Back to Bulgaria

Going back to Bulgaria was an experience unlike any I’ve had. I’ve said in the past that while America is my home country, Bulgaria is the home of my heart, and in many ways my trip this summer felt like returning home. I had my favorite places to visit and new places to explore. I had family waiting to greet me there and friends to celebrate with. 
Practicing wedding dances

Spending time with my language tutor (she started correcting my language in five seconds, flat)

Spending time with friends was wonderful!

Enjoying the scenery of Samokov

In the five weeks I spent in Bulgaria, I slept in nine different beds. I traveled to five different cities and spent a day in Greece. Most of my days were busy, helping my friend prepare for her wedding, or traveling around and visiting other friends. 

My trip as a whole was beautifully heartbreaking. I loved being in Bulgaria. The people, the food, the culture, traveling by metro and bus, pulling other languages out of my brain, all of it was lovely. Listening to my friends talk about their work, ministries, and lives was a joy. I was blessed to hear their stories and know that God is never done working. Yet it was difficult to hear those stories and know that I’m no longer a part of them.
Metro stop! My favorite way to travel.

Exploring Sofia again!

Inside an Orthodox church

Greece Day

Exploring Sofia!

Inside the Sofia Synagogue 


Bulgarian Beach

I had SO much coffee on this trip... I can't help it... it's so tasty!

My terrible picture of the beautiful supermoon over Sofia

Gypsy horse carts

Eating lunch in a park near my old flat
My last night in Bulgaria, I went with some friends to hear a national violinist play Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The concert was in the mountains, in a town that holds strong memories for me. As I sat outside in the cooling air, listening to the birds chirp along with the music, I understood that my life, like Vivaldi’s movement, has seasons. Sometimes it moves quickly and is hard to follow, other times it’s slow and melancholy. It might be tense and full of suspension; it might be relaxing and allow for some easy breathing. Occasionally it has a comforting, familiar feel to it, and other times it’s unrecognizable. At all times it’s beautifully orchestrated. 
Violin concert

Beautiful Bulgaria! 
I suppose I will always be a little bit homesick for Bulgaria, no matter what type of season I find myself in. What I find most consoling is that God gives grace to cover me in all my seasons. 
My last sunrise in Sofia.

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