(3735,1,'2010-11-04 19:10:12','2010-11-04 19:10:12','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\n\nI am lazy.\n\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3723\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\n\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.\n\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\n\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\n\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3724\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\n\nI was skeptical.\n\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3725\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\n\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3726\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\n\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-revision-9','','','2010-11-04 19:10:12','2010-11-04 19:10:12','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3722-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3736,1,'2010-11-04 19:10:55','2010-11-04 19:10:55','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\r\n\r\nI am lazy.\r\n\r\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3723\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\r\n\r\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.\r\n\r\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\r\n\r\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\r\n\r\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3724\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\r\n\r\nI was skeptical.\r\n\r\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3725\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\r\n\r\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3726\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\r\n\r\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-revision-10','','','2010-11-04 19:10:55','2010-11-04 19:10:55','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3722-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(3737,1,'2010-11-04 19:10:55','2010-11-04 19:10:55','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\r\n\r\nI am lazy.\r\n\r\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3723\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\r\n\r\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.\r\n\r\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\r\n\r\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\r\n\r\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3724\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\r\n\r\nI was skeptical.\r\n\r\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3725\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\r\n\r\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3726\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\r\n\r\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-revision-11','','','2010-11-04 19:10:55','2010-11-04 19:10:55','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3722-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(3738,1,'2010-11-04 19:15:53','2010-11-04 19:15:53','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\r\n\r\nI am lazy.\r\n\r\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy and tea bags are so easy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3723\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\r\n\r\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.\r\n\r\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\r\n\r\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\r\n\r\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3724\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\r\n\r\nI was skeptical.\r\n\r\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3725\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\r\n\r\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3726\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\r\n\r\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army. I am not saying that I am converted after one pot of tea but the tea was a lot easier to make than I originally assumed.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-revision-12','','','2010-11-04 19:15:53','2010-11-04 19:15:53','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3722-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(3739,1,'2010-11-04 21:21:54','2010-11-04 19:21:54','','DPP_0020','','inherit','open','open','','dpp_0020','','','2010-11-04 21:21:54','2010-11-04 19:21:54','',3581,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/DPP_0020.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3740,1,'2010-10-25 17:13:47','2010-10-25 17:13:47','<strong><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dpp_0014.jpg\"><img class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-3580\" title=\"Carolyn in Stripes \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dpp_0014.jpg?w=200\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"360\" /></a>За Мен</strong>\r\n\r\nЗдрасти! Аз съм Каролин и съм на 29 години. Живея в София от 3 години. През моята първа година аз участвах в програма \"Fulbright\" и работих в Първа Английска Езикова Гимназия. Пътувах из България, учих Български език и ядох много традиционна храна.\r\n\r\nХересвам тази страна и искам да жевея тук още енда година.\r\n\r\nПрез моята втора година, работих в Американския Колеж в София. Преподаветелка по Английски съм. Това е моята трета година в България и работя на същото място. Преподавам Английска литература на дедети и единайсти клас.\r\n\r\n<strong>За Моето Семейство</strong>\r\n\r\nМайка ми е Джил, а баща ми е Дейв. Те живеят в Уала Уала. Майка ми е професорка по химия, а баща ми има антикварен магазин. Те обичат да готвят, да пият вино, да ходят на къмпинг и да се разхождат. Моята майка казва, че баща ме трябва да се разхожда вески ден, защото той е на 60 години. 60 години не са много, но майка ми се притеснява за него.\r\n\r\nАз имам брат и сестра също. Те са по-малки от мен.\r\n\r\nБрат ми се казва Ник и е на 26 години. Той има сериозна приятелка. Тя се казва К. Сега те живеят с моите родители. Н. и К. искат да си купят къща и трябва да пестят много пари. Аз съм много щастлива за тях.\r\n\r\nСестра ми се казва Шарлот и е на 24 години. Има кестенява коса, сини очи и обикновено носи очила. Аз мисля, че тя прилича повече на майка ми отколкото на мен.  Тя е студентка. Моята сестра обича да чете и ми казва кои нови книги трябва да прочета. Щастлива съм, че тя ми е сестра!\r\n\r\nАз имам много лели и чичовци, които живеят в Америка. Имам също много братовчеди.  Но нямам племенници за сега!','Каролинка','','inherit','open','open','','3581-revision-5','','','2010-10-25 17:13:47','2010-10-25 17:13:47','',3581,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/10/25/3581-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3741,1,'2010-11-04 21:25:42','2010-11-04 19:25:42','[caption id=\"attachment_3739\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"At My Parents&#39; House!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3739\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/%d0%ba%d0%b0%d1%80%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%b8%d0%bd%d0%ba%d0%b0/dpp_0020/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3739 \" title=\"Me in Stripes 1\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/DPP_0020-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nЗдрасти! Аз съм Каролин и съм на 29 години. Живея в София от 3 години. През моята първа година аз участвах в програма \"Fulbright\" и работих в Първа Английска Езикова Гимназия. Пътувах из България, учих Български език и ядох много традиционна храна.\r\n\r\nХересвам тази страна и искам да жевея тук още енда година.\r\n\r\nПрез моята втора година, работих в Американския Колеж в София. Преподаветелка по Английски съм. Това е моята трета година в България и работя на същото място. Преподавам Английска литература на дедети и единайсти клас.\r\n\r\n<strong>За Моето Семейство</strong>\r\n\r\nМайка ми е Джил, а баща ми е Дейв. Те живеят в Уала Уала. Майка ми е професорка по химия, а баща ми има антикварен магазин. Те обичат да готвят, да пият вино, да ходят на къмпинг и да се разхождат. Моята майка казва, че баща ме трябва да се разхожда вески ден, защото той е на 60 години. 60 години не са много, но майка ми се притеснява за него.\r\n\r\nАз имам брат и сестра също. Те са по-малки от мен.\r\n\r\nБрат ми се казва Ник и е на 26 години. Той има сериозна приятелка. Тя се казва К. Сега те живеят с моите родители. Н. и К. искат да си купят къща и трябва да пестят много пари. Аз съм много щастлива за тях.\r\n\r\nСестра ми се казва Шарлот и е на 24 години. Има кестенява коса, сини очи и обикновено носи очила. Аз мисля, че тя прилича повече на майка ми отколкото на мен.  Тя е студентка. Моята сестра обича да чете и ми казва кои нови книги трябва да прочета. Щастлива съм, че тя ми е сестра!\r\n\r\nАз имам много лели и чичовци, които живеят в Америка. Имам също много братовчеди.  Но нямам племенници за сега!','Каролинка','','inherit','open','open','','3581-revision-6','','','2010-11-04 21:25:42','2010-11-04 19:25:42','',3581,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3581-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3742,1,'2010-11-04 21:29:09','2010-11-04 19:29:09','','My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market ','My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market ','inherit','open','open','','img_4203','','','2010-11-04 21:29:09','2010-11-04 19:29:09','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3743,1,'2008-07-11 01:57:47','2008-07-11 01:57:47','[caption id=\"attachment_1218\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"297\" caption=\"Me with a New Haircut &amp; New Sunglasses \"]<img class=\"size-medium wp-image-1218\" title=\"CAE glasses\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/cae-glasses1.jpg?w=297\" alt=\"Me with a New Haircut &amp; New Sunglasses \" width=\"297\" height=\"300\" />[/caption]\n\nSo what do you want to know? Well, I think that the two things you must know about me in order to get this blog and what I am up to follow.\n\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\n\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\n\n(3. This is a blog.)\n\nThe rest? Well, that\'s just extra--icing on the cake as some might say.\n\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Now more than a year later I am still here and I am still writing. Only now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a>.\n\n<strong>My Name</strong>\n\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames--I\'ve had two. The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did. Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This it seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\n\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\n\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\n\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am doing my <a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/darndest\">darndest </a>to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\n\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\n\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\n\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\n\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\n\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\n\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\n\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\n\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision','','','2008-07-11 01:57:47','2008-07-11 01:57:47','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2008/07/11/3578-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3747,1,'2010-11-04 22:00:47','2010-11-04 20:00:47','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I am a pretty straightforward person.\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.\r\n\r\nOnly thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.\r\n\r\nThe first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.\r\n\r\nUntil I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-4','','','2010-11-04 22:00:47','2010-11-04 20:00:47','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3744,1,'2010-11-04 21:30:43','2010-11-04 19:30:43','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo what do you want to know? Well, I think that the two things you must know about me in order to get this blog and what I am up to follow.\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest? Well, that\'s just extra--icing on the cake as some might say.\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Now more than a year later I am still here and I am still writing. Only now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames--I\'ve had two. The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did. Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This it seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am doing my <a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/darndest\">darndest </a>to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-2','','','2010-11-04 21:30:43','2010-11-04 19:30:43','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3745,1,'2012-04-17 18:05:28','2012-04-17 16:05:28','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\n\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\n\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\n\n(3. This is a blog.)\n\nThe rest? <em>Who knows?</em>\n\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?! I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>. Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\n\n<strong>My Name</strong>\n\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two. The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did. Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn. <strong> </strong>\n\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\n\nSofia is a really great city. There\'s a lot to do and to see. I especially like it because it\'s not outwardly beautiful. This makes discovering new things, places and activities that much cool and it makes the hunt feel that much more rewarding.\n\nLife in Sofia is in someways exactly what I expected. Completely frustrating and maddening but surprisingly rewarding. Like when Moda magazine contacted me about whether or not I\'d be interested in being interviewed for a feature they were doing on foreigners in Bulgaria. I said yes. I mean no one\'s ever asked me to be in a magazine before.\n\nMaybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"../2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot. This was one of the first times I thought--huna, people are actually reading what I am writing.\n\nThen Nova TV a Bulgarian television station contacted me about doing a series on what a week of my life looks like.  Totally weird and funny--<em>right</em>? You can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point, if you\'re not laughing right after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\n\nIn the summer of 2010 I was asked to write about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  It\'s totally flattering and a little nuts that the magazine thought: we\'ll ask Carolyn if she\'ll write this for us. So this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> came out in the fall. In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\n\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\n\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going. <strong> </strong>\n\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\n\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me? Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\n\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\n\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\n\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet. <strong> </strong>\n\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\n\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry). If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m following, liking and pinning you could<a href=\"http://pinterest.com/karolinkabg/\" target=\"_blank\"> checkout my pinterest board</a>. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\n\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment or send me an email (carolyn.emigh (at) gmail.com) and let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-autosave','','','2012-04-17 18:05:28','2012-04-17 16:05:28','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6547,1,'2010-11-14 12:17:56','2010-11-14 10:17:56','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?  <em>Who knows?</em>\r\n\r\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!  I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.  The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.  Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nSofia is a really great city. There\'s a lot to do and to see. I especially like it because it\'s not outwardly beautiful. This makes discovering new things, places and activities that much cool and it makes the hunt feel that much more rewarding.\r\n\r\nLife in Sofia is in someways exactly what I expected. Completely frustrating and maddening but surprisingly rewarding. Like when Moda magazine contacted me about whether or not I\'d be interested in being interviewed for a feature they were doing on foreigners in Bulgaria. I said yes. I mean no one\'s ever asked me to be in a magazine before.\r\n\r\nMaybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"../2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot.  This was one of the first times I thought--huna, people are actually reading what I am  writing.\r\n\r\nThen Nova TV a Bulgarian television station contacted me about doing a series on what a week of my life looks like.  Totally weird and funny--<em>right</em>? You can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point, if you\'re not laughing right after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nIn the summer of 2010 I was asked to write about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  It\'s totally flattering and a little nuts that the magazine thought: we\'ll ask Carolyn if she\'ll write this for us. So this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> came out in the fall. In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?  Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\r\n\r\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\r\n\r\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).  If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-15','','','2010-11-14 12:17:56','2010-11-14 10:17:56','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3578-revision-15/',0,'revision','',0),(3746,1,'2010-11-04 21:30:43','2010-11-04 19:30:43','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo what do you want to know? Well, I think that the two things you must know about me in order to get this blog and what I am up to follow.\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest? Well, that\'s just extra--icing on the cake as some might say.\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Now more than a year later I am still here and I am still writing. Only now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a>.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames--I\'ve had two. The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did. Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This it seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am doing my <a href=\"http://www.thefreedictionary.com/darndest\">darndest </a>to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-3','','','2010-11-04 21:30:43','2010-11-04 19:30:43','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3748,1,'2010-11-04 22:00:47','2010-11-04 20:00:47','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I am a pretty straightforward person.\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.\r\n\r\nOnly thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.\r\n\r\nThe first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.\r\n\r\nUntil I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-5','','','2010-11-04 22:00:47','2010-11-04 20:00:47','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3749,1,'2010-11-04 22:04:41','2010-11-04 20:04:41','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?\r\n\r\n<em>Who knows?</em> I guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.\r\n\r\nOnly thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.\r\n\r\nThe first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.\r\n\r\nUntil I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-6','','','2010-11-04 22:04:41','2010-11-04 20:04:41','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3750,1,'2010-11-04 22:04:41','2010-11-04 20:04:41','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?\r\n\r\n<em>Who knows?</em> I guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.\r\n\r\nOnly thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.\r\n\r\nThe first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.\r\n\r\nUntil I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-7','','','2010-11-04 22:04:41','2010-11-04 20:04:41','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3751,1,'2010-11-04 22:05:13','2010-11-04 20:05:13','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?\r\n\r\n<em>Who knows?</em> I guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.\r\n\r\nOnly thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.\r\n\r\nThe first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.\r\n\r\nUntil I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-8','','','2010-11-04 22:05:13','2010-11-04 20:05:13','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3752,1,'2010-11-04 19:15:53','2010-11-04 19:15:53','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\r\n\r\nI am lazy.\r\n\r\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy and tea bags are so easy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6529/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\r\n\r\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.\r\n\r\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\r\n\r\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\r\n\r\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6536/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\r\n\r\nI was skeptical.\r\n\r\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6539/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\r\n\r\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6540/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\r\n\r\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army. I am not saying that I am converted after one pot of tea but the tea was a lot easier to make than I originally assumed.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-revision-13','','','2010-11-04 19:15:53','2010-11-04 19:15:53','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3722-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(3753,1,'2010-11-05 10:46:36','2010-11-05 08:46:36','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\r\n\r\nI am lazy.\r\n\r\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy and tea bags are so easy.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6529/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\r\n\r\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\r\n\r\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\r\n\r\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6536/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\r\n\r\nI was skeptical.\r\n\r\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6539/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\r\n\r\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6540/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\r\n\r\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army. I am not saying that I am converted after one pot of tea but the tea was a lot easier to make than I originally assumed.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-revision-14','','','2010-11-05 10:46:36','2010-11-05 08:46:36','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/3722-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(3754,1,'2010-11-05 10:47:42','2010-11-05 08:47:42','So I\'ve never bought tea that looks like this. Mostly I buy tea that comes prepacked in tea bags.\n\nI am lazy.\n\nSome times I buy loose tea that I steep and then use a metal strainer. But again, I am lazy and tea bags are so easy.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3723\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3723\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6529/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3723 \" title=\"Pumpkin, Honey and Tea\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6529-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nSo on a whole, I\'ve been living a pretty happy life drinking coffee in the mornings and a cup or two of tea at night.  I haven\'t even thought twice about using tea bags.\n\nThat was until this weekend when I ended up with dried herbs for tea.<!--more-->\n\nI bought some jam, spoke some questionable Bulgarian and ended up with a bag of herbs for tea as well. It\'s not like you can say no. You don\'t want the herbs. So I took them.\n\nApparently, they are good for you. Good for your health, your kidneys, your throat, your prostate. Not that I have a prostate.\n\nOnly, what\'s a girl supposed to do with a plastic bag of whole herbs?!\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3724\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Unknown Herbs\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3724\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6536/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3724 \" title=\"Unknown Herbs\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6536-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWell, I was told to put one sprig in water. Let it soak. Boil it. Drink it.\n\nI was skeptical.\n\nStill, I am good at following directions so I got a pot out. Filled it up with water. And I got my sprig of herbs ready.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3725\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3725\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6539/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3725 \" title=\"Tossing the Herbs in!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6539-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen I boiled the herbs. The thing is I am not even sure I should be calling them herbs because I am pretty sure that herbs is a plural word.  As you can see there\'s only one kind of herb that I am tossing into the pot and I\'m only tossing one of the bunch in.\n\nThus I think I am making unknown herb tea.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3726\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tea. Soaking. \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3726\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/making-tea-from-scratch/img_6540/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3726 \" title=\"Tea. Soaking. \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6540-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe tea is very smooth. I like it. It\'s not very strong but I am not really sure about the proportions.  I mean, I\'m new at this.\n\nI\'ve also got about four more cups to drink. I apparently made enough for an army. I am not saying that I am converted after one pot of tea but the tea was a lot easier to make than I originally assumed.','Making Tea from Scratch ','','inherit','open','open','','3722-autosave','','','2010-11-05 10:47:42','2010-11-05 08:47:42','',3722,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/05/3722-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3755,1,'2010-11-06 09:32:13','2010-11-06 07:32:13','Wosa I just slept for 12 hours. 8 pm to 8:15 am. I never sleep that much. But once I pulled myself out of bed, I have to say that I feel great.\r\n\r\nThis weekend I\'d like to sit on my couch and drink coffee.\r\n\r\nBut I think instead, I am going to do some shopping.\r\n\r\nI think I\'m going to head down and check out the Sofia City Art gallery.\r\n\r\nI think I am going to explore the city on this beautiful day. I can\'t let these Indian summer like days pass me by.\r\n\r\nI think that I should be grading papers but I\'ll just have to find time for that later.','This Weekend','','publish','open','open','','this-weekend','','','2010-11-06 09:32:13','2010-11-06 07:32:13','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3755',0,'post','',0),(3756,1,'2010-11-06 09:31:14','2010-11-06 07:31:14','Wosa I just slept for 12 hours. 8 pm to 8:15 am. I never sleep that much. But once I pulled myself out of bed, I have to say that I feel great.\n\nThis weekend I\'d like to sit on my couch and drink coffee.\n\nBut I think instead, I am going to do some shopping.\n\nI think I\'m going to head down and check out the Sofia City Art gallery.\n\nI think I am going to explore the city on this beautiful day. I can\'t let these Indian summer like days pass me by.\n\nI thinBut instead, I am going to be grading papers.','This Weekend','','inherit','open','open','','3755-revision','','','2010-11-06 09:31:14','2010-11-06 07:31:14','',3755,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/06/3755-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3757,1,'2010-11-06 09:33:19','2010-11-06 07:33:19','Wosa I just slept for 12 hours. 8 pm to 8:15 am. I never sleep that much. But once I pulled myself out of bed, I have to say that I feel great.\n\nThis weekend I\'d like to sit on my couch and drink coffee.\n\nBut I think instead, I am going to do some shopping.\n\nI think I\'m going to head down and check out the Sofia City Art gallery.\n\nI think I am going to explore the city on this beautiful day. I can\'t let these Indian summer like days pass me by.\n\nI think that I should be grading papers but I\'ll just have to find time for that later.','This Weekend','','inherit','open','open','','3755-autosave','','','2010-11-06 09:33:19','2010-11-06 07:33:19','',3755,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/06/3755-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3758,1,'2010-11-07 09:28:52','2010-11-07 07:28:52','After posting about what  a beautiful day it was yesterday, I decided that I had to get out of the house. I hurried to get ready and head downtown.\r\n\r\nShowed, dressed, hair dried, make-up on, I decided to brush my teeth  on the way out of the house. Only I didn\'t have my shoes on yet and I tripped over the retaining wall in my bathroom. The little wall of tiles separates the shower area from the rest of the bathroom and it juts out into the middle of my rather small bathroom.\r\n\r\nIt was in this moment, that everything went downhill. It went south <em>fast</em>. I caught my little toe--my pinkie toe--on the corner. I went forward, it did not. Insert, sharp shooting pain here.\r\n\r\nI thought: Oh, I\'ve just stubbed it. Everything\'s okay.  I sat on my bed for a minute.\r\n\r\nStill determined to go downtown, I put on my shoes. Only my left foot was having none of it. Uh-oh.\r\n\r\nNot good. Not good. Not good.\r\n\r\nStupid toe. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThis was when my plans changed. I traded in shopping, ibuprofen and ice. Rather than an art gallery, music videos. Instead of coffee in a cafe, cold coffee at my kitchen table with a stack of student papers.\r\n\r\nHumpf.\r\n\r\nI thought maybe it would pass. It did not. I spent the rest of the afternoon on my couch grading. I needed to do it. But it wasn\'t how I\'d imagined my Saturday.\r\n\r\nSaturday evening I\'d booked my babysitting skills.  