(6345,1,'2012-02-28 20:55:19','2012-02-28 18:55:19','D. took me to this really hip restaurant Gululu my first night in Malta. It\'s in Spinola Bay, St. John\'s very close to his apartment.\r\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\r\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography.\r\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\r\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\r\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\r\n\r\nAnd the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-revision-2','','','2012-02-28 20:55:19','2012-02-28 18:55:19','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6346,1,'2012-02-28 20:55:24','2012-02-28 18:55:24','D. took me to this really hip restaurant Gululu my first night in Malta. It\'s in Spinola Bay, St. John\'s very close to his apartment.\r\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\r\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography.\r\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\r\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\r\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\r\n\r\nAnd the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-revision-3','','','2012-02-28 20:55:24','2012-02-28 18:55:24','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6347,1,'2012-02-28 21:02:18','2012-02-28 19:02:18','D. took me to this really hip restaurant Gululu my first night in Malta. Try saying that a few times fast!\r\n\r\nGululu is in Spinola Bay, St. Julians which just happens to be very close to D.\'s apartment. So we walked to dinner.\r\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\r\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography.\r\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\r\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\r\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789840158/\" title=\"Me at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6789840158_e983382aab_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me at Gululu \"></a>\r\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\r\n\r\nAnd the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-revision-4','','','2012-02-28 21:02:18','2012-02-28 19:02:18','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6348,1,'2012-02-28 21:02:22','2012-02-28 19:02:22','D. took me to this really hip restaurant Gululu my first night in Malta. Try saying that a few times fast!\r\n\r\nGululu is in Spinola Bay, St. Julians which just happens to be very close to D.\'s apartment. So we walked to dinner.\r\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\r\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography.\r\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\r\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\r\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789840158/\" title=\"Me at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6789840158_e983382aab_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me at Gululu \"></a>\r\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\r\n\r\nAnd the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-revision-5','','','2012-02-28 21:02:22','2012-02-28 19:02:22','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6349,1,'2012-02-28 21:24:05','2012-02-28 19:24:05','I asked D. for some Maltese food. So D. took me to this really hip restaurant Gululu my first night in Malta. Yeah. Try saying that a few times fast!\n\nAnyhow, Gululu is in Spinola Bay, St. Julians which just happens to be very close to D.\'s apartment. So we walked along the ocean to dinner. That was a nice treat after a long cold winter in Sofia.\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography. It was love at first sight (and at first smell).<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\n\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\n\n<a title=\"Me at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789840158/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6789840158_e983382aab_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\n\nOh, and the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-autosave','','','2012-02-28 21:24:06','2012-02-28 19:24:06','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6350,1,'2012-02-28 21:05:28','2012-02-28 19:05:28','I asked D. for some Maltese food. So D. took me to this really hip restaurant Gululu my first night in Malta. Yeah. Try saying that a few times fast!\r\n\r\nAnyhow, Gululu is in Spinola Bay, St. Julians which just happens to be very close to D.\'s apartment. So we walked along the ocean to dinner. That was a nice treat after a long cold winter in Sofia.\r\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\r\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography. It was love at first sight (and at first smell).<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\r\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\r\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Me at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789840158/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6789840158_e983382aab_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\r\n\r\nOh, and the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-revision-6','','','2012-02-28 21:05:28','2012-02-28 19:05:28','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6440,1,'2012-03-17 12:45:38','2012-03-17 10:45:38','This is just to say I tossed on a little green today. It\'s St Patrick\'s Day after all and I need all the luck I can get. Also, I don\'t want anyone pinching me.\r\n\r\nLater I\'m going to have a few beers with friends. Hello, Irish bars in Sofia!! Which of course, aren\'t really Irish bars but they are a pretty good imitation. Oh and now that I am 30, I think I\'ll pass on the green beer. That is if it\'s being served in Sofia. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I hope that the sun is shining wherever you find yourself (because it\'s shinning in Sofia) and that you have something equally fun to do today!!','Happy St. Patrick\'s Day ','','publish','open','open','','happy-st-patricks-day','','','2012-03-18 18:09:35','2012-03-18 16:09:35','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6440',0,'post','',0),(6351,1,'2012-02-28 21:11:58','2012-02-28 19:11:58','I asked D. for some Maltese food. So D. took me to this really hip restaurant <a href=\"http://gululu.com.mt/\" target=\"_blank\">Gululu</a> my first night in Malta. Yeah. Try saying that a few times fast!\r\n\r\nAnyhow, Gululu is in Spinola Bay, St. Julians which just happens to be very close to D.\'s apartment. So we walked along the ocean to dinner. That was a nice treat after a long cold winter in Sofia.\r\n<a title=\"The restaurant Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789820068/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6789820068_576b6c3749_z.jpg\" alt=\"The restaurant Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nHe told me the food is good and that it\'s Maltese with a modern twist. The business card I ended up describes the restaurant this way: casual Maltese cuisine. Whatever it is, it\'s tasty and the service was good.\r\n<a title=\"D. at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789835886/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/6789835886_7fab775e83_z.jpg\" alt=\"D. at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe restaurant has indoor seating and outdoor seating as well. The outdoor seating was closed but really it was much too cold to sit outside anyway. Inside the restaurant has clean lines, bright colors and great photography. It was love at first sight (and at first smell).<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Dips at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789826666/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6789826666_8235cdef80_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dips at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe English menu made everything sound great and I had an incredibly hard time picking. That is until D. told me that rabbit is a local specialty and island favorite. I figured, when in Malta. The thing is I\'m not really sure that I\'d ever eaten rabbit before this past weekend. So I kind of surprised myself by settling on the rabbit. But I\'m glad that I did.\r\n<a title=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789822192/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6789822192_4c23d1b548_z.jpg\" alt=\"Caravaggio white wine at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started with a plate of mixed dips--one with olives, another with anchovies, a third with beans and a very light creamy dip made of ricotta cheese. We ate the dips on round water crackers which are apparently are the go-to choice in Malta. The cracker is round, toasted and has some bite to it. We were also served a couple of thick slices of homemade bread. The dips were fresh and bright most had hints of lemon and garlic. Delicious.\r\n<a title=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789830988/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6789830988_a219c66875_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spaghetti omelet at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main meals were just as good as the dips. I had the rabbit pie. Think of it as a take on chicken pot pie but with a smokey tomato sauce rather than a cream sauce. D. had a spaghetti omelet. His omelet was very tasty but required salt and pepper and frankly in comparison to my meal was bland.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789828806/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6789828806_990815c813_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rabbit pie at Gululu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>My rabbit pie was made up a light flaky crust. The pie filling was a mix of rabbit and root vegetables--potatoes and carrots--as well as onions and peas. I really couldn\'t be happier with my choice. It was hearty, warming and perfectly spiced.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Me at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789840158/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6789840158_e983382aab_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe drank a white Maltese wine bottled under the label Caravaggio. Caravaggio in fact spent time in Malta painting <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beheading_of_Saint_John_the_Baptist_%28Caravaggio%29\" target=\"_blank\">The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist</a> in <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Co-Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\">St. Johns Co-Cathedral in Valletta</a>. It\'s the only painting that Caravaggio ever signed. I however didn\'t get to see it but I did get to see the inside of the church. The tours of the church apparently end at 12:30pm on Saturdays and I got there well after that. Ops. Luckily I\'ve had a chance to see plenty of other Caravaggios in museums across Europe.\r\n\r\nOh, and the restaurant\'s cat joined us for dinner!\r\n<a title=\"A cat at Gululu  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789833500/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6789833500_05e3785666_z.jpg\" alt=\"A cat at Gululu \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Eating Malta at Gululu ','','inherit','open','open','','6343-revision-7','','','2012-02-28 21:11:58','2012-02-28 19:11:58','',6343,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6343-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6353,1,'2012-03-01 06:58:33','2012-03-01 04:58:33','Hey! Today\'s the 1st of March.\r\n\r\nThat can only mean one thing: throughout the day everyone in Bulgaria will be happily exchanging martenitsi and wishing each other Happy Baba Marta or in Bulgarian Chestita Baba Marta.\r\n<a title=\"Happy Baba Marta Card by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6942911517/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6942911517_520b1fdfe3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Baba Marta Card\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI love this tradition. I love it a lot in fact. Last year I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/03/01/%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0/\" target=\"_blank\">how much I like the red and white martenitsi</a>. Especially the red and white boy and girl Piju and Panda. So cute.\r\n\r\nHowever it\'s not just the martenitsi that make me like this holiday so much.\r\n\r\nNope. In fact, I love this day because Bulgarians are all so happy on the 1st of March. Teenage boys who are more prone to grumbling are trading martenitsi and wearing a stack of them on their wrists. Girls bound into the classroom to pin them on each other. The cleaning ladies smile upon receiving martenitsi and even the women in the cafeteria have a certain lightness around them.\r\n\r\nI\'ve never seen another holiday in Bulgaria that produces such joy throughout the day.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Happy Baba Marta Card by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6942910789/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6942910789_65d78b4b7a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Baba Marta Card\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe basics are as follows. But I should warn you, I\'ve heard a 100+ variations on this tradition.\r\n\r\nOnce you\'ve been given a martenista, you wear it until you see either a blooming tree or a stork. These two things are a sure sign that spring is on the way. Then you hang your martenitsa in said tree or tuck it under a rock. I am partial to the blooming tree and martenitsi look so pretty hanging in flowering trees. That and it\'s significantly more difficult to spot a stork. The idea is that you hang the red and white martenitsa for good luck and health in the coming year.\r\n\r\nThe challenge of course is that spring isn\'t guaranteed during the month of March in Bulgaria. So Bulgarians say that March is the only female month of the year. The other 11 months are male and March\'s bothers. March is know fondly as Baba Marta or Grandmother March. As a woman, she is fickle, moody and constantly changing her mind. Thus the weather can swing during this month from mild and warm to cold and rainy or even to winter snow flurries.\r\n\r\nThe tradition of the red and white woven strings that we exchange supposedly dates back to the times of Khan Asparuh. For those of you not up on your Bulgarian history, Khan Asparuh is the man who is credited with the establishment of the first Bulgarian empire and the martenitsi. He was a busy man. Rumor has it he tied two strings one red and one white to his falcon after a battle to signal to his wife that he was still alive. The tradition was born from this.\r\n\r\nThe red symbolizes blood and the white snow. Or maybe the red is a blushing cheek and the white is pure white skin the blush appears on.\r\n\r\nWhatever the symbol, Честита Баба Марта (Chestita Baba Marta)!! May spring find you sooner than later wherever you are.','Честита Баба Марта or Happy Baba Marta!','','publish','open','open','','%d1%87%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%82%d0%b8%d1%82%d0%b0-%d0%b1%d0%b0%d0%b1%d0%b0-%d0%bc%d0%b0%d1%80%d1%82%d0%b0-or-happy-baba-marta','','','2012-03-01 06:58:33','2012-03-01 04:58:33','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6353',0,'post','',6),(6355,1,'2012-02-28 21:56:40','2012-02-28 19:56:40','Hey! Today\'s the 1st of March.\n\nThat can only mean one thing: throughout the day everyone in Bulgaria will be happily exchanging martenitsi and wishing each other Happy Baba Marta or in Bulgarian Chestita Baba Marta.\n\nI love this tradition. I love it a lot in fact. Last year I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/03/01/%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0/\" target=\"_blank\">how much I like the red and white martenitsi</a>. Especially the red and white boy and girl Piju and Panda. So cute.\n\nHowever it\'s not just the martenitsi that make me like this holiday so much.\n\nNope. In fact, I love this day because Bulgarians are all so happy on the 1st of March. Teenage boys who are more prone to grumbling are trading martenitsi and wearing a stack of them on their wrists. Girls bound into the classroom to pin them on each other. The cleaning ladies smile upon receiving martenitsi and even the women in the cafeteria have a certain lightness around them.\n\nI\'ve never seen another holiday in Bulgaria that produces such joy throughout the day.\n\nThe basics are as follows. But I should warn you, I\'ve heard a 100+ variations on this tradition.\n\nOnce you\'ve been given a martenista, you wear it until you see either a blooming tree or a stork. These two things are a sure sign that spring is on the way. Then you hang your martenitsa in said tree or tuck it under a rock. I am partial to the blooming tree and martenitsi look so pretty hanging in flowering trees. That and it\'s significantly more difficult to spot a stork. The idea is that you hang the red and white martenitsa for good luck and health in the coming year.\n\nThe challenge of course is that spring isn\'t guaranteed during the month of March in Bulgaria. So Bulgarians say that March is the only female month of the year. The other 11 months are male and March\'s bothers. March is know fondly as Baba Marta or Grandmother March. As a woman, she is fickle, moody and constantly changing her mind. Thus the weather can swing during this month from mild and warm to cold and rainy or even to winter snow flurries.\n\nThe tradition of the red and white woven strings that we exchange supposedly dates back to the times of Khan Krum. For those of you not up on your Bulgarian history, Khan Krum is the man who doubled the size of Bulgaria and','Честита Баба Марта or Happy Baba Marta!','','inherit','open','open','','6353-revision-2','','','2012-02-28 21:56:40','2012-02-28 19:56:40','',6353,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6353-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6354,1,'2012-02-28 21:55:04','2012-02-28 19:55:04','Hey! Today\'s the 1st of March.\n\nThat can only mean one thing: throughout the day everyone in Bulgaria will be happily exchanging martenitsi and wishing each other Happy Baba Marta or in Bulgarian Chestita Baba Marta.\n\nI love this tradition. I love it a lot in fact. Last year I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/03/01/%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0/\" target=\"_blank\">how much I like the red and white martenitsi</a>. Especially the red and white boy and girl Piju and Panda. So cute.\n\nHowever it\'s not just the martenitsi that make me like this holiday so much.\n\nNope. In fact, I love this day because Bulgarians are all so happy on the 1st of March. Teenage boys who are more prone to grumbling are trading martenitsi and wearing a stack of them on their wrists. Girls bound into the classroom to pin them on each other. The cleaning ladies smile upon receiving martenitsi and even the women in the cafeteria have a certain lightness around them.\n\nI\'ve never seen another holiday in Bulgaria that produces such joy throughout the day.\n\nThe basics are as follows. But I should warn you, I\'ve heard a 100+ variations on this tradition.\n\nOnce you\'ve been given a martenista, you wear it until you see either a blooming tree or a stork. These two things are a sure sign that spring is on the way. Then you hang your martenitsa in said tree or tuck it under a rock. I am partial to the blooming tree and martenitsi look so pretty hanging in flowering trees. That and it\'s significantly more difficult to spot a stork. The idea is that you hang the red and white martenitsa for good luck and health in the coming year.\n\nThe challenge of course is that spring isn\'t guaranteed during the month of March in Bulgaria. So Bulgarians say that March is the only female month of the year. The other 11 months are male and March\'s bothers. March is know fondly as Baba Marta or Grandmother March. As a woman, she is fickle, moody and constantly changing her mind. Thus the weather can swing during this month from mild and warm to cold and rainy or even to winter snow flurries.\n\nThe tradition of the red and white woven strings that we exchange supposedly dates back to the times of Khan Krum. For those of you not up on your Bulgarian history, Khan Krum is the man who doubled the size of Bulgaria and established some rule of law in the country','Честита Баба Марта or Happy Baba Marta!','','inherit','open','open','','6353-revision','','','2012-02-28 21:55:04','2012-02-28 19:55:04','',6353,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/28/6353-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6356,1,'2012-03-01 06:57:16','2012-03-01 04:57:16','Hey! Today\'s the 1st of March.\n\nThat can only mean one thing: throughout the day everyone in Bulgaria will be happily exchanging martenitsi and wishing each other Happy Baba Marta or in Bulgarian Chestita Baba Marta.\n<a title=\"Happy Baba Marta Card by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6942911517/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6942911517_520b1fdfe3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Baba Marta Card\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI love this tradition. I love it a lot in fact. Last year I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/03/01/%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0/\" target=\"_blank\">how much I like the red and white martenitsi</a>. Especially the red and white boy and girl Piju and Panda. So cute.\n\nHowever it\'s not just the martenitsi that make me like this holiday so much.\n\nNope. In fact, I love this day because Bulgarians are all so happy on the 1st of March. Teenage boys who are more prone to grumbling are trading martenitsi and wearing a stack of them on their wrists. Girls bound into the classroom to pin them on each other. The cleaning ladies smile upon receiving martenitsi and even the women in the cafeteria have a certain lightness around them.\n\nI\'ve never seen another holiday in Bulgaria that produces such joy throughout the day.\n<a title=\"Happy Baba Marta Card by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6942910789/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6942910789_65d78b4b7a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Baba Marta Card\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe basics are as follows. But I should warn you, I\'ve heard a 100+ variations on this tradition.\n\nOnce you\'ve been given a martenista, you wear it until you see either a blooming tree or a stork. These two things are a sure sign that spring is on the way. Then you hang your martenitsa in said tree or tuck it under a rock. I am partial to the blooming tree and martenitsi look so pretty hanging in flowering trees. That and it\'s significantly more difficult to spot a stork. The idea is that you hang the red and white martenitsa for good luck and health in the coming year.\n\nThe challenge of course is that spring isn\'t guaranteed during the month of March in Bulgaria. So Bulgarians say that March is the only female month of the year. The other 11 months are male and March\'s bothers. March is know fondly as Baba Marta or Grandmother March. As a woman, she is fickle, moody and constantly changing her mind. Thus the weather can swing during this month from mild and warm to cold and rainy or even to winter snow flurries.\n\nThe tradition of the red and white woven strings that we exchange supposedly dates back to the times of Khan Asparuh. For those of you not up on your Bulgarian history, Khan Asparuh is the man who is credited with the establishment of the first Bulgarian empire and the martenitsi. He was a busy man. Rumor has it he tied two strings one red and one white to his falcon after a battle to signal to his wife that he was still alive. The tradition was born from this.\n\nThe red symbolizes blood and the white snow. Or maybe the red is a blushing cheek and the white is pure white skin the blush appears on.\n\nWhatever the symbol, Честита Баба Марта (Chestita Baba Marta)!! May spring find yo','Честита Баба Марта or Happy Baba Marta!','','inherit','open','open','','6353-revision-3','','','2012-03-01 06:57:16','2012-03-01 04:57:16','',6353,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/01/6353-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6357,1,'2012-03-01 06:58:16','2012-03-01 04:58:16','Hey! Today\'s the 1st of March.\n\nThat can only mean one thing: throughout the day everyone in Bulgaria will be happily exchanging martenitsi and wishing each other Happy Baba Marta or in Bulgarian Chestita Baba Marta.\n<a title=\"Happy Baba Marta Card by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6942911517/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6942911517_520b1fdfe3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Baba Marta Card\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI love this tradition. I love it a lot in fact. Last year I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/03/01/%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0/\" target=\"_blank\">how much I like the red and white martenitsi</a>. Especially the red and white boy and girl Piju and Panda. So cute.\n\nHowever it\'s not just the martenitsi that make me like this holiday so much.\n\nNope. In fact, I love this day because Bulgarians are all so happy on the 1st of March. Teenage boys who are more prone to grumbling are trading martenitsi and wearing a stack of them on their wrists. Girls bound into the classroom to pin them on each other. The cleaning ladies smile upon receiving martenitsi and even the women in the cafeteria have a certain lightness around them.\n\nI\'ve never seen another holiday in Bulgaria that produces such joy throughout the day.\n<a title=\"Happy Baba Marta Card by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6942910789/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6942910789_65d78b4b7a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Happy Baba Marta Card\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe basics are as follows. But I should warn you, I\'ve heard a 100+ variations on this tradition.\n\nOnce you\'ve been given a martenista, you wear it until you see either a blooming tree or a stork. These two things are a sure sign that spring is on the way. Then you hang your martenitsa in said tree or tuck it under a rock. I am partial to the blooming tree and martenitsi look so pretty hanging in flowering trees. That and it\'s significantly more difficult to spot a stork. The idea is that you hang the red and white martenitsa for good luck and health in the coming year.\n\nThe challenge of course is that spring isn\'t guaranteed during the month of March in Bulgaria. So Bulgarians say that March is the only female month of the year. The other 11 months are male and March\'s bothers. March is know fondly as Baba Marta or Grandmother March. As a woman, she is fickle, moody and constantly changing her mind. Thus the weather can swing during this month from mild and warm to cold and rainy or even to winter snow flurries.\n\nThe tradition of the red and white woven strings that we exchange supposedly dates back to the times of Khan Asparuh. For those of you not up on your Bulgarian history, Khan Asparuh is the man who is credited with the establishment of the first Bulgarian empire and the martenitsi. He was a busy man. Rumor has it he tied two strings one red and one white to his falcon after a battle to signal to his wife that he was still alive. The tradition was born from this.\n\nThe red symbolizes blood and the white snow. Or maybe the red is a blushing cheek and the white is pure white skin the blush appears on.\n\nWhatever the symbol, Честита Баба Марта (Chestita Baba Marta)!! May spring find you sooner than later wherever you are.','Честита Баба Марта or Happy Baba Marta!','','inherit','open','open','','6353-revision-4','','','2012-03-01 06:58:16','2012-03-01 04:58:16','',6353,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/01/6353-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6358,1,'2012-02-18 18:32:29','2012-02-18 16:32:29','I\'m apparently working on a growing collection of alcohol bottles on top of my refrigerator. Now here\'s the interesting part, I buy them and I think: this is going to be great!\r\n\r\nThen I never open them.\r\n\r\nI guess this means that I need to have a party as I am not one to drink alone. Sure I might have a beer or a glass of wine after work while making dinner but that\'s about it.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Bottles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6897048727/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6897048727_c6509ddacf_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Bottles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI bought the port last spring break. Yes, that\'s nearly a year ago and it\'s still unopened. I bought the limoncello in Rome in October. The bottle of rose wine? That\'s from Thassos when I went at the end of May last year. And the bottle of whiskey I bought for Fakesgiving.\r\n\r\nSure this isn\'t something I am complaining about it\'s just a strange disconnect. When I buy this alcohol, I assume that I\'ll drink it. Only in practice, it sits on top of my fridge gathering dust.\r\n\r\nIn 10: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a>\r\n\r\nIn 10: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a>','In 10: Bottles ','','inherit','open','open','','6287-revision-7','','','2012-02-18 18:32:29','2012-02-18 16:32:29','',6287,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/18/6287-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6359,1,'2012-03-02 07:02:26','2012-03-02 05:02:26','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.<a title=\"Me in front of the ocean  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935919945/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6935919945_ea0c73ce14_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me in front of the ocean \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta. It was such a wonderful trip and now that I\'m back in Sofia and the weather is freezing cold and it\'s snowed two days this week, Malta is beginning to seem like a dream.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\r\n<a title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.<a title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_3502\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Boats and Malta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935822793/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6935822793_8364c890c9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Boats and Malta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_3499\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','publish','open','open','','malta-boats-and-water','','','2012-03-02 07:02:26','2012-03-02 05:02:26','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6359',0,'post','',0),(6360,1,'2012-03-02 06:56:58','2012-03-02 04:56:58','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\" title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3502\"></a>\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\" title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \"></a>\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\n\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\" title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3499\"></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-revision','','','2012-03-02 06:56:58','2012-03-02 04:56:58','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6361,1,'2012-03-02 06:57:58','2012-03-02 04:57:58','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\" title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3502\"></a>\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\" title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \"></a>\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\" title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \"></a>\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\" title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3499\"></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-revision-2','','','2012-03-02 06:57:58','2012-03-02 04:57:58','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6362,1,'2012-03-02 06:59:45','2012-03-02 04:59:45','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\" title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3502\"></a>\r\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta. It was such a wonderful trip and now that I\'m back in Sofia and the weather is freezing cold and it\'s snowed two days this week, Malta is beginning to seem like a dream. \r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\" title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \"></a>\r\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\" title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \"></a>\r\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935822793/\" title=\"Boats and Malta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6935822793_8364c890c9_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats and Malta\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\" title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3499\"></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-revision-3','','','2012-03-02 06:59:45','2012-03-02 04:59:45','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6363,1,'2012-03-02 06:59:58','2012-03-02 04:59:58','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\" title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3502\"></a>\r\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta. It was such a wonderful trip and now that I\'m back in Sofia and the weather is freezing cold and it\'s snowed two days this week, Malta is beginning to seem like a dream. \r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\" title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \"></a>\r\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\" title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \"></a>\r\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935822793/\" title=\"Boats and Malta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6935822793_8364c890c9_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats and Malta\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\" title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3499\"></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-revision-4','','','2012-03-02 06:59:58','2012-03-02 04:59:58','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6364,1,'2012-03-02 07:01:44','2012-03-02 05:01:44','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935919945/\" title=\"Me in front of the ocean  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6935919945_ea0c73ce14_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me in front of the ocean \"></a>\r\n\r\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta. It was such a wonderful trip and now that I\'m back in Sofia and the weather is freezing cold and it\'s snowed two days this week, Malta is beginning to seem like a dream. \r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\" title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \"></a>\r\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\" title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \"></a>\r\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\" title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3502\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935822793/\" title=\"Boats and Malta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6935822793_8364c890c9_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats and Malta\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\" title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3499\"></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-revision-5','','','2012-03-02 07:01:44','2012-03-02 05:01:44','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6365,1,'2012-03-02 07:01:45','2012-03-02 05:01:45','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935919945/\" title=\"Me in front of the ocean  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6935919945_ea0c73ce14_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me in front of the ocean \"></a>\r\n\r\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta. It was such a wonderful trip and now that I\'m back in Sofia and the weather is freezing cold and it\'s snowed two days this week, Malta is beginning to seem like a dream. \r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\" title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \"></a>\r\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\" title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \"></a>\r\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\" title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3502\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935822793/\" title=\"Boats and Malta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6935822793_8364c890c9_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Boats and Malta\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\" title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"IMG_3499\"></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-revision-6','','','2012-03-02 07:01:45','2012-03-02 05:01:45','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6366,1,'2012-03-02 18:34:19','2012-03-02 16:34:19','I already know that today is going to be a busy day. That\'s what happens at the end of a week after a holiday. Everything that you didn\'t manage to do during the two previous weeks becomes mandatory today. Friday. Of course what makes this okay is that you have dreams of the weekend propelling you through your work.<a title=\"Me in front of the ocean  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935919945/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6935919945_ea0c73ce14_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me in front of the ocean \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nSo this morning before school, as I drink coffee and eat a bowl of yogurt, I find myself thinking about Malta. It was such a wonderful trip and now that I\'m back in Sofia and the weather is freezing cold and it\'s snowed two days this week, Malta is beginning to seem like a dream.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Dusk is approaching  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789803590/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6789803590_1ddc413e50_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dusk is approaching \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nLast weekend, I knew that I was going to an island country but I wasn\'t really prepared for how much water I\'d see. How close I\'d be to the ocean and how many boats in all shapes and sizes dot the sea-scape.\n<a title=\"Boats in Malta  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6789773272/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6789773272_463a50d7ae_z.jpg\" alt=\"Boats in Malta \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nVisually it\'s a wonderful experience. The kind of experience that makes you want to drop everything and learn how to sail so that you can live a life of sailing, sea food eating and leisure. Needless to say, this didn\'t happen and I am back in Sofia getting ready to teach a full day but it\'s nice to have dreams.<a title=\"IMG_3502 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792893282/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6792893282_de675ea83a_z.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_3502\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Boats and Malta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6935822793/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6935822793_8364c890c9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Boats and Malta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"IMG_3499 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6792890376/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6792890376_d1dd56b0b6_z.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_3499\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Malta: boats and water ','','inherit','open','open','','6359-autosave','','','2012-03-02 18:34:19','2012-03-02 16:34:19','',6359,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6359-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6367,1,'2012-03-04 06:13:24','2012-03-04 04:13:24','If you live in Bulgaria there are two great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\r\n\r\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. I want to break out my tan trench coat, ballerina flats and colored jeans. The only problem is that there\'s currently no sign of spring.\r\n\r\nSo I\'m wearing mine faithfully and hoping that this will speed up the arrival of spring.\r\n\r\nLook at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!\r\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. In fact, I had a hard time picking just 10 for this post. On top of this, I received so many that after the 1st of March, I was forced to downsize. <em>I know. I know. </em>Woe is me.<em>\r\n</em>\r\n\r\nBut really what\'s a girl to do?!\r\n\r\nIt\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\r\n\r\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\r\n\r\nI hope that spring finds each of you sooner than later.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','In 10: Martenitsi','','publish','open','open','','in-10-martenitsi','','','2012-03-04 10:13:54','2012-03-04 08:13:54','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6367',0,'post','',5),(6368,1,'2012-03-02 19:24:27','2012-03-02 17:24:27','If you live in Bulgaria there are two really great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring. I am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. The thing is I\'ve got to keep wearing them as there\'s currently no sign of spring.\n\nThat\'s why I love martenitsi and I\'m wearing mine faithfully.\n\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. So many that after the 1st of March, I\'m forced to downsize. <em>I know. I know.</em> But really what\'s a girl to do. It\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\n\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\n\nBut really, look at all of these cute martenitsi. I know this an in 1','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision','','','2012-03-02 19:24:27','2012-03-02 17:24:27','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6367-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6405,1,'2012-03-10 12:50:26','2012-03-10 10:50:26','I went with A. to see the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> on Friday night.\r\n\r\nThere\'s an interesting story behind this film. Months ago. Maybe in October my B. friend from college wrote to me. She was going a film festival in Washington DC and was trying to decide between seeing the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> and some other film. She wanted to know if I\'d seen <em>Ave</em> and if it was worth going to see.\r\n\r\nUm, what?! I\'d never even heard of the film <em>Ave</em>. <a href=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Ave\" src=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nA quick google search revealed there was such a film. I figured that I\'d somehow been living under a rock and that the film had been released over the summer while I was traveling and I missed it. So I twitted about it. Turns out the film wasn\'t released in Bulgaria. I guess no one picked up the film for distribution in Bulgaria so it went to international festivals instead. <em>Oh.</em>\r\n\r\nWhy Bulgarians films in Bulgarian aren\'t released domestically first makes no sense to me. My sense is that Bulgarians are hungry for modern Bulgarian films <em>and</em> that Bulgarians are making some pretty great films.\r\n\r\nAnyhow until this week, I\'d forgotten about <em>Ave</em> when the film was released in Bulgaria. So I finally saw the film. I liked it. I think. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe plot is basically this boy and girl meet while hitchhiking across Bulgaria. She tells a series of lies to the people who pick them up often getting them in trouble. My single compliant about the plot is that it seems to take them a long time to get to Ruse from Sofia when the two aren\'t actually that far apart. Granted I\'ve never actually hitchhiked anywhere so maybe I\'m underestimating that part of the plot.\r\n\r\nThe camera work is probably the best part. The opening captures Sofia at its worst--grey sky, grey block building, dirty streets. This darkness permeates the entire film from rainy days to nighttime scenes in a semi-truck or around a fire with junkies to the grey of the Danube river. There was no escape from the grey but that of course was part of the point.\r\n\r\nThe boy and girl, who never know each other\'s names, wear standard teenage fair baggy pants, hoodies, jackets and the boy sports a backpack while the girl carries a messenger bag all in shads of black, navy blue, dark red and green. There\'s nothing flashy here. Well aside from a pair of shoplifted white sun glasses.\r\n\r\nMy one complaint is that the characters are hard to understand sometimes. Okay, okay. I was watching in Bulgarian without subtitles so I was never going to get everything. I knew that going in. But really, there was a lot of mumbling. I wanted the volume a little louder and I wanted everyone in the film to enunciate a little more. I found the girl, Ave, especially difficult to understand. This was frustrating because much of the movie revolves around her lies and the way that she interacts with the boy, Kamen.\r\n\r\nThe problem of course is that this mumbling is part of the way the characters are created. So it\'s impossible really to eliminate it. Teenagers mumble and speak haltingly all of the time.\r\n\r\nThe part I am still thinking about is the ending of the film. Don\'t worry. I am not going to tell how it ends. It\'s just to say this, the film just ends. I wasn\'t expecting the end. I wanted more of a resolution. I told A. this and he told me: no Bulgarian film have happy endings.\r\n\r\nOn that note, here\'s an <a href=\"http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/film/790\" target=\"_blank\">interesting piece written by the director Konstantin Bojanov with a great video clip of the film</a> explaining the background to this film. Oh and another interview with Konstantin Bajanov which focuses on<a href=\"http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/robert_bodrog/taking_bulgarian_cinema_on_the_road_an_interview_with_director_konstantin_bojanov\" target=\"_blank\"> the creation of the screenplay and filming in Bulgari</a>a.','Bulgarian Film: Ave','','publish','open','open','','bulgarian-flim-ave','','','2012-03-10 19:16:14','2012-03-10 17:16:14','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6405',0,'post','',8),(6370,1,'2012-03-03 12:22:30','2012-03-03 10:22:30','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\r\n\r\nI like that they went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\r\n<a title=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435518/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6802435518_a7768c09c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nAnyhow, earlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\r\n\r\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\r\n\r\nI however tried not to go. Just kidding. Kind of. <!