Everyone Needs A Little Turkey

So, I embarked on another adventure. This time, my travels took me to Istanbul, Turkey for Spring Break and it was absolutely amazing. I've been to some pretty great places since I've been in Bulgaria: Bologna, Italy, Athens, Greece and Santorini, but I have to say that Istanbul is my favorite. Everything about it was great. Well, almost everything. We had quite a journey getting there. Let me tell you about it.

I went with Adrienne and Katelyn and we ended up running into another volunteer, Nichole, on the way. We were taking a night train from Plovdiv and we were all pretty excited about it. However, it turned out to just be one, big mess. We got on the train and were immediately charged extra for the sleeping car (which we weren't expecting). We were told two different prices, because the Turkish man who was in charge of the sleeping car was drunk and couldn't get his act together. We only got to sleep for about two hours before we had to get off the train at the border of Turkey (because Turkey was remodeling their train lines). We then had to get our visas and passports checked in the rain. Then, we got on a bus that didn't work. The Turkish workers didn't really do anything to the broken bus except wait for it to work again. We all waited for about two hours (by now it's about 4 in the morning). Finally, we get on our way, but only for half an hour before the bus breaks down completely. At 4:30 in the morning, another bus picks us up and we're FINALLY on our way to Istanbul. The bus ride was long and cold (they never turned on the heat). We got to Istanbul at 9:30 in the morning and finally got to our hostel where we could get some real rest.

The rest of the trip was nothing like this experience (thank God). From that point on, we enjoyed the wonders of Istanbul. Everything about the city is fantastic. The streets are clean, the food is delicious, the people are friendly, the prices are reasonable (for the most part), and there is always something to do or see. I think it's the perfect combination of the Eastern and Western worlds.

We got to be real tourists and see all of the sights. We saw the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Spice Market, the Grand Bazaar (where I found my Turkish boyfriend), and the Topkapi Palace. We stayed in Second Home Hostel and I would absolutely recommend staying there (if hostels don't scare you). The staff was amazing, it's in a convenient location, the price is reasonable, and it's very clean. There was even one night where the staff made us Turkish food and we had a dance party.

Our last night in Istanbul was probably my favorite. I got to go on a date with my cute Turkish boyfriend. He proposed marriage first and THEN asked me out on a date (apparently they do things a bit backwards in Turkey). Adrienne and Katelyn came with me and we all enjoyed some Turkish tea and hookah. Afterwards, us gals headed out (we also picked up Nichole) for some dancing. We found a hole-in-the-wall bar with a rooftop terrace/dance floor. There we spent our whole night dancing to an interesting array of music (hip hop/Turkish/oldies/ska/techno remixes) with an interesting array of people. Nichole and Katelyn even got to dance on the bar. Which was cool until they lit the bar on fire (Katelyn is deathly afraid of fire). But, she lived and it was an interesting way to end our time in Istanbul.

Now I'm back in Koynare and getting ready to horo in the Festival this weekend. I'll be posting (hopefully) pictures and videos of the event. I got my costume yesterday, and everyone told me that I looked like a Bulgarian. Umm, thanks? Now, let's just hope I'll be able to horo like one.

Dancing Queen

I want to start off by saying that this post is a little behind schedule. As usual.

Something has finally happened in my village. Something that I've been wanting to happen for a long time. A dance class was started. Not just any dance class. This is a horo dance class. Now, you're probably thinking, "What's this "horo" you speak of?" Well, horo is traditional Bulgarian folk dancing. I'm not sure if any description I can give will do it justice, so you can watch one of the dances HERE. The dance in the video is one that my group actually does.

I was so excited when Beti told me that a horo group was starting up at the end of February. I was going crazy stuck inside my apartment because of the freezing weather. This class would be an outlet for me to be more social in the community and a fun way to exercise. The time for the first class came around and I was nervous and excited. I was nervous that the other people in the class would already be professionals, since here you learn to dance horo once you learn how to walk. We got to the class and there were only about five women. This made me feel better. If I was going to look like an idiot, at least it wouldn't be in front of the whole village. We began with some of the simpler dances and, before long, I was on my way to being a professional horo-er. The teacher even questioned if I was American or Bulgarian (apparently it's impossible for Americans to be good at this kind of cultural dance, because we have no cultural dance. Unless you could the Electric Slide...and I try not to).

After a couple classes, word spread about the group and now we have a decent sized group of women who come every Wednesday and Sunday to dance horo. It's definitely a highlight of my week and it doesn't hurt that I'm pretty good at it (not to brag, or anything, but I'm pretty much one of the best in the class). It's been nice getting to know these ladies and having a social outlet in the community.

Now, when I joined this group, it was strictly for fun. I just wanted to dance and meet people. Nothing fancy. That's not, however, how it's turning out. Our teacher has told us that we're going to a Bulgarian Horo Festival at the end of this month. We're going to be dancing on stage. In front of people. In costume. I'm, both, excited and nervous for this. I've never been too keen on performing and they're acting like they're going to put me right up front (since I'll probably be the only American there, and all). We've been learning all the horos in the book and practicing them until they're perfect. I think it'll be fun, though, and I'll try to get some pictures or videos up for you guys. The next time you see me (in person) I might just be Bulgaria's Next Top Horo-er.