There are two teachers at school M. &amp; J. with two boys ages 3 and 5 and all year, I\'ve been telling them that I\'d be happy to babysit. We\'d worked out the plan last week and I wasn\'t about to back out on them.\r\n\r\nI also wasn\'t fully convinced that I\'d broken my toe until I decided to walk to campus. The walk confirmed the worst. Every step hurt. So I walk-hobbled to the bus stop rather than all the way to campus.\r\n\r\nM. &amp; J. went out for Indian food and left me with the boys. We ate soup with meatballs for dinner.  Watched Dora the Explorer and played with trains. Then I played 3.5 games of Go Fish. I won two games and I am happy to report that my 5 year-old opponent didn\'t cry when he lost.\r\n\r\nAfter this, I pulled out Uno which in my mind is hands down one of the world\'s best card games. I taught the boys how to play. They were pretty good at it. But in standard, five and three year-old fashion they didn\'t totally get the rules. The 5 year-old kept being bummed out when his bother gave me +2 and +4 cards and not him. Normally, you don\'t want these cards because you\'re trying to be the first one to play all of your cards but there was no reasoning with this 5 year-old.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, it didn\'t matter much. He kept telling me: I love this game so much. I\'d really, really like to have a copy. I told him: I\'ll tell your mom and dad. He said: But what if they don\'t know how to play? Me: I\'ll teach them. Him: Okay.\r\n\r\nBoys went to bed. I watched Glee and graded papers. M. &amp; J. were back from dinner by 11pm and incredibly grateful. They apparently hadn\'t been on a parents only date in a long, long time. It\'s funny how it was no big deal for me to come and watch the kids for an evening and a big deal for them.\r\n\r\nThen I woke up this morning ready to start the day. I tired to jump out of bed. <em>Um</em>. Not good.\r\n\r\nMy toe is black and blue. I\'s clearly broken. Broken. Broken.\r\n\r\nSo I did what anyone in my position would do. Made a big pot of coffee, a half batch of scones and took two ibuprofen.\r\n\r\nI guess I\'ll be wearing sensible shoes this week.','This Weekend, Part 2 ','','publish','open','open','','this-weekend-part-2','','','2010-11-07 09:28:52','2010-11-07 07:28:52','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3758',0,'post','',4),(3759,1,'2010-11-07 09:28:31','2010-11-07 07:28:31','After posting about what  a beautiful day it was yesterday, I decided that I had to get out of the house. I hurried to get ready and head downtown.\n\nShowed, dressed, hair dried, make-up on, I decided to brush my teeth  on the way out of the house. Only I didn\'t have my shoes on yet and I tripped over the retaining wall in my bathroom. The little wall of tiles separates the shower area from the rest of the bathroom and it juts out into the middle of my rather small bathroom.\n\nIt was in this moment, that everything went downhill. It went south <em>fast</em>. I caught my little toe--my pinkie toe--on the corner. I went forward, it did not. Insert, sharp shooting pain here.\n\nI thought: Oh, I\'ve just stubbed it. Everything\'s okay.  I sat on my bed for a minute.\n\nStill determined to go downtown, I put on my shoes. Only my left foot was having none of it. Uh-oh.\n\nNot good. Not good. Not good.\n\nStupid toe. <!--more-->\n\nThis was when my plans changed. I traded in shopping, ibuprofen and ice. Rather than an art gallery, music videos. Instead of coffee in a cafe, cold coffee at my kitchen table with a stack of student papers.\n\nHumpf.\n\nI thought maybe it would pass. It did not. I spent the rest of the afternoon on my couch grading. I needed to do it. But it wasn\'t how I\'d imagined my Saturday.\n\nSaturday evening I\'d booked my babysitting skills.  There are two teachers at school M. &amp; J. with two boys ages 3 and 5 and all year, I\'ve been telling them that I\'d be happy to babysit. We\'d worked out the plan last week and I wasn\'t about to back out on them.\n\nI also wasn\'t fully convinced that I\'d broken my toe until I decided to walk to campus. The walk confirmed the worst. Every step hurt. So I walk-hobbled to the bus stop rather than all the way to campus.\n\nM. &amp; J. went out for Indian food and left me with the boys. We ate soup with meatballs for dinner.  Watched Dora the Explorer and played with trains. Then I played 3.5 games of Go Fish. I won two games and I am happy to report that my 5 year-old opponent didn\'t cry when he lost.\n\nAfter this, I pulled out Uno which in my mind is hands down one of the world\'s best card games. I taught the boys how to play. They were pretty good at it. But in standard, five and three year-old fashion they didn\'t totally get the rules. The 5 year-old kept being bummed out when his bother gave me +2 and +4 cards and not him. Normally, you don\'t want these cards because you\'re trying to be the first one to play all of your cards but there was no reasoning with this 5 year-old.\n\nAnyhow, it didn\'t matter much. He kept telling me: I love this game so much. I\'d really, really like to have a copy. I told him: I\'ll tell your mom and dad. He said: But what if they don\'t know how to play? Me: I\'ll teach them. Him: Okay.\n\nBoys went to bed. I watched Glee and graded papers. M. &amp; J. were back from dinner by 11pm and incredibly grateful. They apparently hadn\'t been on a parents only date in a long, long time. It\'s funny how it was no big deal for me to come and watch the kids for an evening and a big deal for them.\n\nThen I woke up this morning ready to start the day. I tired to jump out of bed. <em>Um</em>. Not good.\n\nMy toe is black and blue. I\'s clearly broken. Broken. Broken.\n\nSo I did what anyone in my position would do. Made a big pot of coffee, a half batch of scones and took two ibuprofen.','This Weekend, Part 2 ','','inherit','open','open','','3758-revision','','','2010-11-07 09:28:31','2010-11-07 07:28:31','',3758,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/07/3758-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3760,1,'2010-11-08 07:03:58','2010-11-08 05:03:58','I love my students. They are smart and funny but sometimes they are still just kids.\r\n\r\nLast week given the unseasonably warm weather we were having, I decided to introduce the idea of an Indian Summer to my kids knowing full well that in Bulgaria there\'s a similar saying: Gypsy Summer.\r\n\r\nSo I used the word in context.\r\n\r\nThen I asked them if they understood the phrase. Lots of heads shook yes.\r\n\r\nThere was a pause and one of the students said. We have the same thing. It\'s um, a, <em>um</em>, Roma Summer.\r\n\r\nClassmates pause. Everyone looks at each other. Then at me.\r\n\r\nWe talk about how in this case it\'s probably okay to say Gypsy Summer using Indian Summer as another example of why is probably alright to say Gypsy Summer in English.  Generally, I urge kids to be a politically correct as possible in class.  I believe that it\'s a good habit to be in but sometimes it doesn\'t make sense.\r\n\r\nThis of course leads to moments like this one--part translation, part experience and part youth.\r\n\r\nIt\'s funny the lessons students pay attention to and how they try to apply them.  But then again, that why I heart these kids so much.\r\n\r\nOh, I also heart the weather we\'ve been having. It\'s so much better than the cold rainy weather of two weeks ago.\r\n\r\nBut you know what\'s the worst? Good weather and having to grade essays.','Indian Summer ','','publish','open','open','','indian-summer','','','2010-11-08 07:03:58','2010-11-08 05:03:58','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3760',0,'post','',6),(3761,1,'2010-11-07 21:48:47','2010-11-07 19:48:47','I love my students. They are smart and funny but sometimes they totally miss the mark.  Last week given the unseasonably warm weather we were having, I decided to introduce the idea of an Indian Summer to my kids knowing full well that in Bulgaria there\'s a similar saying: Gypsy Summer.\n\nSo I used the word in context.\n\nThen I asked them if they understood the phrase. Lots of heads shook yes.\n\nThere was a pause and one of the students said. We have the same thing. It\'s um, a, um, Roma Summer.','Indian Summer ','','inherit','open','open','','3760-revision','','','2010-11-07 21:48:47','2010-11-07 19:48:47','',3760,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/07/3760-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3762,1,'2010-11-07 21:53:40','2010-11-07 19:53:40','I love my students. They are smart and funny but sometimes they totally miss the mark.  Last week given the unseasonably warm weather we were having, I decided to introduce the idea of an Indian Summer to my kids knowing full well that in Bulgaria there\'s a similar saying: Gypsy Summer.\n\nSo I used the word in context.\n\nThen I asked them if they understood the phrase. Lots of heads shook yes.\n\nThere was a pause and one of the students said. We have the same thing. It\'s um, a, um, Roma Summer.\n\nClassmates pause. Everyone looks at each other. Then at me. We talk about how in this case it\'s probably okay to say Gypsy Summer. Generally, I urge kids to be a politically correct as possible in class.  I believe that it\'s a good habit to be in but sometimes it doesn\'t m','Indian Summer ','','inherit','open','open','','3760-revision-2','','','2010-11-07 21:53:40','2010-11-07 19:53:40','',3760,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/07/3760-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3763,1,'2010-11-08 07:00:28','2010-11-08 05:00:28','I love my students. They are smart and funny but sometimes they are still just kids.  Last week given the unseasonably warm weather we were having, I decided to introduce the idea of an Indian Summer to my kids knowing full well that in Bulgaria there\'s a similar saying: Gypsy Summer.\n\nSo I used the word in context.\n\nThen I asked them if they understood the phrase. Lots of heads shook yes.\n\nThere was a pause and one of the students said. We have the same thing. It\'s um, a, <em>um</em>, Roma Summer.\n\nClassmates pause. Everyone looks at each other. Then at me.\n\nWe talk about how in this case it\'s probably okay to say Gypsy Summer using Indian Summer as another example of why is probably alright to say in English.  Generally, I urge kids to be a politically correct as possible in class.  I believe that it\'s a good habit to be in but sometimes it doesn\'t make sense.\n\nThis of course leads to moments like this one--part translation, part experience and part youth.\n\nIt\'s funny the lessons students pay attention to and how they try to apply them.  But then again, that why I heart these kids so much.\n\nOh, I also heart the weather we\'ve been having. It\'s so much better than the cold rainy weather of two weeks ago. But you know what\'s the worst? Good weather and having to grade essays.','Indian Summer ','','inherit','open','open','','3760-revision-3','','','2010-11-08 07:00:28','2010-11-08 05:00:28','',3760,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/08/3760-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3764,1,'2010-11-08 07:01:28','2010-11-08 05:01:28','I love my students. They are smart and funny but sometimes they are still just kids.  Last week given the unseasonably warm weather we were having, I decided to introduce the idea of an Indian Summer to my kids knowing full well that in Bulgaria there\'s a similar saying: Gypsy Summer.\n\nSo I used the word in context.\n\nThen I asked them if they understood the phrase. Lots of heads shook yes.\n\nThere was a pause and one of the students said. We have the same thing. It\'s um, a, <em>um</em>, Roma Summer.\n\nClassmates pause. Everyone looks at each other. Then at me.\n\nWe talk about how in this case it\'s probably okay to say Gypsy Summer using Indian Summer as another example of why is probably alright to say Gypsy Summer in English.  Generally, I urge kids to be a politically correct as possible in class.  I believe that it\'s a good habit to be in but sometimes it doesn\'t make sense.\n\nThis of course leads to moments like this one--part translation, part experience and part youth.\n\nIt\'s funny the lessons students pay attention to and how they try to apply them.  But then again, that why I heart these kids so much.\n\nOh, I also heart the weather we\'ve been having. It\'s so much better than the cold rainy weather of two weeks ago. But you know what\'s the worst? Good weather and having to grade essays.','Indian Summer ','','inherit','open','open','','3760-revision-4','','','2010-11-08 07:01:28','2010-11-08 05:01:28','',3760,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/08/3760-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3765,1,'2010-11-08 07:05:03','2010-11-08 05:05:03','I love my students. They are smart and funny but sometimes they are still just kids.\n\nLast week given the unseasonably warm weather we were having, I decided to introduce the idea of an Indian Summer to my kids knowing full well that in Bulgaria there\'s a similar saying: Gypsy Summer.\n\nSo I used the word in context.\n\nThen I asked them if they understood the phrase. Lots of heads shook yes.\n\nThere was a pause and one of the students said. We have the same thing. It\'s um, a, <em>um</em>, Roma Summer.\n\nClassmates pause. Everyone looks at each other. Then at me.\n\nWe talk about how in this case it\'s probably okay to say Gypsy Summer using Indian Summer as another example of why is probably alright to say Gypsy Summer in English.  Generally, I urge kids to be a politically correct as possible in class.  I believe that it\'s a good habit to be in but sometimes it doesn\'t make sense.\n\nThis of course leads to moments like this one--part translation, part experience and part youth.\n\nIt\'s funny the lessons students pay attention to and how they try to apply them.  But then again, that why I heart these kids so much.\n\nOh, I also heart the weather we\'ve been having. It\'s so much better than the cold rainy weather of two weeks ago.\n\nBut you know what\'s the worst? Good weather and having to grade essays.','Indian Summer ','','inherit','open','open','','3760-autosave','','','2010-11-08 07:05:03','2010-11-08 05:05:03','',3760,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/08/3760-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3766,1,'2010-11-09 20:12:57','2010-11-09 18:12:57','Sometimes I think about buying a car. Two weekends ago when we all drove to Velingrad and then on to Yagodina. I thought: This is great fun. Maybe I should buy a car.\r\n\r\nI mean, think about how much more of the country I could see.\r\n\r\nAnd if I am getting a car, why not a Lada?\r\n\r\nThese moments are fleeting however.\r\n\r\nDriving in Bulgaria requires a fortitude I do not have. It also seems to demand nerves a steal and cat like reflexes.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSure, I know how to drive.\r\n\r\nI got my license at 16 but I haven\'t driven regularly since high school. I spent four years in Ohio for college. Then I drove for a couple of months each summer. After college I moved to Washington DC and got to know public transportation up close and personally. I lived in Washington for five years and didn\'t spend more than a week at home for Christmas and maybe 10 or so days at home each summer. Then two and half years ago I moved to Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nSo what does this all mean?\r\n\r\nBasically, as an adult, I never became reliant on a car so I don\'t feel limited by not having a car. I don\'t miss driving. Nor do I feel driven to buy a car.\r\n\r\nThink about it, I\'ve been able to drive for nearly half of my life. Still, I\'ve never owned a car.  I drove regularly in high school for, um, two years but to put that in perspective, I graduated from high school in 1999.  (Man, I am getting old.)\r\n\r\nThus it\'s only appropriate that my daydreaming about a car is only fleeting.\r\n\r\nAlso I am pretty sure that the daydream would come crashing down around me were I to buy a car and brave the streets of Sofia. Luckily, daydreams are usually better than reality.\r\n\r\nBetween potholes, un-timed traffic lights, a fleet of crazy taxi cab drivers, police men pulling drivers over with lolly pop like sticks, gigantic thirty-year old buses, horse drawn carts, and a myriad of traffic signs that I\'ve never seen in the States before diving in this country seems much more like nightmare than a daydream.\r\n\r\nNot even tooling around town in a Lada would make up for that. Which truth be told, I\'d probably never even be able to park given the state of parking in this city.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t worry about running into me driving in Sofia.  I am not going to be buying a car in Bulgaria any time soon. Thus the streets are safe for a little bit longer!! Ha, ha.','Me & Driving ','','publish','open','open','','me-driving','','','2010-11-09 20:12:57','2010-11-09 18:12:57','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3766',0,'post','',12),(3767,1,'2010-11-08 21:42:50','2010-11-08 19:42:50','Sometimes I think about buying a car. Two weekends ago when we all drove to Velingrad and then on to Yagodina. I thought: This is great fun. Maybe I should buy a car.\n\nI mean, think about how much more of the country I could see.\n\nThese moments are fleeting however.\n\nDriving in Bulgaria requires a fortitude I do not have. It also seems to demand nerves a steal and cat like reflexes.\n\nSure, I know how to drive. I got my license at 16 but I haven\'t driven regularly since high school. I spent four years in Ohio for college. Then I drove for a couple of months each summer. After college I moved to Washington DC and got to know public transportation up close and personally. I lived in Washington for five years and didn\'t spend more than a week at home for Christmas and maybe 10 or so days at home each summer. Then two and half years ago I moved to Bulgaria.\n\nSo what does this all mean?\n\nBasically, as an adult, I never became reliant on a car so I don\'t feel limited by not having a car. I don\'t miss driving. Nor do I feel driven to buy a car.\n\nThink about it, I\'ve been able to drive for nearly half of my life. Still, I\'ve never owned a car.  I drove regularly in high school for, um, two years but to put that in perspective, I graduated from high school in 1999.  (Man, I am getting old.)\n\nThus it\'s only appropriate that my daydreaming about a car is only fleeting.\n\nAlso I a\n\nPractically, it means that I am not going to be buying a car in Bulgaria any time soon. I see no reason to start here and now.','Me & Driving ','','inherit','open','open','','3766-revision','','','2010-11-08 21:42:50','2010-11-08 19:42:50','',3766,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/08/3766-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3768,1,'2010-11-09 06:48:48','2010-11-09 04:48:48','Sometimes I think about buying a car. Two weekends ago when we all drove to Velingrad and then on to Yagodina. I thought: This is great fun. Maybe I should buy a car.\n\nI mean, think about how much more of the country I could see.\n\nThese moments are fleeting however.\n\nDriving in Bulgaria requires a fortitude I do not have. It also seems to demand nerves a steal and cat like reflexes.\n\nSure, I know how to drive.\n\nI got my license at 16 but I haven\'t driven regularly since high school. I spent four years in Ohio for college. Then I drove for a couple of months each summer. After college I moved to Washington DC and got to know public transportation up close and personally. I lived in Washington for five years and didn\'t spend more than a week at home for Christmas and maybe 10 or so days at home each summer. Then two and half years ago I moved to Bulgaria.\n\nSo what does this all mean?\n\nBasically, as an adult, I never became reliant on a car so I don\'t feel limited by not having a car. I don\'t miss driving. Nor do I feel driven to buy a car.\n\nThink about it, I\'ve been able to drive for nearly half of my life. Still, I\'ve never owned a car.  I drove regularly in high school for, um, two years but to put that in perspective, I graduated from high school in 1999.  (Man, I am getting old.)\n\nThus it\'s only appropriate that my daydreaming about a car is only fleeting.\n\nAlso I am pretty sure that the daydream would come crashing down around me were I to buy a car and brave the streets of Sofia. Luckily, daydreams are usually better than reality\n\nSo don\'t worry about running into me driving in Sofia.  I am not going to be buying a car in Bulgaria any time soon. Thus the streets are safe for a little bit longer!! Ha, ha.','Me & Driving ','','inherit','open','open','','3766-revision-2','','','2010-11-09 06:48:48','2010-11-09 04:48:48','',3766,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/09/3766-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3769,1,'2010-11-09 20:12:14','2010-11-09 18:12:14','Sometimes I think about buying a car. Two weekends ago when we all drove to Velingrad and then on to Yagodina. I thought: This is great fun. Maybe I should buy a car.\n\nI mean, think about how much more of the country I could see.\n\nAnd if I am getting a car, why not a Lada?\n\nThese moments are fleeting however.\n\nDriving in Bulgaria requires a fortitude I do not have. It also seems to demand nerves a steal and cat like reflexes.\n\nSure, I know how to drive.\n\nI got my license at 16 but I haven\'t driven regularly since high school. I spent four years in Ohio for college. Then I drove for a couple of months each summer. After college I moved to Washington DC and got to know public transportation up close and personally. I lived in Washington for five years and didn\'t spend more than a week at home for Christmas and maybe 10 or so days at home each summer. Then two and half years ago I moved to Bulgaria.\n\nSo what does this all mean?\n\nBasically, as an adult, I never became reliant on a car so I don\'t feel limited by not having a car. I don\'t miss driving. Nor do I feel driven to buy a car.\n\nThink about it, I\'ve been able to drive for nearly half of my life. Still, I\'ve never owned a car.  I drove regularly in high school for, um, two years but to put that in perspective, I graduated from high school in 1999.  (Man, I am getting old.)\n\nThus it\'s only appropriate that my daydreaming about a car is only fleeting.\n\nAlso I am pretty sure that the daydream would come crashing down around me were I to buy a car and brave the streets of Sofia. Luckily, daydreams are usually better than reality.\n\nBetween potholes, un-timed traffic lights, a fleet of crazy taxi cab drivers, police men pulling drivers over with lolly pop like sticks, gigantic thirty-year old buses, horse drawn carts, and a myriad of traffic signs that I\'ve never seen in the States before diving in this country seems much more like nightmare than a daydream.\n\nNot even tooling around town in a Lada would make up for that. Which truth be told, I\'d probably never even be able to park given the state of parking in this city.\n\nSo don\'t worry about running into me driving in Sofia.  I am not going to be buying a car in Bulgaria any time soon. Thus the streets are safe for a little bit longer!! Ha, ha.','Me & Driving ','','inherit','open','open','','3766-revision-3','','','2010-11-09 20:12:14','2010-11-09 18:12:14','',3766,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/09/3766-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3770,1,'2010-11-09 20:14:03','2010-11-09 18:14:03','Sometimes I think about buying a car. Two weekends ago when we all drove to Velingrad and then on to Yagodina. I thought: This is great fun. Maybe I should buy a car.\n\nI mean, think about how much more of the country I could see.\n\nAnd if I am getting a car, why not a Lada?\n\nThese moments are fleeting however.\n\nDriving in Bulgaria requires a fortitude I do not have. It also seems to demand nerves a steal and cat like reflexes.<!--more-->\n\nSure, I know how to drive.\n\nI got my license at 16 but I haven\'t driven regularly since high school. I spent four years in Ohio for college. Then I drove for a couple of months each summer. After college I moved to Washington DC and got to know public transportation up close and personally. I lived in Washington for five years and didn\'t spend more than a week at home for Christmas and maybe 10 or so days at home each summer. Then two and half years ago I moved to Bulgaria.\n\nSo what does this all mean?\n\nBasically, as an adult, I never became reliant on a car so I don\'t feel limited by not having a car. I don\'t miss driving. Nor do I feel driven to buy a car.\n\nThink about it, I\'ve been able to drive for nearly half of my life. Still, I\'ve never owned a car.  I drove regularly in high school for, um, two years but to put that in perspective, I graduated from high school in 1999.  (Man, I am getting old.)\n\nThus it\'s only appropriate that my daydreaming about a car is only fleeting.\n\nAlso I am pretty sure that the daydream would come crashing down around me were I to buy a car and brave the streets of Sofia. Luckily, daydreams are usually better than reality.\n\nBetween potholes, un-timed traffic lights, a fleet of crazy taxi cab drivers, police men pulling drivers over with lolly pop like sticks, gigantic thirty-year old buses, horse drawn carts, and a myriad of traffic signs that I\'ve never seen in the States before diving in this country seems much more like nightmare than a daydream.\n\nNot even tooling around town in a Lada would make up for that. Which truth be told, I\'d probably never even be able to park given the state of parking in this city.\n\nSo don\'t worry about running into me driving in Sofia.  I am not going to be buying a car in Bulgaria any time soon. Thus the streets are safe for a little bit longer!! Ha, ha.','Me & Driving ','','inherit','open','open','','3766-autosave','','','2010-11-09 20:14:03','2010-11-09 18:14:03','',3766,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/09/3766-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3772,1,'2010-11-10 19:41:47','2010-11-10 17:41:47','ACS (that\'s the American College of Sofia) is celebrating 150 years in December.  That\'s pretty big deal. One hundred and fifty years in Bulgaria.\n\nI realize that it\'s not exactly an uninterrupted 150 years given Communism but still, a 15o years is a 150 years.\n\nAnyhow, we\'re celebrating!\n\nI just bought a ticket to the <a href=\"http://acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=113\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev concert on December 6th</a>. The school is hosting a benefit concert as a part of the celebration this year. What\'s especially great about the concert is that all of the proceeds are going towards our <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=61\" target=\"_blank\">150th Anniversary Scholarship Fund</a>.\n\nOh and apparently Vasko Vassilev isn\'t half-bad either. Actually, I hear that he\'s excellent. I don\'t know much about him but all of the Bulgarians at school are really excited about him. So I\'m trying to be too. I hear that he\'s kind of a character. He looks incredibly intense on <a href=\"http://www.vaskovassilev.com/\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>.\n\nI\'ll be staring at him from the third row.\n\nIf you\'re in Sofia, you too could be too. Tickets are on sale at ACS and Bulgaria Hall.','ACS & Vasko Vassilev ','','inherit','open','open','','3771-revision','','','2010-11-10 19:41:47','2010-11-10 17:41:47','',3771,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3771-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3773,1,'2010-11-10 19:47:50','2010-11-10 17:47:50','ACS (that\'s the American College of Sofia) is celebrating 150 years in December.  That\'s pretty big deal. One hundred and fifty years in Bulgaria.\n\nI realize that it\'s not exactly an uninterrupted 150 years given Communism but still, a 15o years is a 150 years.\n\nAnyhow, we\'re celebrating!\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \"]<img title=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \" src=\"http://acs.bg/MC_NewsData/Photos/634215246585553520.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"451\" />[/caption]\n\nI just bought a ticket to the <a href=\"http://acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=113\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev concert on December 6th</a>. The school is hosting a benefit concert as a part of the celebration this year. What\'s especially great about the concert is that all of the proceeds are going towards our <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=61\" target=\"_blank\">150th Anniversary Scholarship Fund</a>.\n\nOh and apparently Vasko Vassilev isn\'t half-bad either. Actually, I hear that he\'s excellent. I don\'t know much about him but all of the Bulgarians at school are really excited about him. So I\'m trying to be too. I hear that he\'s kind of a character. He looks incredibly intense on <a href=\"http://www.vaskovassilev.com/\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>.\n\nI\'ll be staring at him from the third row.\n\nIf you\'re in Sofia, you too could be too. Tickets are on sale at ACS and Bulgaria Hall.\n\nI think that if you\'re interested in tickets you\'d better do so sooner than later. I understand that tickets are selling very quickly.','ACS, 150 Years and Vasko Vassilev','','inherit','open','open','','3771-revision-2','','','2010-11-10 19:47:50','2010-11-10 17:47:50','',3771,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3771-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3775,1,'2010-11-10 19:50:17','2010-11-10 17:50:17','ACS (that\'s the American College of Sofia) is celebrating 150 years in December.  That\'s pretty big deal. One hundred and fifty years in Bulgaria.\n\nI realize that it\'s not exactly an uninterrupted 150 years given Communism but still, a 15o years is a 150 years.\n\nAnyhow, we\'re celebrating!\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \"]<img title=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \" src=\"http://acs.bg/MC_NewsData/Photos/634215246585553520.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"451\" />[/caption]\n\nI just bought a ticket to the <a href=\"http://acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=113\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev concert on December 6th</a>. The school is hosting a benefit concert as a part of the celebration this year. What\'s especially great about the concert is that all of the proceeds are going towards our <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=61\" target=\"_blank\">150th Anniversary Scholarship Fund</a>.\n\nOh and apparently Vasko Vassilev isn\'t half-bad either. Actually, I hear that he\'s excellent. I don\'t know much about him but all of the Bulgarians at school are really excited about him. So I\'m trying to be too. I hear that he\'s kind of a character. He looks incredibly intense on <a href=\"http://www.vaskovassilev.com/\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>.\n\nI\'ll be staring at him from the third row.\n\nIf you\'re in Sofia, you too could be too. Tickets are on sale at ACS and Bulgaria Hall.\n\nI think that if you\'re interested in tickets you\'d better do so sooner than later. I understand that tickets are selling very quickly.','ACS, 150 Years and Vasko Vassilev','','inherit','open','open','','3771-revision-4','','','2010-11-10 19:50:17','2010-11-10 17:50:17','',3771,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3771-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3774,1,'2010-11-10 19:47:52','2010-11-10 17:47:52','ACS (that\'s the American College of Sofia) is celebrating 150 years in December.  That\'s pretty big deal. One hundred and fifty years in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nI realize that it\'s not exactly an uninterrupted 150 years given Communism but still, a 15o years is a 150 years.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, we\'re celebrating!