You know you're in Beirut when...

So if you haven't noticed, the title of my blog has changed because I am no longer in Eastern Europe enjoying my surrogate home, but have now ventured to a new, exciting and completely different place: Beirut, Lebanon.  I am staying with family and while I've only been here roughly five days, here are some observations:

1.  the Lebanese are very hospitable. Whether it's food, a drink, a bed, or just a warm welcome, they are willing to give you the shirt off their back if that is what it takes to make you comfortable.

2.  it's smoggy.  It gives San Fran a run for its money except it's pollution and not just fog.

3.  driving is ridiculous. Only the brave venture out and even then it's scary to ride; it's a LOT of honking, cutting people off, getting inches away from each other, not following lines, running red lights. It makes for a racing heart and a thank you to the Lord for getting me to point B safely. (parents, it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be...).

4.  the food is delicious and above all, healthy. I eat veggies and fruit everyday and the meals are really nice. The lunch eating time is similar to that of the Spanish, especially on weekends.

5.  it feels as though everyone knows how to speak French, Arabic, and English and when talking they use them interchangeably, so in a two sentence span you could possibly hear three languages. It puts my lousy English to shame. I really need to get on this language learning thing real quick.

6.  they call light brown hair blond. It's a cultural thing, but light brown is still brown. I would know what blond is; the stares say it all. 

7.  plans are kind of sporadic and made on the fly, which fits me perfectly because I tend to just go with the flow. And it's similar to in the Bulgs in that people are fashionably late (that's what we will call it).  

You know you LOVE Bulgaria when…

1.     you will miss Skappy’s ham and cheese toast.

2.     Blago knows you are leaving so he gives you a going away gift of spotty internet. I think he's really trying to get me outside to spend time with my people. 

3.     you will not miss seeing men coming out of the woodwork in track suits when the weather turns nice.  

4.     you go somewhere else and you say da for yes, despite being fully aware that that isn’t the way they say yes.

5.     you read signs in English and you start to see Cyrillic instead. H=N. P=R. Oh now I’m confused.

6.     you miss seeing stray dogs. Where did Horny go?! I can't find Jumper! I miss them!

7.     you go out to dinner and you don’t get your food at scattered times. What do you mean I don’t have to wait an hour after my companions are done eating to get my food? And, you can hear the person you are talking to. Hold on, I don’t have to shout anymore?

8.     you will miss getting banitsa at 3:30 am after a long night of partying at Underground or Piano Bar.

9.     you can actually watch tv without it being dubbed.

10.  the first thing you mention about missing the Bulgs is how cheap it was. A 2L Shumesko for 2,69 leva, yep, that’s real.

11. you can sit outside for 8 hours on a blanket with friends, having nap time and a picnic, only for it to become a party with cake and alcohol. It’s the good life.

I will miss you Blago, your beautifully luscious, green trees, your sunny afternoons, the sound of the rushing river as I walk back to the Skaptos, your Raffy’s ice cream stands, chocolate soufflé, kebabs and banitsa, Macarios futbol matches, Shumensko and Zagorka, Lollita, Underground, Piano Bar. I will miss you Blago, for you were the perfect place to spend four months getting to know crazy amazing people (I mean we all had to be a little crazy to come to Bulgaria in the first place), for teaching me about myself and my strengths and weaknesses, for showing me what the world is really like (at least some of it anyway) and for getting me out of my American bubble. Thank you Blago, for being nicknamed Blago. Thank you for being awesome.

Bulgaria, you captured my heart and gave me the semester of my life. You are a beautiful treasure the world holds and it is a pity more people don’t see the real you. Thank you for your lovely mountains and your cheapness and your nightlife and for AUBG and for bringing me new and fantastic friends that have forever touched my heart and made it light. To all who I spent the semester with, thank you for the good times, the great memories, and love I felt when I was with you. I wish you all the best of luck on your next adventures and remember, ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE! Remember the times we had and smile because they couldn’t have gotten any better! Nasdrave, my friends to one hell of a semester. We did it right.

