Top: Ivan at his grandparents house.

Next: We visited a friend of the family last night in a neighboring village who has lived in Canada for the past 13 years. She has come back to Bulgaria for several years so her son can learn Bulgarian. It was nice to have talk a little bit in English.

Next: Ivan's parents.

Bottom: Me and a beautiful view of the city in the background.

Top: This is a picture of me in the old part of town where Ivan's grandparents live. It is a 30 minute walk from his parent's apartment.

Next: These signs are all over the city in honor of people who have passed away. I thought they were up just for 40 days after the persons death but this picture is for a person that died 12 years ago. As you can imagine they are everywhere since they keep them up so so long.

Next: This is Ivan's parent's apartment building.

Bottom: This is a picture of the castle at the edge of town.

Ivan's New Friends

So Ivan and I have been going to a gym that is not too far from the apartment. We have been going every other day just to do something active. I think his parents think we are crazy, but it helps us relax and take a break from everyone and everything.

I am sure you all know that over the past year Ivan has started lifting weights a lot more. He is now able to bench press 260 pounds, which is very impressive. The funny thing about the Bulgarian gym is that most of the people there wear their best clothes and send text messages while they work out. It is more of an image thing to "go" to the gym.

One day while we were working out Ivan asked a guy to spot him. When he benched 260 pounds (120 kilos :) 5 times the guy put out his hand and said "Hi I am Krazin nice to meet you". Krazin was so impressed with Ivan that he talked with him for the next 15 minutes. He kept saying there was NO way Ivan could lift that much.

So today we are at the gym and Ivan asks another guy if he can help spot him. The guy sees how much Ivan is lifting and says, "Are you kidding me man? There is no way you can do this?" Ivan than proceeded to lift 260 pounds 5 times and the guy said "Hey man, I am Kamen, it is nice to meet you." He also asked Ivan if he took steroids.

So Ivan has two new friends and a much bigger ego. I am sure he will make more new friends at the gym as everyone is impressed by his strength. I think they are befriending him because they would rather be his friend than foe :)

By the way...I wanted to let you all know that I LOVE your comments. I am having a great time here but I really do look forward to checking my blog for more comments. Ivan gives me a hard time because I check so often. Sometimes I check and I realize it is in the middle of the night in the States so no one is going to write. Please keep writing. I read them all and enjoy them VERY much.

My First Lesson

I had my first lesson yesterday with my teacher and it went very well. I think she was surprised and impressed by how much I already know. Ivan has been such a good teacher. She did not really teach me much new but it was good to practice. It is crazy to start from the begining of a language again. I forgot how you really have to start at the basics. Ivan has been amazing at really pushing me and I think now that we are building this base he will keep it up when we get home.

The most difficult part of Bulgaria is the extremely long lunch/dinner/after dinner conversations. In the States Ivan and I sit and talk at the table for 20-30 minutes but we usually play a game, watch TV, study, read, or get stuff done around the house. Here people sit at the table for hours. This might not be that bad when you understand what they are talking about, but I can't understand them. It has really taught me the art of patience. It is just hard because no one really makes an attempt to get me involved in the conversation. Ivan does his best but if people don't slow down for the translation it is hard to keep up.

I still have no luggage. Ivan called the Czech Republic and they said as of now it never left Paris. They said it is not "lost" but Paris has had so many delays the past several weeks they are very far behind. No offense Katherine, but I don't think I will ever fly through Paris again. I think it is too big, crazy, and disorganized. They did tell us we are allowed to buy clothes and send them the receipts and they will reimburse us for the expense. So I guess that is a piece of good news. But it would be so nice to have my own clothes! I am not a huge fan of the Bulgarian style and I do not enjoy skin tight jeans, which makes shopping here hard.

Ivan's mom is taking another three weeks off of work to hang out with me. I am going to have lots of mother-in-law bonding time. It is nice because I do not feel like I can get around town very well on my own, but I am sure it is going to be hard to just have some relaxing Mackenzie time. I just hope she gives me plenty of time to study. I really like Ivan's mom. Out of everyone here she really trys to communicate with me. You can tell she really wants to get to know me and is frustrated that we have the language barrier. She will talk to me even when I don't understand and we just both laugh. So I think it will be a good time.

