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"I can't tell you what it really is, I can only tell you what it feels like"
Despite the events of the week before, I decided to go ahead and take the Foreign Service Exam. It would not be an easy trip, as it turned out, during this round of testing, Romania was no not one of the foreign posts chosen to host the exam, instead I had to choose between an 18 hour trip into Ukraine or a 16 hour trip to Sofia, Bulgaria.
Since leaving the U.S. Sofia was one of the places on my list of cities to see while abroad. I was lucky to have this opportunity, yet I was incredibly unsettled because of the prospect of once again, taking an exam that might have a lasting and dramatic effect on my future. I took along with me one of my favorite novels that I felt was appropriate for the occasion, The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemmingway. While I was not going to be wandering the streets of 1920's Paris or attending any bullfighting expositions, I was enthralled by the idea of the ex-patriots themselves.
As the train curved away from Bucharest I did everything I could not the think about the test, or arriving in a completely foreign city with no knowledge of the language or landscape. Romania had become like a second home to me, I felt at ease walking into any store or starting a conversation with random people because I felt confident enough in my language abilities to get by. It hadn't occurred to me that not only would I not know the language, but I would also not even know the alphabet. As the train pulled away from Girgiu and made it's way across the Danube river, I felt an overwhelming excitement. The trepidation I might have at entering a new country and being completely clueless was lost by the idea of experiencing something new and exciting.
The border guards in Bulgaria were courteous, and to my surprise, knew English very well. The Romanian border guards hadn't even attempted to speak to me in English despite my American passport. They instead made hand gestures when asking for my passport and other legal papers. The Train station in Russa, the border city, was much nicer than even Gara de Nord, which I had come to see as a monstrosity of Romanian transportation. This was my first inclination that Bulgaria would have many different things to offer me.
It was 7 hours from Russa to Sofia, so I had plenty of time to kill. I alternated between skimming the practice questions for the FSOT and getting lost in the complex mind of Jake Barnes as he struggles with his inner demons and his relationship with Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. Their pensiont for using French terms and British phrases amused me greatly. Their intricate unspoken understandings fascinated me even more. As they delved into what it meant to be from somewhere and not identify with their nationality, I began to understand my own feelings about Peace Corps and foreign service even more.
About an hour away from Sofia I thought it might be a good idea to check the maps and directions I had printed to get to my hostel. It was at this point that I realized I had left them sitting in a book on my dining room table. Thanks to my wonderful partner I was able to get the address, but I was wary of taking a taxi directly from the train station and couldn't find an open kiosk to buy a bus ticket. Instead I decided to set off on foot, into a city I had never been to before. I know, how ridiculous, but to be honest, if it hadn't been for that walk I wouldn't have seen the beauty of Sofia at night, the vibrant and colorful night life or the Orthodox churches lit up like monuments to God Himself.
After about 2 hours of hopelessly wandering the streets I finally gave up and got in taxi, I showed him the address in the Text message and we were on our way. I was sure I was no more than half a kilometer away from the hostel, but as it turned out, I was more like 3 Km removed from my final destination. This was the point where my entire weekend changed. While it was bad enough i didn't have my maps and addresses, I knew as long as I had the address in my phone I would be find. What happened next I was not prepared for. While getting out of the Cab, my phone fell out of my pocket and on to the floor... I did not notice, and proceeded to me hostel as if I had all my worldly possessions with me... It was only after checking in and settling down that I realized I was down one good friend... I loved that phone.
The woman at the Hostel was kind enough to wake me up the next morning and call me cab. I was then taken to the U.S. Embassy, though I was quite early. I walked around the outer gate for a little while but stopped when I noticed I was being followed around by the security guards, so instead I walked up the street and wandered around in the park near by. I returned and shortly afterward a few other people showed up, three of them being Peace Corps volunteers from Bulgaria, the other a Fulbright Scholar. Due to the piece of paper I signed while taking the test I am not allowed to divulge any information about the actual content... I will say it was difficult, and after a particularly tough week and long trip and traumatic night I was sure I had again failed to pass... I didn't! I passed the test with a score of 161.4. I 154 is required to move on the the next stage.
