A Very Late Report

 

I’m back from Bulgaria, and I don’t have much to show for it, apart from some pictures. For those of you unaware with the details of this leg of the trip, I spent three weeks visiting my aunt and uncle in Dabravino, a remote Gypsy village about an hour away from the Black Sea. During my stay I had plenty of time to draft several stories and essays that I have some potential, but I did not have the time to finish them. Do not fear, because I have no doubt that a few of these anecdotes and essays will make it onto the web.

I had some very unique experiences over there, and since I haven't done a long picture gallery on this blog I figure I can do that instead of write something interesting on, say, IU's official overseas study blog, iuoverseas.wordpress.com, for which I am now a contributor.

 Now for the pictures! 

Beekeeping! It may sound crazy, but I was a beekeeper for a day, a job that entailed smoking them out and examining the frames you see above. The bees were surprisingly docile, and I wasn’t stung once, even when I took off my gloves and mask. For that moment, they may not have cared about my presence, but the piles of dead wasps in front of every hive reminded me that they were murderous little buggers.

 This is a typical Turkish Gypsy wedding. The explosions were intentional.

I visited the remains of an ancient Roman complex. Below is a large mosaic and a wide shot of what's left of it. Not pictured is the litter which fills every open hole, well, and tomb. 

I witnessed a mass stork migration,which was... unique, I guess. It was valuable in the sense that I will never be around so many storks for the rest of my life.

 A highlight was Risk, the favorite pastime among the men of the house. Tempers flared every 30 seconds, and strategy was, to some, subordinate to vengeance. 

Ah yes, and this tooth: 

 It is a fossilized tooth from the shark genus lamna. 

Now, something else happened  that I’ve been trying to put to print. No. I cannot describe the magic show. Perhaps I may eventually find the words to do so, but I must regain my sanity first. A new post will arrive shortly.