Julia's Journeys

This week... It was the first week of classes. All classes at AUBG meet only twice per week instead of three times per week, and there are no classes that start before 9 a.m. which is very nice. Three of my five courses are strictly online while one is hybrid and one is in person. Some of my professors aren't even in Bulgaria. There are professors teaching us from Lebanon, Russia, Ireland, and elsewhere across the world. I Learned... I am taking only one course relevant to my major because I wanted to use this semester to explore topics outside of computer science and mathematics. Besides Computer Architecture, I am taking Communication Media and Society, Civilizations at the Crossroads: The Bulgarian Case, Bulgarian Language and Culture, and Management in a Global Environment.  This is the first time I've been eager to take a history course. On the first day of The Bulgarian Case, the professor asked us why we were taking the course. I responded that I had only ever been taugh

Last weekend we ended our orientation with a trip to the Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila. An hour bus ride led us to a building nestled in the frigid Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia. This monastery looks nothing like I had imagined. With intricate architecture and loud colors, I could tell the monastery rendered a mixture of cultures that channels Balkan culture. Founded in the beginning of the 10th century and still standing as the largest Eastern Orthodox Monastery in Bulgaria, Rila Monastery is eye-catching with its massive domes, striped patterns, and detailed frescos.  Ivan of Rila, also known as Saint John of Rila, was the first Bulgarian hermit. He left his life as a monk to live in solitude in the caves of the Rila Mountains and devote his life to prayer. Students began to follow him and thus began the genesis of the monastery. After the Saint's death in 946 AD, his students built the monastery near the cave in which he lived. His relics were moved several times

The first week, orientation week. The week of getting over jet lag. The week of meeting new people. The week of learning to navigate the city. So much has happened in the past few days. Filled with exploring, eating, night life, and lots of laughing, this was a great first week. Only exchange students and some of the freshmen class were on campus this week at the American University in Bulgaria. There are over 35 exchange students from at least 16 different countries. Besides that, the University student body is made up of about 40% international students. There is an impressive mix of cultures here. Everyone speaks English to each other, even when it's not their first language. I realize it is the "American" University, but everyone really makes a point to speak English. A Bulgarian student even apologized to me for his "slow" English as if I didn't just waltz into his home country not knowing an ounce of Bulgarian. I knew more people across the world were

Pre-Departure Thoughts It is 12:30pm CT, January 10th. I'm sitting at my gate as I write this, awaiting my first flight, which has already been delayed over an hour, cutting my layover in half, but there's nothing I can do about that now, so oh well.  This time last week, I was ten times more anxious than I am now. I was nervous about my flight, getting my residence settled, adjusting to the COVID-19 Bulgarian entry requirements that are changing daily, and packing - in which I think I did a stupendous job, but I'll let you know in a week when I realize what all I've forgotten. But now I'm here, about to embark on this five month journey. I have literally never been so completely alone in my entire life. The closest feeling I've had to this was when I went away to college, but even then I knew one friend, and I was only 50 miles from home, not 5,800. How enthralling... how daunting.  I said goodbye to my friends, my roommates, and my family. I'm leaving ever