Victoria, Steve, Istanbul

I was blessed these last weeks with visits from my sisterVictoria and my good friend Steve. Victoria came on Saturday the 15th and stayed until the 26th. She is pretty darn pregnant, and brave to have made this trip. I'm so glad, however, that she came. She's the first of my family to visit me, and can tell everyone else about my life here. She's observant, perceptive and smart, and I'm sure that she saw aspects of my personality, life here and Bulgaria that I have not. It was just good to have her here, too. Although I had to work a lot, she was gracious enough not to schedule her time around my duties so that I could see her and spend time with her. I took her to a couple of Bulgarian dinners with friends (Na gostis) where she pleasantly sat through hours of my poor translating. I had to go back to Camp GLOW to help with an ecology lesson on Wednesday the 19th. I was able to meet Victoria Veliko Tarnovo and get her into a nice pension before heading back to Stara Zagora. She also visited Kazanluk, Plovdiv, Sofia and Stara Zagora.

We met my friend Steve in Istanbul on Saturday the 22nd. Istanbul is a beautiful city, full of zealous shopkeeps and friendly cityfolk. We stayed at the Side Pension, a short walk from both the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque; a tarrace on the roof had views of each. We took a cruise up the Bosphoros (cow-crossing in homage of Io) to the strongholds protecting the entrance to the Black Sea. The rich villas and maritime nature of both the European and Asian coasts of the strait reminded me of Sausolito/Tiburon. The architecture, waterside cafes and thick presence of yachts are similar. We were lucky with weather, which was slightly cloudy, which brought down the temperature yet shed no rain.

It was great to see Steve. He is a smart, relaxed guy and was a joy to talk to. Victoria had a great time with him, too. He's the first of my fraternity brothers to visit me, and helped me remember some of the joys of college friendship. Although neither of us is too nostalgic (and don't want to really become so) we were happy to see each other and talk a bit about the past. He just finished a PhD in cryptology at MIT and will soon begin work at a great internet company in the west bay. I haven't forgotten how great a guy he is, but I didn't realize how good it would be to see him. I'm so glad he was able to visit.

We came back to Bulgaria by night train on Monday morning, spent the morning in Stara Zagora, and arrived in Sofia on Monday night. After walking around Sofia for awhile, Victoria went back to Hostel Mostel while Steve and I went to 'the Candle Bar' for a drink. I don't know the real name of the place, but it is the small, hidden bar that I wrote about before. On Tuesday, we went to Rila Monastary, which is beautiful but far away from Sofia. Both Victoria and Steve left on Wednesday.

I was sad to part with both my sister and my friend. It's in times like this that I get a bit homesick. I don't miss the USA much, but I miss my friends and family. A warm greeting to all from me, still here in Bulgaria.