--more-->I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. At the end of the call, I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\r\n<a title=\"Inside Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435762/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6802435762_0cd8440e7d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. But forever reason, I didn\'t call A. I just figured that he was running late and I wasn\'t really worried about it.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, A. called me from the restaurant when he found everyone there but me. You know, because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. <em>Ops</em>.\r\n\r\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived everyone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. One which I clearly deserved. A. told me that I\'d better keep going to my Bulgarian lessons. <em>Okay</em>.\r\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436222/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6802436222_25ac1eb793_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nLuckily the restaurant is easy to find as Blue Moon is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs to the club.\r\n\r\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor. I didn\'t love it but didn\'t hate it either.\r\n<a title=\"Blue Moon menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6948546181/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6948546181_d42db25389_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow onto the food. Here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food.\r\n\r\nIf you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai. I guess that probably shouldn\'t surprise me much. This is Sofia. I just hoped for more.\r\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Pad King by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6802436026_511a8a9d17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Pad King\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\r\n\r\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.\r\n\r\nAt our table most of the discussion of the restaurant hinged on the fact that the food isn\'t actually Thai food but that it was pretty tasty for Asian food. No one actively disliked what they ordered. Most people just wished for more. The other complaint had to do with the portion sizes for the price. Basically it boiled down to this, the portion sizes were small for Bulgarian restaurants and the prices seemed a little high for what was being served.\r\n\r\nThe combination of these two things doesn\'t seem to bode well for the restaurant. The one thing that may make a difference is that the majority of the people dinning at Blue Moon seemed to be foreigners. I heard a lot of English being spoken with various foreign accents. This said, only about 2/3 of the tables were full. So if you\'re dying for some Asian inspired food go and check out Blue Moon sooner than later.\r\n\r\nFinally, the <a href=\"http://sofiaecho.com/2012/03/02/1778665_blue-moon\" target=\"_blank\">Sofia Echo however has a much kinder review</a> than mine so who knows what will happen.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','publish','open','open','','thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon','','','2012-03-03 12:22:30','2012-03-03 10:22:30','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6370',0,'post','',8),(6371,1,'2012-03-02 19:27:50','2012-03-02 17:27:50','Great news! There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>.\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision','','','2012-03-02 19:27:50','2012-03-02 17:27:50','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6370-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6372,1,'2012-03-02 19:36:19','2012-03-02 17:36:19','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thai-phoon or\n\nA bunch of us went to check it out on Friday night.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-2','','','2012-03-02 19:36:19','2012-03-02 17:36:19','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6370-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6373,1,'2012-03-03 10:21:44','2012-03-03 08:21:44','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I.\n\nA bunch of us went to check it out on Friday night.\n\nThe restaurant is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs into the club.\n\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor.\n\nThe food. Well, here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food. If you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai.\n\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\n\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-3','','','2012-03-03 10:21:44','2012-03-03 08:21:44','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (6374,1,'2012-03-03 11:52:43','2012-03-03 09:52:43','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\n\nEarlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\n\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\n\nI however tried not to go. I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\n\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. A. called me when he got to the restaurant. Everyone was there but me. Because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. Ops.\n\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived veryone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. Which I clearly deserved.\n\nThe restaurant is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs into the club.\n\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor.\n\nThe food. Well, here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food. If you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai.\n\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\n\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-4','','','2012-03-03 11:52:43','2012-03-03 09:52:43','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6375,1,'2012-03-03 12:16:41','2012-03-03 10:16:41','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435518/\" title=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6802435518_a7768c09c8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon \"></a>\nEarlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\n\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\n\nI however tried not to go. I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. At the end of the call, I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\n\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. But forever reason, I didn\'t call A. I just figured that he was running late and I wasn\'t really worried about it.\n\nAnyhow, A. called me from the restaurant when he found everyone there but me. You know, because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. <em>Ops</em>.\n\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived everyone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. One which I clearly deserved. A. told me that I\'d better keep going to my Bulgarian lessons. <em>Okay</em>.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436222/\" title=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6802436222_25ac1eb793_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles \"></a>\nLuckily the restaurant is easy to find as Blue Moon is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs to the club.\n\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor. I didn\'t love it but didn\'t hate it either.\n\nNow onto the food. Here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food.\n\nIf you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai. I guess that probably shouldn\'t surprise me much. This is Sofia. I just hoped for more.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436026/\" title=\"Blue Moon Pad King by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6802436026_511a8a9d17_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Blue Moon Pad King\"></a>\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\n\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.\n\nAt our table most of the discussion of the restaurant hinged on the fact that the food isn\'t actually Thai food but that it was pretty tasty for Asian food. No one actively disliked what they ordered. Most people just wished for more. The other complaint had to do with the portion sizes for the price. Basically it boiled down to this, the portion sizes were small for Bulgarian restaurants and the prices seemed a little high for what was being served.\n\nThe combination of these two things doesn\'t seem to bode well for the restaurant. The one thing that may make a difference is that the majority of the people dinning at Blue Moon seemed to be foreigners. I heard a lot of English being spoken with various foreign accents. This said, only about 2/3 of the tables were full. So if you\'re dying for some Asian inspired food go and check out Blue Moon sooner than later.\n\nFinally, the <a href=\"http://sofiaecho.com/2012/03/02/1778665_blue-moon\" target=\"_blank\">Sofia Echo however has a much kinder review</a> than mine so who knows what will happen.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-5','','','2012-03-03 12:16:41','2012-03-03 10:16:41','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6376,1,'2012-03-03 12:16:53','2012-03-03 10:16:53','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\r\n\r\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435518/\" title=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6802435518_a7768c09c8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon \"></a>\r\nEarlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435762/\" title=\"Inside Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6802435762_0cd8440e7d_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Inside Blue Moon \"></a>\r\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\r\n\r\nI however tried not to go. I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. At the end of the call, I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. But forever reason, I didn\'t call A. I just figured that he was running late and I wasn\'t really worried about it.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, A. called me from the restaurant when he found everyone there but me. You know, because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. <em>Ops</em>.\r\n\r\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived everyone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. One which I clearly deserved. A. told me that I\'d better keep going to my Bulgarian lessons. <em>Okay</em>.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436222/\" title=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6802436222_25ac1eb793_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles \"></a>\r\nLuckily the restaurant is easy to find as Blue Moon is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs to the club.\r\n\r\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor. I didn\'t love it but didn\'t hate it either.\r\n\r\nNow onto the food. Here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food.\r\n\r\nIf you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai. I guess that probably shouldn\'t surprise me much. This is Sofia. I just hoped for more.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436026/\" title=\"Blue Moon Pad King by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6802436026_511a8a9d17_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Blue Moon Pad King\"></a>\r\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\r\n\r\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.\r\n\r\nAt our table most of the discussion of the restaurant hinged on the fact that the food isn\'t actually Thai food but that it was pretty tasty for Asian food. No one actively disliked what they ordered. Most people just wished for more. The other complaint had to do with the portion sizes for the price. Basically it boiled down to this, the portion sizes were small for Bulgarian restaurants and the prices seemed a little high for what was being served.\r\n\r\nThe combination of these two things doesn\'t seem to bode well for the restaurant. The one thing that may make a difference is that the majority of the people dinning at Blue Moon seemed to be foreigners. I heard a lot of English being spoken with various foreign accents. This said, only about 2/3 of the tables were full. So if you\'re dying for some Asian inspired food go and check out Blue Moon sooner than later.\r\n\r\nFinally, the <a href=\"http://sofiaecho.com/2012/03/02/1778665_blue-moon\" target=\"_blank\">Sofia Echo however has a much kinder review</a> than mine so who knows what will happen.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-6','','','2012-03-03 12:16:53','2012-03-03 10:16:53','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6377,1,'2012-03-03 12:18:57','2012-03-03 10:18:57','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\n<a title=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435518/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6802435518_a7768c09c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nEarlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\n\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\n\nI however tried not to go. I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. At the end of the call, I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\n<a title=\"Inside Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435762/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6802435762_0cd8440e7d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. But forever reason, I didn\'t call A. I just figured that he was running late and I wasn\'t really worried about it.\n\nAnyhow, A. called me from the restaurant when he found everyone there but me. You know, because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. <em>Ops</em>.\n\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived everyone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. One which I clearly deserved. A. told me that I\'d better keep going to my Bulgarian lessons. <em>Okay</em>.\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436222/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6802436222_25ac1eb793_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nLuckily the restaurant is easy to find as Blue Moon is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs to the club.\n\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor. I didn\'t love it but didn\'t hate it either.\n<a title=\"Blue Moon menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6948546181/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6948546181_d42db25389_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nNow onto the food. Here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food.\n\nIf you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai. I guess that probably shouldn\'t surprise me much. This is Sofia. I just hoped for more.\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Pad King by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6802436026_511a8a9d17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Pad King\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\n\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.\n\nAt our table most of the discussion of the restaurant hinged on the fact that the food isn\'t actually Thai food but that it was pretty tasty for Asian food. No one actively disliked what they ordered. Most people just wished for more. The other complaint had to do with the portion sizes for the price. Basically it boiled down to this, the portion sizes were small for Bulgarian restaurants and the prices seemed a little high for what was being served.\n\nThe combination of these two things doesn\'t seem to bode well for the restaurant. The one thing that may make a difference is that the majority of the people dinning at Blue Moon seemed to be foreigners. I heard a lot of English being spoken with various foreign accents. This said, only about 2/3 of the tables were full. So if you\'re dying for some Asian inspired food go and check out Blue Moon sooner than later.\n\nFinally, the <a href=\"http://sofiaecho.com/2012/03/02/1778665_blue-moon\" target=\"_blank\">Sofia Echo however has a much kinder review</a> than mine so who knows what will happen.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-7','','','2012-03-03 12:18:57','2012-03-03 10:18:57','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6378,1,'2012-03-03 12:19:58','2012-03-03 10:19:58','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\n\nThey went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\n<a title=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435518/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6802435518_a7768c09c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nEarlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\n\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\n\nI however tried not to go. Just kidding. Kind of. <!--more-->I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. At the end of the call, I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\n<a title=\"Inside Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435762/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6802435762_0cd8440e7d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. But forever reason, I didn\'t call A. I just figured that he was running late and I wasn\'t really worried about it.\n\nAnyhow, A. called me from the restaurant when he found everyone there but me. You know, because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. <em>Ops</em>.\n\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived everyone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. One which I clearly deserved. A. told me that I\'d better keep going to my Bulgarian lessons. <em>Okay</em>.\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436222/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6802436222_25ac1eb793_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nLuckily the restaurant is easy to find as Blue Moon is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs to the club.\n\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor. I didn\'t love it but didn\'t hate it either.\n<a title=\"Blue Moon menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6948546181/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6948546181_d42db25389_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nNow onto the food. Here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food.\n\nIf you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai. I guess that probably shouldn\'t surprise me much. This is Sofia. I just hoped for more.\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Pad King by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6802436026_511a8a9d17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Pad King\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\n\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.\n\nAt our table most of the discussion of the restaurant hinged on the fact that the food isn\'t actually Thai food but that it was pretty tasty for Asian food. No one actively disliked what they ordered. Most people just wished for more. The other complaint had to do with the portion sizes for the price. Basically it boiled down to this, the portion sizes were small for Bulgarian restaurants and the prices seemed a little high for what was being served.\n\nThe combination of these two things doesn\'t seem to bode well for the restaurant. The one thing that may make a difference is that the majority of the people dinning at Blue Moon seemed to be foreigners. I heard a lot of English being spoken with various foreign accents. This said, only about 2/3 of the tables were full. So if you\'re dying for some Asian inspired food go and check out Blue Moon sooner than later.\n\nFinally, the <a href=\"http://sofiaecho.com/2012/03/02/1778665_blue-moon\" target=\"_blank\">Sofia Echo however has a much kinder review</a> than mine so who knows what will happen.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-8','','','2012-03-03 12:19:58','2012-03-03 10:19:58','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6379,1,'2012-03-03 12:21:50','2012-03-03 10:21:50','Great news. There\'s a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. This a restaurant I\'ve long thought we should have in Sofia. So here\'s a big welcome to the Thai restaurant <a href=\"http://bluemoon.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Blue Moon</a>!!\r\n\r\nI like that they went for a Thai-inspired name but nothing quite as in your face at Thaiphoon or the King and I. That was probably a good choice for Sofia.\r\n<a title=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435518/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6802435518_a7768c09c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Reading the menu at Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nAnyhow, earlier this week a rumor spread like wildfire around campus this week, about a new Thai restaurant in Sofia. <em>A Thai restaurant</em>, we whispered.  A quick tweet to my followers confirmed the existence of the restaurant. After that it was settled. We would go.\r\n\r\nSo a bunch of us planned to check it out on Friday night. One of the teachers at school made a reservation for 7:30 pm for a group of nine of us.  Some teachers were leaving from campus and others from our apartments in Mladost.\r\n\r\nI however tried not to go. Just kidding. Kind of. <!--more-->I thought that A. was going to pick me up at the apartments. We\'d messaged about it earlier in the day. Then he called. We spoke in Bulgarian because I am trying to actively speak more Bulgarian even though it\'s often easier to speak English. At the end of the call, I thought we confirmed our earlier plans.\r\n<a title=\"Inside Blue Moon  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802435762/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6802435762_0cd8440e7d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Blue Moon \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNeedless to say at 8pm when I was still at home sitting on my couch, I was beginning to wonder what was going on. But forever reason, I didn\'t call A. I just figured that he was running late and I wasn\'t really worried about it.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, A. called me from the restaurant when he found everyone there but me. You know, because I was still at home. Turns out A. thought I was just going to go to the restaurant with some my apartment friends. <em>Ops</em>.\r\n\r\nSo I grabbed a cab and was downtown 15 minutes later. When I arrived everyone had a pretty good laugh at my expense. One which I clearly deserved. A. told me that I\'d better keep going to my Bulgarian lessons. <em>Okay</em>.\r\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436222/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6802436222_25ac1eb793_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Veggie Noodles \" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nLuckily the restaurant is easy to find as Blue Moon is on Rakovski (Раковски 127) right next to Club Alcohol. Literately right next to Alcohol. In fact if you ate a late dinner you could walk out of Blue Moon and straight down the stairs to the club.\r\n\r\nBlue Moon has gone for a gold-moon lit from behind with blue light theme and some hanging paper flowers as decor. I didn\'t love it but didn\'t hate it either.\r\n<a title=\"Blue Moon menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6948546181/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6948546181_d42db25389_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow onto the food. Here\'s the bad news. It\'s not really Thai food.\r\n\r\nIf you go hoping for coconut infused curries or pad thai with rice noodles you\'ll be disappointed.  The food is good but it would be much better to describe it as Asian inspired than Thai. I guess that probably shouldn\'t surprise me much. This is Sofia. I just hoped for more.\r\n<a title=\"Blue Moon Pad King by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6802436026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6802436026_511a8a9d17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Moon Pad King\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nHere\'s what I liked. The vegetables in the noodle dishes were cut into nice sizes--not too big and not too small-- and then they were well-cooked in that they still had a little bit to them.  The dish I had the pad king also had a little kick to it but it wasn\'t too much. I actually thought that it was pretty great.\r\n\r\nWas it Thai food as I know it? Nope. But that\'s okay. Luckily I know <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/05/09/pad-thai-esque/\" target=\"_blank\">how to make my own pad tha</a>i. In fact I may have to make it one night this week.\r\n\r\nAt our table most of the discussion of the restaurant hinged on the fact that the food isn\'t actually Thai food but that it was pretty tasty for Asian food. No one actively disliked what they ordered. Most people just wished for more. The other complaint had to do with the portion sizes for the price. Basically it boiled down to this, the portion sizes were small for Bulgarian restaurants and the prices seemed a little high for what was being served.\r\n\r\nThe combination of these two things doesn\'t seem to bode well for the restaurant. The one thing that may make a difference is that the majority of the people dinning at Blue Moon seemed to be foreigners. I heard a lot of English being spoken with various foreign accents. This said, only about 2/3 of the tables were full. So if you\'re dying for some Asian inspired food go and check out Blue Moon sooner than later.\r\n\r\nFinally, the <a href=\"http://sofiaecho.com/2012/03/02/1778665_blue-moon\" target=\"_blank\">Sofia Echo however has a much kinder review</a> than mine so who knows what will happen.','Thai Food in Sofia at Blue Moon ','','inherit','open','open','','6370-revision-9','','','2012-03-03 12:21:50','2012-03-03 10:21:50','',6370,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/6370-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(6380,1,'2012-03-04 09:29:27','2012-03-04 07:29:27','If you live in Bulgaria there are two really great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\n\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. So I\'ve got to keep wearing them as there\'s currently no sign of spring.\n\nThat\'s why I love martenitsi and I\'m wearing mine faithfully.\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\n\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. So many that after the 1st of March, I\'m forced to downsize. <em>I know. I know.</em> But really what\'s a girl to do. It\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\n\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\n\nBut really, look at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision-2','','','2012-03-04 09:29:27','2012-03-04 07:29:27','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6382,1,'2012-03-04 09:30:23','2012-03-04 07:30:23','If you live in Bulgaria there are two great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\r\n\r\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. So I\'ve got to keep wearing them as there\'s currently no sign of spring.\r\n\r\nThat\'s why I love martenitsi and I\'m wearing mine faithfully.\r\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. So many that after the 1st of March, I\'m forced to downsize. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>I know. I know.</em>\r\n\r\nBut really what\'s a girl to do. It\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\r\n\r\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\r\n\r\nBut really, look at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision-4','','','2012-03-04 09:30:23','2012-03-04 07:30:23','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6381,1,'2012-03-04 09:29:43','2012-03-04 07:29:43','If you live in Bulgaria there are two really great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\r\n\r\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. So I\'ve got to keep wearing them as there\'s currently no sign of spring.\r\n\r\nThat\'s why I love martenitsi and I\'m wearing mine faithfully.\r\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. So many that after the 1st of March, I\'m forced to downsize. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>I know. I know.</em>\r\n\r\nBut really what\'s a girl to do. It\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\r\n\r\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\r\n\r\nBut really, look at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision-3','','','2012-03-04 09:29:43','2012-03-04 07:29:43','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6383,1,'2012-03-04 09:32:28','2012-03-04 07:32:28','If you live in Bulgaria there are two great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\n\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. I want to break out my tan trench coat, ballerina flats and colored jeans. The only problem is that there\'s currently no sign of spring.\n\nThat\'s why I love martenitsi and I\'m wearing mine faithfully.\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\n\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. So many that after the 1st of March, I\'m forced to downsize. <em></em>\n\n<em>I know. I know.</em>\n\nBut really what\'s a girl to do. It\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\n\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\n\nBut really, look at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision-5','','','2012-03-04 09:32:28','2012-03-04 07:32:28','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6384,1,'2012-03-04 09:34:28','2012-03-04 07:34:28','If you live in Bulgaria there are two great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\n\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. I want to break out my tan trench coat, ballerina flats and colored jeans. The only problem is that there\'s currently no sign of spring.\n\nSo I\'m wearing mine faithfully and hoping that by wearing my martenitsi I\'ll speed up the arrival of spring.\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\n\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. So many that after the 1st of March, I\'m forced to downsize. <em></em>\n\n<em>I know. I know.</em>\n\nBut really what\'s a girl to do. It\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\n\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\n\nBut really, look at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision-6','','','2012-03-04 09:34:28','2012-03-04 07:34:28','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6385,1,'2012-03-10 21:29:30','2012-03-10 19:29:30','If you live in Bulgaria there are two great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\n\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. I want to break out my tan trench coat, ballerina flats and colored jeans. The only problem is that there\'s currently no sign of spring.\n\nSo I\'m wearing mine faithfully and hoping that this will speed up the arrival of spring.\n\nLook at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\n\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. In fact, I had a hard time picking just 10 for this post. On top of this, I received so many that after the 1st of March, I was forced to downsize. <em>I know. I know. </em>Woe is me.<em>\n</em>\n\nBut really what\'s a girl to do?!\n\nIt\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\n\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\n\nI hope that spring finds each of you sooner than later.\n\nOther In 10 posts:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-autosave','','','2012-03-10 21:29:30','2012-03-10 19:29:30','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6386,1,'2012-03-04 09:38:52','2012-03-04 07:38:52','If you live in Bulgaria there are two great things about the month of March: martenitsi and spring.\r\n\r\nI am desperate for spring this year. We\'ve basically had snow for two months.  That\'s a lot of snow and I\'m over it. I hate my winter boots and I never want to see my winter coat again. I want to break out my tan trench coat, ballerina flats and colored jeans. The only problem is that there\'s currently no sign of spring.\r\n\r\nSo I\'m wearing mine faithfully and hoping that this will speed up the arrival of spring.\r\n\r\nLook at all of these cute martenitsi. What\'s not to love?!\r\n<a title=\"Martenitsi in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951333021/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6951333021_56b934f97d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Martenitsi in 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"465\" /></a>\r\n\r\nNow as a teacher I got a lot of martenitsi. In fact, I had a hard time picking just 10 for this post. On top of this, I received so many that after the 1st of March, I was forced to downsize. <em>I know. I know. </em>Woe is me.<em>\r\n</em>\r\n\r\nBut really what\'s a girl to do?!\r\n\r\nIt\'s hard to do dishes. They impede your ability to type quickly and quietly. Moreover, martenitsi make it difficult to wash your hands let alone shower. So really you\'ve got to cut back.\r\n\r\nOn March 2nd, I only wore 10. On the 3rd, seven.  Today, five. That means that by Monday the 5th I\'ll be down two on my wrist and one on my coat because, well, that\'s manageable.\r\n\r\nI hope that spring finds each of you sooner than later.','In 10: Martenitsi','','inherit','open','open','','6367-revision-7','','','2012-03-04 09:38:52','2012-03-04 07:38:52','',6367,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6367-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6387,1,'2012-03-04 10:21:59','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I\'m hooked on Oriflame.\r\n\r\nIt started this fall. I wanted to buy some new foundation but given how very white my skin was I wasn\'t happy with the selection available in the make-up shop in the ground floor of my apartment building and I didn\'t want to spend an arm and a leg at <a href=\"http://www.sephora.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Sephora</a> in the Mall. So I talked to one of the teachers at school who sells Oriflame. She was more than happy to help me find the right foundation and in purchasing make-up through her she gets a percent of the sale.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805294258/\" title=\"Oriflame in 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6805294258_66215156ba_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Oriflame in 10\"></a>\r\nThe foundation was great. It goes on smoothly and feels creamy without being thick.\r\n','In 10: Oriflame','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-03-04 10:21:59','2012-03-04 08:21:59','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6387',0,'post','',0),(6388,1,'2012-03-04 10:21:30','2012-03-04 08:21:30','I\'m hooked on Oriflame.\n\nIt started this fall. I wanted to buy some new foundation but given how very white my skin was I wasn\'t happy with the selection available in the make-up shop in the ground floor of my apartment building and I didn\'t want to spend an arm and a leg at <a href=\"http://www.sephora.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Sephora</a> in the Mall. So I talked to one of the teachers at school who sells Oriflame. She was more than happy to help me find the right foundation and in purchasing make-up through her she gets a percent of the sale.\n\nThe foundation was great. It goes on smoothly and feels cream','In 10: Oriflame','','inherit','open','open','','6387-revision','','','2012-03-04 10:21:30','2012-03-04 08:21:30','',6387,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6387-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6389,1,'2012-03-05 06:15:54','2012-03-05 04:15:54','My friend P. called me on Saturday. He wanted to know if I was free to meet him for a cup of coffee. <em>In Mladost</em>. For as great as Mladost is no one I know ever wants to meet up  here.\r\n\r\nGiven this fact, P. doesn\'t come out to Mladost much so I figured I\'d better say yes. Only at 12 noon I still had my pjs on and he wanted to meet in 20 minutes. I told him so. He said, just get here.\r\n<a title=\"P. doing research by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467087/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951467087_12ff803b45_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. doing research\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI threw myself into over drive and was more or less presentable in 20 minutes. I then walked to the Mladost metro. Turns out P. was doing research for his blog and buying some groceries.  He suggested that we go into the underpass to have coffee in the shop right outside of the metro. Um, <em>okay</em>.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not a place I\'ve stopped in before but P. assured me it was for the blog. And I get that. I\'ve made my friends do all sorts of things for my blog.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Metro coffee by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951467743_c5073ae637_z.jpg\" alt=\"Metro coffee\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI\'ve always been rather skeptical about the coffee served from shops like this and by in large avoid them. I\'ve got some standards.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, this place was cheap. I bought two coffees and two small banitsa rounds for less than 3 leva.  I figured this didn\'t bode well for the coffee but I was pleasantly surprised by the coffee. First of all because the coffee was stinking hot. Like burn your lips hot. I never get coffee this hot in Bulgaria and the flavor wasn\'t half bad.\r\n\r\nThe styrofoam cup? Less than desirable but what\'s a girl to do!? Me, I ate banitsa and tried not to think about it.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, we chatted and took some awkward photos. P. joked: K. you take me to <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/15/in-sofia-ma-baker/\" target=\"_blank\">Ma Baker</a> for your blog. And I take you to this dive for my blog.\r\n\r\nTrue, true. But isn\'t that what\'s great about Sofia?\r\n<a title=\"P. on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805353536/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6805353536_48689b383e_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. on the metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor most of our adventure P. was beaming. His book has just been published--a travel guide about Bulgaria  that he co-wrote with another former Peace Corps Volunteer and his blog has taken off. For good reason, it\'s funny <em>and</em> informative.\r\n\r\nAfter my <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/12/public-transportion-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">post about his new blog on transportation </a>my Bulgarian tutor I. and her husband J. both read P.\'s blog. They both really liked it and J. ended up asking for P.\'s contact information so that he could <a href=\"http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=1236747\" target=\"_blank\">interview P. about his blog and his project for the newspaper Trud</a>. I, of course, was more than happy to oblige. So after a little newspaper coverage, Patrick\'s traffic to his blog has just grown and grown and I am so happy for him.\r\n<a title=\"P. taking notes on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951468185/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6951468185_53067186c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. taking notes on the metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter our coffee, we headed downtown. Me to meet a friend and to poke around the city and P. to go home. This was the first time I really got to see P. in action. He takes his blogging seriously. He pulled out a pocket sized notebook, jotted down the style and number of the car we boarded and then set the stopwatch on his cellphone in order to record the length of time between each station. I like this commitment and the seriousness with which he takes his blogging.\r\n\r\nSo while he took copious notes, I took a few photos. We both decided that we want to go to the grand opening of<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/25/my-new-metro-stop-in-mladost/\" target=\"_blank\"> the newest metro stop in Mladost</a>--ahem Mladost 3--if and when it ever opens.','Mladost 1 Metro ','','publish','open','open','','mladost-1-metro','','','2012-03-04 18:56:52','2012-03-04 16:56:52','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6389',0,'post','',4),(6390,1,'2012-03-04 18:45:18','2012-03-04 16:45:18','My friend P. called me on Saturday. He wanted to know if I was free to meet him for a cup of coffee. <em>In Mladost</em>. For as great as Mladost is no one I know ever wants to meet up  here.\n\nGiven this fact, P. doesn\'t come out to Mladost much so I figured I\'d better say yes. Only at 12 noon I still had my pjs on and he wanted to meet in 20 minutes. I told him so. He said, just get here.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467087/\" title=\"P. doing research by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951467087_12ff803b45_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"P. doing research\"></a>\nI threw myself into over drive and was more or less presentable in 20 minutes. I then walked to the Mladost metro. Turns out P. was doing research for his blog and buying some groceries.  He suggested that we go into the underpass to have coffee in the shop right outside of the metro. Um, <em>okay</em>.\n\nIt\'s not a place I\'ve stopped in before but P. assured me it was for the blog. And I get that. I\'ve made my friends do all sorts of things for my blog.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467743/\" title=\"Metro coffee by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951467743_c5073ae637_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Metro coffee\"></a>\nI\'ve always been rather skeptical about the coffee served from shops like this and by in large avoid them. I\'ve got some standards. Anyhow, this place was cheap. I bought two coffees and two small banitsa rounds for less than 3 leva.  I figured this didn\'t bode well for the coffee but I was pleasantly surprised by the coffee. First of all because the coffee was stinking hot. Like burn your lips hot. I never get coffee this hot in Bulgaria. And the flavor wasn\'t bad. The styrofoam cup? Less than desirable but what\'s a girl to do. I ate banitsa and tried not to think about it.\n\nMeanwhile, we chatted and took some awkward photos. P. joked: K. you take me to <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/15/in-sofia-ma-baker/\" target=\"_blank\">Ma Baker</a> for your blog. And I take you to this dive for my blog.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805353536/\" title=\"P. on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6805353536_48689b383e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"P. on the metro\"></a>\nP. was beaming. After my <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/12/public-transportion-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">first post about his new blog on transportation </a>my Bulgarian tutor I. and her husband J. read P.\'s blog. They both really liked it and J. ended up asking for P.\'s contact information so that he could <a href=\"http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=1236747\" target=\"_blank\">interview P. about his blog and his project for the newspaper Trud</a>. I, of course, was more than happy to oblige.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951468185/\" title=\"P. taking notes on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6951468185_53067186c8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"P. taking notes on the metro\"></a>\nAfter our coffee, we headed downtown. Me to meet a friend and to poke around the city and P. to go home. This was the first time I really got to see P. in action. He takes his blogging seriously. He pulled out a pocket sized notebook, jotted down the style and number of the car we boarded and then set the stopwatch on his cellphone in order to record the length of time between each station. I like this commitment and the seriousness with which he takes his blogging.','Mladost 1 Metro ','','inherit','open','open','','6389-revision','','','2012-03-04 18:45:18','2012-03-04 16:45:18','',6389,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6389-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6391,1,'2012-03-04 18:46:18','2012-03-04 16:46:18','My friend P. called me on Saturday. He wanted to know if I was free to meet him for a cup of coffee. <em>In Mladost</em>. For as great as Mladost is no one I know ever wants to meet up  here.\n\nGiven this fact, P. doesn\'t come out to Mladost much so I figured I\'d better say yes. Only at 12 noon I still had my pjs on and he wanted to meet in 20 minutes. I told him so. He said, just get here.\n<a title=\"P. doing research by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467087/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951467087_12ff803b45_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. doing research\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI threw myself into over drive and was more or less presentable in 20 minutes. I then walked to the Mladost metro. Turns out P. was doing research for his blog and buying some groceries.  He suggested that we go into the underpass to have coffee in the shop right outside of the metro. Um, <em>okay</em>.\n\nIt\'s not a place I\'ve stopped in before but P. assured me it was for the blog. And I get that. I\'ve made my friends do all sorts of things for my blog.\n<a title=\"Metro coffee by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951467743_c5073ae637_z.jpg\" alt=\"Metro coffee\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI\'ve always been rather skeptical about the coffee served from shops like this and by in large avoid them. I\'ve got some standards. Anyhow, this place was cheap. I bought two coffees and two small banitsa rounds for less than 3 leva.  I figured this didn\'t bode well for the coffee but I was pleasantly surprised by the coffee. First of all because the coffee was stinking hot. Like burn your lips hot. I never get coffee this hot in Bulgaria. And the flavor wasn\'t bad. The styrofoam cup? Less than desirable but what\'s a girl to do. I ate banitsa and tried not to think about it.\n\nMeanwhile, we chatted and took some awkward photos. P. joked: K. you take me to <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/15/in-sofia-ma-baker/\" target=\"_blank\">Ma Baker</a> for your blog. And I take you to this dive for my blog.\n<a title=\"P. on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805353536/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6805353536_48689b383e_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. on the metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nP. was beaming. After my <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/12/public-transportion-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">first post about his new blog on transportation </a>my Bulgarian tutor I. and her husband J. read P.\'s blog. They both really liked it and J. ended up asking for P.