Kazan — summer 2014

Here's a Youtube video made by a kid who looks very Bulgarian. The video is titled ‘Our parents don’t understand us!’ You'll get a feel for the language sounds like as well.

Around the corner from my hotel there is a Moda Milano shop that sells, among other things, the Mondo men’s collection. I wouldn't normally notice such a thing, but there is shirt there that is beautiful (click for larger version):

Now mind you, I'm an incredible tightwad, but I asked the price anyway, which turned out to be 75 levs, call it $53. Actually, that's in my price range. The shop is on the main tourist drag of Plovdiv, so I figured that was a fairly inflated price. What does the shirt cost on the company website?

Holy-freakin’-moley! $189? That's ridiculous. Tells you something about modern day marketing.

The State Department just updated its warning about traveling to the border areas of Russia and Ukraine. Our main office probably already knows about it, but I just sent them this e-mail message.

Kathleen, Marina and David,

I just wanted to bring to your attention the updated State Department warning about travel to the border areas of Russia/Ukraine. Those students who have already signed up for the STEP program will automatically receive a copy of the update, so I wanted to be sure you were aware of it in case you should receive inquiries about it. The link is here.

In most ways it is similar to the March 14th warning, although it also notes that there are irregular troops crossing back and forth between Russian and Ukraine. Since our program is not anywhere near the Ukrainian border, I do not believe there is any need for us to change any summer plans. Feel free to forward this note to any student or family member who has concerns. I am currently in Bulgaria and will depart for Russia on Monday, arriving there on Tuesday. At that time I will check out the feel of the city, but so far none of my local informants have sensed any need not to come to Kazan.

All the best, Don Livingston.

I depart Plovdiv with fond regret. Never have I had a vacation that was simultaneously so restful and joyous and interesting. I would love to come back here. The time with Cleo and Teo was particularly nice. I left them feeling valued and respected and admired, which was something I hadn't expected since we hadn't seen each other in 20 years. I had not realized that I had made such an impression on them, and their good will towards me gave my soul a type of refreshment I hadn't realized that I needed.

So what should I do about next summer? Bulgaria again? Poland? The one and then the other? But I really want to travel the States and Canada next summer. Sigh. Decisions, decisions.

I have arrived at the Grand Hotel Sofia in Sofia. But that's not my triumph. My triumph is that I just pulled off a telephone conversation in Bulgarian with the laundry lady who speaks no English. Now *that* is a triumph. The telephone is the hardest of the language skills.