(6645,1,'2012-05-06 09:07:18','2012-05-06 07:07:18','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second.\r\n\r\nThe difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\r\n\r\nHere are my nachos:\r\n<a title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" alt=\"My second place nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. Did I mention the difference of one point between first and second place?!\r\n\r\nI thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>Um, thanks.</em>\r\n<a title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.\r\n\r\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\r\n<a title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a><a title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495367/\" title=\"The judges by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7147495367_647c6d37a6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The judges\"></a>\r\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\r\n<a title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" alt=\"Individual nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410710/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7001410710_1657a62d6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Winning Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147494815/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7147494815_bf54129aa7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Winning Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\r\n\r\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409626/\" title=\"First place Nacho hat by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7001409626_3cb9c2ccf1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"First place Nacho hat\"></a>\r\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','inherit','open','open','','6639-revision-6','','','2012-05-06 09:07:18','2012-05-06 07:07:18','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6646,1,'2012-05-06 09:09:23','2012-05-06 07:09:23','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second.\n\nThe difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\n\nHere are my nachos:\n<a title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" alt=\"My second place nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. Did I mention the difference of one point between first and second place?!\n\nI thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em></em>\n\n<em>Um, thanks.</em>\n<a title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.<!--more-->\n\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\n<a title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a><a title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\n<a title=\"The judges by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495367/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7147495367_647c6d37a6_z.jpg\" alt=\"The judges\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\n<a title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" alt=\"Individual nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\n<a title=\"Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410710/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7001410710_1657a62d6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\n<a title=\"Winning Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147494815/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7147494815_bf54129aa7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Winning Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\n\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\n<a title=\"First place Nacho hat by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409626/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7001409626_3cb9c2ccf1_z.jpg\" alt=\"First place Nacho hat\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','inherit','open','open','','6639-autosave','','','2012-05-06 09:09:23','2012-05-06 07:09:23','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6647,1,'2012-05-07 20:11:26','2012-05-07 18:11:26','I don\'t want to get your hopes up too much but I just thought I\'d let you know that I finally <a href=\"http://daybyeday.tumblr.com/\" target=\"_blank\">wrote a blog post in Bulgarian</a>. Remember when I thought I\'d write a couple of times a week in Bulgarian?\r\n\r\nHa, ha. That lasted, well, not very long.\r\n\r\nIn January, I figured a new year, a new resolution. Then I got sick and everything seemed too hard.\r\n\r\nSo here goes. Part two.\r\n\r\nI am also re-committing to doing my Bulgarian homework earlier than Saturday (or Sunday morning) before my Sunday afternoon lesson. Yeah that\'s a horrible habit that I\'ve fallen into.\r\n\r\nThen to just really go wild, I dug out my collection of Bulgarian fairy tales because I figured that if I don\'t actually do these things I am never-ever going to learn the language.','Tumblr-ing in Bulgarian ','','publish','open','open','','tumblr-ing-in-bulgarian','','','2012-05-07 20:11:26','2012-05-07 18:11:26','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6647',0,'post','',4),(6648,1,'2012-05-07 20:11:22','2012-05-07 18:11:22','I don\'t want to get your hopes up too much but I just thought I\'d let you know that I finally <a href=\"http://daybyeday.tumblr.com/\" target=\"_blank\">wrote a blog post in Bulgarian</a>. Remember when I thought I\'d write a couple of times a week in Bulgarian?\n\nHa, ha. That lasted, well, not very long.\n\nIn January, I figured a new year, a new resolution. Then I got sick and everything seemed too hard.\n\nSo here goes. Part two.\n\nI am also re-committing to doing my Bulgarian homework earlier than Saturday (or Sunday morning) before my Sunday afternoon lesson. Yeah that\'s a horrible habit that I\'ve fallen into.\n\nThen to just really go wild, I dug out my collection of Bulgarian fairy tales because I figured that if I don\'t actually do these things I am never-ever going to learn the language.','Tumblr-ing in Bulgarian ','','inherit','open','open','','6647-revision','','','2012-05-07 20:11:22','2012-05-07 18:11:22','',6647,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/07/6647-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6649,1,'2012-05-07 20:12:32','2012-05-07 18:12:32','I don\'t want to get your hopes up too much but I just thought I\'d let you know that I finally <a href=\"http://daybyeday.tumblr.com/\" target=\"_blank\">wrote a blog post in Bulgarian</a>. Remember when I thought I\'d write a couple of times a week in Bulgarian?\n\nHa, ha. That lasted, well, not very long.\n\nIn January, I figured a new year, a new resolution. Then I got sick and everything seemed too hard.\n\nSo here goes. Part two.\n\nI am also re-committing to doing my Bulgarian homework earlier than Saturday (or Sunday morning) before my Sunday afternoon lesson. Yeah that\'s a horrible habit that I\'ve fallen into.\n\nThen to just really go wild, I dug out my collection of Bulgarian fairy tales because I figured that if I don\'t actually do these things I am never-ever going to learn the language.','Tumblr-ing in Bulgarian ','','inherit','open','open','','6647-autosave','','','2012-05-07 20:12:32','2012-05-07 18:12:32','',6647,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/07/6647-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6650,1,'2012-05-08 14:18:47','2012-05-08 12:18:47','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\r\n\r\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\r\n\r\nA stop in my neighborhood?\r\n\r\nYes please.\r\n\r\nThen I started waiting.\r\n\r\nAnd waiting.\r\n\r\nI\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\nI have to say the wait was worth it. Now we\'ve got a metro in Mladost 3 which some how also seems to be conveniently close to Mladost 1A as well!! Watch out Levski, University and Serdika stops, I\'m coming to you.\r\n\r\nOn the metro. That\'s a leva well spent. <!--more-->\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it, a dirt on all sides and three big block buildings in the background.\r\n\r\nA asphalt sidewalk has been added to allow one to get to the stop without walking through the dust and dirt but that\'s about it. It kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs. Right now the Mladost 3 metro stop seems rather lonely. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character--just look at those jaunty tile floors.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','publish','open','open','','mladost-3-metro','','','2012-05-08 14:18:47','2012-05-08 12:18:47','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6650',0,'post','',4),(6651,1,'2012-05-08 13:59:33','2012-05-08 11:59:33','The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\n\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. I was pretty excited about taking the metro. First I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia and I was super pumped up about a stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\n\nNow I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\n\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\n\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\n\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\n\n&nbsp;','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision','','','2012-05-08 13:59:33','2012-05-08 11:59:33','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6652,1,'2012-05-08 14:01:31','2012-05-08 12:01:31','The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\n\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. I was pretty excited about taking the metro. First I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia and I was super pumped up about a stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\n\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\n\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\n\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\n\n&nbsp;','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-2','','','2012-05-08 14:01:31','2012-05-08 12:01:31','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6653,1,'2012-05-08 14:03:06','2012-05-08 12:03:06','The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\n\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. I was pretty excited about taking the metro. First I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia and I was super pumped up about a stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\n\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\n\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\n\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-3','','','2012-05-08 14:03:06','2012-05-08 12:03:06','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6654,1,'2012-05-08 14:03:28','2012-05-08 12:03:28','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f_n.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. I was pretty excited about taking the metro. First I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia and I was super pumped up about a stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\r\n\r\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-4','','','2012-05-08 14:03:28','2012-05-08 12:03:28','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6655,1,'2012-05-08 14:03:41','2012-05-08 12:03:41','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f_n.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"320\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. I was pretty excited about taking the metro. First I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia and I was super pumped up about a stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\r\n\r\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-5','','','2012-05-08 14:03:41','2012-05-08 12:03:41','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6656,1,'2012-05-08 14:05:32','2012-05-08 12:05:32','<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. I was pretty excited about taking the metro. First I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia and I was super pumped up about a stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\r\n\r\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-6','','','2012-05-08 14:05:32','2012-05-08 12:05:32','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6657,1,'2012-05-08 14:09:35','2012-05-08 12:09:35','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\n\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\n\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\n\nA stop in my neighborhood. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\n\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\n\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\n\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-7','','','2012-05-08 14:09:35','2012-05-08 12:09:35','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6658,1,'2012-05-08 14:10:05','2012-05-08 12:10:05','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\r\n\r\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\r\n\r\nA stop in my neighborhood? Yes please.\r\n\r\nThen I started waiting. And waiting. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\r\n\r\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-8','','','2012-05-08 14:10:05','2012-05-08 12:10:05','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6659,1,'2012-05-08 14:10:08','2012-05-08 12:10:08','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\r\n\r\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\r\n\r\nA stop in my neighborhood? Yes please.\r\n\r\nThen I started waiting. And waiting. I\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\r\n\r\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-9','','','2012-05-08 14:10:08','2012-05-08 12:10:08','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(6660,1,'2012-05-08 14:13:32','2012-05-08 12:13:32','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\r\n\r\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\r\n\r\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\r\n\r\nA stop in my neighborhood?\r\n\r\nYes please.\r\n\r\nThen I started waiting.\r\n\r\nAnd waiting.\r\n\r\nI\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\r\n\r\nI have to say the wait was worth it. Now we\'ve got a metro in Mladost 3 which some how also seems to be conveniently close to Mladost 1A as well!! Watch out Levski, University and Serdika stops, I\'m coming to you.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it and dirt on all sides. A asphalt sidewalk has been added but that\'s about it.\r\n\r\nIt kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs--the lonely Mladost 3 metro stop. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\r\n\r\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character.\r\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-10','','','2012-05-08 14:13:32','2012-05-08 12:13:32','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(6661,1,'2012-05-08 14:18:37','2012-05-08 12:18:37','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\n\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\n\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\n\nA stop in my neighborhood?\n\nYes please.\n\nThen I started waiting.\n\nAnd waiting.\n\nI\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\n\nI have to say the wait was worth it. Now we\'ve got a metro in Mladost 3 which some how also seems to be conveniently close to Mladost 1A as well!! Watch out Levski, University and Serdika stops, I\'m coming to you.\n\nOn the metro. That\'s a leva well spent. <!--more-->\n\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it, a dirt on all sides and three big block buildings in the background.\n\nA asphalt sidewalk has been added to allow one to get to the stop without walking through the dust and dirt but that\'s about it. It kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs. Right now the Mladost 3 metro stop seems rather lonely. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\n\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character--just look at those jaunty tile floors.\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-revision-11','','','2012-05-08 14:18:37','2012-05-08 12:18:37','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(6662,1,'2012-05-08 14:19:51','2012-05-08 12:19:51','<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007299258/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7007299258_0a5b351c0f.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>The Mladost 3 Metro stop is officially open!!\n\nI took it for the first time this weekend to go to my Sunday afternoon Bulgarian lesson. It was really exciting! And who doesn\'t love a metro that continues to grow in length but still only has one line?!\n\nSarcasm aside, I love how easy the metro is to take in Sofia. That\'s the thing with only one line it\'s pretty impossible to get lost. And when I learned that about a new line in Mladost a few years ago I was super pumped.\n\nA stop in my neighborhood?\n\nYes please.\n\nThen I started waiting.\n\nAnd waiting.\n\nI\'ve been waiting for this for a long time.\n\nI have to say the wait was worth it. Now we\'ve got a metro in Mladost 3 which some how also seems to be conveniently close to Mladost 1A as well!! Watch out Levski, University and Serdika stops, I\'m coming to you.\n\nOn the metro. That\'s a leva well spent. <!--more-->\n\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007304804/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7007304804_49f0f04830_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>Now I\'ve seen the construction area for ages but I have to say it is very funny to see the actual metro stop in Mladost 3. It\'s basically in the middle of nowhere. The stop has a green field in front of it, a dirt on all sides and three big block buildings in the background.\n\nA asphalt sidewalk has been added to allow one to get to the stop without walking through the dust and dirt but that\'s about it. It kind of feels like a metro stop popped up out of the middle of nowhere. Ta-da!\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153392187/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7153392187_1839bbbe64_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI hope in the future it looks a little bit more like it belongs. Right now the Mladost 3 metro stop seems rather lonely. I am not sure what exactly I expected but it was definitely not this.\n\nOh well, at least the stop itself is pretty handsome. Mladost 3 has character--just look at those jaunty tile floors.\n<a title=\"the new Mladost 3 metro by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153385357/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7153385357_d13b9ac14c_z.jpg\" alt=\"the new Mladost 3 metro\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>','Mladost 3 Metro','','inherit','open','open','','6650-autosave','','','2012-05-08 14:19:51','2012-05-08 12:19:51','',6650,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6650-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6663,1,'2012-05-09 14:11:42','2012-05-09 12:11:42','As you know, I don\'t talk about work a lot on this blog nor do I talk Bulgarian politics much, if ever. Today is the day that this changes.\r\n\r\nWhy?\r\n\r\nBecause there are potential changes afoot to the education system in Bulgaria. On the surface this is a good thing as much of the current system is outdated and antiquated but there is at least one major proposed change that has the potential to drastically alter the landscape of foreign language instruction throughout the country.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the deal, I\'m a foreign teacher and have been living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria now for almost four years. I\'m what\'s called a native speaker and I\'ve taught in two different schools--one public and one private. I teach my whole class each and every day in English. I interact each day only in English with my Bulgarian students.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been quite an experience for me and for the students. One, for the record, I wouldn\'t change for the world.\r\n\r\nI\'ve met lots of students who are hungry to learn English but I\'ve also met with plenty of bureaucracy. These things happen. This said, I\'ve liked it so much so that I signed another year long contract in February and this week I learned that my work permit has been approved for the next year. <em>Hip-hip-horay</em>.\r\n\r\nThus, I was surprised to learn last week about a new Education Act which was written by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and has been submitted to the Bulgarian National Assembly for its first read which among other things if approved would only allow for foreign teachers from European Union countries to teach in Bulgarian schools.\r\n\r\nThink about that for a minute.\r\n\r\nThat shit is crazy.\r\n\r\nI can\'t for the life of me imagine why Bulgaria as a country would do this to herself and to her students. It makes no sense. Native speakers are a huge resource for a school. They provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn, practice and hone a foreign language.\r\n\r\nMoreover, Bulgaria has a long standing tradition of language schools.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIn fact, the American College of Sofia (ACS), where I work, is one of these schools. And, yes. We\'re an <em>American</em> school. One which was founded in Bulgaria over 150 years ago. That makes us one of the oldest (if not the oldest) American educational institutions outside of the United States. Not bad Bulgaria, not bad.\r\n\r\nThus it probably shouldn\'t surprise anyone that Americans teach at this school. Lots of us. And surprise, surprise, America\'s not part of the EU. At this point I probably don\'t need to connect the dots for you but I will any way. This means that if this law were to pass as it currently written there\'d be no place for foreign American teachers in Bulgaria and by extension at ACS.\r\n\r\nOf course as soon as our school administration learned about the proposed Education Act, they began to explore and to address this problem (and others created by the proposed act) through every possible avenue.  At this point, I\'m not worried about ACS or my job here as neither of these things actually seem to be in jeopardy but this seems to be because the school was proactive in addressing these problems and very likely we will receive an exemption of some sort.\r\n\r\nWhat\'s more concerning is what this means for the state of education in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nThis new law would prohibit not only Americans from teaching English but anyone outside of the EU from teaching in a Bulgarian school. Sure this allows for the classics to be taught by native speakers like French, Spanish, German and British English but what about languages like Russian, Chinese or even Japanese?\r\n\r\nI don\'t know any other way to say this: a law that prohibits native speakers from teaching in Bulgarian schools is short sighted.\r\n\r\nInternational schools had a place in Bulgaria\'s past and they should clearly have a place in Bulgaria\'s future as well. The importance of international schools in Bulgaria should not be overlooked. Limiting schools in such a way hurts everyone.','Education, Politics and an American teaching in Bulgaria ','','publish','open','open','','education-politics-and-an-american-teaching-in-bulgaria','','','2012-05-09 14:11:42','2012-05-09 12:11:42','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6663',0,'post','',18),(6664,1,'2012-05-08 19:49:23','2012-05-08 17:49:23','As you know, I don\'t talk about work a lot on this blog nor do I talk politics much. Today is the day that this changes.\n\nWhy?\n\nBecause there are potential changes afoot to the education system in Bulgaria. On the surface this is probably a good thing but there is at least one major proposed change that has the potential to drastically alter the landscape of foreign language instruction throughout the country.\n\nHere\'s the deal, I\'m a foreign teacher and have been living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria now for almost four years. I\'m what\'s called a native speaker and I\'ve taught in two different schools--one public and one private. I teach my whole class each and every day in English. I interact each day only in English with my Bulgarian students.\n\nIt\'s been quite an experience. One, for the record, I wouldn\'t change for the world.\n\nI\'ve met lots of students who are hungry to learn English but I\'ve also met with plenty of bureaucracy. These things happen. This said, I\'ve liked it so much so that I signed another year long contract in February and this week I learned that my work permit has been approved for the next year. <em>Hip-hip-horay</em>.\n\nThus, I was surprised to learn last week about a new law which was written by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and has been submitted to the Bulgarian National Assembly for its first read which among other things if approved would only allow for foreign teachers from European Union countries to teach in Bulgarian schools.\n\nThink about that for a minute.\n\nThat shit is crazy.\n\nI can\'t for the life of me imagine why Bulgaria as a country would do this to herself and to her students. It makes no sense. Native speakers are a huge resource for a school. They provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn, practice and hone a foreign language.\n\nMoreover, Bulgaria has a long standing tradition of language schools.\n\nIn fact, the American College of Sofia, where I work, is one of these schools. Yes. We\'re an <em>American</em> school. One which was founded in Bulgaria over 150 years ago. That makes us one of the oldest (if not the oldest) American educational institutions outside of the United States. Not bad Bulgaria, not bad.\n\nThus it probably shouldn\'t surprise anyone that Americans teach at this school. Lots of us. And surprise, surprise, America\'s not part of the EU. At this point I probably don\'t need to connect the dots for you but I will any way. This means that if this law were to pass as it currently written there\'d be no place for foreign American teachers in Bulgaria and by extension at ACS.\n\nOf course as soon as our school administration learned about the proposed law, they began to explore and to address this problem (and others created by the proposed law) through every possible avenue.  At this point, I\'m not worried about ACS or my job here as neither of these things actually seem to be in jeopardy.\n\nWhat\'s more concerning is what this means for the state of education in Bulgaria.\n\nThis new law would prohibit not only Americans from teaching English but anyone outside of the EU from teaching in a Bulgarian school. Sure this allows for the classics to be taught by native speakers like French, Spanish, German and British English but what about languages like Russian, Chinese or even Japanese?\n\nI don\'t know any other way to say this: a law that prohibits native speakers from teaching in Bulgarian schools is short sighted.\n\nInternational schools had a place in Bulgaria\'s past and they should clearly have a place in Bulgaria\'s future as well. The importance of international schools in Bulgaria should not be overlooked. Limiting schools in such a way isn\'t good for anyone.','I\'m an American teaching in Bulgaria ','','inherit','open','open','','6663-revision','','','2012-05-08 19:49:23','2012-05-08 17:49:23','',6663,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6663-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6665,1,'2012-05-08 19:50:35','2012-05-08 17:50:35','As you know, I don\'t talk about work a lot on this blog nor do I talk politics much. Today is the day that this changes.\n\nWhy?\n\nBecause there are potential changes afoot to the education system in Bulgaria. On the surface this is probably a good thing but there is at least one major proposed change that has the potential to drastically alter the landscape of foreign language instruction throughout the country.\n\nHere\'s the deal, I\'m a foreign teacher and have been living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria now for almost four years. I\'m what\'s called a native speaker and I\'ve taught in two different schools--one public and one private. I teach my whole class each and every day in English. I interact each day only in English with my Bulgarian students.\n\nIt\'s been quite an experience. One, for the record, I wouldn\'t change for the world.\n\nI\'ve met lots of students who are hungry to learn English but I\'ve also met with plenty of bureaucracy. These things happen. This said, I\'ve liked it so much so that I signed another year long contract in February and this week I learned that my work permit has been approved for the next year. <em>Hip-hip-horay</em>.\n\nThus, I was surprised to learn last week about a new law which was written by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and has been submitted to the Bulgarian National Assembly for its first read which among other things if approved would only allow for foreign teachers from European Union countries to teach in Bulgarian schools.\n\nThink about that for a minute.\n\nThat shit is crazy.\n\nI can\'t for the life of me imagine why Bulgaria as a country would do this to herself and to her students. It makes no sense. Native speakers are a huge resource for a school. They provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn, practice and hone a foreign language.\n\nMoreover, Bulgaria has a long standing tradition of language schools.\n\nIn fact, the American College of Sofia, where I work, is one of these schools. Yes. We\'re an <em>American</em> school. One which was founded in Bulgaria over 150 years ago. That makes us one of the oldest (if not the oldest) American educational institutions outside of the United States. Not bad Bulgaria, not bad.\n\nThus it probably shouldn\'t surprise anyone that Americans teach at this school. Lots of us. And surprise, surprise, America\'s not part of the EU. At this point I probably don\'t need to connect the dots for you but I will any way. This means that if this law were to pass as it currently written there\'d be no place for foreign American teachers in Bulgaria and by extension at ACS.\n\nOf course as soon as our school administration learned about the proposed law, they began to explore and to address this problem (and others created by the proposed law) through every possible avenue.  At this point, I\'m not worried about ACS or my job here as neither of these things actually seem to be in jeopardy.\n\nWhat\'s more concerning is what this means for the state of education in Bulgaria.\n\nThis new law would prohibit not only Americans from teaching English but anyone outside of the EU from teaching in a Bulgarian school. Sure this allows for the classics to be taught by native speakers like French, Spanish, German and British English but what about languages like Russian, Chinese or even Japanese?\n\nI don\'t know any other way to say this: a law that prohibits native speakers from teaching in Bulgarian schools is short sighted.\n\nInternational schools had a place in Bulgaria\'s past and they should clearly have a place in Bulgaria\'s future as well. The importance of international schools in Bulgaria should not be overlooked. Limiting schools in such a way isn\'t good for anyone.','I\'m an American teaching in Bulgaria ','','inherit','open','open','','6663-revision-2','','','2012-05-08 19:50:35','2012-05-08 17:50:35','',6663,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/08/6663-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6666,1,'2012-05-08 21:31:56','0000-00-00 00:00:00','guaranteed','','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-05-08 21:31:56','2012-05-08 19:31:56','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6666',0,'post','',0),(6667,1,'2012-05-09 14:10:53','2012-05-09 12:10:53','As you know, I don\'t talk about work a lot on this blog nor do I talk Bulgarian politics much, if ever. Today is the day that this changes.\n\nWhy?\n\nBecause there are potential changes afoot to the education system in Bulgaria. On the surface this is a good thing as much of the current system is outdated and antiquated but there is at least one major proposed change that has the potential to drastically alter the landscape of foreign language instruction throughout the country.\n\nHere\'s the deal, I\'m a foreign teacher and have been living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria now for almost four years. I\'m what\'s called a native speaker and I\'ve taught in two different schools--one public and one private. I teach my whole class each and every day in English. I interact each day only in English with my Bulgarian students.\n\nIt\'s been quite an experience for me and for the students. One, for the record, I wouldn\'t change for the world.\n\nI\'ve met lots of students who are hungry to learn English but I\'ve also met with plenty of bureaucracy. These things happen. This said, I\'ve liked it so much so that I signed another year long contract in February and this week I learned that my work permit has been approved for the next year. <em>Hip-hip-horay</em>.\n\nThus, I was surprised to learn last week about a new Education Act which was written by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and has been submitted to the Bulgarian National Assembly for its first read which among other things if approved would only allow for foreign teachers from European Union countries to teach in Bulgarian schools.\n\nThink about that for a minute.\n\nThat shit is crazy.\n\nI can\'t for the life of me imagine why Bulgaria as a country would do this to herself and to her students. It makes no sense. Native speakers are a huge resource for a school. They provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn, practice and hone a foreign language.\n\nMoreover, Bulgaria has a long standing tradition of language schools.<!--more-->\n\nIn fact, the American College of Sofia (, where I work, is one of these schools. And, yes. We\'re an <em>American</em> school. One which was founded in Bulgaria over 150 years ago. That makes us one of the oldest (if not the oldest) American educational institutions outside of the United States. Not bad Bulgaria, not bad.\n\nThus it probably shouldn\'t surprise anyone that Americans teach at this school. Lots of us. And surprise, surprise, America\'s not part of the EU. At this point I probably don\'t need to connect the dots for you but I will any way. This means that if this law were to pass as it currently written there\'d be no place for foreign American teachers in Bulgaria and by extension at ACS.\n\nOf course as soon as our school administration learned about the proposed Education Act, they began to explore and to address this problem (and others created by the proposed act) through every possible avenue.  At this point, I\'m not worried about ACS or my job here as neither of these things actually seem to be in jeopardy but this seems to be because the school was proactive in addressing these problems and very likely we will receive an exemption of some sort.\n\nWhat\'s more concerning is what this means for the state of education in Bulgaria.\n\nThis new law would prohibit not only Americans from teaching English but anyone outside of the EU from teaching in a Bulgarian school. Sure this allows for the classics to be taught by native speakers like French, Spanish, German and British English but what about languages like Russian, Chinese or even Japanese?\n\nI don\'t know any other way to say this: a law that prohibits native speakers from teaching in Bulgarian schools is short sighted.\n\nInternational schools had a place in Bulgaria\'s past and they should clearly have a place in Bulgaria\'s future as well. The importance of international schools in Bulgaria should not be overlooked. Limiting schools in such a way hurts everyone.','Education, Politics and an American teaching in Bulgaria ','','inherit','open','open','','6663-revision-3','','','2012-05-09 14:10:53','2012-05-09 12:10:53','',6663,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/09/6663-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6668,1,'2012-05-09 14:12:46','2012-05-09 12:12:46','As you know, I don\'t talk about work a lot on this blog nor do I talk Bulgarian politics much, if ever. Today is the day that this changes.\n\nWhy?\n\nBecause there are potential changes afoot to the education system in Bulgaria. On the surface this is a good thing as much of the current system is outdated and antiquated but there is at least one major proposed change that has the potential to drastically alter the landscape of foreign language instruction throughout the country.\n\nHere\'s the deal, I\'m a foreign teacher and have been living and working in Sofia, Bulgaria now for almost four years. I\'m what\'s called a native speaker and I\'ve taught in two different schools--one public and one private. I teach my whole class each and every day in English. I interact each day only in English with my Bulgarian students.\n\nIt\'s been quite an experience for me and for the students. One, for the record, I wouldn\'t change for the world.\n\nI\'ve met lots of students who are hungry to learn English but I\'ve also met with plenty of bureaucracy. These things happen. This said, I\'ve liked it so much so that I signed another year long contract in February and this week I learned that my work permit has been approved for the next year. <em>Hip-hip-horay</em>.\n\nThus, I was surprised to learn last week about a new Education Act which was written by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and has been submitted to the Bulgarian National Assembly for its first read which among other things if approved would only allow for foreign teachers from European Union countries to teach in Bulgarian schools.\n\nThink about that for a minute.\n\nThat shit is crazy.\n\nI can\'t for the life of me imagine why Bulgaria as a country would do this to herself and to her students. It makes no sense. Native speakers are a huge resource for a school. They provide an excellent opportunity for students to learn, practice and hone a foreign language.\n\nMoreover, Bulgaria has a long standing tradition of language schools.<!--more-->\n\nIn fact, the American College of Sofia (ACS), where I work, is one of these schools. And, yes. We\'re an <em>American</em> school. One which was founded in Bulgaria over 150 years ago. That makes us one of the oldest (if not the oldest) American educational institutions outside of the United States. Not bad Bulgaria, not bad.\n\nThus it probably shouldn\'t surprise anyone that Americans teach at this school. Lots of us. And surprise, surprise, America\'s not part of the EU. At this point I probably don\'t need to connect the dots for you but I will any way. This means that if this law were to pass as it currently written there\'d be no place for foreign American teachers in Bulgaria and by extension at ACS.\n\nOf course as soon as our school administration learned about the proposed Education Act, they began to explore and to address this problem (and others created by the proposed act) through every possible avenue.  At this point, I\'m not worried about ACS or my job here as neither of these things actually seem to be in jeopardy but this seems to be because the school was proactive in addressing these problems and very likely we will receive an exemption of some sort.\n\nWhat\'s more concerning is what this means for the state of education in Bulgaria.\n\nThis new law would prohibit not only Americans from teaching English but anyone outside of the EU from teaching in a Bulgarian school. Sure this allows for the classics to be taught by native speakers like French, Spanish, German and British English but what about languages like Russian, Chinese or even Japanese?\n\nI don\'t know any other way to say this: a law that prohibits native speakers from teaching in Bulgarian schools is short sighted.\n\nInternational schools had a place in Bulgaria\'s past and they should clearly have a place in Bulgaria\'s future as well. The importance of international schools in Bulgaria should not be overlooked. Limiting schools in such a way hurts everyone.','Education, Politics and an American teaching in Bulgaria ','','inherit','open','open','','6663-autosave','','','2012-05-09 14:12:46','2012-05-09 12:12:46','',6663,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/09/6663-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6669,1,'2012-05-11 10:17:14','2012-05-11 08:17:14','Two weeks ago I was in Ohrid exploring the town, the lake, the churches and the food. This town never ceases to amaze me or draw me in. I\'ve been three times now. This is a quick overview of my experience with Ohrid--a more detailed post will follow.\r\n\r\nTo start, I\'m in love with Ohrid and I don\'t think I\'ll ever turn down a chance to visit.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153499283/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7153499283_ac7af25491_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nMy first visit was in June of my first year in Bulgaria (that\'s 2009 for anyone who\'s counting or wondering). The weather was unreal. The sun shone every day. The water was cold but felt great to take a quick dip in and I even though I actively covered up with sunscreen I got a sunburn.