Getting Used to the Cold

So, I had a pretty interesting weekend last weekend. It all started on Thursday night when I realized that the radiator in my bedroom wasn't working and I was freezing. I figured the next night I would sleep in my living room where I have another radiator until I could get this one fixed. Well, then I had a pretty good day going on an excursion to a nearby monastery and some museums with Sonya, a coworker (the one in red in the picture), and her second grade class. It was really cold and snowy, but I had a good time learning about Bulgarian culture. I'm really glad Sonya speaks English because, well because she's a pretty awesome person, but also because she told me some really interesting stories from Bulgarian legends that were depicted in the wood sculptures. Anyway, we had a good time going together, and I told her about my radiator that doesn't work. Well, when I got home that evening I discovered that my other radiator didn't work either and my boiler wasn't working. So no heat and no hot water. It was a crazy cold night. The next morning, Nelly, another coworker (the one in the picture on the left), and her family took me to Pleven, a bigger city with bigger, less expensive stores. Nelly's husband, Mitko, was really great and helped me figure out what the problem was with my heat and water. Apparently, I had both heaters going, the water boiler, and my oven at the same time and you're not supposed to do that in Bulgaria. Ooops! So my fuses blew and I bought some new ones while we were out. I also considered getting a space heater, but decided not to since Peace Corps says we can't have one. Instead, I bought a new, small, portable radiator, and it's awesome. It works better than either of the radiators I have, and is not as likely to blow a fuse because it's new. So now I have heat and hot water and know to use only one or maybe two things at a time between the radiator, water boiler, and oven. And I also know to only use the heat at night and unplug it during the day because it's more expensive during the day. Things are different in Bulgaria, and I think it's going to be a cold winter. But you can get used to anything, right?