Arrival in Bulgaria!

What a long journey that was! I've made it here to Sofia!

My flights were from Memphis to Chicago to London Heathrow to Sofia. Everything went great except for a lost bag in Chicago, but because my dad is amazing (and knows how to get things done in airports), the bag was found and British Airways has it on its way to Bulgaria.

I think the most memorable part of the journey was getting a window seat from London to Sofia. We crossed right over the heart of Europe, flying over Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and finally into Bulgaria. Those flights maps are awesome in that they show you where you are.

The final descent into Sofia was gorgeous. The city is flanked by a huge mountain, Vitosha, which reminds me a lot of Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas. The different types of architecture from the plane were interesting: on the outskirts of town were the standard communist-influenced apartment blocks, and there were also nice, wealthy looking neighborhoods. It's a colorful city, and I'm looking forward to exploring it. 

София

For the first two weeks of the Fulbright Program, we are staying at the Park Hotel Vitosha, which is located near the Technical University of Sofia - a university that gives a nod to Georgetown's Lauinger Library. 

So far I've been mostly sleeping and re-arranging my luggage. I did walk around the hotel area last night in search of food, but most places were closed. The hotel is not in a very commercial district to begin with, so today I look forward to getting into the actual city center. 

Park Hotel Vitosha with a view of the mountains and a surprisingly large park. 

Little did I know the room key would become my first encounter with "culture shock." It turns out the room key must be placed into the switch inside the room to power the room. I spent far too long flipping every switch and plugging into all of the outlets before I, exasperatedly, went to the hotel lobby with a : "Можете ли да ми помогнете" (Can you help me?). She smiled and, in English, told me how to turn on the power. 

And then there was light! 

We also received a nice bag of goodies from the Fulbright commission here including a Bulgarian textbook meant just for us. It was written by the Commission itself. I feel so special and so unprepared for speaking Bulgarian. 

Now I'm off to explore Sofia with some of the other Fulbrighters who are arriving early. All of you back in the States are in my thoughts. I miss you all already!