Global Practicum Melnik - Day 3

 March 25, 2026

​

Leaving Kavala was bittersweet. Many of us felt it was too short a stay, yet we also wanted to see what was next in store for us as we ventured towards Melnik. The day was gorgeous. We could finally see the landscapes of Bulgaria - the rolling hills and far off mountains. Throughout the trip, you can also see the variety of homes both built and lived in and abandoned throughout the country side. The sites were beautiful and also devastating at times. 

As we approached Melnik, the roads grew a little more narrow until we approached a narrow road, meant for on only a vehicle, that weaved through a small establishment where people lived and worked. Our tour bus, driven by the most talented driver I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know, was able to squeeze through this narrow passage way carefully but expertly. Once past this narrow passage, we ventured up through the mountain towards the Melnik pyramids and Rozhen Monastery. This humble monastery had deep brown woods with white painted bricks that protected a courtyard of green grass embedded with stones throughout its walkways with the quaint church at its center. 

The grounds had various plants, flowers, and trees throughout the interior and had two lovely cats that welcomed us to its grounds. 

Inside the church, you walk into a chamber where the temperature is noticeable lower than the outside. Here you can light a candle for your loved ones, similar to the cathedral in Sofia, and donate money to the monastery. Once inside the church, Bulgarian culture, history and religious worship adorns every aspect from the frescoes on the walls, the traditional chandelier, the seating and prayer chambers. 

I stole a few pictures of the interior to remember how elaborately detailed these historically significant sites can be. After taking in the Monastery I strolled out to take in the beautiful landscapes of Melnik, the pyramids, as the Melnik call it, and the vast openness of the lands before me. Just down the street, within walking distance of the

Monastery stood a small church, the Church of the Holy virgin said to have frescoes from the 16th-18th century.  We departed towards the village of Melnik, with inhabitants less than 400 people total. As we approached the small town, the roads became dirt and our hotel was at the mouth of the village on a path leading up. Hotel Melnik is a beautiful structure boasting similar architecture of the deep brown woods and white painted walls. Contemporary things like elevators won’t be found in this small village so be prepared to walk, climb stairs, and have uneven pathways. Besides the physicality required to navigate through this town, it is quite the site to see. Breathtaking hills, beautiful architecture, delicious foods, and a history that is rich with wine merchants and various cultures that came through this small town. 

After we grabbed our room keys and dropped off our luggage, we were set to meet at the Bistro Melnik. It was a gorgeous day, with blue skies (clouds were rolling in but the sun was still shining), and the temperature was perfect. A group of us wanted to sit outside while half the group opted sit indoors. I partook in the fresh air and the company. Leo and I decided to share a meal because the server mentioned it was good enough for two people, so we go the veal satch. Josh ordered the lamb satch and for the table we ordered the fries which was topped with shredded feta. I’ve never had feta like this, and the fries were some of the best I’ve ever had. When our meal came out, the clay pans were sizzling allowing us to take in the aromas as it was being brought to our table. We shared or meals with the table since it was much larger than I expected and it was at this table that I realized I loved satch. I wish we had more Bulgarian cuisine in the US  because this is what I would order regularly.  We were running late to the tour of the Kordopulov house, a large Bulgarian home build in 1754 that reflects what life was like in this century. It boasted a basement wine cellar where you can partake in wine tasting. 

The home was exquisite and had a number nooks hidden behind walls and on the roof was an accurate sun dial and a lovely little calico cat that was one of the friendliest cats I’ve encountered on this trip. All she wanted was some scratches and love and I was happy to oblige her.

While on the rooftop, we noticed a staircase and a building on top of the mountain across from us. While we finished our wine tasting and the tour of the dark dank wine cellar, I overheard Dr. Bieri ask if there were others that were interested in a hike. 

