First Week! FISI Part One

This first week here has been wonderful! I know that right now we are in training which is not a true preview of what is to come - but the people here are amazing and I feel so inspired to be a part of such a smart and kind group of people - and that will not change once we part and go to our respective places to teach.

What I have been doing this week: Let me tell you - it has been overwhelming, inspiring, informative and completely new.

We have Bulgarian class - which is kind of like an Ulpan - almost every day. The class is at a pretty slow pace but it is still pretty intensive. The alphabet is brand new to me and I am finding myself forgetting things very quickly. The instructor is very kind and patient and since we are all learning something new everyone helps each other out. We also have various classes on Bulgarian culture and different classes to help prepare us to teach in a couple of weeks.

I met my mentor teacher - who is another english teacher at the school I am teaching at in Varna and she is awesome! She is really nice and interesting and I felt immediately comfortable with her. Her english is beautiful and even though she professes to be a bad teacher I think she seems to really know her stuff and will be a really great asset.

Now for the fun stuff! The hotel has this amazing indoor pool that is so beautiful! The only catch is that you have to wear a bathing cap or shower cap when you swim. It is hilarious to see all the fulbrighters and all these fancy people staying at the hotel swimming in shower caps! Love it! There is also this gorgeous spa and the saunas are free - yes my friends saunas! There is a Finish style, Russian style, tea room, relaxation room, steam room and various other saunas. I feel so fancy and don't deserve this decadent life style.

Just by luck the hotel is hosting a mozart festival this week and we can go to any of the performances for free. The other day just casually watched AIDA performed on a beautiful outdoor stage overlooking the mountains! No big deal!

All dressed up for the opera!!!!


They also took us on an excursion to hike through these caves and to see this incredible monastery! I know I am Jewish but sometimes when I am in Christian holy sites I understand where they are coming from. The art work and the architecture and lighting are just so beautiful you can't help but look up and believe in God - any God.

caves!!!! :)

This is the view right before we entered the caves

Outside the Monastery!

Finally, to conclude the first week of FISI - because some of the other students and lecturers were leaving we went to dinner at this beautiful golf club and drank a lot and danced and it was so fun!!!!

where the dinner was held...


Thats all my updates for now- I am having a great time! But I miss everyone!

I wrote this when I first got here but never posted - eek!

I arrived in Bulgaria about two hours ago. It already feels strange and overwhelming but also very exciting. Just a little bit about my day. After saying goodbye to my siblings and my cousin Sara - which I feel I may not have done that well I went to the airport with my parents. At the airport I found out that there is a weight limit for carry on - probably should have known - but sometimes I am a goof. I had to repack my carry on into my other luggage - what a mess! By the time I got to the gate I was exhausted. The flight felt super long and the stewardess mainly only spoke in Polish - culture and language shock immediately! Once I got to Warsaw things got a bit better - at the gate for my final flight to Bulgaria I met an Israeli man who works in Sofia - the capital of Varna. He gave me his card which was really nice. He does tours for Eastern Europe so he is probably a good contact to have. When I got on the flight I fell asleep immediately but at landing I spoke to the guy sitting next to me a little and he was very nice - although he did not speak much english. The guy sitting behind heard us speaking and asked what I was doing in Bulgaria. He was American and visiting his father who does missionary work in Bulgaria. He also gave me his father's information - so now I have two contacts. Once I went through costumes and everything the driver from the hotel was waiting with a sign. It was a short ride to the resort and here I am now. The resort is gorgeous! When I got to my room the other fulbrighters were in the middle of a session so I went to my room and took a shower - it was lovely! I then found my roommate for the next two weeks - she is very nice. She went over the Cyrillic alphabet with me and we talked a bit. Now I am just relaxing until dinner - hopefully I will meet more people. I still feel like a zombie and totally out of place - its hard to come late. But I am excited I am here!


This is my room in the hotel!!!! Its gorgeous!!!! 

This is the view from my balcony - is this real life?