Well I have to go do my homework. I will write again soon.

Speaking Spanish in Bulgaria

I wanted to share a quick, funny story today. Yesterday we went to Ruse which is where Mitko's parents live. We had lunch with his parents and stayed the night. After dinner we were sitting around the table and I was practicing my Bulgarian and everyone was talking about Bulgarian grammer. I asked Mitko's dad if he spoke any English and he responded in Bulgarian by saying, "No, but I do speak Spanish." I got super excited and responded in Spanish and we had a great conversation in Spanish. It was funny to be talking to a Bulgarian in Spanish. It turns out when he was a kid he lived in Cuba with his family for several years. It was funny because for once in the past two weeks I was talking with someone and NO one else in the room could understand. Usually, everyone else is talking and I can't understand!!

Top: This is a picture of a traditional Bulgarian dish call Banitza. It is made from dough and feta cheese. It is a tradition at Christmas and New Years to make this dish and put a little fortunes in each piece. My fortune this year was good health and Ivan's was that he would have good luck in everything :)

Middle: This is the family eating Christmas dinner.

Bottom: This picture shows Grandma Margarita making the dish I mentioned above called Banitza.

Top: This is a view of the old part of Veliko Tarnavo it is where Ivan's grandparents Kitcha and Ivan live.

Next: This is a picture of Christmas Eve dinner.

Next: These are the pig legs that we helped Grandma Margarita cut up.

Bottom: Grandma Margarita and Me

Top: This is a good view looking back over Ivan's home town Veliko Tarnavo.

Middle and Bottom: They have had music downtown almost everyday. These guys are playing traditional Bulgarian flutes and the ladies were dancing. It was really fun to watch.

Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from Bulgaria! Christmas is almost over here and I am officially worn out and filled to the brim with good food. The feast started last night with a very traditional Christmas Eve dinner. The tradition is that you are not suppose to eat any animal products on Christmas Eve, so we had stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, rice, and much more. We stayed up late chatting (I did not talk very much) and drinking.

This morning we opened presents and had a huge Christmas meal in the afternoon. Ivan's grandma Margarita joined us for the meal. We had duck soup, duck, pork, lamb meatballs, cabbage, rice, and panizia. I think they were trying to make up for the previous day with no meat. We then headed to visit Ivan's grandparents on the other side of town. They were very excited to see us. It was really special because Ivan's grandmother Kitcha gave us all of these beautiful table clothes and place mats that she has been making for Ivan and Maya ever since they were kids. It was sad because she said she wanted to give them to us before she leaves this earth and she does not know when we will be back in Bulgaria. It was a sad moment but a gift of pure love.

On Christmas Eve we stopped by Grandma Margarita's house to say hello and found her preparing some pork. Ivan's dad went to a village and bought an entire pig and brought it home. Grandma Margarita had two HUGE pig legs are her table. We watched her remove the hide and fat and cut up the meat into smaller portions. She is a pretty amazing lady. I am hoping to learn some good cooking skills from her, but I don't think I need to know how to cute up a pig.

We are going to Ruse tomorrow where Mitko's (Maya's fianace) is from. We are going to spend the night with his family and hopefully have a chance to see the city. I am going to try and post more pictures soon because I have some good ones. Merry Christmas! I love seeing Ivan's family but I really miss my friends and family on this joyous day.

A few glasses of wine helps break the ice

So I have discovered the secret to overcoming the language barrier and feeling a part of the dinner conversation....serveral glasses of a sweet wine Bulgarian's call Palen. I have not had much to drink since I have been here because the alcoholic beverages consist of beer, Rakia (hard liqour), and dry red wine all of which I do not have a strong taste for. However, today Ivan's dad busted out a sweet drink called Palen that I throughly enjoy, and it helped me relax and at least attempt to be a part of the conversation.

