My Final Post

Well this is it. Tomorrow we head to Sofia and then Wednesday I am headed home. So here are my final thoughts on my Bulgarian experience. Overall, this has been much harder than I expected. I have learned more than I expected, and definetly build a solid base which I hope to build on. I have realized how much I love my home by being away for six weeks. I have also learned a lot about being in a country where you do not speak the language. I will have more respect and patience for those who do not speak English in the States.

I think the most important part of this trip has been gaining a deeper understanding into my husband. The way he thinks and approches life. It is amazing to see how much he has changed over the years and I respect him for everything he has overcome. He truly is an amazing man and I am blessed to be his wife.

I feel myself becoming tired, frustrated, and pestimistic (which is not ME). So I think it is time I get back to Indiana and recieve some loving from my two little cats. I am ready to hug my nephew and say hello to my parents. I am ready to share my stories and sleep in my own bed. I am ready to get back to studying medicine and trying to figure out my residency. It is time to jump back into my life in America.

Then next time you hear from me I should be in Indianapolis. I hope all goes well and I have better luck on my trip home than we did on your trip here. Thanks again for all of your comments and e-mails. I miss you all very much and will see you soon.

My Teacher

On Friday night Galya took me out to dinner with her husband and daughter. We went to a traditional Bulgarian restaurant and she made me try and read the menu. I think I did a pretty good job. This is a picture of Galya, her husband, and I at the restaurant. It was nice to speak in English for a whole evening. Her daughter speaks wonderful English and actually is considering going to college in the States.

A Trip To Plovdiv

This past weekend Ivan's parent's took me to the town of Plovdiv which is about two and half hours away from Veliko Tarnavo. The town has a really unique historic section. It is amazing how old things are here, very different than America. These pictures are from walking through the old section of town. We spent the night with some friends who spoke a little English which was nice.

The Final Countdown

In less than one week I will be back in the United States. I am glad I came here, but I am ready to be home. I miss my husband, my family, my friends, my cats, my home, and much more. Six weeks is a long time to be away from home.

I am currently saturated with Bulgarian grammer. I have one more lesson tomorrow and than I am calling it quits. I feel like I have covered the same amount of grammer in six weeks as I learned in six years of Spanish. My teacher is moving super fast. I think she was so focused on finishing the grammer book and she didn't realize how overwhelming it all is for me. I am looking forward to getting home and having some time to digest what I have learned and try to start using it. Right now I feel like I am just cramming it all into my head as fast as I can.

I continue to try new things everyday. Today we had soup made with stomach and intestines. This is a traditional Bulgarian dish. It was not my favorite, but it was not too bad. I think I have now tired most of the traditional Bulgarian food. All the traditional Bulgarian food without tomatoes. I am sure Ivan's parents will eat lots of tomatoes when I leave :)

Katherine I thought of you today when we went shopping. We bought two shirts at a store and they put each shirt in a separate bag. I know you would not be able to tolerate that, and I let you down because I didn't say anything. But I did not know how to say it in Bulgarian so I hope you will forgive me.

Well, I am sure I will write again but I am almost done with this Blog. Thanks so much for reading and supporting my effort to learn Bulgarian. Talk to you soon!!

LOTS of New Pictures to Look At!

Top: On my walk home from the gym I was considering going through my flashcards. But as you can tell from the picture you have to pay attention to everything around you because the sidewalk is not only for pedestrians. There was a guy in this car just chilling on the sidewalk.

Middle and Bottom: These are pictures I took on my way home from the Gym. Turnavo is surrounded by mountains and it is really beautiful when you get a glimpse of them through the buildings.

Take a Walk with Me to the Gym

These are some pictures I took on my walk to the gym. You can see that there are apartment building everywhere. They have been building a lot of new apartments recently. The gym is in the basement of the mall. I thought it might be strange if I took a picture inside the gym so this is the best shot I got.

Studying Hard!!

Flash cards! My second grade reading book! Dictionary! My Bulgarian Grammer Textbook!