\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \"]<img title=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \" src=\"http://acs.bg/MC_NewsData/Photos/634215246585553520.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"451\" />[/caption]\r\n\r\nI just bought a ticket to the <a href=\"http://acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=113\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev concert on December 6th</a>. The school is hosting a benefit concert as a part of the celebration this year. What\'s especially great about the concert is that all of the proceeds are going towards our <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=61\" target=\"_blank\">150th Anniversary Scholarship Fund</a>.\r\n\r\nOh and apparently Vasko Vassilev isn\'t half-bad either. Actually, I hear that he\'s excellent. I don\'t know much about him but all of the Bulgarians at school are really excited about him. So I\'m trying to be too. I hear that he\'s kind of a character. He looks incredibly intense on <a href=\"http://www.vaskovassilev.com/\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>.\r\n\r\nI\'ll be staring at him from the third row.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re in Sofia, you too could be too. Tickets are on sale at ACS and Bulgaria Hall.\r\n\r\nI think that if you\'re interested in tickets you\'d better do so sooner than later. I understand that tickets are selling very quickly.','ACS, 150 Years and Vasko Vassilev','','inherit','open','open','','3771-revision-3','','','2010-11-10 19:47:52','2010-11-10 17:47:52','',3771,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3771-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3776,1,'2010-11-10 19:51:37','2010-11-10 17:51:37','ACS (that\'s the American College of Sofia) is celebrating 150 years in December.  That\'s pretty big deal. One hundred and fifty years in Bulgaria.\n\nI realize that it\'s not exactly an uninterrupted 150 years given Communism but still, a 15o years is a 150 years.\n\nAnyhow, we\'re celebrating!\n\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\" caption=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \"]<img title=\"ACS and Vasko Vassilev \" src=\"http://acs.bg/MC_NewsData/Photos/634215246585553520.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"451\" />[/caption]\n\nI just bought a ticket to the <a href=\"http://acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=113\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev concert on December 6th</a>. The school is hosting a benefit concert as a part of the celebration this year. What\'s especially great about the concert is that all of the proceeds are going towards our <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=3&amp;news_id=61\" target=\"_blank\">150th Anniversary Scholarship Fund</a>.\n\nOh and apparently Vasko Vassilev isn\'t half-bad either. Actually, I hear that he\'s excellent. I don\'t know much about him but all of the Bulgarians at school are really excited about him. So I\'m trying to be too. I hear that he\'s kind of a character. He looks incredibly intense on <a href=\"http://www.vaskovassilev.com/\" target=\"_blank\">his blog</a>.\n\nI\'ll be staring at him from the third row.\n\nIf you\'re in Sofia, you too could be too. Tickets are on sale at ACS and Bulgaria Hall.\n\nI think that if you\'re interested in tickets you\'d better do so sooner than later. I understand that tickets are selling very quickly.','ACS, 150 Years and Vasko Vassilev','','inherit','open','open','','3771-autosave','','','2010-11-10 19:51:37','2010-11-10 17:51:37','',3771,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3771-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3828,1,'2010-11-18 21:19:25','2010-11-18 19:19:25','I just had the best night.  I was at the US Ambassador\'s house for a cocktail party. The event was lovely. The food was divine.  All of the passed hors d\'oeuvres were Thanksgiving inspired. Ah!!\r\n\r\nThat\'s especially amazing given the fact that this morning I was dreaming of Thanksgiving. Stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, yams.\r\n\r\nIt was a great surprise.  I ate turkey and cranberry on mini-Bulgarian style-pancakes. Mash potatoes and gravy on a little piece of baguette. Salmon and cream cheese on rye. Mini-twice baked potatoes with corn. Shrimp and cocktail sauce. Little cheese cake squares. Brown sugar pecan squares. <em>Wow</em>.\r\n\r\nHow lucky can one girl get!?!\r\n\r\nApparently pretty lucky.\r\n\r\nI am telling you the hors d\'oeuvres were tasty. The thing is I am too lazy to make my own. In addition, it\'s nearly impossible to get your hands on cranberries in Bulgaria. I don\'t know how the ambassador did it--magic maybe but I owe him.\r\n\r\nThere\'s really no better combination than turkey and cranberries. In fact, I think that combination is American Thanksgiving. Sweet, savory and slightly sour. Yep. It\'s magic.\r\n\r\nAnd just what I was dreaming of this morning. Best part? I had no idea I\'d get so lucky today.\r\n\r\nUm, yeah, I realize that I am much less excited about the cocktail party than I am the food. That\'s probably weird but that happens when there\'s an unexpected Mini-Thanksgiving to be had.','Mini-Thanksgiving','','publish','open','open','','mini-thanksgiving','','','2010-11-18 21:19:25','2010-11-18 19:19:25','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3828',0,'post','',8),(3778,1,'2010-11-12 07:00:15','2010-11-12 05:00:15','It\'s November and I\'ve been thinking about all of the great things I could do with my Rhodope pumpkin.\r\n\r\nSure it\'s beautiful sitting on my table but I <em>love</em> pumpkin.\r\n\r\nThis is what I\'ve been brainstorming:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li> Pumpkin pie</li>\r\n	<li>Pumpkin banitsa</li>\r\n	<li>Pumpkin risotto</li>\r\n	<li>Spicy pumpkin soup</li>\r\n	<li>Pumpkin bread (or muffins or scones)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThoughts? Recipes that you love? I think I need a plan or else I am going to end up drowning in pumpkin and I don\'t want that. It takes a lot of work to get a pumpkin ready for things like a pie or muffins.\r\n\r\nI just really haven\'t had a chance to think this through all of the way. As all I\'ve been doing is grading this week and I still feel like I am behind. Ug. I hate that feeling. Anyhow, the quarter ends Monday so that\'s good. I think.','What Should I do with A Pumpkin?!','','publish','open','open','','what-should-i-do-with-a-pumpkin','','','2010-11-12 07:00:15','2010-11-12 05:00:15','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3778',0,'post','',6),(3779,1,'2010-11-11 07:04:31','2010-11-11 05:04:31','Yes. You read that right. Saturday is Horo v Sofia.\r\n\r\nWhat you ask?\r\n\r\nWell, here it is: I am participating in a Bulgarian dance event on Saturday. I know, I know. I\'ve been moping around on this blog and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/CarolynEmigh\" target=\"_blank\">twitter</a> about my toe and I am going to dance on Saturday?!\r\n\r\nTurns out I <em>may</em> have overreacted. The swelling has gone down, the pain is almost zero and it\'s no longer black and blue. Yeah it <em>may </em>not be broken. I mean it\'s not perfect but I am not so sure it\'s broken.\r\n\r\nLuckily, this means that I can participate in the dance event called \" Horo v Sofia\" with the Parents-Teacher-Friends dance group from school.  I am not really sure what to expect. But with a name like Horo v Sofia how can it not be fun?\r\n\r\nAlso, I feel like this is the perfect name for what happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I go to my Balkan dance class. It\'s Carolyn v Horo.  Sometimes the Horo wins. Sometimes I do. <!--more-->The good news is that after a year it\'s getting easier and easier. I am not perfect but after two times a week for nearly a year I can now recognize individual songs.\r\n\r\nI hardly ever know which dance we\'re supposed to do but now I can tell the difference between songs. That\'s a pretty big deal in my book. Moreover, now I can usually remember some of the dance steps once we start and I hardly ever step on anyone\'s feet or run into anyone this year.\r\n\r\nIf I were grading myself (which I\'ve been doing plenty of this week or drowning in this week--our quarter ends on Monday), I\'d probably get a 5. In Bulgaria a 6 is the highest, then 5, 4, and 3. A 5 is pretty respectable--especially because my technical skill are just okay. This said I have a really big heart and I always try so my participation scores would be high.\r\n\r\nEnough of this, here\'s the information you\'ve been dying to read. I understand that we\'ll be dancing at \"Hristo Botev\" sports hall in the gym which is in Studentski grad. It\'s going to be a whole day of dancing. At 10 am we draw our dancing slot and I guess we\'ll finish up around 2pm. I\'m told that there will be a lot of dance groups like ours participating. Some of them will be way better than us but that\'s okay. Anyone can come and watch (and it\'s free).\r\n\r\nThis means there will be plenty of dancing and hand holding (I mean we do dance in a line), lots of songs with bagpipes, accordion and a woman singing in vibrating Bulgarian and tons of fun.\r\n\r\nAll of this said, I\'ve never really considered participating in a day long dance event before but I guess there\'s a first time for everything!!','Saturday: Horo v Sofia','','publish','open','open','','saturday-horo-v-sofia','','','2010-11-11 07:04:31','2010-11-11 05:04:31','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3779',0,'post','',2),(3780,1,'2010-11-10 20:31:04','2010-11-10 18:31:04','Yes. You read that right. Saturday is Horo v Sofia.\n\nWhat you ask?\n\nWell, here it is: I am participating in a Bulgarian dance event on Saturday. I know, I know. I\'ve been moping around on this blog and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/CarolynEmigh\" target=\"_blank\">twitter</a> about my toe and I am going to dance on Saturday?!\n\nTurns out I may have overreacted. The swelling has gone down, the pain is almost zero and it\'s no longer black and blue. Yeah it <em>may </em>not be broken. I mean it\'s not perfect but I am not so sure it\'s broken.\n\nLuckily, this means that I can participate in the dance event called \" Horo v Sofia\" with the Parents-Teacher-Friends dance group from school.  I am not really sure what to expect. But with a name like Horo v Sofia how can it not be fun?\n\nI understand that we\'ll be dancing at \"Hristo Botev\" sports hall in the gym which is in Studentski grad. It\'s going to be a whole day of dancing. At 10 am we draw our dancing slot and I guess we\'ll finish up around 2pm. I\'ve never really considered participating in a day long dance event before.\n\nBut I guess there\'s a first time for everything!!','Saturday: Horo v Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','3779-revision','','','2010-11-10 20:31:04','2010-11-10 18:31:04','',3779,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3779-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3781,1,'2010-11-11 06:51:48','2010-11-11 04:51:48','Yes. You read that right. Saturday is Horo v Sofia.\n\nWhat you ask?\n\nWell, here it is: I am participating in a Bulgarian dance event on Saturday. I know, I know. I\'ve been moping around on this blog and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/CarolynEmigh\" target=\"_blank\">twitter</a> about my toe and I am going to dance on Saturday?!\n\nTurns out I <em>may</em> have overreacted. The swelling has gone down, the pain is almost zero and it\'s no longer black and blue. Yeah it <em>may </em>not be broken. I mean it\'s not perfect but I am not so sure it\'s broken.\n\nLuckily, this means that I can participate in the dance event called \" Horo v Sofia\" with the Parents-Teacher-Friends dance group from school.  I am not really sure what to expect. But with a name like Horo v Sofia how can it not be fun?\n\nAlso, I feel like this is the perfect name for what happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I go to Balkan dance. It\'s Carolyn v Horo.  Sometimes the Horo wins. Sometimes I do. The good news is that after a year it\'s getting easier and easier. I am not perfect but after two times a week for nearly a year I can now recognize individual songs.\n\nI hardly ever know which dance we\'re supposed to do but now I can tell the difference between songs. That\'s a pretty big deal in my book. Moreover, now I can usually remember some of the dance steps once we start and I hardly ever step on anyone\'s feet or run into anyone this year.\n\nIf I were grading myself (which I\'ve been doing plenty of this week--our quarter ends on Monday), I\'d probably get a 5. In Bulgaria a 6 is the highest, then 5, 4, and 3. A\n\nI understand that we\'ll be dancing at \"Hristo Botev\" sports hall in the gym which is in Studentski grad. It\'s going to be a whole day of dancing. At 10 am we draw our dancing slot and I guess we\'ll finish up around 2pm. I\'ve never really considered participating in a day long dance event before.\n\nBut I guess there\'s a first time for everything!!','Saturday: Horo v Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','3779-revision-2','','','2010-11-11 06:51:48','2010-11-11 04:51:48','',3779,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/11/3779-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3782,1,'2010-11-11 07:04:04','2010-11-11 05:04:04','Yes. You read that right. Saturday is Horo v Sofia.\n\nWhat you ask?\n\nWell, here it is: I am participating in a Bulgarian dance event on Saturday. I know, I know. I\'ve been moping around on this blog and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/CarolynEmigh\" target=\"_blank\">twitter</a> about my toe and I am going to dance on Saturday?!\n\nTurns out I <em>may</em> have overreacted. The swelling has gone down, the pain is almost zero and it\'s no longer black and blue. Yeah it <em>may </em>not be broken. I mean it\'s not perfect but I am not so sure it\'s broken.\n\nLuckily, this means that I can participate in the dance event called \" Horo v Sofia\" with the Parents-Teacher-Friends dance group from school.  I am not really sure what to expect. But with a name like Horo v Sofia how can it not be fun?\n\nAlso, I feel like this is the perfect name for what happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I go to my Balkan dance class. It\'s Carolyn v Horo.  Sometimes the Horo wins. Sometimes I do. The good news is that after a year it\'s getting easier and easier. I am not perfect but after two times a week for nearly a year I can now recognize individual songs.\n\nI hardly ever know which dance we\'re supposed to do but now I can tell the difference between songs. That\'s a pretty big deal in my book. Moreover, now I can usually remember some of the dance steps once we start and I hardly ever step on anyone\'s feet or run into anyone this year.\n\nIf I were grading myself (which I\'ve been doing plenty of this week or drowning in this week--our quarter ends on Monday), I\'d probably get a 5. In Bulgaria a 6 is the highest, then 5, 4, and 3. A 5 is pretty respectable--especially because my technical skill are just okay. This said I have a really big heart and I always try so my participation scores would be high.\n\nEnough of this, here\'s the information you\'ve been dying to read. I understand that we\'ll be dancing at \"Hristo Botev\" sports hall in the gym which is in Studentski grad. It\'s going to be a whole day of dancing. At 10 am we draw our dancing slot and I guess we\'ll finish up around 2pm. I\'m told that there will be a lot of dance groups like ours participating. Some of them will be way better than us but that\'s okay. Anyone can come and watch (and it\'s free).\n\nThis means there will be plenty of dancing and hand holding (I mean we do dance in a line), lots of songs with bagpipes, accordion and a woman singing in vibrating Bulgarian and tons of fun.\n\nAll of this said, I\'ve never really considered participating in a day long dance event before but I guess there\'s a first time for everything!!','Saturday: Horo v Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','3779-revision-3','','','2010-11-11 07:04:04','2010-11-11 05:04:04','',3779,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/11/3779-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3783,1,'2010-11-11 19:24:10','2010-11-11 17:24:10','Yes. You read that right. Saturday is Horo v Sofia.\n\nWhat you ask?\n\nWell, here it is: I am participating in a Bulgarian dance event on Saturday. I know, I know. I\'ve been moping around on this blog and <a href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/CarolynEmigh\" target=\"_blank\">twitter</a> about my toe and I am going to dance on Saturday?!\n\nTurns out I <em>may</em> have overreacted. The swelling has gone down, the pain is almost zero and it\'s no longer black and blue. Yeah it <em>may </em>not be broken. I mean it\'s not perfect but I am not so sure it\'s broken.\n\nLuckily, this means that I can participate in the dance event called \" Horo v Sofia\" with the Parents-Teacher-Friends dance group from school.  I am not really sure what to expect. But with a name like Horo v Sofia how can it not be fun?\n\nAlso, I feel like this is the perfect name for what happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I go to my Balkan dance class. It\'s Carolyn v Horo.  Sometimes the Horo wins. Sometimes I do. <!--more-->The good news is that after a year it\'s getting easier and easier. I am not perfect but after two times a week for nearly a year I can now recognize individual songs.\n\nI hardly ever know which dance we\'re supposed to do but now I can tell the difference between songs. That\'s a pretty big deal in my book. Moreover, now I can usually remember some of the dance steps once we start and I hardly ever step on anyone\'s feet or run into anyone this year.\n\nIf I were grading myself (which I\'ve been doing plenty of this week or drowning in this week--our quarter ends on Monday), I\'d probably get a 5. In Bulgaria a 6 is the highest, then 5, 4, and 3. A 5 is pretty respectable--especially because my technical skill are just okay. This said I have a really big heart and I always try so my participation scores would be high.\n\nEnough of this, here\'s the information you\'ve been dying to read. I understand that we\'ll be dancing at \"Hristo Botev\" sports hall in the gym which is in Studentski grad. It\'s going to be a whole day of dancing. At 10 am we draw our dancing slot and I guess we\'ll finish up around 2pm. I\'m told that there will be a lot of dance groups like ours participating. Some of them will be way better than us but that\'s okay. Anyone can come and watch (and it\'s free).\n\nThis means there will be plenty of dancing and hand holding (I mean we do dance in a line), lots of songs with bagpipes, accordion and a woman singing in vibrating Bulgarian and tons of fun.\n\nAll of this said, I\'ve never really considered participating in a day long dance event before but I guess there\'s a first time for everything!!','Saturday: Horo v Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','3779-autosave','','','2010-11-11 19:24:10','2010-11-11 17:24:10','',3779,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/11/3779-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3784,1,'2010-11-10 20:01:12','2010-11-10 18:01:12','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','3778-revision','','','2010-11-10 20:01:12','2010-11-10 18:01:12','',3778,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/3778-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3830,1,'2010-11-19 22:50:52','2010-11-19 20:50:52','Today was another busy day. I taught. I wrote up grades and comments for each and every student I teach. And then I made stuffing for 125 people.\r\n\r\nWhy you may ask?\r\n\r\nWell stuffing is awesome.\r\n\r\nBut it\' not like I woke up this morning and thought after a long day at work I\'ll whip up a gigiantic batch of stuffing. No sir.  Actually, we\'re having a big party tomorrow for all of the Bulgarians at school. We\'re celebrating Thanksgiving!\r\n\r\nHip, hip, hooray for Thanksgiving day!!\r\n\r\nSure, we\'re celebrating a little early but this way we can travel on our four day weekend next week.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, making stuffing is hard work. Break up the bread into little pieces, toast it, chop lots of fruit, veggies and spices, mix it all together, then rehydrate with vegetable stock.\r\n\r\nLuckily for me it\'s all done--there\'s nothing to worry about tomorrow morning. All I have to do tomorrow is reheat it and add more stock if necessary.','Stuffing & lots of it','','publish','open','open','','stuffing-lots-of-it','','','2010-11-19 22:50:52','2010-11-19 20:50:52','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3830',0,'post','',1),(3786,1,'2010-11-12 07:00:12','2010-11-12 05:00:12','It\'s November and I\'ve been thinking about all of the great things I could do with my Rhodope pumpkin.\n\nSure it\'s beautiful sitting on my table but I <em>love</em> pumpkin.\n\nThis is what I\'ve been brainstorming:\n<ul>\n	<li> Pumpkin pie</li>\n	<li>Pumpkin banitsa</li>\n	<li>Pumpkin risotto</li>\n	<li>Spicy pumpkin soup</li>\n	<li>Pumpkin bread (or muffins or scones)</li>\n</ul>\nThoughts? Recipes that you love? I think I need a plan or else I am going to end up drowning in pumpkin and I don\'t want that. It takes a lot of work to get a pumpkin ready for things like a pie or muffins.\n\nI just really haven\'t had a chance to think this through all of the way. As all I\'ve been doing is grading this week and I still feel like I am behind. Ug. I hate that feeling. Anyhow, the quarter ends Monday so that\'s good. I think.','What Should I do with A Pumpkin?!','','inherit','open','open','','3778-revision-2','','','2010-11-12 07:00:12','2010-11-12 05:00:12','',3778,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/12/3778-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3787,1,'2010-11-12 07:01:20','2010-11-12 05:01:20','It\'s November and I\'ve been thinking about all of the great things I could do with my Rhodope pumpkin.\n\nSure it\'s beautiful sitting on my table but I <em>love</em> pumpkin.\n\nThis is what I\'ve been brainstorming:\n<ul>\n	<li> Pumpkin pie</li>\n	<li>Pumpkin banitsa</li>\n	<li>Pumpkin risotto</li>\n	<li>Spicy pumpkin soup</li>\n	<li>Pumpkin bread (or muffins or scones)</li>\n</ul>\nThoughts? Recipes that you love? I think I need a plan or else I am going to end up drowning in pumpkin and I don\'t want that. It takes a lot of work to get a pumpkin ready for things like a pie or muffins.\n\nI just really haven\'t had a chance to think this through all of the way. As all I\'ve been doing is grading this week and I still feel like I am behind. Ug. I hate that feeling. Anyhow, the quarter ends Monday so that\'s good. I think.','What Should I do with A Pumpkin?!','','inherit','open','open','','3778-autosave','','','2010-11-12 07:01:20','2010-11-12 05:01:20','',3778,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/12/3778-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3788,1,'2010-11-14 10:16:24','2010-11-14 08:16:24','Last night I had a dream about the upcoming <a href=\"../2010/11/10/acs-150-years-and-vasko-vassilev/\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev </a>concert. Normally I can\'t remember my dreams but this one stuck with me.\r\n\r\nIn my dream, I look at my ticket. Everything is in English except for the row--which is in Cyrillic and says row <strong>Б</strong>. Fine. I know that I am sitting in row <strong>B</strong>.\r\n\r\nOn  my way to my seat, I stop and talk to lots of people. I also realize  that I am wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a sweatshirt and everyone else  is really dressed up. <em>Hum</em>.  Anyhow, there\'s not much I can do about this now.\r\n\r\nI march down to my row <strong>B </strong>and sit down in my seat. I\'ve got a great view and I realize that the acoustics are going to be great where I am sitting.\r\n\r\nOnly  this is when, a man in a suit comes up to me, ticket in hand and tells  me I am sitting in his seat. No, I say, this is my seat. He says, no.  You are in my seat. We go back and forth like this for a bit.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI  dig my ticket out of my purse in order to prove to him that I am right  and he is wrong. I pull out my ticket and say, see seat 15<strong>B</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe thing is I realize I\'ve chosen to sit down in row <strong>B</strong> and I should be in row <strong>Б</strong> where my seat actually is.\r\n\r\nI  stand up, gather my purse and sweatshirt and squeeze past a number of  people in formal wear and I move forward one row to seat 15<strong>Б.</strong>\r\n\r\nAt  the point where I realize that it\'s going to be really embarrassing to  sit right in front of my old seat all night, I wake up.\r\n\r\nMy first  thought was: that was a weird dream. Followed quickly by: Bulgarian  Alphabet get out of my Dreams. And then I wondered: do I have anything  to wear to the concert in December?\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to the thought: Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never dreamed about the Cyrillic alphabet like this before. Then I realized it was kind of a cleaver dream. Why?\r\n\r\nWell, the first three letters of the Latin alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>B</strong>, <strong>C</strong> but the first three letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>Б, </strong><strong>B. </strong><strong></strong> The sneaky thing about Cyrillic is that the letter <strong>Б </strong>makes a sound like <em>B</em> in English but the letter <strong>B </strong>makes a sound like the letter <em>V</em> in English.  <em>Follow? </em>\r\n\r\nSo in my dream I saw the <strong>Б</strong> thought sound \"<em>B</em>\" in English and then sat down in row <strong>B</strong> which of course was the wrong row.\r\n\r\nPhew.  That was a lot of explaining for a Sunday morning.  Needless to say,  the whole thing is kind of trippy when you\'re lying in bed in a  pre-coffee haze. Two cups of coffee later, I think that the whole thing  is pretty funny. Now I\'ve just got make sure that I have something to  wear to the concert in December.','Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams!','','publish','open','open','','bulgarian-alphabet-get-out-of-my-dreams','','','2010-11-14 10:16:24','2010-11-14 08:16:24','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3788',0,'post','',4),(3837,1,'2010-11-21 22:06:32','2010-11-21 20:06:32','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit, poorly-ventilated school basement. \r\n\r\nI spent a day and a half of my life there over this past week--sweating over toasted bread, crying over chopped onions and generally worrying about the recipe.  \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture/dsc02058/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nYou may remember that I also made the stuffing for our school party last year as well. Here\'s a link to the post where I <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/19/one-week-thanksgiving/\">fretted over the enormity of the task and shared my recipe</a>. Don\'t worry. I fretted this year too just not so loudly or so verbally on my blog this year. I didn\'t want to give any of my loyal readers blog déjà vu. \r\n\r\nAnyhow, happy early Thanksgiving to each and everyone of you! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','publish','open','open','','thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture','','','2010-11-21 22:18:31','2010-11-21 20:18:31','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3837',0,'post','',2),(3790,1,'2010-11-13 17:32:40','2010-11-13 15:32:40','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02043/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when you\'re in Bulgaria and you need to go to a horo competition you might just have to park on a corner. We did.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02044/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02045/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02046/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nThe whole day reinforced two things: one, I need a traditional Bulgarian folk costume and two, I don\'t know how I am ever going to pick which one I want. They are all so different and so pretty. <em>What am I going to do? </em>\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post one (or maybe more) when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.  Sorry I don\'t have any action shots. It\'s just kind of hard to take pictures when you\'re dancing.\r\n\r\nFinally, thanks so much to my loyal reader Bobby who showed up to watch <em>AND</em> brought be homemade strawberry  jam. That was really cool and I can\'t wait to try to the jam. I am kind of thinking of just having a spoon full of it because I don\'t have any bread or yogurt at home right now.','Carolyn v Horo! ','','publish','open','open','','carolyn-v-horo','','','2010-11-13 17:32:40','2010-11-13 15:32:40','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3790',0,'post','',4),(3791,1,'2010-11-13 17:04:10','2010-11-13 15:04:10','','ACS v the Horo','ACS v the Horo','inherit','open','open','','dsc02045','','','2010-11-13 17:04:10','2010-11-13 15:04:10','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3792,1,'2010-11-13 17:05:44','2010-11-13 15:05:44','','More of ACS v the Horo','More of ACS v the Horo','inherit','open','open','','dsc02046','','','2010-11-13 17:05:44','2010-11-13 15:05:44','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3793,1,'2010-11-13 17:05:23','2010-11-13 15:05:23','[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\n\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\n\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\n\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision','','','2010-11-13 17:05:23','2010-11-13 15:05:23','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3794,1,'2010-11-13 17:06:44','2010-11-13 15:06:44','[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-2','','','2010-11-13 17:06:44','2010-11-13 15:06:44','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3795,1,'2010-11-13 17:18:16','2010-11-13 15:18:16','','Horo v Sofia ','Horo V Sofia ','inherit','open','open','','dsc02044','','','2010-11-13 17:18:16','2010-11-13 15:18:16','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3796,1,'2010-11-13 17:07:23','2010-11-13 15:07:23','Saturday, \n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\n\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\n\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-3','','','2010-11-13 17:07:23','2010-11-13 15:07:23','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3797,1,'2010-11-13 17:19:31','2010-11-13 15:19:31','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-4','','','2010-11-13 17:19:31','2010-11-13 15:19:31','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3798,1,'2010-11-13 17:23:06','2010-11-13 15:23:06','','Parking on the Corner ','Must dance, Must park on the Corner ','inherit','open','open','','dsc02043','','','2010-11-13 17:23:06','2010-11-13 15:23:06','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3799,1,'2010-11-13 17:19:31','2010-11-13 15:19:31','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-5','','','2010-11-13 17:19:31','2010-11-13 15:19:31','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3800,1,'2010-11-13 17:24:38','2010-11-13 15:24:38','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-6','','','2010-11-13 17:24:38','2010-11-13 15:24:38','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3801,1,'2010-11-13 17:24:38','2010-11-13 15:24:38','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-7','','','2010-11-13 17:24:38','2010-11-13 15:24:38','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3802,1,'2010-11-13 17:24:39','2010-11-13 15:24:39','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nI understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post those when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-8','','','2010-11-13 17:24:39','2010-11-13 15:24:39','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3803,1,'2010-11-13 17:30:45','2010-11-13 15:30:45','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\n\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\n\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when you\'re in Bulgaria and you need to go to a horo competition you might just have to park on a corner. We did.