Week 1: Murder on the Bulgarian Express

As many of you might know, i'm an AVID Agatha Christie fan; her plot twists and literary style make Game of Thrones look like child's play! However, it's unfortunate (or maybe fortunate??) when your life becomes an Ol' Aggie novel . . .

But before we get into the details, we must stage the scene (voice crescendos). This said murder happened in the quaint town of Galabovo, Bulgaria (this would be my hometown for the next 10 months for those following my overly complex metaphor). With a population of 7,000 and it's coal power plants, Galabovo is somewhere between a modern day District 12 and a classic European village: all of the rural flair and pedestrian thoroughfares with a splash of solitude. Admittedly, this particular region is completely flat so, from time to time, i'm reminded of Ohio; but, even then, there are too many hills!

Europe! Peep Bulgaria in the bottom right

Sofia (capital), minor fiefdoms, and my Bulgarian hometown, Galabovo!

Anyways! Back to the story! So the crime occurred in, perhaps, one of the least suspecting establishments: my Italian villa! If you're like me, you would clutch your pearls and exclaim: Italian villa! How is Keegan living in an Italian villa! Now, I wish this was all in jest, but, yes, the rumors are true; I live in an Italian villa.

My Italian Villa aka scene of the crime

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I am a corporate-sponsored ETA; the good folks at Contour Global--my corporate sponsor--put me up in their gorgeous hotel/house during the duration of my Fulbright. When administrators come to Galabovo to visit their electrical facilities, they are often put up in this extravagant chalet with it's fully stocked kitchen, king-sized beds, climate control, etc.! As an aside, i've gathered that an Italian company built the power plants unless the 'Italians who came to Bulgaria' is a reference to the Roman Empire. . . . Moral of the story, I'm too #blessed to be #stressed. Well, with the exception of . . . MURDER *screams are heard in the background* *small children cry* *old folks faint*!

The day was like any other day; I just got back from a beautiful excursion to Plovdiv and Smolyan to celebrate our first week of school with a few friends! The previous week had been exhilarating! The first day of school was only an hour long, and full of pomp and circumstance; there were flags, banners, company executives, knights, students, foreign emissaries! I was crowned King! It was just another day in Bulgaria! And the following week consisted of meeting my 8th - 12th level students, and getting to know more about PGEE (Professional Gymnasium of Electrical and Energy Studies); that's a fancy way of saying my students are studying to becoming electrical engineers and electricians!

Loyal subjects paying tribute (A pic with students for the 1st day of school ceremony).

Other royalty sending their best wishes (My director--in green and white--and Contour Global execs posing)

Knights marching around the premises (students placing our school flag) 

Coronation (My speech wishing students a successful year)

Italian royalty wishing prosperity for my kingdom (Alessandro, Contour Global representative, and I working the paparazzi) 

Of course, Plovdiv and Smolyan were equally as exciting! I got a little too excited speaking Turkish in the Turkish restaurant (Plovdiv -> European Culture Capital 2019), and the Canyon of Waterfalls was gorgeous (Smolyan -> European Culture Capital 2020); despite walking 27,000 steps that day, we stuffed ourselves with food!

Bulgarian dancers performing in Plovdiv on the eve of Bulgarian Independence Day

Iliya and Anna looking absolutely adorable!

It's a sign

1 of the 43 waterfalls trying to be subtle

FINALLY! THE CRIME! It was a temperate day: not too hot, and not too cold. The air was still, but, the atmosphere was ELECTRIC! I bought a printer upon returning from my adventures and decided to set it up right away. I plugged in my printer, and, without much attention, I plugged in my laptop charger. What happened next can't be described. There was a huge spark, a loud scream (it was definitely me), and the lights went out. Frantically, I searched for the illumination on my phone only to discover my worst nightmare: I killed my laptop. There it was. A pile of plastic and metal roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey because I haphazardly put my laptop charger's prongs in the wrong socket. Feeling defeat, I scurried away to decipher the fuse box. Luckily for me, Iliya (the most considerate man in the world who is pictured above) helped translate the 3 fuse boxes in the house and my mentor teacher, Darina, and her husband who happened to be an electrician arrived on the scene. I left that day with a dead laptop, a whole lot of knowledge about Bulgarian fuse boxes, and the appreciation of the helping Bulgarian hands around me!