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007391632/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/7007391632_d8da5abf83_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe second time I visited Ohrid was in the summer of 2010. I was a trip through the Balkans with my friend R. and we took a minibus from Tiriana in Albania to the boarder. We crossed the boarder by foot and walked down a winding road to the lake where we found a taxi driver to take us to the city of Ohrid. Then we spent the next four days exploring, swimming and drinking beer lakeside in the afternoon and eating fish and salads which we washed down with Macedonian wine in the evenings.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153463165/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7153463165_30da4e0045_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThis time we went in early spring. At the beginning of May Ohrid seems to be waking up from winter still. There weren\'t many tourists. The sites were easy to see and never felt crowded. The sun was out and I put on sunscreen but the water was frigid and there was no way I\'d go swimming in the lake. Although there were some very brave (or crazy) children doing so.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153520905/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5275/7153520905_d177df852e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe days have been getting longer so there was plenty of daylight to explore the town in but when the sun set Ohrid was noticeably cooler. I went out at night with my fleece jacket (yes I was <em>that</em> American tourist) and a scarf. I like to think that the scarf balanced out the American-abroad vibe of the jacket. Ultimately it doesn\'t matter. I was happy and warm so that\'s that.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007439932/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/7007439932_a0a4210bb8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007435468/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7007435468_0926737b17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nHad it been this cool in July I would have been disappointed but in May it seemed perfect. We could still eat outside but it felt new, fresh and interesting after a long winter bundled up in Bulgaria. Ohrid felt alive.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007362360/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7007362360_71a58bac86_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\r\nAnd if it would just stop raining every afternoon I think Sofia would feel the same way.','Lake Ohrid in Spring ','','publish','open','open','','lake-ohrid-in-spring','','','2012-05-11 10:44:46','2012-05-11 08:44:46','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6669',0,'post','',0),(6670,1,'2012-05-11 10:16:28','2012-05-11 08:16:28','Two weeks ago I was in Ohrid exploring the town, the lake, the churches and the food. This town never ceases to amaze me or draw me in. I\'ve been three times now. This is a quick overview of my experience with Ohrid--a more detailed post will follow. \nTo start, I\'m in love with Ohrid and I would en\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153499283/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7153499283_ac7af25491_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nMy first visit was in June of my first year in Bulgaria (that\'s 2009 for anyone who\'s counting or wondering). The weather was unreal. The sun shone every day. The water was cold but felt great to take a quick dip in and I even though I actively covered up with sunscreen I got a sunburn.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007391632/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/7007391632_d8da5abf83_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe second time I visited Ohrid was in the summer of 2010. I was a trip through the Balkans with my friend R. and we took a minibus from Tiriana in Albania to the boarder. We crossed the boarder by foot and walked down a winding road to the lake where we found a taxi driver to take us to the city of Ohrid. Then we spent the next four days exploring, swimming and drinking beer lakeside in the afternoon and eating fish and salads which we washed down with Macedonian wine in the evenings.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153463165/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7153463165_30da4e0045_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThis time we went in early spring. At the beginning of May Ohrid seems to be waking up from winter still. There weren\'t many tourists. The sites were easy to see and never felt crowded. The sun was out and I put on sunscreen but the water was frigid and there was no way I\'d go swimming in the lake. Although there were some very brave (or crazy) children doing so.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153520905/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5275/7153520905_d177df852e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe days have been getting longer so there was plenty of daylight to explore the town in but when the sun set Ohrid was noticeably cooler. I went out at night with my fleece jacket (yes I was <em>that</em> American tourist) and a scarf. I like to think that the scarf balanced out the American-abroad vibe of the jacket. Ultimately it doesn\'t matter. I was happy and warm so that\'s that.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007439932/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/7007439932_a0a4210bb8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007435468/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7007435468_0926737b17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nHad it been this cool in July I would have been disappointed but in May it seemed perfect. We could still eat outside but it felt new, fresh and interesting after a long winter bundled up in Bulgaria. Ohrid felt alive.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007362360/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7007362360_71a58bac86.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nAnd if it would just stop raining every afternoon I think Sofia would feel the same way. ','Lake Ohrid in Spring ','','inherit','open','open','','6669-revision','','','2012-05-11 10:16:28','2012-05-11 08:16:28','',6669,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/11/6669-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6671,1,'2012-05-11 10:17:14','2012-05-11 08:17:14','Two weeks ago I was in Ohrid exploring the town, the lake, the churches and the food. This town never ceases to amaze me or draw me in. I\'ve been three times now. This is a quick overview of my experience with Ohrid--a more detailed post will follow.\r\nTo start, I\'m in love with Ohrid and I don\'t think I\'ll ever turn down a chance to visit.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153499283/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7153499283_ac7af25491_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nMy first visit was in June of my first year in Bulgaria (that\'s 2009 for anyone who\'s counting or wondering). The weather was unreal. The sun shone every day. The water was cold but felt great to take a quick dip in and I even though I actively covered up with sunscreen I got a sunburn.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007391632/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/7007391632_d8da5abf83_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe second time I visited Ohrid was in the summer of 2010. I was a trip through the Balkans with my friend R. and we took a minibus from Tiriana in Albania to the boarder. We crossed the boarder by foot and walked down a winding road to the lake where we found a taxi driver to take us to the city of Ohrid. Then we spent the next four days exploring, swimming and drinking beer lakeside in the afternoon and eating fish and salads which we washed down with Macedonian wine in the evenings.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153463165/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7153463165_30da4e0045_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThis time we went in early spring. At the beginning of May Ohrid seems to be waking up from winter still. There weren\'t many tourists. The sites were easy to see and never felt crowded. The sun was out and I put on sunscreen but the water was frigid and there was no way I\'d go swimming in the lake. Although there were some very brave (or crazy) children doing so.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153520905/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5275/7153520905_d177df852e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe days have been getting longer so there was plenty of daylight to explore the town in but when the sun set Ohrid was noticeably cooler. I went out at night with my fleece jacket (yes I was <em>that</em> American tourist) and a scarf. I like to think that the scarf balanced out the American-abroad vibe of the jacket. Ultimately it doesn\'t matter. I was happy and warm so that\'s that.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007439932/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/7007439932_a0a4210bb8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007435468/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7007435468_0926737b17_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nHad it been this cool in July I would have been disappointed but in May it seemed perfect. We could still eat outside but it felt new, fresh and interesting after a long winter bundled up in Bulgaria. Ohrid felt alive.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007362360/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7007362360_71a58bac86.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>\r\nAnd if it would just stop raining every afternoon I think Sofia would feel the same way.','Lake Ohrid in Spring ','','inherit','open','open','','6669-revision-2','','','2012-05-11 10:17:14','2012-05-11 08:17:14','',6669,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/11/6669-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6672,1,'2012-05-13 06:54:50','2012-05-13 04:54:50','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM* flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or do anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\r\n\r\nMoM, last year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\r\n<a title=\"My MoM by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181382010/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7181382010_5948101669_z.jpg\" alt=\"My MoM\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAt top 10 list.\r\n\r\nThat\'s almost like flowers and breakfast in bed, <em>right</em>?\r\n\r\nSo without further ado, the top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, MoM:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\r\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\r\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.<!--more--></li>\r\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\r\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an adult that I have any idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements. Thank-you.</li>\r\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends. I hope that one day I too will have a wide variety of friends and maybe just maybe I\'ll take up your tradition of 5th-Friday pot lucks too.</li>\r\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work. If something is broken you want to figure out how to fix it yourself. If something doesn\'t work the way you think it should, you research it. If you see something you\'d like to know more about you ask questions and seek out people who know what you want to know. This is a really incredible habit of mind. I suspect this is part of the reason you are a scientist. I don\'t see the world in the same way but your habit of mind has encouraged me to ask questions. Lots of them. And to value the knowledge other people posses.</li>\r\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body. In a culture obsessed with bodies and being skinny this is an impressive feat.  You\'ve always made it clear that health is important but at the same time you never linked self-worth to body size.</li>\r\n	<li> More over, you don\'t wear make-up or have your ears pierced. This is clearly a choice that you actively made and continue to make and I respect that. In my own life, I\'ve made the choice to pierce my ears and wear make-up but I like that you challenged me on each of these choices making me think about the act and that you made me wait until I could take responsibility for them. I can only imagine that you must have died a little bit inside when in third grade I started begging to get my ears pierced as well as at the end of middle school when I pleaded to be allowed to buy make-up and wear it and for this all I can say is thank-you. Thank-you for letting me be my own person.</li>\r\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others. I think it\'s amazing that you let N. and K. live at your house while they were saving money to buy a house. That you drove to Tacoma on your spring break to help C. move to a new apartment. That you helped and still help dAd with the Antique store. That you babysit for A. so that she can work at her winery. That you encourage D. to pursue his various interests. That you let me keep all sorts of things at home in my childhood bedroom so that I can live abroad.</li>\r\n	<li>You love read and you make time in your life to read. I learned to love to read from you. You took me to the library. You opened the world up to me and encouraged me to imagine the world in new ways reading aloud novels like: <em>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em>, <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em>, <em>The Secret Garden</em>, and <em>The Wizard of Oz</em>.  You let me order Scholastic books each month when I was in elementary school--namely all 19 Boxcar Children books.  And since I learned to read, I\'ve never turned back.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nSo there you have it. The top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, my mom. <em>Okay, okay</em>. If you\'re counting along at home, you\'ll have realized that this turned into 11 reasons. That\'s because the reasons I am inspired by you cannot be contained in a top 10 list.\r\n\r\nLove you, MoM!\r\n\r\n*Ever wonder why I write MoM (and dAd)? <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/08/08/mom-dad/\" target=\"_blank\">Here\'s the answer</a>.','Three-cheers for my MoM','','publish','open','open','','three-cheers-for-my-mom','','','2012-05-12 14:08:00','2012-05-12 12:08:00','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6672',0,'post','',4),(6673,1,'2012-05-12 12:01:51','2012-05-12 10:01:51','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\n\nLast year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\n\nA list of the top 10 reasons, I\'m inspired by you.\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology but you haven\'t succumb to facebook.</li>\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are.</li>\n	<li>You set high standards for yourself and those around you.</li>\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true.</li>\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other.</li>\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends.</li>\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work.</li>\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body nor do you wear make-up or have your ears pierced.</li>\n	<li>You are always willing to help people.</li>\n	<li></li>\n</ol>\n&nbsp;','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision','','','2012-05-12 12:01:51','2012-05-12 10:01:51','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6674,1,'2012-05-12 12:27:22','2012-05-12 10:27:22','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\n\nLast year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\n\nA list of the top 10 reasons, I\'m inspired by you.\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.</li>\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an  had no idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements.</li>\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends.</li>\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work.</li>\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body nor do you wear make-up or have your ears pierced.</li>\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others.</li>\n	<li>You love read.</li>\n</ol>\n&nbsp;','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision-2','','','2012-05-12 12:27:22','2012-05-12 10:27:22','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6675,1,'2012-05-12 12:28:03','2012-05-12 10:28:03','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\r\n\r\nLast year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\r\n\r\nA list of the top 10 reasons, I\'m inspired by you.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\r\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\r\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.</li>\r\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\r\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an adult that I have any idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements. Thank-you.</li>\r\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends.</li>\r\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work.</li>\r\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body nor do you wear make-up or have your ears pierced.</li>\r\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others.</li>\r\n	<li>You love read.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n&nbsp;','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision-3','','','2012-05-12 12:28:03','2012-05-12 10:28:03','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6676,1,'2012-05-12 12:28:07','2012-05-12 10:28:07','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\r\n\r\nLast year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\r\n\r\nA list of the top 10 reasons, I\'m inspired by you.\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\r\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\r\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.</li>\r\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\r\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an adult that I have any idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements. Thank-you.</li>\r\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends.</li>\r\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work.</li>\r\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body nor do you wear make-up or have your ears pierced.</li>\r\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others.</li>\r\n	<li>You love read.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\n&nbsp;','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision-4','','','2012-05-12 12:28:07','2012-05-12 10:28:07','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0);
INSERT INTO `wp_posts` VALUES (6677,1,'2012-05-12 13:48:41','2012-05-12 11:48:41','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM* flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or do anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\n\nMoM, last year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\n\nAt top 10 list.\n\nThat\'s almost like flowers and breakfast in bed, <em>right</em>?\n\nSo without further ado, the top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, MoM:\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.<!--more--></li>\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an adult that I have any idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements. Thank-you.</li>\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends. I hope that one day I too will have a wide variety of friends and maybe just maybe I\'ll take up your tradition of 5th-Friday pot lucks too.</li>\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work. If something is broken you want to figure out how to fix it yourself. If something doesn\'t work the way you think it should, you research it. If you see something you\'d like to know more about you ask questions and seek out people who know what you want to know. This is a really incredible habit of mind. I suspect this is part of the reason you are a scientist. I don\'t see the world in the same way but your habit of mind has encouraged me to ask questions. Lots of them. And to value the knowledge other people posses.</li>\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body. In a culture obsessed with bodies and being skinny this is an impressive feat.  You\'ve always made it clear that health is important but at the same time you never linked self-worth to body size.</li>\n	<li> More over, you don\'t wear make-up or have your ears pierced. This is clearly a choice that you actively made and continue to make and I respect that. In my own life, I\'ve made the choice to pierce my ears and wear make-up but I like that you challenged me on each of these choices making me think about the act and that you made me wait until I could take responsibility for them. I can only imagine that you must have died a little bit inside when in third grade I started begging to get my ears pierced as well as at the end of middle school when I pleaded to be allowed to buy make-up and wear it and for this all I can say is thank-you. Thank-you for letting me be my own person.</li>\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others. I think it\'s amazing that you let N. and K. live at your house while they were saving money to buy a house. That you drove to Tacoma on your spring break to help C. move to a new apartment. That you helped and still help dAd with the Antique store. That you babysit for A. so that she can work at her winery. That you encourage D. to pursue his various interests. That you let me keep all sorts of things at home in my childhood bedroom so that I can live abroad.</li>\n	<li>You love read and you make time in your life to read. I learned to love to read from you. You took me to the library. You opened the world up to me and encouraged me to imagine the world in new ways reading aloud novels like: <em>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em>, <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em>, <em>The Secret Garden</em>, and <em>The Wizard of Oz</em>.  You let me order Scholastic books each month when I was in elementary school--namely all 19 Boxcar Children books.  And since I learned to read, I\'ve never turned back.</li>\n</ol>\nSo there you have it. The top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, my mom. <em>Okay, okay</em>. If you\'re counting along at home, you\'ll have realized that this turned into 11 reasons. That\'s because the reasons I am inspired by you cannot be contained in a top 10 list.\n\nLove you, MoM!\n\n*Ever wonder why I write MoM (and dAd)? <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/08/08/mom-dad/\" target=\"_blank\">Here\'s the answer</a>.','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision-5','','','2012-05-12 13:48:41','2012-05-12 11:48:41','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6678,1,'2012-05-12 13:55:53','2012-05-12 11:55:53','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM* flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or do anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\n\nMoM, last year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\n\nAt top 10 list.\n\nThat\'s almost like flowers and breakfast in bed, <em>right</em>?\n\nSo without further ado, the top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, MoM:\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.<!--more--></li>\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an adult that I have any idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements. Thank-you.</li>\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends. I hope that one day I too will have a wide variety of friends and maybe just maybe I\'ll take up your tradition of 5th-Friday pot lucks too.</li>\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work. If something is broken you want to figure out how to fix it yourself. If something doesn\'t work the way you think it should, you research it. If you see something you\'d like to know more about you ask questions and seek out people who know what you want to know. This is a really incredible habit of mind. I suspect this is part of the reason you are a scientist. I don\'t see the world in the same way but your habit of mind has encouraged me to ask questions. Lots of them. And to value the knowledge other people posses.</li>\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body. In a culture obsessed with bodies and being skinny this is an impressive feat.  You\'ve always made it clear that health is important but at the same time you never linked self-worth to body size.</li>\n	<li> More over, you don\'t wear make-up or have your ears pierced. This is clearly a choice that you actively made and continue to make and I respect that. In my own life, I\'ve made the choice to pierce my ears and wear make-up but I like that you challenged me on each of these choices making me think about the act and that you made me wait until I could take responsibility for them. I can only imagine that you must have died a little bit inside when in third grade I started begging to get my ears pierced as well as at the end of middle school when I pleaded to be allowed to buy make-up and wear it and for this all I can say is thank-you. Thank-you for letting me be my own person.</li>\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others. I think it\'s amazing that you let N. and K. live at your house while they were saving money to buy a house. That you drove to Tacoma on your spring break to help C. move to a new apartment. That you helped and still help dAd with the Antique store. That you babysit for A. so that she can work at her winery. That you encourage D. to pursue his various interests. That you let me keep all sorts of things at home in my childhood bedroom so that I can live abroad.</li>\n	<li>You love read and you make time in your life to read. I learned to love to read from you. You took me to the library. You opened the world up to me and encouraged me to imagine the world in new ways reading aloud novels like: <em>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em>, <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em>, <em>The Secret Garden</em>, and <em>The Wizard of Oz</em>.  You let me order Scholastic books each month when I was in elementary school--namely all 19 Boxcar Children books.  And since I learned to read, I\'ve never turned back.</li>\n</ol>\nSo there you have it. The top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, my mom. <em>Okay, okay</em>. If you\'re counting along at home, you\'ll have realized that this turned into 11 reasons. That\'s because the reasons I am inspired by you cannot be contained in a top 10 list.\n\nLove you, MoM!\n\n*Ever wonder why I write MoM (and dAd)? <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/08/08/mom-dad/\" target=\"_blank\">Here\'s the answer</a>.','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision-6','','','2012-05-12 13:55:53','2012-05-12 11:55:53','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6679,1,'2012-05-12 14:06:53','2012-05-12 12:06:53','Once again, today is Mother\'s Day and I didn\'t buy my MoM* flowers, make her breakfast in bed, send her a card or do anything else that children are encouraged to do on this day in the States. I have to hope that a blog post will suffice.\n\nMoM, last year I wrote you <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/08/this-one-is-for-my-mom/\" target=\"_blank\">a letter</a>. This year I\'m writing you a list.\n<a title=\"My MoM by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181382010/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7181382010_5948101669_z.jpg\" alt=\"My MoM\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAt top 10 list.\n\nThat\'s almost like flowers and breakfast in bed, <em>right</em>?\n\nSo without further ado, the top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, MoM:\n<ol>\n	<li>You\'ve always been interested in and adopted new technology. I think it\'s really cool that you bought your first computer when I was in second grade (1987-ish) and now I\'m 30. Even cooler? I like that you haven\'t succumb to facebook but that we talk on skype almost every weekend.</li>\n	<li>You are quick to laugh. Even at dAd\'s jokes no matter how bad they are. I learned how to laugh from your model.</li>\n	<li>You always make your expectations clear. For example, you told me once when I was fairly small and hiding under my bunk-bed because I didn\'t want to go to the dentist that there were a few things that I had to do in life: go to the doctor\'s, the dentist\'s and graduate from high school. This seemed clear enough to me and even today I appreciate how straight forward you\'ve always been.<!--more--></li>\n	<li>You have a vision of what you want from your life and you work to make this vision come true. From buying a house that needs some serious fixing up and remodeling said house to imagining a garden in our backyard and growing all of the flowers from seeds to starting your own business with dAd and later going backing to teaching. You make daring things happen.</li>\n	<li>I\'ve never heard you and dAd fight or yell at each other. Growing up, I had no idea that adults fight, yell or scream at each other. It\'s only now as an adult that I have any idea how lucky I was to live in a house where the adults in my life talked to each other to solve their problems or disagreements. Thank-you.</li>\n	<li>You have 20-something friends as well at 80-something friends. I hope that one day I too will have a wide variety of friends and maybe just maybe I\'ll take up your tradition of 5th-Friday pot lucks too.</li>\n	<li>You like to figure out how things work. If something is broken you want to figure out how to fix it yourself. If something doesn\'t work the way you think it should, you research it. If you see something you\'d like to know more about you ask questions and seek out people who know what you want to know. This is a really incredible habit of mind. I suspect this is part of the reason you are a scientist. I don\'t see the world in the same way but your habit of mind has encouraged me to ask questions. Lots of them. And to value the knowledge other people posses.</li>\n	<li>You don\'t make disparaging remarks about your body. In a culture obsessed with bodies and being skinny this is an impressive feat.  You\'ve always made it clear that health is important but at the same time you never linked self-worth to body size.</li>\n	<li> More over, you don\'t wear make-up or have your ears pierced. This is clearly a choice that you actively made and continue to make and I respect that. In my own life, I\'ve made the choice to pierce my ears and wear make-up but I like that you challenged me on each of these choices making me think about the act and that you made me wait until I could take responsibility for them. I can only imagine that you must have died a little bit inside when in third grade I started begging to get my ears pierced as well as at the end of middle school when I pleaded to be allowed to buy make-up and wear it and for this all I can say is thank-you. Thank-you for letting me be my own person.</li>\n	<li>You are always willing <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><del>to help people</del></span> to support the dreams of others. I think it\'s amazing that you let N. and K. live at your house while they were saving money to buy a house. That you drove to Tacoma on your spring break to help C. move to a new apartment. That you helped and still help dAd with the Antique store. That you babysit for A. so that she can work at her winery. That you encourage D. to pursue his various interests. That you let me keep all sorts of things at home in my childhood bedroom so that I can live abroad.</li>\n	<li>You love read and you make time in your life to read. I learned to love to read from you. You took me to the library. You opened the world up to me and encouraged me to imagine the world in new ways reading aloud novels like: <em>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</em>, <em>Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</em>, <em>The Secret Garden</em>, and <em>The Wizard of Oz</em>.  You let me order Scholastic books each month when I was in elementary school--namely all 19 Boxcar Children books.  And since I learned to read, I\'ve never turned back.</li>\n</ol>\nSo there you have it. The top 10 reasons I\'m inspired by you, my mom. <em>Okay, okay</em>. If you\'re counting along at home, you\'ll have realized that this turned into 11 reasons. That\'s because the reasons I am inspired by you cannot be contained in a top 10 list.\n\nLove you, MoM!\n\n*Ever wonder why I write MoM (and dAd)? <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/08/08/mom-dad/\" target=\"_blank\">Here\'s the answer</a>.','Three-cheers for my MoM','','inherit','open','open','','6672-revision-7','','','2012-05-12 14:06:53','2012-05-12 12:06:53','',6672,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6672-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6680,1,'2012-05-12 15:45:37','2012-05-12 13:45:37','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\r\n\r\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\r\n<a title=\"Puzzle the restaurant by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181783922/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7181783922_c2e91b164c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Puzzle the restaurant\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food. Of course, Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant but I\'d say it\'s Asian inspired food made for Bulgarian tastes. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d go back but it\'s <em>not</em> Thai food.\r\n\r\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on a very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. I\'m not sure it ever will.\r\n\r\nThis said, everything on the Thai menu looked great. The only thing is that I don\'t think there are any vegetarian Thai options on the menu. <em>Sorry</em> vegetarian friends.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Puzzle Thai menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181780532/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7181780532_2d871393b3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Puzzle Thai menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nWe ordered tom yum soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai. They were Bulgarian and from the Black Sea coast. They were good served up with butter and garlic.\r\n<a title=\"mussels by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181793266/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7181793266_e67d3b0223_z.jpg\" alt=\"mussels\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe soup was good. It could have been spicier but it had fresh lemongrass floating on top. The fresh lemongrass makes up for a lot in my boat. The spring rolls were great. It turns out they were a mix of veggie, shrimp and I think chicken spring rolls. The menu just said: spring rolls so the variety was a nice surprise.\r\n<a title=\"Spring rolls by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181788960/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7181788960_67c7e4994a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spring rolls\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nOn top of all of this, the restaurant is really cute inside. I\'d recommend it for good not too expensive Thai food. Is what I grew accustomed to eating in Washington DC? Nope, but that\'s okay. It satisfied my Thai food craving.','In Search of Thai Food ','','publish','open','open','','in-search-of-thai-food','','','2012-05-12 15:45:37','2012-05-12 13:45:37','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6680',0,'post','',5),(6681,1,'2012-05-12 14:29:41','2012-05-12 12:29:41','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\n\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\n\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food and Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant.\n\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on the very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. Everything on the Thai menu looked great.\n\nWe ordered soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai but they were good served up with butter and garlic.','In Search of Thai Food ','','inherit','open','open','','6680-revision','','','2012-05-12 14:29:41','2012-05-12 12:29:41','',6680,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6680-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6682,1,'2012-05-12 15:24:07','2012-05-12 13:24:07','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\n\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\n\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food. Of course, Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant but I\'d say it\'s Asian inspired food made for Bulgarian tastes. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d go back but it\'s <em>not</em> Thai food.\n\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on a very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. I\'m not sure it ever will. This said, everything on the Thai menu looked great.\n\nWe ordered tom yum soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai. They were Bulgarian and from the Black Sea coast. They were good served up with butter and garlic.\n\nThe soup was good. It could have been spicier but it had fresh lemongrass floating on top. The fresh lemongrass makes up for a lot in my boat.','In Search of Thai Food ','','inherit','open','open','','6680-revision-2','','','2012-05-12 15:24:07','2012-05-12 13:24:07','',6680,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6680-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6683,1,'2012-05-12 15:25:29','2012-05-12 13:25:29','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\n\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\n\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food. Of course, Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant but I\'d say it\'s Asian inspired food made for Bulgarian tastes. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d go back but it\'s <em>not</em> Thai food.\n\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on a very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. I\'m not sure it ever will. This said, everything on the Thai menu looked great.\n\nWe ordered tom yum soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai. They were Bulgarian and from the Black Sea coast. They were good served up with butter and garlic.\n\nThe soup was good. It could have been spicier but it had fresh lemongrass floating on top. The fresh lemongrass makes up for a lot in my boat. The spring rolls were great. It turns out they were a mix of veggie, shrimp and','In Search of Thai Food ','','inherit','open','open','','6680-revision-3','','','2012-05-12 15:25:29','2012-05-12 13:25:29','',6680,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6680-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6684,1,'2012-05-12 15:41:27','2012-05-12 13:41:27','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\n\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\n\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food. Of course, Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant but I\'d say it\'s Asian inspired food made for Bulgarian tastes. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d go back but it\'s <em>not</em> Thai food.\n\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on a very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. I\'m not sure it ever will. This said, everything on the Thai menu looked great. The only thing is that I don\'t think there are any vegetarian Thai options on the menu. Sorry.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181780532/\" title=\"Puzzle Thai menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7181780532_2d871393b3_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Puzzle Thai menu\"></a>\nWe ordered tom yum soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai. They were Bulgarian and from the Black Sea coast. They were good served up with butter and garlic.\n\nThe soup was good. It could have been spicier but it had fresh lemongrass floating on top. The fresh lemongrass makes up for a lot in my boat. The spring rolls were great. It turns out they were a mix of veggie, shrimp and I think chicken spring rolls. The menu just said: spring rolls so the variety was a nice surprise.\n\nOn top of all of this, the restaurant is really cute inside. I\'d recommend it for good not too expensive Thai food. Is what I grew accustomed to eating in Washington DC? Nope, but that\'s okay. It satisfied my Thai food craving.','In Search of Thai Food ','','inherit','open','open','','6680-revision-4','','','2012-05-12 15:41:27','2012-05-12 13:41:27','',6680,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6680-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6685,1,'2012-05-12 15:43:29','2012-05-12 13:43:29','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\n\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\n<a title=\"Puzzle the restaurant by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181783922/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7181783922_c2e91b164c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Puzzle the restaurant\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food. Of course, Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant but I\'d say it\'s Asian inspired food made for Bulgarian tastes. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d go back but it\'s <em>not</em> Thai food.\n\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on a very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. I\'m not sure it ever will. This said, everything on the Thai menu looked great. The only thing is that I don\'t think there are any vegetarian Thai options on the menu. Sorry.\n<a title=\"Puzzle Thai menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181780532/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7181780532_2d871393b3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Puzzle Thai menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nWe ordered tom yum soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai. They were Bulgarian and from the Black Sea coast. They were good served up with butter and garlic.\n<a title=\"mussels by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181793266/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7181793266_e67d3b0223_z.jpg\" alt=\"mussels\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe soup was good. It could have been spicier but it had fresh lemongrass floating on top. The fresh lemongrass makes up for a lot in my boat. The spring rolls were great. It turns out they were a mix of veggie, shrimp and I think chicken spring rolls. The menu just said: spring rolls so the variety was a nice surprise.\n<a title=\"Spring rolls by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181788960/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7181788960_67c7e4994a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spring rolls\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nOn top of all of this, the restaurant is really cute inside. I\'d recommend it for good not too expensive Thai food. Is what I grew accustomed to eating in Washington DC? Nope, but that\'s okay. It satisfied my Thai food craving.','In Search of Thai Food ','','inherit','open','open','','6680-revision-5','','','2012-05-12 15:43:29','2012-05-12 13:43:29','',6680,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6680-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6686,1,'2012-05-12 15:45:26','2012-05-12 13:45:26','My on going pursuit of Thai food continues. On Thursday night I went to the restaurant: Puzzle. Nope it\'s not Puzzle\'s. It\'s just <a href=\"http://www.alakart.bg/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=190\" target=\"_blank\">Puzzle</a>.\n\nThey are across the street from Hemus Hotel in central Sofia. As their sign says, they serve Pizza, Pasta, BBQ and Thai. That\'s a lot of variety for one restaurant.\n\nNeedless to say, I wasn\'t expecting much. Who can do Thai food, BBQ, pasta <em>and</em> pizza well?\n<a title=\"Puzzle the restaurant by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181783922/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7181783922_c2e91b164c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Puzzle the restaurant\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nI mean, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/03/thai-food-in-sofia-at-blue-moon/\" target=\"_blank\">I thought the food at Blue Moon was good for pan-Asian food</a> but I didn\'t think it was Thai food. Of course, Blue Moon bills themselves as Sofia\'s first Thai restaurant but I\'d say it\'s Asian inspired food made for Bulgarian tastes. Don\'t get me wrong, I\'d go back but it\'s <em>not</em> Thai food.\n\nAfter my rather disappointing experience at Blue Moon, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Thai food at Puzzle. They have about a page of Thai food on a very long menu. The pick-a-few-things-to-do-really-well trend hasn\'t really caught on in Bulgaria yet. I\'m not sure it ever will.\n\nThis said, everything on the Thai menu looked great. The only thing is that I don\'t think there are any vegetarian Thai options on the menu. <em>Sorry</em> vegetarian friends.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Puzzle Thai menu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181780532/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7181780532_2d871393b3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Puzzle Thai menu\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nWe ordered tom yum soup, spring rolls and mussels. The mussels weren\'t Thai. They were Bulgarian and from the Black Sea coast. They were good served up with butter and garlic.\n<a title=\"mussels by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181793266/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7181793266_e67d3b0223_z.jpg\" alt=\"mussels\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe soup was good. It could have been spicier but it had fresh lemongrass floating on top. The fresh lemongrass makes up for a lot in my boat. The spring rolls were great. It turns out they were a mix of veggie, shrimp and I think chicken spring rolls. The menu just said: spring rolls so the variety was a nice surprise.\n<a title=\"Spring rolls by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7181788960/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7181788960_67c7e4994a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Spring rolls\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nOn top of all of this, the restaurant is really cute inside. I\'d recommend it for good not too expensive Thai food. Is what I grew accustomed to eating in Washington DC? Nope, but that\'s okay. It satisfied my Thai food craving.','In Search of Thai Food ','','inherit','open','open','','6680-revision-6','','','2012-05-12 15:45:26','2012-05-12 13:45:26','',6680,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6680-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6688,1,'2012-05-12 19:52:22','2012-05-12 17:52:22','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30. Now I\'m officially 31.\n\nBut the thing is I feel like I just turned 16.\n\n&nbsp;','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision','','','2012-05-12 19:52:22','2012-05-12 17:52:22','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/12/6687-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6736,1,'2012-05-23 06:46:03','2012-05-23 04:46:03','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Lunch time\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/74743_578984727842_4101384_31442770_1441446638_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"592\" height=\"443\" />Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'ve already written about the weekend here: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/11/lake-ohrid-in-spring/#more-6669\" target=\"_blank\">Lake Ohrid in Spring</a>, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/outside-of-skopje-lake-makta/\" target=\"_blank\">Lake Matka outside of Skopje</a> and the weekend got started with <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/spring-time-in-skopje/\" target=\"_blank\">with our wandering through Skopje</a> and of course I  <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">took a ton of photos </a>and have been posting them on flickr.\r\n\r\nI\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored. Moreover going in at the of April/beginning of May meant that there were hardly any tourists to compete with and in my mind that\'s heaven!!\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close to Ohrid I think it\'s totally worth going to see. We ended up driving but I think that in the summer you can pretty easily take a boat to the island if you\'re looking for a different kind of adventure or a different kind of transportation. <!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\r\n\r\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\r\n\r\nI really don\'t remember seeing peacocks up-close and personal in my adult life. These birds are lovely--the colors and patterns are really unmatched. I can see why in the past these animals were treasured by the rich, powerful and well connected all over the world (and heck, maybe they still are. I don\'t know any <em>really</em> rich people).\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"634\" height=\"475\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a very nice little church.','Lake Ohrid and Sveti Naum Church ','','publish','open','open','','lake-ohrid-and-sveti-naum-church','','','2012-05-21 07:05:13','2012-05-21 05:05:13','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6736',0,'post','',1),(6690,1,'2012-05-13 07:59:14','2012-05-13 05:59:14','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30. Now I\'m officially 31.\n\nBut the thing is I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31. Really and truly. I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.\n\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person. Or when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\n\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. But many of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\n\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in and at a newly minted 31 I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world that State-side I never could have imagined possible but this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language.','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision-2','','','2012-05-13 07:59:14','2012-05-13 05:59:14','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6691,1,'2012-05-13 07:59:46','2012-05-13 05:59:46','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30. Now I\'m officially 31.\r\n\r\nBut the thing is I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31. Really and truly.\r\n\r\nI feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.\r\n\r\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person. Or when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\r\n\r\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. But many of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\r\n\r\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in and at a newly minted 31 I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world that State-side I never could have imagined possible but this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language.','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision-3','','','2012-05-13 07:59:46','2012-05-13 05:59:46','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6692,1,'2012-05-13 08:04:25','2012-05-13 06:04:25','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30.\r\n\r\nNow I\'m officially 31.\r\n\r\nI can\'t wonder what this means for me. Should I be a better person now? Do I gain some kind of new responsibilities at 31? Am I supposed to gain a new perspective or insight into the world?  The problem is that I just don\'t know.\r\n\r\nAnd on top of all of this, I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31 or how I am supposed to behave at 31. It seems like a big important number but at this point, that\'s all I\'ve got.\r\n\r\nSomehow, I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.\r\n\r\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person. Or when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\r\n\r\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. But many of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\r\n\r\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in and at a newly minted 31 I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world that State-side I never could have imagined possible but this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language.','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision-4','','','2012-05-13 08:04:25','2012-05-13 06:04:25','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6693,1,'2012-05-13 08:04:26','2012-05-13 06:04:26','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30.\r\n\r\nNow I\'m officially 31.\r\n\r\nI can\'t wonder what this means for me. Should I be a better person now? Do I gain some kind of new responsibilities at 31? Am I supposed to gain a new perspective or insight into the world?  The problem is that I just don\'t know.\r\n\r\nAnd on top of all of this, I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31 or how I am supposed to behave at 31. It seems like a big important number but at this point, that\'s all I\'ve got.\r\n\r\nSomehow, I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.\r\n\r\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person. Or when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\r\n\r\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. But many of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\r\n\r\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in and at a newly minted 31 I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world that State-side I never could have imagined possible but this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language.','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision-5','','','2012-05-13 08:04:26','2012-05-13 06:04:26','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6694,1,'2012-05-13 08:08:50','2012-05-13 06:08:50','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30.\r\n\r\nNow I\'m officially 31.\r\n\r\nI can\'t wonder what this means for me.\r\n\r\nShould I be a better person now? Do I gain some kind of new responsibilities at 31? Am I supposed to gain a new perspective or insight into the world?\r\n\r\nThe problem is that I just don\'t know.\r\n\r\nAnd on top of all of this, I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31 or how I am supposed to behave at 31. It seems like a big important number but at this point, that\'s all I\'ve got.\r\n\r\nSomehow, I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.\r\n\r\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person. Or when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\r\n\r\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. But many of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\r\n\r\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in and at a newly minted 31 I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world that State-side I never could have imagined possible but this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language.','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision-6','','','2012-05-13 08:08:50','2012-05-13 06:08:50','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6695,1,'2012-05-13 08:08:51','2012-05-13 06:08:51','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30.\r\n\r\nNow I\'m officially 31.\r\n\r\nI can\'t wonder what this means for me.\r\n\r\nShould I be a better person now? Do I gain some kind of new responsibilities at 31? Am I supposed to gain a new perspective or insight into the world?\r\n\r\nThe problem is that I just don\'t know.\r\n\r\nAnd on top of all of this, I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31 or how I am supposed to behave at 31. It seems like a big important number but at this point, that\'s all I\'ve got.\r\n\r\nSomehow, I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.\r\n\r\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person. Or when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\r\n\r\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. But many of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\r\n\r\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in and at a newly minted 31 I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world that State-side I never could have imagined possible but this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language.','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-revision-7','','','2012-05-13 08:08:51','2012-05-13 06:08:51','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6696,1,'2012-05-13 08:27:38','2012-05-13 06:27:38','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30.\n\nNow I\'m officially 31.\n\nI can\'t wonder what this means for me.\n\nShould I be a better person now? Do I gain some kind of new responsibilities at 31? Am I supposed to gain a new perspective or insight into the world? The problem is that I just don\'t know.\n\nAnd on top of all of this, I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31 or how I am supposed to behave at 31. It seems like a big important number but at this point, that\'s all I\'ve got.\n\nSomehow, I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.<!--more-->\n\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person.\n\nOr when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\n\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. You learn to put yourself out there because you have to not because it\'s easy. But most of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\n\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in.\n\nAnd at a newly minted 31, I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world in a way that State-side I never could have imagined possible. At the same time, this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language. It\'s been scary and wonderful all at once.\n\nSo while a part of me can\'t believe that I\'m now 31 an even bigger part of me can\'t believe that I\'ve spent the last four years living in Sofia, Bulgaria and traveling around Europe and I wonder: how did all of this happen? How did I get so lucky?','Woa, I am 31','','inherit','open','open','','6687-autosave','','','2012-05-13 08:27:38','2012-05-13 06:27:38','',6687,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/13/6687-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6697,1,'2012-05-14 18:31:17','2012-05-14 16:31:17','Recently, we haven\'t too many of these rainy days in Sofia so I can\'t really complain.\r\n\r\nStill, it\'s rained on and off all day to day. I kept figuring that it would let up enough at some point in the afternoon that I could walk home. No luck. Instead I took the bus home and found myself wishing I\'d had the foresight to wear my rain boots. Of course on the day you need them, you don\'t have them.\r\n\r\nOh well. These things happen.\r\n\r\nAnyhow at some point today, I found myself alternating between a number of different cliched saying and songs about the rain and weather in general. It\'s funny--I don\'t actively think about these things for years and then on one rainy day they pour into my head.\r\n\r\nHere goes:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>April showers bring May flowers. (And what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.)</li>\r\n	<li>Tut-tut is looks like rain.</li>\r\n	<li>Raindrops on roses and and whiskers on kittens.</li>\r\n	<li>If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be. I\'d stand outside with my mouth open wide singing: ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be!!</li>\r\n	<li>Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be not, we\'ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.</li>\r\n	<li>I\'m dancing in the rain. Just dancing in the rain. What wonderful feeling I\'m happy again.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAnyhow, hope that you had a great day--with or without the rain. I think I\'ll drink some tea, curl up with my book club for the month Catch 22 and call it an early night. Tomorrow\'s going to be a big day for me. I\'ve school <em>and</em> I am getting my hair cut!! I\'m maybe more excited about the haircut than work but these things happen.','Rainy Day','','publish','open','open','','rainy-day-3','','','2012-05-14 18:31:17','2012-05-14 16:31:17','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6697',0,'post','',1),(6698,1,'2012-05-14 18:28:41','2012-05-14 16:28:41','We haven\'t too many of these rainy days recently so I can\'t really complain.\n\nStill, it\'s rained on and off all day to day. I kept figuring that it would let up enough at some point in the afternoon that I could walk home. No luck. Instead I took the bus home and found myself wishing I\'d had the foresight to wear my rain boots. Of course on the day you need them, you don\'t have them.\n\nOh well. These things happen.\n\nAnyhow at some point today, I found myself alternating between a number of different cliched saying and songs about the rain and weather in general. It\'s funny--I don\'t actively think about these things for years and then on one rainy day they pour into my head.\n\nHere goes:\n<ul>\n	<li>April showers bring May flowers. (And what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.)</li>\n	<li>Tut-tut is looks like rain.</li>\n	<li>Raindrops on roses and and whiskers on kittens.</li>\n	<li>If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be. I\'d stand outside with my mouth open wide singing: ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be!!</li>\n	<li>Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be not, we\'ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.</li>\n	<li>I\'m dancing in the rain. Just dancing in the rain. What wonderful feeling I\'m happy again.</li>\n</ul>\nAnyhow, hope that you had a great day--with or without the rain. I think I\'ll drink some tea, curl up with my book club for the month Catch 22 and call it an early night. Tomorrow\'s going to be a big day for me. I\'ve school <em>and</em> I am getting my hair cut!! I\'m maybe more excited about the hair cut than work but','Rainy Day','','inherit','open','open','','6697-revision','','','2012-05-14 18:28:41','2012-05-14 16:28:41','',6697,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6697-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6699,1,'2012-05-14 18:29:02','2012-05-14 16:29:02','We haven\'t too many of these rainy days recently so I can\'t really complain.\r\n\r\nStill, it\'s rained on and off all day to day. I kept figuring that it would let up enough at some point in the afternoon that I could walk home. No luck. Instead I took the bus home and found myself wishing I\'d had the foresight to wear my rain boots. Of course on the day you need them, you don\'t have them.\r\n\r\nOh well. These things happen.\r\n\r\nAnyhow at some point today, I found myself alternating between a number of different cliched saying and songs about the rain and weather in general. It\'s funny--I don\'t actively think about these things for years and then on one rainy day they pour into my head.\r\n\r\nHere goes:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>April showers bring May flowers. (And what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.)</li>\r\n	<li>Tut-tut is looks like rain.</li>\r\n	<li>Raindrops on roses and and whiskers on kittens.</li>\r\n	<li>If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be. I\'d stand outside with my mouth open wide singing: ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be!!</li>\r\n	<li>Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be not, we\'ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.</li>\r\n	<li>I\'m dancing in the rain. Just dancing in the rain. What wonderful feeling I\'m happy again.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAnyhow, hope that you had a great day--with or without the rain. I think I\'ll drink some tea, curl up with my book club for the month Catch 22 and call it an early night. Tomorrow\'s going to be a big day for me. I\'ve school <em>and</em> I am getting my hair cut!! I\'m maybe more excited about the haircut than work but these things happen.','Rainy Day','','inherit','open','open','','6697-revision-2','','','2012-05-14 18:29:02','2012-05-14 16:29:02','',6697,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6697-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6700,1,'2012-05-14 18:31:09','2012-05-14 16:31:09','Recently, we haven\'t too many of these rainy days in Sofia so I can\'t really complain.\n\nStill, it\'s rained on and off all day to day. I kept figuring that it would let up enough at some point in the afternoon that I could walk home. No luck. Instead I took the bus home and found myself wishing I\'d had the foresight to wear my rain boots. Of course on the day you need them, you don\'t have them.\n\nOh well. These things happen.\n\nAnyhow at some point today, I found myself alternating between a number of different cliched saying and songs about the rain and weather in general. It\'s funny--I don\'t actively think about these things for years and then on one rainy day they pour into my head.\n\nHere goes:\n<ul>\n	<li>April showers bring May flowers. (And what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.)</li>\n	<li>Tut-tut is looks like rain.</li>\n	<li>Raindrops on roses and and whiskers on kittens.</li>\n	<li>If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be. I\'d stand outside with my mouth open wide singing: ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be!!</li>\n	<li>Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be not, we\'ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.</li>\n	<li>I\'m dancing in the rain. Just dancing in the rain. What wonderful feeling I\'m happy again.</li>\n</ul>\nAnyhow, hope that you had a great day--with or without the rain. I think I\'ll drink some tea, curl up with my book club for the month Catch 22 and call it an early night. Tomorrow\'s going to be a big day for me. I\'ve school <em>and</em> I am getting my hair cut!! I\'m maybe more excited about the haircut than work but these things happen.','Rainy Day','','inherit','open','open','','6697-revision-3','','','2012-05-14 18:31:09','2012-05-14 16:31:09','',6697,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6697-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6701,1,'2012-05-14 18:32:21','2012-05-14 16:32:21','Recently, we haven\'t too many of these rainy days in Sofia so I can\'t really complain.\n\nStill, it\'s rained on and off all day to day. I kept figuring that it would let up enough at some point in the afternoon that I could walk home. No luck. Instead I took the bus home and found myself wishing I\'d had the foresight to wear my rain boots. Of course on the day you need them, you don\'t have them.\n\nOh well. These things happen.\n\nAnyhow at some point today, I found myself alternating between a number of different cliched saying and songs about the rain and weather in general. It\'s funny--I don\'t actively think about these things for years and then on one rainy day they pour into my head.\n\nHere goes:\n<ul>\n	<li>April showers bring May flowers. (And what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.)</li>\n	<li>Tut-tut is looks like rain.</li>\n	<li>Raindrops on roses and and whiskers on kittens.</li>\n	<li>If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be. I\'d stand outside with my mouth open wide singing: ah, ah, ah, ah, ah! If all of the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops oh what a world this would be!!</li>\n	<li>Whether the weather be hot or whether the weather be not, we\'ll weather the weather whatever the weather whether we like it or not.</li>\n	<li>I\'m dancing in the rain. Just dancing in the rain. What wonderful feeling I\'m happy again.</li>\n</ul>\nAnyhow, hope that you had a great day--with or without the rain. I think I\'ll drink some tea, curl up with my book club for the month Catch 22 and call it an early night. Tomorrow\'s going to be a big day for me. I\'ve school <em>and</em> I am getting my hair cut!! I\'m maybe more excited about the haircut than work but these things happen.','Rainy Day','','inherit','open','open','','6697-autosave','','','2012-05-14 18:32:21','2012-05-14 16:32:21','',6697,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6697-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6702,1,'2012-05-15 06:56:04','2012-05-15 04:56:04','Here\'s the thing, I love to read. And I read a lot. Neither of these facts will probably surprise you.\r\n\r\nThis month, I\'m supposed to be reading the novel <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22\" target=\"_blank\">Catch 22</a> for book club. However, I am having a really hard time getting into it. Now I\'ve been known to go to book club without actually finishing the whole book. <em>Gasp</em>. Sometimes I have time management problems. Sometimes I just don\'t love the novel but mostly I read the books from start to finish each month. Sometimes I even finish them early.\r\n\r\nThe problem is that this time I\'ve actually got to read this one because this month I am one of the two discussion leaders. As a discussion leader, you\'ve really got to read the book. <em>Go figure</em>.\r\n\r\nI knew I was in trouble when I thought: oh I\'ve never read this book. It\'ll be good for me. That\'s never a good start--<em>it\'ll be good for me. </em><!--more-->\r\n\r\nThen I started reading it and realized that at some point in my life I\'d started the novel and then put it down. Never to pick it up again. The first chunk of the story is very familiar to me.\r\n\r\nThis second time around as I read I realized that I couldn\'t relate to the characters. I couldn\'t remember their names. And I didn\'t really care very much about their stories. That\'s not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. (At one point, I even wondered: is this how my students feel?!)\r\n\r\nRecently instead of reading the novel, I decided to read about the book on wikipedia. (Right?! I should really suck it up and just read the novel but these things happen sometimes.) The only thing is that wikipedia didn\'t actually make me any more excited to read the novel.\r\n\r\nInstead it just made me wonder: what\'s wrong with you, Carolyn, why can\'t you get into this book and the story?!\r\n\r\nThe interesting part is, if I was reading this book on my own I\'d have started it and then promptly stopped reading it. It seems to me that there are too many good books in the world to spend your time reading one you\'re not actually that excited about. Only when it comes to book club, it\'s your duty to read the novel. To think about the book. To consider the characters. To examine the problems that they face and the choices that they make.\r\n\r\nMore often than not it is a pleasure to read for book club. I get to read books that I wouldn\'t normally select by myself and then talk about them and the ideas they explore with friends. Only reading<em> Catch 22</em> currently seems more like taking bitter medicine than anything else. I plug my nose, swallow and tell myself that it\'s good for me.  And again I find myself confronted with this problem: What\'s wrong with me?! Why can\'t I just like this book?!\r\n\r\nLuckily a friend told me recently: don\'t worry, it gets better. I hope so. I certainly hope so.','Book Club: Catch 22','','publish','open','open','','book-club-catch-22','','','2012-05-14 19:56:45','2012-05-14 17:56:45','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6702',0,'post','',6),(6703,1,'2012-05-14 19:55:11','2012-05-14 17:55:11','Here\'s the thing, I love to read. And I read a lot. Neither of these facts will probably surprise you.\n\nThis month, I\'m supposed to be reading the novel <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22\" target=\"_blank\">Catch 22</a> for book club. However, I am having a really hard time getting into it. Now I\'ve been known to go to book club without actually finishing the whole book. <em>Gasp</em>. Sometimes I have time management problems. Sometimes I just don\'t love the novel but mostly I read the books from start to finish each month. Sometimes I even finish them early.\n\nThe problem is that this time I\'ve actually got to read this one because this month I am one of the two discussion leaders. As a discussion leader, you\'ve really got to read the book. <em>Go figure</em>.\n\nI knew I was in trouble when I thought: oh I\'ve never read this book. It\'ll be good for me.\n\nThen I started reading it and realized that at some point in my life I\'d started the novel and then put it down. Never to pick it up again. The first chunk of the story is very familiar to me.\n\nThis second time around as I read I realized that I couldn\'t relate to the characters. I couldn\'t remember their names. And I didn\'t really care very much about their stories. That\'s not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. (At one point, I even wondered: is this how my students feel?!)\n\nRecently instead of reading the novel, I decided to read about the book on wikipedia. (Right?! I should really suck it up and just read the novel but these things happen sometimes.) The only thing is that wikipedia didn\'t actually make me any more excited to read the novel.\n\nInstead it just made me wonder: what\'s wrong with you, Carolyn, why can\'t you get into this book and the story?!\n\nThe interesting part is, if I was reading this book on my own I\'d have started it and then promptly stopped reading it. It seems to me that there are too many good books in the world to spend your time reading one you\'re not actually that excited about. Only when it comes to book club, it\'s your duty to read the novel. To think about the book. To consider the characters. To examine the problems that they face and the choices that they make.\n\nMore often than not it is a pleasure to read for book club. I get to read books that I wouldn\'t normally select by myself and then talk about them and the ideas they explore with friends. Only reading<em> Catch 22</em> currently seems more like taking bitter medicine than anything else. I plug my nose, swallow and tell myself that it\'s good for me.  And again I find myself confronted with this problem: What\'s wrong with me?! Why can\'t I just like this book?!\n\nLuckily a friend told me recently: don\'t worry, it gets better. I hope so. I certainly hope so.','Book Club: Catch 22','','inherit','open','open','','6702-revision','','','2012-05-14 19:55:11','2012-05-14 17:55:11','',6702,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6702-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6704,1,'2012-05-14 19:56:04','2012-05-14 17:56:04','Here\'s the thing, I love to read. And I read a lot. Neither of these facts will probably surprise you.\r\n\r\nThis month, I\'m supposed to be reading the novel <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22\" target=\"_blank\">Catch 22</a> for book club. However, I am having a really hard time getting into it. Now I\'ve been known to go to book club without actually finishing the whole book. <em>Gasp</em>. Sometimes I have time management problems. Sometimes I just don\'t love the novel but mostly I read the books from start to finish each month. Sometimes I even finish them early.\r\n\r\nThe problem is that this time I\'ve actually got to read this one because this month I am one of the two discussion leaders. As a discussion leader, you\'ve really got to read the book. <em>Go figure</em>.\r\n\r\nI knew I was in trouble when I thought: oh I\'ve never read this book. It\'ll be good for me. That\'s never a good start--<em>it\'ll be good for me. </em><!--more-->\r\n\r\nThen I started reading it and realized that at some point in my life I\'d started the novel and then put it down. Never to pick it up again. The first chunk of the story is very familiar to me.\r\n\r\nThis second time around as I read I realized that I couldn\'t relate to the characters. I couldn\'t remember their names. And I didn\'t really care very much about their stories. That\'s not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. (At one point, I even wondered: is this how my students feel?!)\r\n\r\nRecently instead of reading the novel, I decided to read about the book on wikipedia. (Right?! I should really suck it up and just read the novel but these things happen sometimes.) The only thing is that wikipedia didn\'t actually make me any more excited to read the novel.\r\n\r\nInstead it just made me wonder: what\'s wrong with you, Carolyn, why can\'t you get into this book and the story?!\r\n\r\nThe interesting part is, if I was reading this book on my own I\'d have started it and then promptly stopped reading it. It seems to me that there are too many good books in the world to spend your time reading one you\'re not actually that excited about. Only when it comes to book club, it\'s your duty to read the novel. To think about the book. To consider the characters. To examine the problems that they face and the choices that they make.\r\n\r\nMore often than not it is a pleasure to read for book club. I get to read books that I wouldn\'t normally select by myself and then talk about them and the ideas they explore with friends. Only reading<em> Catch 22</em> currently seems more like taking bitter medicine than anything else. I plug my nose, swallow and tell myself that it\'s good for me.  And again I find myself confronted with this problem: What\'s wrong with me?! Why can\'t I just like this book?!\r\n\r\nLuckily a friend told me recently: don\'t worry, it gets better. I hope so. I certainly hope so.','Book Club: Catch 22','','inherit','open','open','','6702-revision-2','','','2012-05-14 19:56:04','2012-05-14 17:56:04','',6702,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6702-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6705,1,'2012-05-14 19:57:49','2012-05-14 17:57:49','Here\'s the thing, I love to read. And I read a lot. Neither of these facts will probably surprise you.\n\nThis month, I\'m supposed to be reading the novel <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22\" target=\"_blank\">Catch 22</a> for book club. However, I am having a really hard time getting into it. Now I\'ve been known to go to book club without actually finishing the whole book. <em>Gasp</em>. Sometimes I have time management problems. Sometimes I just don\'t love the novel but mostly I read the books from start to finish each month. Sometimes I even finish them early.\n\nThe problem is that this time I\'ve actually got to read this one because this month I am one of the two discussion leaders. As a discussion leader, you\'ve really got to read the book. <em>Go figure</em>.\n\nI knew I was in trouble when I thought: oh I\'ve never read this book. It\'ll be good for me. That\'s never a good start--<em>it\'ll be good for me. </em><!--more-->\n\nThen I started reading it and realized that at some point in my life I\'d started the novel and then put it down. Never to pick it up again. The first chunk of the story is very familiar to me.\n\nThis second time around as I read I realized that I couldn\'t relate to the characters. I couldn\'t remember their names. And I didn\'t really care very much about their stories. That\'s not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. (At one point, I even wondered: is this how my students feel?!)\n\nRecently instead of reading the novel, I decided to read about the book on wikipedia. (Right?! I should really suck it up and just read the novel but these things happen sometimes.) The only thing is that wikipedia didn\'t actually make me any more excited to read the novel.\n\nInstead it just made me wonder: what\'s wrong with you, Carolyn, why can\'t you get into this book and the story?!\n\nThe interesting part is, if I was reading this book on my own I\'d have started it and then promptly stopped reading it. It seems to me that there are too many good books in the world to spend your time reading one you\'re not actually that excited about. Only when it comes to book club, it\'s your duty to read the novel. To think about the book. To consider the characters. To examine the problems that they face and the choices that they make.\n\nMore often than not it is a pleasure to read for book club. I get to read books that I wouldn\'t normally select by myself and then talk about them and the ideas they explore with friends. Only reading<em> Catch 22</em> currently seems more like taking bitter medicine than anything else. I plug my nose, swallow and tell myself that it\'s good for me.  And again I find myself confronted with this problem: What\'s wrong with me?! Why can\'t I just like this book?!\n\nLuckily a friend told me recently: don\'t worry, it gets better. I hope so. I certainly hope so.','Book Club: Catch 22','','inherit','open','open','','6702-autosave','','','2012-05-14 19:57:49','2012-05-14 17:57:49','',6702,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/14/6702-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6706,1,'2012-05-16 06:12:13','2012-05-16 04:12:13','<a title=\"haircut by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7204831504/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7204831504_1a8bf65393.jpg\" alt=\"haircut\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I\'ve got a new haircut!\r\n\r\nIt\'s actually not so different than cuts I\'ve had in the past but it feels new to me and that\'s really what counts. I feel young and fresh after a long winter of boots, sweaters and wool coats.\r\n\r\nI have to say, it\'s such a great haircut that I don\'t care that it\'s been raining all week and it will probably rain on my birthday which also happens to be graduation this year.\r\n\r\nNot bad for a haircut.\r\n\r\nA special thanks to Philip at Kalo in Mladost 1A who did such a great job cutting my hair. I really appreciate the time that you spend giving me the prefect cut every two and a half months or so. (Although I should clearly be getting my hair cut more regularly.)','A Haircut at Kalo','','publish','open','open','','a-haircut-at-kalo','','','2012-05-15 21:14:23','2012-05-15 19:14:23','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6706',0,'post','',4),(6707,1,'2012-05-15 20:58:56','2012-05-15 18:58:56','Wow. The 111 bus was pretty amazing this morning.