The Game is ON!

Hello again, everyone! Once again it's been a while since my last blog post. And there is a reason: Uni Year 2 is ON, full speed ahead! Everything is intense, challenging, and overwhelming, all in a very good way (for now; wait till it's time to get grades back... ;) I'm taking four 300-level courses (= a whole lot of work) and one 100-level course (an art course, which is great).

My classes are Principles of Marketing (how to create a great marketing campaign for a product of our choice), Organizational Behaviour (the psychological side of successful management), Research and Writing Methods (writing long research papers... again!), Video Production (where we get to make our very own short clips/movies), and Making Your Mark (the art course). In the mean time, I'm also working in the Admissions office again (10 hours per week) and I'm one of the Peer Leaders in our FYS program. FYS (First-Year Seminars) is a new program they introduced this year for all the new students. Basically, instead of taking Rights, Choices, and Values (an obligatory Gen-Education class), students choose a first-year course based on their interests. In the course, they learn things about their particular concentration (eg History of Film, Invisible London, Identity and Culture) and they also get advice from a professor and a student (yay, this is where I come in) on how to be successful in Richmond. I think it's fun and I would have preferred to have that instead of Rights, Choices and Values.... The FYS thing is only 1 hour per week though I still get paid for that.. So all in all, this semester will be great in terms of financial outcome, great in terms of knowledge I will gain, and hell in terms of keeping up my GPA :) Oh well..

So far I've been in London for 4 weeks (2 of which were dedicated to Orientation Prep and to the actual Orientation). That was a fun time! I got to meet so many new people! The preps (ha, preps, I'm still thinking in ACS terms...), I mean freshmen, are amazing! Most of them are very friendly, excited to be here, and happy about everything that's going on around them. I love that! Of course, there are some other kids who are depressed and pessimistic, but you can never expect everyone to love their University.

Richmond is a young university, and the best thing about that is that we all are part of the rapid improvements happening here. Just over one summer, the school changed so much! We have new ID cards (which we'll be able to top up with cash), a newly refurnished Common Room, one new Residence Building, mail boxes for all people on campus, and other random things. I love it! There are so many opportunities for improvement here, so I'm glad I'm a witness/participant in this process.

I've been really sleepy though. It's mainly cause I haven't been getting a whole lot of sleep recently... ah, 300-level courses... :) I think I'm going to go to sleep now (well, in a bit - it's 9:30 pm now which is unbelievably early for a bedtime for someone like me). I'm up for the challenge! :D

Okay then... I'll finish this entry here. I hope you're all doing great! I miss you all! Love, Marty

Kopler's Adventure

This is a short story I wrote a few days ago... I was in the mood for writing. It's not so much an action-packed story (not at all action-packed, really); I was trying to describe nature and the environment and provoke an emotional response from people that way. Read this if you want to/have the time :)
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It was rare that Kopler would go out on such a chilly morning. The sun was barely caressing the frosty ground, making every ice crystal glimmer playfully. There was snow on some of the trees, yet it had frozen so deeply that it would take much more of that precious sunlight to give the snow back its puffy nature. A light mist was wallowing close to the grass. The only sound coming from afar was the faint whizzing of gusts of wind.

Kopler kept walking, his hooves crushing the ice beneath him. He had a determined walk, slow but steady. The crisp air made his breathing hard and there was frost over the fine whiskers on his muzzle. His flaxen mane, always soft and shiny, was now stiffer than usual because it was covered by a thin layer of cold snow and ice. His chestnut body glittered in the sun.

Most horses would have given up on that journey long before; but Kopler did not. He was not bothered by the frost or the chill. Contrary to what others would think, the Haflinger was happy to be there, on that lonely streak of land. As he strode on, he observed the scarce pine trees which had made this remote ridge their home.

Suddenly, he stopped. His ears were alert and he was sniffing the air. Something else was out there with him. It was odd, Kopler thought, that any other creature he knew would follow uphill, so he decided he best stay on guard, prepared to face an enemy, perhaps. He heard a rustling sound coming from one of the pines. Quickly, he turned his eyes to the tree only to see a cheerful squirrel jump from branch to branch. He was not the only one on that ridge after all. The horse took a deep breath of relief and was glad that his senses were mistaken that time.

He continued walking, evidently with great effort; he got to a much steeper part of the ridge. Every now and then he would glance behind his shoulder. In the distance, far away, he could see a small, green spot which was the valley he came from. He was the leader of a group of Haflingers who lived up in the mountains of South Tyrol. His herd was the most famous one in the area. It was his herd that had been formed generations ago by four of the wisest horses and mares that ever roamed this land. Back then, the mountains were the home of thousands of free horses; at present, wild horses are no longer common. Kopler’s friends and family constituted the largest group of wild horses left in Tyrol. They had survived because they learned to endure harsh conditions and to escape from the taming clutches of man.