Smiling on the outside and freaking out a little bit on the inside!

This site FulbrightBlogaria.blogspot.com is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Keegan Scott and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.

Orientation

While everyone was watching the turmoil around the world, there was a little known natural disaster (yes, i'm sure my colleagues would agree with my word choice) reeking havoc upon Bulgaria! You guessed it! Keegan had made landfall!

Now before I get into the feels of Orientation, I must tell you a short story about my departure:

My mother (yes, I'm well aware Brooke will read this) dropped me off at the airport like the wonderful human being she is. Prolonging our goodbyes and the inevitable water works, my mother and I people-watched those going through security (we have some fascinating hobbies, amirite?) when she noticed a couple in front of us crying and waving goodbye to their daughter. Brooke jokingly said, 'That'll be me in a few minutes'. (Spoiler Alert, that was her in a few minutes). After all was said and done, I went through the initial security checkpoints, and, when I turned back to wave my final goodbyes, I was besides myself to find Brooke chatting away with the aforementioned couple! Fast forward to the Munich airport where I meet the daughter of this lovely couple who also happened to be a Fulbrighter, and Mari and I have been pals since!

Anyways, back to Orientation! If I had to describe my introduction to Bulgaria in 50 words or left, I physically cannot! I LOVED Orientation, Bulgaria, and the cool peeps I met a long the way. Here are some highlights to condense an already growing blog post.

Arrival: Restless sleep

Day 1: A bunch of us went on an awesome food tour around Sofia! This is where my love for Litunitsa (somewhere between ketchup and salsa) began.

Litunitsa a la bread

The two guys in the bottom left wanted a pic

Day 2: Busy Day. Briefed by Embassy. Bulgarian Deputy Director is unintentionally hilarious. Bulgarian Lessons. Folk Dance. Fire Walking. Looks painful. Its lit. Literally.

Day 3: Faith (everyone should meet Faith) shares the story of being at the airport and going up to security and saying 'NE BAGAJ' which very literally translates as 'No. Luggage.' (She did get her luggage later).

Day 3 (continued): The Fulbright commission set us up with families around Sofia to dine with for an evening! Erica, Aaron, and I had the pleasure of an evening meal with Maria and Nikolai!

Fam photo!

~1st course~

The main course . . . (JK, this was actually dessert, but it was amazing! Baked apple all dressed up!)

Day 4: We visited Rila Monastery, this absolutely gorgeous landmark, and had a walking tour of Sofia!

Rila Monastery taking up all my camera time (rightfully so)

Kids these days! 

Day 5: This was such a fun evening! We all dressed up and headed to Muzeiko, this swanky children's museum (I never thought swanky could describe a children's museum). Sponsored by the America for Bulgaria foundation which also sponsors many of the grantees here in Bulgaria, Muzeiko had a very nice reception and we got to enjoy the really interesting exhibitions throughout the establishment! We were like children in a candy shop, but, instead, we were adults in a children's museum.

Day 6: No surprise to anyone that I absolutely love my Bulgarian lessons! Gendered nouns and the many rules that accompany them are a little confusing!

Day 7: I actually forget which day I did mine, but one of the coolest ideas the lovely returning ETAs (English Teaching Assistants) had for Orientation were mock lessons!

Day 8: Our mentor teachers arrived! Darina is an absolute gem! More about her later :D

Darina and I!

Day 9: The BEST day! BEST stands for the Bulgarian English Speech and Debate Tournament(s foundation). We heard some incredible oratories of these amazingly talented students! It was also my birthday so it really was the BEST day.

Day 10: Departure to our homes for the next year . . . To be continued *dramatic music in background* *lights go dim*

Sad to leave...

This site FulbrightBlogaria.blogspot.com is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Keegan Scott and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.