Saturday 24. On a plane…again…though for pleasure this time, not business. I used to hate flying. I had to mentally prepare for it weeks in advance and my husband still bears the scars of where my fingers gripped him too tightly on the take-off. We are returning from skiing (and some touring) in the Austrian Alps. We questioned the snow coverage during this global warming crisis, but there was definitely enough on the glaciers. But just to make sure, they employed the assistance of the snow blowing machines at night.

We are sore, achy, tired, but thrilled and exhilarated at the same time. The vacation far exceeded our expectations. And we needed it.

The new airport/old airport drama continues. For whatever reason, our plane landed at the new airport and then taxied all the way over to the old one - no short distance. We all got a good look at the new terminal, almost as if they were dangling the possibility that we would one day get to use a shiny, fully functioning building. Ha. I laugh at the notion.

Sunday 25. I head out to re-stock the barren refrigerator. I am starkly reminded that I'm not in Austria anymore. Everything was clean and well-kept there. Here, I see trash and graffiti all around me. Even after more than half a year here, I still do not understand the lack of pride in the city. Why all the litter? Why the graffiti? I understand that teenagers will be teenagers, but back home, there are always volunteer groups re-painting and cleaning it up. Surely there is a way to do something similar here? But why don't people take the initiative? I guess I could ask myself the same question. Why haven't I taken the initiative? I suppose I feel like Just A Visitor here and when I leave, it will just return to its original state, though even I know that's not an acceptable excuse.

Monday 26. All the daylight hours lost to doing post-vacation laundry, my least favourite task. Blech. But in the evening I head out to a friend's art show. There was more pomp and circumstance surrounding it than I had expected. Had I known, I might have chosen a better outfit. Oops. The works were fantastic. I really enjoyed the show, and the gathering afterwards at a Chinese restaurant. A much needed break from the laundry nightmare. What I wouldn't give right now for a clothes dryer to speed up the process and keep my house from looking like a fabric store with random clothing lying all around.

Wednesday 28. Tomorrow is the Baba Marta celebration with the bracelets, and I know the tradition, but I have never participated before. I imagine it is like Valentine's Day back home. The kids all bring cards to hand out and there is always one poor kid who doesn't have any and feels left out.
I don't want my husband to be the left-out kid at work, so I call and ask his partner what I should get so that he can participate. We have difficulties communicating on the phone, normal for two people who don't speak each other's language very well. It's hard to fully understand when you can only rely on your auditory sense. He's not understanding when I say "bracelet" so I minimise it to "red and white strings", then he chuckles at me. He tells me how many to get so we can "play" with the others tomorrow. Popa is swarming with people like I have never seen, so I keep walking until I find less crowded tables and make my purchases. We are ready!

Thursday 1. What a pleasant "holiday" this is. Everyone is in a good mood, wishing each other good health, tying on bracelets. It helps that the sun is out and it's warm. We have been travelling so much, I wasn't sure we would be here for this occasion, but luckily we are. It's definitely one of the high points of my time here. Too bad we don't have this tradition at home. Could you imagine it? Awaiting spring to come in San Diego, where there really is no winter? Really, there are no seasons to speak of, just warm and warmer, which isn't sounding so bad right now…

This is also my mother's birthday. She passed away nearly 11 years ago and we always shared our birthday celebrations. I am relieved to find a new reason to celebrate the day. All the good cheer lifts my spirits, and my husband and I spend his lunch/dinner hour laughing and joking around.

Saturday 3. Yet another office move today. This time up to Lozenets, in a place twice the size of the current location. This is the second move since we've been here. I should be excited - this is a sign of business growth - but I detest moving.

I am reminded of when we bought our house a couple years ago. I swore I would not move again, that when I died, I just wanted to be buried in the yard there. Yet, here I am, all my possessions back home in a storage unit, just some clothes, a computer and a dog here with me. I spent all last summer packing up my house and classroom to prepare to move here, and I will spend this autumn unpacking it all and moving back in. Kind of ironic for someone who hates moving. Similar to my monthly airplane rides when I hate flying. Hmmm…seems to be a pattern…