коледа в българия (Christmas in Bulgaria)

This year I stayed in Sofia for the winter holidays. We have two weeks off from school (yay!) and, lucky for me, I got to spend Christmas with my Bulgarian family. Kiril's folks are absolutely amazing and have welcomed me into their lives in every way.

For Christmas Eve (Budni Vecher in Bulgarian) we arrived early to help his mother, Mimi, prepare the meal. This mostly entailed making two large banitsas (homemade layered pastry filled with cheese and eggs) with fortunes wrapped in foil inside. These fortunes are a very special part of the tradition, as they tell you what kind of luck you will have in the coming tear. Kiril and I also made desserts ahead of time, which was my American contribution to the meal. We made one of my holiday favorites, peanut brittle, and toffee-nut blondies, which were a big hit.

In the Bulgarian Orthodox tradition, very much like the Catholic one I grew up with, Christmas Eve is the bigger event and is always spent with the family. Unlike the Christmases I know from my childhood, however, in Bulgaria the meal is always vegetarian. There must also be an odd number of dishes on the table, and at least 7. I think we had 11 dishes total (more dishes are supposed to bring more good luck). Usually, the dishes are fairly simple with a few traditional meatless favorites making an appearance. We ate stuffed peppers with sultanas, lutenitsa (roasted red pepper spread), fresh sheep and goat cheese, banitsa, pickled vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, and a special bread called pogacha which Kiril's brother Kalin prepared. The bread also had fortunes inside, as well as a hidden coin. When the meal begins, the oldest member of the household breaks the bread and gives it to the youngest member. And of course, the meal wouldn't be complete without a glass of delicious homemade wine.

From left to right: Kiril, me, Mimi and Kalin

On Christmas day we went over to Kiril's father's apartment for lunch. He had prepared a very hearty dish called kapama, which is made in a big clay pot and slow-cooked for at least 8 hours. Inside of the pot were layers of sauerkraut, pork, beef, chicken, two kinds of sausage, red wine, bay leaves and other seasonings. We ate this with another big pogacha, more cheese and a dried sausage called lukanka. I was the person to find the coin in the bread that time, so I should be very lucky this year. After two days of eating so much delicious food (and drinking spectacular homemade wine), I was exhausted! The rest of the week was rather a blur, and I'm happy to report that I've caught up on some very much-needed rest and relaxation. 

Photos I found online of the food- this is pogacha (bread)

And kapama, cooked in a clay pot

Happy V-Day

What's better than the fact that there is a holiday dedicated to wine in Bulgaria? The fact that there is a wine brand with my name on it! Seriously though, Trifon Zarezan is one of my favorite Bulgarian holidays. It's one of the last big winter celebrations and it also happens to coincide with Valentine's Day. February 14th is, thankfully, nowhere near as commercialized here as it is back home. But I have always enjoyed it in spite of the fact that you can't walk ten feet around Valentine's Day without being bombarded with little paper hearts, candy boxes and flowers. When I was a kid my Dad used to always give us Valentine's Day gifts and I fondly remember writing little Valentine notes to all my friends. This year was special because I got to spend the holiday with my Valentine. Dinner and a movie, chocolate and red roses were the perfect way to spend a cold night in February. 

I hope that everyone is keeping healthy and warm. This is the perfect weather to just stay indoors with a glass of wine and a good movie... Na Zdrave!

Carnival Season

Two weeks ago I went with some friends to the annual Surva Festival in Pernik, Bulgaria. This is an international carnival fair with lots of performers from different regions around the country as well as from places like Serbia, Italy, Lithuania and China. Everyone pretty much congregates on the main square, where they have a stage set up with a panel of judges and each group comes forth with a performance. This is usually a traditional ritual dance that includes a mock wedding, bear-baiting and even fire dancing. 

Here are a couple of half-dressed performers warming up. There were thousands of participants over the weekend, and some really amazing costumes. Kiril took much better photos of the festival than I did and you can check them out on his website. As you may know, I attended the same festival last year with some American Fulbrighter friends. In comparison, I think that this year was better organized and seemed to flow more smoothly than last year. But overall it was almost the same. However, I don't remember seeing so many international groups then so maybe they've expanded somewhat. 