\'s contact information so that he could <a href=\"http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=1236747\" target=\"_blank\">interview P. about his blog and his project for the newspaper Trud</a>. I, of course, was more than happy to oblige.\n<a title=\"P. taking notes on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951468185/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6951468185_53067186c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. taking notes on the metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter our coffee, we headed downtown. Me to meet a friend and to poke around the city and P. to go home. This was the first time I really got to see P. in action. He takes his blogging seriously. He pulled out a pocket sized notebook, jotted down the style and number of the car we boarded and then set the stopwatch on his cellphone in order to record the length of time between each station. I like this commitment and the seriousness with which he takes his blogging.','Mladost 1 Metro ','','inherit','open','open','','6389-revision-2','','','2012-03-04 18:46:18','2012-03-04 16:46:18','',6389,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6389-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6392,1,'2012-03-04 18:58:00','2012-03-04 16:58:00','My friend P. called me on Saturday. He wanted to know if I was free to meet him for a cup of coffee. <em>In Mladost</em>. For as great as Mladost is no one I know ever wants to meet up  here.\n\nGiven this fact, P. doesn\'t come out to Mladost much so I figured I\'d better say yes. Only at 12 noon I still had my pjs on and he wanted to meet in 20 minutes. I told him so. He said, just get here.\n<a title=\"P. doing research by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467087/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951467087_12ff803b45_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. doing research\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI threw myself into over drive and was more or less presentable in 20 minutes. I then walked to the Mladost metro. Turns out P. was doing research for his blog and buying some groceries.  He suggested that we go into the underpass to have coffee in the shop right outside of the metro. Um, <em>okay</em>.\n\nIt\'s not a place I\'ve stopped in before but P. assured me it was for the blog. And I get that. I\'ve made my friends do all sorts of things for my blog.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Metro coffee by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951467743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951467743_c5073ae637_z.jpg\" alt=\"Metro coffee\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI\'ve always been rather skeptical about the coffee served from shops like this and by in large avoid them. I\'ve got some standards.\n\nAnyhow, this place was cheap. I bought two coffees and two small banitsa rounds for less than 3 leva.  I figured this didn\'t bode well for the coffee but I was pleasantly surprised by the coffee. First of all because the coffee was stinking hot. Like burn your lips hot. I never get coffee this hot in Bulgaria and the flavor wasn\'t half bad.\n\nThe styrofoam cup? Less than desirable but what\'s a girl to do!? Me, I ate banitsa and tried not to think about it.\n\nMeanwhile, we chatted and took some awkward photos. P. joked: K. you take me to <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/15/in-sofia-ma-baker/\" target=\"_blank\">Ma Baker</a> for your blog. And I take you to this dive for my blog.\n\nTrue, true. But isn\'t that what\'s great about Sofia?\n<a title=\"P. on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805353536/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/6805353536_48689b383e_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. on the metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nFor most of our adventure P. was beaming. His book has just been published--a travel guide about Bulgaria  that he co-wrote with another former Peace Corps Volunteer and his blog has taken off. For good reason, it\'s funny <em>and</em> informative.\n\nAfter my <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/12/public-transportion-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">post about his new blog on transportation </a>my Bulgarian tutor I. and her husband J. both read P.\'s blog. They both really liked it and J. ended up asking for P.\'s contact information so that he could <a href=\"http://www.trud.bg/Article.asp?ArticleId=1236747\" target=\"_blank\">interview P. about his blog and his project for the newspaper Trud</a>. I, of course, was more than happy to oblige. So after a little newspaper coverage, Patrick\'s traffic to his blog has just grown and grown and I am so happy for him.\n<a title=\"P. taking notes on the metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951468185/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6951468185_53067186c8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. taking notes on the metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter our coffee, we headed downtown. Me to meet a friend and to poke around the city and P. to go home. This was the first time I really got to see P. in action. He takes his blogging seriously. He pulled out a pocket sized notebook, jotted down the style and number of the car we boarded and then set the stopwatch on his cellphone in order to record the length of time between each station. I like this commitment and the seriousness with which he takes his blogging.\n\nSo while he took copious notes, I took a few photos. We both decided that we want to go to the grand opening of<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/25/my-new-metro-stop-in-mladost/\" target=\"_blank\"> the newest metro stop in Mladost</a>--ahem Mladost 3--if and when it ever opens.','Mladost 1 Metro ','','inherit','open','open','','6389-autosave','','','2012-03-04 18:58:00','2012-03-04 16:58:00','',6389,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6389-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6393,1,'2012-03-06 06:00:29','2012-03-06 04:00:29','I\'m admittedly very late in checking out the Soup Me! cafe/restaurant in Sofia. I\'ve walked by it what seems like a million times and either I was in a hurry, meeting a friend for lunch elsewhere or I didn\'t feel like soup.\r\n<a title=\"Outside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951471319/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6951471319_330d2e9021_z.jpg\" alt=\"Outside Soup Me\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWell, I finally went this past weekend to Soup Me! (55 Neofit Rilski). It\'s right around the corner from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/24/sofi-french-bakery/\" target=\"_blank\">the French bakery Sofi</a> at Rakovski and Rilski.\r\n\r\nMy friend A. wanted to try it out. This is her first year in the city and she\'s in the business of exploring Sofia. She\'s been actively reading blogs like <a href=\"http://www.spottedbylocals.com/sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Spotted by Locals</a> and <a href=\"http://programata.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Programata</a> looking for interesting things to do and to try in the city. And really, who am I to say to trying new things?<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470569/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951470569_5a9c47de31_z.jpg\" alt=\"Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe got to Soup Me at about 2pm and there were only three choices of soup left on the Saturday we showed up. Cream of potato, cream of vegetable and cream of tomato. They were all meat free but they also all had cream in them. Surprise, surprise--given the names. Anyhow, I went with the cream of tomato topped with some shredded cheese and a coke light (that\'s the fancy name for diet coke in Europe). My total was 6 leva. Not bad but not really cheap for a lunch of soup.\r\n<a title=\"Tomato Soup by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805354740/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6805354740_daeb608543_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tomato Soup\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe shop is super cute inside. The menu is written out on two chalk boards. There\'s open seating.  A wall of mirror which makes the smallish space seem bigger and a huge bay window at the front of the shop which is perfect for people watching. The lighting is inter-spaced with pots hanging from the ceiling and the door handle is a big soup spoon. Clever, clever.\r\n<a title=\"Ordering at Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6951470187_43e5fd1c5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Ordering at Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951469377/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6951469377_f44e8afdb4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI thought my soup was just so-so. It was only warm-ish which isn\'t great but my bigger complaint is that the soup wasn\'t very flavorful. For a tomato soup it was only semi-tomato-y. I was hoping for a big tomato flavor. Instead, I added some salt and pepper and later I also added some chili pepper flakes. I ate the whole but I kept wanting the soup to have a better flavor. The whole wheat roll on the side was fine but nothing to write home about.\r\n<a title=\"Inside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470927/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951470927_68e2d07ce4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Soup Me\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAll in all, I am glad that I had good company for lunch but I think that if I was seeking out soup in Sofia I\'d just stick with<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/04/18/new-find-supastar/\" target=\"_blank\"> my tried and true favorite SupaStar</a>.','Soup Me! in Sofia ','','publish','open','open','','soup-me-in-sofia','','','2012-03-04 21:58:54','2012-03-04 19:58:54','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6393',0,'post','',1),(6394,1,'2012-03-04 21:52:37','2012-03-04 19:52:37','I\'m admittedly very late in checking out the Soup Me! cafe/restaurant in Sofia. I\'ve walked by it what seems like a million times. Either I was on the way somewhere, meeting a friend for lunch elsewhere or I didn\'t feel like soup.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951471319/\" title=\"Outside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6951471319_330d2e9021_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Outside Soup Me\"></a>\nWell, I finally went this past weekend to Soup Me! (55 Neofit Rilski). It\'s right around the corner from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/24/sofi-french-bakery/\" target=\"_blank\">the French bakery Sofi</a> at Rakovski and Rilski.\n\nMy friend A. wanted to try it out. This is her first year in the city and she\'s in the business of exploring Sofia. She\'s been actively reading blogs like <a href=\"http://www.spottedbylocals.com/sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Spotted by Locals</a> and <a href=\"http://programata.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Programata</a> looking for interesting things to do and to try in the city. And really, who am I to say to trying new things?\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470569/\" title=\"Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951470569_5a9c47de31_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Soup Me!\"></a>\nWe got to Soup Me at about 2pm and there were only three choices of soup left on the Saturday we showed up. Cream of potato, cream of vegetable and cream of tomato. They were all meat free but they also all had cream in them. Surprise, surprise--given the names. Anyhow, I went with the cream of tomato topped with some shredded cheese and a coke light (that\'s the fancy name for diet coke in Europe). My total was 6 leva. Not bad but not really cheap for a lunch of soup.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805354740/\" title=\"Tomato Soup by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6805354740_daeb608543_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Tomato Soup\"></a>\nThe shop is super cute inside. The menu is written out on two chalk boards. There\'s open seating.  A wall of mirror which makes the smallish space seem bigger and a huge bay window at the front of the shop which is perfect for people watching. The lighting is inter-spaced with pots hanging from the ceiling and the door handle is a big soup spoon. Clever, clever.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470187/\" title=\"Ordering at Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6951470187_43e5fd1c5a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Ordering at Soup Me!\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951469377/\" title=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6951469377_f44e8afdb4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me!\"></a>\nI thought my soup was just so-so. It was only warm-ish which isn\'t great but my bigger complaint is that the soup wasn\'t very flavorful. For a tomato soup it was only semi-tomato-y. I was hoping for a big tomato flavor. Instead, I added some salt and pepper and later I also added some chili pepper flakes. I ate the whole but I kept wanting the soup to have a better flavor. The whole wheat roll on the side was fine but nothing to write home about.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470927/\" title=\"Inside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951470927_68e2d07ce4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Inside Soup Me\"></a>\nAll in all, I am glad that I had good company but I think that if I was seeking out soup in Sofia I\'d just stick with<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/04/18/new-find-supastar/\" target=\"_blank\"> my tried and true favorite SupaStar</a>.','Soup Me! in Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6393-revision','','','2012-03-04 21:52:37','2012-03-04 19:52:37','',6393,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6393-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6395,1,'2012-03-04 21:53:17','2012-03-04 19:53:17','I\'m admittedly very late in checking out the Soup Me! cafe/restaurant in Sofia. I\'ve walked by it what seems like a million times. Either I was on the way somewhere, meeting a friend for lunch elsewhere or I didn\'t feel like soup.\r\n<a title=\"Outside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951471319/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6951471319_330d2e9021_z.jpg\" alt=\"Outside Soup Me\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWell, I finally went this past weekend to Soup Me! (55 Neofit Rilski). It\'s right around the corner from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/24/sofi-french-bakery/\" target=\"_blank\">the French bakery Sofi</a> at Rakovski and Rilski.\r\n\r\nMy friend A. wanted to try it out. This is her first year in the city and she\'s in the business of exploring Sofia. She\'s been actively reading blogs like <a href=\"http://www.spottedbylocals.com/sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Spotted by Locals</a> and <a href=\"http://programata.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Programata</a> looking for interesting things to do and to try in the city. And really, who am I to say to trying new things?\r\n<a title=\"Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470569/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951470569_5a9c47de31_z.jpg\" alt=\"Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe got to Soup Me at about 2pm and there were only three choices of soup left on the Saturday we showed up. Cream of potato, cream of vegetable and cream of tomato. They were all meat free but they also all had cream in them. Surprise, surprise--given the names. Anyhow, I went with the cream of tomato topped with some shredded cheese and a coke light (that\'s the fancy name for diet coke in Europe). My total was 6 leva. Not bad but not really cheap for a lunch of soup.\r\n<a title=\"Tomato Soup by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805354740/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6805354740_daeb608543_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tomato Soup\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe shop is super cute inside. The menu is written out on two chalk boards. There\'s open seating.  A wall of mirror which makes the smallish space seem bigger and a huge bay window at the front of the shop which is perfect for people watching. The lighting is inter-spaced with pots hanging from the ceiling and the door handle is a big soup spoon. Clever, clever.\r\n<a title=\"Ordering at Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6951470187_43e5fd1c5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Ordering at Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951469377/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6951469377_f44e8afdb4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI thought my soup was just so-so. It was only warm-ish which isn\'t great but my bigger complaint is that the soup wasn\'t very flavorful. For a tomato soup it was only semi-tomato-y. I was hoping for a big tomato flavor. Instead, I added some salt and pepper and later I also added some chili pepper flakes. I ate the whole but I kept wanting the soup to have a better flavor. The whole wheat roll on the side was fine but nothing to write home about.\r\n<a title=\"Inside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470927/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951470927_68e2d07ce4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Soup Me\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAll in all, I am glad that I had good company for lunch but I think that if I was seeking out soup in Sofia I\'d just stick with<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/04/18/new-find-supastar/\" target=\"_blank\"> my tried and true favorite SupaStar</a>.','Soup Me! in Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6393-revision-2','','','2012-03-04 21:53:17','2012-03-04 19:53:17','',6393,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6393-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6396,1,'2012-03-04 22:00:00','2012-03-04 20:00:00','I\'m admittedly very late in checking out the Soup Me! cafe/restaurant in Sofia. I\'ve walked by it what seems like a million times and either I was in a hurry, meeting a friend for lunch elsewhere or I didn\'t feel like soup.\n<a title=\"Outside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951471319/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6951471319_330d2e9021_z.jpg\" alt=\"Outside Soup Me\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWell, I finally went this past weekend to Soup Me! (55 Neofit Rilski). It\'s right around the corner from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2009/11/24/sofi-french-bakery/\" target=\"_blank\">the French bakery Sofi</a> at Rakovski and Rilski.\n\nMy friend A. wanted to try it out. This is her first year in the city and she\'s in the business of exploring Sofia. She\'s been actively reading blogs like <a href=\"http://www.spottedbylocals.com/sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Spotted by Locals</a> and <a href=\"http://programata.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Programata</a> looking for interesting things to do and to try in the city. And really, who am I to say to trying new things?<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470569/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6951470569_5a9c47de31_z.jpg\" alt=\"Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe got to Soup Me at about 2pm and there were only three choices of soup left on the Saturday we showed up. Cream of potato, cream of vegetable and cream of tomato. They were all meat free but they also all had cream in them. Surprise, surprise--given the names. Anyhow, I went with the cream of tomato topped with some shredded cheese and a coke light (that\'s the fancy name for diet coke in Europe). My total was 6 leva. Not bad but not really cheap for a lunch of soup.\n<a title=\"Tomato Soup by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6805354740/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6805354740_daeb608543_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tomato Soup\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe shop is super cute inside. The menu is written out on two chalk boards. There\'s open seating.  A wall of mirror which makes the smallish space seem bigger and a huge bay window at the front of the shop which is perfect for people watching. The lighting is inter-spaced with pots hanging from the ceiling and the door handle is a big soup spoon. Clever, clever.\n<a title=\"Ordering at Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6951470187_43e5fd1c5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Ordering at Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me! by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951469377/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6951469377_f44e8afdb4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Behind the counter a Soup Me!\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI thought my soup was just so-so. It was only warm-ish which isn\'t great but my bigger complaint is that the soup wasn\'t very flavorful. For a tomato soup it was only semi-tomato-y. I was hoping for a big tomato flavor. Instead, I added some salt and pepper and later I also added some chili pepper flakes. I ate the whole but I kept wanting the soup to have a better flavor. The whole wheat roll on the side was fine but nothing to write home about.\n<a title=\"Inside Soup Me by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6951470927/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7036/6951470927_68e2d07ce4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Inside Soup Me\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAll in all, I am glad that I had good company for lunch but I think that if I was seeking out soup in Sofia I\'d just stick with<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/04/18/new-find-supastar/\" target=\"_blank\"> my tried and true favorite SupaStar</a>.','Soup Me! in Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6393-autosave','','','2012-03-04 22:00:00','2012-03-04 20:00:00','',6393,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/6393-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6398,1,'2012-03-06 20:33:37','2012-03-06 18:33:37','So it\'s meant lots of fluids for me--hello water, tea and juice, an earlier bedtime and a new round of antibiotics. It\'s also meant giving up caffeine (and alcohol) for 10 days. The alcohol thing, no problem. The coffee thing? Ug.\n\nYou know what\'s worse than being sick? Being sick and not being able to drink coffee. That\'s what.\n\nOkay actually, it\'s probably being sick and not having insurance. (Sorry coffee.)\n\nI\'m lucky to have great health insurance at ACS. I have world wide coverage and after a low deductible, basically everything is covered. I pay out of pocket and then I am reimbursed upon submitting my receipts. The whole thing is pretty straightforward and for that I am incredibly thankful.\n\nThe only thing is when you\'re feeling poorly sometimes it\'s','I\'m sick, again','','inherit','open','open','','6397-revision','','','2012-03-06 20:33:37','2012-03-06 18:33:37','',6397,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/06/6397-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6399,1,'2012-03-07 07:07:44','2012-03-07 05:07:44','So it\'s meant lots of fluids for me--hello water, tea and juice, an earlier bedtime and a new round of antibiotics. It\'s also meant giving up caffeine (and alcohol) for 10 days. The alcohol thing, no problem. The coffee? Ug. That\'s a different story.\n\nYou know what\'s worse than being sick? Being sick and not being able to drink coffee. That\'s what.\n\nOkay actually, it\'s probably being sick and not having insurance. (Sorry coffee.)\n\nI\'m lucky to have great health insurance at ACS. I have world wide coverage and after a low deductible, basically everything is covered. I pay out of pocket and then I am reimbursed upon submitting my receipts. The whole thing is pretty straightforward and for that I am incredibly thankful.\n\nEspecially given the fact that I\'ve racked up a few hundred leva in visits to the doctor and prescriptions.\n\nTwo days ago, I went to fill my prescription at my neighborhood pharmacy and they only had half the medicine that I needed. As in half the number of pills I needed for two different prescriptions.  I guess these things happen in a country where no one actually counts pills for a prescription out and where the pharmacy is happy to open boxes and sell single sheets of pills (or cough drops or aspirin).\n\nAnyhow, I was desperate to start the new antibiotics, I didn\'t feel well and I was doing the whole exchange in Bulgarian. So when it became clear that they didn\'t have enough in stock (I think because the medicine was expensive), I thought for sure that I wasn\'t going to get any medicine. The thought of being turned out onto the street without my antibiotics was more than I could handle.\n\nThen there was a turn of events, they would sell me what they had and I could come back tomorrow for the rest. Okay. I can live with that. The pharmacist rings of the medicine and the total is pretty expensive.  I ask for a \"faktura\" (an official, formal receipt). She tells me no and then launches in a big formal explanation that I do not understand.\n\nSo I stand there with my money trying not to cry and wondering how many expats/foreigners are brought to tears each year in foreign pharmacies.\n\nNow of course I have no idea what\'s being said to me. I explain in Bulgarian that I don\'t understand. The explanation starts over again. Only this time more slowly. Still not happening. This leads to me doing something I haven\'t had to do in a very long time: call a friend to translate.\n\nIt works. I\'ll pay for the medicine they have now, I\'ll come back tomorrow for the rest and then they\'ll make me a faktura for the whole thing. Apparently they can\'t make two different fakturas for the same prescription.\n\nSo I paid for the first half of the prescription. When I left the pharmacy without any proof of purchase--not a little receipt or anything--I figured that I was never going to get a faktura for the first half of my prescription. This of course means that I won\'t be able to get reimbursed by insurance for this purchase either.\n\nWhen I went back yesterday, things seemed even less hopeful. Neither of the two women who had waited on me the day before at the pharmacy were there','I\'m sick, again','','inherit','open','open','','6397-revision-2','','','2012-03-07 07:07:44','2012-03-07 05:07:44','',6397,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/07/6397-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6400,1,'2012-03-07 07:13:39','2012-03-07 05:13:39','So it\'s meant lots of fluids for me--hello water, tea and juice, an earlier bedtime and a new round of antibiotics. It\'s also meant giving up caffeine (and alcohol) for 10 days. The alcohol thing, no problem. The coffee? Ug. That\'s a different story.\n\nYou know what\'s worse than being sick? Being sick and not being able to drink coffee. That\'s what.\n\nOkay actually, it\'s probably being sick and not having insurance. (Sorry coffee.)\n\nI\'m lucky to have great health insurance at ACS. I have world wide coverage and after a low deductible, basically everything is covered. I pay out of pocket and then I am reimbursed upon submitting my receipts. The whole thing is pretty straightforward and for that I am incredibly thankful.\n\nEspecially given the fact that I\'ve racked up a few hundred leva in visits to the doctor and prescriptions.\n\nTwo days ago, I went to fill my prescription at my neighborhood pharmacy and they only had half the medicine that I needed. As in half the number of pills I needed for two different prescriptions.  I guess these things happen in a country where no one actually counts pills for a prescription out and where the pharmacy is happy to open boxes and sell single sheets of pills (or cough drops or aspirin).\n\nAnyhow, I was desperate to start the new antibiotics, I didn\'t feel well and I was doing the whole exchange in Bulgarian. So when it became clear that they didn\'t have enough in stock (I think because the medicine was expensive), I thought for sure that I wasn\'t going to get any medicine. The thought of being turned out onto the street without my antibiotics was more than I could handle.<!--more-->\n\nThen there was a turn of events, they would sell me what they had and I could come back tomorrow for the rest. Okay. I can live with that. The pharmacist rings of the medicine and the total is pretty expensive.  I ask for a \"faktura\" (an official, formal receipt). She tells me no and then launches in a big formal explanation that I do not understand.\n\nSo I stand there with my money trying not to cry and wondering how many expats/foreigners are brought to tears each year in foreign pharmacies.\n\nNow of course I have no idea what\'s being said to me. I explain in Bulgarian that I don\'t understand. The explanation starts over again. Only this time more slowly. Still not happening. This leads to me doing something I haven\'t had to do in a very long time: call a friend to translate.\n\nIt works. I\'ll pay for the medicine they have now, I\'ll come back tomorrow for the rest and then they\'ll make me a faktura for the whole thing. Apparently they can\'t make two different fakturas for the same prescription.\n\nSo I paid for the first half of the prescription. When I left the pharmacy without any proof of purchase--not a little receipt or anything--I figured that I was never going to get a faktura for the first half of my prescription. This of course means that I won\'t be able to get reimbursed by insurance for this purchase either.\n\nWhen I went back yesterday, things seemed even less hopeful--neither of the two women who had waited on me the day before at the pharmacy were there. Great. Still I waited in line. And you know what? I got to the front of the line explained what happened yesterday in Bulgarian and she said, okay I understand. Then she filled the second half of my prescription and wrote out a faktura for me covering everything.\n\n<em>Amazing</em>.','I\'m sick, again','','inherit','open','open','','6397-revision-3','','','2012-03-07 07:13:39','2012-03-07 05:13:39','',6397,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/07/6397-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6402,1,'2012-03-08 20:35:38','2012-03-08 18:35:38','If you didn\'t already know March 8th is Women\'s Day.\r\n\r\nThis isn\'t a holiday that I grew up with in the States and it\'s passed by me pretty un-remarkably for the few years here in Bulgaria. In fact, I seem to have written about this holiday only once in the last three years. I wrote about it <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/03/08/womens-day/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>--watch out it\'s a dozy of post with a wikipedia reference and everything.\r\n\r\nToday I was greeted in two different ways (well four if you could the same variations in English and Bulgarian): Happy 8th of March! Or with the more popular: Happy Women\'s Day!!\r\n\r\nIt\'s such a funny holiday. In return to other women you can wish them a <em>Happy Women\'s Day</em> too. But to men--what are you supposed to say to them? <em>You\'re welcome</em>.\r\n\r\nI never worked it out but because <em>you\'re welcome</em> seemed like the wrong answer I just said<em> thanks</em>. Thanks seems a little off too. That\'s probably because in my head my thoughts continued beyond the thanks to something more like: <em>Thanks, thanks for noticing I\'m a woman</em>.\r\n\r\nWhat a holiday.\r\n\r\nIt\'s not as if I actively did something to receive such warm greetings. Anyhow, even if I don\'t know what to make of this holiday, it doesn\'t mean that I shouldn\'t wish each of you a Happy Women\'s Day!!\r\n\r\nMaybe you can make better sense of the holiday than I can.','Happy International Women\'s Day!','','publish','open','open','','happy-international-womens-day','','','2012-03-08 20:35:38','2012-03-08 18:35:38','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6402',0,'post','',2),(6403,1,'2012-03-08 20:34:43','2012-03-08 18:34:43','If you didn\'t already know March 8th is Women\'s Day.\n\nThis isn\'t a holiday that I grew up with in the States and it\'s passed by me pretty un-remarkably for the few years here in Bulgaria. In fact, I seem to have written about this holiday only once in the last three years. I wrote about it <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/03/08/womens-day/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>--watch out it\'s a dozy of post with a wikipedia reference and everything.\n\nToday I was greeted in two different ways (well four if you could the same variations in English and Bulgarian): Happy 8th of March! Or with the more popular: Happy Women\'s Day!!\n\nIt\'s such a funny holiday. In return to other women you can wish them a <em>Happy Women\'s Day</em> too. But to men--what are you supposed to say to them? <em>You\'re welcome</em>.\n\nI never worked it out but because <em>you\'re welcome</em> seemed like the wrong answer I just said<em> thanks</em>. Thanks seems a little off too. That\'s probably because in my head my thoughts continued beyond the thanks to something more like: <em>Thanks, thanks for noticing I\'m a woman</em>.\n\nWhat a holiday. It\'s not as if I actively did something to receive such warm greetings. Anyhow, even if I don\'t know what to make of this holiday, it doesn\'t mean that I shouldn\'t wish each of you a Happy Women\'s Day!!','Happy International Women\'s Day!','','inherit','open','open','','6402-revision','','','2012-03-08 20:34:43','2012-03-08 18:34:43','',6402,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/08/6402-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6404,1,'2012-03-08 20:36:42','2012-03-08 18:36:42','If you didn\'t already know March 8th is Women\'s Day.\n\nThis isn\'t a holiday that I grew up with in the States and it\'s passed by me pretty un-remarkably for the few years here in Bulgaria. In fact, I seem to have written about this holiday only once in the last three years. I wrote about it <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/03/08/womens-day/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>--watch out it\'s a dozy of post with a wikipedia reference and everything.\n\nToday I was greeted in two different ways (well four if you could the same variations in English and Bulgarian): Happy 8th of March! Or with the more popular: Happy Women\'s Day!!\n\nIt\'s such a funny holiday. In return to other women you can wish them a <em>Happy Women\'s Day</em> too. But to men--what are you supposed to say to them? <em>You\'re welcome</em>.\n\nI never worked it out but because <em>you\'re welcome</em> seemed like the wrong answer I just said<em> thanks</em>. Thanks seems a little off too. That\'s probably because in my head my thoughts continued beyond the thanks to something more like: <em>Thanks, thanks for noticing I\'m a woman</em>.\n\nWhat a holiday.\n\nIt\'s not as if I actively did something to receive such warm greetings. Anyhow, even if I don\'t know what to make of this holiday, it doesn\'t mean that I shouldn\'t wish each of you a Happy Women\'s Day!!\n\nMaybe you can make better sense of the holiday than I can.','Happy International Women\'s Day!','','inherit','open','open','','6402-autosave','','','2012-03-08 20:36:42','2012-03-08 18:36:42','',6402,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/08/6402-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6406,1,'2012-03-10 12:46:40','2012-03-10 10:46:40','I went with A. to see the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> on Friday night.\n\nThere\'s an interesting story behind this film. Months ago. Maybe in October my B. friend from college wrote to me. She was going a film festival in Washington DC and was trying to decide between seeing the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> and some other film. She wanted to know if I\'d seen <em>Ave</em> and if it was worth going to see.\n\nUm, what?! I\'d never even heard of the film <em>Ave</em>.\n\nA quick google search revealed there was such a film. I figured that I\'d somehow been living under a rock and that the film had been released over the summer while I was traveling and I missed it. So I twitted about it. Turns out the film wasn\'t released in Bulgaria. I guess no one picked up the film for distribution in Bulgaria so it went to international festivals instead. <em>Oh.</em>\n\nWhy Bulgarians films in Bulgarian aren\'t released domestically first makes no sense to me. My sense is that Bulgarians are hungry for modern Bulgarian films <em>and</em> that Bulgarians are making some pretty great films.\n\nAnyhow until this week, I\'d forgotten about <em>Ave</em> when the film was released in Bulgaria. So I finally saw the film. I liked it. I think. <!--more-->\n\nThe plot is basically this boy and girl meet while hitchhiking across Bulgaria. She tells a series of lies to the people who pick them up often getting them in trouble. My single compliant about the plot is that it seems to take them a long time to get to Ruse from Sofia when the two aren\'t actually that far apart. Granted I\'ve never actually hitchhiked anywhere so maybe I\'m underestimating that part of the plot.\n\nThe camera work is probably the best part. The opening captures Sofia at its worst--grey sky, grey block building, dirty streets. This darkness permeates the entire film from rainy days to nighttime scenes in a semi-truck or around a fire with junkies to the grey of the Danube river. There was no escape from the grey but that of course was part of the point.\n\nThe boy and girl, who never know each other\'s names, wear standard teenage fair baggy pants, hoodies, jackets and the boy sports a backpack while the girl carries a messenger bag all in shads of black, navy blue, dark red and green. There\'s nothing flashy here. Well aside from a pair of shoplifted white sun glasses.\n\nMy one complaint is that the characters are hard to understand sometimes. Okay, okay. I was watching in Bulgarian without subtitles so I was never going to get everything. I knew that going in. But really, there was a lot of mumbling. I wanted the volume a little louder and I wanted everyone in the film to enunciate a little more. I found the girl, Ave, especially difficult to understand. This was frustrating because much of the movie revolves around her lies and the way that she interacts with the boy, Kamen.\n\nThe problem of course is that this mumbling is part of the way the characters are created. So it\'s impossible really to eliminate it. Teenagers mumble and speak haltingly all of the time.\n\nThe part I am still thinking about is the ending of the film. Don\'t worry. I am not going to tell how it ends. It\'s just to say this, the film just ends. I wasn\'t expecting the end. I wanted more of a resolution. I told A. this and he told me: no Bulgarian film have happy endings.\n\nOn that note, here\'s an <a href=\"http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/film/790\" target=\"_blank\">interesting piece written by the director Konstantin Bojanov with a great video clip of the film</a> explaining the background to this film. Oh and another interview with Konstantin Bajanov which focuses on<a href=\"http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/robert_bodrog/taking_bulgarian_cinema_on_the_road_an_interview_with_director_konstantin_bojanov\" target=\"_blank\"> the creation of the screenplay and filming in Bulgari</a>a.','Bulgarian Flim: Ave','','inherit','open','open','','6405-revision','','','2012-03-10 12:46:40','2012-03-10 10:46:40','',6405,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6405-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6407,1,'2012-03-10 12:49:40','2012-03-10 10:49:40','I went with A. to see the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> on Friday night.\n\nThere\'s an interesting story behind this film. Months ago. Maybe in October my B. friend from college wrote to me. She was going a film festival in Washington DC and was trying to decide between seeing the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> and some other film. She wanted to know if I\'d seen <em>Ave</em> and if it was worth going to see.\n\nUm, what?! I\'d never even heard of the film <em>Ave</em>. <a href=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Ave\" src=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nA quick google search revealed there was such a film. I figured that I\'d somehow been living under a rock and that the film had been released over the summer while I was traveling and I missed it. So I twitted about it. Turns out the film wasn\'t released in Bulgaria. I guess no one picked up the film for distribution in Bulgaria so it went to international festivals instead. <em>Oh.</em>\n\nWhy Bulgarians films in Bulgarian aren\'t released domestically first makes no sense to me. My sense is that Bulgarians are hungry for modern Bulgarian films <em>and</em> that Bulgarians are making some pretty great films.\n\nAnyhow until this week, I\'d forgotten about <em>Ave</em> when the film was released in Bulgaria. So I finally saw the film. I liked it. I think. <!--more-->\n\nThe plot is basically this boy and girl meet while hitchhiking across Bulgaria. She tells a series of lies to the people who pick them up often getting them in trouble. My single compliant about the plot is that it seems to take them a long time to get to Ruse from Sofia when the two aren\'t actually that far apart. Granted I\'ve never actually hitchhiked anywhere so maybe I\'m underestimating that part of the plot.\n\nThe camera work is probably the best part. The opening captures Sofia at its worst--grey sky, grey block building, dirty streets. This darkness permeates the entire film from rainy days to nighttime scenes in a semi-truck or around a fire with junkies to the grey of the Danube river. There was no escape from the grey but that of course was part of the point.\n\nThe boy and girl, who never know each other\'s names, wear standard teenage fair baggy pants, hoodies, jackets and the boy sports a backpack while the girl carries a messenger bag all in shads of black, navy blue, dark red and green. There\'s nothing flashy here. Well aside from a pair of shoplifted white sun glasses.\n\nMy one complaint is that the characters are hard to understand sometimes. Okay, okay. I was watching in Bulgarian without subtitles so I was never going to get everything. I knew that going in. But really, there was a lot of mumbling. I wanted the volume a little louder and I wanted everyone in the film to enunciate a little more. I found the girl, Ave, especially difficult to understand. This was frustrating because much of the movie revolves around her lies and the way that she interacts with the boy, Kamen.\n\nThe problem of course is that this mumbling is part of the way the characters are created. So it\'s impossible really to eliminate it. Teenagers mumble and speak haltingly all of the time.\n\nThe part I am still thinking about is the ending of the film. Don\'t worry. I am not going to tell how it ends. It\'s just to say this, the film just ends. I wasn\'t expecting the end. I wanted more of a resolution. I told A. this and he told me: no Bulgarian film have happy endings.\n\nOn that note, here\'s an <a href=\"http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/film/790\" target=\"_blank\">interesting piece written by the director Konstantin Bojanov with a great video clip of the film</a> explaining the background to this film. Oh and another interview with Konstantin Bajanov which focuses on<a href=\"http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/robert_bodrog/taking_bulgarian_cinema_on_the_road_an_interview_with_director_konstantin_bojanov\" target=\"_blank\"> the creation of the screenplay and filming in Bulgari</a>a.','Bulgarian Flim: Ave','','inherit','open','open','','6405-revision-2','','','2012-03-10 12:49:40','2012-03-10 10:49:40','',6405,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6405-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6408,1,'2012-03-10 12:51:31','2012-03-10 10:51:31','I went with A. to see the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> on Friday night.\n\nThere\'s an interesting story behind this film. Months ago. Maybe in October my B. friend from college wrote to me. She was going a film festival in Washington DC and was trying to decide between seeing the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> and some other film. She wanted to know if I\'d seen <em>Ave</em> and if it was worth going to see.\n\nUm, what?! I\'d never even heard of the film <em>Ave</em>. <a href=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Ave\" src=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nA quick google search revealed there was such a film. I figured that I\'d somehow been living under a rock and that the film had been released over the summer while I was traveling and I missed it. So I twitted about it. Turns out the film wasn\'t released in Bulgaria. I guess no one picked up the film for distribution in Bulgaria so it went to international festivals instead. <em>Oh.</em>\n\nWhy Bulgarians films in Bulgarian aren\'t released domestically first makes no sense to me. My sense is that Bulgarians are hungry for modern Bulgarian films <em>and</em> that Bulgarians are making some pretty great films.\n\nAnyhow until this week, I\'d forgotten about <em>Ave</em> when the film was released in Bulgaria. So I finally saw the film. I liked it. I think. <!--more-->\n\nThe plot is basically this boy and girl meet while hitchhiking across Bulgaria. She tells a series of lies to the people who pick them up often getting them in trouble. My single compliant about the plot is that it seems to take them a long time to get to Ruse from Sofia when the two aren\'t actually that far apart. Granted I\'ve never actually hitchhiked anywhere so maybe I\'m underestimating that part of the plot.\n\nThe camera work is probably the best part. The opening captures Sofia at its worst--grey sky, grey block building, dirty streets. This darkness permeates the entire film from rainy days to nighttime scenes in a semi-truck or around a fire with junkies to the grey of the Danube river. There was no escape from the grey but that of course was part of the point.\n\nThe boy and girl, who never know each other\'s names, wear standard teenage fair baggy pants, hoodies, jackets and the boy sports a backpack while the girl carries a messenger bag all in shads of black, navy blue, dark red and green. There\'s nothing flashy here. Well aside from a pair of shoplifted white sun glasses.\n\nMy one complaint is that the characters are hard to understand sometimes. Okay, okay. I was watching in Bulgarian without subtitles so I was never going to get everything. I knew that going in. But really, there was a lot of mumbling. I wanted the volume a little louder and I wanted everyone in the film to enunciate a little more. I found the girl, Ave, especially difficult to understand. This was frustrating because much of the movie revolves around her lies and the way that she interacts with the boy, Kamen.\n\nThe problem of course is that this mumbling is part of the way the characters are created. So it\'s impossible really to eliminate it. Teenagers mumble and speak haltingly all of the time.