After the test I walked around Sofia for a while with the Fulbright Scholar. She had been to Sofia many times and acted as my tour guide for an afternoon. We parted ways after a few hours walking around the sights including the fabulous church in the center of time. It was absolutely breathtaking inside and even more so from the outside at night. It was exactly everything the people who built it wanted it to be, an awe inspiring sight that made one think of the greatness of God and cringe in his presence. It was a monument to Orthodox architecture and very pleasing to the eye. It made me wonder if there was something similar in Romania, I had never seen one, or anything like it in Bucharest.
Pictures of Sofia can be seen here...https://picasaweb.google.com/110
I again got lost on my back to the hostel, but this time on foot in the daylight. It's a sore spot and I don't want to talk about it. However within a 1/2 mile radius around my hostel I found a Starbucks, a dunkin donuts and a SUBWAY!!!!! This was another indication the Bulgaria had their stuff together. I ate Subway twice on the trip, a steak and cheese, and subway club, and KETCHUP CHIPS!!! Are you kidding me??? KETCHUP CHIPS!!! Where have these been my whole life???? They were delicious. I wish I could find them in this country, or even back in the U.S.
I was so exhausted from the trip that I only stayed out until around ten. Sitting at Happy Bar, a large international chain, watching the sushi guy work his butt of rolling and slicing, and nursing a Jack Daniels while two Spanish soccer teams flopped their way through a sloppy game. I had a nice conversation with the bartender, as it turns out, even the bartenders and subway workers in Bulgaria have excellent English skills. I went to bed early after walking past the church at night so I could catch my train back to Romania.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1108203675
The train ride back was beautiful. The mountains around Sofia are breath taking and well worth the price of the train ticket. The tracks wind around, through and over the mountains, snaking it's way along the banks of river whose name I never discovered. The picturesque scenery was a very relaxing diversion from the nerves that had built themselves up throughout the weekend. I listened to podcasts, finished The Sun Also Rises and started The Historian as the train wove it's way back into Romania. Even though I had enjoyed my visit to Sofia Throughly, I was glad to be back in a country where I knew the language and alphabet, at least until I got to Gara de Nord and witnessed a drunken brawl in one of the covered bars...
Another long sleepless train ride later and I was back at site preparing for another week of school... The next trip out of sight will be COS. Our Close of Service Conference... stay tuned.
Despite the events of the week before, I decided to go ahead and take the Foreign Service Exam. It would not be an easy trip, as it turned out, during this round of testing, Romania was no not one of the foreign posts chosen to host the exam, instead I had to choose between an 18 hour trip into Ukraine or a 16 hour trip to Sofia, Bulgaria.
Since leaving the U.S. Sofia was one of the places on my list of cities to see while abroad. I was lucky to have this opportunity, yet I was incredibly unsettled because of the prospect of once again, taking an exam that might have a lasting and dramatic effect on my future. I took along with me one of my favorite novels that I felt was appropriate for the occasion, The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemmingway. While I was not going to be wandering the streets of 1920's Paris or attending any bullfighting expositions, I was enthralled by the idea of the ex-patriots themselves.
As the train curved away from Bucharest I did everything I could not the think about the test, or arriving in a completely foreign city with no knowledge of the language or landscape. Romania had become like a second home to me, I felt at ease walking into any store or starting a conversation with random people because I felt confident enough in my language abilities to get by. It hadn't occurred to me that not only would I not know the language, but I would also not even know the alphabet. As the train pulled away from Girgiu and made it's way across the Danube river, I felt an overwhelming excitement. The trepidation I might have at entering a new country and being completely clueless was lost by the idea of experiencing something new and exciting.
The border guards in Bulgaria were courteous, and to my surprise, knew English very well. The Romanian border guards hadn't even attempted to speak to me in English despite my American passport. They instead made hand gestures when asking for my passport and other legal papers. The Train station in Russa, the border city, was much nicer than even Gara de Nord, which I had come to see as a monstrosity of Romanian transportation. This was my first inclination that Bulgaria would have many different things to offer me.
It was 7 hours from Russa to Sofia, so I had plenty of time to kill. I alternated between skimming the practice questions for the FSOT and getting lost in the complex mind of Jake Barnes as he struggles with his inner demons and his relationship with Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. Their pensiont for using French terms and British phrases amused me greatly. Their intricate unspoken understandings fascinated me even more. As they delved into what it meant to be from somewhere and not identify with their nationality, I began to understand my own feelings about Peace Corps and foreign service even more.
