I was born and raised in Seattle, and I've wanted to travel for as long as I can remember. My mother's parents were immigrants who came to the United States from Poland and England after World War II, by way of Brazil. We still keep in touch with our European relatives, most of whom I have been fortunate enough to meet over the last few years. During my junior year in high school I decided to get a job and save up for a backpacking trip across Europe. I started working for Starbucks (a veritable rite of passage for Seattleites) and planning my journey with one of my best friends. We spent over a month traipsing from London to Amsterdam, through Germany, France, Italy and Austria, over to Warsaw, where I met my namesake Zofia for the very first time. My mother named me after my great-aunt in Poland, a country my grandfather left during the war and only returned to once for the rest of his life. Naturally, I was always curious about my heritage and wanted to connect with my family "in the old country." The first time I visited Poland it really felt like coming home, and I knew that I would have to return soon.
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| Me in Gdansk, Poland |
Three years later I was spending a semester abroad in Budapest, Hungary, during my undergraduate career at the University of San Francisco. Those five months were some of the best memories of my life. I traveled across Europe, returning to some of the places I had visited as an eighteen-year-old and discovering new and exciting destinations, as well. I studied the language, culture and history of Hungary and became fascinated with the very different pace of life and relaxed atmosphere of the region. I spent another month traveling throughout the former Yugoslavia, and found myself challenging some of the familiar stereotypes of "the Balkans" through my experiences there. I knew then that I wanted to continue learning about Eastern Europe, not just through my studies but with first-hand experience. I returned to USF and finished my degree in International Studies, with minors in both European and Middle Eastern Studies (Ottoman history became one of my favorite subjects). I started thinking about how to combine my academic interests with a practical experience that allowed me to travel more extensively. I found out about the Fulbright program, and applied for an English Teaching Assistantship.To my surprise, I was awarded a grant in Bulgaria for the 2010/2011 school year. I would be working at a public secondary school in Pleven.
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| The Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia, Bulgaria |
My first year of Fulbright was strange and confusing at times, but was an absolutely rewarding and life-changing experience for me. After adjusting to what was probably some initial culture shock (especially owing to the fact that I was so used to living in big cities), I found myself adapting to and thriving in a cultural environment quite different from my own. I made friends, learned some Bulgarian and took many opportunities to explore this beautiful country. I applied for a grant renewal the following year, and spent a second year working as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Sofia, the capital. I worked at two schools: the 134th High School (with Hebrew and English taught as foreign languages) and the First English Language School. All together I taught around 350 students in that year. Unfortunately that meant limited time to connect individually, but I still keep in touch with many of my former students who continue to amaze and impress me with their dedication and optimism.
Then something else happened- something wonderful. I met my boyfriend, a Bulgarian photographer, in 2011 and knew pretty early on that I wouldn't be leaving Bulgaria right away after finishing my grant. I made the decision to stay in Bulgaria after returning from a trip to Warsaw last summer, when I was offered a position as a first grade English teacher in a private elementary school in Sofia. My life here has changed a lot since starting a new relationship and a new job as well as becoming part of a very warm and loving family. Working on my own outside of the Fulbright program gives me a lot more independence, and I have to figure things out on my own. Okay, with a lot of help from Kiril. I know that I've gotten lazier about studying Bulgarian since we started dating, but I do speak it every day so my conversational skills are getting honed, if not perfectly grammatically correct. I am so grateful to have such genuinely kind people around me, probably the reason why Sofia is starting to feel more and more like home.
Although I don't write as often on this blog as I did as a Fulbrighter, or as much as I would like to, I still see it as a space to share my thoughts and experiences about life in Bulgaria as a Polish-American teacher/travel enthusiast. I learn something new almost every day about Sofia and Bulgaria (for example, did you know that the streetcars, or trams, here have mailboxes on the outside?), which makes it an endlessly fascinating place to live. I hope that this blog inspires others to explore Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, and that my reflections on teaching as an ETA can be helpful to future Fulbrighters in Bulgaria. Please feel free to post comments about any topics you find interesting or would like to talk about with me personally.
Thank you and happy reading!
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| Me and Kiril in 2012 |
Then something else happened- something wonderful. I met my boyfriend, a Bulgarian photographer, in 2011 and knew pretty early on that I wouldn't be leaving Bulgaria right away after finishing my grant. I made the decision to stay in Bulgaria after returning from a trip to Warsaw last summer, when I was offered a position as a first grade English teacher in a private elementary school in Sofia. My life here has changed a lot since starting a new relationship and a new job as well as becoming part of a very warm and loving family. Working on my own outside of the Fulbright program gives me a lot more independence, and I have to figure things out on my own. Okay, with a lot of help from Kiril. I know that I've gotten lazier about studying Bulgarian since we started dating, but I do speak it every day so my conversational skills are getting honed, if not perfectly grammatically correct. I am so grateful to have such genuinely kind people around me, probably the reason why Sofia is starting to feel more and more like home.
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| The awesome view of Mt. Vitosha from my apartment |
Although I don't write as often on this blog as I did as a Fulbrighter, or as much as I would like to, I still see it as a space to share my thoughts and experiences about life in Bulgaria as a Polish-American teacher/travel enthusiast. I learn something new almost every day about Sofia and Bulgaria (for example, did you know that the streetcars, or trams, here have mailboxes on the outside?), which makes it an endlessly fascinating place to live. I hope that this blog inspires others to explore Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, and that my reflections on teaching as an ETA can be helpful to future Fulbrighters in Bulgaria. Please feel free to post comments about any topics you find interesting or would like to talk about with me personally.
Thank you and happy reading!
