България

Is it scary going to a country you've never been to before, unsure of your finances, unable to read the language or even guess because it uses a different alphabet? It is. I feel pretty anxious and had some trouble sleeping last night, which, of course, meant I had some trouble waking up this morning. Ahh, just the thought of being on my own schedule, allowed to wake up when I want, and not to suffer through the monotony of sitting in an office...it's enough to convert the anxiety into excitement, though it still makes my stomach flip!

I was listening to some Bulgarian internet pop radio stations yesterday and kind of laughed. I've always gotten a kick out of Eastern European pop, as it sounds like it's 20 years behind the times. Now, I'm not saying Western pop is good - it's not. It's just that we've learned that formula didn't work, while they continue to produce it! Ha, ha.

Anyway, I think I'll be ok with the language. I mean, I am proficient in Arabic, so I'm used to languages with funny letters! I'll be able to get around in Bulgaria, especially since they speak a European language and I'll be able to understand the roots of many words. Once I get used to the alphabet and quit having to look up the sounds of the letters, I'll be alright. I have already been able to decipher some words through transliteration: манастир is monastery; Контакти is contact; телефон is telephone; град is city; История is history. Shoot, I've never studied Russian, but knowing English and French will help me out in deciphering Bulgarian. That would scare most Americans. The language, to me, is of no concern. I look forward to learning it.

Really, with all of this anxiety, I shouldn't be drinking a latte at two in the afternoon. Oh, and I shouldn't have spent the three bucks on it, either. That's a whole meal in Bulgaria. I'm going to be out late this evening anyway - I'm seeing The National play at the 9:30 Club tonight and tomorrow night. These are probably going to be the last shows I see there in quite awhile. I noticed The National are playing in Croatia in November. Tomorrow will be the fourth time I've seen them this year - I probably shouldn't make the effort to see them a fifth time. The only band I've ever seen more than that is U2 (ten times) and that is in a span of a decade!

Man, it's been so long since I had to actively search for blog readers that I forget how to do it. I wonder how long it will be before someone reads my rambling.