| Dear Family and Friends, I have finally discovered the cure for those lonely days when I want nothing more than to just jump on the next plane outta here and come home . . . GO VISIT IVA. For, when I am with my wonderful little host sister, I want nothing more than to stay in Bulgaria for as long as possible. Yesterday was one of those days. It�s not as if I had nothing else to do, but I basically sat in my freezing apartment and fretted. I fretted because life at home is so rapidly changing and I�m missing out, I fretted because I am the only family member forced to miss out on my uncle�s wedding, I fretted because I feel �left out� amongst certain friends, I fretted because Britney broke up with Justin, I fretted because I have watched all of my DVDs so much that I can nearly quote them all word for word, I fretted because my apartment looks like a tornado rolled right through it. I was a mess of anxiety, but those of you who know me well understand that I can quite easily worry myself sick. So, what did I do?! I found myself at my host family�s house, a nearby blessing that I feel privileged to have. When I got to the door, Iva greeted me. �Chantel!� she cried, throwing herself into my arms like a giant rag doll. �It�s my best friend!� I greeted her as I squeezed her small frame. As I took off my shoes to enter the house, Iva bound up the stairs two at a time as I heard her call in the unadulterated joy only capable of an eight-year-old, �Mom, Chantel is here!� And, if you knew Iva, you would know that you can tell exactly what she�s feeling by her face. If she�s happy or excited, her face comes alive with pure liveliness and color as her eyes glow with eclectic enthusiasm; when she�s sad or angry, that happy face falls drastically as her lip juts out and her eyes narrow and become sallow and almost devious. Yesterday, however, she was nearly bubbling over as she dragged me into her bedroom, barely giving me a chance to hug and greet her mother. During Bulgarian winters (which seems to have somehow found us!), we rely on space heaters, wood-burning stoves, or fireplaces to keep us warm. I have yet to find a home with heating and most Bulgarians seem to opt for the wood-burning stove option. We also end up living in one room since, given our options, it�s impossible to heat an entire house or apartment. So, at my host family�s house, the T.V. is moved from the living room to the kids� room and the wood-burning stove within is fully stoked at all times, as the entire family stares dazedly at the T.V. screen all winter. So, this is where we ended up, Iva eager to play and Katya eager to get me into the warmth as soon as possible . . . lest I �freeze to death.� After awhile of visiting and playing contentedly, I found Katya bringing out dishes of piping hot foods as she called me over to the kids� desk to partake and I alleged, �Katya . . . I didn�t come for dinner! You don�t have to feed me, I just came to visit!� But, of course, I had no choice in the matter and I was more than willing to oblige, knowing full well that the table held much more food than if it had just been the family eating, as Katya brought out dish after dish. After dinner, Iva and I settled onto the floor to play Uno, a game I introduced to the kids and a game that they play often, as evidenced by the Uno cards that my parents brought for them. Every time I visit, we are sure to play Uno and, a word of advice, be cautious when playing Uno with Iva! The game starts off like any normal game of Uno, a twinkle lighting up the child�s eyes every time she dishes out a �Draw Two� or a �Skip� card. But, Uno with Iva seems to last forever as she racks up a million cards and then continually makes me draw more cards until my hands are full as well. Before I know it, Iva has too many cards to handle and her little hands are flinging cards all over the place as she pretends to peer at my hand and tell me what �nice� cards I have. She eventually gets a pillow and uses it as a shield, as she lays her deck before her and organizes them by color, being cautious to keep them from my view as I attempt to peak. Her cards are everywhere, a scattered mass of reds, greens, yellows, and blues, with the occasional pile of Wild cards that she refuses to lay down. Then, Iva starts to cheat and cheat badly. She hides piles of cards and pretends that they no longer exist, she tries to lay down more than one card at a time, she sneaks more cards when �nobody is looking.� By this point, it appears as if a tornado has hit Uno and I am lost in the depths of confusion as a wave of giggles attacks the both of us and we end up a debilitated mess on the bedroom floor. The night went on in this matter, until I found myself spending the night in the bed that I called my own during my training summer. Iva and Mitko (her brother) teased each other consistently as only siblings know how, and I watched them delightedly, reliving memories with my OWN brother. I watched as Iva found a piece of paper in her brother�s possessions with a girl�s name scrawled on it and then, after teasing him about having a girlfriend, she left the room with the paper in her hands and then came back a few minutes later to mock her brother with a smirk, �Mom knows!� I laughed as Mitko took a piece of gum from the desk drawer, gum that his sister obviously wanted, and, after teasing her with it, stuffing it rapidly into his mouth as she charged at him. And, then, as I curled up in bed after an eventful evening, I realized how much of a family they have truly become. Sure, there are times when I fret until the cows come home, but I know and believe that a hug and a glowing smile from Iva truly has the power to take it all away. Love, Chantel |
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