SOFIA MEMOIR 3/29/14 – 4/11/14

March 29

Our first full day in Sofia (“SO-fia”), and a wonderful, exhausting exhilarating day it has

been. One for the book(?). Our hotel balcony looks over a lovely park, with a full view of Vitosha

Mountain (still snow covered) to the north. Our University is,directly across the park, a short walk

past the "Happy," "Zest," and "Joy" billboards, not a bad way to begin a day. I say "our" university,

because we are in an area of the city which hosts several universities, and a large student

population, known as the "studentski grad,,” i.e., student town. The student area is tomorrow's

walking destination. But today, we were picked up by our host Professor, Boris Landjev, who took

us by metro to the center City for an 8 hour guided walking tour. It turned out to be a lovely,

charming, very livable city, well worth spending time in. Of course, numerous Orthodox churches

and cathedrals, the oldest dating to the 5th century. Not to be outdone, of course, by the imposing

former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party. But the most special part of the day were

several hours we spent in the basement of a small local church, where Boris' wife, Mladinka,

teaches a daily class in icon writing (“writing, not painting, Boris explained, because an icon is not

a piece of art or decoration, and its creation is an act of prayer).. Mladinka herself is a renowned

writer of icons and church frescos, and needless to say a brilliant artist. The students are all of

course, deeply religious and committed churchgoers, and the class was conducted to the

recorded music of Greek, Russian and Bulgarian liturgical chanting. Each student works by

copying an original icon, and apparently the rules governing the writing of icons are both strictly

canonized and very restrictive,, in terms of the same compositions, contents and arrangements

for each Saint, and each typical scene (e.g., St. Georgi slaying the dragon). Not surprisingly,

Boris and his wife are themselves also deeply religious, and we learned a lot from Boris about

the Orthodox religion, and how it differs from the Roman Catholicism we are more familiar with

back home. It was a very long day, however, and I am happy to be off my feet, writing this in the

hotel lobby, sipping my rakkia while Em enjoys her own reward of chocolate tort. Phone photos to

follow...

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral March 30

Day 2 in Sophia. It's Sunday,warm and beautiful, no jackets! We decided to take a walk

and check out the local neighborhood. We missed breakfast at the hotel, so we walked around

the university until we saw a little place with outdoor tables. We ordered sandwiches which I

found inedible, especially when accompanied by bad American rap. We decided to look for

alternative future lunch fare and found a great supermarket, where we purchased a bottle of fresh

OJ squeezed from a machine packed with ripe Mediterranean oranges, some Greek yogurt (

what else?),and of course a box of cookies. On the way home, we lucked out at a nearby fruit

stand, where the owner got so excited we were from New York, he made Jonathan free orange

juice. We also roamed around studenti grad and saw where all the university students hung out at

night. During the day, a lot of them appear just to hang out in their cars, listenng to the radio and

hanging with friends.

March 31

What a day. Didn't start off so well. Both of us still jet lagged, and I couldn’t fall asleep

until after 4:00. Forced ourselves up at 9:00 so we could "enjoy" the complimentary hotel

breakfast. Vraiment degutant. For all its many virtues, this is not the land of good Italian coffee or

flaky French fresh croissants or baguette. But the day improved rapidly after that. After the

mandatory walk around the park, under the benevolent exhortations of “Happy.” “Zest” and “Joy,”

and an hour with Jack Reacher, we made our way to the University for lunch at the University

Cafeteria. Faculty only until 1:30. We qualify. An excellent brothy cabbage borscht and tomato

salad for lunch, for about a buck. We were then invited without prior warning to attend the

University graduation ceremony, which happened to occur today. Neither were we told we would

be placed at the dais on stage, next to the Deans of the various "faculties," where we were

expected to (and did) individually shake hands with and congratulate about 200 graduates in

Bulgarian, as they made their way across the stage in front of the dais with their diplomas.. Nor

were we prepared when we were each called upon to give a little speech to the audience of

students and proud parents. ( in English, of course) and hand out a bunch of the diplomas to the

law graduates.. All in all, a true surprise and an honor and a pleasure. As I told the audience of

students and proud parents in my own little speech, it was exactly like graduation everywhere, it

could have been Milwaukee. A very sweet and moving experience.

That unexpected adventure was followed by our first class, and it appeared to go off

without a hitch. About 30 interested students, the PowerPoint worked immediately ,the studentski

appeared interested and engaged for the full 2 plus hours, and asked some great questions.

