August and Everything After

It's been a long while since I last updated the blog. Let's just say that it has been a busy month or so.

Shortly afterarriving, before we had even settled into our new country, home or school we have the travel bug bite again. After some debate over what our destination would be-- the Greek Coast or the Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast we decided to make the journey east

to the Black Sea. While the lure of Greece was strong, it would mean extra paper work (to take a rental car out of the country) and extra expenses. So the Black Sea Coast it would be.

In the days beforeour mid-August departure I telephoned numerous hotels in several towns on the coast looking for available hotel rooms. I had very little luck. Nevertheless, with another family that it embarking on the same international journey as us, we rented a large Renault van and set out. While the journey does not appear too daunting on the map, we quickly learned that Bulgarian road-trips are a different animal from their American counterparts. Our freeway to the coast eventually turned

into a poorly marked series of twisting, pot-h

oled, two-laned roads. (Well, their are supposed to be two lanes, but you have to use your imagination-- for their are no painted lines)

Six short hours later we were at the sea. Our first stop, in Sozopol revealed a cute little town, but a crowded beach. Coming from Oregon, it is a little hard to make the adjustment to wall-to-wall-people-beach. We wanted our own mile-long stretch-- Oregon style. After a short swim we headed off to the south past stretches of semi-deserted beaches that appeared along the craggy coastline.

We eventually stumbled into Tsarevo, a small town fairly free of the international tourists that are so common in

the other towns of the Black Sea Coast. We stopped at several hotels before we found a small one. The cost? About $24 per night. I love Bulgaria!

We ended up using the Tsarevo as a base to explore other beaches in the area. We discovered a couple of great beaches several kilometers to the south, where we spent most of our time. It was a quite a find-- the inexpensive hotel, great beaches, and terrific cheap food ($20 dinners and .50 pastries for breakfast). I can get use to this lifestyle.

After a couple of days it was back to Sofia to prepare for my orientation and first day of work.

After returning it was time to check out the new school. I knew that the building itself was new, but I wasn't

quite prepared for how amazing the facilities were. The kids, who were able to tag along, were

totally blown away--they couldn't wipethe smiles off their faces. I knew immediately that any concerns the kids had about moving or attending a new school were quickly evaporating.

The start of school itself went very smoothly, both for me and the kids-- who adjusted surprisingly quick. (They've already had several playdates and sleepovers) My schedule is fantastic, although a challenge sometimes with four different classes. The students are an amazing and diverse bunch-- which has been an incredible asset in the classroom.

Within the first week or two, the rest of the upper school teachers and myself traveled with our students on a team-building camping and hiking trip in Rila National Park. It was great to get to know the kids a bit better outside of the classroom (how great would it be if they could pull this off in American public schools?). We had the opportunity to hike in relatively open country (up to elevations of 7500 ft.), which made for sublime vistas in nearly all directions. Our hike, which took us up to the peak of one of Bulgaria's tallest mountains, also brought us pass a shepherd tending his flock (you may be able to make out the sheep in one of the photos). The sheep were complete with the large, clanging bells that one associates with the 19th century. The shepherd? Complete with wool hat and wooden staff.

After reaching the peak, we descended to a lake-side mountain refuge where we enjoyed our lunches before making the slog back to set up our campsite. The fantastically clear conditions of the day ended up making for a very chilly evening, as the thermometer plunged toward zero (that's celsius-- sounds a lot colder that 32 fahrenheit). We were treated with one of the most impressive night skies that I have ever seen. I could clearly make out the band of the milky way and saw several shooting stars-- including one that I would describe as a fireball. So cool! After a night on the mountain (and waking up to an ice-encrusted tent) it was back to Sofia.