My Perfect World

I've found my perfect place. Not Bulgaria, per se, although I really don't want to leave here anytime soon. Where I know I belong is by the ocean or sea.

This is the first time I have lived near a beach and I don't want to have to wait for vacations to experience this. Of course, this isn't exactly real life right now, but when I go back to the real world, a major body of water and a beach better be part of it.

Since we arrived, I've been taking Majerle to the beach each morning right after my first latte. If we get their early, we have most of the beach to ourselves and can walk and run with him off the leash and I've taken to doing stretches from my gymnastics and yoga days. Or I just sit and watch the sail boats and ships go by while Majerle runs around looking for sticks to bury and dig back up. I want to stay there forever. I feel sad leaving the beach even though I'm just going home to have my second latte and then get ready to return in the afternoon for more beach bummin.

This lifestyle has changed me. Lately I listen to almost nothing but Bob Marley, The Beach Boys, Sublime, and songs like Red Red Wine and In the Summertime. I can read for hours. I feel so relaxed and peaceful, especially when the Black Sea is in front of me.

I've always wanted to learn to surf, so we decided this is the time, since we may never again have two months with nothing to do but play in the water. So we're buying a couple of boards and signing up for lessons.

My sister asked me what I like best about Bulgaria. I love so much, the sea & beaches, the people, the post-communist revival, the food, the produce markets, the colorful architecture... but what I love best is this: there are so many beautiful places in the world where people say, "You should have been here before all the tourists came." I feel like we'll be saying that about Varna in a few years and we'll be happy to know we lived here when we were considered the exotic foreigners who took surf lessons, frequented jazz bars, removed ticks from stray dogs, and traveled by bus to Istanbul and by ferry to Ukraine. Or maybe the tourists will never come and we can keep returning here for this inexpensive and free-spirited beatnik lifestyle.