\r\n\r\nIt was drizzling at the bus stop with lots of people milling around. About 7:15 I squeezed onto the already full bus.  The bus in the rain thisclose to other passengers who reek of stale cigarette smoke is not exactly my idea of a good start to the day. But it is what it is.\r\n\r\nOn the bus, I hear someone speaking English. Everyone else is pretty quiet so the voice carries. At first I am just aware of the fact that a non-native female is speaking English. Her accent is a little off and she keeps making errors with prepositions.\r\n\r\nThen all of a sudden she\'s talking about three-ways and orgies.\r\n\r\nUm, what?! I haven\'t even had a cup of coffee yet.\r\n\r\nI look around the bus trying to see who\'s speaking on the phone but I can\'t really tell. All I know is that the voice is behind me. What I can see is that mostly people are staring out into space. Either no one knows what she\'s saying or no one is paying any attention.\r\n\r\nThat is except for the one ACS student who\'s eye I manage to accidentally catch. Said teenager looks at me with big eyes that seem to say: and you believe that?! And I know that I\'ve caught someone else eavesdropping on a very interesting telephone conversation. I shrug and give a little confused though confirming head nod. Because really, what else can I do?\r\n\r\nOh the things that happen on the 111 bus. The best part? That was all in the course of three stops.\r\n\r\nSome final thoughts on the bus: you know what there\'s no line in the children\'s song \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheels_on_the_Bus\" target=\"_blank\">The Wheels on Bus</a>\" to prepare me for things like this.  All I know about are windshield whippers that go swish-swish-swish, coins that go click-click-click and the bus driver who says: move on back.','A little excitement on the 111 Bus in Mladost ','','publish','open','open','','a-little-excitement-on-the-111-bus-in-mladost','','','2012-05-15 20:58:56','2012-05-15 18:58:56','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6707',0,'post','',3),(6708,1,'2012-05-15 20:58:30','2012-05-15 18:58:30','Wow. The 111 bus was pretty amazing this morning.\n\nIt was drizzling at the bus stop with lots of people milling around. About 7:15 I squeezed onto the already full bus.  The bus in the rain thisclose to other passengers who reek of stale cigarette smoke is not exactly my idea of a good start to the day. But it is what it is.\n\nOn the bus, I hear someone speaking English. Everyone else is pretty quiet so the voice carries. At first I am just aware of the fact that a non-native female is speaking English. Her accent is a little off and she keeps making errors with prepositions.\n\nThen all of a sudden she\'s talking about three-ways and orgies.\n\nUm, what?! I haven\'t even had a cup of coffee yet.\n\nI look around the bus trying to see who\'s speaking on the phone but I can\'t really tell. All I know is that the voice is behind me. What I can see is that mostly people are staring out into space. Either no one knows what she\'s saying or no one is paying any attention.\n\nThat is except for the one ACS student who\'s eye I manage to accidentally catch. Said teenager looks at me with big eyes that seem to say: and you believe that?! And I know that I\'ve caught someone else eavesdropping on a very interesting telephone conversation. I shrug and give a little confused though confirming head nod. Because really, what else can I do?\n\nOh the things that happen on the 111 bus. The best part? That was all in the course of three stops.\n\nSome final thoughts on the bus: you know what there\'s no line in the children\'s song \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheels_on_the_Bus\" target=\"_blank\">The Wheels on Bus</a>\" to prepare me for these things.  All I know about are windshield whippers that go swish-swish-swish, coins that go click-click-click and the bus driver who says: move on back.','A little excitement on the 111 Bus in Mladost ','','inherit','open','open','','6707-revision','','','2012-05-15 20:58:30','2012-05-15 18:58:30','',6707,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/15/6707-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6709,1,'2012-05-15 21:00:03','2012-05-15 19:00:03','Wow. The 111 bus was pretty amazing this morning.\n\nIt was drizzling at the bus stop with lots of people milling around. About 7:15 I squeezed onto the already full bus.  The bus in the rain thisclose to other passengers who reek of stale cigarette smoke is not exactly my idea of a good start to the day. But it is what it is.\n\nOn the bus, I hear someone speaking English. Everyone else is pretty quiet so the voice carries. At first I am just aware of the fact that a non-native female is speaking English. Her accent is a little off and she keeps making errors with prepositions.\n\nThen all of a sudden she\'s talking about three-ways and orgies.\n\nUm, what?! I haven\'t even had a cup of coffee yet.\n\nI look around the bus trying to see who\'s speaking on the phone but I can\'t really tell. All I know is that the voice is behind me. What I can see is that mostly people are staring out into space. Either no one knows what she\'s saying or no one is paying any attention.\n\nThat is except for the one ACS student who\'s eye I manage to accidentally catch. Said teenager looks at me with big eyes that seem to say: and you believe that?! And I know that I\'ve caught someone else eavesdropping on a very interesting telephone conversation. I shrug and give a little confused though confirming head nod. Because really, what else can I do?\n\nOh the things that happen on the 111 bus. The best part? That was all in the course of three stops.\n\nSome final thoughts on the bus: you know what there\'s no line in the children\'s song \"<a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheels_on_the_Bus\" target=\"_blank\">The Wheels on Bus</a>\" to prepare me for things like this.  All I know about are windshield whippers that go swish-swish-swish, coins that go click-click-click and the bus driver who says: move on back.','A little excitement on the 111 Bus in Mladost ','','inherit','open','open','','6707-autosave','','','2012-05-15 21:00:03','2012-05-15 19:00:03','',6707,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/15/6707-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6710,1,'2012-05-15 21:11:13','2012-05-15 19:11:13','I\'ve got a new haircut!\n\nIt\'s actually not so different than cuts I\'ve had in the past but it feels new to me and that\'s really what counts. I feel young and fresh after a long winter of boots, sweaters and wool coats.\n\nI have to say, it\'s such a great haircut that I don\'t care that it\'s been raining all week and it will probably rain on my birthday which also happens to be graduation this year.\n\nNot bad for a haircut. A special thanks to Philip at Kalo in Mladost 1A who did such a great job cutting my hair. I really appreciate the time that you spend giving me the prefect cut every two and a half months (a','A Haircut at Kalo','','inherit','open','open','','6706-revision','','','2012-05-15 21:11:13','2012-05-15 19:11:13','',6706,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/15/6706-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6711,1,'2012-05-15 21:12:07','2012-05-15 19:12:07','<a title=\"haircut by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7204831504/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7204831504_1a8bf65393.jpg\" alt=\"haircut\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I\'ve got a new haircut!\r\n\r\nIt\'s actually not so different than cuts I\'ve had in the past but it feels new to me and that\'s really what counts. I feel young and fresh after a long winter of boots, sweaters and wool coats.\r\n\r\nI have to say, it\'s such a great haircut that I don\'t care that it\'s been raining all week and it will probably rain on my birthday which also happens to be graduation this year.\r\n\r\nNot bad for a haircut. A special thanks to Philip at Kalo in Mladost 1A who did such a great job cutting my hair. I really appreciate the time that you spend giving me the prefect cut every two and a half months (although I should clearly be getting my hair cut more regularly).','A Haircut at Kalo','','inherit','open','open','','6706-revision-2','','','2012-05-15 21:12:07','2012-05-15 19:12:07','',6706,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/15/6706-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6712,1,'2012-05-15 21:13:15','2012-05-15 19:13:15','<a title=\"haircut by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7204831504/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7204831504_1a8bf65393.jpg\" alt=\"haircut\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I\'ve got a new haircut!\n\nIt\'s actually not so different than cuts I\'ve had in the past but it feels new to me and that\'s really what counts. I feel young and fresh after a long winter of boots, sweaters and wool coats.\n\nI have to say, it\'s such a great haircut that I don\'t care that it\'s been raining all week and it will probably rain on my birthday which also happens to be graduation this year.\n\nNot bad for a haircut.\n\nA special thanks to Philip at Kalo in Mladost 1A who did such a great job cutting my hair. I really appreciate the time that you spend giving me the prefect cut every two and a half months or so. (although I should clearly be getting my hair cut more regularly).','A Haircut at Kalo','','inherit','open','open','','6706-revision-3','','','2012-05-15 21:13:15','2012-05-15 19:13:15','',6706,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/15/6706-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6713,1,'2012-05-15 21:14:15','2012-05-15 19:14:15','<a title=\"haircut by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7204831504/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7204831504_1a8bf65393.jpg\" alt=\"haircut\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I\'ve got a new haircut!\n\nIt\'s actually not so different than cuts I\'ve had in the past but it feels new to me and that\'s really what counts. I feel young and fresh after a long winter of boots, sweaters and wool coats.\n\nI have to say, it\'s such a great haircut that I don\'t care that it\'s been raining all week and it will probably rain on my birthday which also happens to be graduation this year.\n\nNot bad for a haircut.\n\nA special thanks to Philip at Kalo in Mladost 1A who did such a great job cutting my hair. I really appreciate the time that you spend giving me the prefect cut every two and a half months or so. (Although I should clearly be getting my hair cut more regularly.)','A Haircut at Kalo','','inherit','open','open','','6706-revision-4','','','2012-05-15 21:14:15','2012-05-15 19:14:15','',6706,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/15/6706-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6714,1,'2012-05-17 09:12:49','2012-05-17 07:12:49','This week has been insane. Good but insane. I\'ve been teaching. Much to my dismay on Monday night I realized that Billa doesn\'t carry Merci chocolate.  After school on Tuesday, I got a haircut. Wednesday night I got roped into some babysitting. Today, there\'s an overnight English Department retreat. Graduation is on Friday <em>and</em> my birthday is on Friday. At least after this whole thing, the international teachers have a three day weekend.\r\n\r\nLet me break this whole thing down for you.\r\n\r\n<strong>Merci chocolate</strong>. These are by far the best birthday chocolates. They are tasty and everybody likes them because there are a bunch of different flavors. You can buy either a small box or a big box of these chocolates. But who am I kidding?! There\'s no need for me to even think about buying a small box. I\'d better buy two big boxes or nothing at all. Currently, it\'s nothing at all. That\'s because Billa apparently isn\'t carrying them any more. Instead they have a bunch of brands I\'ve never heard of and that seems like a bad plan to me. I don\'t want to give my friends and colleagues bad chocolates on my birthday. So right now I am chocolate-less and I am not sure that I\'ll have any time in the next day to remedy this situation.<em> Boo</em>.\r\n\r\n<strong>Haircut</strong>. I\'m in love with my new haircut. It\'s perfect for spring. I can\'t get over how cute and funny it is to have my Bulgarian students wish me a \"Happy Haircut.\" It\'s a Bulgarian thing that translated into English never ceases to make me smile.\r\n\r\n<strong>Babysitting</strong>. This ended up being a surprise addition to my night.  I thought that I was going to go out to dinner with a friend. Only a colleague of mine and his wife both had to go to a big school event last night. The girl they\'d originally lined up to babysit was sick, sick and couldn\'t so at 5:15 last night I agreed to watch their 5 and 7 year-old from 5:30-8pm. I really like these kids and I\'ve watched them before so it wasn\'t that big of a deal.\r\n\r\nFirst thought, I do have to say two little boys can be a handful and I haven\'t stepped on so many lego pieces in years. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThere were two great moments from last night. The boys are building lego spaceships. The 7 year old takes pieces from the 5 year old\'s spaceship. Five-year old realizes and gets really angry. Rightfully so. Only before I know what\'s going on 5-year old is choking 7-year old. Oh.\r\n\r\nEnter timeout. I put 5 year old on a chair for a timeout. He gets off the chair. In my strictest teacher voice I tell him he needs to back on the chair before I reach the number 3. I say: one. He\'s still under the table. I say: two. He peeks his head out to look at me. I am serious and not smiling. And before I say three he is sitting in the chair. Then of course he wants to talk to me, to play with things and to otherwise create a scene. I told him he had a one minute timeout and that the time would start over each time he broke his timeout. This proceeded for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, the 7-year old strolled over and asked: what was going on. Timeout I replied. He asked: for what? Me: choking you. Him, very vaguely: oh yeah. He\'s clearly forgotten about the whole incident.\r\n\r\nThe other great moment had to do with some serious candy negotiation for dessert after dinner. Seven-year old asks for some dessert after dinner. I tell him he has to eat a little more food on his plate. He reluctantly agrees. Then he tells me his mom lets him have three mini-snickers and three<a href=\"http://www.toffifee.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> toffifee</a> and gummy bears. <em>Right</em>. I tell him that my mom only lets me have one of each. After a moment of whining negotiation ensues.\r\n\r\nI was not prepared for the seriousness of this negotiation nor the passion with which it would be conducted by a cute and very skinny 7-year old. I counter offered: you can pick either two snickers and one toffifee <em>or</em> two toffifee and one snickers. Next he tells me three snickers, three toffifee and 10 gummy bears. <em>Um, no</em>. We continued to go back and forth. A deal was struck at two snickers, two toffifee and three gummy bears and he cleaned up the legos and took the dishes to the kitchen. It was clearly too much candy and I should have been tougher but these things happen.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the night I concluded that if and when motherhood finds me, I\'d rather the stork brought me a newborn rather than a 5-year old and a 7-year old. That\'s a lot of crazy to jump into all at once<em> and</em> I teach high school!!\r\n\r\n<strong>Graduation</strong>. My first class of ACS students are graduating on Friday. At this point, I\'ve taught more than half of them and I\'m incredibly happy to have seen them grow-up so much over the last three years. Rain however is threatening. And if it rains, we\'ll have to have graduation inside. This will be painful. Students will be given tickets which will have to limit the number of family members who can actually sit in the auditorium and watch them graduate and I imagine that we\'ll be over the fire-code limit for the number of people in the auditorium making it hot, loud and generally unpleasant. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather clears up for tomorrow afternoon.\r\n\r\n<strong>My Birthday</strong>. After graduation, I\'ve lined up my friends to join me for dinner at Don Domat in Mladost. It\'s not going to be a very big celebration because well, it\'s after a long day of work but I couldn\'t imagine just letting my birthday pass without doing anything. I thought originally that we\'d go to Happy in Mladost. Only when I called for reservations at 8:30pm I was told I could only get a reservation for 7:30. I explained that wouldn\'t work for me because I\'d still be at graduation. Then there was some back and forth and it was suggested that people come 7:30. Again I explained that my friends would also be at graduation and no one would be able to come and sit at the table. Then I was told that we could come to the restaurant even without a reservation. <em>Long sigh</em>.\r\n\r\nBut really, I am not showing up with 10 friends on a Friday night without a reservation. So I called Don Domat. They were very polite and helpful. It was no problem to make a reservation for 12 people at 8:30 pm in nonsmoking. It\'s funny how two different chain Bulgarian restaurants can have such a different approach to customer service and reservations.\r\n\r\nAfter all of this, I get a <strong>three-day weekend</strong>. I suspect that I\'ll need it. However, I realize that my three day weekend is not the norm in Bulgaria this weekend. Saturday is a work day because the government has given Bulgarians a four day weekend later in the month to celebrate Cyril and Methodius the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet. Luckily I don\'t have to work. Then on Monday there are state exams for seniors across Bulgaria. Our Bulgarian teachers have to proctor these exams but not me.\r\n\r\nThen I\'ve got to teach on Tuesday and Wednesday. May 24th-27th there\'s the four day weekend. I\'ll be traveling around Bulgaria for this long weekend and on the 27th of May I\'ll be attending my first Bulgarian prom.\r\n\r\nPhew. I am tired just thinking about all of this.','A middle of May round-up ','','publish','open','open','','a-middle-of-may-round-up','','','2012-05-17 09:12:49','2012-05-17 07:12:49','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6714',0,'post','',1),(6717,1,'2012-05-17 09:12:05','2012-05-17 07:12:05','This week has been insane. Good but insane. I\'ve been teaching. Much to my dismay on Monday night I realized that Billa doesn\'t carry Merci chocolate.  After school on Tuesday, I got a haircut. Wednesday night I got roped into some babysitting. Today, there\'s an overnight English Department retreat. Graduation is on Friday <em>and</em> my birthday is on Friday. At least after this whole thing, the international teachers have a three day weekend.\n\nLet me break this whole thing down for you.\n\n<strong>Merci chocolate</strong>. These are by far the best birthday chocolates. They are tasty and everybody likes them because there are a bunch of different flavors. You can buy either a small box or a big box of these chocolates. But who am I kidding?! There\'s no need for me to even think about buying a small box. I\'d better buy two big boxes or nothing at all. Currently, it\'s nothing at all. That\'s because Billa apparently isn\'t carrying them any more. Instead they have a bunch of brands I\'ve never heard of and that seems like a bad plan to me. I don\'t want to give my friends and colleagues bad chocolates on my birthday. So right now I am chocolate-less and I am not sure that I\'ll have any time in the next day to remedy this situation.<em> Boo</em>.\n\n<strong>Haircut</strong>. I\'m in love with my new haircut. It\'s perfect for spring. I can\'t get over how cute and funny it is to have my Bulgarian students wish me a \"Happy Haircut.\" It\'s a Bulgarian thing that translated into English never ceases to make me smile.\n\n<strong>Babysitting</strong>. This ended up being a surprise addition to my night.  I thought that I was going to go out to dinner with a friend. Only a colleague of mine and his wife both had to go to a big school event last night. The girl they\'d originally lined up to babysit was sick, sick and couldn\'t so at 5:15 last night I agreed to watch their 5 and 7 year-old from 5:30-8pm. I really like these kids and I\'ve watched them before so it wasn\'t that big of a deal.\n\nI do have to say two little boys can be a handful and I haven\'t stepped on so many lego pieces in years. There were two great moments from last night. The boys are building lego spaceships. The 7 year old takes pieces from the 5 year old\'s spaceship. Five-year old realizes and gets really angry. Rightfully so. Only before I know what\'s going on 5-year old is choking 7-year old. Oh.\n\nEnter timeout. I put 5 year old on a chair for a timeout. He gets off the chair. In my strictest teacher voice I tell him he needs to back on the chair before I reach the number 3. I say: one. He\'s still under the table. I say: two. He peeks his head out to look at me. I am serious and not smiling. And before I say three he is sitting in the chair. Then of course he wants to talk to me, to play with things and to otherwise create a scene. I told him he had a one minute timeout and that the time would start over each time he broke his timeout. This proceeded for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, the 7-year old strolled over and asked: what was going on. Timeout I replied. He asked: for what? Me: choking you. Him, very vaguely: oh yeah. He\'s clearly forgotten about the whole incident.\n\nThe other great moment had to do with some serious candy negotiation for dessert after dinner. Seven-year old asks for some dessert after dinner. I tell him he has to eat a little more food on his plate. He reluctantly agrees. Then he tells me his mom lets him have three mini-snickers and three<a href=\"http://www.toffifee.com/\" target=\"_blank\"> toffifee</a> and gummy bears. <em>Right</em>. I tell him that my mom only lets me have one of each. After a moment of whining negotiation ensues.\n\nI was not prepared for the seriousness of this negotiation nor the passion with which it would be conducted by a cute and very skinny 7-year old. I counter offered: you can pick either two snickers and one toffifee <em>or</em> two toffifee and one snickers. Next he tells me three snickers, three toffifee and 10 gummy bears. <em>Um, no</em>. We continued to go back and forth. A deal was struck at two snickers, two toffifee and three gummy bears and he cleaned up the legos and took the dishes to the kitchen. It was clearly too much candy and I should have been tougher but these things happen.\n\nAt the end of the night I concluded that if and when motherhood finds me, I\'d rather the stork brought me a newborn rather than a 5-year old and a 7-year old. That\'s a lot of crazy to jump into all at once<em> and</em> I teach high school!!\n\n<strong>Graduation</strong>. My first class of ACS students are graduating on Friday. At this point, I\'ve taught more than half of them and I\'m incredibly happy to have seen them grow-up so much over the last three years. Rain however is threatening. And if it rains, we\'ll have to have graduation inside. This will be painful. Students will be given tickets which will have to limit the number of family members who can actually sit in the auditorium and watch them graduate and I imagine that we\'ll be over the fire-code limit for the number of people in the auditorium making it hot, loud and generally unpleasant. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather clears up for tomorrow afternoon.\n\n<strong>My Birthday</strong>. After graduation, I\'ve lined up my friends to join me for dinner at Don Domat in Mladost. It\'s not going to be a very big celebration because well, it\'s after a long day of work but I couldn\'t imagine just letting my birthday pass without doing anything. I thought originally that we\'d go to Happy in Mladost. Only when I called for reservations at 8:30pm I was told I could only get a reservation for 7:30. I explained that wouldn\'t work for me because I\'d still be at graduation. Then there was some back and forth and it was suggested that people come 7:30. Again I explained that my friends would also be at graduation and no one would be able to come and sit at the table. Then I was told that we could come to the restaurant even without a reservation. <em>Long sigh</em>.\n\nBut really, I am not showing up with 10 friends on a Friday night without a reservation. So I called Don Domat. They were very polite and helpful. It was no problem to make a reservation for 12 people at 8:30 pm in nonsmoking. It\'s funny how two different chain Bulgarian restaurants can have such a different approach to customer service and reservations.\n\nAfter all of this, I get a <strong>three-day weekend</strong>. I suspect that I\'ll need it. However, I realize that my three day weekend is not the norm in Bulgaria this weekend. Saturday is a work day because the government has given Bulgarians a four day weekend later in the month to celebrate Cyril and Methodius the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet. Luckily I don\'t have to work. Then on Monday there are state exams for seniors across Bulgaria. Our Bulgarian teachers have to proctor these exams but not me.\n\nThen I\'ve got to teach on Tuesday and Wednesday. May 24th-27th there\'s the four day weekend. I\'ll be traveling around Bulgaria for this long weekend and on the 27th of May I\'ll be attending my first Bulgarian prom.\n\nPhew. I am tired just thinking about all of this.','A middle of May round-up ','','inherit','open','open','','6714-revision','','','2012-05-17 09:12:05','2012-05-17 07:12:05','',6714,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/17/6714-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6718,1,'2012-05-19 10:21:09','2012-05-19 08:21:09','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her everywhere with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother, so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby diaper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. At three years old, I was frantic and my mom called the library.\r\n\r\nSure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the diaper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things. I also think that my MoM still has that pink comb in my hand in one of the drawers in the bathroom.\r\n\r\nAnyhow less about Cold Baby and more about my 31st birthday. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nback to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got emails, tweets and text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. for their messages two friends who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank-you for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','publish','open','open','','post-birthday-in-a-digital-age','','','2012-05-19 10:29:08','2012-05-19 08:29:08','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6718',0,'post','',1),(6719,1,'2012-05-19 10:06:40','2012-05-19 08:06:40','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\n\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\n\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\n\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\n\nIt turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her every where with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\n\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things.\n\nAnyhow back to the blog post, it starts off this way:\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\n\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\n\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\n\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\n\nI got text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. who I met and know through this blog!!\n\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\n\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision','','','2012-05-19 10:06:40','2012-05-19 08:06:40','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6720,1,'2012-05-19 10:14:53','2012-05-19 08:14:53','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"720\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her every where with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things.\r\n\r\nAnyhow back to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-2','','','2012-05-19 10:14:53','2012-05-19 08:14:53','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6721,1,'2012-05-19 10:15:58','2012-05-19 08:15:58','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\n\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\n\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\n\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"480\" height=\"720\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her every where with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\n\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things.\n\nAnyhow back to the blog post, it starts off this way:\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\n\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\n\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\n\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\n\nI got text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. who I met and know through this blog!!\n\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\n\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-3','','','2012-05-19 10:15:58','2012-05-19 08:15:58','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6722,1,'2012-05-19 10:16:58','2012-05-19 08:16:58','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\n\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\n\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\n\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her every where with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\n\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things.\n\nAnyhow back to the blog post, it starts off this way:\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\n\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\n\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\n\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\n\nI got text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. who I met and know through this blog!!\n\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\n\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-4','','','2012-05-19 10:16:58','2012-05-19 08:16:58','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6723,1,'2012-05-19 10:21:09','2012-05-19 08:21:09','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her every where with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things. I also think that my MoM still has that pink comb in my hand in one of the drawers in the bathroom.\r\n\r\nAnyhow less about Cold Baby and more about my 31st birthday. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nback to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got emails, tweets and text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. for their messages two friends who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank-you for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-5','','','2012-05-19 10:21:09','2012-05-19 08:21:09','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6724,1,'2012-05-19 10:26:14','2012-05-19 08:26:14','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her everywhere with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things. I also think that my MoM still has that pink comb in my hand in one of the drawers in the bathroom.\r\n\r\nAnyhow less about Cold Baby and more about my 31st birthday. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nback to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got emails, tweets and text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. for their messages two friends who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank-you for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-autosave','','','2012-05-19 10:26:14','2012-05-19 08:26:14','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6725,1,'2012-05-19 10:26:08','2012-05-19 08:26:08','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her everywhere with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother as well so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby dipper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the dipper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things. I also think that my MoM still has that pink comb in my hand in one of the drawers in the bathroom.\r\n\r\nAnyhow less about Cold Baby and more about my 31st birthday. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nback to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got emails, tweets and text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. for their messages two friends who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank-you for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-6','','','2012-05-19 10:26:08','2012-05-19 08:26:08','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6726,1,'2012-05-19 10:28:12','2012-05-19 08:28:12','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her everywhere with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother, so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby diaper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. At three years old, I was frantic and my mom called the library. Sure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the diaper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things. I also think that my MoM still has that pink comb in my hand in one of the drawers in the bathroom.\r\n\r\nAnyhow less about Cold Baby and more about my 31st birthday. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nback to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got emails, tweets and text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. for their messages two friends who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank-you for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-7','','','2012-05-19 10:28:12','2012-05-19 08:28:12','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6727,1,'2012-05-19 10:28:46','2012-05-19 08:28:46','If you didn\'t catch this, yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31 in a whirlwind of activity.\r\n\r\nFriday morning I was at a department retreat and I received birthday wishes over breakfast. Friday afternoon I was back at work and by 4pm I\'d donned a black robe for graduation and most of the clothes in my closet--it was cold yesterday afternoon in Sofia. By 7:30pm Friday, I was congratulating the Class of 2012 on having graduated from high school.\r\n\r\nAnd by 8:30 pm I was late to my own birthday party. <em>Oops!</em> Luckily the majority of my friends also work at ACS and were also at graduation. It wasn\'t like I was really late--maybe just 15 minutes late and potentially in Bulgaria this is more or less on time... Anyhow, I ate a salad and most of a small pizza, drank two celebratory beers, chatted with my friends and that was that.\r\n\r\nOr so I thought. Of course, it really wasn\'t.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Me and Cold Baby\" src=\"http://wallawallalocal.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/young-carolyn-1.jpg?w=600&amp;h=900\" alt=\"\" width=\"384\" height=\"576\" />It turns out that my dAd wrote <a href=\"http://wallawallalocal.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/yadhtrib-snylorac-ta-kcab-gnikool/\" target=\"_blank\">a post about me on his blog</a>. A really nice post about me. It has baby pictures of me and everything. The baby picture here is on of my favorites. In my shopping cart you can see a doll without any clothes on. That\'s Cold Baby. She lost all of her clothes early on (well except for her baby bonnet) in my childhood but I continued to love her and take her everywhere with me. It turns out when you take a doll around without any clothes on, people will ask you: isn\'t your baby cold? As a result I started calling her Cold Baby.\r\n\r\nOnce I nearly lost Cold Baby. On my way into the public library, we stopped to look at the fountain in front of the library. I put Cold Baby down. At this point, I had a baby brother, so Cold Baby was wearing a giant baby diaper. Anyhow, I didn\'t realize that Cold Baby was missing until we got home from the library. At three years old, I was frantic and my mom called the library.\r\n\r\nSure enough, they had Cold Baby. Apparently an elderly man came in carrying Cold Baby by the diaper and told the woman at circulation that he was sure someone was going to be missing this doll in the near future. The librarian took the doll for safe keeping and later that day I was reunited with Cold Baby. For the record, I still have Cold Baby tucked away in my things. I also think that my MoM still has that pink comb in my hand in one of the drawers in the bathroom.\r\n\r\nAnyhow less about Cold Baby and more about my 31st birthday. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nback to the blog post, it starts off this way:\r\n<blockquote>Carolyn is sooo old that she was born before the modern technological world was even invented.  In 1981, the first mass marketed personal computers were less than four years old, IBM released their first PC, and the internet and cell phones were still to be commercially developed.\r\n\r\nThe pictures I took when Carolyn was born took several days to be developed and printed.  There were no One Hour Photo Stands in those days (and once again there are none)…</blockquote>\r\nAside from the really nice things that my dAd has to say, what\'s so wonderful about this whole post from my dAd is the form. It\'s hard to believe that he\'s sending his birthday wishes to me in the form of a blog post. It\'s like a modern greeting card--for the world to read. Thanks  so much dAd and MoM. I assume that this post required some team work as it\'s clear to me that dAd wrote the post especially given the backward nature of the first few lines but I suspect that MoM helped you scan those baby photos.\r\n\r\nMy sister (and hundreds of friends) sent me birthday greetings by way of facebook: Happy Birthday to my brave, wise, and funny big sister, Carolyn, who has always believed in me, even when I haven\'t believed in myself. <em>What?!</em> Even rereading her post now to simply cut and paste it into this post is enough to make me tear up. What an incredibly kind thing to say.\r\n\r\nOf course, all of my friends and their wishes and greetings on facebook also brought a smile to my face. The world seems much, much smaller on day like this. It\'s pretty crazy to see the overlap of all of your friends in your life--from high school to college, sorority life to post-college life, German-language classmates to long term roommates, friends you\'e made yourself to friends other friends made and then became your friends, current work friends to one-time colleagues, as well as Bulgarian friends to friends you\'ve met traveling. But really the list could go on and on.\r\n\r\nI got emails, tweets and text messages from friends. A special shout-out and thanks to I. and E. for their messages two friends who I met and know through this blog!!\r\n\r\nWhat a wonderful birthday.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end with this: Thank-you for all of the warm wishes I received on my birthday. It\'s incredible to have so many friends from all over the world and from so many different stages in my life. I wouldn\'t be who I am without each of you. Thank you for inspiring me to be the best version of myself!! Much love, Carolyn','Post-Birthday in a Digital Age ','','inherit','open','open','','6718-revision-8','','','2012-05-19 10:28:46','2012-05-19 08:28:46','',6718,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/19/6718-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6728,1,'2012-05-21 07:31:49','2012-05-21 05:31:49','Friday night was graduation at the American College of Sofia. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\r\n\r\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\r\n<a title=\"ACS graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239372164/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7239372164_8efea99faf_z.jpg\" alt=\"ACS graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task.\r\n\r\nI ended up wearing wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Then I layered on a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. After the previous two years, I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes and I have to say while my outfit sounds ridiculous it was perfect for the weather.