I am excited because we now have internet at the house so I can write more on the blog and try to post more pictures. No big news from Bulgaria. We have so far been to two orphanage Christmas parties. They consisted of 20 children (2-3 years old) running around singing Christmas songs in Bulgarian. SUPER CUTE. I told Ivan I have picked about 5 kids out that will be coming home with us in January. I think it is a good thing he is here to talk some sense into me. The orphanages are wonderful and sad at the same time. There are so many children without homes and the adoption process has many flaws. Ivan's mom gets frustrated that more children are not placed in loving homes.

Ivan and I have joined a gym that is in the basement of the mall. It is a really nice place and hardly anyone is ever there. It is difficult because I still do not have my luggage. So I have put together a few outfits to workout in, they do not really sell workout clothes in Bulgaria. It has been wonderful to get a little exercise in since we are eating so much good food. Ivan tells me that Christmas Eve dinner will have seven courses.

One other cool thing I want to share is the conversation Ivan and I had with his grandparents. We visited them yesterday and asked them tons of questions about their lives, it was really interesting. The crazy thing is they have lived through a monarchy, communism, and democracy. His grandma said she prefered the monarchy. She said democracy has been the worst for Bulgaria because there is so much corruption and no accountability. It was such a wonderful conversation, we learned about where they grew up, how they met, and what they did for a living. The house they live in is 110 years old, and Ivan's great-great grandfather bought it from the man who built it.

I am having a great time. I am trying my best to get to know Ivan's family and learn the language.

Top: View of the city from Ivan's apartment.

Next: Kitchen

Next: Study/bedroom. This is where Ivan and I are sleeping.

Bottom: Dining room.

His parents have completely remodeled the place, it looks great.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. More to come soon.

Bottom: Snow strom in Chicago that delayed our flight five hours.

Middle: We ended up going from Paris--> Prague-->Sofia

Top: This is a picture of getting on the flight to Sofia. This is the international idea of forming a line. I was very thankful we have the concept of a line in the US, I am not sure I could handle this on a regular basis.

Still no luggage

Well my luggage is offically....not here yet. I realized that the cord to plug my camera into the computer is in my bag, so no pictures until my luggage gets here. I am wearing a mix of Ivan's mom and sister's clothes. I did have to go buy some underwear and socks.

We are having a great time so far. I have quickly realize I know very little Bulgarian and I have plenty to learn. Ivan's mom bought me a great book I am going to start working through. We are going to call my teacher today so I can start meeting with her. I am ready to get going and learn as much as I can.

Ivan's sister arrived last night. She has a nice, smooth trip. I have to admit I was a bit jealous :) Mitko was here briefly but he headed to Ruse where his parents live. We got to see Ivan's grandma Margarita yesterday, she is a wonderful lady. She is so full of life and energy. She had made Paniska (Bulgaria bread and feta dish) for us. Her Paniska is completely homemade, and is absolutely amazing.

Well I think we are going shopping to get me some new clothes. I guess that nice thing about losing your luggage is that you get new clothes. I miss you all. Have a great day! I will write again soon. Please keep posting comments I love hearing from you.

When All Goes Wrong

Well the good news is that I am sitting in Bulgaria right now writing you this update. The story of how we got here is a little crazy. By the end of our trip Ivan and I were no longer surprised when things went wrong, it seemed that was the theme of our trip.

So we were scheduled to leave Chicago at 5:40pm, but a snow storm decided to blow in around noon and drop 5 inches on Chicago. So we set in the airport until 9pm when they finally let us get on the plane. Than we sat on the airplane for another two hours until we took off.

We obviously missed our connecting flight in Paris along with about a hundred other angry passengers on our plane. So we preceded to the Air France counter to try and find another flight. The only problem is that the people who were traveling on our plane did not understand the concept of forming a line. They thought you could just stand in a big mob at the desk and hold your passport in the air and yell. This was a very frustrating and long process. Eventually we learned there was another desk downstairs. We ended up waiting in line for about 4 hours, but the new line we found was at least civil.