Sunburns and City Views

Right now I live in Bulgaria, in a city called Blagoevgrad, shortened to Blago. And while being here in the Balkans I've had time to travel some around the area and my latest adventure was to Athens, Greece. I know immediately what went through your mind: white houses with blue roofs and shutters and clear blue waters with ships docked at the port. While that would have been the most picturesque vacation ever, that's not how mine was. BUT IT'S GREECE! So adventure of a lifetime.

I was meeting a friend who I study with at Truman in Athens, Abbi, who is studying in Northern Ireland for the semester and it just so happened that we could be in the same place at the same time. I love it when that happens!

my travel buddies: Mary in the middle, Abbi on the right

Mary and I ventured down to Athens on a 10 hour bus through the entirety of Greece and while it was a nice bus, the sleep was less than adequate. Just know that, all you out there who are going to travel in the Balkans. Bus is way better than train- it's faster and still super cheap. So do it! But you can't get comfortable sleeping. As per usual, Mary and I had a really good talk on the way down, then navigated the metro with the help of a very nice lady who could see we were disoriented at 6:30 in the morning.

The first thing we saw was the Acropolis. Holy. Cow. It was gorgeous.

from the Acropolis

up close...isn't it a beaut?!

I love history and the US doesn't really have history, not like the rest of the world. So being around ancient ruins was just fantastic- all weekend it was just amazing sight after amazing sight: Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Zeus, the Olympic Stadium, the beach!  I won't bore you with the details of how I finally got to see someone from home, that we had gelato twice a day, that we got soaked trying to get gelato before we left, that we wound through the crooked streets, and got to enjoy the beautiful sunshine.

The conditions were that of a perfect weekend. 23 C (70s F) and breezy. We just explored the Plaka district where we were staying and I fell in love instantly. Oh man. It was just a great time. We did all the tourist-y things that you are expected to do and we definitely had a good time doing it. One of my favorite moments was one night, after going to Palm Sunday Mass (they run on Orthodox Easter which runs a week behind Roman Catholic holidays and services) we decided to climb this hill that had a church on top. It looked really high and so as we started on a walking path up the side we were second guessing ourselves. But that doubt was wiped away by the sight that awaited us at the top. It was Athens in all its glory, glowing a light phosphorescent white as we took in the city by night. It was magical. And some random Korean kid asked to take a picture with us. I don't know why.

We also went to the beach and that was amazing. The sun was so warm and though I'm the kind of person who would rather be cold than hot, I could even appreciate it. We laid out on a pretty chill beach, the only distractions being old leathery men in speedos and one grandma who liked to let it all hang out, if you know what I mean. Soaking up all that vitamin D was wonderful...until we all got burnt. Me most of all. My back got really burnt and my legs too. But that didn't deter me from continuing the adventure; we had a great time even after all of that. Now that I am back I look really tan so I can only hope that some time spent on the Mediterranean in Lebanon will give the same results. I'll come back lookin' black! Ha. If only, right?

Our last day was rainy and we spent it going to Corinth. It was a beautiful bus ride and Corinth itself was really great. Just being where Paul preached and thinking about that was one of the coolest things of the whole trip.  The beach, also, was just incredible. I mean look at it! It was a little stormy and rained some while we were there, but we had brought a picnic of Greek bread and we stopped into this small cheese shop once we arrived and had a cute little exchange with the Greek lady who gave us some delicious white Greek cheese. Oh it was good. We ended up eating it in the bus station, but afterward we enjoyed this:

yep, I was really here.

I know, I know. B-E-A-Utiful! And we finished the day with gelato before leaving. That is when we got soaked by the flash flood in Athens. No worries though....we got our gelato! And it was yummy, like the other six times we'd had it!

