This article is created by Floor De Bruyn- participant in the ESC Project 2022-1-BG01-ESC51-VTJ-000056331 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, co-funded by the Bulgarian National Agency of Erasmus+ Program Human Resource Development Centre.

Hi dear readers, here is my second Bulgarian check-in, if you will.

We did soo many things it's actually so wild. First of all i think it's really cool to see how all the volunteers are getting closer and how the dynamics are fitting together. All of the volunteers are such cool and inspiring people (and i will never say this to them because that is cringe hehe) but i'm really glad i get to work with them. There are so many reasons to join an ESC programme but if you asked me what my favorite part is, it's definitely the people you meet. Even outside of the volunteers, we meet a lot of super nice and openminded people who join our events. From the international students studying at the American University to the bulgarian locals, It's been a true pleasure.

We went on our first trips together :))) The first trip ever was just for 1 day, where we went to Pernik to see a cultural event. Curse the morning people that convinced me to take a train at 6:45 in the morning! I was dying the whole way there. I put on all my warmest clothes but without any success because i was freezing the whole time nevertheless. But for the first trip, and all the amazing cultural performances we saw, it was totally worth it. We had one of the best views possible i think, we got really lucky (but also we just came really early so we deserved it 😌). During lunchtime we ate a bunch of traditional foods and desserts, which were really yummy! Apart from the performances from different cities around Bulgaria and bordering countries like Serbia, Greece, Romania etcetc there was also a big marketplace, kind of like a christmas market that were selling all cool things like knives, woodwork, rings, ceramic pots and soo much mooore ! i bought a supercool ring that i wear everyday now.

Last weekend we went to Bansko, which is a tourist city around an hour away from Blagoevgrad. It is truly a beautiful city with nice view over the mountains, good hiking trails and beautiful stores. For me, it was a little too touristic, it felt like we were barely still in Bulgaria. But i'm glad i went nevertheless. Also, the people spoke english which was a nice relief because i always feel really guilty for not being able to speak their native language while living here, knowing they struggle with speaking english. Some of the volunteers were staying another day in Bansko and went to some supercool things like hot springs and other cool hiking trails, and even though it sounded really tempting, i was kind of glad that i could go home and sleep in our little apartment that i've grown to love so much over the past month. The next day the other volunteers that were home and me organized brunch at our apartment. It was definitely one of the best mornings i've had here. That sunday was just so calm and relaxing, it was exactly what i needed.

Every week me and another volunteer, Lou (<3) organize an art club. It makes me really happy that i'm able to share my hobbies and passions with other people. We were able to create a non-judgemental environment so people can draw however and whatever they desire. So far we did pretty lowkey challenges like creating a shared portrait of everyone, drawing our hobbies, making postcards and mooorreee! Seeing people mess around with colors and figures without the pressure of making something amazing is really freeing to see. Ofcourse we also had a lot of other events that i should mentions because the volunteers put so much effort into making them and i have become more knowledgeable on topics that they are interested in, which is super exciting! Anton made a presentation on meditation and journaling which was really interesting because i felt i got to know him better. Then Filipe made a presentation on Portuguese sign language, which, i didn't even know existed! Honestly i thought i was a knowledgeable person before but ever since i've been living abroad i have been humbled more than i'd like to admit haha. But it's a good thing, especially here where i do not feel judged often. Merel and Martha made an event where we created bird feeders and distributed them around Blagoevgrad. It was so much fun! We got our hands totally dirty putting together coconut oil and bird seeds. The atmosphere was so good that night, my god it was definitely one of my favorite events this month.

My apartment is one of the things here i'm most grateful for. Every week we have an 'apartment date night' where one of us cooks for everyone and we have dinner together. We just sit and talk together for hours, it's the best thing ever. For me at home, eating dinner is just for eating, not talking. We will mostly sit in silence and eat for 20 minutes, then all go do our own things again. So being here, it's a big change! And one i've been enjoying so much. It's like i have my own little family haha! And it's so funny because we are all different ages, from different countries and in general really different people, so it's so cool to see how well we fit together. After dinner we watch a horror movie together and eat a bunch of ice cream hahah. It's nearly impossible to go to bed before midnight, because I ENJOY TALKING TO THEM TOO MUCH AAAAAA

I think this is a good note to end it for now, next month, there will be muuuuch more !!!

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