Week 30: The rest is history . . .

When people think of  'ancient . . . ', they usually think of Greece or Rome, but, unbeknownst to most, Bulgaria is just as old!

Bulgaria's origins are fascinating (the Balkans have been a massive crossroads of people for centuries) and their history has been as equally brutal (Darn those Ottomans! *waves cane in the air*), but I cannot say it's not interesting! Bulgaria was/is a place of khans, kings, tsars, and the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet, and people are proud of it. So much so that almost every other school or national institution is named after 2 of their heroes--Hristo Botev and Vasil Levski--who fought against the Ottomans!

Hristo Botev looking as regal as ever

To begin with, one of the coolest things about Bulgaria is the abundance of archaeological artifacts and structures intact. From the Thracian amphitheaters to the previous 3 kingdoms' institutions, Bulgaria is a history buffs dream. This past weekend, I had the joys of going on an excursion with my students to one of those gems! Tsarevets, the stronghold of the kings of the 2nd Bulgarian empire, sits atop of a hill outside of Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of the 2nd Bulgarian kingdom. The complex is quite large and one could see how the hill provides ample defense; the steep cliffs surrounding the fortress are quite the climb (or fall depending where you're going . . . ). Regardless, 10 outta 10 recommend!

The castle walls extend from all the way to the left to the right AND they wrap around the hill!

Some of my crazy (awesome) students!

Speaking of history, Fulbright celebrated their 25th anniversary in Bulgaria this year! Woohoo! Congrats on the silver anniversary! For such an honor, the Commission had several presentations this past Friday (that I couldn't make), but I had the honor of joining dinner and the reception that evening AND helping Bulgaria's reforestation efforts on Saturday! I am happy to say that nothing was going down and no one was yelling 'Timber'😆. And, of course, it's always a pleasure hanging out with some of my favorite peeps :D

Faith, Tajia, and Dan ready to plant some trees!

Shady Sadie with the Spade(y)

Honestly, what would I do without Tajia?!

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.