Bright-eyed and ready to explore, I headed out early to see what Sofia had in store—and it didn’t take long to be impressed. The city feels fresh and spotless, with beautiful architecture that seems to casually show off at every turn. There’s a lovely sense of calm here. Parks are scattered generously through the centre,…
Day two was already a big upgrade—no cooking chaos in sight! Instead, I spent a peaceful couple of hours in the park chatting with the teachers while watching a group of 5–6 year olds do their thing (which is basically a mix of curiosity, honesty, and comedy gold). One little boy marched straight up to…
So today I may have slightly underestimated what I signed up for. There are about 70 kids at this school… and I’m fairly certain 69 of them are completely feral. I’m not even joking. This afternoon I ran three taco cooking classes: 5 enthusiastic mixed 7-year-olds6 very loud 14-year-old boys4 mixed 13-year-olds Each class was…
Okay… so this is the part where things could go wrong. I had happily agreed to help with cooking classes at the alternative school in Sofia. In my mind, I imagined turning up, smiling politely, and helping the kids follow some well-prepared recipe someone else had organised. Then their message arrived. “To save time you…
Just when I think I finally know what I’m doing… my plans change again. I’ve just been offered a Workaway at an alternative school in Sofia. Now, this is slightly amusing because I’m not normally known for being particularly “child friendly.” Yet somehow I’ve agreed to help teach cooking to children aged 5 to 13.…
Over the past week I’ve been wandering through several of the nearby villages. While they are peaceful and full of character, it’s hard not to feel a little sad seeing the condition of many houses, the roads, and the signs of poverty. It wasn’t always like this. During the communist era, large state farms planted…
Well, sometimes life’s great adventures come with the occasional speed bump. After just ten days in Egypt, Jane’s grand new chapter has taken a bit of an unexpected turn. It turns out that Egypt might not be the perfect match for her—or for the dogs. The excitement of a new country has quickly been replaced…
This weekend, somewhere not too far from where I’m staying in rural Bulgaria, a rather unusual event is quietly taking place. You won’t see posters for it around town, and it definitely isn’t listed on the local tourist calendar. In fact, unless you already know about it, you’d probably miss it entirely. It’s known as…
Today is 3 March, officially the “Day of Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Dominion.” It’s a day to honor the volunteers who fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and helped set their country free. I marked the occasion with a wander to the nearby village of Sredno Gradishte. My path led through sleepy…
Today offered one of those travel moments that lingers long after the dust settles. In the small village of Sredno Gradishte, I noticed two young boys rummaging through a dumpster — a reminder that rural life isn’t always postcard-perfect. Not long after, their father appeared in a horse and cart, rolling in as if from…