Almost home!

Two flights down, two more to go. Currently sitting in Munich. Started the day at a bright and early 3am :/ hopefully we'll catch some shut eye on our 9.5 hr flight to DC. We are tired but happy :) We will see you soon!

The last two days were so different, none of the friendly faces from camp to run into as we walked around our abode. A few of us went to Nessebar yesterday, the 3rd oldest city in Europe. And of course we got some authentic bulgarian cuisine before heading out.

Anyways, we can't thank you enough for your support and encouragement for us! You'll hear all our stories soon!

Last full day

Today we finished our last English club :( a bittersweet moment. We look forward to a talent show tonight plus students have been creating short films. From the looks of the teams filming, we're in for something special :) tomorrow afternoon students will be departing and we will have one more day here after they leave. We want to enjoy every moment we have together! :) It's been a blast sobfar...

Guest bloggers!

Today's entry is written by one of our students :)

Hey everyone,
I am glad that I was asked to write few lines. I really enjoy the English Club. We definitely have a lot of fun here getting to know each other and learning new things at the same time. The activities we do are so interesting. I love the team work - it makes us more competitive. I feel sorry that tomorrow is our last day. It seems that the time was flying. - Stoyan

Day of rest

Apologies for our lack of updates. Besides being busy with camp life my iPod froze for 2 days and wifi accessibility has been intermittent. We know you are thinking of us and feel your love :) We hd our first solid night's sleep last night, as today is Sunday, with regular activities cancelled. Church and an afternoon riverboat cruise took place.
Last night was American night and despite some space usage confusion with the property, it was a smashing hit! We presented a short sideshow with photos of typical American life for each team member. Then we played a trivia quiz to guess how well people knew American facts. While getting the fire set up for making smores, students watched I love Lucy. Of course we had to introduce them to popular culture, such as the cha cha slide and YMCA. :) to end the evening we put out a variety of games for students to learn/play.
Did you know a team of 15 Korean students joined camp yesterday? They will teach an art club and have shown us exercises and massage. Another interestingw component to our very multicultural location.
We are feeling some better but still need to get up to full health again! Hopefully we'll get wonderful sleep tonight and feel refreshed and ready to give a 7am presentation on American student life with lauren and Kelsey sharing, and I'll share a testimony. (hopefully I won't have to leave coughing, the rnants of my cold).
Well off to lesson plan for tomorrow!
Beth

 

Fantastic first day!!

It was our first day of class this morning and the students are enthusiastic and engaged with high levels of English! We are making friends and enjoying getting to know each other. for example Kelsey's scavenger hunt team got up at 5am today to go to the beach to watch the sunrise. That's dedication :)

Karen did a marvelous presentation on career counseling, and helping students identify their strengths, abilities, interests, etc and how that lines up with a potential career direction. She is holding personal counseling sessions with students throughout the week. 

After getting slapped in the face hard with jet lag yesterday, I've (beth) come down with a bad sore throat/ cold :( I woke up unable to talk much but got some better, although in class it got so loud I had to strain my voice. Karen also is having low back pain from tension/lack of sleep. Sara started to get a migraine from all the fragrances this am but got it user control. We need good health and strength to continue on well! Our spirits our high and camp has been loads of fun so far! Tomorrow a crew of South Koreans join us for camp. 

It is again another gorgeous sunny day at the Black Sea with calm waves. But I did notice some pesky jellyfish as I went into the water, yikes! 

Beth

Two main events

Today we took a bus to the nearby town of sozopol, where we ate lunch, enjoyed the views of the sea & ruins, & got some iced coffee. After dinner, we had the first meeting with everyone at camp & had a photo scavenger hunt with our new friends. Tomorrow the judges will pick the winner and they will be declared the most enthusiastic person in camp :) - Lauren

Arrival...

We arrived in primorsko Bulgaria last night after over 26 hours of traveling!! just gonna hang at the beach today til the students arrive for the English camp so excited!!- Kelsey

Excitement is building...here we go!

Hi friends and supporters!

Thanks for thinking of us while we venture into a new place!  We are excited to meet and to serve the young adults that we'll meet in Bulgaria. It is a privilege to know that we are supported by so many of you. This trip will be an adventure and probably a stretching experience, and we are ready for the challenge!  Of course, spending some time at the beach on the Black Sea will probably add a bit of a fun factor, too. :) 

We will be leaving on Sunday morning July 7 and arriving on Monday night in Burgas, Bulgaria. Think of us as we travel for the better part of 2 days!

Happy Fourth of July, everybody!

Karen

One week!

Welcome to our blog! We can't believe that Bulgaria is right around the corner already - my how time flies! We have been busy prepping lesson plans and making packing/supply lists. Each is in various stages of getting luggage packed and ready to step aboard our plane... the first of 4 flights to arrive at our destination, the coast of the Black Sea! What are we looking forward to? Meeting and interacting with the Bulgarian students, experiencing life in a new culture, enjoying summer with our soon-to-be friends. Thanks for your love and support in this endeavor!