For the First Time

Hi guys,

Some of you have already noticed that I haven't posted anything for some time now : ) One of the reasons for that is that I have had a lot to read these days : )

Anyway. With this post I'm starting a series called For the First Time. Every Friday there'll be a new piece : P What can you expect to find in these posts? Good question! The series will be entirely focused on activities and experiences that have happened to me for the first time... in my life or while in the US.

As I have been here for a little more than three weeks now, you can well imagine that a lot of stuff has happened to me during this time. This first post of the series is a review of all new that's happened to me and... comes to my mind while writing about it : P Don't be scared by the size of the post - I think it reads easy and quick. So let's start! I hope you'll enjoy it!

One final thing - I'd be glad to get your feedback on what you think about the post. To share your opinion, simply click on one of the three options after the post and... be honest, please! Shall I finally start now? 

During the last three weeks for the first time in my life...

• I have Painted the Rock, but you already know about that! : )
• I have been to a baseball game - lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes! Half of it wasn't baseball at all, which was good in a way, as our team were playing terrible! Quite an experience it was, though! You could feel the true American atmosphere, you've seen only in the movies.
• I've seen the best firework show in my life - after the Lugnuts had lost the game... Sponsors can sometimes give you a hard time, can't they?
• I have been shot at by a giant hot-dog cannon, shooting hot-dogs of course. Apparently, it missed me.
• I have had pictures with two mascots - Sparty, whom you already know, and Big Lug - the East Lansing Lugnuts baseball team's mascot. For those of you who may not know, a lugnut is a kind of a bolt, used in assembling automobiles. It turns out that many sports teams here have chosen names of automobile parts. Why? Because, as you know Michigan State is the center of the automobile industry in the US. People wanted to contribute in a way. But I was talking about Big Lug - no, he's not a big lugnut. Nothing like that - Big Lug is  a giant purple dinosaur with two big screws as nostrils : )
• I've also been to a football game. Saying football, I mean American football. This was huge! Each one of the teams had around 100 people on it (not simultaneously on the field) and on the music band there were at least 100 people as well! 
• I've heard 80 000 people singing the "Fight Song" : ) My favourite part? "Greeen"!
• I've seen "The Flying Dog" during the half time of the football game, catching frisbees in its mouth, after having to run after them across half the field. It seemed to have been enjoying itself! It was quite excited indeed! So was the crowd after each catch! 
• I've been to a writing workshop... attended by 16 women and only one other man, who was crazy by the way. Average age of the class - 73. And that's including me! Otherwise the average age would simply gone through the roof. We had to present ourselves in the beginning and the lady who started said: "Hi, my name is Joane and I speak loud, as I can't hear well". Four of the ladies were Rita's friend's - another attendant of the workshop. Still, I somehow was enjoying myself. It was a good workshop! But I'm not going again... until I retire.
• I have received a check!
• I have been given a check box with 150 checks in it (Yes, with my name and details on), including a check book to keep track of the checks I've written.
• I have had a Vanilla Coca Cola - too sweet.
• I have seen a real Coca Cola truck!
• I have become friends with people from 3 different continents, not counting Europe.
• I have bought two textbooks online via Amazon.
• I have bought basketball shorts - I'd always been using substitutes : ) Until three weeks ago.
• I have got MSU branded clothes and... a key holder, which costed me 10 bucks... 
• I have had lectures in English, conducted by a native speaker.
• I have studied so much, as if I was preparing for my final exams at home.
• I have asked a question in an American class... and many more afterwards : )
• I have had my first quiz already.
• I have slept in and missed a class for the first time (on Tuesday), since in the US. Not planning to do so again.
• I have then arrived an hour and 20 minutes earlier for the same class (on Thursday). The hall is just across the street from where I live by the way...I thought it started a bit earlier...
• I have had a real American hot-dog, and a ham burger and... I didn't really like them.
• I have made 400 push-ups for a single day.
• I have beaten my record of 400 push-ups, having done 500.
• I have donated a book to the business library.
• I have seen moving shelfs in a library - all of them are stuck together, so if you need a book you have to press a button and the shelfs start moving, creating an isle so that you could get your book. And don't worry - they have movement detectors installed on all of them, so you can't get squeezed : )
• I have used a clothes dryer MYSELF! : )
• I have started a collection of coins - I found out that at the back of some of the quarters there are printed popular images from different states. Each state issues such coins, so I'm gonna get all of them and then stick them on the US map - each one over the state it comes from. So far, 've got 12. Only 28 to go!
• Three guys and I have bought rubber boats and have gone sailing on the Red Cedar River - unique! : ) Pesho, I'm taking one of the boats back to Bulgaria, so that next summer we'll be able to get to that island together! : )
• I have chosen my classes myself.
• I have dropped one class, as I was finding it too basic and have replaced it with another one.
• I have felt homesick.
• I have... probably done many other things, but... can't really remember right now. In addition, it is almost 2 a.m., so I'd better go to bed now : )

Have a good day, Ladies and Gentlemen! : )

It was a pleasure! : )

Best (Po-zdravi i po-usmihnati),

Yavor

PS: MUST SEE! - Link to the video about Sparty in this year's competition between mascots from all over the US. A great video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lbQC2nsnbc
PS2: Link to The Fight Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwDaIgpH8rQ&feature=related
PS3: Outward bound!