As the bus pulled out from Athens and Mary and I settled into our seats, we looked back on the really awesome time we had in Greece with Abbi and the memories made and the friends met and the gelato eaten. I'm not sure I would have wanted to do this trip with anyone besides these two. They made it great. And though I am still recovering from getting in at 5:15am on Tuesday, I look forward to the next adventure: Budapest part one: Friends. Cheers.

Lights, Camera, Hunger Games!

I'm kind of a movie snob and while that may not be my most redeeming quality I can't help it and here's why. My stepmom worked for AMC for a while and one of the perks was getting to see free movies. Yeah. Any, and all, within certain stipulations. I'm not going lie, in the last two years I've seen around 80 movies in the theatres. Now some of you would see this as a major waste of life but no, no it was not. It was wonderful.

I like to go to movies by myself. Some people feel bad for me and ask why? I don't try asking around and I love going whenever I want to see whatever I want. AMC has become like a third home (behind my legitimate home, Truman State, and AMC is tied with Barnes and Noble) and it's really bad when they know you and ask how you're week has been. I like to snack on Swedish Fish or Raisinets (seriously the best movie junk ever) and when I go with my parents I like to eat my Dad's cinnamon sugar popcorn. Try it, don't deny it. I always pick the seats-two or three rows up and I sit right in the middle. That is the best view of the screen, no contest. I prefer when people don't sit in front of me because then I can put my feet up on the seat in front of me, but I'm not going to get all dramatic if it doesn't work out. I can't miss the previews. That is one of the best parts of the entire movie experience because it gives you reasons to go back, and I want to go back. I'm not a big fan of people who talk during movies or are on their cell phones. Why did you come to a movie when you wanted to be social. You go with people you want to talk to before and after the movie. (Most of these are in optimal viewing situations.)

The Hunger Games. Fantastic. If you haven't read them go and buy them immediately. These books got my roommate Anna to read something fiction- she hates fiction. It is one of the hopeless battles I have with her and I will win eventually, but regardless, she loved them! They are super easy to read and it is endearing to see Katniss volunteer for Prim and then duke it out for her life. She seems tough and yet, she is very vulnerable, proving she's human and not just some robot yielding to the Capitol and to President Snow. This could lead to a very long post though so I will stop here.

Anyway, they had a midnight premiere...in Blago. Seriously?! I was flabbergasted. And ecstatic! We went to check earlier in the week and much to our surprise (Sabine and Keegan were with me) it was playing at 00:30 (military/European time still takes some time adjusting to)! Oh man! We high-fived and yes, we were out in public and it was a very exciting moment. And then the guys behind us were laughing and pointing, but hey I didn't care. I had been talking about this movie for the past 6 months. I was stoked to see it and it was in tiny town Blago! I was jittery the entire day. Class was a waste because how can you think about anything else when Hunger Games is on your mind? I don't really know either.

So as I walked out of the theatre and into the chilly Bulgaria night air at 3:00 in the morning, I was content. My friends had put up with me for so long about this and Sabine and Mary even read the book before the movie and that made my heart full. What a sacrifice for them, right?! But not only was I content, I was awake. Literally. It felt like 14:00 and I was ready to rumble. And though I had class the next morning I couldn't go to sleep so to celebrate the Games we went to Piano Bar, where it was practically empty, and we danced. And had a really really really good time. And I got back around 4:30 and went to bed only to wake up the next morning at 9:00 to edit through a paper and go to class. Oh the college life. May the odds be ever in my favor!

Lent and the Crushin' Russian

Milka. Kinder. Mypa (pronounced Moora). Lion. KitKat. Nutella. 

What do all these have in common?

Let me help you even though I'm sure you know at least one or two of these, if not from the picture. They are all yummy, deliciously smooth, and tasty chocolate (I was in no way trying to undermine your chocolate or even sweets intelligence. I know too much myself so no judgment here...). And what do you think I go and do.

Give it up for Lent. WHAT WAS I THINKING??!!! 

