On Friday, January 22 I ran out to the mailbox to check and see if my mission call had come yet. If you ask anyone in my family you will understand that I NEVER check the mailbox so this alone was a big deal. I had already had a disappointment of going to the mailbox Thursday afternoon and finding no mission call but I KNEW it was going to come sometime this week! So Friday at 4:00 I finally went to the mailbox and checked to see if it was here.... and IT WAS! I was so excited that I sprinted back into my house... of course I was the only one home so I dialed my mom and of course.. she did not answer so I called Chantal, my sister. I told her hurry come over I got my mission call and I can't open it alone! Soon after that phone call my brother Alex just happened to stop by the house so he was able to be there as well! Finally, mom picked up and she headed straight home (without picking up the kids)! The only person left that needed to be here was Abuela -so regardless of the fact she probably should not have been driving because of the medication she was taking- she headed over to see me open my call! So finally at 4:40 I was able to open it up with my mom, Abuela, Chantal, and Alex there and Barry, Aunt Sara and Uncle Beau, Papa, The Ho Family minus Matt and with Joe on speaker phone all listening in! I was so nervous and excited to open it up! And it read that I would be serving in the Bulgaria Sofia Mission and learning to speak Bulgarian and I report to the MTC in Provo on May 26, 2010!I am so excited to be serving in this great country! It is such a unique place to be going and such an interesting language to be learning. I am not going to lie that I am a little nervous about trying to speak Bulgarian... for those of you that have heard me attempt to speak Spanish will find it funny that I have to learn Bulgarian!
So for those of you that don't know where Bulgaria is here is a map! Also, keep checking back for an update of what I learn about Bulgaria and the culture!
So far I have learned that Bulgarians shake their head from side to side for Yes and nod their head to say No.. so that is a little different.
Most Bulgarians are Christians- 83% Bulgarian Orthodox Church and 12% Muslim
Kak ste? = How are you
Zdraveite- Hello