Sophie À La Carte!

When I left Rodo’s farm in Hotnitsa last November, I had no planned intention to return, just with the way things were going in my travels. My first experience was pretty great- I was cooking for myself, the first time I had been able to since I started my journey, I had a lot of down time to think and work out some life decisions, and I found wonderful friends amongst the ex-pats that settled in the village. However, I can’t say I was exorbitantly happy at the time, despite all the benefits of being in the village. It was cold and rainy, which meant I cooped myself up inside when I wasn’t working. I didn't really have any incentive to get out of the volunteer house, nor did I make any. I was the only volunteer so I spent a lot of time by myself. Despite all that, though, I overall had a positive experience, especially near the end when I was spending more time with other ex-pats. You can read my initial post about my Hotnitsa farm experience here . Teaser of what's to co

Hello, friends! I write to you all from a familiar spot: the porch of the volunteers house in Hotnitsa, Bulgaria, where I've been for about a week and a half. A steady rain is coming down, not unfamiliar, as it's rained off and on since I've been here. We've had some spectacular thunderstorms and downpours, and the weather makes a lovely background to this blogging session. View from my perch [porch] Anyway, I last left you on the train towards Belgrade, Serbia. I arrived in the late afternoon at the main station and crossed over the river to New Belgrade, where my perennial Couchsurfing host, Ivan, lives. This is my third time in Belgrade and my second time staying with Ivan. The first was a brief encounter; I had twelve hours in the city prior to taking a train to Timisoara, Romania, and we had a lovely traditional dinner (re: filled with sausages) in Zemun, a quick river walk away from Ivan's apartment. However, vegetarianism has changed my diet a