\n\nThe part I am still thinking about is the ending of the film. Don\'t worry. I am not going to tell how it ends. It\'s just to say this, the film just ends. I wasn\'t expecting the end. I wanted more of a resolution. I told A. this and he told me: no Bulgarian film have happy endings.\n\nOn that note, here\'s an <a href=\"http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/film/790\" target=\"_blank\">interesting piece written by the director Konstantin Bojanov with a great video clip of the film</a> explaining the background to this film. Oh and another interview with Konstantin Bajanov which focuses on<a href=\"http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/robert_bodrog/taking_bulgarian_cinema_on_the_road_an_interview_with_director_konstantin_bojanov\" target=\"_blank\"> the creation of the screenplay and filming in Bulgari</a>a.','Bulgarian Flim: Ave','','inherit','open','open','','6405-autosave','','','2012-03-10 12:51:31','2012-03-10 10:51:31','',6405,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6405-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6409,1,'2012-03-11 06:29:52','2012-03-11 04:29:52','I whipped up a batch of cornbread muffins this weekend in 10 minutes!\r\n\r\nI don\'t bake a lot but I was inspired after <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">a trip to Take A Cake</a> where I had a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting. What flavor is pink frosting you ask? Today it was vanilla.  Here\'s the thing, I love muffins and cupcakes but I don\'t love the effort, worry and vigilance required to make them at home which is why I like Take a Cake so much. Oh and they make really amazing flavors like pear and caramel.\r\n<a title=\"Take a Cake by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6824030096/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6824030096_75df97cd5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Take a Cake\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo why make cornbread muffins?\r\n\r\nWell I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand, they seem slightly healthier than vanilla cupcakes and they aren\'t very fussy. In other words, these are muffins that anyone can make.  Really if you can read a recipe you can make these cornbread muffins.\r\n<a title=\"Corn muffins In 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823783520/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6823783520_e0f33f0841_z.jpg\" alt=\"Corn muffins In 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI am happy to report at my muffins turned out great, were easy to make and went great with the spicy white bean and tomato soup I made.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nHere\'s what I did, I took <a href=\"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/honey-cornbread-muffins-recipe/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe from the Food Network</a> and made it my own. Basically, it\'s 10 minutes of prep and mixing and 15 minutes of baking. Not bad if you ask me.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>1 cup of cornmeal</li>\r\n	<li>1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (but all white would be great too)</li>\r\n	<li>1/2 cup of brown sugar (but white would be fine)</li>\r\n	<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>\r\n	<li>1 tsp of salt</li>\r\n	<li>1 cup of yogurt</li>\r\n	<li>2 eggs</li>\r\n	<li>1/4 cup of olive oil (although vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil would give it a milder flavor)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBasically you need to make sure that you\'re putting the muffins into a hot oven so you\'ve got to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I did 220 C\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to making the muffins you combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) with the wet ingredients (yogurt, eggs, and oil). The most important part is to stir until just mixed. You really don\'t want to over stir.\r\n\r\nThe rest is easy--divide the cornbread mixture into the greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and you too can have 12 corn muffins.\r\n\r\nYum, yum!!\r\n\r\nWant to catch up on past In 10 posts? Well here you go:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','In 10: 12 Muffins','','publish','open','open','','in-10-12-muffins','','','2012-03-10 21:35:14','2012-03-10 19:35:14','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6409',0,'post','',0),(6410,1,'2012-03-10 19:14:28','2012-03-10 17:14:28','I whipped up a batch of cornbread muffins this weekend. I don\'t bake a lot but I was inspired after a trip to Take A Cake.\n\nWhy cornbread? Well I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand and they seem slightly healthier than vanilla cupcakes.\n\nThey turned out great and best of all were easy to make.\n\nHere\'s what I did, I took <a href=\"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/honey-cornbread-muffins-recipe/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe from the Food Network</a> and made it my own.\n<ul>\n	<li>1 cup of cornmeal</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (but all white would be great too)</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of brown sugar (but white would be fine)</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of salt</li>\n	<li>1 cup of yogurt</li>\n	<li>2 eggs</li>\n	<li>1/4 cup of olive oil (although vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil would give it a milder flavor)</li>\n</ul>\nBasically you need to make sure that you\'re putting the muffins into a hot oven so you\'ve got to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I did 220 C\n\nWhen it comes to making the muffins you combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) with the wet ingredients (yogurt, eggs, and oil). The most important part is to stir until just mixed. You really don\'t want to over stir.\n\nThe rest is easy--divide the cornbread mixture into the greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.','12 Muffins In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6409-revision','','','2012-03-10 19:14:28','2012-03-10 17:14:28','',6409,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6409-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6411,1,'2012-03-10 12:50:26','2012-03-10 10:50:26','I went with A. to see the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> on Friday night.\r\n\r\nThere\'s an interesting story behind this film. Months ago. Maybe in October my B. friend from college wrote to me. She was going a film festival in Washington DC and was trying to decide between seeing the Bulgarian film <em>Ave</em> and some other film. She wanted to know if I\'d seen <em>Ave</em> and if it was worth going to see.\r\n\r\nUm, what?! I\'d never even heard of the film <em>Ave</em>. <a href=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Ave\" src=\"http://www.cfi-icf.ca/uploads/screenings/566/lg_Ave-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"300\" /></a>\r\n\r\nA quick google search revealed there was such a film. I figured that I\'d somehow been living under a rock and that the film had been released over the summer while I was traveling and I missed it. So I twitted about it. Turns out the film wasn\'t released in Bulgaria. I guess no one picked up the film for distribution in Bulgaria so it went to international festivals instead. <em>Oh.</em>\r\n\r\nWhy Bulgarians films in Bulgarian aren\'t released domestically first makes no sense to me. My sense is that Bulgarians are hungry for modern Bulgarian films <em>and</em> that Bulgarians are making some pretty great films.\r\n\r\nAnyhow until this week, I\'d forgotten about <em>Ave</em> when the film was released in Bulgaria. So I finally saw the film. I liked it. I think. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe plot is basically this boy and girl meet while hitchhiking across Bulgaria. She tells a series of lies to the people who pick them up often getting them in trouble. My single compliant about the plot is that it seems to take them a long time to get to Ruse from Sofia when the two aren\'t actually that far apart. Granted I\'ve never actually hitchhiked anywhere so maybe I\'m underestimating that part of the plot.\r\n\r\nThe camera work is probably the best part. The opening captures Sofia at its worst--grey sky, grey block building, dirty streets. This darkness permeates the entire film from rainy days to nighttime scenes in a semi-truck or around a fire with junkies to the grey of the Danube river. There was no escape from the grey but that of course was part of the point.\r\n\r\nThe boy and girl, who never know each other\'s names, wear standard teenage fair baggy pants, hoodies, jackets and the boy sports a backpack while the girl carries a messenger bag all in shads of black, navy blue, dark red and green. There\'s nothing flashy here. Well aside from a pair of shoplifted white sun glasses.\r\n\r\nMy one complaint is that the characters are hard to understand sometimes. Okay, okay. I was watching in Bulgarian without subtitles so I was never going to get everything. I knew that going in. But really, there was a lot of mumbling. I wanted the volume a little louder and I wanted everyone in the film to enunciate a little more. I found the girl, Ave, especially difficult to understand. This was frustrating because much of the movie revolves around her lies and the way that she interacts with the boy, Kamen.\r\n\r\nThe problem of course is that this mumbling is part of the way the characters are created. So it\'s impossible really to eliminate it. Teenagers mumble and speak haltingly all of the time.\r\n\r\nThe part I am still thinking about is the ending of the film. Don\'t worry. I am not going to tell how it ends. It\'s just to say this, the film just ends. I wasn\'t expecting the end. I wanted more of a resolution. I told A. this and he told me: no Bulgarian film have happy endings.\r\n\r\nOn that note, here\'s an <a href=\"http://europeanfilmawards.eu/en_EN/film/790\" target=\"_blank\">interesting piece written by the director Konstantin Bojanov with a great video clip of the film</a> explaining the background to this film. Oh and another interview with Konstantin Bajanov which focuses on<a href=\"http://www.fest21.com/en/blog/robert_bodrog/taking_bulgarian_cinema_on_the_road_an_interview_with_director_konstantin_bojanov\" target=\"_blank\"> the creation of the screenplay and filming in Bulgari</a>a.','Bulgarian Flim: Ave','','inherit','open','open','','6405-revision-3','','','2012-03-10 12:50:26','2012-03-10 10:50:26','',6405,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6405-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6412,1,'2012-03-10 19:16:26','2012-03-10 17:16:26','I whipped up a batch of cornbread muffins this weekend. I don\'t bake a lot but I was inspired after a trip to Take A Cake.\n\nWhy cornbread? Well I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand and they seem slightly healthier than vanilla cupcakes.\n\nThey turned out great and best of all were easy to make.\n\nHere\'s what I did, I took <a href=\"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/honey-cornbread-muffins-recipe/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe from the Food Network</a> and made it my own.\n<ul>\n	<li>1 cup of cornmeal</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (but all white would be great too)</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of brown sugar (but white would be fine)</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of salt</li>\n	<li>1 cup of yogurt</li>\n	<li>2 eggs</li>\n	<li>1/4 cup of olive oil (although vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil would give it a milder flavor)</li>\n</ul>\nBasically you need to make sure that you\'re putting the muffins into a hot oven so you\'ve got to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I did 220 C\n\nWhen it comes to making the muffins you combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) with the wet ingredients (yogurt, eggs, and oil). The most important part is to stir until just mixed. You really don\'t want to over stir.\n\nThe rest is easy--divide the cornbread mixture into the greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and you too can have 12 cornmuffins.','12 Muffins In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6409-revision-2','','','2012-03-10 19:16:26','2012-03-10 17:16:26','',6409,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6409-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6413,1,'2012-03-10 21:29:05','2012-03-10 19:29:05','I whipped up a batch of cornbread muffins this weekend in 10 minutes!\n\nI don\'t bake a lot but I was inspired after a trip to Take A Cake. I love their muffins and cupcakes but I don\'t love the effort, worry and vigilance required to make them at home.\n<a title=\"Take a Cake by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6824030096/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6824030096_75df97cd5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Take a Cake\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSo why make cornbread muffins? Well I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand, they seem slightly healthier than vanilla cupcakes and they aren\'t very fussy. In other words, these are muffins that anyone can make.  Really if you can read a recipe you can make these cornbread muffins.\n<a title=\"Corn muffins In 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823783520/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6823783520_e0f33f0841_z.jpg\" alt=\"Corn muffins In 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI am happy to report at my muffins turned out great, were easy to make and went great with the spicy white bean and tomato soup I made.<!--more-->\n\nHere\'s what I did, I took <a href=\"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/honey-cornbread-muffins-recipe/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe from the Food Network</a> and made it my own. Basically, it\'s 10 minutes of prep and mixing and 15 minutes of baking. Not bad if you ask me.\n<ul>\n	<li>1 cup of cornmeal</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (but all white would be great too)</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of brown sugar (but white would be fine)</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of salt</li>\n	<li>1 cup of yogurt</li>\n	<li>2 eggs</li>\n	<li>1/4 cup of olive oil (although vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil would give it a milder flavor)</li>\n</ul>\nBasically you need to make sure that you\'re putting the muffins into a hot oven so you\'ve got to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I did 220 C\n\nWhen it comes to making the muffins you combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) with the wet ingredients (yogurt, eggs, and oil). The most important part is to stir until just mixed. You really don\'t want to over stir.\n\nThe rest is easy--divide the cornbread mixture into the greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and you too can have 12 corn muffins.\n\nYum, yum!!\n\nWant to catch up on past In 10 posts? Well here you go:\n<ul>\n	<li>Martenitsi</li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','12 Muffins In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6409-revision-3','','','2012-03-10 21:29:05','2012-03-10 19:29:05','',6409,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6409-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6414,1,'2012-03-10 21:29:51','2012-03-10 19:29:51','I whipped up a batch of cornbread muffins this weekend in 10 minutes!\r\n\r\nI don\'t bake a lot but I was inspired after a trip to Take A Cake. I love their muffins and cupcakes but I don\'t love the effort, worry and vigilance required to make them at home.\r\n<a title=\"Take a Cake by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6824030096/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6824030096_75df97cd5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Take a Cake\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo why make cornbread muffins? Well I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand, they seem slightly healthier than vanilla cupcakes and they aren\'t very fussy. In other words, these are muffins that anyone can make.  Really if you can read a recipe you can make these cornbread muffins.\r\n<a title=\"Corn muffins In 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823783520/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6823783520_e0f33f0841_z.jpg\" alt=\"Corn muffins In 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI am happy to report at my muffins turned out great, were easy to make and went great with the spicy white bean and tomato soup I made.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nHere\'s what I did, I took <a href=\"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/honey-cornbread-muffins-recipe/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe from the Food Network</a> and made it my own. Basically, it\'s 10 minutes of prep and mixing and 15 minutes of baking. Not bad if you ask me.\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>1 cup of cornmeal</li>\r\n	<li>1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (but all white would be great too)</li>\r\n	<li>1/2 cup of brown sugar (but white would be fine)</li>\r\n	<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>\r\n	<li>1 tsp of salt</li>\r\n	<li>1 cup of yogurt</li>\r\n	<li>2 eggs</li>\r\n	<li>1/4 cup of olive oil (although vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil would give it a milder flavor)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nBasically you need to make sure that you\'re putting the muffins into a hot oven so you\'ve got to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I did 220 C\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to making the muffins you combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) with the wet ingredients (yogurt, eggs, and oil). The most important part is to stir until just mixed. You really don\'t want to over stir.\r\n\r\nThe rest is easy--divide the cornbread mixture into the greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and you too can have 12 corn muffins.\r\n\r\nYum, yum!!\r\n\r\nWant to catch up on past In 10 posts? Well here you go:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','In 10: 12 Muffins','','inherit','open','open','','6409-revision-4','','','2012-03-10 21:29:51','2012-03-10 19:29:51','',6409,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6409-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6415,1,'2012-03-10 21:34:05','2012-03-10 19:34:05','I whipped up a batch of cornbread muffins this weekend in 10 minutes!\n\nI don\'t bake a lot but I was inspired after <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">a trip to Take A Cake</a> where I had a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting. What flavor is pink frosting you ask? Today it was vanilla.  Here\'s the thing, I love muffins and cupcakes but I don\'t love the effort, worry and vigilance required to make them at home which is why I like Take a Cake so much. Oh and they make really amazing flavors like pear and caramel.\n<a title=\"Take a Cake by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6824030096/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6824030096_75df97cd5a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Take a Cake\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSo why make cornbread muffins?\n\nWell I had all of the ingredients I needed on hand, they seem slightly healthier than vanilla cupcakes and they aren\'t very fussy. In other words, these are muffins that anyone can make.  Really if you can read a recipe you can make these cornbread muffins.\n<a title=\"Corn muffins In 10 by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823783520/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6823783520_e0f33f0841_z.jpg\" alt=\"Corn muffins In 10\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI am happy to report at my muffins turned out great, were easy to make and went great with the spicy white bean and tomato soup I made.<!--more-->\n\nHere\'s what I did, I took <a href=\"http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/honey-cornbread-muffins-recipe/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">this recipe from the Food Network</a> and made it my own. Basically, it\'s 10 minutes of prep and mixing and 15 minutes of baking. Not bad if you ask me.\n<ul>\n	<li>1 cup of cornmeal</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of white flour and 1/2 cup of chickpea flour (but all white would be great too)</li>\n	<li>1/2 cup of brown sugar (but white would be fine)</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>\n	<li>1 tsp of salt</li>\n	<li>1 cup of yogurt</li>\n	<li>2 eggs</li>\n	<li>1/4 cup of olive oil (although vegetable oil/sunflower seed oil would give it a milder flavor)</li>\n</ul>\nBasically you need to make sure that you\'re putting the muffins into a hot oven so you\'ve got to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I did 220 C\n\nWhen it comes to making the muffins you combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt) with the wet ingredients (yogurt, eggs, and oil). The most important part is to stir until just mixed. You really don\'t want to over stir.\n\nThe rest is easy--divide the cornbread mixture into the greased muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and you too can have 12 corn muffins.\n\nYum, yum!!\n\nWant to catch up on past In 10 posts? Well here you go:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','In 10: 12 Muffins','','inherit','open','open','','6409-revision-5','','','2012-03-10 21:34:05','2012-03-10 19:34:05','',6409,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6409-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6416,1,'2012-03-02 06:46:47','2012-03-02 04:46:47','I\'m apparently working on a growing collection of alcohol bottles on top of my refrigerator. Now here\'s the interesting part, I buy them and I think: this is going to be great!\r\n\r\nThen I never open them.\r\n\r\nI guess this means that I need to have a party as I am not one to drink alone. Sure I might have a beer or a glass of wine after work while making dinner but that\'s about it.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Bottles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6897048727/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6897048727_c6509ddacf_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Bottles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI bought the port last spring break. Yes, that\'s nearly a year ago and it\'s still unopened. I bought the limoncello in Rome in October. The bottle of rose wine? That\'s from Thassos when I went at the end of May last year. And the bottle of whiskey I bought for Fakesgiving.\r\n\r\nSure this isn\'t something I am complaining about it\'s just a strange disconnect. When I buy this alcohol, I assume that I\'ll drink it. Only in practice, it sits on top of my fridge gathering dust.\r\n\r\nIn 10: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a>\r\n\r\nIn 10: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a>','In 10: Bottles ','','inherit','open','open','','6287-revision-8','','','2012-03-02 06:46:47','2012-03-02 04:46:47','',6287,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/02/6287-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6462,1,'2012-03-27 17:35:47','2012-03-27 15:35:47','I\'ve been MIA on my blog for a few days.  Here\'s why, for the past few months I\'ve been battling a series of UTIs. That\'s a urinary tract infection for those of you not in the know. For the record, UTI is no fun. No fun at all. It requires a trip to the doctor\'s and a round of antibiotics to cure.\r\n\r\nOnly I\'ve had three of them in three months. This, of course, shouldn\'t happen.\r\n\r\nThe result is that for the last three months I\'ve spent large chunks of time feeling generally tired and morose and familiarizing myself with every toilet on the ACS campus. Needless to say, neither one of these pursuits are how I really want to spent my time. But each time I figured this one will be the last. <em>Ha, ha</em>.\r\n\r\nThen this past week my series of UTIs morphed into kidney pain, bladder problems and general un-wellness. <em>Awesome</em>. Or not.\r\n\r\nSo I took Friday off of school. Then I took Monday off of school. I\'ve never-ever taken two sick days off in a row. I\'ve never needed to. That is until this past week, when I really needed to.\r\n\r\nThen over the course of Friday and Monday I saw: the school doctor, a general practitioner, a gynecologist and four different urologists at four different clinics/hospitals/medical centers. I started small at my local clinic Greenberg in Mladost by the high school, then I went to Pirogov, next I headed over to a specialized clinic for urology and I topped the whole thing off with a visit to Takuda.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nBetween visits to the gynecologist and the urologists, I was also introduced to the ultrasound machine. Holy smokes, those things are amazing (and so are the people who can read them). The nice thing about Bulgaria is that at then end of each encounter with the ultrasound machine I got a little take away--something to remember the visit by. Yes, I\'ve got pictures of organs I\'ve never seen before nor ever felt the need to have pictures of but they are all mine.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to the serious stuff.\r\n\r\nThe ultrasounds revealed that currently I have an enlarged bladder. This is probably due to the fact that I\'ve had three drug-resistant urinary tract infections and now I find myself caught in a horrible cycle were in all likelihood now my enlarged bladder is causing my current UTI. As a result, some tests are being run. Ideally these tests will reveal which bacteria have made themselves at home in my kidney/bladder/urinary tract and which antibiotics will successfully evict this hearty-bacteria from my body.\r\n\r\nSo am I better? Well, not really. But it sure helps to know what is going on.\r\n\r\nOh and stay tuned for my reviews of the various medical centers I\'ve visited thus far in Sofia. If nothing else this whole thing has been an adventure and there\'s plenty to write about.','Battling Bacteria ','','publish','open','open','','battling-bacteria','','','2012-03-27 17:35:47','2012-03-27 15:35:47','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6462',0,'post','',3),(6418,1,'2012-03-12 06:08:03','2012-03-12 04:08:03','This weekend I met my friend A. and we went downtown together to wander around. She\'s been in Sofia for 6 months and now that spring seems to edging in on winter, we\'ve been re-discovering the city.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been really nice. Everyone seems to be emerging from a long, chilly winter and the city center seems full of life and energy versus January and February when everyone was bundled up, head down and walking as quickly as they can to their final destination.\r\n<a title=\"Nevski Cathedral by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823751154/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6823751154_acdbc127e6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nevski Cathedral\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started at Take a Cake off the University Metro Stop and then meandered towards Nevski Cathedral and towards the Foreign Art Gallery/Museum. The Foreign Art Gallery looked especially sad. There was one woman sweeping the stairs, another at the ticket booth but there didn\'t seem to be any lights on inside the gallery.\r\n\r\nWe swung by the women selling handmade table clothes, embroidered linens and all things knit. These things are beautiful but if you stop to look too long all of a sudden all matter of items have been unrolled, uncovered and otherwise redisplayed for you. I love to buy these things for gifts but I had no one to shop for today so we passed by rather quickly.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"St Sofia Chruch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969873335/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6969873335_b99ecdc67c_z.jpg\" alt=\"St Sofia Chruch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe popped in to the St. Sofia church and looked through the floor at the ruins beneath the church and some old black and white photos of the church before the 1937 (-ish) reconstruction. A. had never been in this church and while it\'s not much to look at it\'s pretty amazing that a church of some sort has stood there for centuries.\r\n<a title=\"Markets outside Nevski  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969875011/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6969875011_955a688251_z.jpg\" alt=\"Markets outside Nevski \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis took us to the men and women selling icons and paintings as well as flea-market like finds in front of Nevski. I am not much of an icon kind of girl although I\'ve always figured that I\'d buy one before I move back to the States and neither is A. So we headed past the icons and into the paintings.\r\n\r\nHere we started looking in earnest. Some of the paintings are really great and others are well, not my thing. I started talking to an older man at one of the stands in Bulgarian. He told me that I had very good Bulgarian and asked me about myself. I told him I was an American and whatnot. This lead to him saying I know and American K. and she lives in Mladost 1A. I, of course, know this woman because she used to work at ACS with me and she loved one of the artists this man carries and bought a number of paintings from him over the course of three years. He told me that he hadn\'t seen K. all winter and I had to tell him it was because she\'d moved to China. He looked crestfallen.\r\n<a title=\"My new painting by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823754030/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6823754030_053e888701_z.jpg\" alt=\"My new painting\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen I bought a painting from him. It\'s the first painting I\'ve ever purchased. I think it\'s a combination of the colors, the style and the place that drew me to it. I just felt like I had to bring it home with me. So I bought it. The picture above doesn\'t do it justice. The scene is the corner of Sofia University in the city center.\r\n<a title=\"The Russian Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823753306/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6823753306_cd8af0a843_z.jpg\" alt=\"The Russian Church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter this we made a loop by the Russian Church and then I had to go home. One because I was now in possession of a rather large painting and two because I\'d spent all of my money. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.\r\n\r\nNow I\'ve got buy a hammer and nails so that I can hang my painting. Funny how one purchase always seems to lead to another.','A stroll through Sofia ','','publish','open','open','','a-stroll-through-sofia','','','2012-03-11 18:13:00','2012-03-11 16:13:00','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6418',0,'post','',3),(6419,1,'2012-03-11 18:07:48','2012-03-11 16:07:48','This weekend I met my friend A. and we went downtown together to wander around. She\'s been in Sofia for 6 months and now that spring seems to edging in on winter, we\'ve been re-discovering the city.\n\nIt\'s been really nice. Everyone seems to be emerging from a long, chilly winter and the city center seems full of life and energy versus January and February when everyone was bundled up, head down and walking as quickly as they can to their final destination.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823751154/\" title=\"Nevski Cathedral by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6823751154_acdbc127e6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nevski Cathedral\"></a>\nWe started at Take a Cake off the University Metro Stop and then meandered towards Nevski Cathedral and towards the Foreign Art Gallery/Museum. The Foreign Art Gallery looked especially sad. There was one woman sweeping the stairs, another at the ticket booth but there didn\'t seem to be any lights on inside the gallery.\n\nWe swung by the women selling handmade table clothes, embroidered linens and all things knit. These things are beautiful but if you stop to look too long all of a sudden all matter of items have been unrolled, uncovered and otherwise redisplayed for you. I love to buy these things for gifts but I had no one to shop for today so we passed by rather quickly.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969873335/\" title=\"St Sofia Chruch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6969873335_b99ecdc67c_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"St Sofia Chruch\"></a>\nWe popped in to the St. Sofia church and looked through the floor at the ruins beneath the church and some old black and white photos of the church before the 1937 (-ish) reconstruction. A. had never been in this church and while it\'s not much to look at it\'s pretty amazing that a church of some sort has stood there for centuries.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969875011/\" title=\"Markets outside Nevski  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6969875011_955a688251_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Markets outside Nevski \"></a>\nThis took us to the men and women selling icons and paintings as well as flea-market like finds in front of Nevski. I am not much of an icon kind of girl although I\'ve always figured that I\'d buy one before I move back to the States and neither is A. So we headed past the icons and into the paintings.\n\nHere we started looking in earnest. Some of the paintings are really great and others are well, not my thing. I started talking to an older man at one of the stands in Bulgarian. He told me that I had very good Bulgarian and asked me about myself. I told him I was an American and whatnot. This lead to him saying I know and American K. and she lives in Mladost 1A. I, of course, know this woman because she used to work at ACS with me and she loved one of the artists this man carries and bought a number of paintings from him over the course of three years. He told me that he hadn\'t seen K. all winter and I had to tell him it was because she\'d moved to China. He looked crestfallen.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823754030/\" title=\"My new painting by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6823754030_053e888701_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"My new painting\"></a>\nThen I bought a painting from him. And so did A. I think that kind of made up for it.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823753306/\" title=\"The Russian Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6823753306_cd8af0a843_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The Russian Church\"></a>\nAfter this we made a loop by the Russian Church and then I had to go home. One because I was now in possession of a rather large painting and two because I\'d spent all of my money. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.\n\nNow I\'ve got buy a hammer and nails so that I can hang my painting. Funny how one purchase always seems to lead to another.','A stroll through Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6418-revision','','','2012-03-11 18:07:48','2012-03-11 16:07:48','',6418,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/11/6418-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6420,1,'2012-03-11 18:08:02','2012-03-11 16:08:02','This weekend I met my friend A. and we went downtown together to wander around. She\'s been in Sofia for 6 months and now that spring seems to edging in on winter, we\'ve been re-discovering the city.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been really nice. Everyone seems to be emerging from a long, chilly winter and the city center seems full of life and energy versus January and February when everyone was bundled up, head down and walking as quickly as they can to their final destination.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823751154/\" title=\"Nevski Cathedral by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6823751154_acdbc127e6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nevski Cathedral\"></a>\r\nWe started at Take a Cake off the University Metro Stop and then meandered towards Nevski Cathedral and towards the Foreign Art Gallery/Museum. The Foreign Art Gallery looked especially sad. There was one woman sweeping the stairs, another at the ticket booth but there didn\'t seem to be any lights on inside the gallery.\r\n\r\nWe swung by the women selling handmade table clothes, embroidered linens and all things knit. These things are beautiful but if you stop to look too long all of a sudden all matter of items have been unrolled, uncovered and otherwise redisplayed for you. I love to buy these things for gifts but I had no one to shop for today so we passed by rather quickly.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969873335/\" title=\"St Sofia Chruch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6969873335_b99ecdc67c_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"St Sofia Chruch\"></a>\r\nWe popped in to the St. Sofia church and looked through the floor at the ruins beneath the church and some old black and white photos of the church before the 1937 (-ish) reconstruction. A. had never been in this church and while it\'s not much to look at it\'s pretty amazing that a church of some sort has stood there for centuries.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969875011/\" title=\"Markets outside Nevski  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6969875011_955a688251_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Markets outside Nevski \"></a>\r\nThis took us to the men and women selling icons and paintings as well as flea-market like finds in front of Nevski. I am not much of an icon kind of girl although I\'ve always figured that I\'d buy one before I move back to the States and neither is A. So we headed past the icons and into the paintings.\r\n\r\nHere we started looking in earnest. Some of the paintings are really great and others are well, not my thing. I started talking to an older man at one of the stands in Bulgarian. He told me that I had very good Bulgarian and asked me about myself. I told him I was an American and whatnot. This lead to him saying I know and American K. and she lives in Mladost 1A. I, of course, know this woman because she used to work at ACS with me and she loved one of the artists this man carries and bought a number of paintings from him over the course of three years. He told me that he hadn\'t seen K. all winter and I had to tell him it was because she\'d moved to China. He looked crestfallen.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823754030/\" title=\"My new painting by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6823754030_053e888701_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"My new painting\"></a>\r\nThen I bought a painting from him. And so did A. I think that kind of made up for it.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823753306/\" title=\"The Russian Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6823753306_cd8af0a843_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The Russian Church\"></a>\r\nAfter this we made a loop by the Russian Church and then I had to go home. One because I was now in possession of a rather large painting and two because I\'d spent all of my money. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.\r\n\r\nNow I\'ve got buy a hammer and nails so that I can hang my painting. Funny how one purchase always seems to lead to another.','A stroll through Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6418-revision-2','','','2012-03-11 18:08:02','2012-03-11 16:08:02','',6418,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/11/6418-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6421,1,'2012-03-11 18:12:13','2012-03-11 16:12:13','This weekend I met my friend A. and we went downtown together to wander around. She\'s been in Sofia for 6 months and now that spring seems to edging in on winter, we\'ve been re-discovering the city.\n\nIt\'s been really nice. Everyone seems to be emerging from a long, chilly winter and the city center seems full of life and energy versus January and February when everyone was bundled up, head down and walking as quickly as they can to their final destination.\n<a title=\"Nevski Cathedral by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823751154/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6823751154_acdbc127e6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nevski Cathedral\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe started at Take a Cake off the University Metro Stop and then meandered towards Nevski Cathedral and towards the Foreign Art Gallery/Museum. The Foreign Art Gallery looked especially sad. There was one woman sweeping the stairs, another at the ticket booth but there didn\'t seem to be any lights on inside the gallery.\n\nWe swung by the women selling handmade table clothes, embroidered linens and all things knit. These things are beautiful but if you stop to look too long all of a sudden all matter of items have been unrolled, uncovered and otherwise redisplayed for you. I love to buy these things for gifts but I had no one to shop for today so we passed by rather quickly.\n<a title=\"St Sofia Chruch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969873335/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6969873335_b99ecdc67c_z.jpg\" alt=\"St Sofia Chruch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe popped in to the St. Sofia church and looked through the floor at the ruins beneath the church and some old black and white photos of the church before the 1937 (-ish) reconstruction. A. had never been in this church and while it\'s not much to look at it\'s pretty amazing that a church of some sort has stood there for centuries.\n<a title=\"Markets outside Nevski  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969875011/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6969875011_955a688251_z.jpg\" alt=\"Markets outside Nevski \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis took us to the men and women selling icons and paintings as well as flea-market like finds in front of Nevski. I am not much of an icon kind of girl although I\'ve always figured that I\'d buy one before I move back to the States and neither is A. So we headed past the icons and into the paintings.\n\nHere we started looking in earnest. Some of the paintings are really great and others are well, not my thing. I started talking to an older man at one of the stands in Bulgarian. He told me that I had very good Bulgarian and asked me about myself. I told him I was an American and whatnot. This lead to him saying I know and American K. and she lives in Mladost 1A. I, of course, know this woman because she used to work at ACS with me and she loved one of the artists this man carries and bought a number of paintings from him over the course of three years. He told me that he hadn\'t seen K. all winter and I had to tell him it was because she\'d moved to China. He looked crestfallen.\n<a title=\"My new painting by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823754030/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6823754030_053e888701_z.jpg\" alt=\"My new painting\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThen I bought a painting from him. It\'s the first painting I\'ve ever purchased. I think it\'s a combination of the colors, the style and the place that drew me to it. I just felt like I had to bring it home with me. So I bought it. The picture above doesn\'t do it justice. The scene is the corner of Sofia University in the city center.\n<a title=\"The Russian Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823753306/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6823753306_cd8af0a843_z.jpg\" alt=\"The Russian Church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter this we made a loop by the Russian Church and then I had to go home. One because I was now in possession of a rather large painting and two because I\'d spent all of my money. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.\n\nNow I\'ve got buy a hammer and nails so that I can hang my painting. Funny how one purchase always seems to lead to another.','A stroll through Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6418-revision-3','','','2012-03-11 18:12:13','2012-03-11 16:12:13','',6418,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/11/6418-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6422,1,'2012-03-11 18:12:15','2012-03-11 16:12:15','This weekend I met my friend A. and we went downtown together to wander around. She\'s been in Sofia for 6 months and now that spring seems to edging in on winter, we\'ve been re-discovering the city.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been really nice. Everyone seems to be emerging from a long, chilly winter and the city center seems full of life and energy versus January and February when everyone was bundled up, head down and walking as quickly as they can to their final destination.\r\n<a title=\"Nevski Cathedral by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823751154/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6823751154_acdbc127e6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nevski Cathedral\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe started at Take a Cake off the University Metro Stop and then meandered towards Nevski Cathedral and towards the Foreign Art Gallery/Museum. The Foreign Art Gallery looked especially sad. There was one woman sweeping the stairs, another at the ticket booth but there didn\'t seem to be any lights on inside the gallery.\r\n\r\nWe swung by the women selling handmade table clothes, embroidered linens and all things knit. These things are beautiful but if you stop to look too long all of a sudden all matter of items have been unrolled, uncovered and otherwise redisplayed for you. I love to buy these things for gifts but I had no one to shop for today so we passed by rather quickly.\r\n<a title=\"St Sofia Chruch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969873335/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6969873335_b99ecdc67c_z.jpg\" alt=\"St Sofia Chruch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe popped in to the St. Sofia church and looked through the floor at the ruins beneath the church and some old black and white photos of the church before the 1937 (-ish) reconstruction. A. had never been in this church and while it\'s not much to look at it\'s pretty amazing that a church of some sort has stood there for centuries.\r\n<a title=\"Markets outside Nevski  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6969875011/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6969875011_955a688251_z.jpg\" alt=\"Markets outside Nevski \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis took us to the men and women selling icons and paintings as well as flea-market like finds in front of Nevski. I am not much of an icon kind of girl although I\'ve always figured that I\'d buy one before I move back to the States and neither is A. So we headed past the icons and into the paintings.