a summary

i like steph's idea of giving a quick picture of what we find most striking in our homes, both domestic and abroad:

what i miss about america: ocean pines. the schwinds (neighbors). standing at bars. pop radio. big grocery stores. the car. california. laura. the sofa and watching tv. closets. democracy and feeling like my opinion is valuable. open discussions. creativity/ingenuity. mountain dew/7.11. parties with mia. stoplights. mobility.

what i like about bulgaria: fresh produce. clean air. simple fun. picnics. everything is cheap. varna. kay's house. train tickets/train cards. baby student smiles. ayshe. the forest. truly happy to see you na gostis (visits). feeling like i've worked hard. chalga and kuchek. the accordian playing. walks. sunflower fields. the trams in sofia. all the memories i've made inside bloc apartment buildings.

baben den

january 21st is "grandmother's day" here, a holiday meant to celebrate midwifery and childbirth/children's health. we weren't able to celebrate with all the babas this year, but we did have a lot of fun roaming the center asking for handouts--men give large and small amounts of money to help feed the baby, who is crying, because he is hungry. i had a lot of company from my fifth graders, who we decided were all my adopted nieces/nephew sons/daughter wards and our little baby whom we named Alex. the kids were great sports, rubbing their bellies telling our passerby's, "WE'RE SO HUNGRY!" what a good baben den.

welcome to january