I am a big fan of carnival season. I love watching "mummers," or whatever you want to call them, in all their beautiful costumes and the jovial atmosphere that can be such a welcome release from all the winter gloom. I  love watching the colorful parades and warming up with a hot drink (preferably mulled wine) and I especially love meeting people and learning more about the history of these customs from a local friend. I have been lucky enough to have had this experience in three different countries so far, and I hope to increase that number in the future! Here are some photos from other carnival celebrations I've seen around the world:

Mohacs, Hungary- February 2009. Busojoras are the people who dress up in scary animal costumes to drive away evil spirits. These "busos" also carry large wooden sticks, which they might hit you with for good luck. They also like sneaking up from behind pretty ladies and lifting them up in the air. Something about fertility? At the end of the day, everyone in the town gathers around a huge bonfire and dances in a circle! Of course, there was a lot of drinking involved. 

Me and my gorgeous friend Jolie all dressed up for Mardi Gras in February 2008. Born and raised in New Orleans, she invited me to come back with her and celebrate Mardi Gras with her family. I think that everyone associates New Orleans with Mardi Gras, so I don't need to go into an explanation here. But I would like to comment that if you do go, you've got to see some of the smaller parades and not just hang out in the French Quarter with the other tourists. I felt so lucky to have someone show me around and I felt like I really got a taste of the "real" Mardi Gras experience.  

One day we wandered into a neighborhood bar and caught a performance by a band of "Mardi Gras Indians," who make up a very unique tradition involving elaborate feathered costumes and their own mix of Native American call-and-response, chants and Afro-Caribbean music. The famous "Iko Iko" song is one of the often-covered hits performed by the Mardi Gras Indians. On this particular occasion I got to hear the song live, and it was one of the highlights of my trip. There about 38 tribes of Mardi Gras Indians, and their history stretches back before the American Civil War. Another interesting thing about the Indians is that in parades their most sought-after throw (that is, something they give to parade-goers) is a decorated coconut. 

So there you have it, my love of carnival season all in one not-so-little post. Now if only the "evil spirits" of winter would magically vanish and bring the warmer weather back... I'm freezing over here!

Winterish

Phew! I've been back in Sofia for two weeks and the time that's already passed seems like a blur. After the first week spent adjusting to the time difference and feeling pretty homesick, I started to get used to my normal life again. I met up with friends, had some nice chats with colleagues over coffee, and even went ice skating with two of my students. I've been ice skating twice this week, in fact, and I have to say that it is one of the only redeeming qualities about Sofia in the winter. While I love looking outside at a perfect white blanket of snow over everything, mostly I think crap, I don't want to go out in this! Outdoor ice skating, however, makes it just about bearable. It's a fun way to warm up in this weather, no matter how terrible a skater I am.

Another fun activity I enjoyed last weekend was horseback riding with my friend K. We drove out to a place on the other side of Mount Vitosha and spent a couple of hours with the horses, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. Everything was so much more beautiful with the snowy backdrop. The riding instructors were very knowledgeable and made sure we were comfortable riding before letting us go fast or do anything remotely dangerous. The riding center is called "Adgor" and you can find directions and more information here.

More than anything I think that time is passing by so quickly because I'm happy here. I feel lucky to have so many fantastic people around me and I'm trying to appreciate this experience as much as I can!

Decentralized Dance Party

Okay, so in my previous post I mentioned going to a flash-mob style dance party in Seattle. I'd like to elaborate, because I think the concept is pretty awesome. Basically, these guys from Canada came up with the idea to have a "decentralized" event where they provide the music on an Ipod which they use to broadcast to a specific radio frequency that can be transmitted to up to 300 music players at once. So the idea is to get enough people to show up (in costumes) to the event with boomboxes that there are moving speakers everywhere and the sound follows the people at the dance party. These parties have traveled all over the United States and I had the pleasure to attend the first one held in Seattle. I first found out about Decentralized Dance Party (DDP) through my very hip and tech-trendy friend L, through whom I have discovered much of my new favorite music throughout the years. The costume theme was "business casual," and a lot of people showed up, despite the misty weather typical for December nights. The music was mostly retro hits, with some Daft Punk and other electronic dance-pop mixed in. Apparently they're on a big tour, so keep an eye out and if you have the chance to go, it's a lot of (mostly) good, clean fun.