\r\n\r\nHere we started looking in earnest. Some of the paintings are really great and others are well, not my thing. I started talking to an older man at one of the stands in Bulgarian. He told me that I had very good Bulgarian and asked me about myself. I told him I was an American and whatnot. This lead to him saying I know and American K. and she lives in Mladost 1A. I, of course, know this woman because she used to work at ACS with me and she loved one of the artists this man carries and bought a number of paintings from him over the course of three years. He told me that he hadn\'t seen K. all winter and I had to tell him it was because she\'d moved to China. He looked crestfallen.\r\n<a title=\"My new painting by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823754030/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6823754030_053e888701_z.jpg\" alt=\"My new painting\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen I bought a painting from him. It\'s the first painting I\'ve ever purchased. I think it\'s a combination of the colors, the style and the place that drew me to it. I just felt like I had to bring it home with me. So I bought it. The picture above doesn\'t do it justice. The scene is the corner of Sofia University in the city center.\r\n<a title=\"The Russian Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6823753306/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6823753306_cd8af0a843_z.jpg\" alt=\"The Russian Church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter this we made a loop by the Russian Church and then I had to go home. One because I was now in possession of a rather large painting and two because I\'d spent all of my money. All in all it was a lovely afternoon.\r\n\r\nNow I\'ve got buy a hammer and nails so that I can hang my painting. Funny how one purchase always seems to lead to another.','A stroll through Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6418-revision-4','','','2012-03-11 18:12:15','2012-03-11 16:12:15','',6418,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/11/6418-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6423,1,'2012-03-14 20:25:32','2012-03-14 18:25:32','I haven\'t memorized a poem in a long time. Probably since high school.\r\n\r\nGo figure. I guess it\'s fitting that I\'m doing it again for high school.\r\n\r\nOnly it\'s a little different this time around.\r\n\r\nWhy\'s that?\r\n\r\nWell instead of memorizing a poem for a grade this time I am I\'m doing it for a good cause. Yep. How great is that?! Memorization for a good cause.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the deal. <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=2&amp;news_id=267\" target=\"_blank\">Next Thursday at school</a> we\'re hosting a teacher talent show called Faculty Follies. It\'s great fun. Basically it\'s teachers showing off their talents--some secret and some not so secret--and it\'s organized by our IB students.\r\n\r\nWhy do we do this?\r\n\r\nWell, we do it as a fund raiser for a local Bulgarian charity called <a href=\"http://www.podslon.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Protected Homes Together</a>--sorry the website is only in Bulgarian. Oh and it\'s great fun to see teachers in a different light <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/isogloss/4438119060/\" target=\"_blank\">doing things they don\'t normally do in the classroom</a> (Yeah, check that link out. It\'s a photo of a flyer from Faculty Follies my first year).\r\n\r\nThese guys <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1kRBHKCf0\" target=\"_blank\">stole the show last year with their rendition of OK Go</a>--fondly renamed Добре Go for the show. Now pretty clearly me reciting a poem will in no way shape or form live up to or even compare to this dance number but nevertheless I think that it will go over well.\r\n\r\nWish me luck at this memorization thing!','Memorizing things and Faculty Follies ','','publish','open','open','','memorizing-things-and-faculty-follies','','','2012-03-14 20:25:32','2012-03-14 18:25:32','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6423',0,'post','',2),(6424,1,'2012-03-14 20:20:48','2012-03-14 18:20:48','I haven\'t memorized a poem in a long time. Probably since high school.\n\nGo figure. I guess it\'s fitting that I\'m doing it again for high school.\n\nOnly it\'s a little different this time around. Why\'s that?\n\nWell instead of memorizing a poem for a grade this time I am I\'m doing it for a good cause. Yep. How great is that?! Memorization for a good cause.\n\nHere\'s the deal. <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=2&amp;news_id=267\" target=\"_blank\">Next Thursday at school</a> we\'re hosting a teacher talent show called Faculty Follies. It\'s great fun. Basically it\'s teachers showing off their talents--some secret and some not so secret--and it\'s organized by our IB students.\n\nWhy do we do this? Well, we do it as a fund raiser for a local Bulgarian charity called <a href=\"http://www.podslon.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Protected Homes Together</a>--sorry the website is only in Bulgarian. Oh and it\'s great fun to see teachers in a different light <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/isogloss/4438119060/\" target=\"_blank\">doing things they don\'t normally do in the classroom</a> (Yeah, check that link out. It\'s a photo of a flyer from Faculty Follies my first year).\n\nThese guys <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1kRBHKCf0\" target=\"_blank\">stole the show last year with their rendition of OK Go</a>--fondly renamed Добре Go for the show. Now pretty clearly me reciting a poem will in no way shape or form compare to this dance number but nevertheless I think that it will go over well.\n\nWish me luck at this memorization thing!','Memorizing things and Faculty Follies ','','inherit','open','open','','6423-revision','','','2012-03-14 20:20:48','2012-03-14 18:20:48','',6423,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6423-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6425,1,'2012-03-14 20:21:54','2012-03-14 18:21:54','I haven\'t memorized a poem in a long time. Probably since high school.\n\nGo figure. I guess it\'s fitting that I\'m doing it again for high school.\n\nOnly it\'s a little different this time around. Why\'s that?\n\nWell instead of memorizing a poem for a grade this time I am I\'m doing it for a good cause. Yep. How great is that?! Memorization for a good cause.\n\nHere\'s the deal. <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=2&amp;news_id=267\" target=\"_blank\">Next Thursday at school</a> we\'re hosting a teacher talent show called Faculty Follies. It\'s great fun. Basically it\'s teachers showing off their talents--some secret and some not so secret--and it\'s organized by our IB students.\n\nWhy do we do this? Well, we do it as a fund raiser for a local Bulgarian charity called <a href=\"http://www.podslon.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Protected Homes Together</a>--sorry the website is only in Bulgarian. Oh and it\'s great fun to see teachers in a different light <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/isogloss/4438119060/\" target=\"_blank\">doing things they don\'t normally do in the classroom</a> (Yeah, check that link out. It\'s a photo of a flyer from Faculty Follies my first year).\n\nThese guys <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1kRBHKCf0\" target=\"_blank\">stole the show last year with their rendition of OK Go</a>--fondly renamed Добре Go for the show. Now pretty clearly me reciting a poem will in no way shape or form compare to this dance number but nevertheless I think that it will go over well.\n\nWish me luck at this memorization thing!','Memorizing things and Faculty Follies ','','inherit','open','open','','6423-revision-2','','','2012-03-14 20:21:54','2012-03-14 18:21:54','',6423,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6423-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6426,1,'2012-03-14 20:23:47','2012-03-14 18:23:47','I haven\'t memorized a poem in a long time. Probably since high school.\r\n\r\nGo figure. I guess it\'s fitting that I\'m doing it again for high school.\r\n\r\nOnly it\'s a little different this time around. Why\'s that?\r\n\r\nWell instead of memorizing a poem for a grade this time I am I\'m doing it for a good cause. Yep. How great is that?! Memorization for a good cause.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the deal. <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=2&amp;news_id=267\" target=\"_blank\">Next Thursday at school</a> we\'re hosting a teacher talent show called Faculty Follies. It\'s great fun. Basically it\'s teachers showing off their talents--some secret and some not so secret--and it\'s organized by our IB students.\r\n\r\nWhy do we do this? Well, we do it as a fund raiser for a local Bulgarian charity called <a href=\"http://www.podslon.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Protected Homes Together</a>--sorry the website is only in Bulgarian. Oh and it\'s great fun to see teachers in a different light <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/isogloss/4438119060/\" target=\"_blank\">doing things they don\'t normally do in the classroom</a> (Yeah, check that link out. It\'s a photo of a flyer from Faculty Follies my first year).\r\n\r\nThese guys <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1kRBHKCf0\" target=\"_blank\">stole the show last year with their rendition of OK Go</a>--fondly renamed Добре Go for the show. Now pretty clearly me reciting a poem will in no way shape or form compare to this dance number but nevertheless I think that it will go over well.\r\n\r\nWish me luck at this memorization thing!','Memorizing things and Faculty Follies ','','inherit','open','open','','6423-revision-3','','','2012-03-14 20:23:47','2012-03-14 18:23:47','',6423,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6423-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6427,1,'2012-03-14 20:26:36','2012-03-14 18:26:36','I haven\'t memorized a poem in a long time. Probably since high school.\n\nGo figure. I guess it\'s fitting that I\'m doing it again for high school.\n\nOnly it\'s a little different this time around.\n\nWhy\'s that?\n\nWell instead of memorizing a poem for a grade this time I am I\'m doing it for a good cause. Yep. How great is that?! Memorization for a good cause.\n\nHere\'s the deal. <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=2&amp;news_id=267\" target=\"_blank\">Next Thursday at school</a> we\'re hosting a teacher talent show called Faculty Follies. It\'s great fun. Basically it\'s teachers showing off their talents--some secret and some not so secret--and it\'s organized by our IB students.\n\nWhy do we do this?\n\nWell, we do it as a fund raiser for a local Bulgarian charity called <a href=\"http://www.podslon.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Protected Homes Together</a>--sorry the website is only in Bulgarian. Oh and it\'s great fun to see teachers in a different light <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/isogloss/4438119060/\" target=\"_blank\">doing things they don\'t normally do in the classroom</a> (Yeah, check that link out. It\'s a photo of a flyer from Faculty Follies my first year).\n\nThese guys <a href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-1kRBHKCf0\" target=\"_blank\">stole the show last year with their rendition of OK Go</a>--fondly renamed Добре Go for the show. Now pretty clearly me reciting a poem will in no way shape or form live up to or even compare to this dance number but nevertheless I think that it will go over well.\n\nWish me luck at this memorization thing!','Memorizing things and Faculty Follies ','','inherit','open','open','','6423-autosave','','','2012-03-14 20:26:36','2012-03-14 18:26:36','',6423,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6423-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6428,1,'2012-03-15 06:50:18','2012-03-15 04:50:18','Yesterday, March 14th, I thought it was March 15th. To be precise, I thought it was: Wednesday, March 15th. Of course it wasn\'t. I just didn\'t know that.\r\n\r\nSo, I write the date out on the board (Wednesday, March 15th), directions to turn in homework, Beware the Ides of March and the launch question for the day.\r\n\r\nStudents stream into my classroom. I greet them. They read the board, find their chairs, turn in their homework and ask me about the Ides of March mispronouncing ides more than 50% of the time. I tell them, don\'t worry I\'ll explain.\r\n\r\nI mean this is an exciting day and an exciting story and I don\'t want to tell it a 100 different times.\r\n\r\nSo the bell rings and I welcome everyone to class. Then I warn them to: beware the Ides of March. <em>Blank stares</em>. I ask them what happened today in history? <em>Wrinkled eyebrows</em>. I tell them that Shakespeare made this line famous. <em>Flickers of recognition</em>.\r\n\r\nI tell them today is the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by among others one-time friend Marcus Brutus. <em>And everything clicks</em>. I love moments like this.\r\n\r\nThen one stray hand raises. I call on this student and student very politely says: I think today March 14th.  A sea of heads nod in agreement.\r\n\r\nMe: <em>Really</em>?!\r\n\r\nApologetically, a cellphone is produced and the date reveals that it is in fact the 14th.<em>Oh</em>.\r\n\r\nSo I repeat my warning: Beware the Ides of March. Because really, what else can I do? Then I start class in earnest.\r\n\r\n<em>Oh, the Ides of March.</em> Beware, beware.','Beware the Ides of March ','','publish','open','open','','beware-the-ides-of-march','','','2012-03-14 20:52:34','2012-03-14 18:52:34','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6428',0,'post','',0),(6429,1,'2012-03-14 20:49:27','2012-03-14 18:49:27','Yesterday, March 14th, I thought it was March 15th. To be precise, I thought it was: Wednesday, March 15th. Of course it wasn\'t. I just didn\'t know that.\n\nSo, I write the date out on the board (Wednesday, March 15th), directions to turn in homework, beware the ides of March and the launch question for the day.\n\nStudents stream into my classroom. I great them. They read the board, find their chairs, turn in their homework and ask me about the Ides of March mispronouncing ides more than 50% of the time. I tell them, don\'t worry I\'ll explain.\n\nI mean this is an exciting day and an exciting story and I don\'t want to tell it a 100 different times.\n\nSo the bell rings and I welcome everyone to class. Then I warn them to: beware the Ides of March. <em>Blank stares</em>. I ask them what happened today in history? <em>Wrinkled eyebrows</em>. I tell them that Shakespeare made this line famous. <em>Flickers of recognition</em>.\n\nI tell them today is the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by among others one-time friend Marcus Brutus. <em>And everything clicks</em>. I love moments like this.\n\nThen one stray hand raises. I call on this student and student very politely says: I think today March 14th.  A sea of heads nod in agreement.\n\nMe: <em>Really</em>?!\n\nApologetically, a cellphone is produced and the date reveals that it is in fact the 14th.Oh.\n\nI repeat my warning: Beware the Ides of March. Because really, what else can I do? Then I start class in earnest.','Beware the Ides of March ','','inherit','open','open','','6428-revision','','','2012-03-14 20:49:27','2012-03-14 18:49:27','',6428,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6428-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6430,1,'2012-03-14 20:49:53','2012-03-14 18:49:53','Yesterday, March 14th, I thought it was March 15th. To be precise, I thought it was: Wednesday, March 15th. Of course it wasn\'t. I just didn\'t know that.\r\n\r\nSo, I write the date out on the board (Wednesday, March 15th), directions to turn in homework, beware the ides of March and the launch question for the day.\r\n\r\nStudents stream into my classroom. I great them. They read the board, find their chairs, turn in their homework and ask me about the Ides of March mispronouncing ides more than 50% of the time. I tell them, don\'t worry I\'ll explain.\r\n\r\nI mean this is an exciting day and an exciting story and I don\'t want to tell it a 100 different times.\r\n\r\nSo the bell rings and I welcome everyone to class. Then I warn them to: beware the Ides of March. <em>Blank stares</em>. I ask them what happened today in history? <em>Wrinkled eyebrows</em>. I tell them that Shakespeare made this line famous. <em>Flickers of recognition</em>.\r\n\r\nI tell them today is the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by among others one-time friend Marcus Brutus. <em>And everything clicks</em>. I love moments like this.\r\n\r\nThen one stray hand raises. I call on this student and student very politely says: I think today March 14th.  A sea of heads nod in agreement.\r\n\r\nMe: <em>Really</em>?!\r\n\r\nApologetically, a cellphone is produced and the date reveals that it is in fact the 14th.<em>Oh</em>.\r\n\r\nSo I repeat my warning: Beware the Ides of March. Because really, what else can I do? Then I start class in earnest.','Beware the Ides of March ','','inherit','open','open','','6428-revision-2','','','2012-03-14 20:49:53','2012-03-14 18:49:53','',6428,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6428-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6431,1,'2012-03-14 20:49:54','2012-03-14 18:49:54','Yesterday, March 14th, I thought it was March 15th. To be precise, I thought it was: Wednesday, March 15th. Of course it wasn\'t. I just didn\'t know that.\r\n\r\nSo, I write the date out on the board (Wednesday, March 15th), directions to turn in homework, beware the ides of March and the launch question for the day.\r\n\r\nStudents stream into my classroom. I great them. They read the board, find their chairs, turn in their homework and ask me about the Ides of March mispronouncing ides more than 50% of the time. I tell them, don\'t worry I\'ll explain.\r\n\r\nI mean this is an exciting day and an exciting story and I don\'t want to tell it a 100 different times.\r\n\r\nSo the bell rings and I welcome everyone to class. Then I warn them to: beware the Ides of March. <em>Blank stares</em>. I ask them what happened today in history? <em>Wrinkled eyebrows</em>. I tell them that Shakespeare made this line famous. <em>Flickers of recognition</em>.\r\n\r\nI tell them today is the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by among others one-time friend Marcus Brutus. <em>And everything clicks</em>. I love moments like this.\r\n\r\nThen one stray hand raises. I call on this student and student very politely says: I think today March 14th.  A sea of heads nod in agreement.\r\n\r\nMe: <em>Really</em>?!\r\n\r\nApologetically, a cellphone is produced and the date reveals that it is in fact the 14th.<em>Oh</em>.\r\n\r\nSo I repeat my warning: Beware the Ides of March. Because really, what else can I do? Then I start class in earnest.','Beware the Ides of March ','','inherit','open','open','','6428-revision-3','','','2012-03-14 20:49:54','2012-03-14 18:49:54','',6428,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6428-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6432,1,'2012-03-14 20:52:21','2012-03-14 18:52:21','Yesterday, March 14th, I thought it was March 15th. To be precise, I thought it was: Wednesday, March 15th. Of course it wasn\'t. I just didn\'t know that.\n\nSo, I write the date out on the board (Wednesday, March 15th), directions to turn in homework, Beware the Ides of March and the launch question for the day.\n\nStudents stream into my classroom. I greet them. They read the board, find their chairs, turn in their homework and ask me about the Ides of March mispronouncing ides more than 50% of the time. I tell them, don\'t worry I\'ll explain.\n\nI mean this is an exciting day and an exciting story and I don\'t want to tell it a 100 different times.\n\nSo the bell rings and I welcome everyone to class. Then I warn them to: beware the Ides of March. <em>Blank stares</em>. I ask them what happened today in history? <em>Wrinkled eyebrows</em>. I tell them that Shakespeare made this line famous. <em>Flickers of recognition</em>.\n\nI tell them today is the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by among others one-time friend Marcus Brutus. <em>And everything clicks</em>. I love moments like this.\n\nThen one stray hand raises. I call on this student and student very politely says: I think today March 14th.  A sea of heads nod in agreement.\n\nMe: <em>Really</em>?!\n\nApologetically, a cellphone is produced and the date reveals that it is in fact the 14th.<em>Oh</em>.\n\nSo I repeat my warning: Beware the Ides of March. Because really, what else can I do? Then I start class in earnest.\n\n<em>Oh, the Ides of March.</em> Beware, beware.','Beware the Ides of March ','','inherit','open','open','','6428-revision-4','','','2012-03-14 20:52:21','2012-03-14 18:52:21','',6428,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6428-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6433,1,'2012-03-14 20:53:37','2012-03-14 18:53:37','Yesterday, March 14th, I thought it was March 15th. To be precise, I thought it was: Wednesday, March 15th. Of course it wasn\'t. I just didn\'t know that.\n\nSo, I write the date out on the board (Wednesday, March 15th), directions to turn in homework, Beware the Ides of March and the launch question for the day.\n\nStudents stream into my classroom. I greet them. They read the board, find their chairs, turn in their homework and ask me about the Ides of March mispronouncing ides more than 50% of the time. I tell them, don\'t worry I\'ll explain.\n\nI mean this is an exciting day and an exciting story and I don\'t want to tell it a 100 different times.\n\nSo the bell rings and I welcome everyone to class. Then I warn them to: beware the Ides of March. <em>Blank stares</em>. I ask them what happened today in history? <em>Wrinkled eyebrows</em>. I tell them that Shakespeare made this line famous. <em>Flickers of recognition</em>.\n\nI tell them today is the day that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by among others one-time friend Marcus Brutus. <em>And everything clicks</em>. I love moments like this.\n\nThen one stray hand raises. I call on this student and student very politely says: I think today March 14th.  A sea of heads nod in agreement.\n\nMe: <em>Really</em>?!\n\nApologetically, a cellphone is produced and the date reveals that it is in fact the 14th.<em>Oh</em>.\n\nSo I repeat my warning: Beware the Ides of March. Because really, what else can I do? Then I start class in earnest.\n\n<em>Oh, the Ides of March.</em> Beware, beware.','Beware the Ides of March ','','inherit','open','open','','6428-autosave','','','2012-03-14 20:53:37','2012-03-14 18:53:37','',6428,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/14/6428-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6434,1,'2012-03-16 07:19:04','2012-03-16 05:19:04','Rumor has it spring is coming to Sofia.\r\n\r\nI, for one, am thrilled with this news. It\'s been darn cold this winter.\r\n\r\nI\'m hoping to ditch my winter boots and throw on some ballerina flats on Saturday but the weather may not really pick up until Sunday. I guess that\'s okay as long as it\'s coming.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I have to work on Sunday so maybe it\'s  not a big deal. We\'re giving our entrance exam on Sunday morning bright and early to 400+ eager 7th grade Bulgarian students. So I\'ll spend a chunk of my day watching students take the entrance exam in a language I don\'t speak all the while keeping an eye out for students who aren\'t following the exam rules.\r\n\r\nBut don\'t feel too sorry for me. I\'ve got Monday off to make up for administering and proctoring the entrance exam on Sunday. It\'s just not really a weekend. My current students? Well, they\'re certainly lucky. They have a three day weekend.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I just hope that the forecast holds and that we\'ve got nice weather on Monday as well. Then again if the weather\'s bad that\'s a pretty good reason to go to The Mall and check out the new H&amp;M.','Spring, is that you? ','','publish','open','open','','spring-is-that-you','','','2012-03-15 21:29:55','2012-03-15 19:29:55','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6434',0,'post','',0),(6435,1,'2012-03-15 21:12:18','2012-03-15 19:12:18','Rumor has it spring is coming to Sofia.\n\nI, for one, am thrilled with this news. It\'s been darn cold this winter.\n\nI\'m hoping to ditch my winter boots and throw on some ballerina flats on Saturday but the weather may not really pick up until Sunday. I guess that\'s okay as long as it\'s coming.\n\nAnyhow, I have to work on Sunday so maybe it\'s  not a big deal.','Spring, is that you? ','','inherit','open','open','','6434-revision','','','2012-03-15 21:12:18','2012-03-15 19:12:18','',6434,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/15/6434-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6436,1,'2012-03-15 21:29:07','2012-03-15 19:29:07','Rumor has it spring is coming to Sofia.\n\nI, for one, am thrilled with this news. It\'s been darn cold this winter.\n\nI\'m hoping to ditch my winter boots and throw on some ballerina flats on Saturday but the weather may not really pick up until Sunday. I guess that\'s okay as long as it\'s coming.\n\nAnyhow, I have to work on Sunday so maybe it\'s  not a big deal. We\'re giving our entrance exam on Sunday morning bright and early to 400+ eager 7th grade Bulgarian students. So I\'ll spend a chunk of my day watching students take the entrance exam in a language I don\'t speak all the while keeping an eye out for students who aren\'t following the exam rules.\n\nBut don\'t feel too sorry for me. I\'ve got Monday off to make up for administering and proctoring the entrance exam on Sunday. It\'s just not really a weekend. My current students? Well, they\'re certainly lucky. They have a three day weekend.\n\nAnyhow, I just hope that the forecast holds and that we\'ve got nice weather on Monday as well. Then again if the weather\'s bad that\'s a pretty good reason to','Spring, is that you? ','','inherit','open','open','','6434-revision-2','','','2012-03-15 21:29:07','2012-03-15 19:29:07','',6434,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/15/6434-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6438,1,'2012-03-10 21:36:26','2012-03-10 19:36:26','I\'m apparently working on a growing collection of alcohol bottles on top of my refrigerator. Now here\'s the interesting part, I buy them and I think: this is going to be great!\r\n\r\nThen I never open them.\r\n\r\nI guess this means that I need to have a party as I am not one to drink alone. Sure I might have a beer or a glass of wine after work while making dinner but that\'s about it.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Bottles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6897048727/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6897048727_c6509ddacf_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Bottles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI bought the port last spring break. Yes, that\'s nearly a year ago and it\'s still unopened. I bought the limoncello in Rome in October. The bottle of rose wine? That\'s from Thassos when I went at the end of May last year. And the bottle of whiskey I bought for Fakesgiving.\r\n\r\nSure this isn\'t something I am complaining about it\'s just a strange disconnect. When I buy this alcohol, I assume that I\'ll drink it. Only in practice, it sits on top of my fridge gathering dust.\r\n\r\nIn 10: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a>\r\n\r\nIn 10: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a>','In 10: Bottles ','','inherit','open','open','','6287-revision-9','','','2012-03-10 21:36:26','2012-03-10 19:36:26','',6287,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/10/6287-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(6439,1,'2012-03-17 12:11:51','2012-03-17 10:11:51','I\'m apparently working on a growing collection of alcohol bottles on top of my refrigerator. Now here\'s the interesting part, I buy them and I think: this is going to be great!\r\n\r\nThen I never open them.\r\n\r\nI guess this means that I need to have a party as I am not one to drink alone. Sure I might have a beer or a glass of wine after work while making dinner but that\'s about it.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Bottles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6897048727/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6897048727_c6509ddacf_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Bottles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI bought the port last spring break. Yes, that\'s nearly a year ago and it\'s still unopened. I bought the limoncello in Rome in October. The bottle of rose wine? That\'s from Thassos when I went at the end of May last year. And the bottle of whiskey I bought for Fakesgiving.\r\n\r\nSure this isn\'t something I am complaining about it\'s just a strange disconnect. When I buy this alcohol, I assume that I\'ll drink it. Only in practice, it sits on top of my fridge gathering dust.\r\n\r\nLooking for more In 10 posts? Check these out:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','In 10: Bottles ','','inherit','open','open','','6287-revision-10','','','2012-03-17 12:11:51','2012-03-17 10:11:51','',6287,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/17/6287-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(6441,1,'2012-03-17 12:45:24','2012-03-17 10:45:24','This is just to say I tossed on a little green today. It\'s St Patrick\'s Day after all and I need all the luck I can get. Also, I don\'t want anyone pinching me.\n\nLater I\'m going to have a few beers with friends. Hello, Irish bars in Sofia!! Which of course, aren\'t really Irish bars but they are a pretty good imitation. Oh and now that I am 30, I think I\'ll pass on the green beer. That is if it\'s being served in Sofia. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect.\n\nAnyhow, I hope that the sun is shinning wherever you find yourself (becaand that you have something equally fun to do today!!','Happy St. Patrick\'s Day ','','inherit','open','open','','6440-revision','','','2012-03-17 12:45:24','2012-03-17 10:45:24','',6440,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/17/6440-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6442,1,'2012-03-18 18:10:43','2012-03-18 16:10:43','This is just to say I tossed on a little green today. It\'s St Patrick\'s Day after all and I need all the luck I can get. Also, I don\'t want anyone pinching me.\n\nLater I\'m going to have a few beers with friends. Hello, Irish bars in Sofia!! Which of course, aren\'t really Irish bars but they are a pretty good imitation. Oh and now that I am 30, I think I\'ll pass on the green beer. That is if it\'s being served in Sofia. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect.\n\nAnyhow, I hope that the sun is shining wherever you find yourself (because it\'s shinning in Sofia) and that you have something equally fun to do today!!','Happy St. Patrick\'s Day ','','inherit','open','open','','6440-autosave','','','2012-03-18 18:10:43','2012-03-18 16:10:43','',6440,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/17/6440-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6463,1,'2012-03-27 16:55:32','2012-03-27 14:55:32','','Auto Draft','','inherit','open','open','','6462-revision','','','2012-03-27 16:55:32','2012-03-27 14:55:32','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6444,1,'2012-03-17 12:45:38','2012-03-17 10:45:38','This is just to say I tossed on a little green today. It\'s St Patrick\'s Day after all and I need all the luck I can get. Also, I don\'t want anyone pinching me.\r\n\r\nLater I\'m going to have a few beers with friends. Hello, Irish bars in Sofia!! Which of course, aren\'t really Irish bars but they are a pretty good imitation. Oh and now that I am 30, I think I\'ll pass on the green beer. That is if it\'s being served in Sofia. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I hope that the sun is shinning wherever you find yourself (because it\'s shinning in Sofia) and that you have something equally fun to do today!!','Happy St. Patrick\'s Day ','','inherit','open','open','','6440-revision-2','','','2012-03-17 12:45:38','2012-03-17 10:45:38','',6440,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/17/6440-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6446,1,'2012-03-21 07:12:27','2012-03-21 05:12:27','<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"The Sword and the Scimitar\" src=\"http://cache1.bookdepository.co.uk/assets/images/book/large/9780/0994/9780099457954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"430\" />It\'s official.\r\n\r\nI\'ve become a bookworm (and I have the glasses to support my new habit).\r\n\r\nI started reading this huge novel when I got back from Malta--<a href=\"http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/things-for-free-in-budapest-hungary-budget-travel\" target=\"_blank\">The Sword and the Scimitar by David Bell</a>. I bought it while visiting the island at the end of March. I didn\'t pick it up for about a week after returning to Sofia.\r\n\r\nNow when I am not reading the novel, I can\'t stop thinking about the book and when I\'ll have time to read it again. Maybe that means I am actually addicted and not just a bookworm. <em>That\'s a scary thought</em>.\r\n\r\nMy friend D. and his friend A. both raved about the novel but they were both actively living in Malta. I wasn\'t so sure but I bought a copy anyway.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a historical novel set basically in Malta and Istanbul leading up to the Great Seige of 1565 in Malata. But I\'m happy to report that I\'ve been proved wrong.  My edition of the book is nearly 800 pages long but I\'ve been steadily devouring it.\r\n\r\nThere\'s love, intrigue, mystery and some great story telling. What\'s not to love about this mix?!\r\n\r\nIn fact, I\'ve reached a point where I\'d rather read than blog. Maybe that shouldn\'t be too surprising. I do love literature but this hasn\'t happened to me in a while. The only problem is that I don\'t have as much time as I\'d like to, to read and I am edging in on the last 200 pages of the novel.\r\n\r\nWhat am I going to do when I\'ve actually finished reading the book?!\r\n\r\nI guess I\'ll find out this weekend. Maybe I\'ll actually get back to blogging. Now that\'s an interesting thought.','I\'ve turned into a Bookworm ','','publish','open','open','','ive-turned-into-a-bookworm','','','2012-03-21 07:12:27','2012-03-21 05:12:27','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6446',0,'post','',0),(6447,1,'2012-03-21 07:05:26','2012-03-21 05:05:26','I started reading this huge novel when I got back from Malta--<a href=\"http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/things-for-free-in-budapest-hungary-budget-travel\" target=\"_blank\">The Sword and the Scimitar by David Bell</a>. I bought it while visiting the island at the end of March. I didn\'t pick it up for about a week after returning to Sofia.\n\nNow I can\'t put the book down.\n\nMy friend D. and his friend A. both raved about the novel. I wasn\'t so sure. It\'s a historical novel set basically in Malta and Istanbul leading up to the Great Seige of 1565 in Malata. But I\'m happy to report that I\'ve been proved wrong.  My edition of the book is nearly 800 pages long but I\'ve been steadily devouring it.\n\nThere\'s love, intrigue, mystery and some great story telling. What\'s not to love about this mix?!\n\nIn fact, I\'ve reached a point where I\'d rather read than blog. Maybe that shouldn\'t be too surprising. I do love literature but this hasn\'t happened to me in a while. The only problem is that I don\'t have as much time as I\'d like to, to read and I am edging in on the last 200 pages of the novel.\n\nWhat am I going to do when I\'ve actually finished reading the book?!\n\nI guess I\'ll find out this weekend.','I\'ve turned into a Bookworm ','','inherit','open','open','','6446-revision','','','2012-03-21 07:05:26','2012-03-21 05:05:26','',6446,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/21/6446-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6448,1,'2012-03-21 07:08:27','2012-03-21 05:08:27','<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"The Sword and the Scimitar\" src=\"http://cache1.bookdepository.co.uk/assets/images/book/large/9780/0994/9780099457954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"430\" />It\'s official.\nI started reading this huge novel when I got back from Malta--<a href=\"http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/things-for-free-in-budapest-hungary-budget-travel\" target=\"_blank\">The Sword and the Scimitar by David Bell</a>. I bought it while visiting the island at the end of March. I didn\'t pick it up for about a week after returning to Sofia.\n\nNow I can\'t put the book down.\n\nMy friend D. and his friend A. both raved about the novel. I wasn\'t so sure. It\'s a historical novel set basically in Malta and Istanbul leading up to the Great Seige of 1565 in Malata. But I\'m happy to report that I\'ve been proved wrong.  My edition of the book is nearly 800 pages long but I\'ve been steadily devouring it.\n\nThere\'s love, intrigue, mystery and some great story telling. What\'s not to love about this mix?!\n\nIn fact, I\'ve reached a point where I\'d rather read than blog. Maybe that shouldn\'t be too surprising. I do love literature but this hasn\'t happened to me in a while. The only problem is that I don\'t have as much time as I\'d like to, to read and I am edging in on the last 200 pages of the novel.\n\nWhat am I going to do when I\'ve actually finished reading the book?!\n\nI guess I\'ll find out this weekend.','I\'ve turned into a Bookworm ','','inherit','open','open','','6446-revision-2','','','2012-03-21 07:08:27','2012-03-21 05:08:27','',6446,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/21/6446-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6449,1,'2012-03-21 07:09:37','2012-03-21 05:09:37','<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"The Sword and the Scimitar\" src=\"http://cache1.bookdepository.co.uk/assets/images/book/large/9780/0994/9780099457954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"430\" />It\'s official.\r\n\r\nI\'ve become a bookworm (and I have the glasses to support my new habit).\r\n\r\nI started reading this huge novel when I got back from Malta--<a href=\"http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/things-for-free-in-budapest-hungary-budget-travel\" target=\"_blank\">The Sword and the Scimitar by David Bell</a>. I bought it while visiting the island at the end of March. I didn\'t pick it up for about a week after returning to Sofia.\r\n\r\nNow I can\'t put the book down.\r\n\r\nMy friend D. and his friend A. both raved about the novel. I wasn\'t so sure.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a historical novel set basically in Malta and Istanbul leading up to the Great Seige of 1565 in Malata. But I\'m happy to report that I\'ve been proved wrong.  My edition of the book is nearly 800 pages long but I\'ve been steadily devouring it.\r\n\r\nThere\'s love, intrigue, mystery and some great story telling. What\'s not to love about this mix?!\r\n\r\nIn fact, I\'ve reached a point where I\'d rather read than blog. Maybe that shouldn\'t be too surprising. I do love literature but this hasn\'t happened to me in a while. The only problem is that I don\'t have as much time as I\'d like to, to read and I am edging in on the last 200 pages of the novel.\r\n\r\nWhat am I going to do when I\'ve actually finished reading the book?!\r\n\r\nI guess I\'ll find out this weekend.','I\'ve turned into a Bookworm ','','inherit','open','open','','6446-revision-3','','','2012-03-21 07:09:37','2012-03-21 05:09:37','',6446,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/21/6446-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6450,1,'2012-03-21 07:13:34','2012-03-21 05:13:34','<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"The Sword and the Scimitar\" src=\"http://cache1.bookdepository.co.uk/assets/images/book/large/9780/0994/9780099457954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"430\" />It\'s official.\n\nI\'ve become a bookworm (and I have the glasses to support my new habit).\n\nI started reading this huge novel when I got back from Malta--<a href=\"http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatrip/inspire-me/lists/things-for-free-in-budapest-hungary-budget-travel\" target=\"_blank\">The Sword and the Scimitar by David Bell</a>. I bought it while visiting the island at the end of March. I didn\'t pick it up for about a week after returning to Sofia.\n\nNow when I am not reading the novel, I can\'t stop thinking about the book and when I\'ll have time to read it again. Maybe that means I am actually addicted and not just a bookworm. <em>That\'s a scary thought</em>.\n\nMy friend D. and his friend A. both raved about the novel but they were both actively living in Malta. I wasn\'t so sure but I bought a copy anyway.\n\nIt\'s a historical novel set basically in Malta and Istanbul leading up to the Great Seige of 1565 in Malata. But I\'m happy to report that I\'ve been proved wrong.  My edition of the book is nearly 800 pages long but I\'ve been steadily devouring it.\n\nThere\'s love, intrigue, mystery and some great story telling. What\'s not to love about this mix?!\n\nIn fact, I\'ve reached a point where I\'d rather read than blog. Maybe that shouldn\'t be too surprising. I do love literature but this hasn\'t happened to me in a while. The only problem is that I don\'t have as much time as I\'d like to, to read and I am edging in on the last 200 pages of the novel.\n\nWhat am I going to do when I\'ve actually finished reading the book?!\n\nI guess I\'ll find out this weekend. Maybe I\'ll actually get back to blogging. Now that\'s an interesting thought.','I\'ve turned into a Bookworm ','','inherit','open','open','','6446-autosave','','','2012-03-21 07:13:34','2012-03-21 05:13:34','',6446,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/21/6446-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6510,1,'2012-04-07 08:20:17','2012-04-07 06:20:17','Today is the first day of Spring Break! Hip-hip-houray.\r\n\r\nYesterday I celebrated by leaving work at 4pm or I tried to. A few things got in my way but I was out of there by 4:30 and that\'s pretty good for me.\r\n\r\nThen I bought two new pots and potting soil because I have two plants that are getting new homes. One of my plants has gotten so big it keeps knocking itself over. That\'s no good.\r\n\r\nAfter that I went with A. for cupcakes from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Take a Cake</a>. I have to say that I am digging their cupcake-muffin combo more and more. At first I wasn\'t sold but I had the lemon poppy seed cupcake/muffin and it really hit the spot. It was sweet and tart with a wonderfully airy but creamy vanilla frosting. A. had a chocolate chip mint muffin which <em>might</em> have been even better than mine.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThen we went to a cafe. I drank an orange fanta and watched A. have a coffee. Now here\'s the thing. I think that fanta lemon is the superior fanta but the cafe was out of lemon. This seems to support my belief that fanta lemon is superior. Although I\'d like to add that even better than fanta lemon is Schweppes bitter lemon.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever written this much about soda on this blog. Mostly because I rarely drink soda. My go to drink for years has been coffee but because there\'s no coffee or alcohol in my life until I get my health all sorted out I\'ve found myself drinking lots of water, sparking water, juice and un-caffeinated soda.\r\n\r\nSometimes I wonder what I\'ve done to deserve this punishment. I love coffee and frankly fanta is inadequate substitute. Hopefully in two-or-so weeks I\'ll be back to my normal coffee routine. Already it\'s been a long seven weeks.\r\n\r\nSo I\'ve got to run shortly. I\'ve got a lot on my to-do list.\r\n\r\nI\'ve got to move my plants into their new homes! They are going to be so happy.\r\n\r\nThen I must pack for my trip to Romania. This is going to require some creativity. The weather is going to really fluctuate next week.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s wild is that after this trip I\'ll have been to every country in the Balkans and nearly every country in Eastern Europe). Wow. How did that happen?!\r\n\r\nFor spring break, we\'re renting a car and exploring Romania for the next eight days. Hello Dracula. Hello painted monasteries. Hello Bucharest. I\'m looking forward to the freedom of driving but I\'m a tinsy bit nervous about the fairly aggressive driving in the Balkans. I know that I\'ll be fine but I\'ve been pretty happy the last four years to let other people drive me around.\r\n\r\nBut before I head to Romania on Sunday, I\'ve got to run some errands. Nothing too interesting but that\'s okay. I don\'t mind. I going on an adventure tomorrow!!','At Last: Spring Break ','','publish','open','open','','at-last-spring-break','','','2012-04-07 08:20:17','2012-04-07 06:20:17','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6510',0,'post','',1),(6452,1,'2012-03-22 06:55:23','2012-03-22 04:55:23','Well, really it\'s this afternoon at 4:30pm\r\n\r\nBut, for the record, after teaching all day that kind of feels like tonight.\r\n\r\nI\'ve been working on my memorization project for a week or so. The challenge for me is that I decided to memorize a poem in Bulgarian! This of course is difficult because I doesn\'t necessarily ever sound wrong to me in terms of things like phrasing and pacing.\r\n\r\nOh and there are a lot of new words in the poem I picked that aren\'t commonly used in Bulgarian anymore (or maybe ever--who knows with poets). I am not sure what a good similar example would be in English. Maybe a word like felicity. We know it when we read it but it rarely slips into everyday speech.\r\n\r\nLast night at rehearsal I forgot about three lines. <em>Man</em>. The stage is big. The lights are bright and then people stood up to take photos at rehearsal and I got nervous. This is probably why I\'ll never make it big as a pop star. (Well, among other things.)\r\n\r\nI picked a poem that <em>everyone</em> will know but I am keeping it a secret until the show tonight.\r\n\r\nWish me luck!\r\n\r\n(Oh and with any luck I\'ll be able to share my performance here in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed!!)','Tonight! Faculty Follies ','','publish','open','open','','tonight-faculty-follies','','','2012-03-22 06:55:23','2012-03-22 04:55:23','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6452',0,'post','',3),(6453,1,'2012-03-22 06:54:47','2012-03-22 04:54:47','Well, really it\'s this afternoon at 4:30pm\n\nBut, for the record, after teaching all day that kind of feels like tonight.\n\nI\'ve been working on my memorization project for a week or so. The challenge for me is that I decided to memorize a poem in Bulgarian! This of course is difficult because I doesn\'t necessarily ever sound wrong to me in terms of things like phrasing and pacing.\n\nOh and there are a lot of new words in the poem I picked that aren\'t commonly used in Bulgarian anymore (or maybe ever--who knows with poets). I am not sure what a good similar example would be in English. Maybe a word like felicity. We know it when we read it but it rarely slips into everyday speech.\n\nLast night at rehearsal I forgot about three lines. <em>Man</em>. The stage is big. The lights are bright and then people stood up to take photos at rehearsal and I got nervous. This is probably why I\'ll never make it big as a pop star. (Well, among other things.)