Colombia: “El Riesgo es que te Quieres Quedar”

Colombia: "The Only Risk is Wanting to Stay"

The amount of times I have been called a “Gringa” (an American visiting/living in Latin America) is downright funny – they love this term here, which dates back to the Mexican-American war when Mexicans would shout “Green-Go-Home” to the Americans dressed in green uniforms. Therefore the description “Green-go” was given to foreigners coming into Latin American territory (this I believe is an urban legend, although my Mexican colleague swears by it). I am the only Gringita of my group as I am now stationed with Adela from Czech Republic and Karla from Mexico.

Anyways, the reason it has taken me so long to post an update about my new life is because things are SO different and I have been adjusting every second of every day during the past two weeks. I therefore want to depict everything about this wonderful country to the best of my ability; I want to paint the perfect Colombian portrait splashed with exciting details of the country’s colorful culture, food, people, and language.

My first few hours in Bogota were packed with new sensations. The second I got off my 11-hour plane ride from Madrid I could feel the elevation. Bogota is the fourth highest city in the whole world, and as I was standing in the customs line I found it hard to catch my breath. The open-air Bogota airport blew in warm, tropic-like air – such an amazing change from the harsh Eastern European winter I had been experiencing for the past four months. Pedro was waiting for me to take me to my hotel, and it was so great/crazy to see my old partner from Croatia! I definitely never thought I would be meeting him at the Bogota airport and to eventually work with him again!

Bogota is SO much greener/nicer/more developed than my old home in Sofia, Bulgaria. The entire city is surrounded by large, jungle-engulfed mountains, and the streets are lined with flowers, tropical trees, and grassy medians. (Side note: Colombia is the second-largest exporter of flowers to the U.S.) The streets do get PACKED, however, and many days include up to two hours of sitting in traffic coming from and going to meetings. Cars don’t care about red lights, and there are hundreds of small, dirty, colorful buses that stop for you when you put your hand out, just like a cab.

The first weekend in Bogota was so amazing that I didn’t feel any culture shock at all. I dropped my trillion-kilogram suitcases off at the hotel, and Pedro, Adam, and I immediately went out for drinks at “Zona T” – a T-shaped street full of open-air bars and restaurants pumping Salsa, Rock, and Reggaton. After a couple lulo martinis (lulo is one of the weird/delicious fruits common in Colombia), Pedro and I headed to a rooftop club and ordered a bottle of aguardiente – the liquor of Colombia that tastes of licorice and is chased with water. I found it hard to dance what with the altitude, and had been awake for 26 hours, but it was still the best welcoming night I could have asked for!

The rest of the weekend consisted of sightseeing with Pedro and Adam; we went to the top of Monserat at night, which is a gondola ride to the top of the highest point overlooking Bogota. The city looked huge (around 7.5 million inhabitants) and beautiful, and was another perfect activity for my first weekend there! The next day we walked around La Candelaria, the historical district, and snapped pictures of the Archbishopric Cathedral of Bogota, Simon Bolivar Plaza, and other Spanish-influenced architecture. The street food is also fun to try; carts of hundreds of fruits, fried banana chips, juices, smoothies, empanadas (fried dough balls filled with meat), and arepas (delicious, thick corn tortillas with cheese) are just a few examples. The weather was wonderful, and almost every day of the year the temperature ranges from 65-70 degrees as there are no seasons in Colombia. I even got a little sun burnt (easy to do as you are closer to the sun with the high altitude!)

The cuisine and drinks here are fun and different; there are so many entrees, desserts, fruits, and drinks to try. The girls introduced me to their favorite beverage: micheladas – which include Aguila light (one of the national beers), lime juice, and Tabasco sauce in a salt-rimmed glass. “Tinto” refers to the rich Colombian coffee served in all cafes (Juan Valdez is the national, brilliant brand here). “Aromatica” is a hot and delicious fruit drink that is extremely healthy and resembles a fresh cup of fruit tea coming in any flavor. The fruits here are amazing and probably one of my favorite things about Colombia! Every morning at breakfast there are at least three new fruits and/or juices out, and every street corner holds a stand filled to the brim with odd-shaped and colored fruits. I have tried many kinds but honestly cannot even name some of them! One of my favorites is Granadilla, or “mocos de bruja” (witch’s boogers!! Jaja).

