Bulgaria

We arrived in Bulgaria the morning before we were expected to arrive. I was having lunch in the main dinning room and I was talking to one of my friends and almost in mid-conversation he looked over and said so we are really in Bulgaria, huh? I looked over to the window and there was Bulgaria. It was crazy because the day before we had been in Turkey. So all day anytime we looked out the window there was Bulgaria. The next morning we were cleared to get off the ship which was very exciting. We had to take tenders between the ship and the port because we were not suppose to be docked at the port until that night. We got on the life boat and went to shore. It was a rocky ride but we were glad that we only had to take the tender once and then we would be able to walk on and off the ship for the rest of our time there. That afternoon I went on the Wonders of Bulgaria trip. We went to a monastery, Golden Sands, and the Petrified Forest. The Golden Sands was a huge beach resort complex and the Petrified Forest was rock like pillars that had been under water for thousands of years but are no longer. After the Wonders of Bulgaria we went back to the port and I had 30 minutes before I had to meet for an fdp for one of my classes. I had planned to run on the ship change clothes, grab dinner and then meet my trip. When we got to the port and the ship was still in the middle of the ocean and hadn’t come along side. I was so hungry and tired and by the time the ship finally came along side there was a huge line to get back on and it was time to meet my trip. I was debating if I wanted to go but I saw Dia and she challenged me to push myself and to go on the trip. I saw some friends from my class and decided to go. We went to a medical university in Varna to meet and talk to the students that attend the university. We got there and they had made a welcome banner for us and decorated the courtyard area and wrote a letter to all the neighbors that lived around the university and asked them to excuse the loud music for that night because they had very special American guests. We had a tour of the university and then had snacks and drinks. We hung out in the courtyard and got to talk to students and listen to music. Later they taught us traditional Bulgarian line dances that were so much fun. I was so glad that I went and they were so hospitable towards us.

The next day I met up with everyone and we went out in to Varna to see what we could do. We went to the aquarium that was close to the ship. It was the saddest aquarium that I have ever seen, it was tiny and had a strange set up that reminded me of old science cabinets from high school. We took a kiddy train to the dolphinarium and got to watch the dolphin show. The show was fun and we heard the lady speak in four different languages and picked up parts in English. After we went to Happy’s which was a restaurant that was popular in Varna. We had a great lunch and then walked back to the ship. I went out later and found a post office and got to experience some more miscommunication but was able to get stamps.

The third day in Bulgaria I went to a Bulgarian village. It was overcast and raining outside but it cleared up by the time we got to the village and it was much cooler outside and we were very happy about that. Several of my friends went on the trip which was a great surprise because before that morning I didn’t know anyone going on the trip. One of my sisters from my family on the ship was on the trip and it was great to hang out with her. It was sad because one of the women who was suppose to host us that day and had been preparing for us to come past away the night before. We got to the village and the mayor was there to greet us. She and our tour guide showed us round town and we got to see the church, where town meetings are held mayor’s office, clinic, and then go to the mayor’s house for lunch. We all walked down to the mayor’s house and were greeted by women from the village in traditional Bulgarian attire. We participated in the traditional welcome ceremony and took a piece of bread and dipped it in the spices and had a sip of homemade wine. They served us the traditional 14 dishes and there was so much food and it was so good. After lunch we walked around and got to look at the gardens and see where they do fire dancing. We had homegrown watermelon that was great and then got to see the traditional Bulgarian wedding attire. We had two SASers but on the traditional clothes and then there was music and more dancing. This trip was one of my, if not the highlight from Bulgaria. They treated us with such hospitality and it was wonderful to see what true Bulgarian life is like.

The last day I went on the McDonald’s trip in hopes to have it count for one of my classes when I get home. We learned about marketing strategies in the country and got to learn more about Bulgarian life. They don’t serve a breakfast menu there but they made breakfast sandwiches just for us. It was a bun turned upside down and had ham and cheese. After the trip Emma and I decided to walk around and look around and do some shopping. We walked around and talked to a few shop owners and they asked us to have good thoughts about Bulgaria. Not a lot of Americans visit Bulgaria and it seemed like a big deal for us to be there. I don’t think that Bulgaria is a country travelled by many Americans so when we walked pasted places or talked to people they asked us if we were from places in Europe. We finally found postcards which was more challenging than we thought it was going to be. We walked back to the ship and walked back through neighborhoods and got to see where people live and work and shop. After taking a break I went to get in the Ocean so that I can say that I have been in the Black Sea. It was nice and before long it was time to be back on the ship.