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\r\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239398284/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7239398284_e28af28786_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\r\n\r\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\r\n\r\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\r\n<a title=\"Berbatov at graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239376048/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7239376048_c5de927810_z.jpg\" alt=\"Berbatov at graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\r\n\r\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\r\n\r\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\r\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239382912/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7239382912_2634c4b885_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"557\" height=\"551\" /></a>\r\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\r\n<a title=\"graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239368362/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7239368362_1210d27110_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\r\n\r\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\r\n\r\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\r\n\r\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\r\n\r\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\r\n\r\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\r\n\r\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\r\n\r\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\r\n\r\nIt warmed my heart. Class of 2012, here\'s to you!!','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','publish','open','open','','acs-graduation-and-the-class-of-2012','','','2012-05-21 07:31:49','2012-05-21 05:31:49','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6728',0,'post','',6),(6729,1,'2012-05-20 09:59:33','2012-05-20 07:59:33','Friday night was graduation. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\n\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\n\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task. I work wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Over this I layered a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. Hey, after the previous two years I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes.\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\n\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\n\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\n\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\n\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\n\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\n\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\n\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\n\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\n\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\n\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\n\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\n\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\n\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\n\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\n\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\n\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\n\nIt warmed my heart.','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6728-revision','','','2012-05-20 09:59:33','2012-05-20 07:59:33','',6728,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/20/6728-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6730,1,'2012-05-20 10:04:44','2012-05-20 08:04:44','Friday night was graduation at the American College of Sofia. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\n\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\n\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task. I work wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Over this I layered a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. Hey, after the previous two years I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes and I have to say while my outfit sounds redicilious it was perfect for the weather.\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\n\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\n\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\n\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\n\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\n\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\n\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\n\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\n\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\n\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\n\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\n\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\n\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\n\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\n\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\n\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\n\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\n\nIt warmed my heart. Class of 2012, here\'s to you!!','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6728-revision-2','','','2012-05-20 10:04:44','2012-05-20 08:04:44','',6728,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/20/6728-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6731,1,'2012-05-20 11:22:31','2012-05-20 09:22:31','Saturday morning I sent an email out to some friends in Sofia. I was attempting to round them up so that we could check out the Night at the Museum initiative where museums in Sofia stay open late and are free to checkout. By late afternoon a plan was hatched: meet on the steps in of the Ivan Vasov National Theater, get some dinner, enjoy Take a Cake cupcakes and to check out a museum or two.\r\n<a title=\"Night at the museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232261810/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7232261810_ca10b3354f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Night at the museums\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIt was really the perfect plan. Saturday was sunny but not too sunny. There weren\'t too many people on the steps of the theater but those people who were there were having a really great time. We decided to go to Pizza Victoria so that we could sit outside. The food was good and the company was even better.\r\n\r\nTwo of our friends were meeting us at the restaurant and happened to run into one of our old students. He told us that he\'d be rapping from the roof of the old national palace with is now the hope to two different museums--the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum at 8pm. So we ate dinner and went to see him rap.\r\n<a title=\"me at the museum/ palace by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232250900/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232250900_7541917507_z.jpg\" alt=\"me at the museum/ palace\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"P. and museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232256120/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7232256120_623c31bc1b_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and museums\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIt turned out that there was a jazz band playing on the balcony and our student rapped a song with them. It was great fun. What a clever use of space and a wonderful way to draw attention to the event!!\r\n<a title=\"Cupcakes by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232259764/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7232259764_f35a81a397_z.jpg\" alt=\"Cupcakes\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nWe ate cupcakes across the street from the palace while listening to the live music and dancing. The cupcakes were to celebrate my birthday and I surprised my friends with them. For the record, my friends loved them <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">as much as I do</a>. <em>Hip, hip, houray!</em> <!--more-->They also agreed that Take a Cake should work on a few more cupcake-y flavors like red velvet and that some of the cupcakes are muffins with frosting but delicious nevertheless. In fact, in the future, maybe Take a Cake and I could collaborate create a new delicious flavor... that would be cool.\r\n\r\nThe cupcakes got added to the mix because I realized that morning I hadn\'t eaten any cake to celebrate my 31st birthday but I didn\'t feel motivated to make my own birthday cake. And a girl\'s got to have a cake on her birthday, so I figured I\'d buy myself cupcakes and support one of my favorite local businesses (check out <a href=\"http://take-a-cake-bakery.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">their super cute blog</a> or <a href=\"http://www.take-a-cake.eu/\" target=\"_blank\">their website</a>). Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.\r\n<a title=\"in the national archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232242614/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7232242614_ee7c94cb6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"in the national archaeologcal museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nA little after 8pm we headed to the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archaeological_Museum_(Bulgaria)\" target=\"_blank\">National Archaeological Museum</a>. It\'s one of my favorite museums. It\'s in an old mosque so the space inside is lovely and the collection is excellent. I always tell people that if you don\'t have time for more than one museum while visiting this is the museum to check out. I\'ve probably been more than five times and it never gets old.\r\n\r\nLast night it was packed with people but that\'s because of the special event. Normally it\'s basically empty but on an everyday basis this is how Bulgarian museums are. Empty. So it\'s a little overwhelming to see them crawling with people. People who are touching things they shouldn\'t and setting off alarms. Still it\'s great fun because you get to see Bulgarians so excited and interested in their history.\r\n<a title=\"Bronze statue by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232239984/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232239984_c5a08710ae_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bronze statue\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThere were so many people there that we had to wait our turn to go upstairs to the second level where the gold treasure is. This collection is really the highlight of the museum.\r\n<a title=\"Gold crown by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232233714/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7232233714_45ea30b527_z.jpg\" alt=\"Gold crown\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIf you\'ve found yourself impressed with the statues, glass and bronze work on the first floor, then you probably won\'t be able to get enough of the intricate, finely worked gold pieces on the second floor. The gold leaf crown is really the piece to see. The craftsmanship, the detail and the incredibly thin gold leaves will amaze you. If this isn\'t enough, there\'s the fact that this piece was found in a Bulgarian\'s garden.  Can you imagine extracting this from the earth?!\r\n<a title=\"Gold work at the museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232237984/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7232237984_6380e2dd32_z.jpg\" alt=\"Gold work at the museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nWe spent about 45 minutes in the museum and that was plenty even for my friends who had never been there before. They felt like they\'d more or less seen the collection and while the event is fun and the energy levels in the museum were high, there were too many people to really enjoy yourself.\r\n<a title=\"the archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232231272/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7232231272_2cd2e4ab10_z.jpg\" alt=\"the archaeologcal museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThat\'s probably the one thing I\'d warn people about, if you don\'t like crowds or waiting in line this is not the event for you. Also if you\'d rather have a more intimate experience with a museum this is still possible in Bulgaria just plan on visiting during a regular day. More often than not it will be you, the sound of your footsteps, the museum staff and the artifacts. Just be warned this will ruin you for any other museum in Western Europe.\r\n\r\nWe topped off the night with a drink in the bar on the backside of the National Archaeological Museum. It was the perfect way to end the day.','Night at the Museums in Sofia  ','','publish','open','open','','night-at-the-museums-in-sofia','','','2012-05-20 11:22:31','2012-05-20 09:22:31','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6731',0,'post','',1),(6732,1,'2012-05-20 10:54:10','2012-05-20 08:54:10','Saturday morning I sent an email out to some friends in Sofia. I was attempting to round them up so that we could check out the Night at the Museum initiative where museums in Sofia stay open late and are free to checkout. By late afternoon a plan was hatched: meet on the steps in of the Ivan Vasov National Theater, get some dinner, enjoy Take a Cake cupcakes and to check out a museum or two.\n\nIt was really the perfect plan. Saturday was sunny but not too sunny. There weren\'t too many people on the steps of the theater but those people who were there were having a really great time. We decided to go to Pizza Victoria so that we could sit outside. The food was good and the company was even better.\n\nTwo of our friends were meeting us at the restaurant and happened to run into one of our old students. He told us that he\'d be rapping from the roof of the old national palace with is now the hope to two different museums--the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum at 8pm. So we ate dinner and went to see him rap.\n\nIt turned out that there was a jazz band playing on the balcony and our student rapped a song with them. It was great fun. What a clever use of space and a wonderful way to draw attention to the event!!\n\nWe ate cupcakes across the street from the palace while listening to the live music and dancing. The cupcakes were to celebrate my birthday and I surprised my friends with them. For the record, my friends loved them <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">as much as I do</a>. <em>Hip, hip, houray!</em> They also agreed that Take a Cake should work on a few more cupcake-y flavors like red velvet and that some of the cupcakes are muffins with frosting but delicious nevertheless.\n\nThe cupcakes got added to the mix because I realized that morning I hadn\'t eaten any cake to celebrate my 31st birthday but I didn\'t feel motivated to make my own birthday cake. And a girl\'s got to have a cake on her birthday, so I figured I\'d buy myself cupcakes and support one of my favorite local businesses (check out <a href=\"http://take-a-cake-bakery.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">their super cute blog</a> or <a href=\"http://www.take-a-cake.eu/\" target=\"_blank\">their website</a>). Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.\n\nA little after 8pm we headed to the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archaeological_Museum_(Bulgaria)\" target=\"_blank\">National Archaeological Museum</a>. It\'s one of my favorite museums. It\'s in an old mosque so the space inside is lovely and the collection is excellent. I always tell people that if you don\'t have time for more than one museum while visiting this is the museum to check out. I\'ve probably been more than five times and it never gets old.\n\nLast night it was packed with people but that\'s because of the special event. Normally it\'s basically empty but on an everyday basis this is how Bulgarian museums are. Empty. So it\'s a little overwhelming to see them crawling with people. People who are touching things they shouldn\'t and setting off alarms. Still it\'s great fun because you get to see Bulgarians so excited and interested in their history.\n\nThere were so many people there that we had to wait our turn to go upstairs to the second level where the gold treasure is. This collection is really the highlight of the museum. If you\'ve found yourself impressed with the statues, glass and bronze work on the first floor, then you probably won\'t be able to get enough of the intricate, finely worked gold pieces on the second floor. The gold leaf crown is really the piece to see. The craftsmanship, the detail and the incredibly thin gold leaves will amaze you. If this isn\'t enough, there\'s the fact that this piece was found in a Bulgarian\'s garden.  Can you imagine extracting this from the earth?!\n\nWe spent about 45 minutes in the museum and that was plenty even for my friends who had never been there before. They felt like they\'d more or less seen the collection and while the event is fun and the energy levels in the museum were high, there were too many people to really enjoy yourself.\n\nThat\'s probably the one thing I\'d warn people about, if you don\'t like crowds or waiting in line this is not the event for you. Also if you\'d rather have a more intimate experience with a museum this is still possible in Bulgaria just plan on visiting during a regular day. More often than not it will be you, the sound of your footsteps, the museum staff and the artifacts. Just be warned this will ruin you for any other museum in Western Europe.\n\nWe topped off the night with a drink in the bar on the backside of the National Archaeological Museum. It was the perfect way to end the day.','Night at the Museum ','','inherit','open','open','','6731-revision','','','2012-05-20 10:54:10','2012-05-20 08:54:10','',6731,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/20/6731-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6733,1,'2012-05-20 11:18:26','2012-05-20 09:18:26','Saturday morning I sent an email out to some friends in Sofia. I was attempting to round them up so that we could check out the Night at the Museum initiative where museums in Sofia stay open late and are free to checkout. By late afternoon a plan was hatched: meet on the steps in of the Ivan Vasov National Theater, get some dinner, enjoy Take a Cake cupcakes and to check out a museum or two.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232261810/\" title=\"Night at the museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7232261810_ca10b3354f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Night at the museums\"></a>\nIt was really the perfect plan. Saturday was sunny but not too sunny. There weren\'t too many people on the steps of the theater but those people who were there were having a really great time. We decided to go to Pizza Victoria so that we could sit outside. The food was good and the company was even better.\n\nTwo of our friends were meeting us at the restaurant and happened to run into one of our old students. He told us that he\'d be rapping from the roof of the old national palace with is now the hope to two different museums--the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum at 8pm. So we ate dinner and went to see him rap.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232250900/\" title=\"me at the museum/ palace by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232250900_7541917507_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"me at the museum/ palace\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232256120/\" title=\"P. and museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7232256120_623c31bc1b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"P. and museums\"></a>\nIt turned out that there was a jazz band playing on the balcony and our student rapped a song with them. It was great fun. What a clever use of space and a wonderful way to draw attention to the event!!\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232259764/\" title=\"Cupcakes by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7232259764_f35a81a397_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Cupcakes\"></a>\nWe ate cupcakes across the street from the palace while listening to the live music and dancing. The cupcakes were to celebrate my birthday and I surprised my friends with them. For the record, my friends loved them <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">as much as I do</a>. <em>Hip, hip, houray!</em> They also agreed that Take a Cake should work on a few more cupcake-y flavors like red velvet and that some of the cupcakes are muffins with frosting but delicious nevertheless.\n\nThe cupcakes got added to the mix because I realized that morning I hadn\'t eaten any cake to celebrate my 31st birthday but I didn\'t feel motivated to make my own birthday cake. And a girl\'s got to have a cake on her birthday, so I figured I\'d buy myself cupcakes and support one of my favorite local businesses (check out <a href=\"http://take-a-cake-bakery.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">their super cute blog</a> or <a href=\"http://www.take-a-cake.eu/\" target=\"_blank\">their website</a>). Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232242614/\" title=\"in the national archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7232242614_ee7c94cb6a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"in the national archaeologcal museum\"></a>\nA little after 8pm we headed to the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archaeological_Museum_(Bulgaria)\" target=\"_blank\">National Archaeological Museum</a>. It\'s one of my favorite museums. It\'s in an old mosque so the space inside is lovely and the collection is excellent. I always tell people that if you don\'t have time for more than one museum while visiting this is the museum to check out. I\'ve probably been more than five times and it never gets old.\n\nLast night it was packed with people but that\'s because of the special event. Normally it\'s basically empty but on an everyday basis this is how Bulgarian museums are. Empty. So it\'s a little overwhelming to see them crawling with people. People who are touching things they shouldn\'t and setting off alarms. Still it\'s great fun because you get to see Bulgarians so excited and interested in their history.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232239984/\" title=\"Bronze statue by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232239984_c5a08710ae_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Bronze statue\"></a>\nThere were so many people there that we had to wait our turn to go upstairs to the second level where the gold treasure is. This collection is really the highlight of the museum. \n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232233714/\" title=\"Gold crown by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7232233714_45ea30b527_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Gold crown\"></a>\nIf you\'ve found yourself impressed with the statues, glass and bronze work on the first floor, then you probably won\'t be able to get enough of the intricate, finely worked gold pieces on the second floor. The gold leaf crown is really the piece to see. The craftsmanship, the detail and the incredibly thin gold leaves will amaze you. If this isn\'t enough, there\'s the fact that this piece was found in a Bulgarian\'s garden.  Can you imagine extracting this from the earth?!\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232237984/\" title=\"Gold work at the museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7232237984_6380e2dd32_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Gold work at the museum\"></a>\nWe spent about 45 minutes in the museum and that was plenty even for my friends who had never been there before. They felt like they\'d more or less seen the collection and while the event is fun and the energy levels in the museum were high, there were too many people to really enjoy yourself.\n\nThat\'s probably the one thing I\'d warn people about, if you don\'t like crowds or waiting in line this is not the event for you. Also if you\'d rather have a more intimate experience with a museum this is still possible in Bulgaria just plan on visiting during a regular day. More often than not it will be you, the sound of your footsteps, the museum staff and the artifacts. Just be warned this will ruin you for any other museum in Western Europe.\n\nWe topped off the night with a drink in the bar on the backside of the National Archaeological Museum. It was the perfect way to end the day.','Night at the Museum ','','inherit','open','open','','6731-revision-2','','','2012-05-20 11:18:26','2012-05-20 09:18:26','',6731,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/20/6731-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6734,1,'2012-05-20 11:19:26','2012-05-20 09:19:26','Saturday morning I sent an email out to some friends in Sofia. I was attempting to round them up so that we could check out the Night at the Museum initiative where museums in Sofia stay open late and are free to checkout. By late afternoon a plan was hatched: meet on the steps in of the Ivan Vasov National Theater, get some dinner, enjoy Take a Cake cupcakes and to check out a museum or two.\n<a title=\"Night at the museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232261810/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7232261810_ca10b3354f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Night at the museums\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIt was really the perfect plan. Saturday was sunny but not too sunny. There weren\'t too many people on the steps of the theater but those people who were there were having a really great time. We decided to go to Pizza Victoria so that we could sit outside. The food was good and the company was even better.\n\nTwo of our friends were meeting us at the restaurant and happened to run into one of our old students. He told us that he\'d be rapping from the roof of the old national palace with is now the hope to two different museums--the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum at 8pm. So we ate dinner and went to see him rap.\n<a title=\"me at the museum/ palace by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232250900/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232250900_7541917507_z.jpg\" alt=\"me at the museum/ palace\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"P. and museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232256120/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7232256120_623c31bc1b_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and museums\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIt turned out that there was a jazz band playing on the balcony and our student rapped a song with them. It was great fun. What a clever use of space and a wonderful way to draw attention to the event!!\n<a title=\"Cupcakes by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232259764/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7232259764_f35a81a397_z.jpg\" alt=\"Cupcakes\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nWe ate cupcakes across the street from the palace while listening to the live music and dancing. The cupcakes were to celebrate my birthday and I surprised my friends with them. For the record, my friends loved them <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">as much as I do</a>. <em>Hip, hip, houray!</em> They also agreed that Take a Cake should work on a few more cupcake-y flavors like red velvet and that some of the cupcakes are muffins with frosting but delicious nevertheless.\n\nThe cupcakes got added to the mix because I realized that morning I hadn\'t eaten any cake to celebrate my 31st birthday but I didn\'t feel motivated to make my own birthday cake. And a girl\'s got to have a cake on her birthday, so I figured I\'d buy myself cupcakes and support one of my favorite local businesses (check out <a href=\"http://take-a-cake-bakery.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">their super cute blog</a> or <a href=\"http://www.take-a-cake.eu/\" target=\"_blank\">their website</a>). Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.\n<a title=\"in the national archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232242614/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7232242614_ee7c94cb6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"in the national archaeologcal museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nA little after 8pm we headed to the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archaeological_Museum_(Bulgaria)\" target=\"_blank\">National Archaeological Museum</a>. It\'s one of my favorite museums. It\'s in an old mosque so the space inside is lovely and the collection is excellent. I always tell people that if you don\'t have time for more than one museum while visiting this is the museum to check out. I\'ve probably been more than five times and it never gets old.\n\nLast night it was packed with people but that\'s because of the special event. Normally it\'s basically empty but on an everyday basis this is how Bulgarian museums are. Empty. So it\'s a little overwhelming to see them crawling with people. People who are touching things they shouldn\'t and setting off alarms. Still it\'s great fun because you get to see Bulgarians so excited and interested in their history.\n<a title=\"Bronze statue by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232239984/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232239984_c5a08710ae_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bronze statue\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThere were so many people there that we had to wait our turn to go upstairs to the second level where the gold treasure is. This collection is really the highlight of the museum.\n<a title=\"Gold crown by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232233714/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7232233714_45ea30b527_z.jpg\" alt=\"Gold crown\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIf you\'ve found yourself impressed with the statues, glass and bronze work on the first floor, then you probably won\'t be able to get enough of the intricate, finely worked gold pieces on the second floor. The gold leaf crown is really the piece to see. The craftsmanship, the detail and the incredibly thin gold leaves will amaze you. If this isn\'t enough, there\'s the fact that this piece was found in a Bulgarian\'s garden.  Can you imagine extracting this from the earth?!\n<a title=\"Gold work at the museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232237984/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7232237984_6380e2dd32_z.jpg\" alt=\"Gold work at the museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nWe spent about 45 minutes in the museum and that was plenty even for my friends who had never been there before. They felt like they\'d more or less seen the collection and while the event is fun and the energy levels in the museum were high, there were too many people to really enjoy yourself.\n<a title=\"the archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232231272/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7232231272_2cd2e4ab10_z.jpg\" alt=\"the archaeologcal museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThat\'s probably the one thing I\'d warn people about, if you don\'t like crowds or waiting in line this is not the event for you. Also if you\'d rather have a more intimate experience with a museum this is still possible in Bulgaria just plan on visiting during a regular day. More often than not it will be you, the sound of your footsteps, the museum staff and the artifacts. Just be warned this will ruin you for any other museum in Western Europe.\n\nWe topped off the night with a drink in the bar on the backside of the National Archaeological Museum. It was the perfect way to end the day.','Night at the Museum ','','inherit','open','open','','6731-revision-3','','','2012-05-20 11:19:26','2012-05-20 09:19:26','',6731,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/20/6731-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6735,1,'2012-05-20 11:23:36','2012-05-20 09:23:36','Saturday morning I sent an email out to some friends in Sofia. I was attempting to round them up so that we could check out the Night at the Museum initiative where museums in Sofia stay open late and are free to checkout. By late afternoon a plan was hatched: meet on the steps in of the Ivan Vasov National Theater, get some dinner, enjoy Take a Cake cupcakes and to check out a museum or two.\n<a title=\"Night at the museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232261810/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7232261810_ca10b3354f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Night at the museums\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIt was really the perfect plan. Saturday was sunny but not too sunny. There weren\'t too many people on the steps of the theater but those people who were there were having a really great time. We decided to go to Pizza Victoria so that we could sit outside. The food was good and the company was even better.\n\nTwo of our friends were meeting us at the restaurant and happened to run into one of our old students. He told us that he\'d be rapping from the roof of the old national palace with is now the hope to two different museums--the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum at 8pm. So we ate dinner and went to see him rap.\n<a title=\"me at the museum/ palace by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232250900/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232250900_7541917507_z.jpg\" alt=\"me at the museum/ palace\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"P. and museums by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232256120/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7232256120_623c31bc1b_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and museums\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIt turned out that there was a jazz band playing on the balcony and our student rapped a song with them. It was great fun. What a clever use of space and a wonderful way to draw attention to the event!!\n<a title=\"Cupcakes by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232259764/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7232259764_f35a81a397_z.jpg\" alt=\"Cupcakes\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nWe ate cupcakes across the street from the palace while listening to the live music and dancing. The cupcakes were to celebrate my birthday and I surprised my friends with them. For the record, my friends loved them <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/10/08/cupcakes-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">as much as I do</a>. <em>Hip, hip, houray!</em> <!--more-->They also agreed that Take a Cake should work on a few more cupcake-y flavors like red velvet and that some of the cupcakes are muffins with frosting but delicious nevertheless. In fact, in the future, maybe Take a Cake and I could collaborate create a new delicious flavor... that would be cool.\n\nThe cupcakes got added to the mix because I realized that morning I hadn\'t eaten any cake to celebrate my 31st birthday but I didn\'t feel motivated to make my own birthday cake. And a girl\'s got to have a cake on her birthday, so I figured I\'d buy myself cupcakes and support one of my favorite local businesses (check out <a href=\"http://take-a-cake-bakery.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">their super cute blog</a> or <a href=\"http://www.take-a-cake.eu/\" target=\"_blank\">their website</a>). Not a bad plan if I do say so myself.\n<a title=\"in the national archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232242614/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7232242614_ee7c94cb6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"in the national archaeologcal museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nA little after 8pm we headed to the <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Archaeological_Museum_(Bulgaria)\" target=\"_blank\">National Archaeological Museum</a>. It\'s one of my favorite museums. It\'s in an old mosque so the space inside is lovely and the collection is excellent. I always tell people that if you don\'t have time for more than one museum while visiting this is the museum to check out. I\'ve probably been more than five times and it never gets old.\n\nLast night it was packed with people but that\'s because of the special event. Normally it\'s basically empty but on an everyday basis this is how Bulgarian museums are. Empty. So it\'s a little overwhelming to see them crawling with people. People who are touching things they shouldn\'t and setting off alarms. Still it\'s great fun because you get to see Bulgarians so excited and interested in their history.\n<a title=\"Bronze statue by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232239984/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/7232239984_c5a08710ae_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bronze statue\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThere were so many people there that we had to wait our turn to go upstairs to the second level where the gold treasure is. This collection is really the highlight of the museum.\n<a title=\"Gold crown by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232233714/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7232233714_45ea30b527_z.jpg\" alt=\"Gold crown\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIf you\'ve found yourself impressed with the statues, glass and bronze work on the first floor, then you probably won\'t be able to get enough of the intricate, finely worked gold pieces on the second floor. The gold leaf crown is really the piece to see. The craftsmanship, the detail and the incredibly thin gold leaves will amaze you. If this isn\'t enough, there\'s the fact that this piece was found in a Bulgarian\'s garden.  Can you imagine extracting this from the earth?!\n<a title=\"Gold work at the museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232237984/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7232237984_6380e2dd32_z.jpg\" alt=\"Gold work at the museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nWe spent about 45 minutes in the museum and that was plenty even for my friends who had never been there before. They felt like they\'d more or less seen the collection and while the event is fun and the energy levels in the museum were high, there were too many people to really enjoy yourself.\n<a title=\"the archaeologcal museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7232231272/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7232231272_2cd2e4ab10_z.jpg\" alt=\"the archaeologcal museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThat\'s probably the one thing I\'d warn people about, if you don\'t like crowds or waiting in line this is not the event for you. Also if you\'d rather have a more intimate experience with a museum this is still possible in Bulgaria just plan on visiting during a regular day. More often than not it will be you, the sound of your footsteps, the museum staff and the artifacts. Just be warned this will ruin you for any other museum in Western Europe.\n\nWe topped off the night with a drink in the bar on the backside of the National Archaeological Museum. It was the perfect way to end the day.','Night at the Museums in Sofia  ','','inherit','open','open','','6731-autosave','','','2012-05-20 11:23:36','2012-05-20 09:23:36','',6731,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/20/6731-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6737,1,'2012-05-21 06:45:14','2012-05-21 04:45:14','Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close I think it\'s totally worth going to see.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\n\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nI didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\" title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Untitled\"></a>\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely church. They were also selling their own rakiya and wine. I didn\'t buy either but I appreciate the gesture.','Lake Ohrid at the end of April ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-revision','','','2012-05-21 06:45:14','2012-05-21 04:45:14','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6738,1,'2012-05-21 06:50:06','2012-05-21 04:50:06','Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close I think it\'s totally worth going to see.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\n\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely church. They were also selling their own rakiya and wine. I didn\'t buy either but I appreciate the gesture.','Lake Ohrid at the end of April ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-revision-2','','','2012-05-21 06:50:06','2012-05-21 04:50:06','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6739,1,'2012-05-21 06:51:06','2012-05-21 04:51:06','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Lunch time\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/74743_578984727842_4101384_31442770_1441446638_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" />Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close I think it\'s totally worth going to see.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\n\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely church. They were also selling their own rakiya and wine. I didn\'t buy either but I appreciate the gesture.','Lake Ohrid at the end of April ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-revision-3','','','2012-05-21 06:51:06','2012-05-21 04:51:06','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6740,1,'2012-05-21 06:52:13','2012-05-21 04:52:13','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Lunch time\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/74743_578984727842_4101384_31442770_1441446638_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"504\" />Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close I think it\'s totally worth going to see.