.
The next morning, we had breakfast together at the hotel. We collectively decided that day to leave one day early. Dylan was unhappy there, and it wouldn't have been worth it to stay if one of us was not enjoying themselves. So Mom and Dylan went to the bus station together to successfully change our tickets home from Sunday night to Saturday night. When they arrived back at the Blue House, Mom came and got Jordi and I to go see Aya Sofia and Topkapi Palace.
When Aya Sofia was built in AD 537, it was the largest building in the world. Built as a church, it fell to the Ottomans in 1453 and was then converted into a mosque. It remained as such until 1932 when Ataturk declared it a museum. This mosque was amazing as well. Its austere interior magnifies its awesome size. Again, the domes were incredible, donned with detailed mosaics and paintings. Unfortunately, they are doing continuous restoration to the mosque, so the scaffolding on the inside sort of took away from the beauty, but this did not stop us from enjoying the scenery.
Next stop was Topkapi Palace. This palace was built by Mehmet the Conqueror from in 1458-1465 and is divided into a series of courtyards. It was all very beautiful, but our favorite was the 400-plus-room harem. These detailed rooms are covered in floor-to-ceiling decor. It is all very elaborate, as these were the headquarters of the sultan, the sultan's mother (the most powerful woman of the harem), and all of the sultan's concubines. It is said that if a particular woman attracted the sultan's affections or if the sultan spent a night with her, she would be promoted to "odalisque" status. This meant she had to stay in Istanbul forever, but got nicer quarters in exchange for her undying allegiance to the sultan. Walking down the same halls and entering the rooms the harem occupied was such a cool feeling I will never forget.
After the sightseeing, we grabbed Dylan from the hotel and went to shop. I loved bargaining with the locals, and we were all able to purchase things that will forever remind us of our memorable trip to Istanbul.
The bus ride home was much better than the journey there, and we arrived safely to Mom's flat, where we all fell into bed just as easily as we did at the Blue House. Although I already miss the warmer weather and the kind people, it is really nice to be back in Sofia. Now we will be able to enjoy our first white Christmas together.
When we arrived at the bus station in Istanbul, the scene was kind of disturbing. Not only was it 6am and freezing cold, but there were Turkish men everywhere yelling at you to buy their wares. Call me crazy, but if you shout at me continuously to come look at your products at six in the morning after a hellish bus trip, I am going to either ignore you or murder you. At that time, Turkish prison wasn't looking so bad. And on top of all this, we heard this eerie sound coming from loud speakers. We later found out that this is a Muslim chant they do on loud speakers throughout the city, 5 times a day every day. Each chant is really loud and lasts about 10 minutes. The first one of the day is at 6am, so we were thrilled to hear the morning's prayer. (Sarcasm, people.) I thought Dylan was going to get another bus ticket and head back to Bulgaria after 5 minutes in Istanbul. This whole scene was very intimidating, and again I wondered if this was the right destination for our family vacation.
We finally got a cab to our hotel, The Blue House. Jordi and I were to share a room, and the second we dropped our bags, we collapsed onto our respective beds. It was so nice to be lying horizontally, in a still and quiet place! We slept for about 6 hours and it was one of the deepest sleeps I think all of us had been in. We even slept through another loud chant!
I woke first, and I was thrilled when I looked out of our hotel room window. The sun had come up, and it was so warm, comparatively speaking. The narrow roads were made of old cobblestone and there were people of all races and colors milling about. Istanbul has a population of about 16 million, about 2 of which are tourists, so it is a very busy city. When everyone was dressed and ready, we went for some lunch at the famous Pudding Shop. This is a restaurant that started in 1959 and was made famous by the hippies. It is said that the hippies would come here to plan their treks to Nepal and Afghanistan, all uniting to drink beers and share their adventures with one another. It is now in a more modern and classy form, but it felt cool to sit in a place that holds that kind of '60s and '70s history. The employees were knowledgeable and warm, and it was so nice to hear that they all spoke perfect English.
