1. World Racers are always on the lookout for cheap food. Well in our town, the fast food of choice is pizza. The pizza stand sells two slices for only 1.50 lev! That’s less than $1.50! Good for my wallet, but not good for my waistline.
2. Trying to communicate with people who do not speak the same language usually involves a lot of body language. In Bulgaria however, we have had to change some of our go to signals. Nodding and shaking your head have opposite meanings here. That’s right. Shaking the head from side to side means yes while nodding up and down means no. Needless to say, we have had some miscommunications more than once.
3. I’m a history nerd, so I always love learning about the history of the places I visit. During 
World War II, Bulgaria fought with the Axis nations; however, it refused to persecute the Jews living within its borders. Our town has a monument to celebrate the Jews’ lives who were saved here as well as the remnants of an old synagogue that was used during that time.
4. Milka. Oh Milka. These delicious candy bars are so good and only found in Europe! My team prides ourselves in all the flavors we’ve tried. My personal favorite is Oreo-filled.
5. The month of March is a national holiday in Bulgaria. Baba Marta or “Grandmother March” is the celebration of spring. Bulgars wear red and white martenitsi on their 
clothing or around their wrists. Traditionally if you see a tree blooming, you take the bracelet off and hang it on the tree. March is definitely a fun month to visit this country!
6. Banichka is by far my favorite food in Bulgaria. This delectable breakfast treat is a pastry filled with cheese. If you ever visit, you absolutely have to try it!
7. Orthodoxy is the main religion most Bulgarian citizens identify themselves with. This church builds some of the most beautiful buildings. They never cease to astound me with their magnificence.
8. Castles are a normal sight all over Europe; however, this American girl still gets excited every time she sees one! This month we get to walk past one every day!
9. Our contact told us that we needed to watch where we walked, and he was right! The typical parking spot is on the side walk, so you have to keep an eye out no matter where you are walking.
10. Being from Alabama, I am used to making eye contact with everyone I walk past; however, in Eastern Europe, you do not look at anyone. Definitely something hard to get used to!
11. The language barrier is always a challenge, and this month we have had fun learning Bulgarian terms. For example, the word that sounds like “coffee” in Bulgarian means “buckets” and the word for “eight” sounds like “awesome." We always get a good laugh out of mixing these words up.