I honestly think that one of the main reasons why I am so engrossed in this culture is because of the stark disparity between it and the Eastern Europe mentality. Coming from a cold and closed culture to a warm and affable would lift anyone’s spirits. The “gente” here are some of the nicest I have ever been around; the customer service is compiled of smiling, enthusiastic Colombians eager to make you happy in any way possible. In scheduling business meetings on the phone and in conducting interviews with various companies I have noticed just how forthcoming the Colombians are. Frequent phrases such as “A la orden”, “Con mucho gusto”, “MuchISIMAS gracias”, “Que tenga buen dia, senorita Kenny” are the norm, and everyone claims them with huge smiles on their faces. Alternatively, I have realized just how little Spanish I know! There is SO much more for me to learn, but I am absorbing tons of words and phrases every day. I am attempting to tackle the common greetings, departures, slang, and business vocabulary, and work 24/7 with my colleagues to become more fluid and confident. In just two weeks however I have learned more than I thought possible, and can now make appointments in Spanish and do part of the interviews during meetings as well. I have been putting my heart and soul into learning the language; I have been downloading Spanish music, watching Spanish TV, ordering in Spanish, and reading Adela’s “Spanish for Gringos” book whenever I have free time.

After a transition week in work (which is definitely challenging to say the least), Adela, Karla, and I took a road trip about four hours outside of Bogota to the small pastoral village of Villa de Leyva. A quaint, historic town, Villa de Leyva boasts a landscape of rich green mountains surrounding a cobble-stoned, white-walled Villa. Packed with traditional cafes, restaurants, shops, and churches, Villa de Leyva is a favorite for tourists and leaves one feeling as if they are transported back into the time of colonial Latin America. The actual drive to and from the town was picturesque and eye-opening. Armed forces with huge machine guns lined much of the roads, and our driver would wave at each and every one, giving them the thumbs up. Colombians LOVE their army because they are doing an amazing job with the increased security throughout the main regions of Colombia. Pedro and my friend Juan here would also do the same within Bogota, and the guards are always smiling and telling us good day – a pretty comforting aspect of the country. While I do love the new safety measures that President Uribe and now President Santos is enacting, going to meetings in office buildings requires us to leave around 20 minutes earlier than normal as finger prints, pictures, and registration is required in every business building.

Entonces, I think I have written enough to feel satisfied in explaining the beginning of my time in this new hemisphere. Honestly, I have so much more to share, but that will be for another day. Now I am off to Peru to help Pedro with the project there, and I feel so fortunate to be visiting different countries in the continent I have wanted to always visit the most over all others.

The slogan of my title comes from the tourism campaign below – gives me the chills every time!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxHQO1kXFng&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Czeching out of Europe