Our hotel resides next to the famous Blue Mosque, where Muslims go to pray 5 times a day (during the daily chants). The Blue Mosque is absolutely stunning. It is named for the beautiful blue Iznik tiles that cover the interior, and it was constructed in 1617. We visited this mosque that first day, and I was blown away. Dylan didn't want to attend, but the 3 of us put our head scarves on, removed our shoes and entered the historic mosque. The domes covered in the blue tiling and the numerous chandeliers leave you breathless. There were several Muslims praying in a fenced-off area and it was fascinating to watch as they went from their knees to their feet, and back to their knees again to touch their foreheads to the carpeted floor to praise Allah. The Turkish prayers inscripted in gold were mesmerizing. Although we couldn't read them, the writing was very interesting, and we took several pictures.
After the mosque, the three of us walked around the city to take pictures and immerse ourselves in the culture. Everywhere you turned, another Turkish man was prodding you, trying to convince you to come to their shops to see "the finest silk carpets in Turkey" or "the most beautiful pashminas you have ever seen." It reminded me of a cleaner, nicer Mexican bazaar. Unfortunately, the Grand Bazaar was closed for festivals, but that did not stop us from going into the many shops that line the streets of this wonderful city. Bargaining is a must, as they will try to charge you the most outrageous prices for the the cheapest things.
That night, I convinced everyone to go see a Dervish dancing ceremony. This is a traditional show in Turkey. Basically, they played music for about 30 minutes, which was beautiful but eerie. Then the dancers came out. There were 5 men dressed in traditional long skirts and tall conical hats. When they came out, I was really excited. This was supposed to show us how many people choose to kind of transcend the human body into this spiritual state, leaving the body to earth and the soul to Allah. I hate to simplify this method of praise, but all they literally did was spin around with their hands in the air. It just goes to show you that you don't always have to understand something to totally respect it. After the dancing (which no one was too amused with), we went back to the hotel and called it a day.
The next morning, we had breakfast together at the hotel. We collectively decided that day to leave one day early. Dylan was unhappy there, and it wouldn't have been worth it to stay if one of us was not enjoying themselves. So Mom and Dylan went to the bus station together to successfully change our tickets home from Sunday night to Saturday night. When they arrived back at the Blue House, Mom came and got Jordi and I to go see Aya Sofia and Topkapi Palace.
When Aya Sofia was built in AD 537, it was the largest building in the world. Built as a church, it fell to the Ottomans in 1453 and was then converted into a mosque. It remained as such until 1932 when Ataturk declared it a museum. This mosque was amazing as well. Its austere interior magnifies its awesome size. Again, the domes were incredible, donned with detailed mosaics and paintings. Unfortunately, they are doing continuous restoration to the mosque, so the scaffolding on the inside sort of took away from the beauty, but this did not stop us from enjoying the scenery.
Next stop was Topkapi Palace. This palace was built by Mehmet the Conqueror from in 1458-1465 and is divided into a series of courtyards. It was all very beautiful, but our favorite was the 400-plus-room harem. These detailed rooms are covered in floor-to-ceiling decor. It is all very elaborate, as these were the headquarters of the sultan, the sultan's mother (the most powerful woman of the harem), and all of the sultan's concubines. It is said that if a particular woman attracted the sultan's affections or if the sultan spent a night with her, she would be promoted to "odalisque" status. This meant she had to stay in Istanbul forever, but got nicer quarters in exchange for her undying allegiance to the sultan. Walking down the same halls and entering the rooms the harem occupied was such a cool feeling I will never forget.
After the sightseeing, we grabbed Dylan from the hotel and went to shop. I loved bargaining with the locals, and we were all able to purchase things that will forever remind us of our memorable trip to Istanbul.
