Welcome the new arrivals!
The new MBAEC volunteers, Megan and Ian, arrived yesterday in Sofia. I thought back to the first day I arrived in Sofia, which was very similar to the day that Megan and Ian experienced. I got off the plane early afternoon after very little sleep on the overnight flight from the US (through Frankfurt). The weather was great when I first arrived (as it was yesterday as well). I was taken to immediately sign a lease for my unseen apartment, then dropped off at my apartment with a map and a mark on the map where I was to meet people for dinner. After dinner I went home and slept for about 12 hours. I have a feeling Ian and Megan did the same.
After our dinner I walked home with both of them to scope out their apartments. Both apartments are very nice inside. Ian has a nice large multi-room apartment which will be great once the bedbugs are removed. It seems like all the apartments that VEGA found for us have been great (bedbugs aside). Of course, before coming to Bulgaria I was living on my friend’s porch (enclosed, but still a porch), so moving into my new apartment was like moving into a palace. Megan got the Ritz-Carlton deluxe shower with the multiple shower heads in the wall that sprays your whole body. When we checked it out her apartment the lever controlling the additional shower heads wasn’t working, but Delcho managed to get it up and running – completely soaking himself in the process.
Both apartments are in great locations. I’m a bit envious of that – then again, I have my beloved City Center Sofia mall (and associated food court, movie theater and supermarket) near me. Ian is close to the popular bar called “Blaze”, although we all call it “Smoke and Mirrors” because it is always really smoky and every wall is covered with mirrors. He’s also a short walk to Flannigans (i.e. one of the few places in town serving Guinness) and to the tasty pizza place Krivoto. Megan also has a prime spot near the corner of Gurko and Rakovski. She’s an easy walk to everywhere in the center and, as several people have enthusiastically mentioned to her, a short walk from Onda’s coffee shop.
Warning: (Another) Ondas Rant – Onda’s is the Bulgarian equivalent of Starbucks but without the Starbucks quality. I don’t like coffee and Onda’s non-coffee products are not good at all. The chai latte – uggghhh. The hot chocolate is essentially Hershey’s chocolate squeezed into a cup and warmed up … put some milk in it, already! I keep looking for ice cream to pour it over when they serve it to me. Even their sandwiches aren’t that great and they come in the triangle shaped, plastic sandwich containers I associate with gas station sandwiches. So, I guess if you like coffee, you’ll like Onda’s, but I’m holding out for a good tea shop or, better yet, an Au Bon Pain.
It’s a little strange to be on the other side of the coin being the “seasoned veteran”. When I arrived, Maury, Andrew, Karen and Rich were the incumbents and we were the new arrivals. They proved valuable information sources in my first couple months here and I’m sure the four of us will be the same to the new volunteers.