I don't really know either but I did and I'm committed because today is day one. So here's to day one of Lent and to all the things that you have given up in hopes of making your life a little better or to have more time with God. Props to you because this is going to be a long 40 days. Why anyone would give up chocolate while they are in Europe is beyond me, but I'm just crazy enough to do it. 

So in hopes of turning myself around for spring and bathing suit weather, I went to Pilates tonight. But I'm not sure it could be considered Pilates with that music (it was very entertaining; I was practically laughing the whole time which probably didn't help me any) and the four different exercises wrapped into one class. And the instructor was Russian. That was just the cherry on top. From cardio-kickboxing to dancing to some serious abs while listening to Enrique, it was definitely a good workout. No complaints here. She counted in Russian and was silent but deadly; she didn't talk much, but man does she work you hard. And some of those moves I've never done before and I will never do outside of that aerobics studio. But maybe it's because of the music it was paired with. Some awkward moments, if you know what I mean.

Afterward I did homework with friends and we met on the third (American) floor and all was fine and dandy, but then I had to go back downstairs. I was top heavy, and not just because I was graced by being that way to begin with. My backpack was super heavy and with my legs being sore already I was scared of toppling down the stairs. Needless to say, I need to work out more and I need to gain a better tolerance if I'm going to commit to the Crushin' Russian.

MASH and other assorted candies

I wish I could go back to the days of Looney Tunes valentines and suckers and class parties in second grade. I wish I could go back to the days when it wasn't about love and whether you were single or in a relationship. I wish I could go back to the days when your parents were your valentine (thanks for being mine, Dad and Nikki). 

Yes, I know that it's a few days late, but I feel that it should be said. Valentine's Day is consumerism at its finest. Hallmark makes millions on the "holiday" that people either loath or love.  But really, there is nothing special about Valentine's that couldn't be celebrated any other day.  Men buy their ladies gifts and flowers and chocolate and take them on a usually expensive date while the single people have pity parties proclaiming they don't have someone special. 

I want to get back to the point where Valentine's Day is having a good time and celebrating life, whether you are married, dating, or single. Love is everywhere.  Everywhere. All you have to do is look close enough and realize it's not about getting chocolate and feeling lovey-dovey or depressed, it's about viewing this crazy life through the small window God gave us. And that is something to rejoice over. We all have valentines. And we are all loved. It's about moving past the physical love of this world and really looking for the heavenly love that we all have shining on us. 

I want to go back to the days of MASH. To the days of being silly and completely myself. And yet, I am back to those days; I never really left them. I have found them here, and at home, people that I can be myself with- in the craziest of times and in the most serious. And that is an incredible thing. I spent Valentine's opening a package from my parents, playing MASH to predict our futures, and going out to a wonderful dinner with my girls, and it was glorious in its simplicity. I was glowing with happiness. That is what Valentine's is all about: being with people you care about and just enjoying the fact that you get to live in a day utterly overflowing with love. It's something that I've realized recently. So don't sulk because there is no one romantic in your life; instead, feel grateful that we get to praise the greatest love everyday. I have been blessed with great friends wherever I go and to know that they care as much about me as I do about them. Now that is truly something to celebrate. 

Finals Fiasco

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will  be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." --Proverbs 3: 5-8 

Disclaimer: this is lengthy. I hope you have like twenty minutes. Sorry if you didn't want to know this much about my life, but it's my blog so I do what I want!

"Ok, we will try to start processing this as quickly as we can. Good luck in your studies." 

Finally. Those are the words I had been waiting to hear for the past three weeks. I am now officially going to study at Blagoevgrad next semester and it took me basically three months to know for sure; but I'm getting ahead of myself here. So let me start at the beginning. 