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\n\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\n\nThe whole day reinforced two things: one, I need a traditional Bulgarian folk costume and two, I don\'t know how I am ever going to pick which one I want. They are all so different and so pretty. <em>What am I going to do? </em>\n\nAnyhow, I understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post one (or maybe more) when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.  Sorry I don\'t have any action shots. It\'s just kind of hard to take pictures when you\'re dancing.\n\nFinally, thanks so much to my loyal reader Bobby who showed up to watch <em>AND</em> brought be homemade strawberry jam. That was really cool and I can\'t wait to try to the jam. I don\'t have any bread or yogurt at home right now but I am kind of thinking of just having a spoon full of it.','Carolyn V Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-9','','','2010-11-13 17:30:45','2010-11-13 15:30:45','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3804,1,'2010-11-13 17:31:41','2010-11-13 15:31:41','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when you\'re in Bulgaria and you need to go to a horo competition you might just have to park on a corner. We did.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nThe whole day reinforced two things: one, I need a traditional Bulgarian folk costume and two, I don\'t know how I am ever going to pick which one I want. They are all so different and so pretty. <em>What am I going to do? </em>\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post one (or maybe more) when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.  Sorry I don\'t have any action shots. It\'s just kind of hard to take pictures when you\'re dancing.\r\n\r\nFinally, thanks so much to my loyal reader Bobby who showed up to watch <em>AND</em> brought be homemade strawberry  jam. That was really cool and I can\'t wait to try to the jam. I am kind of thinking of just having a spoon full of it because I don\'t have any bread or yogurt at home right now.','Carolyn v Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-10','','','2010-11-13 17:31:41','2010-11-13 15:31:41','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(3805,1,'2010-11-13 17:31:45','2010-11-13 15:31:45','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\n\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\n\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when you\'re in Bulgaria and you need to go to a horo competition you might just have to park on a corner. We did.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\n\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\n\nThe whole day reinforced two things: one, I need a traditional Bulgarian folk costume and two, I don\'t know how I am ever going to pick which one I want. They are all so different and so pretty. <em>What am I going to do? </em>\n\nAnyhow, I understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post one (or maybe more) when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.  Sorry I don\'t have any action shots. It\'s just kind of hard to take pictures when you\'re dancing.\n\nFinally, thanks so much to my loyal reader Bobby who showed up to watch <em>AND</em> brought be homemade strawberry  jam. That was really cool and I can\'t wait to try to the jam. I am kind of thinking of just having a spoon full of it because I don\'t have any bread or yogurt at home right now.','Carolyn v Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-11','','','2010-11-13 17:31:45','2010-11-13 15:31:45','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(3806,1,'2010-11-13 17:32:40','2010-11-13 15:32:40','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\r\n\r\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3798\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when you\'re in Bulgaria and you need to go to a horo competition you might just have to park on a corner. We did.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3795\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3791\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\r\n\r\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3792\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\r\n\r\nThe whole day reinforced two things: one, I need a traditional Bulgarian folk costume and two, I don\'t know how I am ever going to pick which one I want. They are all so different and so pretty. <em>What am I going to do? </em>\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post one (or maybe more) when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.  Sorry I don\'t have any action shots. It\'s just kind of hard to take pictures when you\'re dancing.\r\n\r\nFinally, thanks so much to my loyal reader Bobby who showed up to watch <em>AND</em> brought be homemade strawberry  jam. That was really cool and I can\'t wait to try to the jam. I am kind of thinking of just having a spoon full of it because I don\'t have any bread or yogurt at home right now.','Carolyn v Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-revision-12','','','2010-11-13 17:32:40','2010-11-13 15:32:40','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(3807,1,'2010-11-13 17:33:45','2010-11-13 15:33:45','Saturday morning? I got up earlier than I like on the weekend, had three cups of coffee, put on a bright yellow ACS t-shirt and got ready for a day of dancing. I met up with three other international teachers and we made our way to Studentski grad.\n\nWe weren\'t sure how easy it would be for us to find the “Hristo Botev” sports hall.  We got an email from a colleague with bus numbers that we could take which is super helpful but then it turned out that one of my colleagues was able to drive. Only the \"directions\" we got were something like: go to Studentski grad and ask where the sports hall is. Um, <em>okay</em>. This would probably work but it doesn\'t seem fool proof.\n\nWe looked up directions on google maps. <em>Thanks, google!</em> Luckily, this neighborhood, Studentski grad, isn\'t far from Mladost and google didn\'t lead us astray. We were there within minutes. It took us longer to find a place to park.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3798\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Must dance, Must park on the Corner \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3798\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02043/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3798 \" title=\"Parking on the Corner \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02043-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThen we parked in the most \"Bulgarian\" parking spot ever. We parked on a corner. Yeah, I realize that it\'s kind of sketchy but really it was the only place we could find. We\'d been honked at a lot and finally it boils down to this: when you\'re in Bulgaria and you need to go to a horo competition you might just have to park on a corner. We did.<!--more-->\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3795\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Horo V Sofia \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3795\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02044/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3795 \" title=\"Horo v Sofia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02044-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAnyhow the hall was full of dancers. I\'ve never seen anything like it before. It was great fun. People were in a range of clothing from traditional costumes, to matching t-shirts and black plants, to modified traditional costumes and even modern dress.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3791\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3791\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02045/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3791 \" title=\"ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02045-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI had a great time today at the Sofia v Horo event.  Our group pulled the 26th spot of 42 teams and by 1pm we had yet to dance. We went on about 1:15pm. The event was scheduled to run from 10-2pm but who knows when it wrapped up.\n\nWe danced, took some pictures and then went to lunch.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3792\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"More of ACS v the Horo\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3792\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/carolyn-v-horo/dsc02046/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3792 \" title=\"More of ACS v the Horo\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02046-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe dancing went well. I didn\'t get too confused at any point. I danced next to one of the school librarians who was really kind to me and made sure that one of my two arms was doing what it was supposed to be doing. I have a hard time focusing on both my feet and my arms at the same time.\n\nThe whole day reinforced two things: one, I need a traditional Bulgarian folk costume and two, I don\'t know how I am ever going to pick which one I want. They are all so different and so pretty. <em>What am I going to do? </em>\n\nAnyhow, I understand that there are some video clips of our group dancing. I\'ll try to post one (or maybe more) when I get a chance. Until then, a couple of photos will have to do.  Sorry I don\'t have any action shots. It\'s just kind of hard to take pictures when you\'re dancing.\n\nFinally, thanks so much to my loyal reader Bobby who showed up to watch <em>AND</em> brought be homemade strawberry  jam. That was really cool and I can\'t wait to try to the jam. I am kind of thinking of just having a spoon full of it because I don\'t have any bread or yogurt at home right now.','Carolyn v Horo! ','','inherit','open','open','','3790-autosave','','','2010-11-13 17:33:45','2010-11-13 15:33:45','',3790,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/13/3790-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3808,1,'2010-11-14 10:15:29','2010-11-14 08:15:29','Last night I had a dream about the upcoming <a href=\"../2010/11/10/acs-150-years-and-vasko-vassilev/\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev </a>concert. Normally I can\'t remember my dreams but this one stuck with me.\n\nIn my dream, I look at my ticket. Everything is in English except for the row--which is in Cyrillic and says row <strong>Б</strong>. Fine. I know that I am sitting in row <strong>B</strong>.\n\nOn  my way to my seat, I stop and talk to lots of people. I also realize  that I am wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a sweatshirt and everyone else  is really dressed up. <em>Hum</em>.  Anyhow, there\'s not much I can do about this now.\n\nI march down to my row <strong>B </strong>and sit down in my seat. I\'ve got a great view and I realize that the acoustics are going to be great where I am sitting.\n\nOnly  this is when, a man in a suit comes up to me, ticket in hand and tells  me I am sitting in his seat. No, I say, this is my seat. He says, no.  You are in my seat. We go back and forth like this for a bit.<!--more-->\n\nI  dig my ticket out of my purse in order to prove to him that I am right  and he is wrong. I pull out my ticket and say, see seat 15<strong>B</strong>.\n\nThe thing is I realize I\'ve chosen to sit down in row <strong>B</strong> and I should be in row <strong>Б</strong> where my seat actually is.\n\nI  stand up, gather my purse and sweatshirt and squeeze past a number of  people in formal wear and I move forward one row to seat 15<strong>Б.</strong>\n\nAt  the point where I realize that it\'s going to be really embarrassing to  sit right in front of my old seat all night, I wake up.\n\nMy first  thought was: that was a weird dream. Followed quickly by: Bulgarian  Alphabet get out of my Dreams. And then I wondered: do I have anything  to wear to the concert in December?\n\nAnyhow, back to the thought: Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams.\n\nI\'ve never dreamed about the Cyrillic alphabet like this before. Then I realized it was kind of a cleaver dream. Why?\n\nWell, the first three letters of the Latin alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>B</strong>, <strong>C</strong> but the first three letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>Б, </strong><strong>B. </strong><strong></strong> The sneaky thing about Cyrillic is that the letter <strong>Б </strong>makes a sound like <em>B</em> in English but the letter <strong>B </strong>makes a sound like the letter <em>V</em> in English.  <em>Follow? </em>\n\nSo in my dream I saw the <strong>Б</strong> thought sound \"<em>B</em>\" in English and then sat down in row <strong>B</strong> which of course was the wrong row.\n\nPhew.  That was a lot of explaining for a Sunday morning.  Needless to say,  the whole thing is kind of trippy when you\'re lying in bed in a  pre-coffee haze. Two cups of coffee later, I think that the whole thing  is pretty funny. Now I\'ve just got make sure that I have something to  wear to the concert in December.','Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams!','','inherit','open','open','','3788-revision','','','2010-11-14 10:15:29','2010-11-14 08:15:29','',3788,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3788-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3809,1,'2010-11-14 10:16:00','2010-11-14 08:16:00','Last night I had a dream about the upcoming <a href=\"../2010/11/10/acs-150-years-and-vasko-vassilev/\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev </a>concert. Normally I can\'t remember my dreams but this one stuck with me.\r\n\r\nIn my dream, I look at my ticket. Everything is in English except for the row--which is in Cyrillic and says row <strong>Б</strong>. Fine. I know that I am sitting in row <strong>B</strong>.\r\n\r\nOn  my way to my seat, I stop and talk to lots of people. I also realize  that I am wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a sweatshirt and everyone else  is really dressed up. <em>Hum</em>.  Anyhow, there\'s not much I can do about this now.\r\n\r\nI march down to my row <strong>B </strong>and sit down in my seat. I\'ve got a great view and I realize that the acoustics are going to be great where I am sitting.\r\n\r\nOnly  this is when, a man in a suit comes up to me, ticket in hand and tells  me I am sitting in his seat. No, I say, this is my seat. He says, no.  You are in my seat. We go back and forth like this for a bit.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI  dig my ticket out of my purse in order to prove to him that I am right  and he is wrong. I pull out my ticket and say, see seat 15<strong>B</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe thing is I realize I\'ve chosen to sit down in row <strong>B</strong> and I should be in row <strong>Б</strong> where my seat actually is.\r\n\r\nI  stand up, gather my purse and sweatshirt and squeeze past a number of  people in formal wear and I move forward one row to seat 15<strong>Б.</strong>\r\n\r\nAt  the point where I realize that it\'s going to be really embarrassing to  sit right in front of my old seat all night, I wake up.\r\n\r\nMy first  thought was: that was a weird dream. Followed quickly by: Bulgarian  Alphabet get out of my Dreams. And then I wondered: do I have anything  to wear to the concert in December?\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to the thought: Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never dreamed about the Cyrillic alphabet like this before. Then I realized it was kind of a cleaver dream. Why?\r\n\r\nWell, the first three letters of the Latin alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>B</strong>, <strong>C</strong> but the first three letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>Б, </strong><strong>B. </strong><strong></strong> The sneaky thing about Cyrillic is that the letter <strong>Б </strong>makes a sound like <em>B</em> in English but the letter <strong>B </strong>makes a sound like the letter <em>V</em> in English.  <em>Follow? </em>\r\n\r\nSo in my dream I saw the <strong>Б</strong> thought sound \"<em>B</em>\" in English and then sat down in row <strong>B</strong> which of course was the wrong row.\r\n\r\nPhew.  That was a lot of explaining for a Sunday morning.  Needless to say,  the whole thing is kind of trippy when you\'re lying in bed in a  pre-coffee haze. Two cups of coffee later, I think that the whole thing  is pretty funny. Now I\'ve just got make sure that I have something to  wear to the concert in December.','Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams!','','inherit','open','open','','3788-revision-2','','','2010-11-14 10:16:00','2010-11-14 08:16:00','',3788,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3788-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3810,1,'2010-11-14 10:16:21','2010-11-14 08:16:21','Last night I had a dream about the upcoming <a href=\"../2010/11/10/acs-150-years-and-vasko-vassilev/\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev </a>concert. Normally I can\'t remember my dreams but this one stuck with me.\r\n\r\nIn my dream, I look at my ticket. Everything is in English except for the row--which is in Cyrillic and says row <strong>Б</strong>. Fine. I know that I am sitting in row <strong>B</strong>.\r\n\r\nOn  my way to my seat, I stop and talk to lots of people. I also realize  that I am wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a sweatshirt and everyone else  is really dressed up. <em>Hum</em>.  Anyhow, there\'s not much I can do about this now.\r\n\r\nI march down to my row <strong>B </strong>and sit down in my seat. I\'ve got a great view and I realize that the acoustics are going to be great where I am sitting.\r\n\r\nOnly  this is when, a man in a suit comes up to me, ticket in hand and tells  me I am sitting in his seat. No, I say, this is my seat. He says, no.  You are in my seat. We go back and forth like this for a bit.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI  dig my ticket out of my purse in order to prove to him that I am right  and he is wrong. I pull out my ticket and say, see seat 15<strong>B</strong>.\r\n\r\nThe thing is I realize I\'ve chosen to sit down in row <strong>B</strong> and I should be in row <strong>Б</strong> where my seat actually is.\r\n\r\nI  stand up, gather my purse and sweatshirt and squeeze past a number of  people in formal wear and I move forward one row to seat 15<strong>Б.</strong>\r\n\r\nAt  the point where I realize that it\'s going to be really embarrassing to  sit right in front of my old seat all night, I wake up.\r\n\r\nMy first  thought was: that was a weird dream. Followed quickly by: Bulgarian  Alphabet get out of my Dreams. And then I wondered: do I have anything  to wear to the concert in December?\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to the thought: Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never dreamed about the Cyrillic alphabet like this before. Then I realized it was kind of a cleaver dream. Why?\r\n\r\nWell, the first three letters of the Latin alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>B</strong>, <strong>C</strong> but the first three letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are <strong>A</strong>, <strong>Б, </strong><strong>B. </strong><strong></strong> The sneaky thing about Cyrillic is that the letter <strong>Б </strong>makes a sound like <em>B</em> in English but the letter <strong>B </strong>makes a sound like the letter <em>V</em> in English.  <em>Follow? </em>\r\n\r\nSo in my dream I saw the <strong>Б</strong> thought sound \"<em>B</em>\" in English and then sat down in row <strong>B</strong> which of course was the wrong row.\r\n\r\nPhew.  That was a lot of explaining for a Sunday morning.  Needless to say,  the whole thing is kind of trippy when you\'re lying in bed in a  pre-coffee haze. Two cups of coffee later, I think that the whole thing  is pretty funny. Now I\'ve just got make sure that I have something to  wear to the concert in December.','Bulgarian Alphabet get out of my Dreams!','','inherit','open','open','','3788-revision-3','','','2010-11-14 10:16:21','2010-11-14 08:16:21','',3788,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3788-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3811,1,'2010-11-14 11:47:35','2010-11-14 09:47:35','','Me in Rouge Magazine','Rouge Magazine Article','inherit','open','open','','carolyn-magazine','','','2010-11-14 11:47:35','2010-11-14 09:47:35','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/Carolyn-Magazine.pdf',0,'attachment','application/pdf',0),(3812,1,'2010-11-04 22:05:13','2010-11-04 20:05:13','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?\r\n\r\n<em>Who knows?</em> I guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!\r\n\r\nI started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.\r\n\r\nOnly thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.\r\n\r\nThe first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.\r\n\r\nUntil I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?\r\n\r\nOh and it helps that I actually love to write.  I never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.  Am I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).\r\n\r\nIf twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-9','','','2010-11-04 22:05:13','2010-11-04 20:05:13','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/04/3578-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3813,1,'2010-11-14 12:02:22','2010-11-14 10:02:22','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?  <em>Who knows?</em>\r\n\r\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!  I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong> With a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.  The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.  Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nOr maybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot. That was the first time where I thought--huna, people actually read what I am writing.  Then the summer of 2010 I was asked to write for about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  If that sounds interesting you might want check out this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> (if you can read Bulgarian). In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?  Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\r\n\r\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\r\n\r\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).  If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-10','','','2010-11-14 12:02:22','2010-11-14 10:02:22','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3578-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(3816,1,'2010-11-14 12:16:35','2010-11-14 10:16:35','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?  <em>Who knows?</em>\r\n\r\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!  I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong> With a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.  The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.  Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nSofia is a really great city. There\'s a lot to do and to see. I especially like it because it\'s not outwardly beautiful. This makes discovering new things, places and activities that much cool and it makes the hunt feel that much more rewarding.\r\n\r\nLife in Sofia is in someways exactly what I expected. Completely frustrating and maddening but surprisingly rewarding. Like when Moda magazine contacted me about whether or not I\'d be interested in being interviewed for a feature they were doing on foreigners in Bulgaria. I said yes. I mean no one\'s ever asked me to be in a magazine before.\r\n\r\nMaybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"../2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot.  This was one of the first times I thought--huna, people are actually reading what I am  writing.\r\n\r\nThen Nova TV a Bulgarian television station contacted me about doing a series on what a week of my life looks like.  Totally weird and funny--<em>right</em>? You can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point, if you\'re not laughing right after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nIn the summer of 2010 I was asked to write about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  It\'s totally flattering and a little nuts that the magazine thought: we\'ll ask Carolyn if she\'ll write this for us. So this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> came out in the fall. In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?  Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\r\n\r\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\r\n\r\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).  If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-13','','','2010-11-14 12:16:35','2010-11-14 10:16:35','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3578-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(3814,1,'2010-11-14 12:02:22','2010-11-14 10:02:22','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?  <em>Who knows?</em>\r\n\r\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!  I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong> With a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.  The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.  Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nIf you\'d like to see what a week of my life looks like you can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point I feel obligated to warn you: if you\'re not laughing right now after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nOr maybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot. That was the first time where I thought--huna, people actually read what I am writing.  Then the summer of 2010 I was asked to write for about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  If that sounds interesting you might want check out this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> (if you can read Bulgarian). In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?  Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\r\n\r\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\r\n\r\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).  If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-11','','','2010-11-14 12:02:22','2010-11-14 10:02:22','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3578-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(3815,1,'2010-11-14 12:16:35','2010-11-14 10:16:35','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?  <em>Who knows?</em>\r\n\r\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!  I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong> With a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.  The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.  Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nSofia is a really great city. There\'s a lot to do and to see. I especially like it because it\'s not outwardly beautiful. This makes discovering new things, places and activities that much cool and it makes the hunt feel that much more rewarding.\r\n\r\nLife in Sofia is in someways exactly what I expected. Completely frustrating and maddening but surprisingly rewarding. Like when Moda magazine contacted me about whether or not I\'d be interested in being interviewed for a feature they were doing on foreigners in Bulgaria. I said yes. I mean no one\'s ever asked me to be in a magazine before.\r\n\r\nMaybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"../2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot.  This was one of the first times I thought--huna, people are actually reading what I am  writing.\r\n\r\nThen Nova TV a Bulgarian television station contacted me about doing a series on what a week of my life looks like.  Totally weird and funny--<em>right</em>? You can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point, if you\'re not laughing right after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nIn the summer of 2010 I was asked to write about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  It\'s totally flattering and a little nuts that the magazine thought: we\'ll ask Carolyn if she\'ll write this for us. So this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> came out in the fall. In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?  Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\r\n\r\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\r\n\r\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.  <strong></strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).  If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-12','','','2010-11-14 12:16:35','2010-11-14 10:16:35','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3578-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(3817,1,'2010-11-14 12:17:55','2010-11-14 10:17:55','[caption id=\"attachment_3742\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"409\" caption=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3742\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/img_4203/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3742 \" title=\"My Initials found at the Paris Flea Market \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/IMG_4203-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWho am I?<em> Who am I?</em>\r\n\r\n1. I\'m Carolyn.\r\n\r\n2. I live in Sofia, Bulgaria.\r\n\r\n(3. This is a blog.)\r\n\r\nThe rest?  <em>Who knows?</em>\r\n\r\nI guess I am supposed to but really how can I condense my life into a single page of my blog?!  I started this blog in 2008 when I won a <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/the-fulbright-me/\">Fulbright</a>.  Only thing is, I am still here and I am still writing. Now I am working at the <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/acs-and-me/\">American College of Sofia</a> and living in Mladost a neighborhood of Sofia.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Name</strong>\r\n\r\nWith a name like Carolyn you don\'t get a lot nicknames. I\'ve had two.  The first was Kiki and I came up with this one when Carolyn was too hard for me to say as a baby and by the time I started preschool I was determined that everyone would call me Carolyn.  And they did.  Until I turned 26 and my first Bulgarian tutor gave me the nickname Karolinka. This of course seemed was the perfect name for my blog.  But really, I am still just Carolyn.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sofia, Bulgaria </strong>\r\n\r\nSofia is a really great city. There\'s a lot to do and to see. I especially like it because it\'s not outwardly beautiful. This makes discovering new things, places and activities that much cool and it makes the hunt feel that much more rewarding.\r\n\r\nLife in Sofia is in someways exactly what I expected. Completely frustrating and maddening but surprisingly rewarding. Like when Moda magazine contacted me about whether or not I\'d be interested in being interviewed for a feature they were doing on foreigners in Bulgaria. I said yes. I mean no one\'s ever asked me to be in a magazine before.