Kopler looked up the hill and stronger rays of sunlight blinded him. He closed his eyes and no longer saw the rays of light; yet he felt them, gently touching his sensitive skin, melting the frost from his mane and nose. The air felt warmer by the minute. As if he had absorbed energy from the sun, the Haflinger paced up into a vigorous gallop. Droplets of water now glistened on his chestnut body; his coat shone brightly; his mane and tail glided in the air. The rhythmic thumping of his hooves echoed in the hollows.

What kept him going was not the sun; it was what soon laid out in front of him. He had reached the end of his journey, and also the end of the ridge. Below him were daunting cliffs with sharp edges and creepy caves carved into them… and beyond the cliffs, was a magnificent view.

Basking in the early sunlight in the distance were the distant peaks of the Alps. Like guards surrounding a treasure, they stood aloft, looking down on a peaceful valley where pine trees grew tall and the grass was greener than ever. As though it was created by the hand of an artist, amidst the trees there was a turquoise lake. The trees, the mountains, the sky, and the orange sun were all imprinted on the lake’s surface. With water clear as the air itself, the lake was one of the most beautiful sights Kopler had ever seen.

Kopler was the oldest and wisest of all horses in his heard. He had been a leader for many years and he only brought joy and bliss to his fellow Haflingers. They respected and admired him. His courage, stamina, and wit were unsurpassed. Kopler had left a mark in everyone’s hearts.

He looked at the breathtaking view once more, then smiled. Kopler remembered that his grandfather had gone to see the lake and never came back; his father took over the heard. The same happened with Kopler and his own father…

He felt thirsty and knew there was one place where he could quench his thirst… and he leapt towards the magical lake…

He had known all along this was the last time he would be looking at the sunrise.

Back to Richmond!!!

Hi everyone! I'm back at Richmond, hooray! I came here early to help out for student orientation with a whole bunch of other people :D It's gonna be a busy week, but right before things get really busy, here's a short blog entry with some photos that I took on my first day at Uni. Ah, Red House... Always nostalgic about it... I moved to Montford House now...

Richmond through the trees.

Richmond through some flowers.

Our dear library.

The two school vans, the two big pine trees, and our main building.

One of the 'dark paths' on campus ;)

Again, Richmond through the trees... Can you already tell I was looking for weird spots for picture taking?

I just liked the orange light hitting the pine tree.

Part of our library behind a green curtain.

Where bush and chimney coincide... :)

And our beautiful Richmond sunset, as seen from Montford house.

Last Night in Sofia

1:19 a.m.

It's my last night in Sofia before I fly off to London tomorrow at 2 p.m.

I spent today with my family. We had a tasty lunch with Mom, Dad, and my two grandfathers. My Mom's father came to Sofia from his village just to say bye to me. After lunch and all the goodbye's, I felt so tired that I went straight to bed. I slept like a rock. I hadn't had too much sleep in the past few days, though I'm happy I did all I managed to do while avoiding sleep. Two hours worth of napping hit the spot. I was up and running again, walking my beloved pooch. In the evening, Mom came to help me pack a bit. I had prepared all my clothes in advance (which was a miracle in itself - no procrastination!) and we only had to stuff it all in the suitcase... We did, and the suitcase is about 5 kilos overweight. I also have a smaller bag for cabin luggage and a handbag. Aside from that little load, I have a few HUGE bags of stuff I left back in the UK last year... And now I need to take all those back... Gulp. I doubt there'll be enough space in my room... Oh well.

To fight the post-packing trauma (haha), I decided to watch a movie. In this case, I chose 'Eight Below' which is a sad movie about sledding dogs. Yes, I cried... yes, I can't stop thinking about those dogs... and yes, I went and cuddled with Rex for a while after the movie ended.

It was an emotional night. I'm just about ready to call it a night and go to bed. I have to wake up moderately early tomorrow... Sigh.

I'm so excited to go back though!!!! :D:D Year two, here we come!! Minus the packing, waiting at the airport, dragging the luggage around, and getting initially settled in, the rest of the day should be brilliant!