Lot’s to do. Lot’s to tell. Lot’s to be sad/ excited/ nervous/ happy/ reminiscent/ anxious about. I’ll start by attempting to replicate my amazing past weekend in Prague, Czech Republic! One of my best friends, Phil Kiselick, is studying there at Charles University for four months, and I have wanted to go to Prague since I started working in Europe; a straight-shot flight from Sofia to Prague was therefore the perfect opportunity to Czech out the desirable destination that many travelers are now putting on the top of their list. Prague is “the new Amsterdam”, the “gem of Central Europe”, where young and eager students can explore an unfamiliar post-communist country, take in the breath-taking sites that cover literally every square inch of the city, and party until dawn at beer halls and five-story clubs. In the two short days that I was in Prague, Phil and I managed to see and do it all! Friday and Saturday nights consisted of dinners with new friends, Pilsner beers at various bars throughout old town, clubbing and dancing the night away, trying infamous absinthe shots, czeching out “street meat” (my favorite of which was a fried cheese sandwich called Smazny), and having a ridiculous time that made me really miss my party-oriented study abroad days! Saturday was utterly beautiful – clear blue skies and relatively warm temperatures allowed us to explore the enchanting city for hours. We walked through Old Town, and looking up and around me sometimes gave me chills as pretty much every building had an exquisite exterior detail. Walking on Charles bridge and listening to street performers work their magic left me smiling ear to ear. We made our way to the side of Prague castle, stopping to Let it Be at the Lennon Wall, a graffiti-enveloped partition that is covered in Beatle’s lyrics and drawings. Snapping pictures the whole way, Phil and I trudged up to Prague Castle and went inside the St. Vitus cathedral, admiring the gothic décor that eerily resonates throughout the entire city. A Pilsner at a café overlooking all of Prague was the perfect way to reward ourselves for all the walking we had done! To finish off the sight-seeing day we climbed the astronomical clock in Old Town city center that provided (if possible) an even more stunning view of the city! Everything I was able to see and do in Prague left me so incredibly happy to have the opportunity to visit Phil, who shares my zeal for the unfamiliar. Needless to say, Prague lived up to its standards as (what I can imagine) is one of the most majestic places on the planet!

View of Prague Castle from Charles Bridge

Old Town Square from the Astronomical Clock

Phil and I at the Lennon Wall

A short couple of days in Sofia following my weekend trip led up to big news for the Bulgaria team. Wednesday we got word that I would be traveling to Moldova again for some meetings, and Abbie would be moving on to another project in Kosovo the next day. The news was unexpected and shocking, and we had no time to even process it. I hugged Abs goodbye thinking I would see her in a few days, when in reality we have realized it might be a little longer than that…

I spent the entire day Wednesday traveling (Chisinau, Moldova is extremely difficult to get to!) but was lucky enough to have landed first class again! I spent seven hours in the business lounge of the Bucharest, Romania airport; let me tell you, the free snacks, coffee, alcohol, desserts made the wait actually quite delightful. That evening, I had the shocking/amazing call from my coach, who explained that I would be moving to COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA the following week! I will be joining the pre-existing project with Karla, a colleague whom I really love. Adam explained I will be finishing the project there and then possibly moving on to Peru, where my ex-partner Pedro is currently opening another project. The emotions I felt and still feel are indescribable; not until now do I realize just how much I have wanted to get to South America. I cannot stop smiling, dancing, thinking of how to say certain things in Spanish, and imagining my new life in a completely new world.

With this ecstatic joy also comes sadness, at the realization of leaving Europe and all of the friends and memories I have made here. It has been my home for the past nine months and I haven’t had time to truly understand I am leaving the European culture and lifestyle in a matter of days.

I am currently in a café in Chisinau, Moldova, and the past four days in this city have been so eventful that I am taking this Sunday to rest, write, practice some espanol, and prep for my last few meetings in Bulgaria. There are five of us here, so we have had a good time at the meetings, eating Moldavian fare, and going out together. Yesterday we took advantage of the cheap luxury that Eastern Europe has to offer and had a spa day – I got a quite interesting one-hour full body massage for 15 euro (I didn’t expect amazingness but come on, did the masseuse really have to answer her phone during my foot massage?!) We are staying at a hotel named the “Maxim Pasha”, the only five-star hotel in Moldova, and it is also quite interesting. They put me in a room the first night complete with a red-sequined bread spread, an enormous chandelier, complimentary champagne…only to knock on my door five minutes later apologizing that they had accidentally put me in the “sexual room” and that I needed to move. At breakfast Michael and I ordered muesli (granola), and the waiter brought us noodles in a milky cheese sauce - gross! I also had to go to the eye doctor here, which was a whole other adventure; the doctor prescribed me about seven medicines that I didn’t need, which I luckily figured out before making it to the pharmacy. Moral of the anecdotes: Moldova is a small, bizarre little country, but amusing nonetheless, and I will always remember my time here!

