my 12 step program

"Hi, my name is Lisa and I am 39 years old and was afraid to go to Sofia by myself."  That may sound very funny coming from someone who is choosing to live in a different country for 27 months on the other side of the world (I don't have a globe right here but we'll go with it) from where she spent the first 38 years of her life!  A person would think that if I could give up (not how I see it but again, we'll use that for the sake of this blog) the comforts and security my country brings, why is traveling to a big city any different?  Let me elaborate a little on that...  Sofia has trams and trolleys (that go both directions so a person has to be sure they are going the right way or else face a LONG walk back the other direction!) and city busses and lots more cars than I am used to here!!  Plus I have heard stories from other volunteers about getting kicked off trams and such for not having your ticket punched or punched wrong.  Did I mention you have to buy a ticket each time you use public transportation?  It makes perfect sense but only adds to the list of things I have to do!  So I wasn't really "jumping into this trip with both feet."  This is the time where I thank my great friend and fellow volunteer Jez for all her help.   I wasn't nervous or scared when I realized I was leaving the states for B for 27 months, now I don't quite remember-everything was such a blur so my family might have a different opinion, actually I was excited.  I knew I would be exposed to different things and the language was the biggie!  HOWEVER navigating ALONE around a big city was something else!  Coming to B I knew there would be 86 other people in the same boat as me as well as PC staff that would hold our hands.  Not that the staff won't help us, quite the opposite, but things are different now.  So after I arrived Fri am in Sofia I (yes it's true;) )  procrastinated going to find where I needed to go for awhile; the bus station was familiar.  Finally, after giving myself a little pep talk, I set out to not get lost.  You know how you are so afraid of doing some things, even putting them off for fear something will go wrong (I NEVER do that! You can stop laughing right now mom) and then after you do them you think "why was I so afraid to do that, it was no big deal!"  That was kinda how I felt after the trip.  Now of course 2 is always better than 1 and I'm not chomping at the bit to navigate Sofia by myself again but I know I can do it if I have to make a return trip.  Being here another year + I'm kinda sure I'll have to make a, if not several, return trip.(s)  "Hi, my name is Lisa and I am 39 years old and was afraid to go to Sofia alone...but I did it and it really wasn't that scary after all!"  Love and hugs!