See, now all of a sudden it's 2:12 a.m. I've been doing stuff... Late at night. Chatting, wasting time, not sleeping cause I don't feel like it... But maybe now would be a good time to finally call it a night (the previous time I wrote that sentence, it was 1:25 a.m.). Anyway, the next post will be a London post! See you then!! :D

Beautiful Vermont

We left NYC for Vermont on Tuesday. It took us 3 1/2 hours to get there, but the drive was gorgeous, lush, and green... Well, I missed some of it sleeping (I tend to fall asleep in a car when I'm in the back seat and not driving), yet what I saw on the way there reminded me of Bulgaria in a way.

Soon we came to some cute towns in a beautiful residential area... One of those towns was Dorset, set next to Manchester, VT. Namely Dorset was the place where Cynthia and Donald have their lovely home (see below). Before we went up to the house, we drove around town so that I could get a feel for the neighborhood. After New York, everything seemed so small and short there, yet there was an air of peace, tranquility, and beauty that you can't really 'breathe' in NYC. All around us was green and bright, fresh and natural; there were valleys, hollows, and mountains. That was certainly a great area to do some hiking around. We concluded our brief tour of the town only to continue with a complete tour of Cynthia and Don's house.

I slept in the main house where we also had most of our meals. It was spacious and very nicely decorated, of course. Every room had its own character and story behind it. Aside from the main house, there was a barn (a.k.a. the Party Barn where Donald had his own bar, pool table, fire place, TV and other cool little things that ensured that the only mood that could possibly persist in the barn was happiness and amusement); a guest house, smaller than the main house; and a pool house, smaller than the guest house... Naturally, the pool house came complete with a pool. All of that was surrounded by a grassy lawn with trees, and amidst a lush forest. If there was one place where a person could forget the busy city life and get some peace and quiet, that was definitely it.

(The main house)

The last thing we went to see was Cynthia's blooming flower garden which was right next to the guest house. As we were admiring the blossoming day lilies, the door to the guest house was opened and out popped two little girls, Sarah (6) and Ava (3) and their parents Nancy and Paul. Nancy's Don's stepdaughter and she had come up to Vermont with her family a few days ago. We spent the next couple of days having fun together. That same day, we had a tasty dinner together after which I went to bed with the intention of watching Night at the Museum... However, I fell asleep 10 minutes into the movie...

(Everyone in the barn; Left to right: Don, Cynthia, Nancy, Ava, Paul, and Sarah (yeah and me))

We had brave plans for the next day: how we would wake up, have a quick breakfast, and then go for a hike somewhere, or for a run, or something along those lines. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans... It rained all day. We didn't get to leave the house much, but we had fun inside. I was sitting with the girls, drawing tons of doggies and horseys and what not... :) I got to know Nancy and Paul a bit better since we had a lot of time to sit and chat. I was also busy with my new toy which had arrived the evening before... My new camera... :) Hehe. Even though it was raining, I still took a ton of photos, inside and outside the house, and basically of anything that crossed my path. I was testing out my Digital SLR walking around like a paparazzi. It seemed to me that we had a long day, but it was enjoyable. I was happy to be spending time Cynthia, Don, and the rest of the gang at Vermont. Another dinner; another early night. I didn't even attempt to watch a movie that night.

(The view from Cynthia's front porch - very mystical in the clouds and rain)

The next morning was brighter than the day before, so we used the opportunity to drive down to town where we had to do some shopping. Before we did that, though, Cynthia and Don were very understanding of my obsession with horses, so they took me down to a big horse show that was happening in Manchester. Was I excited! I had my camera ready and everything, and did not stop taking pictures from the moment we walked in the show area to the moment we left (which was just about the time when the rain started pouring in again).

After I had my fix of horses, we decided to go for lunch at a local restaurant which had a rooster as its 'mascot'. We had a good meal, then hurried back to our through the rain, did a quick scoop of some nearby shops, and then went back to the house. It was raining again and the best thing we could all do was rest. I went up to my cozy room and snuggled in bed. I watched a movie for a while then took a little nap. When I woke up, it was just about the right time for us all to go meet at the barn. We were planning on having a fun evening starting with some cocktails in the barn and moving on to supper at a famous restaurant in town. This time our plan worked out perfectly, resulting in a pleasant evening which also happened to be my last night together with Cynthia and Don... I was about to leave Dorset early on the next morning to go to NYC and JFK (and possibly some other abbreviations). This was a special last night that also left a pleasant memory in my mind. The evening ended with sparklers outside in the yard.

(The barn in the sun)

Yes, the sun did finally come out.. on the day I was leaving :S Of course :) I woke up early in the morning since I had to be ready for the car that was picking me up from the house at 9 a.m. Even though there were bits of sunlight here and there, this morning wasn't the happiest one I've had... I didn't want to leave yet! But sadly, the tickets were booked, the car was coming on schedule, and my parents were anxiously waiting for me to go back home and tell them all my wonderful stories.