I’m always up for a hike, but it may not sound like I do if you’re the person with me while we hike. Because of my asthma I am a mouth breather and I’ll sound like I’m dying, but really enjoy the challenge. It means I’m not dying 😊. All in all, there were eight of us, our two tour guides who led us to the path where we can see the historical sites of Saint Nicola Church and Despot Slavova Fortress, Dr. Bieri, and five students. Two of us were more than prepared either with the right shoes or the right training 😂. Thank goodness because there was a patch of the hike that was steep and slick and my shoes were not hiking shoes. On the way down, I hear Leo call my name which halted me in my tracks. The gentleman that he is, he told me to hold on because I didn’t have the right shoes and it was unsafe for me. He was right. I felt much better with him ahead of me. As we were heading down the slope, I hear Ismael coming down quickly and then slowing as he approaches Leo and I while he’s also coaching me on the best way to descend the slope. Clearly I was not bending my nears or moving my feet in a zipzag pattern. I wasn’t ready for that, so slowly in a linear way, I continued down the path to stable ground with Leo’s help. It was a lovely hike. One I would like to do again if I’m lucky enough to do it in this lifetime. If not, at least I have photos to remember the experience. Melnik is a town that has captured my heart. Rich with history, delicious foods, hikes and a quiet life that one could only dream of. 

 

​

​

​

​

​

Global Practicum - Pre-Departure

March 22-23, 2026

​Pre-Departure

Leaving home was a mix of excitement, uncertainty, and dread. I’ve wanted to travel to other countries but I’m always with family. I have a bucket list of places I want to go and I know that I won’t be able to go to them all if I wait on family to be available. The excitement comes from traveling on my own and seeing if I can do it. The “seeing if I can do it” is also dreadful to think about. What if I can’t do it? What if I get so scared, I have an awful time and can’t come back home? Could that even happen? In any case, I committed to this practicum and I always follow through on things I commit to, so here I go.

Departure Day

Jimmy took me to the airport. I was so thankful for that because he was the last person familiar before I head into unfamiliar territory. The first leg is easy. I’ve been to the DC airport (IAD) so there were no anxious thoughts and I felt good. However, I never traveled internationally out of DC so that part was new for me. Thankfully, it wasn’t too complicated to navigate, it did consist of a lot of walking and at least one bus ride. I had a little bit of time before the flight to Vienna, Austria so I wondered around a bit, got some chocolates for my professor so I can honor the pasalubong, and listened to Project Hail Mary until it was time to board. I upgraded my flight to premium so I could have a bigger seat but really, I just wanted less people around me. It did help to have more leg room so that I can have most of my stuff with me and there is more room around your seat to move around freely within the cabin. Unfortunately, my seat was in the middle section of the plane so leaning on a wall was not something I could do which for me, is a requirement and prevented me from getting any sleep on the longest leg of the trip - an 11 hour flight! No problem though, the last flight from Vienna to Sofia was a different story. It was a short flight, but long enough to catch a nap before getting to Sofia. 

Arriving in Sofia

Landing in Sofia was a little disorienting. I followed the flow of traffic to baggage claim. I believe I may have skipped customs OR maybe I didn’t. Either way, I didn’t pass through a check point like I did in Vienna where they reviewed my passport, in Sofia. Before I knew it I was at baggage claim. I got my luggage and followed the flow of traffic again to the green signs that said, nothing to claim, and followed the crowd to an area where I could see cars. I searched for  signs to taxi and was approached by an older, scruffy looking man who asked me if I wanted a taxi. That was a bit sketchy so I ignored him and went to a Taxi kiosk and ordered a taxi. Right outside the doors where the kiosk was, the taxis were all waiting there. By the time I got out, a man came up to me and asked if I wanted a taxi and I said yes and then he said my name and I knew that was my taxi driver.  Thank goodness! Because the little paper the kiosk spat out was still in my hand and I would not know what to do if the taxi driver hadn’t approached me. The ride to the Hilton Sofia was about 17 minutes and cost about 13 euros. My peers all had much more expensive cab rides so I’m grateful the guy I had didn’t scam me out of more money. I gave him a 20 and said thanks and proceeded to the entry, a rotating door  that led into one of the most breathtaking Hilton’s I’ve ever stepped into. 



The entire entry is illuminated by the natural light since the entire entry are floor to ceiling windows. The color themes gives off luxury nature with deep browns and shades of olive green and hints of blue. Textures of nature adorn every aspect whether it’s a sculptured flowers, planted trees, floral arrangements, or wood paneling. The space is open with quaint seating pods throughout its lobby. Checking in at a Hilton is a similar experience than other Hilton’s with the added requirement for our passports, so no issues at check in but my room was not ready so I parked myself at the restaurant and had hummus and the most delicious pita I’ve ever had. The pita was toasted on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.  Each time I put one in my mouth, I wondered how they got it to be so toasty without compromising the softness of the inside. The hummus was equally delicious. There were three flavors but I particularly enjoyed the beets. I know, who likes beets. Well apparently Bulgarians and I do. 