Back in Bulgaria... and post-holiday blues

My three weeks in Seattle ended up being a whirlwind of social activities, which is actually how most of my trips back home tend to go. I visited three other cities (Bellingham, Portland and Tacoma) to see family and friends, went to an awesome flash-mob style dance party, spent New Year's Eve with some of the best people I know, met one of my stepbrothers for the first time ever and spent lots of quality time with my (large) extended family. The 8th of January definitely sneaked up on me, and I was exhausted by the end of the trip just trying to fit everything in. I never manage to accomplish everything I want to in such a short period but I did cover most of my bases, catching up with old friends and visiting far-away relatives. Now that I'm back in Sofia it's sort of a bittersweet mixture of being excited about the new school term (and seeing my students) and getting together with friends here, but also feeling homesick and pretty sad that I won't get a chance to see my family again for a long time. And the weather outside doesn't help much. Yesterday I was feeling this way more than usual, probably because I stayed at home by myself most of the day. Meeting friends in the evening made a huge difference. So I'm still getting used to the time difference, going to bed earlier and picking up my routine again... Tough life, right? Here are some photos from home that are making me smile.

Happy First Day of Snow!

Well, almost the first day of snow. If you recall, it did snow for about an hour way back in October, but this afternoon it started snowing in earnest, enough to actually cover the ground, so I am declaring this the official first day of snow in Sofia.

Today brings back sometimes funny but mostly embarrassing memories from last year when I fell down on my butt not once, not twice, but three times in the snow. This year I feel more prepared: I've got my ugly snow boots for very cold days, nice sturdy knee-high leather boots and a new pair of "authentic Bulgarian leather" booties with a warm fuzzy lining. I also picked up a long winter coat from a charity second-hand shop (for five dollars!) and a puffy marshmallow coat with a fake fur collar. Although I can't say I really enjoy trudging slowly across wet pavements in winter for fear that I'll injure myself, I do like dressing up in winter clothes (hats, mittens, scarves, thick socks... I even bought a pair of leg-warmers!). I also like staying in bed with the radiator on, drinking lots and lots of tea and watching the snow fall outside my window.

Another reason to look forward to winter: I'm going back to Seattle for the holidays in about ten days. I am very, very excited to see my family and friends for a little while. After missing out last year, I am feeling a lot of nostalgia for the Christmases of my childhood. I'm even listening to Christmas music voluntarily! When I worked at Starbucks I used to start hating it after the first week or two of non-stop Christmas tunes. But today in my classes I did a lesson on holiday songs that ended in the whole class enthusiastically singing the chorus to "Jingle Bells." So I am definitely getting into the holiday spirit. I hope that you are, too! 

German Christmas Market!

Today was the official opening of the new German Christmas Market in Sofia. It's a traditional wooden-hut affair, with lots of stalls selling bratwurst, pretzels, goulash, mulled wine, punch and all kinds of sweets. There are also Christmas decorations and other souvenirs for sale, such as hand-carved wooden nutcrackers. I went with a few friends in the afternoon and we stayed, keeping ourselves warm with glasses of mulled wine, until our feet had frozen and it was time to go. A friend of ours who works for a German company was helping to organize the event, and they did a spectacular job. Every day from now until December 22 it will be open, and there will be live music, puppet shows for children, and even special appearances made by Santa Claus. I think the market looks great in the evening, too, with all of the Christmas lights decorating the place. It's located in the square across from Sofia University and, as you can see in the photo, it's right behind Alexander Nevsky Cathedral as well. If you're in Sofia, you should definitely check it out!

Headed into full-on winter weather... or maybe not.