All of my problems, stresses, worries started with the FBI. You are told that it will take 8 weeks to process your background check, but of course nothing can be that simple. So Thanksgiving break came and went and the 8 week mark came and went with it, leaving me somewhat panicked and surly talking or thinking about it. So, the week before finals rolls around and I've called the FBI on a few occasions to check the status of it and after 9 1/2 weeks they tell me it's been sent, in the mail, to my house, and I am ecstatic! So, in the essence of time my parents and I decide that I need to go to Chicago on Thursday night and turn in my paperwork on Friday to start the processing. 

I am stressed out to the max, crying at any little thing (this study abroad has turned me into bumbling bawl-baby), and then my amazing friend Chubbs (Charysse, appropriately nicknamed that because she is a skinny Asian-and no I'm not racist; but she really just has chubby eyelids- apparently it's an Asian thing and this is coming from her not me!) So anyway, out of her huge heart said she would travel with me so I wouldn't be alone and thus started the nightmare of Thursday and Friday. Planning and getting everything together last minute and i was ready to go and then we wait...one o'clock...three o'clock and at this point I just want to give it up but my parents insist so I call the FBI back to get the tracking number and at like six o'clock we find out they ended up not sending it. Yep, the whole day of worrying and everything ended up not working out, at all! But that is just God's timing for ya. Friday I drove an hour and a half to get that stupid report from my amazing Dad and you want to know what it said:  Kelsey Jayne Boeding........NO ARREST RECORD! Whatever. Frustrating and somewhat laughable.

So, I had hall desk for six and a half hours Saturday and I was originally going to go on Sunday, spend the night and go to the Consulate on Monday. I was train traveling in practice for Europe and because it was more efficient and cheaper than driving. So I got to thinking and Kait Hall mentioned Quincy and a snowball formed from there. I looked at tickets, called Amtrak and changed my previously bought tickets and I was set to arrive and leave Chicago on Monday. I was super excited. And super scared. Big city, little me. Yep. But it turned out all great and dandy. I went to Christmas service on Sunday and was really happy to attend- I needed that spirit to lead me into finals. Sunday I didn't get as much done as I should have and I went to bed at 9, which is the first time in what felt like forever, or at least since some time in high school. And so the adventure began. 

I woke up at 3:15 and left Kirksville by 4am. Yep, 4 AM. Early. And I drove the hour and a half to Quincy, IL. It was exhilarating! I had my coffee and poptart and I was set. I got there, got my ticket, boarded the train and was off by 6:12. It had been dark for the three hours I'd been up and then God graced me with the prettiest sunrise I had ever seen; granted, I don't get up to see too many, but this one really topped anything I had seen before. It was blood red and a dark blue that melded in the middle and as the morning drew out it became lighter between the two colors until there was a vibrant, bright pink. Awesome. I was in awe and right then I was giddy in knowing the day would be a really good one. The train ride was uneventful and boring-mostly because I was studying for my comm final which I rocked by the way- and got into Chicago at 10:45. Took a taxi to the Consulate and immediately stepped into surrogate Bulgaria. Everyone there was Bulgarian-American and only spoke Bulgarian to the attendants. Yep, needless to say I was the odd ball out, especially when I was the only blond hair, blue eyed person in the whole office surrounded by brunettes. Imagine my shock and panic. 

I waited for about an hour or so before I actually saw the Consulate General and turned in my paperwork. After that, it took some time, but it hit me that I no longer had anything to wait for, nothing to hold me back from going. And that was scary and exciting and overwhelming. So now I was in this big city by myself and it was lunch time and I was starving. So naturally I went and got pizza from Giordano's. It. Was. Delicious! So good (I think the secret to it's awesomeness is the crust, I swear it!), so the other natural thing was to go to Garrett popcorn and continue the yumminess. So I did. And then treated myself to Starbucks. From there I walked around, a lot. I went to Millennium Park and took pictures of the Bean, like any good tourist would do. From there I went to Books-a-Million and browsed before heading to the train station and then back to Truman. Crazy day and that was only Monday of finals.  My sentiments exactly! 