\n\nI picked a poem that <em>everyone</em> will know but I am keeping it a secret until the show tonight.\n\nWish me luck!\n\n(Oh and with any luck I\'ll be able to share my performance here in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed!!)','Tonight! Faculty Follies ','','inherit','open','open','','6452-revision','','','2012-03-22 06:54:47','2012-03-22 04:54:47','',6452,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/22/6452-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6454,1,'2012-03-22 20:34:23','2012-03-22 18:34:23','Well, really it\'s this afternoon at 4:30pm\n\nBut, for the record, after teaching all day that kind of feels like tonight.\n\nI\'ve been working on my memorization project for a week or so. The challenge for me is that I decided to memorize a poem in Bulgarian! This of course is difficult because I doesn\'t necessarily ever sound wrong to me in terms of things like phrasing and pacing.\n\nOh and there are a lot of new words in the poem I picked that aren\'t commonly used in Bulgarian anymore (or maybe ever--who knows with poets). I am not sure what a good similar example would be in English. Maybe a word like felicity. We know it when we read it but it rarely slips into everyday speech.\n\nLast night at rehearsal I forgot about three lines. <em>Man</em>. The stage is big. The lights are bright and then people stood up to take photos at rehearsal and I got nervous. This is probably why I\'ll never make it big as a pop star. (Well, among other things.)\n\nI picked a poem that <em>everyone</em> will know but I am keeping it a secret until the show tonight.\n\nWish me luck!\n\n(Oh and with any luck I\'ll be able to share my performance here in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed!!)','Tonight! Faculty Follies ','','inherit','open','open','','6452-autosave','','','2012-03-22 20:34:23','2012-03-22 18:34:23','',6452,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/22/6452-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6455,1,'2012-03-28 06:00:27','0000-00-00 00:00:00','Yesterday, I took a sick day. Over the last three years, this was my 2nd sick day. Now this is not to say that I haven\'t been sick. I have. It\'s just that many of my sicknesses have been well timed.\n\nI\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A.)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making class, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that I could go back to Greenberg (the clinic next to the school) at 8am and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t. I openly cried at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. He of course didn\'t speak English so after my exam he tells D. all of this.<em> Well, that\'s nice to know</em>. However, he then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems and he finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American.\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the part about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. The doctor declared me fine. My blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out. For good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\n\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics. But the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that you go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nThis hallway was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick and bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage.\n\nWhen we got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nSo D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. The sample revealed bacteria. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free. Anyhow, the new urologist suggested that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K. I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\n\nAfter some more waiting, this seems to be a mandatory part of seeing any doctor, and running through a list of my ailments and the series of events that lead me here. Then there were a series of questions about how much I have to urinate each day. The doctor was very funny because as soon as he learned I was an American he kept asking me about my urination habits in America and now in Bulgaria. <em>What?!</em> I\'ve lived in Bulgaria for four years. I don\'t know what my urination habits were in the States. All I can tell you is that before Christmas I never-ever had to pee as much as I do now. He seemed skeptical and a little grumpy but when I mentioned this to D. after the appointment she thought it was just his demeanor and not me.\n\nSo, I had another ultrasound, underwent the urine flow test, followed by a final ultrasound. For anyone counting that\'s five ultrasounds in one day. I\'ve got some serious pictures of my internal organs--but I can\'t actually make anything out on them. Anyhow back to the story, it was determined that yes I have a problem and that yes the doctor thinks he can help me. He prescribed a new medicine and asked me to come back to his office for a check-up in a month. I paid my bill (50 leva) and D. and I headed home.\n\nAt 4:30pm I was in a taxi on my way home. Phew. What a long day--8.5 hours, 178 leva in medical bills, 18 leva in food, drinks and a taxi, and in medicine, I had a diagnosis, a prescription and what I now hope will be a speedy recovery.\n\nOh and I also, had the realization that sometimes you have to stand-up for yourself. I shouldn\'t have continued to go back to a doctor who so willing dismissed me out of hand not once but twice at Greenberg but I didn\'t feel like I had another option. The big problem is that when you\'re sick, you aren\'t always making the best choices and it\'s not as easy to say: hey, there\'s a problem here. I knew from my second trip to the doctor when she pushed me off onto a gynecologist the first time that I had a problem. The first gynecologist confirmed that my problem was not gynecological. The third time I went back with a UTI was sure that there was a problem because no one should get three UTIs in three months but I ignored it based on the fact that the doctor was so sure of herself. This, of course, was very silly of me so on my fourth visit when I got pushed off on a gynecologist for a second time, I started crying. <em>A lot</em>.\n\nI\'ll end on this note: I feel very lucky to have colleagues and friends at school who were so willing to help me. It\'s scary being sick in a foreign country where you don\'t speak the language but it\'s a lot more bearable with familiar faces around, plenty kind words and the assurance that we\'ll figure out what\'s wrong.','Being Sick is Hard Work','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-03-28 06:00:27','2012-03-28 04:00:27','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6455',0,'post','',0),(6482,1,'2012-04-02 06:00:16','2012-04-02 04:00:16','After spending a whole day being shuttled between different clinics and Pirogov hospital, I then ended up going to Takuda for a second opinion. Takuda, I\'ll have you know, is very civilized.\r\n\r\nI got there at about 10am maybe a little later and was home by 11:30am.\r\n\r\nThe first thing I did was check in at the reception desk. There they made me an electronic card for the hospital. This way all of my records will be digital. That\'s pretty fancy for Bulgaria. All of the other clinics and hospitals I\'ve been in Bulgaria to are doing everything on paper still.\r\n\r\nFrom there I went to urology. The girl at the desk for the urology department didn\'t speak very good English. We had a little go around about what kind of a doctor I wanted to see. I said: urologist. Then I said it slowly. Then I said it slower. The funny thing was that I knew I was in the right place because it was the first specialty on the sign above the desk hanging above the girl\'s head. Once we stored this part out, I paid and was waiting for my invoice when the nurse called my name. I never even had a chance to sit down in the waiting room.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nI went straight in and had a long talk in English with the urologist. I explained everything that had happened to me over the last three months and more specifically over the last few days. He listened. He asked questions. He read lab reports and looked over my prescriptions.\r\n\r\nHe ended up confirming the basic diagnosis of the first doctors but he was hesitant to prescribe any medicine until he\'d run a sterile urine test. Fair enough. He asked me to complete this test. He instructed me to come back in a week when he\'d then run a few more tests and finalize my treatment.\r\n\r\nI have to say it was everything I\'d hoped for and then some. The hospital was clean, well organized and the most efficient hospital I\'ve been in Bulgaria. My trip confirmed my suspicion that I probably should have gone their first and altogether bypassed Pirogov but these things happen sometimes.\r\n\r\nAt this point, I am not really getting any better but I am not getting any worse which is, in it\'s own way, comforting. I just wish that I wasn\'t still sick-ish but I am. Before all of this started I could easily stay up to 11pm and wake up at 6am with energy, ready to get my day started. These last few weeks, I\'ve been going to bed about 8:30 pm (or earlier) and struggling to wrench myself out of bed at 6:30am.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I am going back to Takuda today for my second appointment. Fingers crossed that I find some kind of a resolution to my current health woes and then maybe just maybe I\'ll be able to start drinking coffee again. I miss coffee. A lot.','On to Takuda Hospital ','','publish','open','open','','on-to-takuda-hospital','','','2012-04-01 21:37:56','2012-04-01 19:37:56','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6482',0,'post','',1),(6457,1,'2012-03-24 08:38:46','2012-03-24 06:38:46','Yesterday, I took a sick day. Over the last three years, this was my 2nd sick day. Now this is not to say that I haven\'t been sick. I have. It\'s just that many of my sicknesses have been well timed.\n\nI\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A.)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making class, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that I could go back to Greenberg (the clinic next to the school) and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t. I openly cried at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. He of course didn\'t speak English so after my exam he tells D. all of this. He also tells D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems. Then','Being Sick is Hard Work','','inherit','open','open','','6455-revision','','','2012-03-24 08:38:46','2012-03-24 06:38:46','',6455,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/24/6455-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6458,1,'2012-03-24 08:55:08','2012-03-24 06:55:08','Yesterday, I took a sick day. Over the last three years, this was my 2nd sick day. Now this is not to say that I haven\'t been sick. I have. It\'s just that many of my sicknesses have been well timed.\n\nI\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A.)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making class, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that I could go back to Greenberg (the clinic next to the school) and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t. I openly cried at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. He of course didn\'t speak English so after my exam he tells D. all of this.<em> Well, that\'s nice to know</em>. However, he then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems and he finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American.\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the part about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. The doctor declared me fine. My blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out. For good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today.','Being Sick is Hard Work','','inherit','open','open','','6455-revision-2','','','2012-03-24 08:55:08','2012-03-24 06:55:08','',6455,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/24/6455-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6459,1,'2012-03-24 10:15:05','2012-03-24 08:15:05','Yesterday, I took a sick day. Over the last three years, this was my 2nd sick day. Now this is not to say that I haven\'t been sick. I have. It\'s just that many of my sicknesses have been well timed.\n\nI\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A.)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making class, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that I could go back to Greenberg (the clinic next to the school) at 8am and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t. I openly cried at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. He of course didn\'t speak English so after my exam he tells D. all of this.<em> Well, that\'s nice to know</em>. However, he then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems and he finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American.\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the part about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. The doctor declared me fine. My blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out. For good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\n\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics. But the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that you go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nThis hallway was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick and bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage.\n\nWhen we got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nSo D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. The sample revealed bacteria. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free. Anyhow, the new urologist suggested that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K. I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\n\nAfter some more waiting, this seems to be a mandatory part of seeing any doctor, and running through a list of my ailments and the series of events that lead me here. Then there were a series of questions about how much I have to urinate each day. The doctor was very funny because as soon as he learned I was an American he kept asking me about my urination habits in America and now in Bulgaria. <em>What?!</em> I\'ve lived in Bulgaria for four years. I don\'t know what my urination habits were in the States. All I can tell you is that before Christmas I never-ever had to pee as much as I do now. He seemed skeptical and a little grumpy but when I mentioned this to D. after the appointment she thought it was just his demeanor and not me.\n\nSo, I had another ultrasound, underwent the urine flow test, followed by a final ultrasound. For anyone counting that\'s five ultrasounds in one day. I\'ve got some serious pictures of my internal organs--but I can\'t actually make anything out on them. Anyhow back to the story, it was determined that yes I have a problem and that yes the doctor thinks he can help me. He prescribed a new medicine and asked me to come back to his office for a check-up in a month. I paid my bill (50 leva) and D. and I headed home.\n\nAt 4:30pm I was in a taxi on my way home. Phew. What a long day--8.5 hours, 178 leva in medical bills, 18 leva in food, drinks and a taxi, and in medicine, I had a diagnosis, a prescription and what I now hope will be a speedy recovery.\n\nOh and I also, had the realization that sometimes you have to stand-up for yourself. I shouldn\'t have continued to go back to a doctor who so willing dismissed me out of hand not once but twice at Greenberg but I didn\'t feel like I had another option. The big problem is that when you\'re sick, you aren\'t always making the best choices and it\'s not as easy to say: hey, there\'s a problem here. I knew from my second trip to the doctor when she pushed me off onto a gynecologist the first time that I had a problem. The first gynecologist confirmed that my problem was not gynecological. The third time I went back with a UTI was sure that there was a problem because no one should get three UTIs in three months but I ignored it based on the fact that the doctor was so sure of herself. This, of course, was very silly of me so on my fourth visit when I got pushed off on a gynecologist for a second time, I started crying. <em>A lot</em>.\n\nI\'ll end on this note: I feel very lucky to have colleagues and friends at school who were so willing to help me. It\'s scary being sick in a foreign country where you don\'t speak the language but it\'s a lot more bearable with familiar faces around, plenty kind words and the assurance that .','Being Sick is Hard Work','','inherit','open','open','','6455-revision-3','','','2012-03-24 10:15:05','2012-03-24 08:15:05','',6455,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/24/6455-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6460,1,'2012-03-24 10:16:32','2012-03-24 08:16:32','Yesterday, I took a sick day. Over the last three years, this was my 2nd sick day. Now this is not to say that I haven\'t been sick. I have. It\'s just that many of my sicknesses have been well timed.\n\nI\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A.)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making class, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that I could go back to Greenberg (the clinic next to the school) at 8am and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t. I openly cried at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. He of course didn\'t speak English so after my exam he tells D. all of this.<em> Well, that\'s nice to know</em>. However, he then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems and he finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American.\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the part about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. The doctor declared me fine. My blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out. For good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\n\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics. But the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that you go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nThis hallway was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick and bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage.\n\nWhen we got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nSo D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. The sample revealed bacteria. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free. Anyhow, the new urologist suggested that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K. I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\n\nAfter some more waiting, this seems to be a mandatory part of seeing any doctor, and running through a list of my ailments and the series of events that lead me here. Then there were a series of questions about how much I have to urinate each day. The doctor was very funny because as soon as he learned I was an American he kept asking me about my urination habits in America and now in Bulgaria. <em>What?!</em> I\'ve lived in Bulgaria for four years. I don\'t know what my urination habits were in the States. All I can tell you is that before Christmas I never-ever had to pee as much as I do now. He seemed skeptical and a little grumpy but when I mentioned this to D. after the appointment she thought it was just his demeanor and not me.\n\nSo, I had another ultrasound, underwent the urine flow test, followed by a final ultrasound. For anyone counting that\'s five ultrasounds in one day. I\'ve got some serious pictures of my internal organs--but I can\'t actually make anything out on them. Anyhow back to the story, it was determined that yes I have a problem and that yes the doctor thinks he can help me. He prescribed a new medicine and asked me to come back to his office for a check-up in a month. I paid my bill (50 leva) and D. and I headed home.\n\nAt 4:30pm I was in a taxi on my way home. Phew. What a long day--8.5 hours, 178 leva in medical bills, 18 leva in food, drinks and a taxi, and in medicine, I had a diagnosis, a prescription and what I now hope will be a speedy recovery.\n\nOh and I also, had the realization that sometimes you have to stand-up for yourself. I shouldn\'t have continued to go back to a doctor who so willing dismissed me out of hand not once but twice at Greenberg but I didn\'t feel like I had another option. The big problem is that when you\'re sick, you aren\'t always making the best choices and it\'s not as easy to say: hey, there\'s a problem here. I knew from my second trip to the doctor when she pushed me off onto a gynecologist the first time that I had a problem. The first gynecologist confirmed that my problem was not gynecological. The third time I went back with a UTI was sure that there was a problem because no one should get three UTIs in three months but I ignored it based on the fact that the doctor was so sure of herself. This, of course, was very silly of me so on my fourth visit when I got pushed off on a gynecologist for a second time, I started crying. <em>A lot</em>.\n\nI\'ll end on this note: I feel very lucky to have colleagues and friends at school who were so willing to help me. It\'s scary being sick in a foreign country where you don\'t speak the language but it\'s a lot more bearable with familiar faces around, plenty kind words and the assurance that we\'ll figure out what\'s wrong.','Being Sick is Hard Work','','inherit','open','open','','6455-revision-4','','','2012-03-24 10:16:32','2012-03-24 08:16:32','',6455,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/24/6455-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6461,1,'2012-03-24 10:44:34','2012-03-24 08:44:34','Yesterday, I took a sick day. Over the last three years, this was my 2nd sick day. Now this is not to say that I haven\'t been sick. I have. It\'s just that many of my sicknesses have been well timed.\n\nI\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A.)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making class, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that I could go back to Greenberg (the clinic next to the school) at 8am and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t. I openly cried at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. He of course didn\'t speak English so after my exam he tells D. all of this.<em> Well, that\'s nice to know</em>. However, he then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems and he finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American.\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the part about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. The doctor declared me fine. My blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out. For good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\n\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics. But the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that you go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nThis hallway was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick and bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage.\n\nWhen we got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nSo D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. The sample revealed bacteria. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free. Anyhow, the new urologist suggested that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K. I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\n\nAfter some more waiting, this seems to be a mandatory part of seeing any doctor, and running through a list of my ailments and the series of events that lead me here. Then there were a series of questions about how much I have to urinate each day. The doctor was very funny because as soon as he learned I was an American he kept asking me about my urination habits in America and now in Bulgaria. <em>What?!</em> I\'ve lived in Bulgaria for four years. I don\'t know what my urination habits were in the States. All I can tell you is that before Christmas I never-ever had to pee as much as I do now. He seemed skeptical and a little grumpy but when I mentioned this to D. after the appointment she thought it was just his demeanor and not me.\n\nSo, I had another ultrasound, underwent the urine flow test, followed by a final ultrasound. For anyone counting that\'s five ultrasounds in one day. I\'ve got some serious pictures of my internal organs--but I can\'t actually make anything out on them. Anyhow back to the story, it was determined that yes I have a problem and that yes the doctor thinks he can help me. He prescribed a new medicine and asked me to come back to his office for a check-up in a month. I paid my bill (50 leva) and D. and I headed home.\n\nAt 4:30pm I was in a taxi on my way home. Phew. What a long day--8.5 hours, 178 leva in medical bills, 18 leva in food, drinks and a taxi, and in medicine, I had a diagnosis, a prescription and what I now hope will be a speedy recovery.\n\nOh and I also, had the realization that sometimes you have to stand-up for yourself. I shouldn\'t have continued to go back to a doctor who so willing dismissed me out of hand not once but twice at Greenberg but I didn\'t feel like I had another option. The big problem is that when you\'re sick, you aren\'t always making the best choices and it\'s not as easy to say: hey, there\'s a problem here. I knew from my second trip to the doctor when she pushed me off onto a gynecologist the first time that I had a problem. The first gynecologist confirmed that my problem was not gynecological. The third time I went back with a UTI was sure that there was a problem because no one should get three UTIs in three months but I ignored it based on the fact that the doctor was so sure of herself. This, of course, was very silly of me so on my fourth visit when I got pushed off on a gynecologist for a second time, I started crying. <em>A lot</em>.\n\nI\'ll end on this note: I feel very lucky to have colleagues and friends at school who were so willing to help me. It\'s scary being sick in a foreign country where you don\'t speak the language but it\'s a lot more bearable with familiar faces around, plenty kind words and the assurance that we\'ll figure out what\'s wrong.','Being Sick is Hard Work','','inherit','open','open','','6455-revision-5','','','2012-03-24 10:44:34','2012-03-24 08:44:34','',6455,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/24/6455-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6464,1,'2012-03-27 16:56:28','2012-03-27 14:56:28','','Sickness ','','inherit','open','open','','6462-revision-2','','','2012-03-27 16:56:28','2012-03-27 14:56:28','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6465,1,'2012-03-27 16:57:16','2012-03-27 14:57:16','I\'ve been MIA on my blog for a few days.','Sickness ','','inherit','open','open','','6462-revision-3','','','2012-03-27 16:57:16','2012-03-27 14:57:16','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6466,1,'2012-03-27 17:28:42','2012-03-27 15:28:42','I\'ve been MIA on my blog for a few days.  For the past few months I\'ve been battling a series of UTIs. That\'s a urinary tract infection for those of you not in the know. A UTI is no fun. No fun at all. It requires a trip to the doctor\'s and a round of antibiotics to cure.\r\n\r\nOnly I\'ve had three of them in three months. This, of course, shouldn\'t happen.\r\n\r\nThe result is that for the last three months I\'ve spent large chunks of time feeling generally tired and morose and familiarizing myself with every toilet on the ACS campus. Needless to say, neither one of these pursuits are how I really want to spent my time.\r\n\r\nThen this past week my series of UTIs morphed into kidney pain/bladder problems. <em>Awesome</em>. Well, or not.\r\n\r\nI took Friday off of school. Then I took Monday off of school. I\'ve never-ever taken two sick days off in a row. I\'ve never needed to. That is until this past week when I really needed to.\r\n\r\nThen over the course of Friday and Monday I saw: the school doctor, a general practitioner, a gynecologist and four different urologists at four different clinics/hospitals/medical centers. I started small at my local clinic Greenberg in Mladost by the high school, then I went to Pirogov, next I headed over to a specialized clinic for urology and I topped the whole thing off with a visit to Takuda.\r\n\r\nBetween visits to the gynecologist and the urologists, I was also introduced to   the ultrasound machine. Holy smokes, those things are amazing (and so are the people who can read them). The nice thing about Bulgaria is that at then end of each encounter with the ultrasound machine I got a little take away--something to remember the visit by. Yes, I\'ve got pictures of organs I\'ve never seen before nor ever felt the need to have pictures of but they are all mine.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to the serious stuff. The ultrasounds revealed that currently I have an enlarged bladder. This is probably due to the fact that I\'ve had three drug-resistant urinary tract infections and now I find myself caught in a horrible cycle were in all likelihood now my enlarged bladder is causing my current UTI. As a result, some tests are being run. Ideally these tests will reveal which bacteria have made themselves at home in my kidney/bladder/urinary tract and which antibiotics will successfully evict this hearty-bacteria from my body.\r\n\r\nSo am I better? Well, not really. But it sure helps to know what is going on.\r\n\r\nOh and stay tuned for my reviews of the various medical centers I\'ve visited thus far in Sofia. If nothing else this whole thing has been an adventure and there\'s plenty to write about.','Battling Bacteria ','','inherit','open','open','','6462-revision-4','','','2012-03-27 17:28:42','2012-03-27 15:28:42','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6467,1,'2012-03-27 17:31:47','2012-03-27 15:31:47','I\'ve been MIA on my blog for a few days.  Here\'s why, for the past few months I\'ve been battling a series of UTIs. That\'s a urinary tract infection for those of you not in the know. For the record, UTI is no fun. No fun at all. It requires a trip to the doctor\'s and a round of antibiotics to cure.\n\nOnly I\'ve had three of them in three months. This, of course, shouldn\'t happen.\n\nThe result is that for the last three months I\'ve spent large chunks of time feeling generally tired and morose and familiarizing myself with every toilet on the ACS campus. Needless to say, neither one of these pursuits are how I really want to spent my time. But each time I figured this one will be the last. <em>Ha, ha</em>.\n\nThen this past week my series of UTIs morphed into kidney pain/bladder problems. <em>Awesome</em>. Well, or not.\n\nSo I took Friday off of school. Then I took Monday off of school. I\'ve never-ever taken two sick days off in a row. I\'ve never needed to. That is until this past week when I really needed to.\n\nThen over the course of Friday and Monday I saw: the school doctor, a general practitioner, a gynecologist and four different urologists at four different clinics/hospitals/medical centers. I started small at my local clinic Greenberg in Mladost by the high school, then I went to Pirogov, next I headed over to a specialized clinic for urology and I topped the whole thing off with a visit to Takuda.<!--more-->\n\nBetween visits to the gynecologist and the urologists, I was also introduced to   the ultrasound machine. Holy smokes, those things are amazing (and so are the people who can read them). The nice thing about Bulgaria is that at then end of each encounter with the ultrasound machine I got a little take away--something to remember the visit by. Yes, I\'ve got pictures of organs I\'ve never seen before nor ever felt the need to have pictures of but they are all mine.\n\nAnyhow, back to the serious stuff. The ultrasounds revealed that currently I have an enlarged bladder. This is probably due to the fact that I\'ve had three drug-resistant urinary tract infections and now I find myself caught in a horrible cycle were in all likelihood now my enlarged bladder is causing my current UTI. As a result, some tests are being run. Ideally these tests will reveal which bacteria have made themselves at home in my kidney/bladder/urinary tract and which antibiotics will successfully evict this hearty-bacteria from my body.\n\nSo am I better? Well, not really. But it sure helps to know what is going on.\n\nOh and stay tuned for my reviews of the various medical centers I\'ve visited thus far in Sofia. If nothing else this whole thing has been an adventure and there\'s plenty to write about.','Battling Bacteria ','','inherit','open','open','','6462-revision-5','','','2012-03-27 17:31:47','2012-03-27 15:31:47','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6468,1,'2012-03-27 17:32:47','2012-03-27 15:32:47','I\'ve been MIA on my blog for a few days.  Here\'s why, for the past few months I\'ve been battling a series of UTIs. That\'s a urinary tract infection for those of you not in the know. For the record, UTI is no fun. No fun at all. It requires a trip to the doctor\'s and a round of antibiotics to cure.\n\nOnly I\'ve had three of them in three months. This, of course, shouldn\'t happen.\n\nThe result is that for the last three months I\'ve spent large chunks of time feeling generally tired and morose and familiarizing myself with every toilet on the ACS campus. Needless to say, neither one of these pursuits are how I really want to spent my time. But each time I figured this one will be the last. <em>Ha, ha</em>.\n\nThen this past week my series of UTIs morphed into kidney pain, bladder problems and general un-wellness. <em>Awesome</em>. Or not.\n\nSo I took Friday off of school. Then I took Monday off of school. I\'ve never-ever taken two sick days off in a row. I\'ve never needed to. That is until this past week when I really needed to.\n\nThen over the course of Friday and Monday I saw: the school doctor, a general practitioner, a gynecologist and four different urologists at four different clinics/hospitals/medical centers. I started small at my local clinic Greenberg in Mladost by the high school, then I went to Pirogov, next I headed over to a specialized clinic for urology and I topped the whole thing off with a visit to Takuda.<!--more-->\n\nBetween visits to the gynecologist and the urologists, I was also introduced to   the ultrasound machine. Holy smokes, those things are amazing (and so are the people who can read them). The nice thing about Bulgaria is that at then end of each encounter with the ultrasound machine I got a little take away--something to remember the visit by. Yes, I\'ve got pictures of organs I\'ve never seen before nor ever felt the need to have pictures of but they are all mine.\n\nAnyhow, back to the serious stuff. The ultrasounds revealed that currently I have an enlarged bladder. This is probably due to the fact that I\'ve had three drug-resistant urinary tract infections and now I find myself caught in a horrible cycle were in all likelihood now my enlarged bladder is causing my current UTI. As a result, some tests are being run. Ideally these tests will reveal which bacteria have made themselves at home in my kidney/bladder/urinary tract and which antibiotics will successfully evict this hearty-bacteria from my body.\n\nSo am I better? Well, not really. But it sure helps to know what is going on.\n\nOh and stay tuned for my reviews of the various medical centers I\'ve visited thus far in Sofia. If nothing else this whole thing has been an adventure and there\'s plenty to write about.','Battling Bacteria ','','inherit','open','open','','6462-revision-6','','','2012-03-27 17:32:47','2012-03-27 15:32:47','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6469,1,'2012-03-27 17:36:52','2012-03-27 15:36:52','I\'ve been MIA on my blog for a few days.  Here\'s why, for the past few months I\'ve been battling a series of UTIs. That\'s a urinary tract infection for those of you not in the know. For the record, UTI is no fun. No fun at all. It requires a trip to the doctor\'s and a round of antibiotics to cure.\n\nOnly I\'ve had three of them in three months. This, of course, shouldn\'t happen.\n\nThe result is that for the last three months I\'ve spent large chunks of time feeling generally tired and morose and familiarizing myself with every toilet on the ACS campus. Needless to say, neither one of these pursuits are how I really want to spent my time. But each time I figured this one will be the last. <em>Ha, ha</em>.\n\nThen this past week my series of UTIs morphed into kidney pain, bladder problems and general un-wellness. <em>Awesome</em>. Or not.\n\nSo I took Friday off of school. Then I took Monday off of school. I\'ve never-ever taken two sick days off in a row. I\'ve never needed to. That is until this past week, when I really needed to.\n\nThen over the course of Friday and Monday I saw: the school doctor, a general practitioner, a gynecologist and four different urologists at four different clinics/hospitals/medical centers. I started small at my local clinic Greenberg in Mladost by the high school, then I went to Pirogov, next I headed over to a specialized clinic for urology and I topped the whole thing off with a visit to Takuda.<!--more-->\n\nBetween visits to the gynecologist and the urologists, I was also introduced to the ultrasound machine. Holy smokes, those things are amazing (and so are the people who can read them). The nice thing about Bulgaria is that at then end of each encounter with the ultrasound machine I got a little take away--something to remember the visit by. Yes, I\'ve got pictures of organs I\'ve never seen before nor ever felt the need to have pictures of but they are all mine.\n\nAnyhow, back to the serious stuff.\n\nThe ultrasounds revealed that currently I have an enlarged bladder. This is probably due to the fact that I\'ve had three drug-resistant urinary tract infections and now I find myself caught in a horrible cycle were in all likelihood now my enlarged bladder is causing my current UTI. As a result, some tests are being run. Ideally these tests will reveal which bacteria have made themselves at home in my kidney/bladder/urinary tract and which antibiotics will successfully evict this hearty-bacteria from my body.\n\nSo am I better? Well, not really. But it sure helps to know what is going on.\n\nOh and stay tuned for my reviews of the various medical centers I\'ve visited thus far in Sofia. If nothing else this whole thing has been an adventure and there\'s plenty to write about.','Battling Bacteria ','','inherit','open','open','','6462-autosave','','','2012-03-27 17:36:52','2012-03-27 15:36:52','',6462,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6462-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6495,1,'2012-04-04 18:16:11','2012-04-04 16:16:11','I realized recently that my tone has been rather negative on my blog recently. I\'m not usually that girl. Then again I\'m also not usually sick for three months in a row either. This said it\'s easy to get bogged down by complaining, with a case of the woe is me-s or by general moroseness when you\'ve been unwell for this long.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing, I don\'t want to be that girl. So here goes.\r\n\r\nOn my walk to work this morning, I realized that the snow pile behind Billa that spends most of the day in the shade is now only hip high. That\'s pretty wonderful. Hello, spring! (Okay, that does sill make the snow pile fairly large considering the fact I\'m 5\'11 but that\'s still something.)\r\n\r\nWork has been tough recently but at my desk this morning I realized that I\'m more or less caught up on emails. That\'s pretty wonderful. Grades are a different thing but I am not thinking about that right now. Somehow I know that I\'ll get everything done on time for my 4pm deadline tomorrow.\r\n\r\nOne of my colleagues H. told me today during a bomb drill (yes, a bomb drill), that she really liked my outfit and she\'d meant to tell me a lunch but never had a chance. <em>Aw</em>. What a wonderful thing to say. That kind of made my day.\r\n\r\nOn the 111 bus home, I spotted a man playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. I watched him play for a couple of stops. Then I realized that he\'s an old man with a bald spot who still wears the rest of his hair long playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. <em>His smart phone</em>. (I don\'t even have a smart phone.) Anyhow, I thought that was pretty wonderful. Of all of the games he could be playing, he decides to stick with a classic. I think there\'s a awfully good life lesson wrapped up in that.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t mind me. I am just looking for some wonderful.','Looking for Wonderful','','publish','open','open','','looking-for-wonderful','','','2012-04-17 20:17:15','2012-04-17 18:17:15','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6495',0,'post','',5),(6471,1,'2012-03-28 06:01:41','2012-03-28 04:01:41','Greenberg has been my go to clinic for the last three years. Really this is because the clinic is right next to my school and that\'s easy. A girl needs easy when she\'s sick. They speak some English and are generally helpful.\r\n\r\nThe thing is<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/battling-bacteria/\" target=\"_blank\"> I\'ve been fighting off a recurrent bacterial infection</a> for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/07/im-sick-again/\" target=\"_blank\">I\'ve been to see the doctor three times</a>. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\r\n\r\nThis past week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A!!)\r\n\r\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/22/a-trip-to-the-doctors-office/\" target=\"_blank\">helped me earlier this year with the same problem</a>. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making calls and after all of this a plan was hatched.\r\n\r\nThe hope was that on Friday morning I could go back to Greenberg and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse (so I could avoid the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/23/sometimes-you-get-sick/\" target=\"_blank\">not speaking Bulgarian well enough problem</a> at the doctor\'s) a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t.\r\n\r\nI cried openly at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood. <em>Um, thanks?</em><!--more-->\r\n\r\nThen I got to see the gynecologist.  He of course didn\'t speak English but was nice enough. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. <em>Well, that\'s nice to know</em>.  He then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant should solve my problems. He finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American. (<em>Um, really?!</em>)\r\n\r\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the good news about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\r\n\r\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. She told me that my blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys but in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out.\r\n\r\nFor good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\r\n\r\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics.\r\n\r\nBut the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one. Of course, it turned out that I\'m not crazy and I do have a problem but in the moment I didn\'t know what to think.\r\n\r\nIn hindsight, I probably should have gone for a second opinion much sooner than I did. Greenberg is great for routine things--say a single UTI or a sinus infection--but by my third UTI I should have sought out other options. But when you\'re sick it\'s easy to fallback on what you know rather than to seek out new options. Oh and I find it that much harder to make decisions when I am sick.\r\n\r\nNext up a review of Pirogov.','Greenberg Clinic in Mladost ','','publish','open','open','','greenberg-clinic-in-mladost','','','2012-03-28 06:01:41','2012-03-28 04:01:41','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6471',0,'post','',6),(6472,1,'2012-03-27 20:13:16','2012-03-27 18:13:16','Greenberg has been my go to clinic for the last three years. Really this is because the clinic is right next to my school and that\'s easy. A girl needs easy when she\'s sick. They speak some English and are generally helpful.\n\nThe thing is I\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis past week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A!!)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making calls, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that on Friday morning I could go back to Greenberg and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t.\n\nI cried openly at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist.  He of course didn\'t speak English but was nice enough. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. <em>Well, that\'s nice to know</em>.  He then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems. He finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American. (<em>Um, really?!</em>)\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the good news about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. She told me that my blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out.\n\nFor good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\n\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics.\n\nBut the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one.','Greenberg Clinic in Mladost ','','inherit','open','open','','6471-revision','','','2012-03-27 20:13:16','2012-03-27 18:13:16','',6471,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6471-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6473,1,'2012-03-27 20:13:35','2012-03-27 18:13:35','Greenberg has been my go to clinic for the last three years. Really this is because the clinic is right next to my school and that\'s easy. A girl needs easy when she\'s sick. They speak some English and are generally helpful.\r\n\r\nThe thing is I\'ve been fighting off a recurrent infection for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. I\'ve been to see the doctor three times. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\r\n\r\nThis past week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A!!)\r\n\r\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had helped me earlier this year with the same problem. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making calls, there were calls into Takuda and after all of this a plan was hatched.\r\n\r\nThe hope was that on Friday morning I could go back to Greenberg and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t.\r\n\r\nI cried openly at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood.\r\n\r\nThen I got to see the gynecologist.  He of course didn\'t speak English but was nice enough. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. <em>Well, that\'s nice to know</em>.  He then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant would solve my problems. He finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American. (<em>Um, really?!</em>)\r\n\r\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the good news about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\r\n\r\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. She told me that my blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys and in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out.\r\n\r\nFor good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\r\n\r\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics.