A few of my favorite things...

As the season has included more rain and storms (storms providing me a private, happy place) I am reminded to note a few of the things I genuinely appreciate about this wacky country I'm living in. Some of them are, in no particular order:

1. storms, especially ones that make the electricity go out
2. walking to work
3. zoning out/reflecting on the long bus rides
4. seeing the country change and develop right before my eyes
5. the universal curiosity of children
6. witty and/or loving text messages
7. Bulgar English/American Bulgarian
8. access to mountains and the beach
9. friends who are excited to see me, and who make sure it happens as often as possible
10. friends I can't wait to see
11. getting to know friends better, seeing each other through good and bad times
    
12. long sits in outdoor cafes
13. seeing my NGO develop and being a big part of that
14. students in my building who are genuinely happy to run into me
15. the smiles I get when I arrive to work
16. online chats that last for hours and hours
17. real, in-person chats that last until we can't keep our eyes open (and even a little after)
18. meeting country people who are tickled to meet an American
19. hiking
20. long walks through my town, others too
21. the people in the veggie market who insist on helping me find the best veggies
22. people I pass who look at me like I'm not from around here, but who think that's just fine
23. second hand clothes stores
24. knowing that I am changing and developing every single day
    
25. the guy who works at my favorite dooner stand
26. Toni and Veneta
27. the moment my bus pulls into Haskovo and I feel like I'm home
28. my growing balcony garden
29. having an evening cup of tea on my balcony
30. reading
31. my local internet server (illegally hosting copies of lots of movies)
32. my Camelbak - well, all my backpacks, really
33. veggies - yum!
34. Plovdiv
35. getting packages and cards
36. sharing music with friends
37. my apartment (when it's clean)
38. taking more pictures
39. taking more time with things and with people
40. detaching from being professionally driven
41. people watching
42. my laptop, my savior
43. candles
44. cheap, good wine
45. waking up in the mountains
46. sunflower and lavender fields
47. picking fruit right off the tree and eating it
    
48. napping
49. losing myself to see what I can recover
50. the best sound in the whole world: genuine laughter