A bit of Bulgaria in Minnesota

At what appears to be just the right time, we have discovered (with some help), an incredible resource located not more than 10 minutes from where we live.

There is a Bulgarian school, which is run by (very dedicated) parent volunteers, the purpose of which is to "to support and conduct education of Bulgarian language, history, culture, folklore, and customs in the Twin Cities area." They borrow space from a Greek Orthodox church not too far from us, and have wholeheartedly welcomed Bogomila (and the rest of us).

It is a wonderful resource for all of us - we have spent a few hours with them for the last two Sundays, and Bogomila LOVES being able to talk in Bulgarian with real live Bulgarian people. It has been neat for me to meet some new people who are interested in our daughter, and are freely offering themselves to help her through the transitions ahead of us. One lady has three daughters - one in her early twenties, and twins who are a year older than Bogomila. She has given Bogomila her phone number and said she can call her anytime she needs to up until 1am. She is hoping to get together sometimes with Bogomila and her younger daughters. Another woman has invited our family over for dinner this Saturday! (Yes, all eleven of us!) Bogomila is looking forward to real Bulgarian food and Bulgarian conversation. Leah and Rinnah are looking forward to playing with their two daughters who they met the first week we were at the Bulgarian school.

As Bogomila works through what it means to leave behind everything she knows, it is invaluable to have real people right here who share her love for Bulgaria in a personal way, and who are sympathetic to the cause of helping to guide a young woman as she tries to begin to find her way in the world.

[If you can believe it, it took me at least five sittings to complete this short post! I will continue to try to post updates, but not nearly as frequently as I was able to when Mira was still in the hospital! But I don't think I will hope for another long in-patient stay just to get the time to write!]