What more can any Prof ask? And all in English. No simplifying or talking slow or down on our

part. Boy, is it sad how pathetic the US is when it comes to competence in foreign languages. My

hat really is off to these kids. So, a lovely and successful day by any standard. Look forward to

the next.

Graduation Day

April 1

What a beautiful day in Sofia! We spent the morning on our daily walk around studenti

town and due to Jon's fabulous sense of direction [disclaimer–this is of course Emily speaking;

she always has been besottedly generous in her view of me], we were able to find the metro

station that will take us tomorrow on our outing to downtown Sofia. We went early to the

University to “guest teach” one of Boris’ classes - this time an economics class on the SEC

regulation of public offerings.. Jon was brilliant! [sic – see above] While at the University we met

another law professor, Jivko Draganov, who also teaches at a different school about 70 miles

out of town, actually called the American University. It is somehow connected with the University

of Maine and focuses on American studies and law. It has become a truly international school,

catering to students throughout Eastern Europe and even has a few Americans! We will be going

there to visit with Jivko on Thursday. Jon had an hour reflexology and loved it! Then we taught

a class on general litigation procedure from controversy through trial and the students actually

took notes! We gave them all New York baseball type caps as gifts, advising them to refrain from

wearing them in Massachusetts. We got one of the students to guide us after class to an

authentic local Bulgarian restaurant, and invited him to join us to sit down with us for a beer, but

he dumped us for his girlfriend after 15 minutes! Oh well, la plus ca change, la plus c'est la meme

chose!

April 2

And it was the evening and the morning of our sixth day in Bulgaria, third day teaching.

We must be doing something right other than handing out New York baseball caps, because

tonight we had double the number of students we started with, and we are out of hats. As well as

copies of the U.S. Constitution. And they (mostly) come back after the break and appear to

remain very engaged, even ask some very good questions (tonight's winner: how long does a

Judge have to issue a decision in an American court). Very surprising and flattering. My turn to

begin, and I started with a few lawyer jokes in exchange for one of theirs (the nub of which was

God couldn’t find a lawyer for a dispute with the Devil because there are no lawyers in "Eden"

(as they call it). After which I followed with a little theory about the separation of powers (good old

Federalist 51) and the adversary system. But Em spent most of the night on basic concepts of

American contract law, and managed her usual miracle of being simultaneously extremely

scholarly and charmingly unassuming. I've seen her pull this off many times and it never ceases

to amaze me.

Low point of the day: a faculty member auditing the course told me a typically stupid anti-

Semitic joke about how all Jews are money grubbers (the Jew has to look in the mirror when he

counts his money to make sure its him). But in fairness I guess I started it by telling one of the old

Polish jokes as an example of stupid American jokes. But I don't think she thought her joke was

stupid. Ah well.

No class tomorrow. Jivko is taking us to the principal Bulgarian monastery in the Rila

mountains, and then we are accompanying him watch him teach two lectures the so-called

"American University of Bulgaria," affiliated with the Univ. of Maine. Based on past experience I

suspect we will be asked to say a few words. I understand the topic of the day is the Uniform

Commercial Code.. Oi vey.

Rila Monastery

April 3

Day 7 was amazing! We actually got 6 hours sleep so we were primed. Jivko- picked us

up in the morning and drove us up part of the Rila mountain to the largest and most revered

monastery in Bulgaria - the Rila Monastery which Jonathan has posted. It is beautiful. The main

building was constructed in the 19th century but parts go back to the 14th. Most lovely and

interesting were the frescos and icons both inside and outside the church. The frescos have

repeated scenes of various agents of the devil attempting to tempt humans and even the child

Jesus with money, lies, golden drinks etc. They fail (of course) with Jesus but do some interesting

tricks with the humans, one of which speaks with a forked tongue! The icons had older and more

modern versions placed in tandem, which showed the subtle development of artistic techniques

over the centuries. But always the exact same composition, We then drove to the countryside

where on a dirt road we saw what are called and look like pyramids which are just natural

formations carved into the hills. Jon looked longingly at the farmers’ work horses grazing

untethered among the rocks. We then spent the afternoon “guest teaching” two of Jivko’s classes

at the American University of Bulgaria - the only 4 year American like our universities in the

country- where Jivko is an adjunct professor. All the classes are taught in English and the

students are from many different countries. It was fun. We then were treated to a variety of

Bulgarian pizzas and salads by our host before the long drive home.

