Associate Professor from Western Carolina University

visiting Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria

as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar

Ciao Ciao

In informal conversations, the Bulgarians use “Merci” more often than “Благодаря (Blagodarya)” to say “Thanks”, and “Ciao” more often than “Довиждане (Dovizhdane)” to say “Bye”. In Italian,...

Korali thermal mineral water swimming pool

Korali means coral, that’s a fitting name for a pool. I have been told about this Korali thermal mineral water swimming pool quite a few times, as it is the closest mineral pool to Sofia and easily accessible by public transportation or a taxi for a relatively...

Christmas trees, outdoor ice rink

After returning from Gorna Banya, I took a detour at the National Palace of Culture as I heard that a Christmas Tree had been lit up there. The whole plaza and the roads around it were lighted up. In summer, we saw a group of kids doing bike tricks, and there was...

Gorna Banya

Gorna Banya is another town with great mineral water. It is also on the western side of Sofia, like Bankya. The water here is bottled and sold in stores like the Bankya water. As usual, the locals can collect the water for free at the water station. The building...

1500 Dog Gang

Having been away from our two furry girls at home for so long, I really missed them, especially when I saw all kinds of dogs taking a walk or a run in the park on my way to university every day. Then I noticed a random post on Facebook (I don’t even use Facebook much...

BEST Debate and Speech Competitions

Imagining yourself debating or interpreting a poem or a prose in a second language as a high-schooler, and then seeing Bulgarian high-schoolers doing exactly that in English at such proficiency and competitiveness, it was a marvelous experience. I was able to witness...