\r\n\r\nBut the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one.','Greenberg Clinic in Mladost ','','inherit','open','open','','6471-revision-2','','','2012-03-27 20:13:35','2012-03-27 18:13:35','',6471,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/6471-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6474,1,'2012-03-28 06:00:46','2012-03-28 04:00:46','Greenberg has been my go to clinic for the last three years. Really this is because the clinic is right next to my school and that\'s easy. A girl needs easy when she\'s sick. They speak some English and are generally helpful.\n\nThe thing is<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/battling-bacteria/\" target=\"_blank\"> I\'ve been fighting off a recurrent bacterial infection</a> for, oh, the last three months. Not fun. <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/07/im-sick-again/\" target=\"_blank\">I\'ve been to see the doctor three times</a>. I\'ve gotten three different antibiotics and each time nothing has worked. The infection has come back.\n\nThis past week I lost my cool when I realized that the infection was starting again and that this time around I was also having kidney pain. Just for the record, that\'s un-awesome. I spent a large part of Wednesday wanting to cry and after talking to my friend A. on Wednesday night she convinced me that I had to get a second opinion. (Thanks, A!!)\n\nSo Thursday morning after my classes I called Takuda hospital for an appointment with an Urologist but they couldn\'t get me in until Monday morning. Enter tears. This lead me back to M. the Deputy Director at school--a woman who had <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/22/a-trip-to-the-doctors-office/\" target=\"_blank\">helped me earlier this year with the same problem</a>. She was incredible and rallied the troops so to speak. She had our school doctor making calls and after all of this a plan was hatched.\n\nThe hope was that on Friday morning I could go back to Greenberg and that with the previous day\'s phone calls and the presence of D. the school nurse (so I could avoid the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/01/23/sometimes-you-get-sick/\" target=\"_blank\">not speaking Bulgarian well enough problem</a> at the doctor\'s) a diagnosis and a solution to my problem could be reached. Only it couldn\'t.\n\nI cried openly at the reception desk of the clinic in front of a lot of Bulgarian onlookers when my first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me passed me off to the gynecologist. The result of these tears was that my first doctor decided to take another urine sample and to draw blood. Um thanks for the sympathy <!--more-->\n\nThen I got to see the gynecologist.  He of course didn\'t speak English but was nice enough. He determined that there was nothing gynecologicly wrong with me. <em>Well, that\'s nice to know</em>.  He then preceded to tell D. that I have very nice looking eggs and that getting pregnant should solve my problems. He finished this up with a joke about the fact it shouldn\'t be too hard to find a nice Bulgarian man because I am young, pretty and American. (<em>Um, really?!</em>)\n\nD. was wise enough not to translate that part for me while in with the gynecologist. She told me later. I think because she thought that I would be happy to know the good news about my reproductive system. Maybe I should have been. But the feminist me sat there seething--what antiquated advice: pregnancy will solve your problems. D. shrugged the whole thing off as a doctor joke.\n\nAfter this I went back down the hall to see the results from my tests. The doctor declared me fine. She told me that my blood work was normal and there was no bacteria in my urine. I complained about my back pain and explained that I thought it was related to my kidneys but in no uncertain terms, she told me that it could not be related. She wrote a prescription for painkillers and sent me out.\n\nFor good measure on my way out she told me to wear 100% cotton bikinis, to wash them separately from the rest of my laundry and that this must be an American disease not a European one. Her final parting comment was that she was sorry I was in such a bad mood today. Now if that doesn\'t make a sick girl feel better about things, I don\'t know what will.\n\nAfter paying my bill (54 leva), D. and walked back to school. I still felt sick. I was still having the same complaints that sent me to the doctor\'s in the first place--a series of complaints that each previous time resulted in an infection that required a round of antibiotics.\n\nBut the doctor was so sure that there was nothing wrong with me I began to wonder if I was crazy. Maybe the whole thing was in my head. Maybe I was worried about another infection and there wasn\'t one. Of course, it turned out that I\'m not crazy and I do have a problem but in the moment I didn\'t know what to think.\n\nIn hindsight, I probably should have gone for a second opinion much sooner than I did. Greenberg is great for routine things--say a single UTI or a sinus infection--but by my third UTI I should have sought out other options. But when you\'re sick it\'s easy to fallback on what you know rather than to seek out new options. Oh and I find it that much harder to make decisions when I am sick.\n\nNext up a review of Pirogov.','Greenberg Clinic in Mladost ','','inherit','open','open','','6471-revision-3','','','2012-03-28 06:00:46','2012-03-28 04:00:46','',6471,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/28/6471-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6476,1,'2012-03-30 05:55:43','2012-03-30 03:55:43','For those of you following along at home, this is an entry from an on-going multi-part series that I am writing about an infection I have and the lengths I\'ve got to resolve my problems. <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/battling-bacteria/\" target=\"_blank\">Part one is an overview</a>. Part two is <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/28/greenberg-clinic-in-mladost/\" target=\"_blank\">my experience in a small private neighborhood clinic Greenberg</a>. Today picks up with me detailing a few hours that I spent at Pirogov.\r\n\r\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. and it was decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda to have this done.\r\n\r\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that another foreigner go there.\r\n\r\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\r\n\r\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\r\n\r\nI\'d describe the hospital as shabby at best. The whole place feels like it could use another coat of white paint and a good scrub. Nothing seemed especially clean and the place smelled, well, very un-hospital like. There\'s no sterile bleach clean smell at Pirogov. Instead it\'s part retirement home, part thrift store, part dirty bodies.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe hallway we found ourselves waiting in was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick, hanging sheets of plastic and crumbling plaster. To top this off, bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage and there were cleaning women moving garbage by hand from one bag of garbage to another even though the garbage bags were marked as bio-hazardous waste with big stickers. They appeared to be methodically consolidating bags of garbage in the hallway. This didn\'t seem like the best plan to me given the Nestea bottle of syringes but to each her own. I guess.\r\n\r\nApparently, waiting is a huge part of going to the hospital in Bulgaria. So as we waited I considered whether it would be appropriate for me to take pictures of the hospital for my blog. I ultimately decided against it. I didn\'t need to make a spectacle of things.\r\n\r\nWhen we finally got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\r\n\r\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\r\n\r\nNow the ultrasound felt pretty straightforward. We go in the doctor tells me to hang up my coat and bag and to like down on the examining table. At this point, D. reached down to pull down the roll of paper that\'s covered the table so that I have a clean piece of paper. The doctor thanks her. I unbutton my pants so that the doctor can preform the ultrasounds of my kidneys and bladder. The thing is, upon standing up I realize that the room for the ultrasound looks right out to the front of the hospital and that the window is open. I can see a row of policemen leaning against a retaining wall smoking and they can see me. So can anyone who walks in the front door of the hospital. <em>Interesting</em>.\r\n\r\nThen I go to the toilet. It\'s disgusting. There\'s no toilet seat on the toilet. Not that I would have used it anyway. There\'s standing water (I hope) on the floor. There\'s absolutely no toilet paper but after four years in Bulgaria I am used to that. But the part that really gets me is that the stall door won\'t really close. Ug. I try my very best not to touch anything and wash my hands with cold water sans soap.\r\n\r\nI head back to the ultrasound doctor. She has me lie back down. This time no one changes the paper on the examination table and it\'s clear to me that she hasn\'t changed it before I entered the room because I can see footprints on the bottom of the paper. <em>Awesome</em>. I lie down without mentioning this and proceed to convince myself that the worst thing that could happen from this would be that I get lice and all things considered that seems unlikely, or so I tell myself, and I try not to worry about it.\r\n\r\nAfter this D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. There\'s a new doctor. The young English speaking urologist\'s shift has ended so I get to see and talk to a new urologist. He doesn\'t speak English but at this point it doesn\'t matter because D. speaks to this new urologist in Bulgarian for me. The sample revealed bacteria in my urine and on top of this my bladder isn\'t completely emptying. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free.  This doctor suggests that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K.\r\n\r\nSo, I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\r\n\r\nThe thing is, the doctors I met at Pirogov were nothing if not professional. They seemed competent to me but they\'ve been saddled with a physical infrastructure that has seen better days and as I understand it there\'s a permanent lack of money for necessary improvements and upgrades. I imagine that this incredibly frustrating.\r\n\r\nThis said, I was also incredibly relieved that I wasn\'t suffering from some major illness and that this hospital was my only option for treatment. This realization make me once again aware of how lucky I am to have excellent health insurance and it made me very sad for everyone I saw at Pirogov for whom this hospital was their only option or maybe even their best option.','An afternoon at Pirogov','','publish','open','open','','an-afternoon-at-pirogov','','','2012-03-30 05:55:43','2012-03-30 03:55:43','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6476',0,'post','',4),(6477,1,'2012-03-29 21:46:38','2012-03-29 19:46:38','For those of you following along at home, this is an entry from an on-going multi-part series that I am writing about an infection I have and the lengths I\'ve got to resolve my problems. <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/battling-bacteria/\" target=\"_blank\">Part one is an overview</a>. Part two is <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/28/greenberg-clinic-in-mladost/\" target=\"_blank\">my experience in a small private neighborhood clinic Greenberg</a>. Today picks up with me detailing a few hours that I spent at Pirogov.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. and it was decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda to have this done.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that another foreigner go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nI\'d describe the hospital as shabby at best. The whole place feels like it could use another coat of white paint and a good scrub. Nothing seemed especially clean and the place smelled well, very un-hospital like. There\'s no sterile bleach clean smell at Pirogov. Instead it\'s part retirement home, part thrift store, part dirty bodies.\n\nThe hallway we found ourselves waiting in was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick, hanging sheets of plastic and crumbling plaster. To top this off, bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage and there were cleaning women moving garbage by hand from one bag of garbage to another even though the garbage bags were marked as bio-hazardous waste with big stickers. They appeared to be methodically consolidating bags of garbage in the hallway. This didn\'t seem like the best plan to me given the Nestea bottle of syringes but to each her own. I guess.\n\nApparently, waiting is a huge part of going to the hospital in Bulgaria. So as we waited I considered whether it would be appropriate for me to take pictures of the hospital for my blog. I ultimately decided against it. I didn\'t need to make a spectacle.\n\nWhen we finally got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nNow the ultrasound felt pretty straightforward. We go in the doctor tells me to hang up my coat and bag and to like down on the examining table. At this point, D. reached down to pull down the roll of paper that\'s covered the table so that I have a clean piece of paper. The doctor thanks her. I unbutton my pants so that the doctor can preform the ultrasounds of my kidneys and bladder. The thing is, upon standing up I realize that the room for the ultrasound looks right out to the front of the hospital and that the window is open. I can see a row of policemen leaning against a retaining wall smoking and they can see me. So can anyone who walks in the front door of the hospital. <em>Interesting</em>.\n\nThen I go to the toilet. It\'s disgusting. There\'s no toilet seat on the toilet. Not that I would have used it anyway. There\'s standing water (I hope) on the floor. There\'s absolutely no toilet paper but after four years in Bulgaria I am used to that. I try my very best not to touch anything. Then I head back to the ultrasound doctor. She has me lie back down. This time no one changes the paper on the examination table and it\'s clear to me that she hasn\'t changed it before I entered the room because I can see footprints on the bottom of the paper. <em>Awesome</em>. I line down and proceed to convince myself that the worse thing that could happen from this would be that I get lice. All things considered that seems unlikely, or so I tell myself, and I try not to worry about it.\n\nAfter this D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. The sample revealed bacteria. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free. Anyhow, the young English speaking urologist\'s shift has ended so I get to see and talk to a new urologist. Well really D. gets to because this new urologist only speaks Bulgarian. He suggests that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K.\n\nSo, I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.','An afternoon at Pirogov','','inherit','open','open','','6476-revision','','','2012-03-29 21:46:38','2012-03-29 19:46:38','',6476,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/29/6476-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6478,1,'2012-03-30 05:54:59','2012-03-30 03:54:59','For those of you following along at home, this is an entry from an on-going multi-part series that I am writing about an infection I have and the lengths I\'ve got to resolve my problems. <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/battling-bacteria/\" target=\"_blank\">Part one is an overview</a>. Part two is <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/28/greenberg-clinic-in-mladost/\" target=\"_blank\">my experience in a small private neighborhood clinic Greenberg</a>. Today picks up with me detailing a few hours that I spent at Pirogov.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. and it was decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda to have this done.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that another foreigner go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nI\'d describe the hospital as shabby at best. The whole place feels like it could use another coat of white paint and a good scrub. Nothing seemed especially clean and the place smelled, well, very un-hospital like. There\'s no sterile bleach clean smell at Pirogov. Instead it\'s part retirement home, part thrift store, part dirty bodies.<!--more-->\n\nThe hallway we found ourselves waiting in was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick, hanging sheets of plastic and crumbling plaster. To top this off, bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage and there were cleaning women moving garbage by hand from one bag of garbage to another even though the garbage bags were marked as bio-hazardous waste with big stickers. They appeared to be methodically consolidating bags of garbage in the hallway. This didn\'t seem like the best plan to me given the Nestea bottle of syringes but to each her own. I guess.\n\nApparently, waiting is a huge part of going to the hospital in Bulgaria. So as we waited I considered whether it would be appropriate for me to take pictures of the hospital for my blog. I ultimately decided against it. I didn\'t need to make a spectacle of things.\n\nWhen we finally got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nNow the ultrasound felt pretty straightforward. We go in the doctor tells me to hang up my coat and bag and to like down on the examining table. At this point, D. reached down to pull down the roll of paper that\'s covered the table so that I have a clean piece of paper. The doctor thanks her. I unbutton my pants so that the doctor can preform the ultrasounds of my kidneys and bladder. The thing is, upon standing up I realize that the room for the ultrasound looks right out to the front of the hospital and that the window is open. I can see a row of policemen leaning against a retaining wall smoking and they can see me. So can anyone who walks in the front door of the hospital. <em>Interesting</em>.\n\nThen I go to the toilet. It\'s disgusting. There\'s no toilet seat on the toilet. Not that I would have used it anyway. There\'s standing water (I hope) on the floor. There\'s absolutely no toilet paper but after four years in Bulgaria I am used to that. But the part that really gets me is that the stall door won\'t really close. Ug. I try my very best not to touch anything and wash my hands with cold water sans soap.\n\nI head back to the ultrasound doctor. She has me lie back down. This time no one changes the paper on the examination table and it\'s clear to me that she hasn\'t changed it before I entered the room because I can see footprints on the bottom of the paper. <em>Awesome</em>. I lie down without mentioning this and proceed to convince myself that the worst thing that could happen from this would be that I get lice and all things considered that seems unlikely, or so I tell myself, and I try not to worry about it.\n\nAfter this D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. There\'s a new doctor. The young English speaking urologist\'s shift has ended so I get to see and talk to a new urologist. He doesn\'t speak English but at this point it doesn\'t matter because D. speaks to this new urologist in Bulgarian for me. The sample revealed bacteria in my urine and on top of this my bladder isn\'t completely emptying. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free.  This doctor suggests that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K.\n\nSo, I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\n\nThe thing is, the doctors I met at Pirogov were nothing if not professional. They seemed competent to me but they\'ve been saddled with a physical infrastructure that has seen better days and as I understand it there\'s a permanent lack of money for necessary improvements and upgrades. I imagine that this incredibly frustrating.\n\nThis said, I was also incredibly relieved that I wasn\'t suffering from some major illness and that this hospital was my only option for treatment. This realization make me once again aware of how lucky I am to have excellent health insurance and it made me very sad for everyone I saw at Pirogov for whom this hospital was their only o','An afternoon at Pirogov','','inherit','open','open','','6476-revision-2','','','2012-03-30 05:54:59','2012-03-30 03:54:59','',6476,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/6476-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6479,1,'2012-03-30 05:56:51','2012-03-30 03:56:51','For those of you following along at home, this is an entry from an on-going multi-part series that I am writing about an infection I have and the lengths I\'ve got to resolve my problems. <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/27/battling-bacteria/\" target=\"_blank\">Part one is an overview</a>. Part two is <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/28/greenberg-clinic-in-mladost/\" target=\"_blank\">my experience in a small private neighborhood clinic Greenberg</a>. Today picks up with me detailing a few hours that I spent at Pirogov.\n\nIn M.\'s office after my first round at Greenberg, she decided that it was time for a second opinion and that I would be getting my second opinion that day. She had a heated discussion with our school doctor and Doctor L. and it was decided that I need to have my kidneys checked with ultrasound and that I would go to Pirogov not Takuda to have this done.\n\nNow <a href=\"http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/\" target=\"_blank\">Takuda </a>is a private foreign hospital establish by some Japanese medical company but as such it\'s not cheap. This is the hospital that is recommended to all foreigners and because I have really excellent international health insurance I can afford to go anywhere I want. Pirogov is Sofia\'s Specialized Hospital for Emergency Medicine but even given fancy name no foreigner would recommend that another foreigner go there.\n\nHowever, Doctor L. insisted that there were better specialists at Pirogov and that because D. used to work at Pirogov before coming to work at ACS that this hospital was a better choice for me than Takuda. These seemed like reasonable arguments and really, I was in no position to fight anyone about it. I just prepared myself for the worst and reminded myself not to touch my face, mouth or eyes with my hands after entering the hospital.\n\nAt Pirogov, I found myself surprised by the fact that things are fairly quite but chaotic. There were people everywhere in various states of illness, unhappiness, old age and plenty of broken bones, bandaged limbs and worried looks. After a brief check in where D. explained my illness and that I needed to see a urologist we were directed to a specific room number. We waited in the hallway with a number of other people.\n\nI\'d describe the hospital as shabby at best. The whole place feels like it could use another coat of white paint and a good scrub. Nothing seemed especially clean and the place smelled, well, very un-hospital like. There\'s no sterile bleach clean smell at Pirogov. Instead it\'s part retirement home, part thrift store, part dirty bodies.<!--more-->\n\nThe hallway we found ourselves waiting in was something else--half of it seemed to be newly remodeled and the other half had exposed brick, hanging sheets of plastic and crumbling plaster. To top this off, bags of garbage were being collected in a small hallway near by. The most appalling part of this was that there were used syringes which had been carefully collected in a old Nestea bottle sitting next to the garbage and there were cleaning women moving garbage by hand from one bag of garbage to another even though the garbage bags were marked as bio-hazardous waste with big stickers. They appeared to be methodically consolidating bags of garbage in the hallway. This didn\'t seem like the best plan to me given the Nestea bottle of syringes but to each her own. I guess.\n\nApparently, waiting is a huge part of going to the hospital in Bulgaria. So as we waited I considered whether it would be appropriate for me to take pictures of the hospital for my blog. I ultimately decided against it. I didn\'t need to make a spectacle of things.\n\nWhen we finally got into see the urologist, it turned out that he was young and spoke the best English of any doctor I met all day. He was basically fluent. <em>Amazing</em>. He listened to my complaints and agreed that this was not normal. He actually checked my kidneys, unlike the doctor at Greenberg, and decided that I, in fact, did need a ultrasound and that he wanted the Pirogov lab to check my urine again. I have no idea what this doctor\'s name was but I\'d like to say to him thank-you, thank-you for taking my complaints seriously.\n\nD. and I set out for a half an hour for me to drink some fluids so that I\'d have a full bladder for the ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed two things. First that I did have a back-up of fluids in my left kidney and some inflammation of the bladder but the big thing it revealed was that post-urination not of the urine in my bladder was actually being expelled from my bladder. This is clearly the cause of my problems.\n\nNow the ultrasound felt pretty straightforward. We go in the doctor tells me to hang up my coat and bag and to like down on the examining table. At this point, D. reached down to pull down the roll of paper that\'s covered the table so that I have a clean piece of paper. The doctor thanks her. I unbutton my pants so that the doctor can preform the ultrasounds of my kidneys and bladder. The thing is, upon standing up I realize that the room for the ultrasound looks right out to the front of the hospital and that the window is open. I can see a row of policemen leaning against a retaining wall smoking and they can see me. So can anyone who walks in the front door of the hospital. <em>Interesting</em>.\n\nThen I go to the toilet. It\'s disgusting. There\'s no toilet seat on the toilet. Not that I would have used it anyway. There\'s standing water (I hope) on the floor. There\'s absolutely no toilet paper but after four years in Bulgaria I am used to that. But the part that really gets me is that the stall door won\'t really close. Ug. I try my very best not to touch anything and wash my hands with cold water sans soap.\n\nI head back to the ultrasound doctor. She has me lie back down. This time no one changes the paper on the examination table and it\'s clear to me that she hasn\'t changed it before I entered the room because I can see footprints on the bottom of the paper. <em>Awesome</em>. I lie down without mentioning this and proceed to convince myself that the worst thing that could happen from this would be that I get lice and all things considered that seems unlikely, or so I tell myself, and I try not to worry about it.\n\nAfter this D. and I went back to the urologist to have him take a look at the results of the ultrasound and my urine sample. There\'s a new doctor. The young English speaking urologist\'s shift has ended so I get to see and talk to a new urologist. He doesn\'t speak English but at this point it doesn\'t matter because D. speaks to this new urologist in Bulgarian for me. The sample revealed bacteria in my urine and on top of this my bladder isn\'t completely emptying. Interestingly, only 4 hours early the sample at Greenberg revealed nothing and I\'d been pronounced bacteria free.  This doctor suggests that I go and see a urine flow specialist a Professor K.\n\nSo, I paid my bill at Pirogov (74 leva) and we headed over to Professor K.\'s private office.\n\nThe thing is, the doctors I met at Pirogov were nothing if not professional. They seemed competent to me but they\'ve been saddled with a physical infrastructure that has seen better days and as I understand it there\'s a permanent lack of money for necessary improvements and upgrades. I imagine that this incredibly frustrating.\n\nThis said, I was also incredibly relieved that I wasn\'t suffering from some major illness and that this hospital was my only option for treatment. This realization make me once again aware of how lucky I am to have excellent health insurance and it made me very sad for everyone I saw at Pirogov for whom this hospital was their only option or maybe even their best option.','An afternoon at Pirogov','','inherit','open','open','','6476-autosave','','','2012-03-30 05:56:51','2012-03-30 03:56:51','',6476,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/6476-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6480,1,'2012-03-31 12:40:08','2012-03-31 10:40:08','On Wednesday night an 80+ year old Bulgarian man was attacked by a pack of stray dogs that live in and around the American College of Sofia. The Bulgarian news reports were that he was a professor at the American College. This however is factually untrue. It turns out that he is a professor he just doesn\'t work at ACS instead lives in the neighborhood <em>behind</em> the American College.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, this created a lot of confusion at school on Thursday. The Bulgarian media had reported that this man was a male foreign teacher at ACS and as a result, all sort of calls were made to check in with the American teachers at school. We were all fine. Rumors swirled among the students and as I understand it, the media inundated administration with calls and interview requests.\r\n\r\nAs a whole, our community was lucky. No teachers were hurt although the majority of international teachers do live on campus and it could have been one of them. The 80+ year old man has not been so lucky. As of Friday he was still in critical condition after being mauled by the dogs.\r\n\r\nThis incident is shocking. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nI don\'t live on campus but I have been privy to the pack of wild dogs that roam the school grounds. In the fall , I chased two wild dogs out of the first floor of the building I work in. The doors had been propped open because of the warm weather and the dogs came in apparently in search of food because I found them eating out of a garbage can still full from the lunch rush. These are bold dogs.\r\n\r\nAnother colleague of mine went home in the middle of the day for lunch and was chased into her house on campus by the same dogs. And a third colleague with little boys recounts having to throw rocks at the dogs who regularly circle their house.\r\n\r\nThe thing is, anyone who has spent time on campus has a similar story.\r\n\r\nThe wild part about this whole thing is the inability of anyone to act. The pack of dogs continues to grow. Our administrative team continues to reach out to the proper city authorities and nothing of note happens. We\'re being terrorized by dogs. The school has been reporting these incidents steadily and consistently.\r\n\r\nIn the mean time, these dogs have babies and the babies have babies. Over the last three years at ACS I\'ve seen at least two generations of these dogs grow up. Sure not all of the babies make it but enough of them do. The best the city seems able to do is to offer to serialize the dogs. This is something that is pretty clearly not working or the pack would not be growing.\r\n\r\nIn my mind, what\'s most appalling is that it took such a serious escalation of events for anyone to pay attention. It\'s been a serious problem for the last year as documented by this <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=1&amp;news_id=277\" target=\"_blank\">ACS press release which includes a copy of the letter to the mayor of Sofia municipality Mrs. Jordanka Fandakova</a> (with incoming number from the Sofia municipality 2100-386 (1) 09.12.2011.) A letter which I\'d like to note was signed not only by our ACS president but also by all department heads working at the Ministry of Interior Affairs units. So in terms of physical space we are very close neighbors.\r\n\r\nSo here we are. On Friday the Sofia Echo <a href=\"http://www.sofiaecho.com/2012/03/30/1798422_pack-of-dogs-that-savaged-elderly-man-in-sofia-to-be-put-down\" target=\"_blank\">reported that the pack of dog will now be euthanized</a> however it seems a little late for that as this clearly what should have happened six months ago.','Stray Dogs and the American College of Sofia ','','publish','open','open','','stray-dogs-and-the-american-college-of-sofia','','','2012-03-31 12:40:08','2012-03-31 10:40:08','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6480',0,'post','',3),(6481,1,'2012-03-31 12:39:54','2012-03-31 10:39:54','On Wednesday night an 80+ year old Bulgarian man was attacked by a pack of stray dogs that live in and around the American College of Sofia. The Bulgarian news reports were that he was a professor at the American College. This however is factually untrue. It turns out that he is a professor he just doesn\'t work at ACS instead lives in the neighborhood <em>behind</em> the American College.\n\nNeedless to say, this created a lot of confusion at school on Thursday. The Bulgarian media had reported that this man was a male foreign teacher at ACS and as a result, all sort of calls were made to check in with the American teachers at school. We were all fine. Rumors swirled among the students and as I understand it, the media inundated administration with calls and interview requests.\n\nAs a whole, our community was lucky. No teachers were hurt although the majority of international teachers do live on campus and it could have been one of them. The 80+ year old man has not been so lucky. As of Friday he was still in critical condition after being mauled by the dogs.\n\nThis incident is shocking. <!--more-->\n\nI don\'t live on campus but I have been privy to the pack of wild dogs that roam the school grounds. In the fall , I chased two wild dogs out of the first floor of the building I work in. The doors had been propped open because of the warm weather and the dogs came in apparently in search of food because I found them eating out of a garbage can still full from the lunch rush. These are bold dogs.\n\nAnother colleague of mine went home in the middle of the day for lunch and was chased into her house on campus by the same dogs. And a third colleague with little boys recounts having to throw rocks at the dogs who regularly circle their house.\n\nThe thing is, anyone who has spent time on campus has a similar story.\n\nThe wild part about this whole thing is the inability of anyone to act. The pack of dogs continues to grow. Our administrative team continues to reach out to the proper city authorities and nothing of note happens. We\'re being terrorized by dogs. The school has been reporting these incidents steadily and consistently.\n\nIn the mean time, these dogs have babies and the babies have babies. Over the last three years at ACS I\'ve seen at least two generations of these dogs grow up. Sure not all of the babies make it but enough of them do. The best the city seems able to do is to offer to serialize the dogs. This is something that is pretty clearly not working or the pack would not be growing.\n\nIn my mind, what\'s most appalling is that it took such a serious escalation of events for anyone to pay attention. It\'s been a serious problem for the last year as documented by this <a href=\"http://www.acs.bg/NewsDetails.aspx?cat_id=1&amp;news_id=277\" target=\"_blank\">ACS press release which includes a copy of the letter to the mayor of Sofia municipality Mrs. Jordanka Fandakova</a> (with incoming number from the Sofia municipality 2100-386 (1) 09.12.2011.) A letter which I\'d like to note was signed not only by our ACS president but also by all department heads working at the Ministry of Interior Affairs units. So in terms of physical space we are very close neighbors.\n\nSo here we are. On Friday the Sofia Echo <a href=\"http://www.sofiaecho.com/2012/03/30/1798422_pack-of-dogs-that-savaged-elderly-man-in-sofia-to-be-put-down\" target=\"_blank\">reported that the pack of dog will now be euthanized</a> however it seems a little late for that as this clearly what should have happened six months ago.','Stray Dogs and the American College of Sofia ','','inherit','open','open','','6480-revision','','','2012-03-31 12:39:54','2012-03-31 10:39:54','',6480,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6480-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6483,1,'2012-03-31 16:41:00','2012-03-31 14:41:00','After spending a whole day being shuttled between different clinics and Pirogov hospital, I then ended up going to Takuda for a second opinion. Takuda, I\'ll have you know, is very civilized.\n\nI got there at about 10am maybe a little later and was home by 11:30am.\n\nThe first thing I did was check in at the reception desk. There they made me an electronic card for the hospital. This way all of my records will be digital. That\'s pretty fancy for Bulgaria. All of the other clinics and hospitals I\'ve been in Bulgaria to are doing everything on paper still.\n\nFrom there I went to urology. The girl at the desk for the urology department didn\'t speak very good English. We had a little go around about what kind of a doctor I wanted to see. I said: urologist. Then I said it slowly. Then I said it slower. The funny thing was that I knew I was in the right place because it was the first specialty on the sign above the desk hanging above the girl\'s head. Once we stored this part out, I paid and was waiting for my invoice when the nurse called my name. I never even had a chance to sit down in the waiting room.\n\nI went straight in and had a long talk in English with the urologist. I explained everything that had happened to me over the last three months and more specifically over the last few days. He listened. He asked questions. He read lab reports and looked over my prescriptions.\n\nHe ended up confirming the basic diagnosis of the first doctors but he was hesitant to prescribe any medicine until he\'d run a sterile urine test. Fair enough. He asked me to complete this test. He instructed me to come back in a week when he\'d then run a few more tests and finalize my treatment.','On to Takuda Hospital ','','inherit','open','open','','6482-revision','','','2012-03-31 16:41:00','2012-03-31 14:41:00','',6482,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6482-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6484,1,'2012-04-01 07:07:09','2012-04-01 05:07:09','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\r\n\r\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\r\n\r\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\r\n\r\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','Learning Bulgarian: In 10','','publish','open','open','','learning-bulgarian-in-10','','','2012-04-07 15:52:31','2012-04-07 13:52:31','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6484',0,'post','',0),(6485,1,'2012-03-31 18:06:26','2012-03-31 16:06:26','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\n\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\n\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\n\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\n\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.','Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-revision','','','2012-03-31 18:06:26','2012-03-31 16:06:26','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6486,1,'2012-03-31 18:07:08','2012-03-31 16:07:08','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\r\n\r\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\r\n\r\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\r\n\r\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.','Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-revision-2','','','2012-03-31 18:07:08','2012-03-31 16:07:08','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6487,1,'2012-03-31 18:10:13','2012-03-31 16:10:13','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\n\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\n\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\n\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\n\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.\n\nOther In 10 Posts:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','Learning Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-revision-3','','','2012-03-31 18:10:13','2012-03-31 16:10:13','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6488,1,'2012-03-31 18:10:39','2012-03-31 16:10:39','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\r\n\r\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\r\n\r\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\r\n\r\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','Learning Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-revision-4','','','2012-03-31 18:10:39','2012-03-31 16:10:39','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6489,1,'2012-03-31 18:10:40','2012-03-31 16:10:40','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\r\n\r\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\r\n\r\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\r\n\r\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','Learning Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-revision-5','','','2012-03-31 18:10:40','2012-03-31 16:10:40','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6490,1,'2012-03-31 18:12:54','2012-03-31 16:12:54','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\n\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\n\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\n\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\n\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.\n\nOther In 10 Posts:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','Learning Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-autosave','','','2012-03-31 18:12:54','2012-03-31 16:12:54','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6491,1,'2012-04-01 21:37:29','2012-04-01 19:37:29','After spending a whole day being shuttled between different clinics and Pirogov hospital, I then ended up going to Takuda for a second opinion. Takuda, I\'ll have you know, is very civilized.\n\nI got there at about 10am maybe a little later and was home by 11:30am.\n\nThe first thing I did was check in at the reception desk. There they made me an electronic card for the hospital. This way all of my records will be digital. That\'s pretty fancy for Bulgaria. All of the other clinics and hospitals I\'ve been in Bulgaria to are doing everything on paper still.\n\nFrom there I went to urology. The girl at the desk for the urology department didn\'t speak very good English. We had a little go around about what kind of a doctor I wanted to see. I said: urologist. Then I said it slowly. Then I said it slower. The funny thing was that I knew I was in the right place because it was the first specialty on the sign above the desk hanging above the girl\'s head. Once we stored this part out, I paid and was waiting for my invoice when the nurse called my name. I never even had a chance to sit down in the waiting room.<!--more-->\n\nI went straight in and had a long talk in English with the urologist. I explained everything that had happened to me over the last three months and more specifically over the last few days. He listened. He asked questions. He read lab reports and looked over my prescriptions.\n\nHe ended up confirming the basic diagnosis of the first doctors but he was hesitant to prescribe any medicine until he\'d run a sterile urine test. Fair enough. He asked me to complete this test. He instructed me to come back in a week when he\'d then run a few more tests and finalize my treatment.\n\nI have to say it was everything I\'d hoped for and then some. The hospital was clean, well organized and the most efficient hospital I\'ve been in Bulgaria. My trip confirmed my suspicion that I probably should have gone their first and altogether bypassed Pirogov but these things happen sometimes.\n\nAt this point, I am not really getting any better but I am not getting any worse which is, in it\'s own way, comforting. I just wish that I wasn\'t still sick-ish but I am. Before all of this started I could easily stay up to 11pm and wake up at 6am with energy, ready to get my day started. These last few weeks, I\'ve been going to bed about 8:30 pm (or earlier) and struggling to wrench myself out of bed at 6:30am.\n\nAnyhow, I am going back to Takuda today for my second appointment. Fingers crossed that I find some kind of a resolution to my current health woes and then maybe just maybe I\'ll be able to start drinking coffee again. I miss coffee. A lot.  Then you;\'','On to Takuda Hospital ','','inherit','open','open','','6482-revision-2','','','2012-04-01 21:37:29','2012-04-01 19:37:29','',6482,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/6482-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6492,1,'2012-04-03 20:31:13','2012-04-03 18:31:13','This weekend I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/stray-dogs-and-the-american-college-of-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">the stray dog problem in and around the American College of Sofia</a>. It became a big deal after an elderly man was attacked by a pack of wild dogs living behind the College. <em>Scary</em>.\r\n\r\nMy parents started asking me all of these questions about the dogs during our long standing Sunday night skype date (well for them it\'s Sunday morning and they regularly torture me by drinking coffee and eating my dAd\'s homemade pancakes or waffles while we chat).  They wanted to know if the old man was okay. They wanted to know what I do to stay safe. They wanted to know what was going to happen to the dogs. They wanted to know how the problem go so out of hand.\r\n\r\nGood questions.\r\n\r\nOnly I didn\'t have any good answers. Aside from the fact that the way I try to stay safe is by not walking home from school at night and if I\'m still at school after dark, I try to leave with a friend as two seems better than one. However neither of these things seems especially helpful.\r\n\r\nNow however I have a few more answers. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThe old man is doing okay although the dogs did a number on his legs and face. The thought of what that actually means kind of makes me want to cry. <em>Poor man</em>.\r\n\r\nThen there are the dogs. It\'s hard to say what\'s actually going to happen them. The pack is fairly large and it\'s being reported that they are going to round up the most aggressive members of the pack to euthanize them. Only the word around campus is that these aggressive dogs have proven difficult to capture. Go figure. So I guess they are still out their roaming the streets. <em>Awesome</em>.\r\n\r\nThat brings me to this point: nothing related to the handling of stray dogs in general or this overly aggressive pack of dogs specifically instills any real confidence in me. The preference and maybe even the law is to sterilize the dogs rather than to euthanize them. I guess this would be fine if they were actually all being sterilized but they\'re not. Enter babies. Moreover, somehow it\'s also acceptable for dog owners to turn dogs out on the street when one can no longer provide for them adding to the number of stray dogs in the city. As such the task of dealing with these dogs becomes less and less manageable.\r\n\r\nA recent report calculated that there are 10,000 stray dogs in Sofia. I don\'t know about that. That seems like an awful lot of stray dogs but then again it is a big city that we live in. And really, what\'s a city to do with that many dogs?! That\'s an impossible and thankless job. One I am certainly glad that I don\'t have.