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\r\n\r\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely church. They were also selling their own rakiya and wine. I didn\'t buy either but I appreciate the gesture.','Lake Ohrid at the end of April ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-revision-4','','','2012-05-21 06:52:13','2012-05-21 04:52:13','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6741,1,'2012-05-21 06:52:57','2012-05-21 04:52:57','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Lunch time\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/74743_578984727842_4101384_31442770_1441446638_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"538\" height=\"403\" />Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close I think it\'s totally worth going to see.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\r\n\r\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"432\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely church. They were also selling their own rakiya and wine. I didn\'t buy either but I appreciate the gesture.','Lake Ohrid at the end of April ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-revision-5','','','2012-05-21 06:52:57','2012-05-21 04:52:57','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6742,1,'2012-05-21 06:54:13','2012-05-21 04:54:13','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Lunch time\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/74743_578984727842_4101384_31442770_1441446638_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"592\" height=\"443\" />Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close I think it\'s totally worth going to see.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\r\n\r\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"634\" height=\"475\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\r\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely church. They were also selling their own rakiya and wine. I didn\'t buy either but I appreciate the gesture.','Lake Ohrid at the end of April ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-revision-6','','','2012-05-21 06:54:13','2012-05-21 04:54:13','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6743,1,'2012-05-21 07:06:18','2012-05-21 05:06:18','<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Lunch time\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/74743_578984727842_4101384_31442770_1441446638_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"592\" height=\"443\" />Right at the end of April I went to Lake Ohrid with friends. We had a four day weekend and figured that we should go exploring. I\'ve already written about the weekend here: <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/11/lake-ohrid-in-spring/#more-6669\" target=\"_blank\">Lake Ohrid in Spring</a>, <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/outside-of-skopje-lake-makta/\" target=\"_blank\">Lake Matka outside of Skopje</a> and the weekend got started with <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/spring-time-in-skopje/\" target=\"_blank\">with our wandering through Skopje</a> and of course I  <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">took a ton of photos </a>and have been posting them on flickr.\n\nI\'d been to Ohrid before but this is a place that never seems to disappoint. It\'s also rarely crawling with American tourists unlike say the Croatian coast so it seems relatively unexplored. Moreover going in at the of April/beginning of May meant that there were hardly any tourists to compete with and in my mind that\'s heaven!!\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153400127/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7153400127_3056c65e2d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe lake is on the Macedonian-Albanian boarder and on our last day we drove to see the church <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_Saint_Naum\" target=\"_blank\">Sveti Naum</a>.  It\'s a beautiful church on the lakeside maybe 10 minutes by car from the boarder and probably 25 minutes from Ohrid. Even though it\'s not super close to Ohrid I think it\'s totally worth going to see. We ended up driving but I think that in the summer you can pretty easily take a boat to the island if you\'re looking for a different kind of adventure or a different kind of transportation. <!--more-->\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153404309/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7153404309_7dcf7141e4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nToday the church is surrounded by a wall and a hotel. The hotel looks beautiful but I assume that in the past the whole space was a monastery. Leading up to the church you park in a parking lot about a 10 minute walk from the church. Then you can walk along the lake to the church. It\'s an easy walk lined with outdoor grills and haphazardly put out tables and chairs as well as a couple of real restaurants.\n\nIn April there were people there but it by in large everyone and everything felt very relaxed. No one was in a hurry. No one was rushing around. We stopped for salads and beer before going to see Sveti Naum.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153436855/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7153436855_3a647aacde_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153439525/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7153439525_08fa0eca4a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nOnce at Sveti Naum I have to say, the whole place feels awfully magical given the peacocks who roam the grounds. I\'d read about them in our guide book but I found them totally unexpected nonetheless and a wonderful addition to the experience.\n\nI really don\'t remember seeing peacocks up-close and personal in my adult life. These birds are lovely--the colors and patterns are really unmatched. I can see why in the past these animals were treasured by the rich, powerful and well connected all over the world (and heck, maybe they still are. I don\'t know any <em>really</em> rich people).\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007323200/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7007323200_a651ee75b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007321332/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/7007321332_ed14118780_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7153408801/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/7153408801_79813cf0cc_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\n<img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Peacocks\" src=\"https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/538911_578984937422_4101384_31442788_946164503_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"634\" height=\"475\" />I didn\'t expect them to be quite so big or so blue-green. Peacocks are really incredible animals. In the spirit of full disclosure, I posed with one for a long time and I kind of had to chase it around a little bit to get some good pictures. I hope that doesn\'t make me a horrible person.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007344686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7007344686_7d16c62c09_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nIn addition to the peacocks, when we visited the church seemed to be glowing. It was late afternoon and the light poured onto the church making the bricks yellow-orange. Late afternoon is such a wonderful time of day.\n<a title=\"Untitled by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7007342278/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/7007342278_749b88b514_z.jpg\" alt=\"Untitled\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe inside of the church it was pretty standard for orthodox churches with frescoes and an alter. The only difference was that in this church it\'s rumored that if you put your ear to Sveti Naum\'s tomb you\'ll hear his muffled heart beat. I tried it out but I suspect for those of us not used to these things it\'s pretty hard to hear a muffled heartbeat while a tour group of old French men and women is in the other room. Nevertheless, it was a very nice little church.','Lake Ohrid and Sveti Naum Church ','','inherit','open','open','','6736-autosave','','','2012-05-21 07:06:18','2012-05-21 05:06:18','',6736,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6736-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6762,1,'2012-05-28 20:16:02','2012-05-28 18:16:02','Just so you know, I\'ve been having a quiet a go of things these days. Earlier this year it was my urinary tract and now it\'s a tooth. Yep, I\'ve got an angry tooth in my mouth. I think it\'s a cavity.\r\n\r\nA nasty little cavity. It hurts and I\'m unhappy.\r\n\r\nI called the dentist today but I can\'t get in to see him until Thursday. Ug. At lunch friends suggested that I call back and see if there\'s any way they can work me in sooner. I did. They can\'t but they promised to call me if anyone cancels between now and my Thursday appointment.\r\n\r\n<em>Fingers crossed</em> and <em>thumbs pressed</em>.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, it\'s amazing how a cavity can cause so much discomfort. Earlier today my whole head seemed to be throbbing.\r\n\r\nI told A. about my problem and he told me that I could pull it myself. I laughed. I am totally unprepared to do my own dentistry. I <em>might</em> consider trimming my own bangs but I am not doing my own dental work.\r\n\r\nHe followed this up with: there are lots of dentists in Sofia and that I shouldn\'t wait until Thursday to see one. I said: But this one speaks English. <em>Good</em> English. I was then reminded that a dentist doesn\'t really need to speak English. He can see the problem and he knows how to fix it because it\'s his job.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it\'s not a bad point. I mean once the dentist has his hands in my mouth it\'s not like I can talk. I just have to lie there. Somehow though, I was not not won over with this argument.\r\n\r\nThat brings me to this: I fully recognize that I\'m kind of being a baby about this whole thing but I want to be able to do more than smile and say it hurts here in Bulgarian while I point awkwardly into my mouth. I want to be able to communicate easily with the dentist. I want a clean and modern office and new, top of the line equipment. I also want someone who\'s been recommended to me to work on my teeth.\r\n\r\nLuckily these things exist in Sofia. Unfortunately for me, I can\'t get into see the dentist for a few days. So until then I guess I\'ll have to just keep plugging along and try not to think too much about my unhappy tooth.','Plugging along','','publish','open','open','','plugging-along','','','2012-05-28 20:16:02','2012-05-28 18:16:02','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6762',0,'post','',0),(6745,1,'2012-05-21 07:21:50','2012-05-21 05:21:50','Friday night was graduation at the American College of Sofia. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\n\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\n<a title=\"ACS graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239372164/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7239372164_8efea99faf_z.jpg\" alt=\"ACS graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task. I work wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Over this I layered a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. Hey, after the previous two years I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes and I have to say while my outfit sounds ridiculous it was perfect for the weather.<!--more-->\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239398284/\" title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7239398284_e28af28786_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\"></a>\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\n\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\n\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239376048/\" title=\"Berbatov at graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7239376048_c5de927810_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Berbatov at graduation\"></a>\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\n\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\n\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239382912/\" title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7239382912_2634c4b885_z.jpg\" width=\"619\" height=\"612\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\"></a>\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\n\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\n\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\n\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\n\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\n\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\n\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\n\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\n\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\n\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\n\nIt warmed my heart. Class of 2012, here\'s to you!!','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6728-revision-3','','','2012-05-21 07:21:50','2012-05-21 05:21:50','',6728,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6728-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6746,1,'2012-05-21 07:22:50','2012-05-21 05:22:50','Friday night was graduation at the American College of Sofia. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\n\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\n<a title=\"ACS graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239372164/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7239372164_8efea99faf_z.jpg\" alt=\"ACS graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task. I work wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Over this I layered a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. Hey, after the previous two years I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes and I have to say while my outfit sounds ridiculous it was perfect for the weather.<!--more-->\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239398284/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7239398284_e28af28786_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\n\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\n\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\n<a title=\"Berbatov at graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239376048/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7239376048_c5de927810_z.jpg\" alt=\"Berbatov at graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\n\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\n\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239382912/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7239382912_2634c4b885_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"619\" height=\"612\" /></a>\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\n<a title=\"graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239368362/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7239368362_1210d27110_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\n\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\n\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\n\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\n\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\n\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\n\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\n\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\n\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\n\nIt warmed my heart. Class of 2012, here\'s to you!!','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6728-revision-4','','','2012-05-21 07:22:50','2012-05-21 05:22:50','',6728,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6728-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6747,1,'2012-05-21 07:26:19','2012-05-21 05:26:19','Friday night was graduation at the American College of Sofia. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\r\n\r\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\r\n<a title=\"ACS graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239372164/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7239372164_8efea99faf_z.jpg\" alt=\"ACS graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task. I work wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Over this I layered a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. Hey, after the previous two years I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes and I have to say while my outfit sounds ridiculous it was perfect for the weather.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\r\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239398284/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7239398284_e28af28786_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\r\n\r\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\r\n\r\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\r\n<a title=\"Berbatov at graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239376048/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7239376048_c5de927810_z.jpg\" alt=\"Berbatov at graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\r\n\r\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\r\n\r\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\r\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239382912/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7239382912_2634c4b885_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"557\" height=\"551\" /></a>\r\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\r\n<a title=\"graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239368362/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7239368362_1210d27110_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\r\n\r\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\r\n\r\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\r\n\r\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\r\n\r\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\r\n\r\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\r\n\r\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\r\n\r\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\r\n\r\nIt warmed my heart. Class of 2012, here\'s to you!!','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6728-revision-5','','','2012-05-21 07:26:19','2012-05-21 05:26:19','',6728,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6728-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6748,1,'2012-05-21 07:32:56','2012-05-21 05:32:56','Friday night was graduation at the American College of Sofia. It was scheduled for 5pm. As teachers we have to line up at 4pm. Then we wait around for an hour. People chat. People read books. People generally bemoan the fact that we have to line up so early.\n\nThis year, it rained every afternoon this past week leading up to graduation. This is great for the flowers but not so great for graduation. We host graduation outside in front of our main administrative building Sanders. It\'s a beautiful space and because graduation is outside the school doesn\'t have to limit the number of attendees. Anyone and everyone can attend when graduation is outside. When it\'s inside in the auditorium however each graduate is given a few tickets and only people with tickets are allowed to be seated in the auditorium to watch. Others can watch from the foyer on a screen that we set up. By far this is the worst option.\n<a title=\"ACS graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239372164/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7239372164_8efea99faf_z.jpg\" alt=\"ACS graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nSo while it was grey overcast and cold, it wasn\'t raining so graduation was outside. This means however that you\'ve got to dress for the weather but because it wasn\'t clear that we\'d have graduation outside until 4pm on Friday you\'ve got to come up with an outfit that works inside as well as outside. This is not an easy task.\n\nI ended up wearing wool tights, a grey dress, a tank-top and a caramel colored sweater. All of this was belted with a wide woven belt. Then I layered on a dusty-rose jacket and navy and grey scarf. I topped this whole look off with a black academic robe and I carried an umbrella and cream colored finger-less gloves. After the previous two years, I am not messing around. It gets cold sitting out there for graduation over the course of 90 minutes and I have to say while my outfit sounds ridiculous it was perfect for the weather.<!--more-->\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s too much clothing to wear inside. So at 20 minutes to 5 we\'re told to get ready. I get ready. Then I slowly start to overheat. Then at 5pm we\'re still sitting in the basement waiting to go. At 5:10 we\'re still waiting and I am getting hotter and hotter. It\'s about this time that we\'re told our graduation speaker Bulgarian football star <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitar_Berbatov\" target=\"_blank\">Dimitar Berbatov </a>(Additional information: he plays--or maybe played--for Manchester United. There seems to be some question about whether or not he\'s been asked to resign with the team but I don\'t really keep up with these things.) is late and that in fact his plane hasn\'t landed yet or maybe has just landed.\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239398284/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7239398284_e28af28786_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nEither way, he\'s late. Enter:<em> long sigh</em>. The kind of sigh that famous people get from non-famous people for being late, self-centered, unthinking and careless.\n\nThe decision is made that if he doesn\'t arrive by 5:30pm we\'ll start without him. We then all begin to discuss who\'d great idea it was to invite a football star to speak at graduation. Everyone wants to know who knows him and extended the invitation to him and moreover what on earth he\'s going to speak about.\n\nAmong the international teachers, there\'s the question of whether or not he graudated from high school and no has bother to look up whether or not he went to college. We all assume that he did not. We also assume that he graduated from one of the sports academies . These high schools have a reputation for producing pretty good athletes but not scholars. The implicit assumption is that academics take a back seat to sports and that he probably didn\'t really go to class.\n<a title=\"Berbatov at graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239376048/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7239376048_c5de927810_z.jpg\" alt=\"Berbatov at graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nEveryone wonders: what on earth does he have to say that will be meaningful for our graduating seniors? Students who will be going to top universities in America, England and Europe.  Lack of educational qualifiers aside, the fact that he\'s late doesn\'t help matters much.\n\nAgainst all odds, he shows up a little before 5:30 pm and we get started. Thirty minutes late.\n\nNow I love graduation and these happen to be my babies who are graduating. I know the Class of 2012 in a way that I haven\'t know previous graduating classes. The Class of 2012 is the first class of 10th graders that I taught at ACS.\n<a title=\"graduation at ACS by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239382912/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7239382912_2634c4b885_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation at ACS\" width=\"557\" height=\"551\" /></a>\nI\'ve watched them grow up over the last three years. I then taught much of this class in 11th grade as well. If my math is correct over the past three years I\'ve taught more than 50% of the class three days a week. I know these students. I graded their papers. I pushed them to write more succinctly and think more critically. I wrote letters of recommendation for them. I said hello to them each morning the hallways and after school I advised their clubs. Needless to say, I am tremendously proud of each and every one of them.\n<a title=\"graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239368362/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7239368362_1210d27110_z.jpg\" alt=\"graduation\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nGraduation of course is a ceremony where we celebrate their hard work over the past five years, congratulate them for their achievements and send them out into the world. It\'s the end of high school and our students have worked incredibly hard to secure this moment. Thus graduation is not about us as adults rather it\'s about our students.\n\nBerbatov though didn\'t get this message.\n\nHe stands at the podium to deliver his speech and announces that he doesn\'t have a speech. (He apparently hasn\'t bothered to write one. <em>Awesome</em>.) Then he proceeds to talk about himself <em>in Bulgarian</em> for about five minutes. Mind you past Bulgarian graduation speakers have given their speeches in English and in Bulgarian. This is really the gold standard. We are after all the American College of Sofia.\n\nSo Berbatov gets started speaking in very quick Bulgarian. He\'s too fast. There are no pauses for emphasis. His sentences run together. He only pauses to think of what he wants to say next. There\'s seemingly no clear beginning, middle or end to his speech because really it\'s not a speech.\n\nHighlights include (and of course, I am loosely paraphrasing this into English): the fact that he didn\'t attend his own graduation. <em>Um, really</em>?! That he in part credits the support of his parents, family and friends for his success. <em>Okay. That\'s nice</em>. Then there\'s the part where he tells our students that one day they may be standing behind the podium giving a speech like this. Only they won\'t be famous football players because that\'s hard work and requires talent. <em>Unreal</em>.\n\nTo top this all off, during the middle of the valedictorian\'s speech, Berbatov left. Apparently he couldn\'t be bothered to stay for all of graduation. I\'d guess that he logged at most 20 minutes of sitting on stage. <em>What a guy. What a guy</em>.\n\nLuckily, graduation isn\'t about the graduation speaker. Graduation is about the students. Students that I adore.\n\nIt was so wonderful to see them walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. I was inordinately proud of them. What a great day.\n\nAfter the formal ceremony, I congratulated students and their parents. I was surprised to see how many parents I remembered from parent-teacher conferences even from 10th grade. Then one of the nicest things happened. Student that I\'d taught gave me flowers to thank me. Wow. This kind of thoughtfulness isn\'t something I expected for students (or their parents) on graduation. A day at least in the States that is focused solely on the graduates.\n\nIt warmed my heart. Class of 2012, here\'s to you!!','ACS Graduation and the Class of 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6728-autosave','','','2012-05-21 07:32:56','2012-05-21 05:32:56','',6728,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6728-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6749,1,'2012-05-25 06:15:11','2012-05-25 04:15:11','<a title=\"flowers for graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239364846/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7239364846_10770949bc.jpg\" alt=\"flowers for graduation\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I was given these flowers at graduation by the mom of one of my students.\r\n\r\nThe Bulgarian tradition of giving flowers is such a lovely one. I never expect flowers because we don\'t have the same longstanding traditions in the States. In fact, at graduation I found myself rather surprised to be receiving flowers.\r\n\r\nIn my mind, graduation is about the students and their parents and not at all about the teachers. Sure I was there every day teaching your child, I read your child\'s essays and helped your child with projects but your child is the one who is graduating from high school.\r\n\r\nThis said, it was a very pleasant surprise to be given these bright red flowers.\r\n\r\nSo on this weekend where we honor and celebrate teachers, education and creation, it seems only fitting to share this photo with you all.\r\n\r\nI\'ll end on this note, I was given these flowers as a thank-you and in turn I\'d like to stay thank-you to all of the teachers I\'ve had in my life both formal and informal and to say how grateful I am to be able to learn something new each day!!\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Flowers at Graduation','','publish','open','open','','flowers-at-graduation','','','2012-05-23 15:23:08','2012-05-23 13:23:08','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6749',0,'post','',1),(6750,1,'2012-05-21 08:02:20','2012-05-21 06:02:20','I was given these flowers at graduation by the mom of one of my students. Her daughter was an incredible student. The kind of student you wish all of your students were. I taught this young woman for one year in 10th grade. I met her mother at parent teacher conferences in October of my first year teaching at ACS and it turned out that this mother was also participating in Balkan dance at school.\n\nBoth mother and daughter always have a smile and a hello for me.','Flowers at Graduation','','inherit','open','open','','6749-revision','','','2012-05-21 08:02:20','2012-05-21 06:02:20','',6749,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6749-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6751,1,'2012-05-21 08:03:20','2012-05-21 06:03:20','<a title=\"flowers for graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239364846/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7239364846_10770949bc.jpg\" alt=\"flowers for graduation\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I was given these flowers at graduation by the mom of one of my students. Her daughter was an incredible student. The kind of student you wish all of your students were. I taught this young woman for one year in 10th grade. I met her mother at parent teacher conferences in October of my first year teaching at ACS and it turned out that this mother was also participating in Balkan dance at school.\n\nBoth mother and daughter always have a smile and a hello for me.','Flowers at Graduation','','inherit','open','open','','6749-revision-2','','','2012-05-21 08:03:20','2012-05-21 06:03:20','',6749,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6749-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6752,1,'2012-05-22 06:20:22','2012-05-22 04:20:22','Just so you know, the Museum of Socialism in Sofia is closed on Mondays. Heck, you may already know this but I didn\'t find out until yesterday. That\'s when dragged a friend along with me to go and check out the museum and it was closed.\r\n\r\nApparently museums do this in Sofia.\r\n\r\nWho knew? I am always working on Mondays or it\'s a national holiday and I know museums don\'t work on national holidays. I\'ve tried to do that once or twice. Since then I\'ve learned my lesson. But really, I think is a little silly because in reality that\'s a perfect time to be open. Think about how many people would be free to go then.\r\n\r\nAnyhow the museum was closed. I\'ve been thinking about going since October when the museum opened so I guess another few weeks doesn\'t matter much. I wasn\'t too heartbroken. I just felt silly about not checking the actual museum times before lining A. up to come with me.  Oh well, I guess these things happen sometimes.\r\n\r\nSo we talked about how ugly the Bulgarian DMV (you know, the Department of Motor Vehicles) is instead. It\'s right next to the museum. And, it\'s really ugly, a little scary looking--warehouse scary--and there are lots of people milling around.\r\n\r\nYou know some girls make wishes on shooting stars or when blowing out birthday candles. <em>Not me</em>. Instead, I wished on the Bulgarian DMV building that I never-ever have to deal with the bureaucracy there. I hope that by sharing this wish I haven\'t ruined it.\r\n\r\nI\'ll wrap all of this up this way: for the last week I\'ve been calling the museum, the Museum of Communism. Turns out that\'s the wrong name. It\'s the Museum of Socialism.\r\n\r\nThere you have it. A whole post about the museum visit that wasn\'t.','Foiled at the Museum of Socialism ','','publish','open','open','','foiled-at-the-museum-of-socialism','','','2012-05-21 21:24:37','2012-05-21 19:24:37','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6752',0,'post','',2),(6753,1,'2012-05-21 21:19:31','2012-05-21 19:19:31','Just so you know, the Museum of Socialism in Sofia is closed on Mondays. Heck, you may already know this but I didn\'t find out until yesterday. That\'s when dragged a friend along with me to go and check out the museum and it was closed.\n\nApparently museums do this in Sofia.\n\nWho knew? I am always working on Mondays or it\'s a national holiday and I know museums don\'t work on national holidays. I\'ve tried to do that once or twice. Since then I\'ve learned my lesson but really, I think is a little silly because really that\'s a perfect time to be open. Think about how many people would be free to go then.\n\nAnyhow the museum was closed. I\'ve been thinking about going since October when the museum opened so I guess another few weeks doesn\'t matter much. I wasn\'t too heartbroken. I just felt silly about not checking the actual museum times before lining A. up to come with me.  I guess these things happen sometimes.\n\nSo we talked about how ugly the Bulgarian DMV (you know, the Department of Motor Vehicles) is instead. It\'s right next to the museum.\n\nYou know some girls make wishes on shooting stars or when blowing out birthday candles. <em>Not me</em>. Instead, I wished on the Bulgarian DMV building that I never-ever have to deal with the bureaucracy there.\n\nI\'ll wrap all of this up on this note: for the last week I\'ve been calling the museum, the Museum of Communism. Turns out that\'s the wrong name. It\'s the Museum of Socialism. There you have it. The museum visit that wasn\'t.','Foiled at the Museum of Socialism ','','inherit','open','open','','6752-revision','','','2012-05-21 21:19:31','2012-05-21 19:19:31','',6752,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6752-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6754,1,'2012-05-21 21:20:21','2012-05-21 19:20:21','Just so you know, the Museum of Socialism in Sofia is closed on Mondays. Heck, you may already know this but I didn\'t find out until yesterday. That\'s when dragged a friend along with me to go and check out the museum and it was closed.\r\n\r\nApparently museums do this in Sofia.\r\n\r\nWho knew? I am always working on Mondays or it\'s a national holiday and I know museums don\'t work on national holidays. I\'ve tried to do that once or twice. Since then I\'ve learned my lesson but really, I think is a little silly because really that\'s a perfect time to be open. Think about how many people would be free to go then.\r\n\r\nAnyhow the museum was closed. I\'ve been thinking about going since October when the museum opened so I guess another few weeks doesn\'t matter much. I wasn\'t too heartbroken. I just felt silly about not checking the actual museum times before lining A. up to come with me.  I guess these things happen sometimes.\r\n\r\nSo we talked about how ugly the Bulgarian DMV (you know, the Department of Motor Vehicles) is instead. It\'s right next to the museum.\r\n\r\nYou know some girls make wishes on shooting stars or when blowing out birthday candles. <em>Not me</em>. Instead, I wished on the Bulgarian DMV building that I never-ever have to deal with the bureaucracy there.\r\n\r\nI\'ll wrap all of this up this way: for the last week I\'ve been calling the museum, the Museum of Communism. Turns out that\'s the wrong name. It\'s the Museum of Socialism.\r\n\r\nThere you have it. A whole post about the museum visit that wasn\'t.','Foiled at the Museum of Socialism ','','inherit','open','open','','6752-revision-2','','','2012-05-21 21:20:21','2012-05-21 19:20:21','',6752,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6752-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6755,1,'2012-05-21 21:20:26','2012-05-21 19:20:26','Just so you know, the Museum of Socialism in Sofia is closed on Mondays. Heck, you may already know this but I didn\'t find out until yesterday. That\'s when dragged a friend along with me to go and check out the museum and it was closed.\r\n\r\nApparently museums do this in Sofia.\r\n\r\nWho knew? I am always working on Mondays or it\'s a national holiday and I know museums don\'t work on national holidays. I\'ve tried to do that once or twice. Since then I\'ve learned my lesson but really, I think is a little silly because really that\'s a perfect time to be open. Think about how many people would be free to go then.\r\n\r\nAnyhow the museum was closed. I\'ve been thinking about going since October when the museum opened so I guess another few weeks doesn\'t matter much. I wasn\'t too heartbroken. I just felt silly about not checking the actual museum times before lining A. up to come with me.  I guess these things happen sometimes.\r\n\r\nSo we talked about how ugly the Bulgarian DMV (you know, the Department of Motor Vehicles) is instead. It\'s right next to the museum.\r\n\r\nYou know some girls make wishes on shooting stars or when blowing out birthday candles. <em>Not me</em>. Instead, I wished on the Bulgarian DMV building that I never-ever have to deal with the bureaucracy there.\r\n\r\nI\'ll wrap all of this up this way: for the last week I\'ve been calling the museum, the Museum of Communism. Turns out that\'s the wrong name. It\'s the Museum of Socialism.\r\n\r\nThere you have it. A whole post about the museum visit that wasn\'t.','Foiled at the Museum of Socialism ','','inherit','open','open','','6752-revision-3','','','2012-05-21 21:20:26','2012-05-21 19:20:26','',6752,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/21/6752-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6756,1,'2012-05-22 07:23:58','2012-05-22 05:23:58','I woke up this morning having a strange dream about Christmas, Walla Walla High School, my W Street roommates and me writing on a whiteboard. There was also an earthquake in the dream or so I thought. Then I realized that the earthquake felt pretty real.\r\n\r\nSo I lay in bed thinking about the earthquake and looking at my clock. A 3 am earthquake seems a little a little thoughtless and fairly inconvenient to me.\r\n\r\nThen I got up and went to the bathroom. I peed, drank a glass of water and crawled back into bed. I figured that I might as well try to get some more sleep seeing at my alarm clock goes off for work each morning at 6am. The only problem was a that a series of aftershocks kept rattling me awake. I slept fitfully until I finally pried myself out of bed at 6:10am.\r\n\r\nIt was only then that I thought: Maybe earthquakes are the reason one should wear pj pants to bed.  Living alone, I\'ve gotten in the habit of wearing over-sized t-shirts to bed.\r\n\r\nMy report is this: the earthquake was strong enough to knock over two vases on my kitchen table with flowers in them--luckily neither one broke. <a href=\"http://novinite.com/view_news.php?id=139582\" target=\"_blank\">The official report</a> is this: the earthquake was initially reported as a 5.8 magnitude but this was later revised to 5.9-6.0.  There were also plenty of aftershocks. Maybe as many as 15 and apparently the first two were nearly as strong as the actual earthquake.\r\n\r\nThe good news is that I\'m okay and on a whole this earthquake was pretty uneventful. Now, however, I\'m off to find a coffee (or three).','A Little Earthquake in Sofia  ','','publish','open','open','','a-little-earthquake-in-sofia','','','2012-05-22 07:23:58','2012-05-22 05:23:58','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6756',0,'post','',13),(6757,1,'2012-05-22 07:23:10','2012-05-22 05:23:10','I woke up this morning having a strange dream about Christmas, Walla Walla High School, my W Street roommates and me writing on a whiteboard. There was also an earthquake in the dream or so I thought. Then I realized that the earthquake felt pretty real.\n\nSo I lay in bed thinking about the earthquake and looking at my clock. A 3 am earthquake seems a little a little thoughtless and fairly inconvenient to me.\n\nThen I got up and went to the bathroom. I peed, drank a glass of water and crawled back into bed. I figured that I might as well try to get some more sleep seeing at my alarm clock goes off for work each morning at 6am. The only problem was a that a series of aftershocks kept rattling me awake. I slept fitfully until I finally pried myself out of bed at 6:10am.\n\nIt was only then that I thought: Maybe earthquakes are the reason one should wear pj pants to bed.  Living alone, I\'ve gotten in the habit of wearing over-sized t-shirts to bed.\n\nMy report is this: the earthquake was strong enough to knock over two vases on my kitchen table with flowers in them--luckily neither one broke. The official report is this: the earthquake was initially reported as a 5.8 magnitude but this was later revised to 5.9-6.0.  