The bus ride home was much better than the journey there, and we arrived safely to Mom's flat, where we all fell into bed just as easily as we did at the Blue House. Although I already miss the warmer weather and the kind people, it is really nice to be back in Sofia. Now we will be able to enjoy our first white Christmas together.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The "Real" Sofia
These last few days in Sofia have been awesome! We went to see Mom's school which is called The Anglo American School in Sofia, and it is so amazing! It looks a little out of place here because it is a brand new building, but it is beautiful! They definitely don't hold back for those kids! Their cafeteria food is fresh chicken with rice and veggies, not some bluish-green "surprise" casserole. The kids are amazingly well behaved and seem to never ever challenge authority, and Mom says they are wonderful.
After visiting the school, we went to the movie theater to see The Golden Compass. The theaters were insane! The screen was huge and the seats were stadium-like. The best part was you could drink beers while watching the flick! Can you imagine all of us and our friends drinking while watching a movie? That would definitely not be a peaceful movie at all! The movie was really good, but Dylan said it was too predictable. I think that was his way of saying there wasn't enough violence/sex/gore involved. :)
Yesterday I went to the airport to pick up a girl named Rachel. She is the daughter of a couple who teach at the school with Mom. When she finally arrived, I was so excited! It's nice to have another girl our age who speaks English and whose eyes are as wide and heart is as open to see the world as ours are. She plans to travel with us sporadically when we leave Sofia, and I really look forward to getting to know her!
Last night we went downtown to see the "real" Sofia with Rachel and her parents. It was incredible. We saw a couple cathedrals with the architecture I have been dying to see. Although a lot of Sofia is becoming more and more modernized, there is so much history I feel is being buried along the way. It was really refreshing to see buildings and statues that have been there for up to 1300 years. Can you believe that? America is merely a couple hundred years old. Talk about history! The lights that shone off the golden domes of the churches just took my breath away. Our driver, Vasil, told us stories of how the Communists used to beat him and many others down when they would try to attend church. At one time they actually broke his arm and leg just because he was trying to praise God. It's so incredibly liberating to know how free our country is. We can praise who we want, say what we want and love who we want. Although many may not agree with our actions in our country, we are still able to live our lives the way we want without being physically punished. We may not agree with a lot of the censorship we deal with in the states, but hearing these horrible stories of torture and violence makes me realize how fortunate we are to have the liberties we have.
Tonight we leave for Istanbul, Turkey and all of us are soooo excited! Mom says the history and culture there is even more amazing. Plus the shopping is supposed to be awesome! We take an overnight bus that will run for about 9 hours, but it is at a time when we can sleep through most of the trip. Nothing a little Nyquil can't take care of! I will definitely post more about that when we return on Sunday.
Homesickness is starting to rear it's head. I just really wish all of our friends were here to experience these adventures with us! Plus, I really miss Lola. Dad pulls her up on his lap when we Skype, but I would just love to hold her! We really miss you all and hope Newport isn't the same without us! :) Love you all!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Settling In
The day following our flight was spent in bed, so that cured any indication of jet lag. Yesterday, though, was so much fun! We went on a walk in the snow to the new mall in Sofia. It was very modern and had shops such as French Connection and Puma, but some shops were weird knock-offs of our famous shops. Example: Women's Secret. Haha! Dylan bought me the cutest black snow boots because I brought 3 pairs of heels and 3 pairs of tennis shoes, all of which don't fare very well in the snow here. Go figure! We walked around the mall for a few hours, shopping and people watching. I don't know about you, but I totally pictured Bulgarian women as huge and gruff, with lots of body hair and deep voices. I could not be more wrong! The women here are stunningly beautiful and all very thin.
Bulgaria is just now repairing itself from the strict Communist regime it was under. For a long time, plentiful food and other basic needs were not available to everyone, so over-eating was never an option to most. Mom says she thinks a lot of people still do not allow themselves to over-indulge due to fear and habit. Either way, the women are gorgeous. The men? Not so much. No offense to any Bulgarian people...just not my type.
