"Oh my life is changing everyday in every possible way..." - Dreams by The Cranberries

I made it!! My flights were pretty good, and only one was delayed by 30 minutes. I arrived in Sofia and was promptly met by other fellow students. We piled in the tiny bus and headed towards our University. I was sitting in the front seat with another girl and the driver, but I was a little squished... Therefore, I had an excellent view of everything we passed. One of the things that shocked us most was the driving in Bulgaria. There seems to be next to no rules about passing and crossing the street. All of the Americans cringed as our daring bus driver zoomed in and out of our lane…but he never really stayed in the lane and neither did any of the other drivers. It was evening by the time we arrived and were checked in to our rooms. Then, a group of us decided that there were several necessities we needed to buy. So, we headed towards the “Kaufland” (basically a big supermarket). However, to get there from our University, you must cross a very long and muddy field. When I tried to walk in the grass…I fell in a hole! After that first night, I attached my flashlight keychain to my room key... For the next few days, we have had several orientation meetings to attend. For the most part, there are just exchange students (mostly Americans) and Freshmen here for orientation. Many of the other students have not yet arrived. A “Getting to Know You” night was planned and they served Bulgarian pizza….which is really gross. It consists of regular crust and sauce, but the toppings are a little strange. The toppings are mushrooms, pickles, ham, corn, and cheese…. For those of you who don’t know..I hate mushrooms. The cafeteria is not open yet, so we have to pay to go out to eat a good deal. But we have been so busy that we grab a piece of bread when we can. We walk everywhere!! Our feet and legs are sore! We have been able to explore the city center some because our main University building is in the center. The main building used to be the Communist Headquarters for Bulgaria’s Communist party. Therefore, it is a good size and is pretty nice.

The above picture is of a building named Balkanski Academic Center and this is where our library, auditorium, and other classrooms are located.