There were also plenty of aftershocks. Maybe as many as 15 and apparently the first two were nearly as strong as the actual earthquake.\n\nThe good news is that I\'m okay. Now, however, I\'m off to find a coffee (or three).','A Little Earthquake in Sofia  ','','inherit','open','open','','6756-revision','','','2012-05-22 07:23:10','2012-05-22 05:23:10','',6756,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/22/6756-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6758,1,'2012-05-24 06:54:48','2012-05-24 04:54:48','Thanks Kiril and Methodius for creating the Cyrillic alphabet!!\r\n\r\nMethodius, I\'m sorry that you got shorted on the naming part of Cyrillic alphabet.\r\n\r\nMore to the point, three cheers for the four day weekend I\'ve been given in your honor to celebrate the two of you!!\r\n\r\nIt\'s pretty clear to me that you two were serious dudes. Here\'s to creating a new alphabet (even if it does look an awful lot like Greek) and teaching people. I think it\'s hard enough to teach teenagers without having to teach them the alphabet first.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, thanks for the alphabet.\r\n\r\nI thought I\'d take a moment to highlight some of my favorite Cyrillic letters: я, ъ, ш, ж, щ, ц and ч.  These letters look silly to the untrained eye but do good things in Bulgarain. Then there are the false friends. These letters are sneaky--they look like Latin letters but aren\'t: в, с, у, р and н. Luckily there are a few faithful friends as well--letters that cross the alphabet divide: а, е, к, м, о, and т. Thanks for being you--faithful friends. To any letters I\'ve left out, I\'m sorry. It\'s not you, it\'s me.\r\n\r\nOn this note, I\'m off on a Bulgarian adventure with my friends P. and H. We\'re going to spend two days in Veliko Turnovo and then head to Kazenlak to check out the Rose Festival. Then on Sunday I\'ll be back in Sofia and gearing up for prom!!','A Big Shout Out to Kiril and Methodius ','','publish','open','open','','a-big-shout-out-to-kiril-and-methodius','','','2012-05-23 15:15:01','2012-05-23 13:15:01','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6758',0,'post','',7),(6759,1,'2012-05-23 15:14:50','2012-05-23 13:14:50','Thanks Kiril and Methodius for creating the Cyrillic alphabet!!\n\nMethodius, I\'m sorry that you got shorted on the naming part of Cyrillic alphabet.\n\nMore to the point, three cheers for the four day weekend I\'ve been given in your honor to celebrate the two of you!!\n\nIt\'s pretty clear to me that you two were serious dudes. Here\'s to creating a new alphabet (even if it does look an awful lot like Greek) and teaching people. I think it\'s hard enough to teach teenagers without having to teach them the alphabet first.\n\nAnyhow, thanks for the alphabet.\n\nI thought I\'d take a moment to highlight some of my favorite Cyrillic letters: я, ъ, ш, ж, щ, ц and ч.  These letters look silly to the untrained eye but do good things in Bulgarain. Then there are the false friends. These letters are sneaky--they look like Latin letters but aren\'t: в, с, у, р and н. Luckily there are a few faithful friends as well--letters that cross the alphabet divide: а, е, к, м, о, and т. Thanks for being you--faithful friends. To any letters I\'ve left out, I\'m sorry. It\'s not you, it\'s me.\n\nOn this note, I\'m off on a Bulgarian adventure with my friends P. and H. We\'re going to spend two days in Veliko Turnovo and then head to Kazenlak to check out the Rose Festival. Then on Sunday I\'ll be back in Sofia and gearing up for prom!!','A Big Shout Out to Kiril and Methodius ','','inherit','open','open','','6758-revision','','','2012-05-23 15:14:50','2012-05-23 13:14:50','',6758,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/23/6758-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6761,1,'2012-05-23 15:21:13','2012-05-23 13:21:13','<a title=\"flowers for graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239364846/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7239364846_10770949bc.jpg\" alt=\"flowers for graduation\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I was given these flowers at graduation by the mom of one of my students.\n\nThe Bulgarian tradition of giving flowers is such a lovely one. I never expect flowers because we don\'t have the same longstanding traditions in the States. In fact, at graduation I found myself rather surprised to be receiving flowers.\n\nIn my mind, graduation is about the students and their parents and not at all about the teachers. Sure I was there every day teaching your child, I read your child\'s essays and helped your child with projects but your child is the one who is graduating from high school.\n\nThis said, it was a very pleasant surprise to be given these bright red flowers.\n\nSo on this weekend where we honor and celebrate teachers, education and creation, it seems only fitting to share this photo with you all.\n\n&nbsp;','Flowers at Graduation','','inherit','open','open','','6749-revision-4','','','2012-05-23 15:21:13','2012-05-23 13:21:13','',6749,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/23/6749-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6760,1,'2012-05-23 15:20:14','2012-05-23 13:20:14','<a title=\"flowers for graduation by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7239364846/\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7239364846_10770949bc.jpg\" alt=\"flowers for graduation\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" /></a>I was given these flowers at graduation by the mom of one of my students.\n\nThe Bulgarian tradition of giving flowers is such a lovely one. I never expect flowers because we don\'t have the same longstanding traditions in the States. In fact, at graduation I found myself rather surprised to be receiving flowers.\n\nIn my mind, graduation is about the students and their parents and not at all about the teachers. Sure I was there every day teaching your child, I read your child\'s essays and helped your child with projects but your child is the one who is graduating from high school.\n\nThis said, it was a very pleasant surprise to be given these bright red flowers.\n\nSo on this weekend where we honor and celebrate teachers, education and\n\nHer daughter was an incredible student. The kind of student you wish all of your students were. I taught this young woman for one year in 10th grade. I met her mother at parent teacher conferences in October of my first year teaching at ACS and it turned out that this mother was also participating in Balkan dance at school. So over the past three years we\'ve grown to be friends.\n\nBoth mother and daughter always have a smile and a hello for me.','Flowers at Graduation','','inherit','open','open','','6749-revision-3','','','2012-05-23 15:20:14','2012-05-23 13:20:14','',6749,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/23/6749-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6763,1,'2012-05-28 20:05:51','2012-05-28 18:05:51','I\'m having a quiet a go of things these days. Earlier this year it was my urinary tract and now it\'s a tooth. Yep, I\'ve got an angry tooth in my mouth. I think it\'s a cavity.\n\nA nasty little cavity. It hurts and I\'m unhappy.\n\nI called the dentist today but I can\'t get in to see him until Thursday. Ug. At lunch friends suggested that I call back and see if there\'s any way they can work me in sooner. I did. They can\'t but they promised to call me if anyone cancels between now and my Thursday appointment.\n\nFingers crossed and thumbs pressed.\n\nAnyhow, it\'s amazing how a cavity can cause so much discomfort. Earlier today my whole head seemed to be throbbing.\n\nI told A. about my problem and he told me: there are lots of dentists in Sofia and that I shouldn\'t wait until Thursday to see one. I said: But this one speaks English. <em>Good</em> English. I was then reminded that a dentist doesn\'t really need to speak English. He can see the problem and he knows how to fix it because it\'s his job.\n\nAll in all, it\'s not a bad point. I mean once the dentist has his hands in my mouth it\'s not like I can talk. I just have to lie there.\n\nThis said, I fully recognize that I\'m kind of being a baby about this whole thing. I want to be able to communicate easily with the dentist. I want a clean and modern office and new, top of the line equipment. I also want someone who\'s been recommended to me to work on my teeth.\n\nLuckily these things exist in Sofia. Unfortunately for me, I can\'t get into see the dentist for a few days. So until then I guess I\'ll have to just keep plugging along and try not to think too much about my unhappy tooth.','Plugging along','','inherit','open','open','','6762-revision','','','2012-05-28 20:05:51','2012-05-28 18:05:51','',6762,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/28/6762-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6764,1,'2012-05-28 20:06:17','2012-05-28 18:06:17','Just so you know, I\'ve been having a quiet a go of things these days. Earlier this year it was my urinary tract and now it\'s a tooth. Yep, I\'ve got an angry tooth in my mouth. I think it\'s a cavity.\r\n\r\nA nasty little cavity. It hurts and I\'m unhappy.\r\n\r\nI called the dentist today but I can\'t get in to see him until Thursday. Ug. At lunch friends suggested that I call back and see if there\'s any way they can work me in sooner. I did. They can\'t but they promised to call me if anyone cancels between now and my Thursday appointment.\r\n\r\nFingers crossed and thumbs pressed.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, it\'s amazing how a cavity can cause so much discomfort. Earlier today my whole head seemed to be throbbing.\r\n\r\nI told A. about my problem and he told me: there are lots of dentists in Sofia and that I shouldn\'t wait until Thursday to see one. I said: But this one speaks English. <em>Good</em> English. I was then reminded that a dentist doesn\'t really need to speak English. He can see the problem and he knows how to fix it because it\'s his job.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it\'s not a bad point. I mean once the dentist has his hands in my mouth it\'s not like I can talk. I just have to lie there.\r\n\r\nThis said, I fully recognize that I\'m kind of being a baby about this whole thing. I want to be able to communicate easily with the dentist. I want a clean and modern office and new, top of the line equipment. I also want someone who\'s been recommended to me to work on my teeth.\r\n\r\nLuckily these things exist in Sofia. Unfortunately for me, I can\'t get into see the dentist for a few days. So until then I guess I\'ll have to just keep plugging along and try not to think too much about my unhappy tooth.','Plugging along','','inherit','open','open','','6762-revision-2','','','2012-05-28 20:06:17','2012-05-28 18:06:17','',6762,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/28/6762-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6765,1,'2012-05-28 20:15:17','2012-05-28 18:15:17','Just so you know, I\'ve been having a quiet a go of things these days. Earlier this year it was my urinary tract and now it\'s a tooth. Yep, I\'ve got an angry tooth in my mouth. I think it\'s a cavity.\n\nA nasty little cavity. It hurts and I\'m unhappy.\n\nI called the dentist today but I can\'t get in to see him until Thursday. Ug. At lunch friends suggested that I call back and see if there\'s any way they can work me in sooner. I did. They can\'t but they promised to call me if anyone cancels between now and my Thursday appointment.\n\n<em>Fingers crossed</em> and <em>thumbs pressed</em>.\n\nAnyhow, it\'s amazing how a cavity can cause so much discomfort. Earlier today my whole head seemed to be throbbing.\n\nI told A. about my problem and he told me that I could pull it myself. I laughed. I am totally unprepared to do my own dentistry. I <em>might</em> consider trimming my own bangs but I am not doing my own dental work.\n\nHe followed this up with: there are lots of dentists in Sofia and that I shouldn\'t wait until Thursday to see one. I said: But this one speaks English. <em>Good</em> English. I was then reminded that a dentist doesn\'t really need to speak English. He can see the problem and he knows how to fix it because it\'s his job.\n\nAll in all, it\'s not a bad point. I mean once the dentist has his hands in my mouth it\'s not like I can talk. I just have to lie there. Nevertheless, I was not not won over with this argument.\n\nThis said, I fully recognize that I\'m kind of being a baby about this whole thing but I want to be able to do more than smile and say it hurts here in Bulgarian while I point awkwardly into my mouth. I want to be able to communicate easily with the dentist. I want a clean and modern office and new, top of the line equipment. I also want someone who\'s been recommended to me to work on my teeth.\n\nLuckily these things exist in Sofia. Unfortunately for me, I can\'t get into see the dentist for a few days. So until then I guess I\'ll have to just keep plugging along and try not to think too much about my unhappy tooth.','Plugging along','','inherit','open','open','','6762-revision-3','','','2012-05-28 20:15:17','2012-05-28 18:15:17','',6762,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/28/6762-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6766,1,'2012-05-28 20:17:05','2012-05-28 18:17:05','Just so you know, I\'ve been having a quiet a go of things these days. Earlier this year it was my urinary tract and now it\'s a tooth. Yep, I\'ve got an angry tooth in my mouth. I think it\'s a cavity.\n\nA nasty little cavity. It hurts and I\'m unhappy.\n\nI called the dentist today but I can\'t get in to see him until Thursday. Ug. At lunch friends suggested that I call back and see if there\'s any way they can work me in sooner. I did. They can\'t but they promised to call me if anyone cancels between now and my Thursday appointment.\n\n<em>Fingers crossed</em> and <em>thumbs pressed</em>.\n\nAnyhow, it\'s amazing how a cavity can cause so much discomfort. Earlier today my whole head seemed to be throbbing.\n\nI told A. about my problem and he told me that I could pull it myself. I laughed. I am totally unprepared to do my own dentistry. I <em>might</em> consider trimming my own bangs but I am not doing my own dental work.\n\nHe followed this up with: there are lots of dentists in Sofia and that I shouldn\'t wait until Thursday to see one. I said: But this one speaks English. <em>Good</em> English. I was then reminded that a dentist doesn\'t really need to speak English. He can see the problem and he knows how to fix it because it\'s his job.\n\nAll in all, it\'s not a bad point. I mean once the dentist has his hands in my mouth it\'s not like I can talk. I just have to lie there. Somehow though, I was not not won over with this argument.\n\nThat brings me to this: I fully recognize that I\'m kind of being a baby about this whole thing but I want to be able to do more than smile and say it hurts here in Bulgarian while I point awkwardly into my mouth. I want to be able to communicate easily with the dentist. I want a clean and modern office and new, top of the line equipment. I also want someone who\'s been recommended to me to work on my teeth.\n\nLuckily these things exist in Sofia. Unfortunately for me, I can\'t get into see the dentist for a few days. So until then I guess I\'ll have to just keep plugging along and try not to think too much about my unhappy tooth.','Plugging along','','inherit','open','open','','6762-autosave','','','2012-05-28 20:17:05','2012-05-28 18:17:05','',6762,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/28/6762-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6792,1,'2012-06-06 07:46:11','2012-06-06 05:46:11','Each year at school we have a St. George\'s Day Party. Here\'s<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/06/04/a-late-st-georges-day-party/\" target=\"_blank\"> last year\'s party</a>.  The Bulgarian staff host this party for the American teachers. It\'s reciprocal as the American teachers host a big Thanksgiving party in November. St. George\'s day is in May but between a couple of major holidays and graduation during the month of May we end up having our party the first Friday in June.\r\n<a title=\"Bulgarian table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7343885524/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7343885524_63d513cd36_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bulgarian table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nIt\'s great fun. We eat lamb, salad, rice with internal organs mixed in (well, I didn\'t eat that), grilled veggies and bread. We drink wine and beer and usually some rakiya as well.\r\n<a title=\"teachers by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7158677371/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7158677371_41184fab18_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nI\'m not sure how the tradition of games started at our school party as a part of St. George\'s Day because as I understand it, this is not a traditional party of the holiday. Nevertheless, the international teachers also participate in a series of games that the Bulgarians have created to challenge us. The games are Bulgarian inspired and usually require teamwork, speed, a some knowledge of Bulgarian language, culture and food and a willingness to embarrass yourself in front of your Bulgarian colleagues.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"the party by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7343887812/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7343887812_f3f5b03e48_z.jpg\" alt=\"the party\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThis year the party was inside rather than around the fountain due to all of the rain that we\'ve been having lately. So instead of having physical challenges we were given Bulgarian language challenges. This of course was a hoot for our Bulgarian colleagues who by in large speak English much, much better than we speak Bulgarian.<a title=\"game by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7158676225/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7158676225_ae6b086c12_z.jpg\" alt=\"game\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe were given a St George\'s Day survey to complete. Then we had to read and pronounce the names of long difficult Bulgarian villages. Next, we given an envelop with a Bulgarian idiom in it and the English \"translation\" was taped on the outside of the envelope. Our job was to arrange the Bulgarian words inside the envelope to come up with the Bulgarian idiom. Finally we blind-folded one of our teammates and they were lead to a table as if they were a new baby and given the opportunity to pick out two objects that would represent them. Then a second teammate had to read the \"baby\'s\" fortune as if they were the godmother. This was very funny because the objects were things like dried Bulgarian sausage, Bulgarian pottery, rakiya and the like.<a title=\"Bulgarian table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7343886718/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/7343886718_481d1ed2bd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bulgarian table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"prizes by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7158681605/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/7158681605_e117f79713_z.jpg\" alt=\"prizes\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nEveryone who participated won some kind of a Bulgarian prize. So that elicited a lot of laughter as well.\r\n<a title=\"rakiya by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7343882362/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7343882362_1220dbbcf3_z.jpg\" alt=\"rakiya\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"dried meat by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7158682545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7158682545_b390d3b735_z.jpg\" alt=\"dried meat\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNeedless to say, these activities had our Bulgarian colleagues in stitches and they were pretty fun to participate in. Things got even more fun after the games when the music changed and everyone started dancing the horo. After five or six traditional Bulgarian songs, we switched gears and started dancing to pop music laced with Bulgarian dance/party classics--one about a bicycle was a huge hit.\r\n\r\nEven Mama Dog, our well loved campus dog, wanted in on the action.\r\n<a title=\"mama dog waiting outside by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7158674031/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7099/7158674031_15d55a330f_z.jpg\" alt=\"mama dog waiting outside\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"mama dog by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7343879778/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7343879778_36aea0c181_z.jpg\" alt=\"mama dog\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\n\r\nWe talked, danced and socialized until 10pm when it was time to either go home or go out. We went out.\r\n\r\nThe whole night was a blast.','St. George\'s Day Party at ACS','','publish','open','open','','st-georges-day-party-at-acs','','','2012-06-06 07:46:11','2012-06-06 05:46:11','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6792',0,'post','',5),(6768,1,'2012-05-29 07:45:12','2012-05-29 05:45:12','I got invited to prom months ago and I went to prom on Sunday not as a chaperone as I might have in the States but as a guest of a Class of 2012. This is the first prom that I\'ve been to in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nProm as we know it in the States is a dance. A school sanctioned event.\r\n\r\nThe overview is, of course, boy asks girl. She buys a dress and he rents a tux. He picks her up with a corsage for her to wear--ideally one that matches her dress--and their parents take pictures. Boy and girl then go to dinner and after this they meet up with their friends and go to the dance.\r\n\r\nMaybe the dance is in the ballroom of a hotel or maybe the dance is at the high school. At the dance, there\'s a DJ and chaperones. The DJ plays loud music and the chaperones check tickets and make sure that no one is drinking at the dance or has been drinking before the dance. Teenagers flirt, gossip and dance suggestively until it\'s time to go home.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a big deal when you\'re a teenager. Will you go? Who will ask you?/Who will you ask? What will you wear and how do you make sure that no one else is wearing <em>your</em> dress? Where will you go to dinner? What car will your parents let you drive--the station wagon or the sedan? Of course, as an adult these concerns seem a little silly--it\'s just a dance after all.\r\n\r\nProm in Bulgaria is a whole different ballgame.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the biggest difference: prom is organized and hosted by the students and as such falls outside of the high school\'s purview. Let me make this even more clear because the students are the driving force behind prom as both the organizers and the funders there\'s no one to limit the students or to reign them in. Thus, money becomes the only real object when planning the prom. Moreover, the legal drinking age in Bulgaria is 18 and by in large, our high school seniors graduate at age 19.\r\n\r\nThese factors combine to create an event that on the surface has the trappings of an American prom. Girls still worry about their dresses and boys put off buying suits to wear but in practice these two events the American prom and the Bulgarian ball have very little in common.\r\n\r\nSo do you find yourself dissatisfied with this post on prom? Do you feel like you didn\'t get enough on Bulgarian prom? Don\'t worry. There are at least two more posts to follow. I just had to set the groundwork before I could really dig into the event itself.','Bulgarian Prom: The Overview','','publish','open','open','','bulgarian-prom-the-overview','','','2012-05-29 07:46:09','2012-05-29 05:46:09','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6768',0,'post','',4),(6769,1,'2012-05-28 20:31:52','2012-05-28 18:31:52','I went to prom on Sunday not as a chaperone as I might have in the States but as a guest of a Class of 2012. This is the first prom that I\'ve been to because','Bulgarian Prom ','','inherit','open','open','','6768-revision','','','2012-05-28 20:31:52','2012-05-28 18:31:52','',6768,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/28/6768-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6770,1,'2012-05-29 07:44:22','2012-05-29 05:44:22','I got invited to prom months ago and I went to prom on Sunday not as a chaperone as I might have in the States but as a guest of a Class of 2012. This is the first prom that I\'ve been to in Bulgaria.\n\nProm as we know it in the States is a dance. A school sanctioned event. The overview is, of course, boy asks girl. She buys a dress and he rents a tux. He picks her up with a corsage for her to wear--ideally one that matches her dress--and their parents take pictures. Boy and girl then go to dinner and after this they meet up with their friends and go to the dance.\n\nMaybe the dance is in the ballroom of a hotel or maybe the dance is at the high school. At the dance, there\'s a DJ and chaperones. The DJ plays loud music and the chaperones check tickets and make sure that no one is drinking at the dance or has been drinking before the dance. Teenagers flirt, gossip and dance suggestively until it\'s time to go home.\n\nIt\'s a big deal when you\'re a teenager. Will you go? Who will ask you?/Who will you ask? What will you wear and how do you make sure that no one else is wearing <em>your</em> dress? Where will you go to dinner? What car will your parents let you drive--the station wagon or the sedan? Of course, as an adult these concerns seem a little silly--it\'s just a dance after all.\n\nProm in Bulgaria is a whole different ballgame.\n\nHere\'s the biggest difference: prom is organized and hosted by the students and as such falls outside of the high school\'s purview. Let me make this even more clear because the students are the driving force behind prom as both the organizers and the funders there\'s no one to limit the students or to reign them in. Thus, money becomes the only real object when planning the prom. Moreover, the legal drinking age in Bulgaria is 18 and by in large, our high school seniors graduate at age 19.\n\nThese factors combine to create an event that on the surface has the trappings of an American prom. Girls still worry about their dresses and boys put off buying suits to wear but in practice these two events the American prom and the Bulgarian ball have very little in common.\n\nSo do you find yourself dissatisfied with this post on prom? Do you feel like you didn\'t get enough on Bulgarian prom? Don\'t worry. There are at least two more posts to follow. I just had to set the groundwork before I could really dig into the event','Bulgarian Prom: The Overview','','inherit','open','open','','6768-revision-2','','','2012-05-29 07:44:22','2012-05-29 05:44:22','',6768,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/6768-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6771,1,'2012-05-29 07:44:47','2012-05-29 05:44:47','I got invited to prom months ago and I went to prom on Sunday not as a chaperone as I might have in the States but as a guest of a Class of 2012. This is the first prom that I\'ve been to in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nProm as we know it in the States is a dance. A school sanctioned event. The overview is, of course, boy asks girl. She buys a dress and he rents a tux. He picks her up with a corsage for her to wear--ideally one that matches her dress--and their parents take pictures. Boy and girl then go to dinner and after this they meet up with their friends and go to the dance.\r\n\r\nMaybe the dance is in the ballroom of a hotel or maybe the dance is at the high school. At the dance, there\'s a DJ and chaperones. The DJ plays loud music and the chaperones check tickets and make sure that no one is drinking at the dance or has been drinking before the dance. Teenagers flirt, gossip and dance suggestively until it\'s time to go home.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a big deal when you\'re a teenager. Will you go? Who will ask you?/Who will you ask? What will you wear and how do you make sure that no one else is wearing <em>your</em> dress? Where will you go to dinner? What car will your parents let you drive--the station wagon or the sedan? Of course, as an adult these concerns seem a little silly--it\'s just a dance after all.\r\n\r\nProm in Bulgaria is a whole different ballgame.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the biggest difference: prom is organized and hosted by the students and as such falls outside of the high school\'s purview. Let me make this even more clear because the students are the driving force behind prom as both the organizers and the funders there\'s no one to limit the students or to reign them in. Thus, money becomes the only real object when planning the prom. Moreover, the legal drinking age in Bulgaria is 18 and by in large, our high school seniors graduate at age 19.\r\n\r\nThese factors combine to create an event that on the surface has the trappings of an American prom. Girls still worry about their dresses and boys put off buying suits to wear but in practice these two events the American prom and the Bulgarian ball have very little in common.\r\n\r\nSo do you find yourself dissatisfied with this post on prom? Do you feel like you didn\'t get enough on Bulgarian prom? Don\'t worry. There are at least two more posts to follow. I just had to set the groundwork before I could really dig into the event itself.','Bulgarian Prom: The Overview','','inherit','open','open','','6768-revision-3','','','2012-05-29 07:44:47','2012-05-29 05:44:47','',6768,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/6768-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6772,1,'2012-05-29 07:45:12','2012-05-29 05:45:12','I got invited to prom months ago and I went to prom on Sunday not as a chaperone as I might have in the States but as a guest of a Class of 2012. This is the first prom that I\'ve been to in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nProm as we know it in the States is a dance. A school sanctioned event. The overview is, of course, boy asks girl. She buys a dress and he rents a tux. He picks her up with a corsage for her to wear--ideally one that matches her dress--and their parents take pictures. Boy and girl then go to dinner and after this they meet up with their friends and go to the dance.\r\n\r\nMaybe the dance is in the ballroom of a hotel or maybe the dance is at the high school. At the dance, there\'s a DJ and chaperones. The DJ plays loud music and the chaperones check tickets and make sure that no one is drinking at the dance or has been drinking before the dance. Teenagers flirt, gossip and dance suggestively until it\'s time to go home.\r\n\r\nIt\'s a big deal when you\'re a teenager. Will you go? Who will ask you?/Who will you ask? What will you wear and how do you make sure that no one else is wearing <em>your</em> dress? Where will you go to dinner? What car will your parents let you drive--the station wagon or the sedan? Of course, as an adult these concerns seem a little silly--it\'s just a dance after all.\r\n\r\nProm in Bulgaria is a whole different ballgame.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the biggest difference: prom is organized and hosted by the students and as such falls outside of the high school\'s purview. Let me make this even more clear because the students are the driving force behind prom as both the organizers and the funders there\'s no one to limit the students or to reign them in. Thus, money becomes the only real object when planning the prom. Moreover, the legal drinking age in Bulgaria is 18 and by in large, our high school seniors graduate at age 19.\r\n\r\nThese factors combine to create an event that on the surface has the trappings of an American prom. Girls still worry about their dresses and boys put off buying suits to wear but in practice these two events the American prom and the Bulgarian ball have very little in common.\r\n\r\nSo do you find yourself dissatisfied with this post on prom? Do you feel like you didn\'t get enough on Bulgarian prom? Don\'t worry. There are at least two more posts to follow. I just had to set the groundwork before I could really dig into the event itself.','Bulgarian Prom: The Overview','','inherit','open','open','','6768-revision-4','','','2012-05-29 07:45:12','2012-05-29 05:45:12','',6768,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/6768-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6773,1,'2012-05-29 07:47:13','2012-05-29 05:47:13','I got invited to prom months ago and I went to prom on Sunday not as a chaperone as I might have in the States but as a guest of a Class of 2012. This is the first prom that I\'ve been to in Bulgaria.\n\nProm as we know it in the States is a dance. A school sanctioned event.\n\nThe overview is, of course, boy asks girl. She buys a dress and he rents a tux. He picks her up with a corsage for her to wear--ideally one that matches her dress--and their parents take pictures. Boy and girl then go to dinner and after this they meet up with their friends and go to the dance.\n\nMaybe the dance is in the ballroom of a hotel or maybe the dance is at the high school. At the dance, there\'s a DJ and chaperones. The DJ plays loud music and the chaperones check tickets and make sure that no one is drinking at the dance or has been drinking before the dance. Teenagers flirt, gossip and dance suggestively until it\'s time to go home.\n\nIt\'s a big deal when you\'re a teenager. Will you go? Who will ask you?/Who will you ask? What will you wear and how do you make sure that no one else is wearing <em>your</em> dress? Where will you go to dinner? What car will your parents let you drive--the station wagon or the sedan? Of course, as an adult these concerns seem a little silly--it\'s just a dance after all.\n\nProm in Bulgaria is a whole different ballgame.\n\nHere\'s the biggest difference: prom is organized and hosted by the students and as such falls outside of the high school\'s purview. Let me make this even more clear because the students are the driving force behind prom as both the organizers and the funders there\'s no one to limit the students or to reign them in. Thus, money becomes the only real object when planning the prom. Moreover, the legal drinking age in Bulgaria is 18 and by in large, our high school seniors graduate at age 19.\n\nThese factors combine to create an event that on the surface has the trappings of an American prom. Girls still worry about their dresses and boys put off buying suits to wear but in practice these two events the American prom and the Bulgarian ball have very little in common.\n\nSo do you find yourself dissatisfied with this post on prom? Do you feel like you didn\'t get enough on Bulgarian prom? Don\'t worry. There are at least two more posts to follow. I just had to set the groundwork before I could really dig into the event itself.','Bulgarian Prom: The Overview','','inherit','open','open','','6768-autosave','','','2012-05-29 07:47:13','2012-05-29 05:47:13','',6768,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/6768-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6774,1,'2012-06-01 05:51:00','2012-06-01 03:51:00','I happy to report that I went to the dentist yesterday and today I woke feeling like a new person. I still have to go back to have a little more work done this month but these things happen when you\'ve been <em>very</em> bad about going to the dentist for regular check-ups.\r\n\r\nI find myself feeling much happier today that I\'ve been this last week. The tooth pain that started out very small became nagging by Thursday but this morning I feel like a new person.\r\n\r\nAt the same time, I find myself annoyed with me. It really wasn\'t that hard for me to call the dentist and make an appointment. It wasn\'t all that hard to take an afternoon off to go. It wasn\'t difficult to take a taxi from school to the dentist and the dentist was actually really nice.\r\n\r\nWhy did I put it off? Well, I thought it was going to be difficult. So I just didn\'t do it until I had to.  This of course is a horrible reason but there it is. These things happen sometimes.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, this is a just a quick post to say: I\'m alive still. Now I\'ve got to get to school. It\'s going to be a busy day.','I made it to the Dentist ','','publish','open','open','','i-made-it-to-the-dentist','','','2012-06-01 05:51:00','2012-06-01 03:51:00','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6774',0,'post','',1),(6775,1,'2012-06-01 05:50:04','2012-06-01 03:50:04','I happy to report that I went to the dentist yesterday and today I woke feeling like a new person. I still have to go back to have a little more work done this month but these things happen when you\'ve been <em>very</em> bad about going to the dentist for regular check-ups.\n\nI find myself feeling much happier today that I\'ve been this last week. The tooth pain that started out very small became nagging by Thursday but this morning I feel like a new person.\n\nAt the same time, I find myself annoyed with me. It really wasn\'t that hard for me to call the dentist and make an appointment. It wasn\'t all that hard to take an afternoon off to go. It wasn\'t difficult to take a taxi from school to the dentist and the dentist was actually really nice.\n\nWhy did I put it off? Well, I thought it was going to be difficult. So I just didn\'t do it until I had to.  This of course is a horrible reason but there it is.\n\nAnyhow, this is a just a quick tp','I made it to the Dentist ','','inherit','open','open','','6774-revision','','','2012-06-01 05:50:04','2012-06-01 03:50:04','',6774,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/01/6774-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6776,1,'2012-06-03 11:49:55','2012-06-03 09:49:55','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\r\n\r\nI wrote about prom earlier this week. It\'s <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">a general overview</a> that you might want to take a look at if you\'re not familiar with the different American and Bulgarian traditions.\r\n<a title=\"students in the rain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299584792/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7299584792_c73b8d626e_z.jpg\" alt=\"students in the rain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students. Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\r\n<a title=\"at prom with H. by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299564920/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7299564920_ec85ff5717_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom with H.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\r\n<a title=\"at prom the teacher table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299560208/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7299560208_e6f28f32f0_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom the teacher table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\r\n\r\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\r\n<a title=\"at prom by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299573144/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7299573144_f7d1bd084d_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\r\n\r\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\r\n<a title=\"at prom and dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299568900/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7299568900_955b7d08ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom and dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\r\n\r\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\r\n\r\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this. I also feel the need to walk a fine line regarding students\' privacy so the pictures I\'ve posted are pretty basic and don\'t single anyone out. I\'m sure that you understand.\r\n<a title=\"teachers dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299587846/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7299587846_fa2d5f92e3_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\r\n\r\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to prom.\r\n\r\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end on this note.\r\n\r\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','The American College of Sofia and Prom 2012','','publish','open','open','','the-american-college-of-sofia-and-prom-2012','','','2012-06-03 11:49:55','2012-06-03 09:49:55','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6776',0,'post','',4),(6777,1,'2012-06-03 11:34:53','2012-06-03 09:34:53','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\n\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.\n\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students.   Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\n\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\n\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\n\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\n\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\n\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\n\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\n\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\n\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this.