Today, I counted the weeks on my calendar. I have been here 15 weeks, with 31 more to go. One third of the way through the school year, and with the holiday season starting, it seems that a post of gratitude would be timely. Without further ado, 10 things for which I find myself quite grateful.
1. I am grateful to the Bulgarian Fulbright Commission, the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the International Institute of Education and the U.S. State Department for sponsoring this program and giving me this opportunity to live, learn and teach abroad.
2. I am surprised how thankful I am for the chance to live alone. It was so difficult at first, especially after four years of living in beautiful dorms with my closest friends. I’ve gotten used to the quiet, though, and I actually enjoy the freedom to explore my Self without the pressure of people around me with solidified ideas of who I am. I’ve discovered that I like mushrooms and found that I actually do still love Harry Potter. I also love not wearing pants.
3. I’m grateful for technologically adept family and friends. It’s easy to catch my parents on Skype, and even my grandmother video-calls me once in awhile. It was great (if a little sad) to see my whole family on Thanksgiving via Skype. And, special thanks to all the teachers in my social network who offer advice, guidance and ideas for my teacher-troubles. It’s a virtual safety net that makes the world seem a little smaller.
4. At this exact moment I’m very thankful for 8tracks.com. Pandora and Spotify don’t work overseas, and my music collection on this computer is pitifully small. 8tracks is filling my need for background study music, dance around and sing along music, nostalgic 90’s country, and now Christmas music.
5. I’m grateful for the many amazing colleagues, co-workers, bosses and mentors that I’ve had, past and present. A job application recently caused me to reflect on all the people I’ve worked with, and I’m so lucky to have met so many supportive and intelligent people through jobs and internships. I’m so thankful to have good relationships with my co-teachers and mentors at my school this year as I struggle through a new job and cultural differences.
6. I’m thankful to have an awesome cohort of Fulbrighters across Bulgaria. They are a sounding board, a well of ideas, great hosts and travelers, and wonderful company. I was delighted to have three of them come to my apartment last night for a belated Thanksgiving celebration and Settlers of Catan.
- Photo courtesy of fellow Fulbrighter, Juliana
- Youtubing after Thanksgiving dinner
7. So grateful to all those Americans in Bulgaria writing about their experience on the web. Carolyn, Sophia, Whitney, Kate, and Brian’s blogs have been great resources to have and a pleasure to read!
8. I’m thankful for all those who supported me as a writer, including: my mother, who took me to the library; Mrs. Sorber, who challenged 4th grade me to write my own “Dear America” style story; Mrs. Charley, who gave an unforgettable demonstration of “Show, Don’t Tell” to my 7th grade class and forced us to memorize our library card numbers; Nina Revoyr, who taught an awesome literature class at Pitzer my first year in college; Helena Maria Viramontes, for giving me feedback on my thesis and pushing me to write better short stories; Professor Warren Liu, who re-introduced me to poetry and gave thoughtful responses to my thesis; and Professor Kimberly Drake for giving thorough critiques of all my writing, advising/supporting my self-designed major, and being a great model of excellence and badassery.
9. I’m grateful to be able to live comfortably. What we’re paid as Fulbrighters is not much, compared to what we could make in the U.S., but here in Bulgaria it is more than enough for life’s necessities, some luxuries, and travel. It’s a strange experience to feel a part of one socioeconomic class in the U.S. and of a more privileged one here in Bulgaria.
10. I’m so thankful for the Oregon Digital Library Consortium and the ability to read awesome books for free on my Kindle!
The Unintentional Explorer 