Zdravete ot Bulgaria

Hello from Bulgaria! There is so much to tell about, but I have so little time. I am in the town of Dupnitsa right now registering with the police so I can live here for an extended amount of time. I am living in a small nearby town in the southwestern region of the country. I can't put up pictures right now but for now just trust me when I say that this place is extremely beautiful.

Our first week in the country was spent at a nice hotel in the Rila Mountains. They took care not to throw us right into the action, giving us some simple language and culture lessons before moving in with our host families. We B-24s are a pretty awesome group, I must say...

I wake up every morning to see the sun rising over the Rila mountains, right near my village. My host family, an older couple, are extremely nice, and even though I can't speak any Bulgarian, and they don't speak any English, we seem to get along pretty well. I've been learning a lot of vocab from them as we take long walks around in the meadows outside the village. The word we say the most is "Spokoino" - "Relax... there is time."

My house has a very nice garden where my hosts grow fresh tomatoes, potatoes, cucmbers, onions, peppers, and apples. They have 3 cats, a dog, and about 7-8 hens. People in America like paying extra money for organic vegetables. Here, we make salad every night with vegetables picked just minutes before from out in the back yard.

The best food I've had here so far has to be the Shopska Salat - a simple salad made with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, red peppers, parsley, and sirene cheese (sort of like feta), mixed together. No dressing necessary - the secret to Shopka's taste is the freshness, picked literally miutes before being put on the plate.

Anyway, I have to head out now, as we are about to head out of Dupnitsa and head back to the village. I promise to put up pictures as soon as possible!

Until next time...