The one thing I cannot get over are the stray dogs. They are everywhere and it completely breaks my heart to see them roaming around in the snow. You aren't supposed to touch or feed them because they are wild, but I can't comprehend how they run around unaccounted for. I could never imagine Lola, the love of my life, running around town hungry and cold. Everyone here just looks past these poor dogs, but this is something I will never get used to. So sad.
After the mall, we all took a short nap and got ready to go to Mom's Christmas party. My mom teaches math, social studies and science at an exclusive school that has very few students, grades K-10. Most of the children are those of the people who work at the Embassy, but some are local children who have qualified to attend on scholarship. Many of her colleagues are American, who also left the states to come teach out here, but many of them are Bulgarian as well. We met them all last night and they were great!
Everyone got pretty toasted last night, and we had a blast dancing and singing along to Western music. (When I say Western, I mean American. Everything American is generally referred to as Western.) There is nothing better than seeing adult educators doing the twist in a foreign country, totally blitzed!
After the party, a group of us got in cabs and went to this club called the Swingin' Hall. It is in the basement of what used to be a university building and it is freakin awesome. It's underground and it would be the raddest punk rock bar. There were two live bands playing in different alcoves of the bar. One was all dudes and they sang songs by the Beatles, Bon Jovi and other classic rock bands with a punk twist. It was so funny to hear all these Bulgarians stumble on English words, kind of how Molle tries to sing along to songs! :) I will never forget dancing alongside my mom to "Pretty Woman" with one hand on our drinks, the other in the air jumping around in an underground club. Priceless. It reminded me of Linda and Mac McMillian, hanging out with their kids at a bar, letting go of all inhibitions and not caring that they are amongst people 20 years their junior. So cool. The other band was all girls, and they sang wretched versions of Bob Marley songs. If they can acquire an audience, Jordi and I could make a killing starting our own band! Yikes! The one downfall is the cigarette smoke. Even the gnarliest chain-smoker in the states would scoff at the haze in this club. My breathing is still labored this morning.
It was so great getting to know my mom's coworkers, even if it was under drunken circumstances. I look forward to going to her school this coming week and seeing them all in their element. Today we are going to Sofia's City Centre, which is supposed to be more traditional and old-school as opposed to the up-to-date mall we visited yesterday. The snow today is thick and beautiful...like nothing I have ever seen. Mammoth ain't got shit on this Euro-snow!
Miss and love you all! Until next time...
Bulgaria is just now repairing itself from the strict Communist regime it was under. For a long time, plentiful food and other basic needs were not available to everyone, so over-eating was never an option to most. Mom says she thinks a lot of people still do not allow themselves to over-indulge due to fear and habit. Either way, the women are gorgeous. The men? Not so much. No offense to any Bulgarian people...just not my type.
The one thing I cannot get over are the stray dogs. They are everywhere and it completely breaks my heart to see them roaming around in the snow. You aren't supposed to touch or feed them because they are wild, but I can't comprehend how they run around unaccounted for. I could never imagine Lola, the love of my life, running around town hungry and cold. Everyone here just looks past these poor dogs, but this is something I will never get used to. So sad.
After the mall, we all took a short nap and got ready to go to Mom's Christmas party. My mom teaches math, social studies and science at an exclusive school that has very few students, grades K-10. Most of the children are those of the people who work at the Embassy, but some are local children who have qualified to attend on scholarship. Many of her colleagues are American, who also left the states to come teach out here, but many of them are Bulgarian as well. We met them all last night and they were great!
Everyone got pretty toasted last night, and we had a blast dancing and singing along to Western music. (When I say Western, I mean American. Everything American is generally referred to as Western.) There is nothing better than seeing adult educators doing the twist in a foreign country, totally blitzed!