The weather here has been confusing lately. People say that it's normal for this time of year, with the changing seasons, for the temperature to change suddenly. But I don't remember it being this extreme last year. In 2010, the first time I saw snow was earlier- in fact, it was the first weekend in October- but that was also in the Troyan mountain pass, which gets snow much more frequently than other places because of the high altitude. Obviously. But this year in Sofia we had snowfall while the leaves were still green on all the trees! It was a bit of a strange sight to wake up to early on a Sunday morning:

Really? Snow in October? What's even funnier is that today it warmed up to what felt like at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit by the afternoon. Unfortunately, I dressed for the weather based on the temperature outside when I left the house (it was a brisk 34 degrees still at 9AM). This resulted in some uncomfortable hotness under my winter jacket, thermal top and knit scarf. And yes, I've learned my lesson and I'm going to layer much more strategically in the future... because just when I think I've finally gotten the hang of dressing sensibly for the weather, it goes and changes by at least 15 or 20 degrees!

The weather, combined with the fact that I spend most of my working day talking (or yelling, as need be- I'm only half kidding), means that I also need to be very cautious to avoid getting sick. A few of my friends have been experiencing flu-like symptoms and I've had a lingering sore throat for most of this week. My secret weapon for battling the cold? Lots and lots of tea. And vodka. I think I'm feeling better already.

It's a "flu vacation"

The Ministry of Health declared an influenza epidemic here in Pleven, and in several other districts across the country. That means enough kids (over 30%) were out of school due to illness for them to advise a week-long closure. It would seem that our too-short winter vacation finally caught up with us. Thankfully I am not sick, and I am taking advantage of the time off to visit friends. At first, I couldn't believe that schools could be closed because of the flu. When I was growing up we missed school for snow days but nothing like this. I have to say that it is pretty awesome that we get another week off (Go, Bulgaria!).

In other news, it's been snowing here again and it is lovely. I am going to go out and enjoy this extra holiday, as long as the temperature doesn't drop any lower!

Зима в България

Here are some recent photos, taken at the Fulbright Thanksgiving party in Sofia (which turned out amazing!), train rides, the commemoration of a famous battle that took place in Pleven and a trip to another town in the Rila mountains. This weekend is the 'official' Fulbright Christmas party and an end-of-year conference where we will share information about our grant projects.

Thanksgiving dinner! (photo taken by my friend Dena F.)

River canyon- view from the train from Pleven to Sofia

Commemoration of the Siege of Plevna

First winter snowfall in Bulgaria

Trip to Koprivshtitsa

Koprivshtitsa is about an hour and a half drive from Sofia. I went there with a group of Fulbrighters and staff about two weeks ago. It's a really cute little town and is important for Bulgarians because it was one of the locations of the 1876 April Uprising against Ottoman rule which resulted in the massacre of many civilians. So it has a special place in history for remembering that tumultuous time period, the National Revival Period. 

 A lot of the houses there were built in the 19th century and are still decorated in the same style as they were over 100 years ago. Different colors were used to paint the exteriors of homes to signify the profession of the owner. There are bright orange, blue, red, yellow and brown houses all over the older part of town. Many of them are now museums dedicated to the people who once lived in them. Poets, revolutionaries and influential businessmen were some of the figures our tour guide talked about. It was a lot of information. The exhibits in a few of the museum houses were really interesting and had traditional costumes, crafts and tools on display.

It's getting a lot colder here now. We had a real Indian summer, longer than usual I've heard. Now the weather's changing a lot. Yesterday in Pleven there was a thunderstorm in the middle of the afternoon. But mostly it just gets foggy at night and stays pretty chilly all day. The winters here are notoriously harsh, even for Bulgaria (and especially considering  the fact that we're not in the mountains). A lot of people have told me that this year is supposed to be particularly cold so I'll get to experience winter for the first time! It doesn't really get cold enough to snow most of the time in Seattle. Which is ironic because they're having record low temperatures for November and lots of snow right now. I can't remember a white Thanksgiving ever in my life. In celebration of the holiday this weekend I'm going to an ex-pat party in Sofia with some other Americans there. We're going to have a turkey, cranberry sauce and everything so it should be almost like home.