Tomorrow I fly out for Bulgaria for my final couple of days with Slavy, and then leave early Wednesday morning for Belgium. I will probably spend one or two days in the office, get vaccinated and organized for COLOMBIA, then fly over to the part of the world I am meant to take on next! Ciao Europa, Hola Sudamérica!

I “Moldove” into another country last week…

Country: Moldova

Capital: Chisinau

Language: Romanian and Russian

Location: Landlocked between Ukraine and Romania

Currency: Moldovan leu

Last Wednesday, one of the coaches visiting us in Bulgaria, Josee, sprung the news that I would be traveling to Moldova that following day to help the team there with some high-potential meetings. Outsiders think of the country as “the least-developed in Europe” and “the drunkest per capita”; one friend maturely noted, “I hear they have the most prostitutes in the former Soviet Union”. Regardless of all these charming preconceptions, I was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to travel more for work. I also loved the fact that the company had actually seen potential in my ability to contribute to a completely new project, and that they had faith in me to do well. The situation only grew more peachy when I realized my ticket on the second leg of my trip from Istanbul to Chisinau was first class on Turkish Airlines! I felt more in heaven than in a plane that high up – endless service, Turkish wine and mezze, cheese platters, hot wet towels, and leg space. I felt like I didn’t belong, and found myself worried about my etiquette – on an airplane!

Marielle, a Belgian colleague who is wonderfully energetic, picked me up from the airport and gave me the low-down on the joys of sharing an apartment with two boys (it is her, my good friend Michael, and a new colleague, Fabian, all sharing a 2-bedroom apartment). Michael had salmon ready for us at home, and we spent the evening prepping for the meetings ahead!

Work ended up going very well, and we had a good sale on Friday, my final meeting in Moldova. Literally no one speaks English in Moldova – even worse than here in Bulgaria! All the meetings were translated from either Romanian or Russian. I could always tell if they were speaking Romanian because it is a lot like Italian, which is a lot like Spanish! It was neat to be able to single out a few words here and there. The meetings also proved that the country is the drunkest per capita as a few CEO’s brought out the Moldovan cognac (one even opened a bottle for us that was 20 years old, and our translator said it was the nicest he has ever tasted). Can you just picture us all – me, Michael, Fabian, Marielle, our translator, the marketing director, the CEO’s son, and the CEO - standing, toasting one another (translating those toasts), eating boxed chocolates, laughing (translating why we were laughing)…all the while trying to close a deal (translating me trying to close a deal)? Business is business, but in Moldova it’s just a little more entertaining…

The city of Chisinau replicates the environment of what I imagine most Russian cities to be like. All the women are walking around in large fur coats and hats as snow jails any opportunity for them to otherwise look fashionable. The streets are simple and the buildings, although just as ragged, are smaller than those in Sofia. Unfortunately most of my time was spent in meetings during the day so there was not much sight-seeing to be done, but I did have the opportunity to try some local fare as well – on Friday night we went to a traditional Moldavian restaurant where I tried Chisinau beer, a red soup appetizer called Borsh, and stewed pork.

Although my time in the little country was short, I gained more insight into what Michael kept referring to as “the real Eastern Europe”, as if I haven’t truly experienced it in my 7 months in Croatia and Bulgaria. Maybe he’s right, but that is certainly up for debate…

The textbook ingredients for an unforgettable weekend in Istanbul

Slavy, Abbie, and I took a short flight to Istanbul, Turkey last weekend for a couple days in the fifth-most populated city in the world (currently there are about 11 million people living there). It was my first time in Asia (Istanbul is separated by the Bosphorus River, where one side is Asian and one is European). Below are lists of everything we managed to see, do, and eat in less than 2 days…

To see:

The Hagia Sofia

-Since 360 A.D. this current mosque and museum served as the cathedral of Constantinople (Constantinople was the former name of Istanbul). Walking towards this structure literally gave me the chills; there are not words to describe how magnificent it is. We went inside the museum and learned all about its transition from the Constantinople cathedral to a Roman Catholic Cathedral to a mosque to a museum.

