[caption id="attachment_1658" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Christmas Candy"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1382.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1658" title="Christmas Candy " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1382.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

Well, I've been in Walla Walla now for about four days--my sleep schedule has been completely out of whack, I am hungry at the strangest times and I am beginning to feel like I am going to need a vacation from my vacation. Still it's good to be home.

I've been busy these past few days. I've been spending lots of time with my family. I had to sort and wrap all of the presents I brought home for my family. We celebrated both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with lots of eating and gift giving. I had to catch up on some bad American television, visit my favorite local coffee shop, candy shop and shoe shop and I stayed up late last night to have a couple of beers with high school friends.

[caption id="attachment_1656" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="My Walla Walla coffee shop"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1377.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1656" title="Coffee Perk " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1377.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1657" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="The Bright&#39;s Candy counter"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1380.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1657" title="Candy Counter " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1380.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

It's been a whirlwind of go, go, go, and eat, eat, eat while trying not to fall asleep while doing either.<!--more-->

Here are the highlights.

I "smuggled" some homemade rakiya into the country.  It's quince and made by one of the guards at school. You can see his picture (and his wife) on the coke bottle turned rakiya bottle below.  He was kind enough to give me a bottle.  He and his wife have also promised to find me a handsome Bulgarian husband who has a good sense of humor and who wont hit me (his words, not mine) but this hasn't come through yet.  At least the rakiya has.

[caption id="attachment_1654" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Homemade Rakiya "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1700.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1654" title="Homemade Rakiya " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1700.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

This allowed for us to partake in a little bit of holiday cheer Bulgaria-style with some homemade rakiya.  My dAd was pumped to try some after watching hours and hours of the food-travel guy Anthony Bourdain and my MoM had already tried rakiya during her travels this summer in Bulgaria.  My little sister however shuddered and spluttered on her first sip of the stuff. It was great fun.  Now I understand why the Bulgarians like watching foreigners drink the stuff so much.

[caption id="attachment_1653" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Rakiya and me"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1710.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1653" title="Rakiya and me " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1710.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

I also made my dad drive me around Walla Walla to take pictures of the different houses decorated to the nines in Christmas lights.  This is a tradition that looks even more absurd to me after living abroad for over a year.  But at the same time, there is something very, very American about it.  It warmed my heart to be taking pictures while my mind was wondering why do we spend time, energy and money decorating our houses like overgrown-gingerbread houses?

Then I realized that we do it because it's wonderful. The following pictures I think will prove my point.

[caption id="attachment_1661" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Sharpstein Manor decorated in lights"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1686.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1661 " title="Christmas lights " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1686.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1662" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Me and Christmas "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1690.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1662" title="Me and Christmas " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/img_1690.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="333" /></a>[/caption]