​

By this time, around 2pm, I was exhausted. It was hard to keep my eyes open. I finally got to my room around 3pm and we were due to meet with the group at 4pm to start the tour of Sofia. I politely asked Dr. Bieri if I could pass and meet them at dinner so I could take a nap and she kindly said yes. Thank goodness, Dr. Bieri offered that Courtney also was not going on the walk and that we could possibly taxi together. So I message Courtney to see if she wanted to go to dinner together and she said. Yes! 

​

Courtney recently had ankle surgery so she passed on the walk to ensure she could protect her ankle. During the short trip to the restaurant I learned that Courtney works for Indiana Tech as a Dean of online learning and that she had completed writing her dissertation and is due to defend it, likely at Spring Immersion. We both became fast friends and I often checked in with her throughout the trip to see if she needed anything and if her ankle was okay. This is a habit of mine any time I have social anxiety. It helps me when I am productive, I have purpose, to remove the anxiety I feel with interacting with people I don’t know. It also stem from me being Filipino. It is the most natural way for me to interact, is to take care of others.

​

When we arrived at Egur Egur, an Armenian restaurant in downtown Sofia, no one else had gotten there yet. It was a great opportunity for me to observe the building’s architecture, which seemed to be an old home transformed into the restaurant. As you walk up the brick stairs into a narrow double door foyer, there is a room to the left that was the designated bar area, and a long hallway with rooms on each side of the hall. Each room is set up with tables to accommodate intimate sections of small groups allowing for parties to be together if needed or for a more intimate setting like a date night. Our group got a room to ourselves which was wonderful. The table was already set with all the appetizers that Dr. Bieri had picked out for us and beautifully displayed. So we sat there chatting until we saw Dr. Bieri walk in. She said that the group is at the church and asked if we would like to join them. The church was the Cathedral Saint Alexander Nevsky. Courtney and I walked back with Dr. Bieri to the church passing sculptures and vendors still on the street. This portion of the street was also closed off from traffic allowing for more pedestrian movement throughout its square. 

The church, a Cathedral, is a beautiful structure with turquoise and gold domes spread across the tops of its structure. Built between 1904-1912, it is said to have been built to honor Russian soldiers. It is considered Neo-Byzantine architecture with Bulgarian stone carvings, Italian marble, and Venetian mosaics throughout the church. This was the first time I stepped into a Bulgarian church. It is both noticeably different and similar to other cathedrals in Europe. Unlike others, there are no seatings and any that are there are are for the elderly. Long stemmed candles can be lit for loved ones depending on if they are alive or deceased and the placement of the candles will depend on this distinction. Those that are still alive, will be placed high, and those that are gone are placed low. The chandelier is also a center piece of Bulgarian culture and typically hangs in the center of the church. From the ceiling, the light fixture extends from intricately crafted metal, designed beautifully, links are typically shaped with a clover shape that extend to create a belt like stem and these link together until the appropriate height is met. The marble floors are

After a few minutes of soaking in the cathedral’s beauty, I was formally introduced to our group, including Dr. Bieri’s spouse. Quietly we said our hellos and shook hands with those that were near, and polite nods of acknowledgement who were not in immediate reach. After we left the cathedral to walk back to the restaurant, we were able to have a more intimate introduction with normal voices. It was lovely to hear of the diversity in our group, the wide range of where people lived, their background, and the many different accents everyone had. It truly energizes me when I’m around people from different ethnicities. 

Back at the restaurant, we enjoyed our meal with delicious Armenian food. The most memorable was the homemade Kyopolou dip , which is muddled roasted eggplant, roasted peppers, parsley, garlic, olive oil and spices. I could have eaten the whole bowl myself.  We spent hours chatting and learning about each other, asking questions about our studies, where we were at in the program, and what we plan to write a research on. After dinner, Courtney and I set out to catch a cab, Nevin, Dr. Bieri’s spouse and the restaurant were nice enough to help us order the taxi. On our way back, Leo, my new friend, decided to ride along with us back to the hotel. Together we got to know each other a little better in the cab ride back to the hotel before retiring for the night. The next day, we were due to meet at 8am to start the day’s activities.

​

​