The Blue Mosque

-Situated directly across from the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque is just as, if not more, outstanding. It is still a practicing mosque, and we were not permitted to go inside as it was prayer time for the Muslims who worship there.

Topkapi Palace

-A residence for Ottoman sultans for over 400 years, this palace is situated on the outskirts of a beautiful park on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Grand Bazaar

-Chaos reigns in this never-ending enclosed market, where shameless store-owners yell everything from “Let me help you spend your money today” to “Charlie’s Angels, will you dance with me?!” We critiqued their sales tactics, and thought about how we could incorporate them into our own sales meetings? The endless shelves of jewelry, souvenirs, pottery, antiques, scarves, spices, and paintings kept us busy for most of Saturday afternoon!

Taksim square

-This is where our hostel was located, on the European side of Istanbul. Much like Trafalgar Square in London or Times Square in NYC, this central square was always happening. When we got into Istanbul on Friday night, we walked around until 3am and it was still impossible to walk freely as the streets were PACKED with people the whole time. At any one time, the streets surrounding this square inhabit 5 million people!

Bosphorus River

-After a long day of sightseeing on Saturday, we sat at the Tea Garden on the edge of the river that runs through Istanbul. We were on the Asian side, so marveled at how amazing it was to look across to an entirely different continent. Again, the chills were back…

The Blue Mosque

To do:

Stay in a typical backpackers hostel

-The owners of this hostel were extremely nice, despite us not being able to understand one thing they said and vice versa. We noticed that Turkey is not a place where knowing English is the norm.

Ignore the men calling at you every 5 seconds

-Because there are always people filling the streets of Istanbul, and always men attempting to lure others into their shops, and hardly any women seen outside, us three women foreigners were quite the target for obscene cat-calls and uncomfortable comments. You learn to ignore them, but not once did we leave each other’s sides. It only truly became an issue when even a police car came up to us and started pestering us!

Admire the ridiculous and random displays

-The streets of Istanbul just have some weird stuff. I was constantly attentive to everything I saw around me because it was so different. We noticed a huge electronic tree in the middle of Taksim Square and asked someone why they still had a Christmas tree up. He answered, like it was the most stupid question in the world, “That’s not a Christmas tree, that’s an advertising tree!” Um, ok.

Listen to the call of prayer

-As in all Muslim countries, the call of prayer is heard throughout the day. It was amazing to hear on the Asian side coming from Europe and vice versa.

Play checkers over sheesha in one of the numerous street cafes

-Because drinking is atypical for Muslims, many pass the time smoking sheesha aka a water pipe (we call it hookah in the states). In all of the sheesha cafes there are backgammon and checkers boards, and many older men pass their days smoking their own sheesha and trying to beat out their opponents in a game of checkers. Sunday morning was rainy, so we parked in an indoor café and did this ourselves for a few hours!

Bargain for Turkish keepsakes in the Bazaar

-I loved bargaining with the seemingly sly salesmen in the Turkish bazaar. I managed to negotiate a Turkish coffee set and some Allah-inspired jewelry for quite a good price, if I do say so myself…

Dance to live Turkish music with the locals

-Saturday night was lively, to say the least. We checked out some local dance bars and clubs, and found ourselves in a bar with live Turkish music, which is surprisingly fun to dance to

Buy shots of tequila from nightlife street vendors

-Again, the nightlife is crazy for the simple reason that millions of people stay awake on the streets for all hours of the night. This means thousands of open-air bars and liquor stands where partiers bounce to and from.