\r\n\r\nMaybe you\'d like to check out <a href=\"../2010/01/27/moda-my-magazine-debut/\" target=\"_blank\">my debut in a Bulgarian fashion magazine--Moda</a> in February 2010. Yep, a fashion magazine. A Bulgarian one to boot.  This was one of the first times I thought--huna, people are actually reading what I am  writing.\r\n\r\nThen Nova TV a Bulgarian television station contacted me about doing a series on what a week of my life looks like.  Totally weird and funny--<em>right</em>? You can check out this series Nova TV did on my life at the end of February 2010 (<a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/day-2-nova-tv/\">Day 2</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-3-nova-me-the-bus/\">Day 3</a>, <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/day-4-i-dance/\">Day 4</a> and <a href=\"http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/day-5-the-wrap-up/\">Day 5</a>).  At this point, if you\'re not laughing right after watching this series, you probably shouldn\'t be reading my blog. It\'s not going to be a good fit.\r\n\r\nIn the summer of 2010 I was asked to write about life as a foreigner in Sofia.  It\'s totally flattering and a little nuts that the magazine thought: we\'ll ask Carolyn if she\'ll write this for us. So this <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/09/10/to-be-30-in-moda-and-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">little piece I wrote for Moda</a> came out in the fall. In September 2010, I was also featured in the Bulgarian lifestyle magazine Rouge in the features section--<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3811\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/about-2/carolyn-magazine/\">Me in Rouge Magazine</a>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this whole thing has been kind of surreal.\r\n\r\nLets see, what else, what else? I\'m a twenty-something (okay, nearly-thirty something) American living in Sofia, traveling around Bulgaria and generally exploring the country, people, culture and food.  Now, I\'m in the process of figuring out what it means to be an expat in Bulgaria. And I am trying to learn the language but it\'s slow going.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>My Blog</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen I started this blog, I was doing it for me, my family (mostly my MoM and dAd) and my friends.  I was trying out a new technology and figured if everyone else was doing it why not me?  Oh and it helps that I actually love to write.\r\n\r\nI never really imagined that I\'d have much of a following but I figured that it beats sending out group emails.  So if you wanted to know what I was up to, you could check but it wasn\'t like you had an email from me in your inbox every week that you felt obligated to read and respond to whether you knew what to say or not.  Thus my blog was born.\r\n\r\nSo that\'s that.  I am trying to capture snapshots of what life is like here--sometimes these are events, sometimes feelings, other times things I notice or moments that make me laugh too much not to document and share them.\r\n\r\nAm I an expert on Bulgaria? Of course not, gesh, I can hardly speak the language but for better or worse this is my city right now and I love it dearly.  It\'s a city that grows on you and one day you wake up and think: I am going to miss this place and I am not even gone yet.  <strong> </strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Want More? </strong>\r\n\r\nYou can <a href=\"https://twitter.com/CarolynEmigh\">follow me on twitter</a> but I can\'t promise that in 140 characters you\'ll be wowed by my grammar, insight or wisdom but you will be able to see what\'s on my mind, what catches my eye and what makes me laugh (or want to cry).  If twitter\'s not enough or not your thing, you could see what I\'m reading, following and liking you could <a href=\"https://www.google.com/reader/shared/carolyn.emigh\">subscribe to my feed on google reader</a>. Also if you\'re not using a reader like google--you should be. I can\'t get enough of it--it makes it so easy to follow my favorite blogs and lets me see what my friends are up to. You might also be interested in <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">following me on flickr </a>where I upload tons of photos from my life in and around Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nStill not enough? Well, I am not posting my email, phone number or street address on the blog. My MoM taught me better than that. So leave a comment, let me know what\'s on your mind. I\'ll reply.','Who Am I?','','inherit','open','open','','3578-revision-14','','','2010-11-14 12:17:55','2010-11-14 10:17:55','',3578,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/14/3578-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(3818,1,'2010-11-15 21:22:11','2010-11-15 19:22:11','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\r\n\r\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\r\n\r\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\r\n\r\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/the-ministry-is-coming/dsc02036/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\r\n\r\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3824\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Books as big as the table \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3824\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/the-ministry-is-coming/dsc02038/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3824 \" title=\"Books as big as the table \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02038-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\r\n\r\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job. You don\'t sign without someone making sure that it\'s right and that you haven\'t missed anything.  Turns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.\r\n\r\nSignatures are important to them. So signatures have become extra important to me too!!\r\n\r\nAgain, I am not really sure what my signature in hundreds of little squares proves (aside from the fact that it\'s still kind of a challenge for me to stay in the lines) but I\'m doing my part. Or at least I am trying to.  It\'s going to be an interesting month.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','publish','open','open','','the-ministry-is-coming','','','2010-11-15 21:22:11','2010-11-15 19:22:11','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3818',0,'post','',4),(3819,1,'2010-11-15 21:06:40','2010-11-15 19:06:40','','Me & The Book!','Me & The Book!','inherit','open','open','','dsc02036','','','2010-11-15 21:06:40','2010-11-15 19:06:40','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3820,1,'2010-11-15 21:09:15','2010-11-15 19:09:15','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\n\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\n\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3819\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\n\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.\n\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\n\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\n\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\n\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\n\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job.\n\nTurns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.  Signatures are important to them. So signatures have become important to me too.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-revision','','','2010-11-15 21:09:15','2010-11-15 19:09:15','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3821,1,'2010-11-15 21:12:35','2010-11-15 19:12:35','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\r\n\r\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\r\n\r\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3819\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\r\n\r\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.\r\n\r\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\r\n\r\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\r\n\r\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\r\n\r\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job.\r\n\r\nTurns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.  Signatures are important to them. So signatures have become important to me too.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-revision-2','','','2010-11-15 21:12:35','2010-11-15 19:12:35','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3822,1,'2010-11-15 21:12:35','2010-11-15 19:12:35','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\r\n\r\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\r\n\r\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3819\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\r\n\r\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.\r\n\r\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\r\n\r\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\r\n\r\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\r\n\r\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job.\r\n\r\nTurns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.  Signatures are important to them. So signatures have become important to me too.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-revision-3','','','2010-11-15 21:12:35','2010-11-15 19:12:35','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3823,1,'2010-11-15 21:12:43','2010-11-15 19:12:43','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\r\n\r\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\r\n\r\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3819\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\r\n\r\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.\r\n\r\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\r\n\r\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\r\n\r\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\r\n\r\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job.\r\n\r\nTurns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.  Signatures are important to them. So signatures have become important to me too.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-revision-4','','','2010-11-15 21:12:43','2010-11-15 19:12:43','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3824,1,'2010-11-15 21:17:14','2010-11-15 19:17:14','','Books as big as the table ','Books as big as the table ','inherit','open','open','','dsc02038','','','2010-11-15 21:17:14','2010-11-15 19:17:14','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02038.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3825,1,'2010-11-15 21:21:53','2010-11-15 19:21:53','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\n\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\n\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\n\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3819\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.<!--more-->\n\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\n\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3824\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Books as big as the table \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3824\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3824\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3824 \" title=\"Books as big as the table \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02038-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\n\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\n\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job. You don\'t sign without someone making sure that it\'s right and that you haven\'t missed anything.  Turns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.\n\nSignatures are important to them. So signatures have become extra important to me too!!\n\nAgain, I am not really sure what my signature in hundreds of little squares proves (aside from the fact that it\'s still kind of a challenge for me to stay in the lines) but I\'m doing my part. Or at least I am trying to.  It\'s going to be an interesting','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-revision-5','','','2010-11-15 21:21:53','2010-11-15 19:21:53','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3826,1,'2010-11-15 21:22:11','2010-11-15 19:22:11','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\r\n\r\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\r\n\r\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\r\n\r\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3819\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\r\n\r\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3824\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Books as big as the table \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3824\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3824\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3824 \" title=\"Books as big as the table \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02038-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\r\n\r\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\r\n\r\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job. You don\'t sign without someone making sure that it\'s right and that you haven\'t missed anything.  Turns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.\r\n\r\nSignatures are important to them. So signatures have become extra important to me too!!\r\n\r\nAgain, I am not really sure what my signature in hundreds of little squares proves (aside from the fact that it\'s still kind of a challenge for me to stay in the lines) but I\'m doing my part. Or at least I am trying to.  It\'s going to be an interesting month.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-revision-6','','','2010-11-15 21:22:11','2010-11-15 19:22:11','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3827,1,'2010-11-15 21:23:18','2010-11-15 19:23:18','So most of my life at school is devoted to teaching, planning to teach and grading the things I\'ve taught.  No big surprise there. I am a teacher.\n\nI also spend a couple of minutes each day signing things.\n\nAt school we keep attendance electronically and in hard copy. We do grades electronically and in hard copy. We do a lot both electronically and in hard copy because the Bulgarian government expects that we\'ll do it in hard copy but the school keeps records electronically because well, it\'s easier. So we do both.\n\nAnd, of course, anything you do in hard copy needs a signature.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3819\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me &amp; The Book!\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3819\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/the-ministry-is-coming/dsc02036/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3819 \" title=\"Me &amp; The Book!\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02036-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThere\'s something about this that seems extremely Bulgarian. I think that it\'s the formality and bureaucracy of the whole thing. Also all of the books are in Bulgarian so you just have to learn--intuit--where to sign.<!--more-->\n\nEach day, I sit at my computer and mark attendance then I go to the teachers\' room and do it again in hard copy. Some days, I don\'t think I\'ll be able to remember it once I\'ve left my classroom so I write it down on a piece of paper so that I wont forget on my walk across campus this way I can write it down again once I get to the books. Sometimes I have to go back to my classroom to get my attendance.  I hate when that happens.\n\nIn the books in the teachers\' room, though, students\' names don\'t matter only their number matters. This means that if you have a student who was absent you look up their names at the front of the book. Then you write this number in on the day and in your class period(s). So you write down number 12--if student number 12 was missing that day.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3824\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Books as big as the table \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3824\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/the-ministry-is-coming/dsc02038/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3824 \" title=\"Books as big as the table \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02038-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe also have to jot down our lessons in an even bigger book. Every lesson for every day of the week goes in here. Yep, it\'s bigger than I am. I am not really sure why this second book is so important--but it is.\n\nNow that the whole thing has become a habit, I don\'t really mind the rigmarole. In the beginning it was annoying. this year it just is.\n\nTwo weeks ago the signing became uber-serious like it used to be recreational and now it\'s a job. You don\'t sign without someone making sure that it\'s right and that you haven\'t missed anything.  Turns out the Ministry of Education is coming this month to check up on us.\n\nSignatures are important to them. So signatures have become extra important to me too!!\n\nAgain, I am not really sure what my signature in hundreds of little squares proves (aside from the fact that it\'s still kind of a challenge for me to stay in the lines) but I\'m doing my part. Or at least I am trying to.  It\'s going to be an interesting month.','The Ministry is Coming! ','','inherit','open','open','','3818-autosave','','','2010-11-15 21:23:18','2010-11-15 19:23:18','',3818,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/15/3818-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3829,1,'2010-11-18 21:18:32','2010-11-18 19:18:32','I just had the best night.  I was at the US Ambassador\'s house for a cocktail party. The event was lovely. The food was divine.  All of the passed hors d\'oeuvres were Thanksgiving inspired. Ah!!\n\nThat\'s especially amazing given the fact that this morning I was dreaming of Thanksgiving. Stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, yams.\n\nIt was a great surprise.  I ate turkey and cranberry on mini-Bulgarian style-pancakes. Mash potatoes and gravy on a little piece of baguette. Salmon and cream cheese on rye. Mini-twice baked potatoes with corn. Shrimp and cocktail sauce. Little cheese cake squares. Brown sugar pecan squares. <em>Wow</em>.\n\nHow lucky can one girl get!?!\n\nApparently pretty lucky.\n\nI am telling you the hors d\'oeuvres were tasty. The thing is I am too lazy to make my own. In addition, it\'s nearly impossible to get your hands on cranberries in Bulgaria. I don\'t know how the ambassador did it--magic maybe but I owe him.\n\nThere\'s really no better combination than turkey and cranberries. In fact, I think that combination is American Thanksgiving. Sweet, savory and slightly sour. Yep. It\'s magic.\n\nAnd just what I was dreaming of this morning. Best part? I had no idea I\'d get so lucky today.\n\nUm, yeah, I realize that I am much less excited about the cocktail party than I am the food. That\'s probably weird but that happens when there\'s t','Mini-Thanksgiving','','inherit','open','open','','3828-revision','','','2010-11-18 21:18:32','2010-11-18 19:18:32','',3828,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/3828-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3831,1,'2010-11-19 22:49:34','2010-11-19 20:49:34','Today was another busy day. I taught. I wrote up grades and comments for each and every student I teach. And then I made stuffing for 125 people.\n\nWhy you may ask?\n\nWell stuffing is awesome.\n\nBut it\' not like I woke up this morning and thought after a long day at work I\'ll whip up a gigiantic batch of stuffing. No sir.  Actually, we\'re having a big party tomorrow for all of the Bulgarians at school. We\'re celebrating Thanksgiving!\n\nHip, hip, hooray for Thanksgiving day!!\n\nSure, we\'re celebrating a little early but this way we can travel on our four day weekend next week.\n\nAnyhow, making stuffing is hard work. Break up the bread into little pieces, toast it, chop lots of fruit, veggies and spices, mix it all together, then rehydrate with vegetable stock.\n\nLuckily for me it\'s all done--there\'s nothing to worry about tomorrow morning. All I have to do tomorrow is reheat it and add more stock if necessary.','Stuffing & lots of it','','inherit','open','open','','3830-revision','','','2010-11-19 22:49:34','2010-11-19 20:49:34','',3830,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/19/3830-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3877,1,'2010-11-28 22:36:19','2010-11-28 20:36:19','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6614/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6541/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6551/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6642/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6671/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead.','Back from Madrid','','publish','open','open','','back-from-madrid','','','2010-11-28 22:49:49','2010-11-28 20:49:49','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3877',0,'post','',4),(3833,1,'2010-11-20 11:06:33','2010-11-20 09:06:33','I haven\'t a lot of time to breathe this week let alone really think. It was a week of going from one thing to the next--one due date to the next, one class to the next, one event to the next, one meal to the next (and even the word <em>meal</em> might be generous at times).\r\n\r\nSo only today, did I realize that I\'m going to be celebrating Thanksgiving for more than a week. In my mind that\'s pretty great.\r\n\r\nI like cooking. I like eating. I like spending time with friends. I like traveling.\r\n\r\nBut I am especially glad I am not traveling in the states this Thanksgiving. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d love to see my family (that\'s what skype\'s for) but I hate traveling over holiday weekends in the States. And Thanksgiving is notoriously bad.\r\n\r\nOn top of this, TSA has just issued new security measures at many major airports--full body scan or fully body pat down. It\'s been getting lots of attention in the two weeks before the busiest travel day of the year. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe issue is pretty well laid out on this Colbert Report clip--both the comedy and absurdity of the whole thing.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/365686/november-15-2010/tsa-full-body-scanners---jeffrey-goldberg?xrs=share_copy\">TSA and Full Body Scanners </a>\r\n\r\nAtlantic magazine correspondent Jeffery Goldberg makes two really great points. First that he\'s \"against useless security that needlessly humiliates American citizens\" and two, that \"if you are fighting terrorism at the gates it\'s too late.\" Right on.\r\n\r\nJeffery Goldberg has seemingly hit the head on the nail with this piece: <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/10/for-the-first-time-the-tsa-meets-resistance/65390/\" target=\"_blank\">For the first time, TSA meets the Resistance</a>. Please make sure that you read the postscripts they may, just may, be the best part of the piece. I was laughing out loud.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, there\'s been discussion about a national opt out protest staged by flyers at airports all over the US were the full body scanners are in use otherwise known as the back-scatter body imaging device.  In my mind it\'s not a bad time to protest but what a nightmare for both travelers and TSA gate agents who are clearly lowest on the totem pole and poorly paid.\r\n\r\nIt makes me wonder what I\'d choose. And of course, I\'ll more than likely be confronted with this choice when I fly home for Christmas. Will I opt out of the \"<a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/tsa-opt-out-day-now-with-a-superfantastic-new-twist/66545/\" target=\"_blank\">privacy-invading, genital-picture-taking, radiation-delivering back-scatter imaging machines</a>\"?\r\n\r\nOn principle it seems like the right thing to do--especially in combination with the novels that I teach in 10th and 11th grade which 1984, the Crucible, and The Handmaid\'s Tale.  The body as a sight of control, fear and power--it\'s nothing new, it\'s just a new take on the same old tactics.\r\n\r\nSo, while I am celebrating Thanksgiving here in Bulgaria and then again later in Spain, I\'ll be thinking about what\'s going on in American. This Thanksgiving it seems we are celebrating family and friends, the fall harvest, the freedoms afforded to us as Americans but that we\'ve also got to stand up for these freedoms by opting out of the scans.\r\n\r\nI\'ll be interested to see what happens this next week the new TSA policies as we close in on Thanksgiving.','A Week of Thanksgiving ','','publish','open','open','','a-week-of-thanksgiving','','','2010-11-20 11:06:33','2010-11-20 09:06:33','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3833',0,'post','',7),(3834,1,'2010-11-20 11:04:57','2010-11-20 09:04:57','I haven\'t a lot of time to breathe this week let alone really think. It was a week of going from one thing to the next--one due date to the next, one class to the next, one event to the next, one meal to the next (and even the word <em>meal</em> might be generous at times).\n\nSo only today, did I realize that I\'m going to be celebrating Thanksgiving for more than a week. In my mind that\'s pretty great.\n\nI like cooking. I like eating. I like spending time with friends. I like traveling.\n\nI am especially glad I am not traveling in the states this Thanksgiving. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d love to see my family (but that\'s what skype\'s for) but I hate traveling over holiday weekends in the States. And Thanksgiving is notoriously bad.\n\nOn top of this, TSA has just issued new security measures at many major airports--full body scan or fully body pat down. It\'s been getting lots of attention in the two weeks before the busiest travel day of the year. <!--more-->\n\nThe issue is pretty well laid out on this Colbert Report clip--both the comedy and absurdity of the whole thing.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/365686/november-15-2010/tsa-full-body-scanners---jeffrey-goldberg?xrs=share_copy\">TSA and Full Body Scanners </a>\n\nAtlantic magazine correspondent Jeffery Goldberg makes two really great points. First that he\'s \"against useless security that needlessly humiliates American citizens\" and two, that \"if you are fighting terrorism at the gates it\'s too late.\" Right on.\n\nJeffery Goldberg has seemingly hit the head on the nail with this piece: <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/10/for-the-first-time-the-tsa-meets-resistance/65390/\" target=\"_blank\">For the first time, TSA meets the Resistance</a>. Please make sure that you read the postscripts they may, just may, be the best part of the piece. I was laughing out loud.\n\nAnyhow, there\'s been discussion about a national opt out protest staged by flyers at airports all over the US were the full body scanners are in use otherwise known as the back-scatter body imaging device.  In my mind it\'s not a bad time to protest but what a nightmare for both travelers and TSA gate agents who are clearly lowest on the totem pole and poorly paid.\n\nIt makes me wonder what I\'d choose. And of course, I\'ll more than likely be confronted with this choice when I fly home for Christmas. Will I opt out of the \"<a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/tsa-opt-out-day-now-with-a-superfantastic-new-twist/66545/\" target=\"_blank\">privacy-invading, genital-picture-taking, radiation-delivering back-scatter imaging machines</a>\"?\n\nOn principle it seems like the right thing to do--especially in combination with the novels that I teach in 10th and 11th grade which 1984, the Crucible, and The Handmaid\'s Tale.  The body as a sight of control, fear and power--it\'s nothing new, it\'s just a new take on the same old tactics.\n\nSo, while I am celebrating Thanksgiving here in Bulgaria and then again later in Spain, I\'ll be thinking about what\'s going on in American. This Thanksgiving it seems we are celebrating family and friends, the fall harvest, the freedoms afforded to us as Americans but that we\'ve also got to stand up for these freedoms by opting out of the scans.\n\nI\'ll be interested to see what happens this next week as','A Week of Thanksgiving ','','inherit','open','open','','3833-revision','','','2010-11-20 11:04:57','2010-11-20 09:04:57','',3833,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/20/3833-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3835,1,'2010-11-20 11:05:57','2010-11-20 09:05:57','I haven\'t a lot of time to breathe this week let alone really think. It was a week of going from one thing to the next--one due date to the next, one class to the next, one event to the next, one meal to the next (and even the word <em>meal</em> might be generous at times).\n\nSo only today, did I realize that I\'m going to be celebrating Thanksgiving for more than a week. In my mind that\'s pretty great.\n\nI like cooking. I like eating. I like spending time with friends. I like traveling.\n\nI am especially glad I am not traveling in the states this Thanksgiving. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d love to see my family (but that\'s what skype\'s for) but I hate traveling over holiday weekends in the States. And Thanksgiving is notoriously bad.\n\nOn top of this, TSA has just issued new security measures at many major airports--full body scan or fully body pat down. It\'s been getting lots of attention in the two weeks before the busiest travel day of the year. <!--more-->\n\nThe issue is pretty well laid out on this Colbert Report clip--both the comedy and absurdity of the whole thing.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/365686/november-15-2010/tsa-full-body-scanners---jeffrey-goldberg?xrs=share_copy\">TSA and Full Body Scanners </a>\n\nAtlantic magazine correspondent Jeffery Goldberg makes two really great points. First that he\'s \"against useless security that needlessly humiliates American citizens\" and two, that \"if you are fighting terrorism at the gates it\'s too late.\" Right on.\n\nJeffery Goldberg has seemingly hit the head on the nail with this piece: <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/10/for-the-first-time-the-tsa-meets-resistance/65390/\" target=\"_blank\">For the first time, TSA meets the Resistance</a>. Please make sure that you read the postscripts they may, just may, be the best part of the piece. I was laughing out loud.\n\nAnyhow, there\'s been discussion about a national opt out protest staged by flyers at airports all over the US were the full body scanners are in use otherwise known as the back-scatter body imaging device.  In my mind it\'s not a bad time to protest but what a nightmare for both travelers and TSA gate agents who are clearly lowest on the totem pole and poorly paid.\n\nIt makes me wonder what I\'d choose. And of course, I\'ll more than likely be confronted with this choice when I fly home for Christmas. Will I opt out of the \"<a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/tsa-opt-out-day-now-with-a-superfantastic-new-twist/66545/\" target=\"_blank\">privacy-invading, genital-picture-taking, radiation-delivering back-scatter imaging machines</a>\"?\n\nOn principle it seems like the right thing to do--especially in combination with the novels that I teach in 10th and 11th grade which 1984, the Crucible, and The Handmaid\'s Tale.  The body as a sight of control, fear and power--it\'s nothing new, it\'s just a new take on the same old tactics.