After the party, a group of us got in cabs and went to this club called the Swingin' Hall. It is in the basement of what used to be a university building and it is freakin awesome. It's underground and it would be the raddest punk rock bar. There were two live bands playing in different alcoves of the bar. One was all dudes and they sang songs by the Beatles, Bon Jovi and other classic rock bands with a punk twist. It was so funny to hear all these Bulgarians stumble on English words, kind of how Molle tries to sing along to songs! :) I will never forget dancing alongside my mom to "Pretty Woman" with one hand on our drinks, the other in the air jumping around in an underground club. Priceless. It reminded me of Linda and Mac McMillian, hanging out with their kids at a bar, letting go of all inhibitions and not caring that they are amongst people 20 years their junior. So cool. The other band was all girls, and they sang wretched versions of Bob Marley songs. If they can acquire an audience, Jordi and I could make a killing starting our own band! Yikes! The one downfall is the cigarette smoke. Even the gnarliest chain-smoker in the states would scoff at the haze in this club. My breathing is still labored this morning.
It was so great getting to know my mom's coworkers, even if it was under drunken circumstances. I look forward to going to her school this coming week and seeing them all in their element. Today we are going to Sofia's City Centre, which is supposed to be more traditional and old-school as opposed to the up-to-date mall we visited yesterday. The snow today is thick and beautiful...like nothing I have ever seen. Mammoth ain't got shit on this Euro-snow!
Miss and love you all! Until next time...
Friday, December 14, 2007
Just Arrived
Hi friends!
We are finally here in Sofia, Bulgaria! Jordi, Dylan and I are so happy to be here with our Mom! The journey here went pretty smoothly (sort of.) We left out of LAX early on December 12, 2006 and flew to San Francisco in order to change planes. It went well until we de-boarded and found out the 777 plane we had to get on in order to fly to Heathrow Airport in London was about to leave! They escorted us in a full-on sprint to the gate and we made it just in time. The looks on the other passengers' faces were priceless...they were so mad that the plane had been held for 3 adolescents and a smelly Indian dude! It was ok though...we had made the flight! We took off and were flying for about 45 minutes before they told us they couldn't fix a glitch that prevented movies from being played. Such a bummer for an 11 hour flight! The monitors eventually came on though and the three of us were stoked that Superbad was playing. If you ever get the chance to watch this movie, it is fucking hilarious! So classic. Like Dumb and Dumber classic.
I have these amazing headphones that are made by Bose that block out external sounds, including the loud airplane. They helped me to sleep so well on the flight! But my stupid ass lost the jack that connects the headphones to my iPod halfway through the flight. How the hell do you lose something on an airplane?!? You should have seen Jordi and I on the floor with our little flashlights with 2 stewardesses (ahem. I'm sorry. "Flight attendants.") looking for this damn cord! It was gone though. We even stayed on the plane after everyone deboarded to look but couldn't find it. At least they have Bose stores all over the world. And luckily, you don't need the cord in order to activate the noise-blocking feature, so I was still a happy camper. The food on the flight was super nasty, but what can you do? All in all it was a great flight.
When we arrived at Heathrow airport in London, we freshened up in the "loo" and looked for some decent food. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to even do that, as our flight to Munich, Germany was starting to board. We got on that plane starving, but we were sooo excited to get to our Mom that the hunger pains weren't bad. They tried to serve us this "snack" in the form of a half sandwich with mayo and cheese, and we said "no, thanks!" I'm sure Anna remembers that scary airplane food in Germany. Yikes! From now on, I am definitely bringing food on the planes!
We finally get to Munich and had to rush to the next gate for our final flight. We get to security and the assholes tell Dylan he can't bring his skateboard on the plane. WTF? He got all the way to freakin Germany and they're just telling us now that he can't have it? I could have killed more people with the grody cheese sandwich than the damn skateboard! You should have seen the three of us! We caused the hugest scene! Jordi and I first tried the tears ("We can't fly without our brother! We came all this way together!") and when they wouldn't budge, the 3 of us started yelling at the security ("This is bullshit! We've come all this way! What the hell is he gonna do with a damn skateboard?!?) But to no avail. I know arguing with security is not the most proper way to handle things, but we were tired, hungry and irritable. We just wanted to see our Mom. So Dylan had to end up checking the skateboard and get a later flight out. Jordi and I were upset, but we got on our plane anyways. Again, the cheese sandwiches. How can those flight attendants smile when handing those to you? Are they smiling cuz they have pizza in the back and they know how disgusting these are?