\r\n\r\nIt does make a girl wonder. If there are that many dogs in city, how long would it take for a new pack of dogs to make themselves at home in the territory of the old dog pack? Then again, maybe somethings are better left unknown.','Stray Dog Update ','','publish','open','open','','stray-dog-update','','','2012-04-03 20:31:13','2012-04-03 18:31:13','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6492',0,'post','',3),(6493,1,'2012-04-03 20:30:39','2012-04-03 18:30:39','This weekend I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/stray-dogs-and-the-american-college-of-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">the stray dog problem in and around the American College of Sofia</a>. It became a big deal after an elderly man was attacked by a pack of wild dogs living behind the College. <em>Scary</em>.\n\nMy parents started asking me all of these questions about the dogs during our long standing Sunday night skype date (well for them it\'s Sunday morning and they regularly torture me by drinking coffee and eating my dAd\'s homemade pancakes or waffles while we chat).  They wanted to know if the old man was okay. They wanted to know what I do to stay safe. They wanted to know what was going to happen to the dogs. They wanted to know how the problem go so out of hand.\n\nGood questions.\n\nOnly I didn\'t have any good answers. Aside from the fact that the way I try to stay safe is by not walking home from school at night and if I\'m still at school after dark, I try to leave with a friend as two seems better than one. However neither of these things seems especially helpful.\n\nNow however I have a few more answers. <!--more-->\n\nThe old man is doing okay although the dogs did a number on his legs and face. The thought of what that actually means kind of makes me want to cry. <em>Poor man</em>.\n\nThen there are the dogs. It\'s hard to say what\'s actually going to happen them. The pack is fairly large and it\'s being reported that they are going to round up the most aggressive members of the pack to euthanize them. Only the word around campus is that these aggressive dogs have proven difficult to capture. Go figure. So I guess they are still out their roaming the streets. <em>Awesome</em>.\n\nThat brings me to this point: nothing related to the handling of stray dogs in general or this overly aggressive pack of dogs specifically instills any real confidence in me. The preference and maybe even the law is to sterilize the dogs rather than to euthanize them. I guess this would be fine if they were actually all being sterilized but they\'re not. Enter babies. Moreover, somehow it\'s also acceptable for dog owners to turn dogs out on the street when one can no longer provide for them adding to the number of stray dogs in the city. As such the task of dealing with these dogs becomes less and less manageable.\n\nA recent report calculated that there are 10,000 stray dogs in Sofia. I don\'t know about that. That seems like an awful lot of stray dogs but then again it is a big city that we live in. And really, what\'s a city to do with that many dogs?! That\'s an impossible and thankless job. One I am certainly glad that I don\'t have.\n\nIt does make a girl wonder. If there are that many dogs in city, how long would it take for a new pack of dogs to make themselves at home in the territory of the old dog pack?','Stray Dog Update ','','inherit','open','open','','6492-revision','','','2012-04-03 20:30:39','2012-04-03 18:30:39','',6492,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/03/6492-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6494,1,'2012-04-03 20:32:19','2012-04-03 18:32:19','This weekend I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/stray-dogs-and-the-american-college-of-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">the stray dog problem in and around the American College of Sofia</a>. It became a big deal after an elderly man was attacked by a pack of wild dogs living behind the College. <em>Scary</em>.\n\nMy parents started asking me all of these questions about the dogs during our long standing Sunday night skype date (well for them it\'s Sunday morning and they regularly torture me by drinking coffee and eating my dAd\'s homemade pancakes or waffles while we chat).  They wanted to know if the old man was okay. They wanted to know what I do to stay safe. They wanted to know what was going to happen to the dogs. They wanted to know how the problem go so out of hand.\n\nGood questions.\n\nOnly I didn\'t have any good answers. Aside from the fact that the way I try to stay safe is by not walking home from school at night and if I\'m still at school after dark, I try to leave with a friend as two seems better than one. However neither of these things seems especially helpful.\n\nNow however I have a few more answers. <!--more-->\n\nThe old man is doing okay although the dogs did a number on his legs and face. The thought of what that actually means kind of makes me want to cry. <em>Poor man</em>.\n\nThen there are the dogs. It\'s hard to say what\'s actually going to happen them. The pack is fairly large and it\'s being reported that they are going to round up the most aggressive members of the pack to euthanize them. Only the word around campus is that these aggressive dogs have proven difficult to capture. Go figure. So I guess they are still out their roaming the streets. <em>Awesome</em>.\n\nThat brings me to this point: nothing related to the handling of stray dogs in general or this overly aggressive pack of dogs specifically instills any real confidence in me. The preference and maybe even the law is to sterilize the dogs rather than to euthanize them. I guess this would be fine if they were actually all being sterilized but they\'re not. Enter babies. Moreover, somehow it\'s also acceptable for dog owners to turn dogs out on the street when one can no longer provide for them adding to the number of stray dogs in the city. As such the task of dealing with these dogs becomes less and less manageable.\n\nA recent report calculated that there are 10,000 stray dogs in Sofia. I don\'t know about that. That seems like an awful lot of stray dogs but then again it is a big city that we live in. And really, what\'s a city to do with that many dogs?! That\'s an impossible and thankless job. One I am certainly glad that I don\'t have.\n\nIt does make a girl wonder. If there are that many dogs in city, how long would it take for a new pack of dogs to make themselves at home in the territory of the old dog pack? Then again, maybe somethings are better left unknown.','Stray Dog Update ','','inherit','open','open','','6492-autosave','','','2012-04-03 20:32:19','2012-04-03 18:32:19','',6492,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/03/6492-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6496,1,'2012-04-04 18:12:03','2012-04-04 16:12:03','I realized recently that my tone has been rather negative on my blog recently. I\'m not usually that girl. Then again I\'m also not usually sick for three months in a row either. This said it\'s easy to get bogged down by complaining, by the woe is me-s and by general moroseness. But I don\'t want to be that girl. So here goes.\n\nOn my walk to work this morning, I realized that the snow pile behind Billa that spends most of the day in the shade is now only hip high. That\'s pretty wonderful. Hello, spring! (Okay, that does sill make the snow pile fairly large considering the fact I\'m 5\'11 but that\'s still something.)\n\nWork has been tough recently but at my desk this morning I realized that I\'m more or less caught up on emails. That\'s pretty wonderful. Grades are a different thing but I am not thinking about that right now. Somehow I know that I\'ll get everything done on time for my 4pm deadline tomorrow.\n\nOne of my colleagues H. told me today during a bomb drill (yes, a bomb drill), that she really liked my outfit and she\'d meant to tell me a lunch but never had a chance. <em>Aw</em>. What a wonderful thing to say. That kind of made my day.\n\nOn the 111 bus home, I spotted a man playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. I watched him play for a couple of stops. Then I realized that he\'s an old man with a bald spot who still wears the rest of his hair long playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. <em>His smart phone</em>. (I don\'t even have a smart phone.) Anyhow, I thought that was pretty wonderful. Of all of the games he could be playing, he decides to stick with a classic.','Looking for Wonderful','','inherit','open','open','','6495-revision','','','2012-04-04 18:12:03','2012-04-04 16:12:03','',6495,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/04/6495-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6497,1,'2012-04-04 18:12:50','2012-04-04 16:12:50','I realized recently that my tone has been rather negative on my blog recently. I\'m not usually that girl. Then again I\'m also not usually sick for three months in a row either. This said it\'s easy to get bogged down by complaining, by the woe is me-s and by general moroseness. But I don\'t want to be that girl. So here goes.\r\n\r\nOn my walk to work this morning, I realized that the snow pile behind Billa that spends most of the day in the shade is now only hip high. That\'s pretty wonderful. Hello, spring! (Okay, that does sill make the snow pile fairly large considering the fact I\'m 5\'11 but that\'s still something.)\r\n\r\nWork has been tough recently but at my desk this morning I realized that I\'m more or less caught up on emails. That\'s pretty wonderful. Grades are a different thing but I am not thinking about that right now. Somehow I know that I\'ll get everything done on time for my 4pm deadline tomorrow.\r\n\r\nOne of my colleagues H. told me today during a bomb drill (yes, a bomb drill), that she really liked my outfit and she\'d meant to tell me a lunch but never had a chance. <em>Aw</em>. What a wonderful thing to say. That kind of made my day.\r\n\r\nOn the 111 bus home, I spotted a man playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. I watched him play for a couple of stops. Then I realized that he\'s an old man with a bald spot who still wears the rest of his hair long playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. <em>His smart phone</em>. (I don\'t even have a smart phone.) Anyhow, I thought that was pretty wonderful. Of all of the games he could be playing, he decides to stick with a classic. I think there\'s a pretty good life lesson there.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t mind me. I am just looking for some wonderful.','Looking for Wonderful','','inherit','open','open','','6495-revision-2','','','2012-04-04 18:12:50','2012-04-04 16:12:50','',6495,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/04/6495-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6498,1,'2012-04-04 18:15:54','2012-04-04 16:15:54','I realized recently that my tone has been rather negative on my blog recently. I\'m not usually that girl. Then again I\'m also not usually sick for three months in a row either. This said it\'s easy to get bogged down by complaining, with a case of the woe is me-s or by general moroseness when you\'ve unwell for this long.\n\nBut I don\'t want to be that girl. So here goes.\n\nOn my walk to work this morning, I realized that the snow pile behind Billa that spends most of the day in the shade is now only hip high. That\'s pretty wonderful. Hello, spring! (Okay, that does sill make the snow pile fairly large considering the fact I\'m 5\'11 but that\'s still something.)\n\nWork has been tough recently but at my desk this morning I realized that I\'m more or less caught up on emails. That\'s pretty wonderful. Grades are a different thing but I am not thinking about that right now. Somehow I know that I\'ll get everything done on time for my 4pm deadline tomorrow.\n\nOne of my colleagues H. told me today during a bomb drill (yes, a bomb drill), that she really liked my outfit and she\'d meant to tell me a lunch but never had a chance. <em>Aw</em>. What a wonderful thing to say. That kind of made my day.\n\nOn the 111 bus home, I spotted a man playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. I watched him play for a couple of stops. Then I realized that he\'s an old man with a bald spot who still wears the rest of his hair long playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. <em>His smart phone</em>. (I don\'t even have a smart phone.) Anyhow, I thought that was pretty wonderful. Of all of the games he could be playing, he decides to stick with a classic. I think there\'s a awfully good life lesson wrapped up in that.\n\nSo don\'t mind me. I am just looking for some wonderful.','Looking for Wonderful','','inherit','open','open','','6495-revision-3','','','2012-04-04 18:15:54','2012-04-04 16:15:54','',6495,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/04/6495-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6499,1,'2012-04-17 20:17:53','2012-04-17 18:17:53','I realized recently that my tone has been rather negative on my blog recently. I\'m not usually that girl. Then again I\'m also not usually sick for three months in a row either. This said it\'s easy to get bogged down by complaining, with a case of the woe is me-s or by general moroseness when you\'ve been unwell for this long.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing, I don\'t want to be that girl. So here goes.\r\n\r\nOn my walk to work this morning, I realized that the snow pile behind Billa that spends most of the day in the shade is now only hip high. That\'s pretty wonderful. Hello, spring! (Okay, that does sill make the snow pile fairly large considering the fact I\'m 5\'11 but that\'s still something.)\r\n\r\nWork has been tough recently but at my desk this morning I realized that I\'m more or less caught up on emails. That\'s pretty wonderful. Grades are a different thing but I am not thinking about that right now. Somehow I know that I\'ll get everything done on time for my 4pm deadline tomorrow.\r\n\r\nOne of my colleagues H. told me today during a bomb drill (yes, a bomb drill), that she really liked my outfit and she\'d meant to tell me a lunch but never had a chance. <em>Aw</em>. What a wonderful thing to say. That kind of made my day.\r\n\r\nOn the 111 bus home, I spotted a man playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. I watched him play for a couple of stops. Then I realized that he\'s an old man with a bald spot who still wears the rest of his hair long playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. <em>His smart phone</em>. (I don\'t even have a smart phone.) Anyhow, I thought that was pretty wonderful. Of all of the games he could be playing, he decides to stick with a classic. I think there\'s a awfully good life lesson wrapped up in that.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t mind me. I am just looking for some wonderful.','Looking for Wonderful','','inherit','open','open','','6495-autosave','','','2012-04-17 20:17:53','2012-04-17 18:17:53','',6495,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/04/6495-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6501,1,'2012-04-05 19:29:37','2012-04-05 17:29:37','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n<a title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" /></a>\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. <!--more-->Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" />\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my own.\r\n\r\nThanks for the post Stara Sofia!!','My old street: Strumitsa','','publish','open','open','','my-old-street-strumitsa','','','2012-04-05 19:29:37','2012-04-05 17:29:37','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6501',0,'post','',4),(6502,1,'2012-04-05 19:15:13','2012-04-05 17:15:13','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\n\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\n\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\n\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\" title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\"></a>\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\n\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\n\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\n\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my won.','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision','','','2012-04-05 19:15:13','2012-04-05 17:15:13','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6503,1,'2012-04-05 19:17:41','2012-04-05 17:17:41','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\" title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\"></a>\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my won.','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-2','','','2012-04-05 19:17:41','2012-04-05 17:17:41','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6504,1,'2012-04-05 19:20:00','2012-04-05 17:20:00','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\" title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\"></a>\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n<img alt=\"\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" class=\"alignnone\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" />\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my won.','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-3','','','2012-04-05 19:20:00','2012-04-05 17:20:00','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6505,1,'2012-04-05 19:20:00','2012-04-05 17:20:00','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\" title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\"></a>\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n<img alt=\"\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" class=\"alignnone\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" />\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my won.','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-4','','','2012-04-05 19:20:00','2012-04-05 17:20:00','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6506,1,'2012-04-05 19:20:50','2012-04-05 17:20:50','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n<a title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" />\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my won.','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-5','','','2012-04-05 19:20:50','2012-04-05 17:20:50','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6507,1,'2012-04-05 19:21:57','2012-04-05 17:21:57','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n<a title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" />\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my won.','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-6','','','2012-04-05 19:21:57','2012-04-05 17:21:57','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6508,1,'2012-04-05 19:25:24','2012-04-05 17:25:24','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n<a title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" /></a>\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" />\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my own.\r\n\r\nThanks for the post Stara Sofia!!','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-7','','','2012-04-05 19:25:24','2012-04-05 17:25:24','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6509,1,'2012-04-05 19:27:10','2012-04-05 17:27:10','I knew I loved my old apartment in downtown Sofia for a reason. The location was great. It was quirky. My landlord and his wife were bubbly and incredibly friendly regularity inviting me over for dinner even though I didn\'t speak Bulgarian and they didn\'t speak English.\r\n\r\nBut I\'d forgotten about the the view until this morning.\r\n\r\nI was skimming through my google reader when I came across <a href=\"http://stara-sofia.blogspot.com/2012/04/blog-post_05.html\" target=\"_blank\">this entry from the blog Stara Sofia </a>(that\'s old Sofia for anyone who doesn\'t speak Bulgarian) about the house across the street from my first apartment in Sofia. I\'ve been feeling very nostalgic ever since I saw the post.\r\n<a title=\"View from my kitchen toward the right by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/2738388219/\"><img src=\"http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3269/2738388219_2919783dd7_z.jpg\" alt=\"View from my kitchen toward the right\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" /></a>\r\nI used to stand on my balcony, drink coffee and look at this house. I could see into the yard from my second floor apartment so I watched an elderly man plant flowers one afternoon. After a few weeks it was clear to me that no one lived on the top floor because the curtains never moved and no lights ever turned on.\r\n\r\nI daydreamed about what the apartment must look like with the round window at the top of the house. I imagined hunting down the owners and purchasing the apartment. Then one day a life time of old furniture, mattresses and garbage came down the stairs and to the curb and the curtains changed position. I wondered who owned the apartment but to the best of my knowledge and superior spying skills I only ever saw men who looked like workers coming and going.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering how old the building was. It was beautiful but in disrepair. I felt sad that the house was just crumbling away and I was watching it happen. I wondered how old my building was. It wasn\'t nearly as nice or interesting architecturally as the one across the street.\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Stara Sofia and Strumitsa\" src=\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DEcg9gh1K1c/T3yu4FsSwyI/AAAAAAAAGus/BiSJl12TZgc/s1600/DSC00580.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" />\r\nToday I was reminded of all of these past musings. The post on Stara Sofia suggests that the house was built around 1907 and that the upper floors were added later. It was also subdivided into apartments at some point. I know this because I am creepy and walked in the front door one day when it was ajar to see what their foyer was like.\r\n\r\nI am so happy to see that the house has been refurbished and has a new coat of paint. It looks beautiful. I\'ll have to go by and take some pictures of my own.\r\n\r\nThanks for the post Stara Sofia!!','My old street Strumitsa','','inherit','open','open','','6501-revision-8','','','2012-04-05 19:27:10','2012-04-05 17:27:10','',6501,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/05/6501-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6511,1,'2012-04-07 08:10:45','2012-04-07 06:10:45','Today is the first day of Spring Break! Hip-hip-houray.\n\nYesterday I celebrated by leaving work at 4pm or I tried to. A few things got in my way but I was out of there by 4:30 and that\'s pretty good for me.\n\nThen I bought two new pots and potting soil because I have two plants that are getting new homes. One of my plants has gotten so big it keeps knocking itself over. That\'s no good.\n\nAfter that I went with A. for cupcakes from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Take a Cake</a>. I have to say that I am digging their cupcake-muffin combo more and more. At first I wasn\'t sold but I had the lemon poppy seed cupcake/muffin and it really hit the spot. It was sweet and tart with a wonderfully airy but creamy vanilla frosting. A. had a chocolate chip mint muffin which <em>might</em> have been even better than mine.\n\nThen we went to a cafe. I drank an orange fanta and watched A. have a coffee. Now here\'s the thing. I think that fanta lemon is the superior fanta but the cafe was out of lemon. This seems to support my belief that fanta lemon is superior. Although I\'d like to add that even better than fanta lemon is Schweppes bitter lemon.  Anyhow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever written this much about soda on this blog. Mostly because I rarely drink soda. My go to drink for years has been coffee but because there\'s no coffee or alcohol in my life until I get my health all sorted out I\'ve found myself drinking lots of water, sparking water, juice and un-caffeinated soda.\n\nToday I\'ve got to move my plants into their new homes!\n\nI\'ve also got to pack for my trip to Romania. After this trip I\'ll have been to every country in the Balkans. Wow. We\'re renting a car and exploring the country for the next eight days. I\'m looking forward to the freedom of driving but I\'m a tinsy bit nervous about the fairly aggressive driving in the Balkans. I know that I\'ll be fine but I\'ve been pretty happy the last four years to let other people drive me around.\n\nBut before I head to Romania on Sunday, I\'ve got to run some errands. Nothing too interesting but that\'s okay. I don\'t mind.','At Last: Spring Break ','','inherit','open','open','','6510-revision','','','2012-04-07 08:10:45','2012-04-07 06:10:45','',6510,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6510-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6512,1,'2012-04-07 08:10:55','2012-04-07 06:10:55','Today is the first day of Spring Break! Hip-hip-houray.\r\n\r\nYesterday I celebrated by leaving work at 4pm or I tried to. A few things got in my way but I was out of there by 4:30 and that\'s pretty good for me.\r\n\r\nThen I bought two new pots and potting soil because I have two plants that are getting new homes. One of my plants has gotten so big it keeps knocking itself over. That\'s no good.\r\n\r\nAfter that I went with A. for cupcakes from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Take a Cake</a>. I have to say that I am digging their cupcake-muffin combo more and more. At first I wasn\'t sold but I had the lemon poppy seed cupcake/muffin and it really hit the spot. It was sweet and tart with a wonderfully airy but creamy vanilla frosting. A. had a chocolate chip mint muffin which <em>might</em> have been even better than mine.\r\n\r\nThen we went to a cafe. I drank an orange fanta and watched A. have a coffee. Now here\'s the thing. I think that fanta lemon is the superior fanta but the cafe was out of lemon. This seems to support my belief that fanta lemon is superior. Although I\'d like to add that even better than fanta lemon is Schweppes bitter lemon.  Anyhow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever written this much about soda on this blog. Mostly because I rarely drink soda. My go to drink for years has been coffee but because there\'s no coffee or alcohol in my life until I get my health all sorted out I\'ve found myself drinking lots of water, sparking water, juice and un-caffeinated soda.\r\n\r\nToday I\'ve got to move my plants into their new homes!\r\n\r\nI\'ve also got to pack for my trip to Romania. After this trip I\'ll have been to every country in the Balkans. Wow. We\'re renting a car and exploring the country for the next eight days. I\'m looking forward to the freedom of driving but I\'m a tinsy bit nervous about the fairly aggressive driving in the Balkans. I know that I\'ll be fine but I\'ve been pretty happy the last four years to let other people drive me around.\r\n\r\nBut before I head to Romania on Sunday, I\'ve got to run some errands. Nothing too interesting but that\'s okay. I don\'t mind.','At Last: Spring Break ','','inherit','open','open','','6510-revision-2','','','2012-04-07 08:10:55','2012-04-07 06:10:55','',6510,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6510-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6513,1,'2012-04-07 08:19:01','2012-04-07 06:19:01','Today is the first day of Spring Break! Hip-hip-houray.\n\nYesterday I celebrated by leaving work at 4pm or I tried to. A few things got in my way but I was out of there by 4:30 and that\'s pretty good for me.\n\nThen I bought two new pots and potting soil because I have two plants that are getting new homes. One of my plants has gotten so big it keeps knocking itself over. That\'s no good.\n\nAfter that I went with A. for cupcakes from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Take a Cake</a>. I have to say that I am digging their cupcake-muffin combo more and more. At first I wasn\'t sold but I had the lemon poppy seed cupcake/muffin and it really hit the spot. It was sweet and tart with a wonderfully airy but creamy vanilla frosting. A. had a chocolate chip mint muffin which <em>might</em> have been even better than mine.\n\nThen we went to a cafe. I drank an orange fanta and watched A. have a coffee. Now here\'s the thing. I think that fanta lemon is the superior fanta but the cafe was out of lemon. This seems to support my belief that fanta lemon is superior. Although I\'d like to add that even better than fanta lemon is Schweppes bitter lemon.\n\nAnyhow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever written this much about soda on this blog. Mostly because I rarely drink soda. My go to drink for years has been coffee but because there\'s no coffee or alcohol in my life until I get my health all sorted out I\'ve found myself drinking lots of water, sparking water, juice and un-caffeinated soda.\n\nSometimes I wonder what I\'ve done to deserve this punishment. I love coffee and frankly fanta is inadequate substitute. Hopefully in two-or-so weeks I\'ll be back to my normal coffee routine. Already it\'s been a long seven weeks.\n\nSo I\'ve got to run shortly. I\'ve got a lot on my to-do list.\n\nI\'ve got to move my plants into their new homes! They are going to be so happy.\n\nThen I must pack for my trip to Romania. This is going to require some creativity. The weather is going to really fluctuate next week.\n\nWhat\'s wild is that after this trip I\'ll have been to every country in the Balkans and nearly every country in Eastern Europe). Wow. How did that happen?!\n\nFor spring break, we\'re renting a car and exploring Romania for the next eight days. Hello Dracula. Hello painted monasteries. Hello Bucharest. I\'m looking forward to the freedom of driving but I\'m a tinsy bit nervous about the fairly aggressive driving in the Balkans. I know that I\'ll be fine but I\'ve been pretty happy the last four years to let other people drive me around.\n\nBut before I head to Romania on Sunday, I\'ve got to run some errands. Nothing too interesting but that\'s okay. I don\'t mind. I goin','At Last: Spring Break ','','inherit','open','open','','6510-revision-3','','','2012-04-07 08:19:01','2012-04-07 06:19:01','',6510,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6510-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6514,1,'2012-04-07 08:20:01','2012-04-07 06:20:01','Today is the first day of Spring Break! Hip-hip-houray.\n\nYesterday I celebrated by leaving work at 4pm or I tried to. A few things got in my way but I was out of there by 4:30 and that\'s pretty good for me.\n\nThen I bought two new pots and potting soil because I have two plants that are getting new homes. One of my plants has gotten so big it keeps knocking itself over. That\'s no good.\n\nAfter that I went with A. for cupcakes from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Take a Cake</a>. I have to say that I am digging their cupcake-muffin combo more and more. At first I wasn\'t sold but I had the lemon poppy seed cupcake/muffin and it really hit the spot. It was sweet and tart with a wonderfully airy but creamy vanilla frosting. A. had a chocolate chip mint muffin which <em>might</em> have been even better than mine.\n\nThen we went to a cafe. I drank an orange fanta and watched A. have a coffee. Now here\'s the thing. I think that fanta lemon is the superior fanta but the cafe was out of lemon. This seems to support my belief that fanta lemon is superior. Although I\'d like to add that even better than fanta lemon is Schweppes bitter lemon.\n\nAnyhow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever written this much about soda on this blog. Mostly because I rarely drink soda. My go to drink for years has been coffee but because there\'s no coffee or alcohol in my life until I get my health all sorted out I\'ve found myself drinking lots of water, sparking water, juice and un-caffeinated soda.\n\nSometimes I wonder what I\'ve done to deserve this punishment. I love coffee and frankly fanta is inadequate substitute. Hopefully in two-or-so weeks I\'ll be back to my normal coffee routine. Already it\'s been a long seven weeks.\n\nSo I\'ve got to run shortly. I\'ve got a lot on my to-do list.\n\nI\'ve got to move my plants into their new homes! They are going to be so happy.\n\nThen I must pack for my trip to Romania. This is going to require some creativity. The weather is going to really fluctuate next week.\n\nWhat\'s wild is that after this trip I\'ll have been to every country in the Balkans and nearly every country in Eastern Europe). Wow. How did that happen?!\n\nFor spring break, we\'re renting a car and exploring Romania for the next eight days. Hello Dracula. Hello painted monasteries. Hello Bucharest. I\'m looking forward to the freedom of driving but I\'m a tinsy bit nervous about the fairly aggressive driving in the Balkans. I know that I\'ll be fine but I\'ve been pretty happy the last four years to let other people drive me around.\n\nBut before I head to Romania on Sunday, I\'ve got to run some errands. Nothing too interesting but that\'s okay. I don\'t mind. I going on an adventure tomorrow!!','At Last: Spring Break ','','inherit','open','open','','6510-revision-4','','','2012-04-07 08:20:01','2012-04-07 06:20:01','',6510,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6510-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6515,1,'2012-04-07 08:21:21','2012-04-07 06:21:21','Today is the first day of Spring Break! Hip-hip-houray.\n\nYesterday I celebrated by leaving work at 4pm or I tried to. A few things got in my way but I was out of there by 4:30 and that\'s pretty good for me.\n\nThen I bought two new pots and potting soil because I have two plants that are getting new homes. One of my plants has gotten so big it keeps knocking itself over. That\'s no good.\n\nAfter that I went with A. for cupcakes from <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Take a Cake</a>. I have to say that I am digging their cupcake-muffin combo more and more. At first I wasn\'t sold but I had the lemon poppy seed cupcake/muffin and it really hit the spot. It was sweet and tart with a wonderfully airy but creamy vanilla frosting. A. had a chocolate chip mint muffin which <em>might</em> have been even better than mine.<!--more-->\n\nThen we went to a cafe. I drank an orange fanta and watched A. have a coffee. Now here\'s the thing. I think that fanta lemon is the superior fanta but the cafe was out of lemon. This seems to support my belief that fanta lemon is superior. Although I\'d like to add that even better than fanta lemon is Schweppes bitter lemon.\n\nAnyhow, I don\'t think I\'ve ever written this much about soda on this blog. Mostly because I rarely drink soda. My go to drink for years has been coffee but because there\'s no coffee or alcohol in my life until I get my health all sorted out I\'ve found myself drinking lots of water, sparking water, juice and un-caffeinated soda.\n\nSometimes I wonder what I\'ve done to deserve this punishment. I love coffee and frankly fanta is inadequate substitute. Hopefully in two-or-so weeks I\'ll be back to my normal coffee routine. Already it\'s been a long seven weeks.\n\nSo I\'ve got to run shortly. I\'ve got a lot on my to-do list.\n\nI\'ve got to move my plants into their new homes! They are going to be so happy.\n\nThen I must pack for my trip to Romania. This is going to require some creativity. The weather is going to really fluctuate next week.\n\nWhat\'s wild is that after this trip I\'ll have been to every country in the Balkans and nearly every country in Eastern Europe). Wow. How did that happen?!\n\nFor spring break, we\'re renting a car and exploring Romania for the next eight days. Hello Dracula. Hello painted monasteries. Hello Bucharest. I\'m looking forward to the freedom of driving but I\'m a tinsy bit nervous about the fairly aggressive driving in the Balkans. I know that I\'ll be fine but I\'ve been pretty happy the last four years to let other people drive me around.\n\nBut before I head to Romania on Sunday, I\'ve got to run some errands. Nothing too interesting but that\'s okay. I don\'t mind. I going on an adventure tomorrow!!','At Last: Spring Break ','','inherit','open','open','','6510-autosave','','','2012-04-07 08:21:21','2012-04-07 06:21:21','',6510,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6510-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6516,1,'2012-04-08 07:52:53','2012-04-08 05:52:53','Sunday, April 8th is Easter in the States. This year we\'re celebrating one week before those who follow the Orthodox calendar.\r\n\r\nThe Easters of my childhood included:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Pastel colors: light pink, robin\'s egg blue, mint green, pale yellow.</li>\r\n	<li>Dying Easter eggs with <a href=\"http://www.paaseastereggs.com/products.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Paas dye</a>.</li>\r\n	<li>The Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs hidden by said bunny.</li>\r\n	<li>My Easter basket usually filled with books, jelly beans and a chocolate bunny.</li>\r\n	<li>Church on Sunday morning.</li>\r\n	<li>A pretty new dress for church with plenty of ruffles and usually a bow.</li>\r\n	<li>Easter dinner with ham.</li>\r\n	<li>Family including grandmas, aunts and uncles.</li>\r\n	<li>Daffodils and tulips.</li>\r\n	<li>Lamb cake. Yes, a yellow cake made in a <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-Large-Lamb-Cake/dp/B0015XX00S\" target=\"_blank\">mold shaped like a lamb </a>and covered with white frosting and shredded coconut. You know so it looks like a lamb.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nAs a 20-something in Washington DC, Easter was a twist on my Easters growing up. I\'d email friends to join our group house for Easter brunch pastel colors and pretty dresses were encouraged. On Saturday, I\'d make up a big Easter basket with plastic eggs filled with pastel colored M&amp;Ms and jelly beans. I\'s also dye eggs. Then on Sunday, we\'d have 2 dozen friends over for Easter brunch. I\'d make make a coffee cake, a fruit platter, put on the coffee, whip up mimosas and put out a bouquet of fresh flowers. My roommates often baked a ham, make deviled eggs, french toast casserole and whatever felt brunch worthy. Friends would arrive about 1pm with plates of food to share. Brunch was served buffet style and everyone would hang out, talk and eat.\r\n\r\nOh and next week, Bulgarian Easter in 10. So stay tuned.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/learning-bulgarian-in-10/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Bulgarian</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','American Easter in 10','','publish','open','open','','american-easter-in-10','','','2012-04-07 15:54:12','2012-04-07 13:54:12','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6516',0,'post','',0),(6517,1,'2012-04-07 14:45:25','2012-04-07 12:45:25','Sunday, April 8th is Easter in the States. This year we\'re celebrating one week before those who follow the Orthodox calendar.\n\nThe Easters of my childhood included:\n<ol>\n	<li>Pastel colors: light pink, robin\'s egg blue, mint green, pale yellow.</li>\n	<li>Dying Easter eggs with <a href=\"http://www.paaseastereggs.com/products.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Paas dye</a>.</li>\n	<li>The Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs hidden by said bunny.</li>\n	<li>My Easter basket usually filled with books and a chocolate bunny.</li>\n	<li>Church on Sunday morning.</li>\n	<li>A pretty new dress for church with plenty of ruffles and usually a bow.</li>\n	<li>Easter dinner with ham.</li>\n	<li>Family including grandmas, aunts and uncles.</li>\n	<li>Daffodils and tulips.</li>\n	<li>Lamb cake. Yes, a yellow cake made in a mold shaped like a lamb and covered with white frosting and shredded coconut.</li>\n</ol>','American Easter in 10','','inherit','open','open','','6516-revision','','','2012-04-07 14:45:25','2012-04-07 12:45:25','',6516,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6516-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6518,1,'2012-03-31 18:11:50','2012-03-31 16:11:50','I\'ve been working on learning Bulgarian since I moved to Sofia as a Fulbright scholar. My progress has been well slow but steady. I arrived in country knowing the alphabet and more or less my numbers. Oh and a few greetings like: hello, good morning and good day. I had a lot to learn. I took a course and got a little better.\r\n\r\nThen I started teaching and had less time to learn Bulgarian. When I decided to stay on for another to teach at ACS, I decided that I needed to become more serious in studying Bulgarian. Since then I\'ve been taking classes twice a week at ACS and I have a standing private lesson on Sunday afternoons.\r\n<a title=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg\" alt=\"In 10: Learning Bulgarian\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI am more confident now than I was before but frankly I still have a lot to learn. Sometimes I get discouraged by this. Other times, I am just really proud of being able to have conversations with non-English speaking colleagues. Learning another language isn\'t easy. It takes time and energy and I haven\'t always committed enough of either of these things to studying Bulgarian.\r\n\r\nLife gets in the way sometimes. But that\'s okay. At this point, I\'d rather be out living than at home with my Bulgarian books. It\'s a choice that I\'ve made. So I do my very best with the amount of time that I can commit to it. While my Bulgarian isn\'t getting better in leaps and bounds, I know that it\'s improving bit by bit and I\'m okay with that.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to studying the language, I don\'t love any of the text books that I have. Many have mistakes in Bulgarian because they\'ve been made cheaply and quickly. The best one I have for grammar and practice is only in Bulgarian and doesn\'t have any English so I spend a lot of time on google translate looking things up.\r\n\r\nI get asked pretty frequently about which book (or books) I recommend. But frankly, it\'s difficult for me to recommend a textbook because none of them really wow me. Probably the best book for studying on your own before arriving in Bulgaria is <a href=\"http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEARN-BULGARIAN-THE-EASY-textbook/dp/B002BAUFXE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1333209074&amp;sr=1-2\" target=\"_blank\">How to Learn Bulgarian the Easy Way.</a> Although I am not convinced there is an easy way. This said, I more or less like the layout of the book and the cds are pretty helpful. It just seems to move pretty quickly for a self-study guide and there aren\'t a lot of changes to practice your grammar and what not. The biggest drawback is that the book doesn\'t seem to be in print and/or easily available.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','Learning Bulgarian: In 10','','inherit','open','open','','6484-revision-6','','','2012-03-31 18:11:50','2012-03-31 16:11:50','',6484,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/31/6484-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6519,1,'2012-04-07 15:49:06','2012-04-07 13:49:06','Sunday, April 8th is Easter in the States. This year we\'re celebrating one week before those who follow the Orthodox calendar.\n\nThe Easters of my childhood included:\n<ol>\n	<li>Pastel colors: light pink, robin\'s egg blue, mint green, pale yellow.</li>\n	<li>Dying Easter eggs with <a href=\"http://www.paaseastereggs.com/products.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Paas dye</a>.</li>\n	<li>The Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs hidden by said bunny.</li>\n	<li>My Easter basket usually filled with books, jelly beans and a chocolate bunny.</li>\n	<li>Church on Sunday morning.</li>\n	<li>A pretty new dress for church with plenty of ruffles and usually a bow.</li>\n	<li>Easter dinner with ham.</li>\n	<li>Family including grandmas, aunts and uncles.</li>\n	<li>Daffodils and tulips.</li>\n	<li>Lamb cake. Yes, a yellow cake made in a <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-Large-Lamb-Cake/dp/B0015XX00S\" target=\"_blank\">mold shaped like a lamb </a>and covered with white frosting and shredded coconut. You know so it looks like a lamb.</li>\n</ol>\nAs a 20-something in Washington DC, Easter was a twist on my Easters growing up. I\'d email friends to join our group house for Easter brunch pastel colors and pretty dresses were encouraged. On Saturday, I\'d make up a big Easter basket with plastic eggs filled with pastel colored M&amp;Ms and jelly beans. I\'s also dye eggs. Then on Sunday, we\'d have 2 dozen friends over for Easter brunch. I\'d make make a coffee cake, a fruit platter, put on the coffee, whip up mimosas and put out a bouquet of fresh flowers. My roommates often baked a ham, make deviled eggs, french toast casserole and whatever felt brunch worthy. Friends would arrive about 1pm with plates of food to share. Brunch was served buffet style and everyone would hang out, talk and eat.\n\nOh and next week, Bulgarian Easter in 10. So stay tuned.','American Easter in 10','','inherit','open','open','','6516-revision-2','','','2012-04-07 15:49:06','2012-04-07 13:49:06','',6516,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6516-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6520,1,'2012-04-07 15:52:52','2012-04-07 13:52:52','Sunday, April 8th is Easter in the States. This year we\'re celebrating one week before those who follow the Orthodox calendar.\r\n\r\nThe Easters of my childhood included:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Pastel colors: light pink, robin\'s egg blue, mint green, pale yellow.</li>\r\n	<li>Dying Easter eggs with <a href=\"http://www.paaseastereggs.com/products.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Paas dye</a>.</li>\r\n	<li>The Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs hidden by said bunny.</li>\r\n	<li>My Easter basket usually filled with books, jelly beans and a chocolate bunny.</li>\r\n	<li>Church on Sunday morning.</li>\r\n	<li>A pretty new dress for church with plenty of ruffles and usually a bow.</li>\r\n	<li>Easter dinner with ham.</li>\r\n	<li>Family including grandmas, aunts and uncles.</li>\r\n	<li>Daffodils and tulips.</li>\r\n	<li>Lamb cake. Yes, a yellow cake made in a <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-Large-Lamb-Cake/dp/B0015XX00S\" target=\"_blank\">mold shaped like a lamb </a>and covered with white frosting and shredded coconut. You know so it looks like a lamb.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nAs a 20-something in Washington DC, Easter was a twist on my Easters growing up. I\'d email friends to join our group house for Easter brunch pastel colors and pretty dresses were encouraged. On Saturday, I\'d make up a big Easter basket with plastic eggs filled with pastel colored M&amp;Ms and jelly beans. I\'s also dye eggs. Then on Sunday, we\'d have 2 dozen friends over for Easter brunch. I\'d make make a coffee cake, a fruit platter, put on the coffee, whip up mimosas and put out a bouquet of fresh flowers. My roommates often baked a ham, make deviled eggs, french toast casserole and whatever felt brunch worthy. Friends would arrive about 1pm with plates of food to share. Brunch was served buffet style and everyone would hang out, talk and eat.\r\n\r\nOh and next week, Bulgarian Easter in 10. So stay tuned.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/learning-bulgarian-in-10/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Bulgarian</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','American Easter in 10','','inherit','open','open','','6516-revision-3','','','2012-04-07 15:52:52','2012-04-07 13:52:52','',6516,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6516-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),