The Grand Bazaar

To drink/eat:

Sahlep

-A delicious warm milk-and-cinnamon drink typically taken over a sheesha or to warm up with

Dirty Rice

-One of the bizarre street foods we tried Friday night – this rice comes from a popcorn-like stand, flavored by whole chicken breasts sitting in the rice. Sounds disgusting, and it kinda was…they also had this rice inside large mussels, but we opted we had had enough rice for the weekend

Turkish tea

-Self-explanatory!

Fresh-squeezed juices

-Numerous stands of fresh fruit just waiting to be squeezed into delicious juices. We tried pomegranate, kiwi, carrot, strawberry, grapefruit..

Krompir

-A very typical snack for the Turks, a krompir is a loaded jacket potato with corn, beans, peas, cabbage, sour cream, carrots, and tons of other toppings. We enjoyed one at the Tea Garden overlooking the Bosphorus river.

Donor Kebab

-The lamb kebab was invented in Turkey and has made its way to cheap vendors world-wide. Of course we had to get one (or two) and they were just as delicious as always.

Turkish delight

-The typical candy of the region, Turkish delight is like a large jelly bean in various flavors – everything from pistachio to rose!

Turkish coffee

-As thick as coffee can possibly get, Turkish coffee is strong and grainy, but pretty delicious, especially for caffeine-lovers

Pita bread/mixed grill platter

-On Saturday night we went to a traditional Turkish restaurant where you sit on the floor (no shoes allowed!) and eat with your hands. We ordered a mixed grill platter that came with tons of meats and sauces and breads and had a ball mixing and trying it all together.

Street-vendor chestnuts

-Especially in the winter warm chestnuts cracked open over fire are devoured by locals all over the Balkan region. We grabbed some as we walked along the main pavilion in the city center!

Traditional Turkish Restaurant

…So concludes my long grocery list that cooked up a spicy weekend in the extraordinary ISTANBUL!

From One American Hug to Three Belgian Kisses

After an indescribably wonderful trip to AMERICA, I made it safe and sound to the Media Plus offices in Lommel, Belgium, just outside of Brussels. I was greeted by my enthusiastic colleagues (all of whom I must do the whole three-kiss-on-the-cheek thing, so it takes about an hour to say ‘hello’ to everyone). Coming back into Belgium I realized just how much character the little country really has. Even though 95% of the time it is overcast and/or raining and/or snowing, it has a cuteness about it, especially in the small villages where I stay while I am in the office. On every corner there is a snack shop or “frituur” serving all sorts of unidentifiable fried meats and delicious pomme frits smothered in repulsive mayonnaise (mine on the side, danku!). I am surrounded by the Flemish language (a slightly varied version of Dutch), not to mention the Italian, French, Spanish, and Hungarian of my colleagues. I also realized I actually really do miss the uniqueness of everyone I work with – they are all so different. Sitting at the lunch table (where I munch on a weird Belgian sandwich that never fails to have egg and mayo, no matter what you order), I look around and am confused how a Ukrainian, Bulgarian, British, Togolese, Hungarian, Canadian, and American can have such normal, everyday conversations about common life habits and routines. I got into the groove of being 6 hours ahead but one hour behind the country I was calling (Bulgaria) and also adjusted to the different phone systems, road signs, and food labels.

My week in the office was therefore a somewhat rough transition back into reality, and I was confused as to how a place so different could eventually once again become so familiar that I actually considered it reality (if that makes sense?) One extreme high and then extreme low occurred when the thousands of copies of the Croatia report arrived to the office. It looks amazing and perfect and I felt so proud – until I turned to the front cover, where under the title “Business Analyst” reads a “Kristin Kemy”. That is all I am going to say about that.

After a long night of clubbing in Belgium on Friday, Abbie, Slavy, and I woke up an hour later for our flight to good old Bulgaria. (As Slavy joked the whole way, “party in Belgium, hangover in Bulgaria!”) Our first stop after checking into our hotel was to our favorite traditional Bulgarian restaurant, and I surprisingly felt somewhat at home once again (or maybe it was just me trying not to think about how much I still missed everyone at my real home).