\n\nSo, while I am celebrating Thanksgiving here in Bulgaria and then again later in Spain, I\'ll be thinking about what\'s going on in American. This Thanksgiving it seems we are celebrating family and friends, the fall harvest, the freedoms afforded to us as Americans but that we\'ve also got to stand up for these freedoms by opting out of the scans.\n\nI\'ll be interested to see what happens this next week the new TSA policies as we close in on Thanksgiving.','A Week of Thanksgiving ','','inherit','open','open','','3833-revision-2','','','2010-11-20 11:05:57','2010-11-20 09:05:57','',3833,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/20/3833-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3836,1,'2010-11-20 11:07:39','2010-11-20 09:07:39','I haven\'t a lot of time to breathe this week let alone really think. It was a week of going from one thing to the next--one due date to the next, one class to the next, one event to the next, one meal to the next (and even the word <em>meal</em> might be generous at times).\n\nSo only today, did I realize that I\'m going to be celebrating Thanksgiving for more than a week. In my mind that\'s pretty great.\n\nI like cooking. I like eating. I like spending time with friends. I like traveling.\n\nBut I am especially glad I am not traveling in the states this Thanksgiving. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d love to see my family (that\'s what skype\'s for) but I hate traveling over holiday weekends in the States. And Thanksgiving is notoriously bad.\n\nOn top of this, TSA has just issued new security measures at many major airports--full body scan or fully body pat down. It\'s been getting lots of attention in the two weeks before the busiest travel day of the year. <!--more-->\n\nThe issue is pretty well laid out on this Colbert Report clip--both the comedy and absurdity of the whole thing.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/365686/november-15-2010/tsa-full-body-scanners---jeffrey-goldberg?xrs=share_copy\">TSA and Full Body Scanners </a>\n\nAtlantic magazine correspondent Jeffery Goldberg makes two really great points. First that he\'s \"against useless security that needlessly humiliates American citizens\" and two, that \"if you are fighting terrorism at the gates it\'s too late.\" Right on.\n\nJeffery Goldberg has seemingly hit the head on the nail with this piece: <a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/10/for-the-first-time-the-tsa-meets-resistance/65390/\" target=\"_blank\">For the first time, TSA meets the Resistance</a>. Please make sure that you read the postscripts they may, just may, be the best part of the piece. I was laughing out loud.\n\nAnyhow, there\'s been discussion about a national opt out protest staged by flyers at airports all over the US were the full body scanners are in use otherwise known as the back-scatter body imaging device.  In my mind it\'s not a bad time to protest but what a nightmare for both travelers and TSA gate agents who are clearly lowest on the totem pole and poorly paid.\n\nIt makes me wonder what I\'d choose. And of course, I\'ll more than likely be confronted with this choice when I fly home for Christmas. Will I opt out of the \"<a href=\"http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/11/tsa-opt-out-day-now-with-a-superfantastic-new-twist/66545/\" target=\"_blank\">privacy-invading, genital-picture-taking, radiation-delivering back-scatter imaging machines</a>\"?\n\nOn principle it seems like the right thing to do--especially in combination with the novels that I teach in 10th and 11th grade which 1984, the Crucible, and The Handmaid\'s Tale.  The body as a sight of control, fear and power--it\'s nothing new, it\'s just a new take on the same old tactics.\n\nSo, while I am celebrating Thanksgiving here in Bulgaria and then again later in Spain, I\'ll be thinking about what\'s going on in American. This Thanksgiving it seems we are celebrating family and friends, the fall harvest, the freedoms afforded to us as Americans but that we\'ve also got to stand up for these freedoms by opting out of the scans.\n\nI\'ll be interested to see what happens this next week the new TSA policies as we close in on Thanksgiving.','A Week of Thanksgiving ','','inherit','open','open','','3833-autosave','','','2010-11-20 11:07:39','2010-11-20 09:07:39','',3833,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/20/3833-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3838,1,'2010-11-21 22:04:05','2010-11-21 20:04:05','','Stuffing and more stuffing','Stuffing and more stuffing','inherit','open','open','','dsc02058','','','2010-11-21 22:04:05','2010-11-21 20:04:05','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3839,1,'2010-11-21 22:05:51','2010-11-21 20:05:51','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit school basement. Where I spent a day and a half of my life this past week.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3838\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-revision','','','2010-11-21 22:05:51','2010-11-21 20:05:51','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3840,1,'2010-11-21 22:06:32','2010-11-21 20:06:32','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit school basement. Spent a day and a half of my life there this past week.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3838\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHappy early Thanksgiving everyone! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-revision-2','','','2010-11-21 22:06:32','2010-11-21 20:06:32','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3841,1,'2010-11-21 22:18:57','2010-11-21 20:18:57','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit, poorly-ventilated school basement. \r\n\r\nI spent a day and a half of my life there over this past week--sweating over toasted bread, crying over chopped onions and generally worrying about the recipe.  \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture/dsc02058/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nYou may remember that I also made the stuffing for our school party last year as well. Here\'s a link to the post where I <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/19/one-week-thanksgiving/\">fretted over the enormity of the task and shared my recipe</a>. Don\'t worry. I fretted this year too just not so loudly or so verbally on my blog this year. I didn\'t want to give any of my loyal readers blog déjà vu. \r\n\r\nAnyhow, happy early Thanksgiving to each and everyone of you! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-autosave','','','2010-11-21 22:18:57','2010-11-21 20:18:57','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3842,1,'2010-11-21 22:06:32','2010-11-21 20:06:32','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit school basement. Spent a day and a half of my life there this past week.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture/dsc02058/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHappy early Thanksgiving everyone! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-revision-3','','','2010-11-21 22:06:32','2010-11-21 20:06:32','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3843,1,'2010-11-21 22:10:27','2010-11-21 20:10:27','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit, poorly-ventilated school basement. \r\n\r\nI spent a day and a half of my life there over this past week--sweating over toasted bread, crying over chopped onions and generally worrying about the recipe.  \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture/dsc02058/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n\r\nHappy early Thanksgiving everyone! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-revision-4','','','2010-11-21 22:10:27','2010-11-21 20:10:27','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3844,1,'2009-11-19 23:24:59','2009-11-19 20:24:59','We\'re celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend at school. I know, I know... it\'s a few days early but what\'s a girl to do? It\'s a serious tradition at ACS--the international teachers make Thanksgiving dinner for the Bulgarian teachers at school. So the cooking starts tomorrow after school and we eat (and drink) on Saturday afternoon.\n\nIt\'s a group thing which is good because we\'re cooking for probably 140 people.  I am signed up to make stuffing.  I volunteered to do this because I\'ve got an amazing recipe that I am going to make. But when I signed up, I wasn\'t really thinking about the fact that I\'d be making stuffing for over 100 people.\n\nHonestly, I\'ve never ever cooked for this many people.  I love Thanksgiving but what was I thinking?! Stuffing for 140 people? Luckily there will be moral support from the other international teachers and I am pretty glad that I am not making pumpkin pies for 140 people.  That seems like a ton of work.  Especially because we don\'t have cans of pumpkin puree here in Bulgaria. You\'ve got to make the puree and then make the pies.\n\nSo tomorrow after school, I\'ll be found in our school\'s basement kitchen cutting bread, roasting it until it toasty and putting together my awesome, awesome stuffing recipe.  I am trying me best to get pumped up about this. I mean the stuffing is really tasty and I am excited about this. <!--more--> But right now, I am not so excited about making pan upon pan of stuffing tomorrow.  Not pumped up about it.\n\nI am really trying.  I think that Thanksgiving is a special holiday.  And I want to share the sprit of it with my Bulgarian coworkers. It\'s just a little bit overwhelming to think about how many people I am going to be cooking for.\n\nOn a positive note: once I\'ve cooked stuffing for this many people, it will seem easy-peasy any other time I do it.  Actually, I have a hunch after Saturday I\'d be happy to make a whole Thanksgiving dinner by myself for friends and family and it won\'t feel like any work at all.  Okay, that might be an exaggeration.  But really, how can it not be easy once I\'ve made this much stuffing?\n\nSo keep your fingers crossed that everything comes together smoothly.  I mean I did have to increase by eight and I tried to \"translate\" it from cups to some European measurements. On top of this, I also have to hope that the fresh spices I asked for are in the market and available.\n\nHere\'s my recipe. It\'s easy as 1, 2, 3 (but maybe also 4, 5, 6, 7....).\n\n<strong>Vegetarian Stuffing for 15 people:\n</strong>\n<ul>\n	<li>1/2 loaf cubed whole wheat bread</li>\n	<li>1 loaf cubed white bread</li>\n	<li>2 large chopped onions</li>\n	<li>2 cloves of garlic</li>\n	<li>1.5 cups chopped celery</li>\n	<li>5 Teaspoons fresh sage</li>\n	<li>1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary</li>\n	<li>1 Teaspoon Fresh thyme</li>\n	<li>2 Golden Delicious Apples cored, peeled, chopped</li>\n	<li>1.5 cups dried fruit (golden raisins, apricots, cherries)</li>\n	<li>2/3 cups minced fresh parsley</li>\n	<li>3 cups vegetable stock (Note: this varies based on your bread. You might need more.)</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup melted butter</li>\n</ul>\nHow to: cut everything in to pieces. Toast the bread cubes. You can make these by cutting them or I\'d recommending ripping the bread into pieces. It\'s looks more rustic this way. This will take 20 minutes or so. Toss the pieces from time to time so that they toast evenly. Cook with a little butter the garlic and onion until soft. Chop up all of the herbs into little pieces. Then in a very large pan mix everything but the vegetable stock and melted butter together. Then pour the liquid ingredients over the together everything in the pan. It should be moist--not to wet and not to dry. This is important. If you need more moisture--add more stock.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil and stick the whole thing in the oven. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered and then 30 minutes or until hot through for 30 more minutes. The top should get toasty and golden.\n\nUm did I mention, this recipe is delicious?!\n\nDon\'t worry,  there will be an update on the actual cooking and the event.','One Week and Counting: Thanksgiving','','inherit','open','open','','1446-revision','','','2009-11-19 23:24:59','2009-11-19 20:24:59','',1446,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/19/1446-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3845,1,'2010-11-21 22:10:27','2010-11-21 20:10:27','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit, poorly-ventilated school basement. \r\n\r\nI spent a day and a half of my life there over this past week--sweating over toasted bread, crying over chopped onions and generally worrying about the recipe.  \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture/dsc02058/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n\r\nHappy early Thanksgiving everyone! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-revision-5','','','2010-11-21 22:10:27','2010-11-21 20:10:27','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3846,1,'2010-11-21 22:18:31','2010-11-21 20:18:31','Thanksgiving Stuffing. All 11 pans of it. In our poorly-lit, poorly-ventilated school basement. \r\n\r\nI spent a day and a half of my life there over this past week--sweating over toasted bread, crying over chopped onions and generally worrying about the recipe.  \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3838\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3838\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/thanksgiving-stuffing-in-a-picture/dsc02058/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3838 \" title=\"Stuffing and more stuffing\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02058-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nYou may remember that I also made the stuffing for our school party last year as well. Here\'s a link to the post where I <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/19/one-week-thanksgiving/\">fretted over the enormity of the task and shared my recipe</a>. Don\'t worry. I fretted this year too just not so loudly or so verbally on my blog this year. I didn\'t want to give any of my loyal readers blog déjà vu. \r\n\r\nAnyhow, happy early Thanksgiving to each and everyone of you! ','Thanksgiving Stuffing in a Picture','','inherit','open','open','','3837-revision-6','','','2010-11-21 22:18:31','2010-11-21 20:18:31','',3837,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3837-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3847,1,'2010-11-22 06:19:38','2010-11-22 04:19:38','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast (sorry the lights so bad at 6am in my apt)\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02048/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02050/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','publish','open','open','','good-morning-oatmeal','','','2010-11-22 18:10:50','2010-11-22 16:10:50','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3847',0,'post','',1),(3848,1,'2010-11-21 22:32:19','2010-11-21 20:32:19','','Quick Oatmeal Breakfast','Quick Oatmeal Breakfast','inherit','open','open','','dsc02048','','','2010-11-21 22:32:19','2010-11-21 20:32:19','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3849,1,'2010-11-21 22:34:41','2010-11-21 20:34:41','','Instant Oatmeal','Instant Oatmeal','inherit','open','open','','dsc02050','','','2010-11-21 22:34:41','2010-11-21 20:34:41','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3850,1,'2010-11-21 22:38:44','2010-11-21 20:38:44','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\n\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\n\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1024\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3848\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848\" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\n\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\n\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\n\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1024\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3849\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849\" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\n\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\n\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision','','','2010-11-21 22:38:44','2010-11-21 20:38:44','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3854,1,'2010-11-21 22:39:43','2010-11-21 20:39:43','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\n\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\n\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3848\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\n\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\n\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\n\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3849\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\n\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\n\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-5','','','2010-11-21 22:39:43','2010-11-21 20:39:43','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3851,1,'2010-11-21 22:39:15','2010-11-21 20:39:15','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3848\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3849\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-2','','','2010-11-21 22:39:15','2010-11-21 20:39:15','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3852,1,'2010-11-21 22:39:15','2010-11-21 20:39:15','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3848\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3849\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-3','','','2010-11-21 22:39:15','2010-11-21 20:39:15','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3853,1,'2010-11-21 22:39:24','2010-11-21 20:39:24','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3848\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3849\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-4','','','2010-11-21 22:39:24','2010-11-21 20:39:24','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3855,1,'2010-11-21 22:41:06','2010-11-21 20:41:06','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast (sorry the lights so bad at 6am in my apt)\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3848\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3849\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-6','','','2010-11-21 22:41:06','2010-11-21 20:41:06','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3856,1,'2010-11-22 18:11:59','2010-11-22 16:11:59','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\n\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\n\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast (sorry the lights so bad at 6am in my apt)\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02048/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\n\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\n\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\n\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02050/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\n\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\n\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-autosave','','','2010-11-22 18:11:59','2010-11-22 16:11:59','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3857,1,'2010-11-21 22:41:06','2010-11-21 20:41:06','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast (sorry the lights so bad at 6am in my apt)\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02048/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02050/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-7','','','2010-11-21 22:41:06','2010-11-21 20:41:06','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/21/3847-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3858,1,'2010-11-22 18:10:50','2010-11-22 16:10:50','You may or may not know this about me but I love two things in the morning: coffee and oatmeal. Probably in that order.\r\n\r\nI may have to cut back on the coffee a little bit though. I drank a whole pot by myself yesterday morning and I was a little shaky feeling for the rest of the day. Copious amounts of water didn\'t even fix the problem. Oops.\r\n\r\nLuckily I don\'t have to cut back on oatmeal. Oatmeal\'s good for you.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3848\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast (sorry the lights so bad at 6am in my apt)\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3848\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02048/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3848 \" title=\"Quick Oatmeal Breakfast\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02048-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI like oatmeal because it\'s hot and creamy. It\'s a nice balance to the cold of winter and the dark mornings. It\'s also satisfying but more over, it\'s healthy. Did I mention it\'s tasty?\r\n\r\nOn a whole, I really like making it from scratch on the stove from whole oats. Recently, I accidentally bought a bag of quick oats which as the name implies cooks more quickly but I don\'t think is as tasty.  Serves me right trying to get everything on my shopping list in 10 minutes.\r\n\r\nThe result was that a few days later I was back at the store again. Only this time, I popped into Hit. And low and behold, they had the oats I wanted and something I didn\'t even know that I wanted nor did I know they existed in Bulgaria!!\r\n\r\nRight?! That\'s the magic of Hit.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3849\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Instant Oatmeal\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3849\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/good-morning-oatmeal/dsc02050/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3849 \" title=\"Instant Oatmeal\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02050-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nCheck this out: instant oatmeal. Boil water. Pour over the contents which have already been dumped into a bowl and in 2 minutes you have oatmeal.\r\n\r\nThis stuff is no where near as good at the whole oats but man-oh-man I had a busy week last week and these things are stupidly easy. And while they aren\'t <em>delicious</em> they\'re fine. For two minutes. There\'s strawberry from Nestle and Ovo-fit has at least two other flavors raspberry and apple. If you\'re wondering, raspberry is hands down the best.\r\n\r\nSometimes a girl just needs quick and easy and these fit the bill.','Good Morning Oatmeal!','','inherit','open','open','','3847-revision-8','','','2010-11-22 18:10:50','2010-11-22 16:10:50','',3847,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/3847-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3859,1,'2010-11-22 18:42:13','2010-11-22 16:42:13','This morning I woke up to find a comment in my inbox from a writer at <a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/\" target=\"_blank\">Matador Abroad</a> which is a travel website and  platform for expatriates and travelers to share first-person narrative about experiences abroad.\r\n\r\nTurns out that my blog made a top 20 list--<a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/20-awesome-expat-blogs/\" target=\"_blank\">2o Awesome Expat Blogs</a>. Oh. How nice is that. My blog is #7 on the list--although it\'s really not ranking. You know if I tell you what number it is you can skip over it and check out the 19 other blogs on the list. Which you should.\r\n\r\nThe post starts with this:\r\n<blockquote>Some expat blogs are simple; some are ranting, and some are way too personal. Luckily, there’s another class of blogs from those living overseas.\r\n\r\nThese are the truly great blogs; the ones you can visit over and over. For sharp writing, quality photography, or wry humour, these blogs stand out from the pack.</blockquote>\r\nWow.  I\'m blushing.\r\n\r\nA lot.\r\n\r\nMan, I hope this doesn\'t give me writer\'s block. That would suck.\r\n\r\nWhat doesn\'t suck? That <a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/author/anne-merritt/\" target=\"_blank\">Anne Merritt</a> took the time to put all of these great blogs together in one place. She\'s made it so much easier for me to find some new blog crushes.\r\n\r\nThe only problem? I\'d rather browse blogs than do work.','This Made My Day ','','publish','open','open','','this-made-my-day','','','2010-11-22 18:42:13','2010-11-22 16:42:13','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3859',0,'post','',7),(3860,1,'2010-11-22 18:39:49','2010-11-22 16:39:49','This morning I woke up to find a comment in my inbox from a writer at <a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/\" target=\"_blank\">Matador Abroad</a> which is a travel website and  platform for expatriates and travelers to share first-person narrative about experiences abroad.\n\nTurns out that my blog made a top 20 list--<a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/20-awesome-expat-blogs/\" target=\"_blank\">2o Awesome Expat Blogs</a>. Oh. How nice is that. My blog is #7 on the list--although it\'s really not ranking. You know if I tell you what number it is you can skip over it and check out the 19 other blogs on the list. Which you should.\n\nThe post starts with this:\n<blockquote>Some expat blogs are simple; some are ranting, and some are way too personal. Luckily, there’s another class of blogs from those living overseas.\n\nThese are the truly great blogs; the ones you can visit over and over. For sharp writing, quality photography, or wry humour, these blogs stand out from the pack.</blockquote>\nWow.  I\'m blushing.\n\nA lot.\n\nMan, I hope this doesn\'t give me writer\'s block. That would suck.\n\nWhat doesn\'t suck? That <a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/author/anne-merritt/\" target=\"_blank\">Anne Merritt</a> took the time to put all of these great blogs together in one place. She\'s made it so much easier for me to find some new blog crushes.\n\nThe only problem? I\'d rather browse blogs than do work.','This Made My Day ','','inherit','open','open','','3859-revision','','','2010-11-22 18:39:49','2010-11-22 16:39:49','',3859,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/3859-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3861,1,'2010-11-22 18:43:19','2010-11-22 16:43:19','This morning I woke up to find a comment in my inbox from a writer at <a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/\" target=\"_blank\">Matador Abroad</a> which is a travel website and  platform for expatriates and travelers to share first-person narrative about experiences abroad.\n\nTurns out that my blog made a top 20 list--<a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/20-awesome-expat-blogs/\" target=\"_blank\">2o Awesome Expat Blogs</a>. Oh. How nice is that. My blog is #7 on the list--although it\'s really not ranking. You know if I tell you what number it is you can skip over it and check out the 19 other blogs on the list. Which you should.\n\nThe post starts with this:\n<blockquote>Some expat blogs are simple; some are ranting, and some are way too personal. Luckily, there’s another class of blogs from those living overseas.\n\nThese are the truly great blogs; the ones you can visit over and over. For sharp writing, quality photography, or wry humour, these blogs stand out from the pack.</blockquote>\nWow.  I\'m blushing.\n\nA lot.\n\nMan, I hope this doesn\'t give me writer\'s block. That would suck.\n\nWhat doesn\'t suck? That <a href=\"http://matadornetwork.com/author/anne-merritt/\" target=\"_blank\">Anne Merritt</a> took the time to put all of these great blogs together in one place. She\'s made it so much easier for me to find some new blog crushes.\n\nThe only problem? I\'d rather browse blogs than do work.','This Made My Day ','','inherit','open','open','','3859-autosave','','','2010-11-22 18:43:19','2010-11-22 16:43:19','',3859,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/22/3859-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3862,1,'2010-11-23 20:21:19','2010-11-23 18:21:19','I am hoping on an airplane on Thursday to fly to Madrid. I am spending Thanksgiving weekend with my friend D. And truthfully I couldn\'t be happier. I\'ve never been to Spain and I am looking forward to seeing both friend and the city.\r\n\r\nD. has to work on Thursday and Friday so that means the city is mine to explore while he\'s at work. Then on Saturday we\'re going on a whirl-wind day trip to <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamanca\" target=\"_blank\">Salamanca</a>.\r\n\r\nI\'ve already got a few things on my to-do list:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_del_Prado\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado </a>a giant museum and outstanding art gallery in one</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Thyssen-Bornemisza\" target=\"_blank\">Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza</a> and yet another great art gallery</li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid\" target=\"_blank\">Palacio Real de Madrid</a> otherwise known as the Royal Palace</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBut I got such great responses to my post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/20/paris-without-guidebooks/\" target=\"_blank\">Paris without Guidebooks</a> last spring, I figured I\'d see if anyone had additional suggestions.\r\n\r\nOnce again, I am not necessarily looking for super-touristy things to do (even  through, I am going to be doing those things).  Do you have a favorite  neighborhood? a cafe? a bookstore? or a museum that’s tucked away and  totally worth seeking out?','Madrid for Thanksgiving ','','publish','open','open','','madrid-for-thanksgiving','','','2010-11-23 20:21:19','2010-11-23 18:21:19','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3862',0,'post','',5),(3863,1,'2010-11-23 20:21:12','2010-11-23 18:21:12','I am hoping on an airplane on Thursday to fly to Madrid. I am spending Thanksgiving weekend with my friend D. And truthfully I couldn\'t be happier. I\'ve never been to Spain and I am looking forward to seeing both friend and the city.\n\nD. has to work on Thursday and Friday so that means the city is mine to explore while he\'s at work. Then on Saturday we\'re going on a whirl-wind day trip to <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamanca\" target=\"_blank\">Salamanca</a>.\n\nI\'ve already got a few things on my to-do list:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_del_Prado\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado </a>a giant museum and outstanding art gallery in one</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Thyssen-Bornemisza\" target=\"_blank\">Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza</a> and yet another great art gallery</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid\" target=\"_blank\">Palacio Real de Madrid</a> otherwise known as the Royal Palace</li>\n</ul>\nBut I got such great responses to my post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/20/paris-without-guidebooks/\" target=\"_blank\">Paris without Guidebooks</a> last spring, I figured I\'d see if anyone had additional suggestions.\n\nOnce again, I am not necessarily looking for super-touristy things to do (even  through, I am going to be doing those things).  Do you have a favorite  neighborhood? a cafe? a bookstore? or a museum that’s tucked away and  totally worth seeking out?','Madrid for Thanksgiving ','','inherit','open','open','','3862-revision','','','2010-11-23 20:21:12','2010-11-23 18:21:12','',3862,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3862-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3864,1,'2010-11-24 06:00:59','2010-11-24 04:00:59','It\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\r\n\r\nRainy days in Sofia?\r\n\r\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in. It\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray, the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water and the buses are extra full on rainy days.