\n\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\n\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\n\nAnyhow, back to prom.\n\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\n\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\n\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\n\nI\'d like to end on this note&gt;\n\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','Prom 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6776-revision','','','2012-06-03 11:34:53','2012-06-03 09:34:53','',6776,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6776-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6778,1,'2012-06-03 11:43:25','2012-06-03 09:43:25','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\n\nI wrote about prom earlier this week. It\'s <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">a general overview</a> that you might want to take a look at if you\'re not familiar with the different American and Bulgarian traditions.\n<a title=\"students in the rain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299584792/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7299584792_c73b8d626e_z.jpg\" alt=\"students in the rain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.<!--more-->\n\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students.   Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\n<a title=\"at prom with H. by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299564920/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7299564920_ec85ff5717_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom with H.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\n<a title=\"at prom the teacher table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299560208/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7299560208_e6f28f32f0_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom the teacher table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\n<a title=\"at prom and dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299568900/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7299568900_955b7d08ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom and dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\n<a title=\"at prom by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299573144/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7299573144_f7d1bd084d_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\n\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\n\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\n\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\n\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this.\n<a title=\"teachers dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299587846/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7299587846_fa2d5f92e3_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\n\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\n\nAnyhow, back to prom.\n\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\n\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\n\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\n\nI\'d like to end on this note.\n\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','The American College of Sofia and Prom 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6776-revision-2','','','2012-06-03 11:43:25','2012-06-03 09:43:25','',6776,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6776-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6779,1,'2012-06-03 11:43:39','2012-06-03 09:43:39','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\r\n\r\nI wrote about prom earlier this week. It\'s <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">a general overview</a> that you might want to take a look at if you\'re not familiar with the different American and Bulgarian traditions.\r\n<a title=\"students in the rain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299584792/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7299584792_c73b8d626e_z.jpg\" alt=\"students in the rain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students.   Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\r\n<a title=\"at prom with H. by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299564920/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7299564920_ec85ff5717_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom with H.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\r\n<a title=\"at prom the teacher table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299560208/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7299560208_e6f28f32f0_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom the teacher table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\r\n\r\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\r\n<a title=\"at prom by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299573144/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7299573144_f7d1bd084d_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\r\n\r\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\r\n<a title=\"at prom and dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299568900/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7299568900_955b7d08ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom and dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\r\n\r\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\r\n\r\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this.\r\n<a title=\"teachers dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299587846/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7299587846_fa2d5f92e3_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\r\n\r\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to prom.\r\n\r\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end on this note.\r\n\r\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','The American College of Sofia and Prom 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6776-revision-3','','','2012-06-03 11:43:39','2012-06-03 09:43:39','',6776,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6776-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6780,1,'2012-06-03 11:44:01','2012-06-03 09:44:01','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\r\n\r\nI wrote about prom earlier this week. It\'s <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">a general overview</a> that you might want to take a look at if you\'re not familiar with the different American and Bulgarian traditions.\r\n<a title=\"students in the rain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299584792/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7299584792_c73b8d626e_z.jpg\" alt=\"students in the rain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students.   Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\r\n<a title=\"at prom with H. by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299564920/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7299564920_ec85ff5717_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom with H.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\r\n<a title=\"at prom the teacher table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299560208/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7299560208_e6f28f32f0_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom the teacher table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\r\n\r\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\r\n<a title=\"at prom by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299573144/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7299573144_f7d1bd084d_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\r\n\r\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\r\n<a title=\"at prom and dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299568900/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7299568900_955b7d08ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom and dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\r\n\r\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\r\n\r\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this.\r\n<a title=\"teachers dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299587846/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7299587846_fa2d5f92e3_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\r\n\r\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to prom.\r\n\r\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end on this note.\r\n\r\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','The American College of Sofia and Prom 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6776-revision-4','','','2012-06-03 11:44:01','2012-06-03 09:44:01','',6776,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6776-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6781,1,'2012-06-03 11:46:32','2012-06-03 09:46:32','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\r\n\r\nI wrote about prom earlier this week. It\'s <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">a general overview</a> that you might want to take a look at if you\'re not familiar with the different American and Bulgarian traditions.\r\n<a title=\"students in the rain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299584792/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7299584792_c73b8d626e_z.jpg\" alt=\"students in the rain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students.   Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\r\n<a title=\"at prom with H. by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299564920/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7299564920_ec85ff5717_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom with H.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\r\n<a title=\"at prom the teacher table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299560208/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7299560208_e6f28f32f0_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom the teacher table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\r\n\r\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\r\n<a title=\"at prom by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299573144/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7299573144_f7d1bd084d_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\r\n\r\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\r\n<a title=\"at prom and dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299568900/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7299568900_955b7d08ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom and dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\r\n\r\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\r\n\r\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this. I also feel the need to walk a fine line regarding students\' privacy so the pictures I\'ve posted are pretty basic and don\'t single anyone out. I\'m sure that you understand.\r\n<a title=\"teachers dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299587846/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7299587846_fa2d5f92e3_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\r\n\r\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to prom.\r\n\r\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end on this note.\r\n\r\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','The American College of Sofia and Prom 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6776-revision-5','','','2012-06-03 11:46:32','2012-06-03 09:46:32','',6776,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6776-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6782,1,'2012-06-03 11:48:54','2012-06-03 09:48:54','First off let me say this, I had a great time at prom but I was really bummed for the seniors because it was very rainy last Sunday.\r\n\r\nI wrote about prom earlier this week. It\'s <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">a general overview</a> that you might want to take a look at if you\'re not familiar with the different American and Bulgarian traditions.\r\n<a title=\"students in the rain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299584792/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7299584792_c73b8d626e_z.jpg\" alt=\"students in the rain\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nTraditionally students meet at the American College of Sofia at 6pm to take photos. They show up in expensive dresses and even more expensive cars and they pose for pictures for the better part of 90+ minutes with their family in tow. This year was no different only they were also armed with umbrellas in an attempt to ward off the driving rain.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nIt was pretty miserable but the students were jubilant opening bottles of champagne on the steps of Ostrander and smoking with abandon--two things that they are clearly not allowed to do as students. Needless to say, we didn\'t stay outside very long and the pictures I snapped capture more umbrellas than dresses.\r\n<a title=\"at prom with H. by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299564920/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7299564920_ec85ff5717_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom with H.\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe actual prom was at the Grand Hotel Sofia but because, our students were a little late in booking a space for prom and most ballrooms around Sofia were booked the students negotiated a plan with the Grand Hotel Sofia to have to have prom outside under a tent but the rain forced us into a second floor conference room instead. The space was on the small side but the students seemed fine with it. There was enough space to dance, plenty to drink and a room to smoke in. Luckily teenagers are pretty easy to please.\r\n<a title=\"at prom the teacher table by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299560208/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7299560208_e6f28f32f0_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom the teacher table\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nNow I didn\'t really know what to expect but I was preparing and bracing myself for something ridiculous. And not something a little ridiculous but something <em>RIDICULOUS</em>. I\'d seen pictures, heard stories and experienced Bulgarian prom second hand.\r\n\r\nOver the last four years, I\'ve seen seniors in fancy cars decked out in balloons driving too fast and honking on the streets of Sofia. I\'ve heard students counting from 1-12 as is the tradition of graduating students in Bulgaria. I\'ve seen students dressed to the nines in five inch heels with hair that seems to defy gravity and make-up that seems to have been painted on who gathered at their respective high schools to take photos.   I\'ve seen kids the morning after prom in the parking lot of McDonalds still in their dresses. I\'ve seen seniors show up at school the next day in rumpled and wilted suits and dresses after staying out all night drinking, dancing and smoking to wander the hallways.\r\n<a title=\"at prom by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299573144/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7299573144_f7d1bd084d_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nProm in Bulgaria has become such a spectacle that it garners a crazy amount of attention. The attention is mostly negative and highlights poor taste, big hair, big breasts and a dearth of clothing. Want to see what I mean? Bulgarian magazine Vice put together <a href=\"http://www.vice.com/bg/read/abiturientsko-foto-bunishte\" target=\"_blank\">this photo collection</a>. It highlights the extremes of the event.\r\n\r\nIn comparison our students were tame. Intricate braids and up-do\'s reigned. There was no crimped hair to been seen. Ball gowns, cocktail dresses and party dresses were the rule rather than the exception. Many girls went for classic ball gowns with floor length skirts but there a huge amount of variety from roaring twenties style drop-waisted dresses, others for Grecian inspired draping and a few for 1950\'s nipped waists with knee length full skirts. Dresses covered everything they were supposed to--I didn\'t see a single dress that made me feel embarrassed for the wearer.\r\n<a title=\"at prom and dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299568900/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7299568900_955b7d08ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"at prom and dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBoys by in large wore slim fitting suits in dark colors. Dress shirts were mostly white. There were some light blue shirts and fair number of boys in lavender dress shirts. In my mind, lavender was an unexpected choice but these boys looked great. A few boys went for the classic tuxedo shirt and bow tie but without a vest or cummerbund in a nod to the traditional while still looking fresh and modern.\r\n\r\nI have to say that I thought everyone looked great and I was incredibly proud of them.  There\'s something to be said for making a choice to abandon the in your face, over the top sexiness that seems to be the tradition in Bulgaria for clothing that is still young, modern and sexy. It was just sexy in a more sophisticated way playing with curves, fit and cut.  Bravo ACS Class of 2012!!\r\n\r\nSorry that I didn\'t get better pictures of them--the weather and the venue were not very conducive for this. I also feel the need to walk a fine line regarding students\' privacy so the pictures I\'ve posted are pretty basic and don\'t single anyone out. I\'m sure that you understand.\r\n<a title=\"teachers dancing by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7299587846/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7299587846_fa2d5f92e3_z.jpg\" alt=\"teachers dancing\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThe part that was harder for me to get used to was the idea that I was at prom drinking with my students.  Students would ramble over to say hello, give a toast and take a picture. More than one said to me: I can\'t believe that I am here having a drink with my teachers. I know exactly what you mean. I also got a lot of: Ms. Emigh you look so--fill in the blank--pretty, nice, beautiful. I\'ve never see you look like this before. Me: <em>Aw</em>. Thanks.\r\n\r\nSarcastic me wanted to say: funny how that works. I think it\'s because I\'ve never worn a slim fitting cocktail dress and three inch high heels to school before. I also tend to favor my glasses over contacts and at 6 o\'clock in the morning when I\'m getting ready for school I have very little interest in putting on make-up or doing much with my hair.\r\n\r\nAnyhow, back to prom.\r\n\r\nThe whole event felt much more like a hybrid of a sorority formal and the first wedding reception you go to of friends who are marrying right out of university. Here\'s what I mean, the energy was high, the music was loud, alcohol was following, the chicken was just okay and the young people all danced together while the older adults also danced next to the young people but not <em>with</em> them. The only thing missing was a formal photographer.\r\n\r\nAll in all, it was like no high school dance I\'ve ever been to.\r\n\r\nAfter the formal part of the night, students made their way to a night club. I bowed out on this. First because I had to teach the next day and second because I figured that I didn\'t need to see the debauchery that my students were surely going to engage in. I didn\'t want my last memory of the Class of 2012 to be a negative one.\r\n\r\nI\'d like to end on this note.\r\n\r\nDear Class of 2012, thank-you for inviting me to your prom. I had a wonderful time. I wish each of you the best as you head out into the world on this next step in your life and I look forward to hearing about each of your individual adventures!!','The American College of Sofia and Prom 2012','','inherit','open','open','','6776-revision-6','','','2012-06-03 11:48:54','2012-06-03 09:48:54','',6776,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6776-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6783,1,'2012-06-03 20:38:18','0000-00-00 00:00:00','I feel like prom is such a serious cultural event in Bulgaria that it requires more than just two posts to really get it. I\'ve written <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">an introduction to Bulgarian prom</a> as well as <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/the-american-college-of-sofia-and-prom-2012/\" target=\"_blank\">all about my experience at prom</a>.\r\n\r\nThe conclusion that I am about to write is more analytical  in nature.','Prom: The Conclusion ','','draft','open','open','','','','','2012-06-03 20:38:18','2012-06-03 18:38:18','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6783',0,'post','',0),(6784,1,'2012-06-03 19:13:52','2012-06-03 17:13:52','I feel like prom is such a serious cultural event in Bulgaria that it requires more than just two posts to really get it. I\'ve written <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/29/bulgarian-prom-the-overview/\" target=\"_blank\">an introduction to Bulgarian prom</a> as well as <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/the-american-college-of-sofia-and-prom-2012/\" target=\"_blank\">all about my experience at prom</a>.\n\nThe conclusion that I am about to write is more analytical  in nature.','Prom: The Conclusion ','','inherit','open','open','','6783-revision','','','2012-06-03 19:13:52','2012-06-03 17:13:52','',6783,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6783-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6785,1,'2012-06-04 19:47:16','2012-06-04 17:47:16','The weather was beautiful on Saturday morning. So A. and I decided to go to the park in the early afternoon. Now this in and of itself isn\'t really worth of writing about. It\'s spring. People go to the park in the spring.\r\n\r\nWhat makes this different is that it basically rained every day in May so a warm, sunny day with blue skies and a light breeze was a welcome change. The weather was so nice in fact that I put in my contacts and dug out my sunglasses. I then evicted my umbrella to make room for the case of my sunglasses. I painted my toenails and put on a pair of sandals.\r\n<a title=\"Beer by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7329735098/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7329735098_f49e0b21e1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThat\'s how sure I was that it was going to be a wonderful day. Now don\'t get me wrong, it was a wonderful day. We to the metro to the city center. We walked to the park. We drank a beer. We wandered around the park for a while with what seemed to be half of Sofia.\r\n\r\nThen it started to spit rain. Only the sun was shining and it was raining at the same time. That\'s kind of weird. (On a side note, I was told once by a Bulgarian student that when this happens bears are getting married. Right, because when else would bears get married?! Really though I think it\'s such a lovely saying--there\'s something kind of magical about a moment where is sunny and rainy all at once.)\r\n\r\nSo we started to started to make our way to the city center. Why not have another beer somewhere and wait out the spitting rain?<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWell we decided to go <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/FunHouse/138629359481285\" target=\"_blank\">Fun House The Clock, an Art Restaurant</a>. I am not sure what\'s up with the name but the restaurant/bar is really cute. They have a lovely garden out front and probably 8 or 9 tables inside. It\'s both cool and cozy.\r\n<a title=\"Rainy day in Sofia by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7329731124/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7329731124_4b4a8c1031_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rainy day in Sofia\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBy the time we got to the restaurant there was no more rain. We sat outside, ordered beer and salads and not more than 5 minutes into our salad did it start raining. We shuffled our chairs under the large outdoor umbrellas to wait out the storm assuming that it would let up as quickly as it came on. No luck.\r\n\r\nAfter a bit of this, we retreated indoors with our beer. Because really, what\'s the point of getting wet sitting outside if you could sit inside just as easily and be dry?\r\n\r\nThe salads were excellent. I had a chicken salad. It was hot chicken with roasted onion and mushrooms in a cream sauce served on a bed of romaine lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes mixed in for color and a dash of balsamic vinegar. I thought it was delicious. It was not at all what I imagined when I ordered it but I have to say I was really please with it. A. ordered the Moroccan tuna salad and was equally happy with this dish. It was a mayo-less tuna salad with tomatoes and herbs also served on a bed of lettuce. The colors of this salad were amazing.\r\n\r\nThe thing is after we drank our beer and ate our salads and figured that we could walk back to the metro. The problem? Upon paying or bill and exiting the restaurant it was clear that the rain had not really let up. We ducked into a cab but only after getting pretty wet and then we headed back to Mladost.\r\n\r\nI am convinced that this is what I get for excavating my sunglasses after 6-plus months of disuse, painting my toenails a cheery color, donning sandals and leaving my umbrella at home.\r\n\r\nThe is, was it raining in Mladost when we climbed out of the cab? Nope. <em>Go figure</em>.','This weekend in Sofia','','publish','open','open','','this-weekend-in-sofia','','','2012-06-04 19:47:16','2012-06-04 17:47:16','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6785',0,'post','',3),(6786,1,'2012-06-03 22:06:04','2012-06-03 20:06:04','The weather was beautiful on Saturday morning. So A. and I decided to go to the park in the early afternoon. Now this in and of itself isn\'t really worth of writing about. It\'s spring. People go to the park in the spring.\n\nWhat makes this different is that it basically rained every day in May so a warm, sunny day with blue skies and a light breeze was a welcome change. The weather was so nice in fact that I put in my contacts and dug out my sunglasses. I then evicted my umbrella to make room for the case of my sunglasses. I painted my toenails and put on a pair of sandals.\n\nThat\'s how sure I was that it was going to be a wonderful day. Now don\'t get me wrong, it was a wonderful day. We to the metro to the city center. We walked to the park. We drank a beer. We wandered around the park for a while with what seemed to be half of Sofia.\n\nThen it started to spit rain. Only the sun was shining and it was raining at the same time. That\'s kind of weird. (On a side note, I was told once by a Bulgarian student that when this happens bears are getting married. Right, because when else would bears get married?! Really though I think it\'s such a lovely saying--there\'s something kind of magical about a moment where is sunny and rainy all at once.)\n\nSo we started to started to make our way to the city center. Why not have another beer somewhere and wait out the spitting rain?\n\nWell we decided to go <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/FunHouse/138629359481285\" target=\"_blank\">Fun House The Clock, an Art Restaurant</a>. I am not sure what\'s up with the name but the restaurant/bar is really cute. They have a lovely garden out front and probably 8 or 9 tables inside. It\'s both cool and cozy.\n\nBy the time we got to the restaurant there was no more rain. We sat outside, ordered beer and salads and not more than 5 minutes into our salad did it start raining. We shuffled our chairs under the large outdoor umbrellas to wait out the storm assuming that it would let up as quickly as it came on. No luck.\n\nAfter a bit of this, we retreated indoors with our beer. Because really, what\'s the point of getting wet sitting outside if you could sit inside just as easily and be dry?\n\nThe salads were excellent. I had a chicken salad. It was hot chicken with roasted onion and mushrooms in a cream sauce served on a bed of romaine lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes mixed in for color and a dash of balsamic vinegar. I thought it was delicious. It was not at all what I imagined when I ordered it but I have to say I was really please with it. A. ordered the Moroccan tuna salad and was equally happy with this dish. It was a mayo-less tuna salad with tomatoes and herbs also served on a bed of lettuce. The colors of this salad were amazing.\n\nThe thing is after we drank our beer and ate our salads and figured that we could walk back to the metro. The problem? Upon paying or bill and exiting the restaurant it was clear that the rain had not really let up. We ducked into a cab but only after getting pretty wet and then we headed back to Mladost.\n\nI am convinced that this is what I get for excavating my sunglasses after 6-plus months of disuse, painting my toenails a cheery color, donning sandals and leaving my umbrella at home.\n\nAnd the best part?! Was it raining in Mladost when we climbed out of the cab? Nope.','This weekend in Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6785-revision','','','2012-06-03 22:06:04','2012-06-03 20:06:04','',6785,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/03/6785-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6787,1,'2012-06-04 19:43:16','2012-06-04 17:43:16','The weather was beautiful on Saturday morning. So A. and I decided to go to the park in the early afternoon. Now this in and of itself isn\'t really worth of writing about. It\'s spring. People go to the park in the spring.\n\nWhat makes this different is that it basically rained every day in May so a warm, sunny day with blue skies and a light breeze was a welcome change. The weather was so nice in fact that I put in my contacts and dug out my sunglasses. I then evicted my umbrella to make room for the case of my sunglasses. I painted my toenails and put on a pair of sandals.\n\nThat\'s how sure I was that it was going to be a wonderful day. Now don\'t get me wrong, it was a wonderful day. We to the metro to the city center. We walked to the park. We drank a beer. We wandered around the park for a while with what seemed to be half of Sofia.\n\nThen it started to spit rain. Only the sun was shining and it was raining at the same time. That\'s kind of weird. (On a side note, I was told once by a Bulgarian student that when this happens bears are getting married. Right, because when else would bears get married?! Really though I think it\'s such a lovely saying--there\'s something kind of magical about a moment where is sunny and rainy all at once.)\n\nSo we started to started to make our way to the city center. Why not have another beer somewhere and wait out the spitting rain?\n\nWell we decided to go <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/FunHouse/138629359481285\" target=\"_blank\">Fun House The Clock, an Art Restaurant</a>. I am not sure what\'s up with the name but the restaurant/bar is really cute. They have a lovely garden out front and probably 8 or 9 tables inside. It\'s both cool and cozy.\n\nBy the time we got to the restaurant there was no more rain. We sat outside, ordered beer and salads and not more than 5 minutes into our salad did it start raining. We shuffled our chairs under the large outdoor umbrellas to wait out the storm assuming that it would let up as quickly as it came on. No luck.\n\nAfter a bit of this, we retreated indoors with our beer. Because really, what\'s the point of getting wet sitting outside if you could sit inside just as easily and be dry?\n\nThe salads were excellent. I had a chicken salad. It was hot chicken with roasted onion and mushrooms in a cream sauce served on a bed of romaine lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes mixed in for color and a dash of balsamic vinegar. I thought it was delicious. It was not at all what I imagined when I ordered it but I have to say I was really please with it. A. ordered the Moroccan tuna salad and was equally happy with this dish. It was a mayo-less tuna salad with tomatoes and herbs also served on a bed of lettuce. The colors of this salad were amazing.\n\nThe thing is after we drank our beer and ate our salads and figured that we could walk back to the metro. The problem? Upon paying or bill and exiting the restaurant it was clear that the rain had not really let up. We ducked into a cab but only after getting pretty wet and then we headed back to Mladost.\n\nI am convinced that this is what I get for excavating my sunglasses after 6-plus months of disuse, painting my toenails a cheery color, donning sandals and leaving my umbrella at home.\n\nThe is, was it raining in Mladost when we climbed out of the cab? Nope. Go figure.','This weekend in Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6785-revision-2','','','2012-06-04 19:43:16','2012-06-04 17:43:16','',6785,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/04/6785-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6788,1,'2012-06-04 19:44:16','2012-06-04 17:44:16','The weather was beautiful on Saturday morning. So A. and I decided to go to the park in the early afternoon. Now this in and of itself isn\'t really worth of writing about. It\'s spring. People go to the park in the spring.\r\n\r\nWhat makes this different is that it basically rained every day in May so a warm, sunny day with blue skies and a light breeze was a welcome change. The weather was so nice in fact that I put in my contacts and dug out my sunglasses. I then evicted my umbrella to make room for the case of my sunglasses. I painted my toenails and put on a pair of sandals.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7329735098/\" title=\"Beer by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7329735098_f49e0b21e1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Beer\"></a>\r\nThat\'s how sure I was that it was going to be a wonderful day. Now don\'t get me wrong, it was a wonderful day. We to the metro to the city center. We walked to the park. We drank a beer. We wandered around the park for a while with what seemed to be half of Sofia.\r\n\r\nThen it started to spit rain. Only the sun was shining and it was raining at the same time. That\'s kind of weird. (On a side note, I was told once by a Bulgarian student that when this happens bears are getting married. Right, because when else would bears get married?! Really though I think it\'s such a lovely saying--there\'s something kind of magical about a moment where is sunny and rainy all at once.)\r\n\r\nSo we started to started to make our way to the city center. Why not have another beer somewhere and wait out the spitting rain?\r\n\r\nWell we decided to go <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/FunHouse/138629359481285\" target=\"_blank\">Fun House The Clock, an Art Restaurant</a>. I am not sure what\'s up with the name but the restaurant/bar is really cute. They have a lovely garden out front and probably 8 or 9 tables inside. It\'s both cool and cozy.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7329731124/\" title=\"Rainy day in Sofia by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7329731124_4b4a8c1031_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Rainy day in Sofia\"></a>\r\nBy the time we got to the restaurant there was no more rain. We sat outside, ordered beer and salads and not more than 5 minutes into our salad did it start raining. We shuffled our chairs under the large outdoor umbrellas to wait out the storm assuming that it would let up as quickly as it came on. No luck.\r\n\r\nAfter a bit of this, we retreated indoors with our beer. Because really, what\'s the point of getting wet sitting outside if you could sit inside just as easily and be dry?\r\n\r\nThe salads were excellent. I had a chicken salad. It was hot chicken with roasted onion and mushrooms in a cream sauce served on a bed of romaine lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes mixed in for color and a dash of balsamic vinegar. I thought it was delicious. It was not at all what I imagined when I ordered it but I have to say I was really please with it. A. ordered the Moroccan tuna salad and was equally happy with this dish. It was a mayo-less tuna salad with tomatoes and herbs also served on a bed of lettuce. The colors of this salad were amazing.\r\n\r\nThe thing is after we drank our beer and ate our salads and figured that we could walk back to the metro. The problem? Upon paying or bill and exiting the restaurant it was clear that the rain had not really let up. We ducked into a cab but only after getting pretty wet and then we headed back to Mladost.\r\n\r\nI am convinced that this is what I get for excavating my sunglasses after 6-plus months of disuse, painting my toenails a cheery color, donning sandals and leaving my umbrella at home.\r\n\r\nThe is, was it raining in Mladost when we climbed out of the cab? Nope. Go figure.','This weekend in Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6785-revision-3','','','2012-06-04 19:44:16','2012-06-04 17:44:16','',6785,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/04/6785-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6789,1,'2012-06-04 19:44:38','2012-06-04 17:44:38','The weather was beautiful on Saturday morning. So A. and I decided to go to the park in the early afternoon. Now this in and of itself isn\'t really worth of writing about. It\'s spring. People go to the park in the spring.\r\n\r\nWhat makes this different is that it basically rained every day in May so a warm, sunny day with blue skies and a light breeze was a welcome change. The weather was so nice in fact that I put in my contacts and dug out my sunglasses. I then evicted my umbrella to make room for the case of my sunglasses. I painted my toenails and put on a pair of sandals.\r\n<a title=\"Beer by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7329735098/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7329735098_f49e0b21e1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nThat\'s how sure I was that it was going to be a wonderful day. Now don\'t get me wrong, it was a wonderful day. We to the metro to the city center. We walked to the park. We drank a beer. We wandered around the park for a while with what seemed to be half of Sofia.\r\n\r\nThen it started to spit rain. Only the sun was shining and it was raining at the same time. That\'s kind of weird. (On a side note, I was told once by a Bulgarian student that when this happens bears are getting married. Right, because when else would bears get married?! Really though I think it\'s such a lovely saying--there\'s something kind of magical about a moment where is sunny and rainy all at once.)\r\n\r\nSo we started to started to make our way to the city center. Why not have another beer somewhere and wait out the spitting rain?<!--more-->\r\n\r\nWell we decided to go <a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/pages/FunHouse/138629359481285\" target=\"_blank\">Fun House The Clock, an Art Restaurant</a>. I am not sure what\'s up with the name but the restaurant/bar is really cute. They have a lovely garden out front and probably 8 or 9 tables inside. It\'s both cool and cozy.\r\n<a title=\"Rainy day in Sofia by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7329731124/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7329731124_4b4a8c1031_z.jpg\" alt=\"Rainy day in Sofia\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" /></a>\r\nBy the time we got to the restaurant there was no more rain. We sat outside, ordered beer and salads and not more than 5 minutes into our salad did it start raining. We shuffled our chairs under the large outdoor umbrellas to wait out the storm assuming that it would let up as quickly as it came on. No luck.\r\n\r\nAfter a bit of this, we retreated indoors with our beer. Because really, what\'s the point of getting wet sitting outside if you could sit inside just as easily and be dry?\r\n\r\nThe salads were excellent. I had a chicken salad. It was hot chicken with roasted onion and mushrooms in a cream sauce served on a bed of romaine lettuce with a few cherry tomatoes mixed in for color and a dash of balsamic vinegar. I thought it was delicious. It was not at all what I imagined when I ordered it but I have to say I was really please with it. A. ordered the Moroccan tuna salad and was equally happy with this dish. It was a mayo-less tuna salad with tomatoes and herbs also served on a bed of lettuce. The colors of this salad were amazing.\r\n\r\nThe thing is after we drank our beer and ate our salads and figured that we could walk back to the metro. The problem? Upon paying or bill and exiting the restaurant it was clear that the rain had not really let up. We ducked into a cab but only after getting pretty wet and then we headed back to Mladost.\r\n\r\nI am convinced that this is what I get for excavating my sunglasses after 6-plus months of disuse, painting my toenails a cheery color, donning sandals and leaving my umbrella at home.\r\n\r\nThe is, was it raining in Mladost when we climbed out of the cab? Nope. Go figure.','This weekend in Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6785-revision-4','','','2012-06-04 19:44:38','2012-06-04 17:44:38','',6785,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/06/04/6785-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),