About an hour away from Sofia I thought it might be a good idea to check the maps and directions I had printed to get to my hostel. It was at this point that I realized I had left them sitting in a book on my dining room table. Thanks to my wonderful partner I was able to get the address, but I was wary of taking a taxi directly from the train station and couldn't find an open kiosk to buy a bus ticket. Instead I decided to set off on foot, into a city I had never been to before. I know, how ridiculous, but to be honest, if it hadn't been for that walk I wouldn't have seen the beauty of Sofia at night, the vibrant and colorful night life or the Orthodox churches lit up like monuments to God Himself.
After about 2 hours of hopelessly wandering the streets I finally gave up and got in taxi, I showed him the address in the Text message and we were on our way. I was sure I was no more than half a kilometer away from the hostel, but as it turned out, I was more like 3 Km removed from my final destination. This was the point where my entire weekend changed. While it was bad enough i didn't have my maps and addresses, I knew as long as I had the address in my phone I would be find. What happened next I was not prepared for. While getting out of the Cab, my phone fell out of my pocket and on to the floor... I did not notice, and proceeded to me hostel as if I had all my worldly possessions with me... It was only after checking in and settling down that I realized I was down one good friend... I loved that phone.
The woman at the Hostel was kind enough to wake me up the next morning and call me cab. I was then taken to the U.S. Embassy, though I was quite early. I walked around the outer gate for a little while but stopped when I noticed I was being followed around by the security guards, so instead I walked up the street and wandered around in the park near by. I returned and shortly afterward a few other people showed up, three of them being Peace Corps volunteers from Bulgaria, the other a Fulbright Scholar. Due to the piece of paper I signed while taking the test I am not allowed to divulge any information about the actual content... I will say it was difficult, and after a particularly tough week and long trip and traumatic night I was sure I had again failed to pass... I didn't! I passed the test with a score of 161.4. I 154 is required to move on the the next stage.
After the test I walked around Sofia for a while with the Fulbright Scholar. She had been to Sofia many times and acted as my tour guide for an afternoon. We parted ways after a few hours walking around the sights including the fabulous church in the center of time. It was absolutely breathtaking inside and even more so from the outside at night. It was exactly everything the people who built it wanted it to be, an awe inspiring sight that made one think of the greatness of God and cringe in his presence. It was a monument to Orthodox architecture and very pleasing to the eye. It made me wonder if there was something similar in Romania, I had never seen one, or anything like it in Bucharest.
Pictures of Sofia can be seen here...https://picasaweb.google.com/110
I again got lost on my back to the hostel, but this time on foot in the daylight. It's a sore spot and I don't want to talk about it. However within a 1/2 mile radius around my hostel I found a Starbucks, a dunkin donuts and a SUBWAY!!!!! This was another indication the Bulgaria had their stuff together. I ate Subway twice on the trip, a steak and cheese, and subway club, and KETCHUP CHIPS!!! Are you kidding me??? KETCHUP CHIPS!!! Where have these been my whole life???? They were delicious. I wish I could find them in this country, or even back in the U.S.
I was so exhausted from the trip that I only stayed out until around ten. Sitting at Happy Bar, a large international chain, watching the sushi guy work his butt of rolling and slicing, and nursing a Jack Daniels while two Spanish soccer teams flopped their way through a sloppy game. I had a nice conversation with the bartender, as it turns out, even the bartenders and subway workers in Bulgaria have excellent English skills. I went to bed early after walking past the church at night so I could catch my train back to Romania.
https://picasaweb.google.com/1108203675
The train ride back was beautiful. The mountains around Sofia are breath taking and well worth the price of the train ticket. The tracks wind around, through and over the mountains, snaking it's way along the banks of river whose name I never discovered. The picturesque scenery was a very relaxing diversion from the nerves that had built themselves up throughout the weekend. I listened to podcasts, finished The Sun Also Rises and started The Historian as the train wove it's way back into Romania. Even though I had enjoyed my visit to Sofia Throughly, I was glad to be back in a country where I knew the language and alphabet, at least until I got to Gara de Nord and witnessed a drunken brawl in one of the covered bars...
Another long sleepless train ride later and I was back at site preparing for another week of school... The next trip out of sight will be COS. Our Close of Service Conference... stay tuned.
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