Tuesday I had three essays and one test final, so that was a busy day. I also had hall desk which sucked and was great all at the same time. I was just so done with anything I had for all of those classes so I was like, whatever I'm done! But that wasn't the case. I still had a paper and two finals left. So the craziness finally ceased for a little bit and then my just amazingly sweet friends Miranda, Elizabeth, and Jac presented me with a scrapbook they had been working on for half the semester...HALF THE SEMESTER. Crazy and they managed to keep it from me the entire time; talent? I think yes! But it was wonderful and I have been blessed with them but it just truly showed how much they cared and in all my sappiness I love(d) it. It's nice to know, you know? It was wonderful just being able to hang with them and be crazy like we always are when we get together with our fake accents and movies and just good fellowship. 

Wednesday was equally amazing. I had Christmas with the best roommate ever. She truly is the greatest roommate ever and why God would grace me with her in my life is still mind-boggling but I'm not complaining. So we both woke up at what's considered early for Reading Day- 9:30- and watched the Solar Express, I mean Polar Express, while eating oatmeal. It was wonderful and so very Christmas-y. Afterward we opened gifts and played Christmas music and it was the best. I had lunch with Marika which was great and then I had to say goodbye to Britt which was heart wrenching and hard but really good. I studied some with Anna for Bus Law and then went to CCF and heard the seniors talk and it was just inspiring because they were leaving and I was leaving (them in a permanent way though) and it was just really comforting. 

Thursday I had my Bus Law final and it went well I think. I have no idea about the grade, and at this point I'm ok with that because it's over. I had lunch with Heather Redel and that was just great as usual. Special one she is and just really cool and I'm really excited to see what God does with her next semester and her adventure with St. Baldrick's. So cool. Got to see her and then went to meet Elizabeth in OP to hear her play the piano. And then just a slew of people came and it turned into a fun fest of great people and joking around and it is the little times like that throughout the week that God blessed me with to remember and cherish. After that I had (the never ending) hall desk and from there went to accountability where we talked about the semester and God's faithfulness, which was huge in so many ways the last 16 weeks. And then I proceeded to turn the water works to full blast and just weeped about being happy and sad and overjoyed and overwhelmed at having the opportunity to go to Bulgaria and at having to leave Truman behind, even though it is going to be here when I get back. After that I had dinner with Chubbs and then finished an essay, so as a reward I didn't study for my mythology final and watched She's Out of My League instead with Anna. Watch it if you haven't seen it. Do it now! But it's one of those things that Anna and I do together because it's just better that way. 

Friday was the grand finale. Well kind of, but without the bang, but it wasn't really a whimper either. Whatever, that probably doesn't even make sense. Anyway, Anna and I had our beds like a foot apart the entire semester and people would always ask if we held hands before going to bed and I am proud to say we did on our final night of being in the room together. We woke up at 5:30 AM and had Roommate Rosie's. And it was glorious! French toast, eggs, bacon, oatmeal, a cinnamon roll, oh gosh the spread was just magnificent! And delicious! So good and the conversation was good too. I took my final and was officially done with the semester which was amazing and a relief and then I started to pack. And then I got increasingly more somber. And then Anna checked me out and Elizabeth helped pack my car. And then Anna had her final so we had to say goodbye and I can honestly say that was one of the worst just for the fact that it is going to be so weird not being able to come back to the room and see her shining face next semester. But I'm not thinking about that too much, as you can tell. Ha. I'm so ridiculous sometimes. But I had lunch with Elizabeth and then said goodbye to her which was pretty bad too and then I pulled away and watched Truman fade away as I drove down 63 toward Kansas City. And just like that, with my entire life packed in my car basically, I headed home for my final three weeks before I leave. 

I am going to spare you the details of being home- just the norm with going to the movies and eating Happy Gillis and reading and hanging out with my parents who are great and sleeping in which is all so much needed. And if you've made it this far, you truly do love me, and you know what...I LOVE YOU TOO! So thanks and I'll try to do better so these things aren't so stinking long!