So we finally get to talk to someone at Air France and they put us on a flight from Paris to Prague and then from Prague to Sofia. The lady took about 30 mins doing all the paper work. Than she handed us the ticket and said..."Your plane is taking off.....NOW.....you better hurry." She said we should probably run. So Ivan and I preceded to book it across one of the largest airports in the world. Ofcourse the gate we connected at was on the other side of the airport. By the time we got there we were both sweating and out of breath. They were holding the gate and as we got on the plane they closed the door and we were on our way.

Due to the crazy time in Paris we did not have a chance to call Ivan's parents to let them know where we were. They figured we were stuck somewhere and Europe and would have to stay overnight. So they decided to head home and return the next day to pick us up. When we arrived in Pargue we called them and they had to turn around and drive all the way back to the capital.

The trip from Pargue to Sofia was pretty uneventful except for a little turbulence that resulted in me spilling half a glass of wine all over my jeans. My bag ofcourse did not make it to Bulgaria, and ofcourse Ivan's bag did make it. I have no idea how his bag made it here considering our crazy transfer in Paris.

It was a very good thing Ivan's parents returned for us at the airport. We finally arrived in Sofia at midnight (Bulgaria time) and they were closing down the airport. Ivan's parents almost left for a second time because they were going to close the airport any minute. We were the last ones off the plane and we had to fill out paper work for my luggage. So we got lucky that Ivan's parents waited it out for us.

So we drove threee hours to Ivan's home town and arrrived at their apartment at 4am. We sat down with his parents and had some soup and wine. We slept until noon today, hopefully I will be able to get over my jet lag. I still feel so worn out.

Well that is a summary of our adventure. I am not sure much else could have gone wrong. Nevertheless, we have reach our final destination. Ivan's parents look wonderful and they are very excited to have us.

I will try and post pictures of our journey soon. I miss you all very much.

Another Medical School Exam Complete

Good news!! I am officially on vacation! Ivan and I came up to Chicago on Sunday and spent the night with our friends Luke and Jaymi Raad. They have been great hosts, helping us find our way around the city.

We woke up bright and early on Monday to take the train to the testing center. The exam I took was based on the students seeing "fake" patients. We had 15 mins with each patient and had to take a history, do a physical exam, and then write a patient note. It went better than I excepted, it was much nicer than taking a written exam. I am very glad it is over, so now I can focus on getting to Bulgaria.

After my exam we spent the evening catching up with Luke and Jaymi. They are going to have a baby in a month so their lives are going to be changing. They are both super excited about the adventure that lies ahead. We had a wonderful dinner and all went to bed pretty early because of our crazy busy day.

So today Ivan and I are getting together the final preparations for our trip. A snow storm is blowing into Chicago this afternoon so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will be able to get out of the city. We fly out this evening at 5:40pm. We are going to take the train to O'Hare and leave our car here at the Raad house.

So the next time you here from me we should be in Bulgaria. I miss you all already! I am getting super excited and super nervous about spending six weeks in a country where I hardly speak the language. But I keep telling myself that the purpose of the trip is to learn Bulgarian. Have a great day, and stay WARM!

Welcome to My Blog

Hey Friends and Family,

I wanted to start this blog to keep you updated on my trip to Bulgaria. Your support and excitment about my trip has been amazing. I look forward to sharing this adventure with you. I hope you will check my blog and keep in touch while I am gone.

I have not even started packing yet. I think it is such a daunting task I keep putting it off. I am sure Ivan will pack the morning we leave (boys are crazy). I have been working on my Bulgarian. I am starting to make loads of flash cards and trying my best to start working on some grammer. Ivan has been very patient with me and says I am getting the hang of it very fast. It can be pretty frustrating because my mouth just does not want to make the sounds. I keep telling Ivan he should have an easier native language.

We are leaving Indianapolis on Sunday and heading to Chicago for two nights. I have a medical school exam on Monday and we fly out on Tuesday. We are going to stay with our friends the Raads in Chicago.

So the next time you hear from me I should be in Bulgaria. Wish me luck!

Mackenzie