It was time to say goodbye to my friends... But you see, it's not that hard when you know you're going to meet up with them again someday somewhere... :) So instead of goodbye, this was merely a see you later. :) When I left Vermont at 9 a.m., I was the happiest person on Earth, and oh so grateful that this happened to me!!!

(Flowers in Cynthia's garden)

Of course the long car drive, and the long flight, and the lack of sleep, and seeing the dirty-ish Sofia streets were not really part of the 'great side' of my trip, but it was easy to ignore those things just by thinking of the magical week that just passed...

Thanks again, Cynthia and Don!

Photos from NY

One of many skyscrapers.

Times Square during the day.

Cynthia and I in front of the Minskoff theater.

Crowded Times Square at night.

Cynthia, Don, and I

Empire State Building and Night-time New York

A single NYCab

Wall Street

Cynthia and I

The gondola ride in Central Park

If you want to see more photos, go to http://flickr.com/photos/8665528@N06/sets/72157600987483330/

:)

New York, New York!!

Ah, yes, the most memorable event of this summer was my trip to New York City!
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The two people I have to thank are Cynthia and Donald Murphy who were so kind to invite me over to their home and show me around the city. I had never been to New York before, and I had never been on the East Coast of the US, so as you can imagine I was super excited just at the thought that I was going to fly over there!

It all started one sunny morning on July 13 in Sofia. To make the day more 'significant', July 13 had to be a Friday. If I were superstitious I would probably refuse to get on the plane, but I wasn't even thinking about that... The only thing lurking in my mind was the fact that I was on my way to NYC and that life was perfect at that moment. I was flying with the Czech airlines, so we made a stop at Prague for one hour before heading over the ocean. I love flying, so I didn't have any issues with the long flight time or the occasional turbulence; the only source of minor annoyance was the very talkative old Bulgarian lady sitting next to me. She made sure that I didn't have a lot of time 'alone with my thoughts' by constantly telling me her life story, how poor she was, why she's flying over to the States, how the Bulgarian government is horrible, and so on, and so on. That set aside, I had a lovely trip and, although I had managed to refrain from freaking out (in a good way) from all the pre-NY adrenaline that was running through my veins during the flight, I could not contain the final burst of emotion that came over me once I saw a glimpse of New York City as we approached JFK airport... My eyes were glistening and I had a big grin on my face.

Minutes later, we landed. Going through customs and passport control was quick and easy. I hadn't been to the US in 8 years. I was shocked and amused at the same time when I saw how many precautions the US government had taken before admitting foreigners into the country... Fingerprints, mug shots (haha, almost), extra security - I felt like I was a convict or something.

I guess I didn't look suspicious, so my trip through passport control was quick and painless. I walked out into the visitors' area where Cynthia greeted me. I was so happy to see her again! A few moments later, we were off to Manhattan.

The drive was fairly long, but it gave us a good chance of catching up. As we kept getting closer to Manhattan, my excitement grew even more... and then I saw the skyscrapers! Wow, they were impressive, even from a distance. Of course I had seen many movies set in New York so I had an idea of where I was going, yet the actual sight of those super tall structures was absolutely amazing!

Cynthia and Don's apartment was located on a street right between Fifth Avenue and Madison Ave., and across 5th Ave. there was the beautiful Central Park. Everything was incredible! When I walked into the apartment, I was not surprised that it was gorgeous - Cynthia has a great taste for classy interiors! I had my own cozy room with a soft bed and a bathroom. I loved it! Of course I wasn't going to unpack right away... However, I did need a shower after the long flight. Once that was done, Cynthia and I went for a walk in Central Park.

The park was beautiful. It was clean and everything was green! The weather was also perfect, sunny and warm... We saw Balto's statue (that was a special moment for me because I had seen the animated movie about Balto a million times and now I finally saw him for real), Belvedere Castle (which had a gorgeous view and a little Turtle pond in front of it), Bethesda Terrace, the Lake, the Pond, the Boat House restaurant (where we would have dinner one of the following evenings), and various sports fields and foresty areas.