We arrived to find out luggage was safe and sound (thank God!) and found that our mama was waiting right outside for us! The tearful reunion made the days' drama so worth it. Dylan arrived later and everything was back on track. It is freezing here in Sofia, but I don't care. We are here with our Mom and everything is perfect.
We are finally here in Sofia, Bulgaria! Jordi, Dylan and I are so happy to be here with our Mom! The journey here went pretty smoothly (sort of.) We left out of LAX early on December 12, 2006 and flew to San Francisco in order to change planes. It went well until we de-boarded and found out the 777 plane we had to get on in order to fly to Heathrow Airport in London was about to leave! They escorted us in a full-on sprint to the gate and we made it just in time. The looks on the other passengers' faces were priceless...they were so mad that the plane had been held for 3 adolescents and a smelly Indian dude! It was ok though...we had made the flight! We took off and were flying for about 45 minutes before they told us they couldn't fix a glitch that prevented movies from being played. Such a bummer for an 11 hour flight! The monitors eventually came on though and the three of us were stoked that Superbad was playing. If you ever get the chance to watch this movie, it is fucking hilarious! So classic. Like Dumb and Dumber classic.
I have these amazing headphones that are made by Bose that block out external sounds, including the loud airplane. They helped me to sleep so well on the flight! But my stupid ass lost the jack that connects the headphones to my iPod halfway through the flight. How the hell do you lose something on an airplane?!? You should have seen Jordi and I on the floor with our little flashlights with 2 stewardesses (ahem. I'm sorry. "Flight attendants.") looking for this damn cord! It was gone though. We even stayed on the plane after everyone deboarded to look but couldn't find it. At least they have Bose stores all over the world. And luckily, you don't need the cord in order to activate the noise-blocking feature, so I was still a happy camper. The food on the flight was super nasty, but what can you do? All in all it was a great flight.
When we arrived at Heathrow airport in London, we freshened up in the "loo" and looked for some decent food. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to even do that, as our flight to Munich, Germany was starting to board. We got on that plane starving, but we were sooo excited to get to our Mom that the hunger pains weren't bad. They tried to serve us this "snack" in the form of a half sandwich with mayo and cheese, and we said "no, thanks!" I'm sure Anna remembers that scary airplane food in Germany. Yikes! From now on, I am definitely bringing food on the planes!
We finally get to Munich and had to rush to the next gate for our final flight. We get to security and the assholes tell Dylan he can't bring his skateboard on the plane. WTF? He got all the way to freakin Germany and they're just telling us now that he can't have it? I could have killed more people with the grody cheese sandwich than the damn skateboard! You should have seen the three of us! We caused the hugest scene! Jordi and I first tried the tears ("We can't fly without our brother! We came all this way together!") and when they wouldn't budge, the 3 of us started yelling at the security ("This is bullshit! We've come all this way! What the hell is he gonna do with a damn skateboard?!?) But to no avail. I know arguing with security is not the most proper way to handle things, but we were tired, hungry and irritable. We just wanted to see our Mom. So Dylan had to end up checking the skateboard and get a later flight out. Jordi and I were upset, but we got on our plane anyways. Again, the cheese sandwiches. How can those flight attendants smile when handing those to you? Are they smiling cuz they have pizza in the back and they know how disgusting these are?
We arrived to find out luggage was safe and sound (thank God!) and found that our mama was waiting right outside for us! The tearful reunion made the days' drama so worth it. Dylan arrived later and everything was back on track. It is freezing here in Sofia, but I don't care. We are here with our Mom and everything is perfect.
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