\r\n\r\nLuckily, I have my pink-flower printed rain boots.  They make walking around in Mladost pretty great.  I can walk through puddles rather than around them. I can jump in puddles. I can splash.\r\n\r\nIn fact, on my walk home yesterday, I was thinking about how maybe these chintz printed rainbooks were the best $20 I spent in the last year.  Yes, I get a lot of joy out of these boots.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/24/rainy-days/dsc02032/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','publish','open','open','','rainy-days','','','2010-11-23 21:24:38','2010-11-23 19:24:38','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3864',0,'post','',1),(3865,1,'2010-11-23 21:13:20','2010-11-23 19:13:20','','Trees in a puddle ','Trees refelected in a puddle','inherit','open','open','','dsc02032','','','2010-11-23 21:13:20','2010-11-23 19:13:20','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3866,1,'2010-11-23 21:16:30','2010-11-23 19:16:30','','Puddles, puddles ','Puddles, puddles ','inherit','open','open','','dsc02033','','','2010-11-23 21:16:30','2010-11-23 19:16:30','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02033.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3867,1,'2010-11-23 21:15:04','2010-11-23 19:15:04','It\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\n\nRainy days in Sofia?\n\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in.\n\nIt\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray and the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1024\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3865\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865\" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-revision','','','2010-11-23 21:15:04','2010-11-23 19:15:04','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3868,1,'2010-11-23 21:17:41','2010-11-23 19:17:41','[caption id=\"attachment_3866\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"461\" caption=\"Puddles, puddles \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3866\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3866\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3866 \" title=\"Puddles, puddles \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02033-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIt\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\r\n\r\nRainy days in Sofia?\r\n\r\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray and the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3865\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-revision-2','','','2010-11-23 21:17:41','2010-11-23 19:17:41','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3869,1,'2010-11-23 21:18:03','2010-11-23 19:18:03','[caption id=\"attachment_3866\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"461\" caption=\"Puddles, puddles \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3866\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3866\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3866 \" title=\"Puddles, puddles \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02033-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"461\" height=\"614\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIt\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\n\nRainy days in Sofia?\n\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in.\n\nIt\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray and the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3865\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-revision-3','','','2010-11-23 21:18:03','2010-11-23 19:18:03','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3870,1,'2010-11-23 21:23:57','2010-11-23 19:23:57','It\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\r\n\r\nRainy days in Sofia?\r\n\r\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in. It\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray, the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water and the buses are extra full on rainy days.\r\n\r\nLuckily, I have my pink-flower printed rain boots.  They make walking around in Mladost pretty great.  I can walk through puddles rather than around them. I can jump in puddles. I can splash.\r\n\r\nIn fact, on my walk home yesterday, I was thinking about how maybe these chintz printed rainbooks were the best $20 I spent in the last year.  Yes, I get a lot of joy out of these boots.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3865\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-revision-4','','','2010-11-23 21:23:57','2010-11-23 19:23:57','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3871,1,'2010-11-23 21:23:57','2010-11-23 19:23:57','It\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\r\n\r\nRainy days in Sofia?\r\n\r\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in. It\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray, the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water and the buses are extra full on rainy days.\r\n\r\nLuckily, I have my pink-flower printed rain boots.  They make walking around in Mladost pretty great.  I can walk through puddles rather than around them. I can jump in puddles. I can splash.\r\n\r\nIn fact, on my walk home yesterday, I was thinking about how maybe these chintz printed rainbooks were the best $20 I spent in the last year.  Yes, I get a lot of joy out of these boots.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3865\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-revision-5','','','2010-11-23 21:23:57','2010-11-23 19:23:57','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3872,1,'2010-11-23 21:24:38','2010-11-23 19:24:38','It\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\r\n\r\nRainy days in Sofia?\r\n\r\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in. It\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray, the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water and the buses are extra full on rainy days.\r\n\r\nLuckily, I have my pink-flower printed rain boots.  They make walking around in Mladost pretty great.  I can walk through puddles rather than around them. I can jump in puddles. I can splash.\r\n\r\nIn fact, on my walk home yesterday, I was thinking about how maybe these chintz printed rainbooks were the best $20 I spent in the last year.  Yes, I get a lot of joy out of these boots.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3865\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-revision-6','','','2010-11-23 21:24:38','2010-11-23 19:24:38','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3873,1,'2010-11-23 21:25:44','2010-11-23 19:25:44','It\'s been a rainy fall in Sofia but at least it\'s fall. We didn\'t skip straight to winter or anything.  I don\'t mind rain. Sometimes in the moment it gets me down but on a whole, I am okay with rain.\n\nRainy days in Sofia?\n\nWell, sometimes these are harder than other cities I\'ve lived in. It\'s hard to get up before six in the mornings when the sky is overcast. My room is especially dark then. The block buildings look gray, gray, the streets and sidewalks are riddled with potholes--potholes that fill up awfully fast with water and the buses are extra full on rainy days.\n\nLuckily, I have my pink-flower printed rain boots.  They make walking around in Mladost pretty great.  I can walk through puddles rather than around them. I can jump in puddles. I can splash.\n\nIn fact, on my walk home yesterday, I was thinking about how maybe these chintz printed rainbooks were the best $20 I spent in the last year.  Yes, I get a lot of joy out of these boots.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Trees refelected in a puddle\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3865\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/24/rainy-days/dsc02032/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3865 \" title=\"Trees in a puddle \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DSC02032-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"461\" /></a>[/caption]','Rainy Days ','','inherit','open','open','','3864-autosave','','','2010-11-23 21:25:44','2010-11-23 19:25:44','',3864,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3864-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3874,1,'2010-11-25 06:28:54','2010-11-25 04:28:54','I am not going to be sweating over a turkey on Thanksgiving this year. And that\'s okay.\r\n\r\nBut it doesn\'t mean that I am not thankful. In fact, I am very thankful.\r\n\r\nI am thankful that:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>I am happy and healthy.</li>\r\n	<li>I have some of the best friends and family a girl could ever ask for.</li>\r\n	<li>I have a job I love.</li>\r\n	<li>I live in a city which is youthful, a little gritty and ever changing.</li>\r\n	<li>I have the time, money and ability to travel.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nI know it\'s not a very long list or a very long post but in my mind it\'s the thought that matters. And in this case, the <em>thanks</em> that matter most.\r\n\r\nWishing each of you the best today--whether or not you\'re celebrating this holiday.','To Be Thankful','','publish','open','open','','to-be-thankful','','','2010-11-24 23:06:03','2010-11-24 21:06:03','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3874',0,'post','',1),(3875,1,'2010-11-23 21:27:41','2010-11-23 19:27:41','I am','To Be Thankful','','inherit','open','open','','3874-revision','','','2010-11-23 21:27:41','2010-11-23 19:27:41','',3874,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/23/3874-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3876,1,'2010-11-24 23:05:31','2010-11-24 21:05:31','I am not going to be sweating over a turkey on Thanksgiving this year. And that\'s okay.\n\nBut it doesn\'t mean that I am not thankful. In fact, I am very thankful.\n\nI am thankful that:\n<ul>\n	<li>I am happy and healthy.</li>\n	<li>I have some of the best friends and family a girl could ever ask for.</li>\n	<li>I have a job I love.</li>\n	<li>I live in a city which is youthful, a little gritty and ever changing.</li>\n	<li>I have the time, money and ability to travel.</li>\n</ul>\nI know it\'s not a very long list or a very long post but in my mind it\'s the thought that matters. And in this case, the <em>thanks</em> that matter most.\n\nWishing each of you the best today--whether or not you\'re celebrating this holiday.','To Be Thankful','','inherit','open','open','','3874-revision-2','','','2010-11-24 23:05:31','2010-11-24 21:05:31','',3874,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/24/3874-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3878,1,'2010-11-28 21:49:35','2010-11-28 19:49:35','','Park Fountain ','Park Fountain ','inherit','open','open','','img_6541','','','2010-11-28 21:49:35','2010-11-28 19:49:35','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3879,1,'2010-11-28 21:55:10','2010-11-28 19:55:10','','On the Street','On the Street','inherit','open','open','','img_6551','','','2010-11-28 21:55:10','2010-11-28 19:55:10','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3880,1,'2010-11-28 21:59:28','2010-11-28 19:59:28','','Royal Palace','Royal Palace','inherit','open','open','','img_6642','','','2010-11-28 21:59:28','2010-11-28 19:59:28','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3881,1,'2010-11-28 22:04:27','2010-11-28 20:04:27','I had a great long weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny. The city was bustling both day and night.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI didn\'t really know what to expect.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1024\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880\" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIt turns out that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision','','','2010-11-28 22:04:27','2010-11-28 20:04:27','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3883,1,'2010-11-28 22:08:43','2010-11-28 20:08:43','','Old man on a walk ','Old man on a walk ','inherit','open','open','','img_6671','','','2010-11-28 22:08:43','2010-11-28 20:08:43','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3882,1,'2010-11-28 22:05:02','2010-11-28 20:05:02','I had a great long weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny. The city was bustling both day and night.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIt turns out that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-2','','','2010-11-28 22:05:02','2010-11-28 20:05:02','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3884,1,'2010-11-28 22:12:27','2010-11-28 20:12:27','','Me in Madrid','Me in Madrid','inherit','open','open','','img_6614','','','2010-11-28 22:12:27','2010-11-28 20:12:27','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3885,1,'2010-11-28 22:05:27','2010-11-28 20:05:27','I had a great long weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny. The city was bustling both day and night.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI didn\'t really know what to expect.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIt turns out that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-3','','','2010-11-28 22:05:27','2010-11-28 20:05:27','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3886,1,'2010-11-28 22:22:51','2010-11-28 20:22:51','[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI had a great long weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny. The city was bustling both day and night.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and choose not to fight.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-4','','','2010-11-28 22:22:51','2010-11-28 20:22:51','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3887,1,'2010-11-28 22:34:01','2010-11-28 20:34:01','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\n\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and choose not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-5','','','2010-11-28 22:34:01','2010-11-28 20:34:01','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3888,1,'2010-11-28 22:34:19','2010-11-28 20:34:19','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-6','','','2010-11-28 22:34:19','2010-11-28 20:34:19','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3889,1,'2010-11-28 22:34:19','2010-11-28 20:34:19','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-7','','','2010-11-28 22:34:19','2010-11-28 20:34:19','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3890,1,'2010-11-28 22:34:22','2010-11-28 20:34:22','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-8','','','2010-11-28 22:34:22','2010-11-28 20:34:22','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3891,1,'2010-11-28 22:34:23','2010-11-28 20:34:23','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-9','','','2010-11-28 22:34:23','2010-11-28 20:34:23','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3892,1,'2010-11-28 22:36:19','2010-11-28 20:36:19','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3884\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3878\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3879\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3880\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3883\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-10','','','2010-11-28 22:36:19','2010-11-28 20:36:19','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(3893,1,'2010-11-28 22:36:19','2010-11-28 20:36:19','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6614/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6541/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6551/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6642/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6671/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead. ','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-11','','','2010-11-28 22:36:19','2010-11-28 20:36:19','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(3894,1,'2010-11-28 22:36:47','2010-11-28 20:36:47','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6614/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6541/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6551/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6642/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6671/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-12','','','2010-11-28 22:36:47','2010-11-28 20:36:47','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(3895,1,'2010-11-28 22:50:58','2010-11-28 20:50:58','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6614/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\n\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.<!--more-->\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6541/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6551/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6642/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6671/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-autosave','','','2010-11-28 22:50:58','2010-11-28 20:50:58','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3896,1,'2010-11-28 22:36:47','2010-11-28 20:36:47','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6614/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6541/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6551/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6642/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6671/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-13','','','2010-11-28 22:36:47','2010-11-28 20:36:47','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-13/',0,'revision','',0),(3897,1,'2010-11-28 22:49:49','2010-11-28 20:49:49','Hello friends! I am back from my Thanksgiving adventure. Hip-hip-horay for four day weekends.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3884\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Me in Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3884\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6614/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3884 \" title=\"Me in Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6614-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great news is that I had a wonderful weekend in Madrid! The weather was cold but sunny so I bought a new hat. It\'s light gray. You\'ll get to see it in a few pictures over the next couple of days.\r\n\r\nThe city was bustling both day and night. People on the streets, in restaurants and bars and even late night in museums.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3878\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Park Fountain \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3878\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6541/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3878 \" title=\"Park Fountain \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6541-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nHere\'s a selection of my favorite photos. The city is really beautiful in a stately but rather unsuspecting way. Around every corner there\'s always another interesting street, beautiful old building or eye catching window display.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3879\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"On the Street\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3879\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6551/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3879 \" title=\"On the Street\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6551-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nI didn\'t really know what to expect. I didn\'t have visions of bull fights or tapas dancing in my head before the trip. I wasn\'t holding my breath for flamenco dancers or smoked ham.  I just wanted to go and see what the city was all about.  And I wasn\'t disappointed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3880\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Royal Palace\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3880\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6642/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3880 \" title=\"Royal Palace\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6642-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOnce I got to Madrid, I was struck by how very little I knew about Madrid. I couldn\'t even really up with a stereotype of Spanish people when I tried to think of one. That\'s when I realized that everything I know about Madrid comes from the children\'s book <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670674249/ref=s9_simh_co_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=left-3&amp;pf_rd_r=1EZT24N3JYM626SZSDSG&amp;pf_rd_t=3201&amp;pf_rd_p=1280661842&amp;pf_rd_i=typ01\" target=\"_blank\">The Story of Ferdinand</a>. Ferdinand is a bull but he likes clovers more than he likes fighting.  He gets picked to participate in a bull fight but then he sits in the arena and chooses not to fight. Oh, Ferdinand.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3883\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Old man on a walk \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3883\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/back-from-madrid/img_6671/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3883 \" title=\"Old man on a walk \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6671-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, the Madrid of a children\'s book written in the 1930\'s doesn\'t exactly shine a lot of light into the Madrid of this past weekend. So I\'ll try do that for you instead.','Back from Madrid','','inherit','open','open','','3877-revision-14','','','2010-11-28 22:49:49','2010-11-28 20:49:49','',3877,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/28/3877-revision-14/',0,'revision','',0),(3997,1,'2010-12-08 20:58:03','2010-12-08 18:58:03','Well, I haven\'t posted in a couple of days. I\'ve been a busy cookie.\r\n\r\nAnd I already know that this is going to be a lame post because I am much more interested in bed than in writing. Funny how that works.\r\n\r\nOn Monday night I went to see a drum and dance group Vakali at NDK.  Last night, I went to ACS\'s celebration of our 150th Anniversary and I saw <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/10/acs-150-years-and-vasko-vassilev/\" target=\"_blank\">Vasko Vassilev </a>(who for the record looks much younger in all of his promotional material than he does in real life.)\r\n\r\nBoth events were great fun. The first had fire and flames on stage with men, dancing and drums. The second had lots of rhinestones, an intense violinist and a peppy back-up band.\r\n\r\nThe only thing is, I don\'t often go out on \"school nights.\" I like sleep too much. Way too much.\r\n\r\nWork has been busy. School has been busy. Life has been busy.\r\n\r\nI feel like I\'ve been doing a million different things.\r\n\r\nI should do a load of laundry, wash some dishes, make sure that I finish my book club book and grade an ever growing stack of papers but I\'m afraid that\'s what the weekend is going to be for.','A Million Things ','','publish','open','open','','a-million-things','','','2010-12-08 20:58:03','2010-12-08 18:58:03','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3997',0,'post','',0),(3899,1,'2010-11-29 21:27:12','2010-11-29 19:27:12','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6569/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it. <!--more--> This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6585/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6576/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it.\r\n\r\nMadrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6668/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm.\r\n\r\nThe Prado has an incredible collection. I was most surprised by a room of Goya\'s paintings of court midgets and buffoons. The American in me was shocked and slightly appalled. The voyeur in me couldn\'t look away. Who knew that having a midget or a buffoon on your court was in vogue?\r\n\r\nThe next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free.  The exhibition was really great and included a range of different artists. I\'ve never been to an exhibit spread between two museums before but I dug it.\r\n\r\nAfter the Fundación Caja Madrid, I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>. They have an eclectic collection. But there I also got to see Picasso\'s painting Guernica. Wow. Picasso was <em>dude</em>. So, I\'ve seen Guernica in art history books and I\'d read about it\'s size but holy-smokes this painting is big. Really big.  I also got to check out a few Dali paintings among them <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Masturbator\">el gran masturbador</a>. Dali is intense.\r\n\r\nHeck, Madrid is intense. Intense and wonderful.','Hola, Madrid! ','','publish','open','open','','hola-madrid','','','2010-11-29 21:27:12','2010-11-29 19:27:12','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3899',0,'post','',2),(3900,1,'2010-11-29 20:06:30','2010-11-29 18:06:30','','Palacio de Comunicaciones','Palacio de Comunicaciones','inherit','open','open','','img_6569','','','2010-11-29 20:06:30','2010-11-29 18:06:30','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3901,1,'2010-11-29 20:09:52','2010-11-29 18:09:52','','Museo del Prado','Museo del Prado','inherit','open','open','','img_6585','','','2010-11-29 20:09:52','2010-11-29 18:09:52','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3902,1,'2010-11-29 20:40:14','2010-11-29 18:40:14','','Jardines impresionistas','Jardines impresionistas','inherit','open','open','','img_6576','','','2010-11-29 20:40:14','2010-11-29 18:40:14','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3903,1,'2010-11-29 20:45:58','2010-11-29 18:45:58','','Fundación Caja Madrid','Fundación Caja Madrid','inherit','open','open','','img_6668','','','2010-11-29 20:45:58','2010-11-29 18:45:58','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3904,1,'2010-11-29 20:43:55','2010-11-29 18:43:55','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\n\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em></em>\n\n<em>Hola</em>.\n\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\n\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\n\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\n\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\n\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm. The next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free and then I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision','','','2010-11-29 20:43:55','2010-11-29 18:43:55','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3905,1,'2010-11-29 20:48:48','2010-11-29 18:48:48','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm. The next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free and then I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-2','','','2010-11-29 20:48:48','2010-11-29 18:48:48','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3906,1,'2010-11-29 20:48:49','2010-11-29 18:48:49','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm. The next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free and then I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-3','','','2010-11-29 20:48:49','2010-11-29 18:48:49','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3907,1,'2010-11-29 20:49:00','2010-11-29 18:49:00','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm. The next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free and then I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-4','','','2010-11-29 20:49:00','2010-11-29 18:49:00','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3908,1,'2010-11-29 20:49:00','2010-11-29 18:49:00','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm. The next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free and then I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-5','','','2010-11-29 20:49:00','2010-11-29 18:49:00','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3909,1,'2010-11-29 21:22:09','2010-11-29 19:22:09','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm.\r\n\r\nThe Prado has an incredible collection. I was most surprised by a room of Goya\'s paintings of court midgets and buffoons. The American in me was shocked and slightly appalled. The voyeur in me couldn\'t look away. Who knew that having a midget or a buffoon on your court was in vogue?\r\n\r\nThe next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free.  The exhibition was really great and included a range of different artists. I\'ve never been to an exhibit spread between two museums before but I dug it.\r\n\r\nAfter the Fundación Caja Madrid, I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>. They have an eclectic collection. But there I also got to see Picasso\'s painting Guernica. Wow. Picasso was <em>dude</em>. So, I\'ve seen Guernica in art history books and I\'d read about it\'s size but holy-smokes this painting is big. Really big.  I also got to check out a few Dali paintings among them <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Masturbator\">el gran masturbador</a>. Dali is intense.\r\n\r\nHeck, Madrid is intense. Intense and wonderful.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-6','','','2010-11-29 21:22:09','2010-11-29 19:22:09','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3910,1,'2010-11-29 21:22:09','2010-11-29 19:22:09','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it.  This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it. Madrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm.\r\n\r\nThe Prado has an incredible collection. I was most surprised by a room of Goya\'s paintings of court midgets and buffoons. The American in me was shocked and slightly appalled. The voyeur in me couldn\'t look away. Who knew that having a midget or a buffoon on your court was in vogue?\r\n\r\nThe next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free.  The exhibition was really great and included a range of different artists. I\'ve never been to an exhibit spread between two museums before but I dug it.\r\n\r\nAfter the Fundación Caja Madrid, I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>. They have an eclectic collection. But there I also got to see Picasso\'s painting Guernica. Wow. Picasso was <em>dude</em>. So, I\'ve seen Guernica in art history books and I\'d read about it\'s size but holy-smokes this painting is big. Really big.  I also got to check out a few Dali paintings among them <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Masturbator\">el gran masturbador</a>. Dali is intense.\r\n\r\nHeck, Madrid is intense. Intense and wonderful.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-7','','','2010-11-29 21:22:09','2010-11-29 19:22:09','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3911,1,'2010-11-29 21:27:12','2010-11-29 19:27:12','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3900\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\r\n\r\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\r\n\r\n<em>Hola</em>.\r\n\r\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it. <!--more--> This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3901\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\r\n\r\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\r\n\r\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3902\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it.\r\n\r\nMadrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\r\n\r\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3903\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm.\r\n\r\nThe Prado has an incredible collection. I was most surprised by a room of Goya\'s paintings of court midgets and buffoons. The American in me was shocked and slightly appalled. The voyeur in me couldn\'t look away. Who knew that having a midget or a buffoon on your court was in vogue?