We came back home and prepared to go out for dinner. I had already taken a few steps on 5th Ave. when we walked to the park, but it was not until dinner that I got a more thorough tour of the avenue. As you can imagine, I loved that too! There were people everywhere and it was noisy, yet so alive! We made our first stop at Rockefeller center. This was where we had dinner, at the Sea Grill restaurant. After dinner, we did something which reminded me of going up the Eiffel tower in Paris: we climbed up to the top of one of the buildings on Rockefeller Plaza and had a breathtaking view of nighttime New York. The entire city was lit up; we saw all the famous sights from up high. We were lucky to have gone up to the Top of the Rock (as that view-point was called) on such a clear night. After the elevated sightseeing, we walked back home in the cool evening and went to sleep. I didn't feel very jet-lagged, but how could I when I was in a new, super exciting place?! ... I closed my eyes and went into my first deep NY sleep...

The next day, Cynthia, Donald, and I went on a tour of Lower Manhattan. Don was our tour guide who knew everything about everything around us. We walked down Wall Street, walked on Broadway, saw the World Financial Center and Ground Zero, and naturally went to Battery Park as all true tourists would do. We saw Lady Liberty from a distance and skipped the whole boat ride to the island because it was packed with people who waited in line for the boat. I didn't want to go up close to the statue anyway - I had seen that way too many times in movies and photos. We also went down to the Fulton fish market and the Lower Manhattan Piers where we had lunch in a place called Pier 17 - tasty seafood with a lovely view of the famous Brooklyn Bridge. After walking some more, Cynthia and I got tired because we weren't wearing the best shoes for long walks. We all headed home after lunch for a short rest and to prepare for another special evening.

The agenda for the night was dinner at an Italian restaurant and then a show on Broadway - the Lion King! Dinner was amazing, as was the dessert :) When we finished our meals at A Voce, we went to Times Square where we looked for the Minskoff Theater. There it was, among all other shiny lights and billboards, a huge advertisement of the Lion King. I had wanted to see that show for so long, but I never did that in London... so now, I was thrilled that I was going to watch the show on Broadway in the company of two wonderful friends! The musical was awe-inspiring: everything, from costumes to backgrounds, was done to perfection! Even for someone who doesn't like the actual story about Simba and his friends, it would be worth going just to see the astonishing costumes and to feel the lively atmosphere in the theater. I was overcome with joy! When the show was over, we walked out on a really crowded Times Square. It was beautiful, though, with all the lights and colors and banners and signs glimmering in the night. We took a cab home and went to bed, putting yet another unforgettable day behind us.

Sunday was our 'Central Park Day'. We all went for a power walk in the park in the morning, had a quick lunch at a local restaurant, after which Don had to leave the state on a business trip. Cynthia and I were left alone for the rest of the day and the following day. I wanted to visit a museum, so we decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - which also happens to be in Central Park. The Met was quite large and it took us a while to walk through part of it. We saw art from different ages and of different cultures - and our walk was a bit random since every time we tried to find a certain wing of the museum, we looked at the map, followed the directions on it, and got completely lost. We did see American, Greek, Roman, Pacific, Asian, and Modern Art, some furniture design, some installations, as well as some special exhibitions. Our cultural experience was long and exhausting, but worth it. We went back home to change, then headed back to (can you guess?) Central Park! What awaited us was a more Italian experience: a gondola ride in one of the park's lakes.

Andreas, our gondolier, took us on a short tour of the lake, during which he told us more about the surrounding area and sang Italian classic songs too! We saw the Dakota building where John Lennon lived and was shot, learned that the statue at Bethesda Terrace was one of the first public statues made by a woman, and observed some birds and turtles in the lake. After the gondola ride, we had dinner in the restaurant overlooking the lake - the Boat House. This was our girls' night out and we definitely enjoyed it!

Monday was the official tour guide day. Cynthia had arranged for a tour with a real guide for a change. The guide's name was Dick Swarn, and he was a happy and highly communicative man. He was in love with NY, especially Manhattan. We started the tour on 5th Ave., and walked around for hours, covering major points of interest such as: the NY Library, Grand Central Terminal, Brooklyn Bridge (we walked along the bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan - that was beautiful), Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho and more. The walk was definitely long, yet rewarding. We had dinner at a French restaurant in Soho afterwards and had another lovely evening.

The next morning was short - the day was divided into New York during the first half and driving to Vermont during the second half of the day. In the morning, I did a bit of shopping at a bookstore near the apartment... Coming back to the apartment was significant only in that I was alone, walking down Park Avenue, feeling like a true New Yorker - haha, only I'm not a true New Yorker. Yet at that moment, during the 10 minutes I walked for, I knew that NYC felt right. I can easily picture myself living there at some point in time :) Mom wasn't too happy when I told her that... oh well... I saw New York and I fell in love with it instantly and completely!
***
Coming up... A peaceful paradise - Vermont.