I knew I was really back in Bulgaria after our taxi ride home from dinner tonight. Slavy was not with Abbie and I, and of course the drivers always try to take advantage of us English-speakers. A crazy-haired lady who looked identical to Cruella Devil yelled at me that I didn’t pay her enough after telling me three different prices that she made up in her head. I have learned numbers 1-10 in Bulgarian so I can catch these little swindling tricksters. HA. Back to a life that is never easy, but always, always interesting.

Република България

If you understand the title of this post, shake your head “yes”. If you don’t, nod your head “no”. Or you can just go ask a Bulgarian local, who will pretend they know what you’re talking about and answer you completely wrong in an oh-so-convincing way.

Confusing? Welcome to my new world here in Sofia, Bulgaria!

No English, horse-drawn carriages racing stinky cabs on uneven roads, street signs in Cyrillic, everyone (literally, even in business meetings) chain-smoking, no clean drinking water, graffiti-ed shambles as business buildings…all so paradoxical from the plush hotel where I currently reside.

Abbie and I have joined Slavy (my Bulgarian friend from training) and Ashey (a senior consultant who has worked for the company for awhile) to wrap up the Bulgaria project, which has been going pretty poorly for the past five months. While Bulgaria is in the same general region as Croatia so there are certainly many similarities, Bulgaria is truly unique in its culture and business environment. Companies rarely answer their phones, and it is impossible to find meeting addresses. However, we managed to double the turnover of the project (that has lasted for five months) in one day this week, so we definitely came in with a bang! Abbie, Ashley, and I sold a Greek bank that wanted to improve its stereotype as a weak Greek business to foreign investors. Cha-ching! Abbie made consultant on the deal as well; I’m like a proud little mum. We celebrated with champagne and a stellar dinner out!

Alexander Nevski Cathedral in Sofia

Bulgaria does have many positives. For one thing, it is undoubtedly the cheapest country I have ever been to. The Bulgarian lev is 2-1 to the Euro, so all prices are cut in half. For example, a latte at Starbucks is 1.50, not 3 euro like usual, and taxis are ridiculous (I’m talking 15-minute drive for 2 euro). The hotel we are staying in is wonderful as well – free mini bar, stereo system in my huge bathroom, huge windows overlooking Sofia, living area, gym, hot tub access (where the girls and I have taken our mini bar items to many nights…) Also, having a Bulgarian friend here as our “PR” has made our job so much easier – she schedules meetings, networking events, etc. for us, and also speaks Bulgarian to the majority of the population who don’t understand English. Furthermore, socially the people here are pretty open. Abbie and I were in a coffee shop during our first day getting some work done one afternoon, and FIVE different people came up to us to give us their numbers after hearing us speaking English. They were Bulgarians, Americans, English…all living in Sofia offering to show us around if we wanted them to.

Ashley (also a native Virginian) and I were able to show Abbie and Slavy a true Thanksgiving meal after meeting up with the PR liaison of the American Embassy here in Bulgaria. He took us to a local restaurant where he knows the owner, who cooked up 4 turkeys, mashed potatoes, cooked veggies, stuffing, gravy…even pumpkin pie! It was wonderful and I was so fortunate to celebrate an amazing American holiday with my new international friends.

Happy Thanksgiving from Eastern Europe!