\r\n\r\nThe next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free.  The exhibition was really great and included a range of different artists. I\'ve never been to an exhibit spread between two museums before but I dug it.\r\n\r\nAfter the Fundación Caja Madrid, I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>. They have an eclectic collection. But there I also got to see Picasso\'s painting Guernica. Wow. Picasso was <em>dude</em>. So, I\'ve seen Guernica in art history books and I\'d read about it\'s size but holy-smokes this painting is big. Really big.  I also got to check out a few Dali paintings among them <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Masturbator\">el gran masturbador</a>. Dali is intense.\r\n\r\nHeck, Madrid is intense. Intense and wonderful.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-revision-8','','','2010-11-29 21:27:12','2010-11-29 19:27:12','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3912,1,'2010-11-29 21:28:18','2010-11-29 19:28:18','Oh, Spanish. I never felt very inclined to learn Spanish. While all of my friends were studying Spanish in high school, I picked German.  I took a year of high school Spanish my senior year when there wasn\'t a third year of German offered but that didn\'t really stick. In college, I studied German for four more years and left with a minor. Not bad but not very helpful in Madrid.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3900\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3900\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6569/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3900 \" title=\"Palacio de Comunicaciones\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6569-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nAnyhow, I managed. And as throughout nearly all of Europe, most people I bumped into in Madrid, bought tickets from and ordered food from spoke English. And what I couldn\'t communicate in Spanish, I could with a smile.\n\nThis said, my first day in Madrid, I got a huge kick out of everyone saying: Hola to me. <em> </em>\n\n<em>Hola</em>.\n\nYes, hearing the word <em>hola </em>made me want to giggle every time I heard it. <!--more--> This was absolutely unexpected.  I think it must mean that I am a horrible person. Or maybe that there\'s something wrong with my funny-bone. It might also have to do with the fact that if any language that has squeaked and squirmed it\'s way into popular American culture it\'s Spanish--but a bastardized form of Spanish.  So there are lots of <em>holas</em> spoken but in the States these are often insincere or ironic.  Don\'t worry I got over it quickly.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3901\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Museo del Prado\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3901\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6585/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3901 \" title=\"Museo del Prado\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6585-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMy MoM asked me upon my return: did Madrid feel Spanish?\n\nWell, I am not sure. It felt different. Different than both America and Bulgaria. I guess that shouldn\'t really come as a surprise though.  Everyone spoke Spanish so I guess that the city felt Spanish but really the city felt young and hip.  It felt like a city that is bridging the past and the present. There are beautiful old buildings which house hip shops like an H&amp;M on Gran Via which is housed in an old movie theater.\n\nThere\'s a bronze state of Don Quixote and his donkey riding side kick.  There are monuments for Spanish kings and queens who\'s names I\'ve never heard of. Museums are full of art by Spaniards like Picasso, Goya, Dali and El Greco.  And, traces of Franco seem to lurk around the city.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3902\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Jardines impresionistas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3902\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6576/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3902 \" title=\"Jardines impresionistas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6576-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIf this isn\'t Spanish, I guess I don\'t know what it.\n\nMadrid is certainly a vibrant European city.\n\nA city chocked full of wonderful museums.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3903\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3903\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/hola-madrid/img_6668/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3903 \" title=\"Fundación Caja Madrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6668-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nOn my first day, I went to the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza to see <a href=\"http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2010/Jardines-impresionistas/index_en\" target=\"_blank\">an exhibit on Impressionist Gardens</a> and then I stood in line for a free ticket to see the  <a href=\"http://www.museodelprado.es/en/\" target=\"_blank\">Museo del Prado</a> between 6 and 8pm.\n\nThe Prado has an incredible collection. I was most surprised by a room of Goya\'s paintings of court midgets and buffoons. The American in me was shocked and slightly appalled. The voyeur in me couldn\'t look away. Who knew that having a midget or a buffoon on your court was in vogue?\n\nThe next day, I checked out the other half of the Impressionist Gardens exhibit at the Fundación Caja Madrid which just happened to be free.  The exhibition was really great and included a range of different artists. I\'ve never been to an exhibit spread between two museums before but I dug it.\n\nAfter the Fundación Caja Madrid, I hit up the <a href=\"http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html\">Museo Reina Sofia</a>. They have an eclectic collection. But there I also got to see Picasso\'s painting Guernica. Wow. Picasso was <em>dude</em>. So, I\'ve seen Guernica in art history books and I\'d read about it\'s size but holy-smokes this painting is big. Really big.  I also got to check out a few Dali paintings among them <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Masturbator\">el gran masturbador</a>. Dali is intense.\n\nHeck, Madrid is intense. Intense and wonderful.','Hola, Madrid! ','','inherit','open','open','','3899-autosave','','','2010-11-29 21:28:18','2010-11-29 19:28:18','',3899,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3899-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(3913,1,'2010-11-30 06:00:33','2010-11-30 04:00:33','Tapas, tapas, tapas.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food.\r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor.\r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/30/tapas-and-kalimotxo/img_6816/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas from potatoes bravas to Spanish omelet and a range of other dishes which I can no longer remember the names of.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI\'d be willing to go back to Madrid anytime and eat tapas with D. Yum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/30/tapas-and-kalimotxo/img_6818/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combinations.  As you may remember my recent post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/mini-thanksgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">mini-Thanksgiving</a>, I love mini-things.  Tapas clearly fits the bill.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of bills, tapas was also affordable. Unlike in the States I might add.  It never ceases to amaze me the way Americans go to Europe look around, take a good thing and make it either bigger (grande Starbucks latte) or more expensive (15% tipping in restaurants) in the States.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/30/tapas-and-kalimotxo/img_6819/\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy first night of tapas, I was also introduced drink I\'d never heard of (or tried) called kalimotxo (pronounced calimocho). Kalimotxo is Basque. That\'s cool. Basque. Kalimotxo maybe not so cool. It\'s half coke and half cheap red wine served up fresh with ice cubes. So it looks like cheery coke but tastes like overly sweet slightly sparkling red wine.\r\n\r\nI gave it a shot though because D. told me I had to. He can be persuasive.\r\n\r\nThis was also a when in Madrid moment.\r\n\r\nWhen in Madrid eat tapas and drink kalimotxo.','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','publish','open','open','','tapas-and-kalimotxo','','','2010-11-29 22:30:07','2010-11-29 20:30:07','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3913',0,'post','',2),(3914,1,'2010-11-29 21:34:53','2010-11-29 19:34:53','','Tapas and Cider ','Tapas and Cider ','inherit','open','open','','img_6816','','','2010-11-29 21:34:53','2010-11-29 19:34:53','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3915,1,'2010-11-29 21:37:24','2010-11-29 19:37:24','','Bar of Tapas','Tapas Bar','inherit','open','open','','img_6818','','','2010-11-29 21:37:24','2010-11-29 19:37:24','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3916,1,'2010-11-29 21:39:39','2010-11-29 19:39:39','','Tapas','Tapas','inherit','open','open','','img_6819','','','2010-11-29 21:39:39','2010-11-29 19:39:39','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819.jpg',0,'attachment','image/jpeg',0),(3917,1,'2010-11-29 21:40:55','2010-11-29 19:40:55','[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nTapas, tapas, tapas.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nYum, yum, yum.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"1024\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916\" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision','','','2010-11-29 21:40:55','2010-11-29 19:40:55','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3919,1,'2010-11-29 21:41:55','2010-11-29 19:41:55','[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nTapas, tapas, tapas.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nYum, yum, yum.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-3','','','2010-11-29 21:41:55','2010-11-29 19:41:55','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(3918,1,'2010-11-29 21:41:16','2010-11-29 19:41:16','[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nTapas, tapas, tapas.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nYum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-2','','','2010-11-29 21:41:16','2010-11-29 19:41:16','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3920,1,'2010-11-29 21:43:23','2010-11-29 19:43:23','Tapas, tapas, tapas. \r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nYum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-4','','','2010-11-29 21:43:23','2010-11-29 19:43:23','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(3921,1,'2010-11-29 22:05:28','2010-11-29 20:05:28','Tapas, tapas, tapas. \n\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food. \n\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor. \n\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below. \n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas. \n\nYum, yum, yum.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combination. \n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-5','','','2010-11-29 22:05:28','2010-11-29 20:05:28','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(3922,1,'2010-11-29 22:05:32','2010-11-29 20:05:32','Tapas, tapas, tapas. \r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food. \r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor. \r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas. \r\n\r\nYum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combination. \r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-6','','','2010-11-29 22:05:32','2010-11-29 20:05:32','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(3923,1,'2010-11-29 22:05:32','2010-11-29 20:05:32','Tapas, tapas, tapas. \r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food. \r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor. \r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below. \r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas. \r\n\r\nYum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combination. \r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-7','','','2010-11-29 22:05:32','2010-11-29 20:05:32','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(3924,1,'2010-11-29 22:27:32','2010-11-29 20:27:32','Tapas, tapas, tapas.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food.\r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor.\r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas from potatoes bravas to Spanish omelet and a range of other dishes which I can no longer remember the names of.\r\n\r\nI\'d be willing to go back to Madrid anytime and eat tapas with D. Yum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combinations.  As you may remember my recent post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/mini-thanksgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">mini-Thanksgiving</a>, I love mini-things.  Tapas clearly fits the bill.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of bills, tapas was also affordable. Unlike in the States I might add.  It never ceases to amaze me the way Americans go to Europe look around, take a good thing and make it either bigger (grande Starbucks latte) or more expensive (15% tipping in restaurants) in the States.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy first night of tapas, I was also introduced drink I\'d never heard of (or tried) called kalimotxo (pronounced calimocho). Kalimotxo is Basque. That\'s cool. Basque. Kalimotxo maybe not so cool. It\'s half coke and half cheap red wine served up fresh with ice cubes. So it looks like cheery coke but tastes like overly sweet slightly sparkling red wine.\r\n\r\nI gave it a shot though because D. told me I had to. Also, when in Madrid--when in Madrid eat tapas and drink kalimotxo.','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-8','','','2010-11-29 22:27:32','2010-11-29 20:27:32','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(3925,1,'2010-11-29 22:27:32','2010-11-29 20:27:32','Tapas, tapas, tapas.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food.\r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor.\r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas from potatoes bravas to Spanish omelet and a range of other dishes which I can no longer remember the names of.\r\n\r\nI\'d be willing to go back to Madrid anytime and eat tapas with D. Yum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combinations.  As you may remember my recent post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/mini-thanksgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">mini-Thanksgiving</a>, I love mini-things.  Tapas clearly fits the bill.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of bills, tapas was also affordable. Unlike in the States I might add.  It never ceases to amaze me the way Americans go to Europe look around, take a good thing and make it either bigger (grande Starbucks latte) or more expensive (15% tipping in restaurants) in the States.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy first night of tapas, I was also introduced drink I\'d never heard of (or tried) called kalimotxo (pronounced calimocho). Kalimotxo is Basque. That\'s cool. Basque. Kalimotxo maybe not so cool. It\'s half coke and half cheap red wine served up fresh with ice cubes. So it looks like cheery coke but tastes like overly sweet slightly sparkling red wine.\r\n\r\nI gave it a shot though because D. told me I had to. Also, when in Madrid--when in Madrid eat tapas and drink kalimotxo.','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-9','','','2010-11-29 22:27:32','2010-11-29 20:27:32','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(3926,1,'2010-11-29 22:27:33','2010-11-29 20:27:33','Tapas, tapas, tapas.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food.\r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor.\r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas from potatoes bravas to Spanish omelet and a range of other dishes which I can no longer remember the names of.\r\n\r\nI\'d be willing to go back to Madrid anytime and eat tapas with D. Yum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combinations.  As you may remember my recent post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/mini-thanksgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">mini-Thanksgiving</a>, I love mini-things.  Tapas clearly fits the bill.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of bills, tapas was also affordable. Unlike in the States I might add.  It never ceases to amaze me the way Americans go to Europe look around, take a good thing and make it either bigger (grande Starbucks latte) or more expensive (15% tipping in restaurants) in the States.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy first night of tapas, I was also introduced drink I\'d never heard of (or tried) called kalimotxo (pronounced calimocho). Kalimotxo is Basque. That\'s cool. Basque. Kalimotxo maybe not so cool. It\'s half coke and half cheap red wine served up fresh with ice cubes. So it looks like cheery coke but tastes like overly sweet slightly sparkling red wine.\r\n\r\nI gave it a shot though because D. told me I had to. Also, when in Madrid--when in Madrid eat tapas and drink kalimotxo.','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-10','','','2010-11-29 22:27:33','2010-11-29 20:27:33','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(3927,1,'2010-11-29 22:29:41','2010-11-29 20:29:41','Tapas, tapas, tapas.\n\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food.\n\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor.\n\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas from potatoes bravas to Spanish omelet and a range of other dishes which I can no longer remember the names of.<!--more-->\n\nI\'d be willing to go back to Madrid anytime and eat tapas with D. Yum, yum, yum.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combinations.  As you may remember my recent post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/mini-thanksgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">mini-Thanksgiving</a>, I love mini-things.  Tapas clearly fits the bill.\n\nSpeaking of bills, tapas was also affordable. Unlike in the States I might add.  It never ceases to amaze me the way Americans go to Europe look around, take a good thing and make it either bigger (grande Starbucks latte) or more expensive (15% tipping in restaurants) in the States.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMy first night of tapas, I was also introduced drink I\'d never heard of (or tried) called kalimotxo (pronounced calimocho). Kalimotxo is Basque. That\'s cool. Basque. Kalimotxo maybe not so cool. It\'s half coke and half cheap red wine served up fresh with ice cubes. So it looks like cheery coke but tastes like overly sweet slightly sparkling red wine.\n\nI gave it a shot though because D. told me I had to. He can be persuasive.\n\nThis was also a when in Madrid moment.\n\nWhen in Madrid eat tapas and drink kalimotxo.','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-11','','','2010-11-29 22:29:41','2010-11-29 20:29:41','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(3928,1,'2010-11-29 22:30:07','2010-11-29 20:30:07','Tapas, tapas, tapas.\r\n\r\nIt\'s hot in the States these days. Everyone\'s eating it. Everyone\'s paying a lot of money for it. It\'s a chance to show off how cultured one is, what good taste one has and just how much one <em>loves</em> Spanish food.\r\n\r\nOf course, my friend D. took me out for tapas. Spanish tapas is not American tapas. Spanish tapas is delicious but traditionally served in dirty, slightly gritty hole in the wall spots. People stand at the bar eating tapas with a toothpick, throwing greasy napkins on the floor and smoking. Just for the record, smoke hangs in the air and cigarette butts also find their way to the floor.\r\n\r\nSome places are slightly nicer. Like the one in the pictures below.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3914\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas and Cider \"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3914\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3914\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3914 \" title=\"Tapas and Cider \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6816-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nWe cozied up to the bar. D. ordered.  Here\'s to having a friend in Madrid who speaks Spanish and is willing to put you up for a long weekend!! D. knows his tapas from potatoes bravas to Spanish omelet and a range of other dishes which I can no longer remember the names of.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI\'d be willing to go back to Madrid anytime and eat tapas with D. Yum, yum, yum.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3915\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas Bar\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3915\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3915\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3915 \" title=\"Bar of Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6818-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nThe great thing about tapas is that because the dishes are small you get to try a lot of different foods, flavors, textures and combinations.  As you may remember my recent post about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/18/mini-thanksgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">mini-Thanksgiving</a>, I love mini-things.  Tapas clearly fits the bill.\r\n\r\nSpeaking of bills, tapas was also affordable. Unlike in the States I might add.  It never ceases to amaze me the way Americans go to Europe look around, take a good thing and make it either bigger (grande Starbucks latte) or more expensive (15% tipping in restaurants) in the States.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3916\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"614\" caption=\"Tapas\"]<a rel=\"attachment wp-att-3916\" href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=3916\"><img class=\"size-large wp-image-3916 \" title=\"Tapas\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/IMG_6819-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"614\" height=\"409\" /></a>[/caption]\r\n\r\nMy first night of tapas, I was also introduced drink I\'d never heard of (or tried) called kalimotxo (pronounced calimocho). Kalimotxo is Basque. That\'s cool. Basque. Kalimotxo maybe not so cool. It\'s half coke and half cheap red wine served up fresh with ice cubes. So it looks like cheery coke but tastes like overly sweet slightly sparkling red wine.\r\n\r\nI gave it a shot though because D. told me I had to. He can be persuasive.\r\n\r\nThis was also a when in Madrid moment.\r\n\r\nWhen in Madrid eat tapas and drink kalimotxo.','Tapas and Kalimotxo','','inherit','open','open','','3913-revision-12','','','2010-11-29 22:30:07','2010-11-29 20:30:07','',3913,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/11/29/3913-revision-12/',0,'revision','',0),(3929,1,'2010-12-01 20:44:46','2010-12-01 18:44:46','I took Bulgaria Air to Madrid. It was a pretty uneventful flight--but that\'s the way I like it. Bulgaria Air flies out of the new-modern airport terminal, terminal two. It\'s clean and sleek with a minimalist expanses of glass and white. The difference between this terminal and terminal one where the low cost airlines fly is huge.\r\n\r\nTerminal one is pretty great. I left my house at 6:30 am for a 7:30 am flight. It\'s about a 10 taxi cab ride from my house. I checked my suitcase just because I could and I didn\'t even have to pay extra for it.\r\n\r\nBut what\'s better than that? You don\'t have to take your shoes to go through the metal detectors <em>and</em> the metal detectors are just that--old fashioned metal detectors.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThis is basically the way travel should be. I mean, when did we become so nuts about travel and security in the States? When did flying become so miserable?\r\n\r\nBulgaria Air turned out to be anything but miserable. In fact, I have to say, my Bulgaria Air flight was pretty great. It was also pretty Bulgarian.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>The flight attendants actually took my ticket and showed me to my seat.</li>\r\n	<li>There were no safety announcements in English. Just Bulgarian and Spanish.</li>\r\n	<li>But the flight attendants actually donned life jackets to demonstrate the features.</li>\r\n	<li>My sandwich had a single hidden slice of cucumber on it. Hidden under a slice of processed ham and and a slice of cheese.</li>\r\n	<li> When they served drinks and sandwiches, they put on tasteful aprons which matched their navy blue and teal trimmed uniforms.</li>\r\n	<li>I got my coffee in a plastic glass--the same kind inexpensive coffee shops/banitsa shops serve coffee.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nMaybe this is the way that travel is supposed to be. Well, aside from coffee in a plastic cups. Thanks Bulgaria Air!','Bulgaria Air ','','publish','open','open','','bulgaria-air','','','2010-12-01 20:44:46','2010-12-01 18:44:46','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=3929',0,'post','',10),(3930,1,'2010-12-01 20:39:41','2010-12-01 18:39:41','I took Bulgaria Air to Madrid. It was a pretty uneventful flight--but that\'s the way I like it. Bulgaria Air flies out of the new-modern airport terminal, terminal two. It\'s clean and sleek with a minimalist expanses of glass and white. The difference between this terminal and terminal one where the low cost airlines fly is huge.\n\nTerminal one is pretty great. I left my house at 6:30 am for a 7:30 am flight. It\'s about a 10 taxi cab ride from my house. I checked my suitcase just because I could and I didn\'t even have to pay extra for it.\n\nBut what\'s better than that? You don\'t have to take your shoes to go through the metal detectors <em>and</em> the metal detectors are just that--old fashioned metal detectors.\n\nThis is basically the way flying should be. I mean, when did we become so nuts about travel and security in the States? When did flying become so miserable?\n\nBulgaria Air turned out to be anything but miserable. In fact, I have to say, my Bulgaria Air flight was pretty great. It was also pretty Bulgarian.\n<ul>\n	<li>The flight attendants actually took my ticket and showed me to my seat.</li>\n	<li>There were no safety announcements in English. Just Bulgarian and Spanish.</li>\n	<li>But the flight attendants actually donned life jackets to demonstrate the features.</li>\n	<li>My sandwich had a single hidden slice of cucumber on it. Hidden under a slice of processed ham and and a slice of cheese.</li>\n	<li> When they served drinks and sandwiches, they put on tasteful aprons which matched their navy blue and teal trimmed uniforms.</li>\n	<li>I got my coffee in a plastic glass--the same kind inexpensive coffee shops/banitsa shops serve coffee.</li>\n</ul>\nMaybe this is the way that travel is supposed to be.','Bulgaria Air ','','inherit','open','open','','3929-revision','','','2010-12-01 20:39:41','2010-12-01 18:39:41','',3929,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/12/01/3929-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(3931,1,'2010-12-01 20:44:01','2010-12-01 18:44:01','I took Bulgaria Air to Madrid. It was a pretty uneventful flight--but that\'s the way I like it. Bulgaria Air flies out of the new-modern airport terminal, terminal two. It\'s clean and sleek with a minimalist expanses of glass and white. The difference between this terminal and terminal one where the low cost airlines fly is huge.\n\nTerminal one is pretty great. I left my house at 6:30 am for a 7:30 am flight. It\'s about a 10 taxi cab ride from my house. I checked my suitcase just because I could and I didn\'t even have to pay extra for it.\n\nBut what\'s better than that? You don\'t have to take your shoes to go through the metal detectors <em>and</em> the metal detectors are just that--old fashioned metal detectors.\n\nThis is basically the way travel should be. I mean, when did we become so nuts about travel and security in the States? When did flying become so miserable?\n\nBulgaria Air turned out to be anything but miserable. In fact, I have to say, my Bulgaria Air flight was pretty great. It was also pretty Bulgarian.\n<ul>\n	<li>The flight attendants actually took my ticket and showed me to my seat.</li>\n	<li>There were no safety announcements in English. Just Bulgarian and Spanish.</li>\n	<li>But the flight attendants actually donned life jackets to demonstrate the features.</li>\n	<li>My sandwich had a single hidden slice of cucumber on it. Hidden under a slice of processed ham and and a slice of cheese.</li>\n	<li> When they served drinks and sandwiches, they put on tasteful aprons which matched their navy blue and teal trimmed uniforms.</li>\n	<li>I got my coffee in a plastic glass--the same kind inexpensive coffee shops/banitsa shops serve coffee.</li>\n</ul>\nMaybe this is the way that travel is supposed to be. Aside from coffee in a plastic cup. Thanks Bulgaria Air!','Bulgaria Air ','','inherit','open','open','','3929-revision-2','','','2010-12-01 20:44:01','2010-12-01 18:44:01','',3929,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/12/01/3929-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(3932,1,'2010-12-01 20:45:51','2010-12-01 18:45:51','I took Bulgaria Air to Madrid. It was a pretty uneventful flight--but that\'s the way I like it. Bulgaria Air flies out of the new-modern airport terminal, terminal two. It\'s clean and sleek with a minimalist expanses of glass and white. The difference between this terminal and terminal one where the low cost airlines fly is huge.\n\nTerminal one is pretty great. I left my house at 6:30 am for a 7:30 am flight. It\'s about a 10 taxi cab ride from my house. I checked my suitcase just because I could and I didn\'t even have to pay extra for it.\n\nBut what\'s better than that? You don\'t have to take your shoes to go through the metal detectors <em>and</em> the metal detectors are just that--old fashioned metal detectors.<!--more-->\n\nThis is basically the way travel should be. I mean, when did we become so nuts about travel and security in the States? When did flying become so miserable?\n\nBulgaria Air turned out to be anything but miserable. In fact, I have to say, my Bulgaria Air flight was pretty great. It was also pretty Bulgarian.\n<ul>\n	<li>The flight attendants actually took my ticket and showed me to my seat.</li>\n	<li>There were no safety announcements in English. Just Bulgarian and Spanish.</li>\n	<li>But the flight attendants actually donned life jackets to demonstrate the features.</li>\n	<li>My sandwich had a single hidden slice of cucumber on it. Hidden under a slice of processed ham and and a slice of cheese.</li>\n	<li> When they served drinks and sandwiches, they put on tasteful aprons which matched their navy blue and teal trimmed uniforms.</li>\n	<li>I got my coffee in a plastic glass--the same kind inexpensive coffee shops/banitsa shops serve coffee.</li>\n</ul>\nMaybe this is the way that travel is supposed to be. Well, aside from coffee in a plastic cups. Thanks Bulgaria Air!','Bulgaria Air ','','inherit','open','open','','3929-autosave','','','2010-12-01 20:45:51','2010-12-01 18:45:51','',3929,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/12/01/3929-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),