The Bulgaria team had one free “excursion” left from the car rental company they had been using before us, so we took a trip to Rila Monastery, about two hours outside of Sofia. Rila Monastery was built in the 10th century, and is named after the famous Bulgarian saint and hermit Ivan of Rila, who lived in a cave with no material possessions while the monastery was being built by his students who would visit the sacred man. The monastery is located in the Rila mountains as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the famous Rafail’s Cross is also housed. Made out of a single piece of wood, it was created by a monk named Rafail, and took 12 years to make – once it was completed, Rafail completely lost his sight. It and the monastery were amazing to see – we also checked out the sister convent and tried traditional Bulgarian fare inside the small village of Rila

Running around in the rain at Rila Monastery

I feel as if I could go on and on about the differences of my new home here in this post-Communist country, but this will be all for now. Perhaps it will be better to tell everyone in person in 3 short weeks when I will be back in my real home! Ciao Ciao for now!

P.S. The title of this post says “Republic of Bulgaria”, just in case you can’t read Cyrillic.

A Little Slice of Italy

Last weekend, to celebrate our final few days on the Adriatic Sea, Abbie and I trekked to Trieste, Italy for a taste of Italian culture and cuisine. There is just something so inimitable about the country; you can feel the fervor of the Italians immediately after crossing the border.

Trieste Canal

Trieste is a large port town that blends Slovenian and Italian customs, as it is about a five-minute drive from the Slovenian border. The entire city is located on a steep slope overlooking the sea, and the roads feel like they are as wide as our tiny rental sedan. Abbie and I held on for dear life swerving through the narrow, windy, STEEP paths that led to and throughout the city. After parking at the port, we bee-lined straight for a pizzeria and enjoyed some Italian vino and a calzone. We had contacted a couple locals through couchsurfing.com (which is utterly amazing) and had planned to meet up with one of them that day so that they could show us around. We perched at an outdoor bar and enjoyed aperol and aperitivo (a pre-dinner drink and appetizer-like snacks provided with every drink, much like Spanish tapas) as we waited for our new friend. Federico (or “Feddy” as everyone called him) showed up with a mental itinerary, and his genuine character served as the perfect welcoming. A native-born Triestian, Feddy knew tons of facts about the various sites he led us to: an ancient Roman theater and ruins, the Trieste castle and fortress, the annual chocolate fair where he treated us to Italian hot chocolate (I got a mix of white and dark, which is solely melted chocolate aka extremely rich and delicious). Next, Feddy began explaining the ritual of an “Opazzi”, which is a Slovenian-Italian tradition that occurs for about a month of every year in Trieste. Local Italian families living in the outskirts of the town open up their homes for others to come and try their homemade wine, cheese, and other aperitivo. However, you can only find these homes through secret “holly-and-arrow messages” scattered throughout the boroughs (see picture below). Feddy invited us and some of his friends to the Opazzi near his home, where we enjoyed the family’s wine, cheese, bread, and prosciutto. Feddy and his friends were some of the nicest people I have ever met, completely enthused in everything Abbie and I had to say, despite their difficulties in understanding our rapid and slangy English. They apologized immensely for not being able to come out with us that night as they had a birthday party, but directed us to the most fun bars and discotheques. A night out in Italy proved amusing to say the least, and the outdoor culture left us refreshed after a long evening of drinks and more aperitivo on the streets of Trieste.

One of the hidden arrow messages leading to an Opazzi

The next day we toured another fortress situated directly on the coast, and headed to a local Italian restaurant for some pasta! Seafood is the obvious specialty of the coastal town, and a heaping plate of spaghetti and shellfish gave us the satisfaction of trying authentic Trieste fare. After, we met up with yet another couchsurfing friend. (side note: couchsurfing.com is an international networking website that allows you to contact people from all over the world who are willing to show you around the city they are living in or are willing to provide lodging for free! It has seriously restored my faith in humanity, as everyone we have met through it has been unnecessarily gracious in showing us around, taking us to the best and most “hidden” places, even buying us gelato!!) Anyways, Pablo is from Argentina and is a student in Trieste, so we chatted with him during a walk along the coast for a few hours. We said our goodbyes as we needed to head back to Zagreb, but he is in Brussels this weekend so he is going out with us and our colleague tonight! I love how paradoxically big and small this world really is...

Abbie, Pablo, and I at Piazza Unita