April 4

End of our first week. First real nights' sleep since we left New York. Intended to take the

metro into center city (no obligations until 5:30 class) but felt so relaxed we just blew off the day.

Took our usual walk twice around the park (“Happy,” “Zest,” “Joy”), did a little class prep, read our

books, had a massage. Answered a few emails. Perfect day.

Class tonight was just terrific. Emily lectured on the practicalities of jury selection for a

half hour (the students were extremely interested), which gave me an excuse to tell the goat joke

(!) over Emily’s strenuous objection. It killed, of course…Then I spent the rest of the class with a

very detailed discussion of my pending First Amendment case involving the free speech rights of

day laborers. Again, a high degree of student interest, terrific questions, insightful comments.

Over 30 students on a Friday night. Must be doing something right.

If I have not said so, we are extremely impressed with the quality of the students. It may

be that we are seeing the cream of the crop (really wouldn't know) but, in addition to their

impressive English skills, they demonstrate real ability in the subject matter. Ours is a two and a

half hour, non-credit evening class, after a full day, but they attend regularly, pay attention, stay

engaged, ask good questions, take notes(!), make interesting comparisons to their own system.

What more can a teacher ask? Very rewarding.

Dinner after class in a local (non-tourist) traditional Bulgarian restaurant. Shared a large

bowl of cold yogurt and cucumber soup, large salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, ham, two

kinds of cheese, olives, large garlic bread, a coke and a beer. Total tab: 8 bucks. Lovely waitress

and great Bulgarian music free.

‘

Some of our studenti April 6

Spent the day on a field trip with Mladinka (wife of our host professor Boris) visiting a

15th century monastery, site of some gorgeously preserved old frescos, followed by a small

cluster of relatively modern chapels at the same location containing frescos recently painted by

Mladinka herself and her class.. Very rewarding. Really have learned a great deal about the

theory of iconography. Only problem was, it dropped 25 degrees over night, we were up in the

mountains inadequately dressed, and froze our kishkas off. Nice to be back at the hotel warming

up over a cup of cappuccino and a shared slice of coconut cake. Back to class tomorrow.

St. Ivan (founder of the Rila Monastery (above, Jesus Christ)

April 7

We took the morning off so we could do our walk around Vitosha Park (“Happy,” “Zest,”

“Joy”) and continue the search for an edible breakfast. We actually found some decent

croissants and cafe with hot milk. Tonight we gave a little show of a commercial jury trial. I gave

instructions, we played adversaries (Jonathan gave a great opening statement) [see above

disclaimer] and I gave jury instructions from one of my contract cases. As usual, the students

were extremely bright and engaged. We had a great dinner with Boris and his wife , Mladinka.

She's the one who took us on the trip to the monastery yesterday. She gave us one of her

beautiful lithographs as a gift ( we also previously purchased two icon from Mladinka’s class, one

of St. George as a birthday gift for our granddaughter, Maya, and a Mary and Jesus (“cheek to

cheek”) for ourselves.. It was really sweet. She is a truly talented artist and it has been an honor

to watch her teach her iconography students and view her works.

Lunch Time

April 8

"Routine" day. Arose late after another difficult night, light breakfast at our now favorite

outdoor student cafe. Emily "guest lectured" at one of Boris' business classes, on the subject of

US corporate organization, and the "business judgment rule." Easy afternoon, a little prep, then

met with our regular class. My turn to lecture on one of my most technically difficult and complex

cases. About a third of the class followed and were highly invested; many of the regs fell

gradually by the way side. Can't blame them. Dinner after class at our first pricey restaurant.(not

by design).. Ordered from the Turkish menu, Food was great, not much different from the Turkish

cuisine around the corner from us at home.. Sat next to a table of Bulgarian elite: Looked like a

bunch of mobsters from Atlantic City and their molls. A lot of the conversation was actually in

"English" because one of the guys was obviously foreign. (middle eastern, we think) and clearly

did not speak Bulgarian. Personally I liked the tall blond.

Our Class

April 9

End of another wonderful day. Our friend and host Professor Jivko spent the afternoon

again as our tour guide, taking us first to the National History Museum, and then to a 13th century

church to see the frescos. Both were magnificent. The ancient history of Bulgaria is especially

interesting, with the effective disappearance of the original Thracian inhabitants, and the

conquest and ultimate settlement by a combination of Asiatic and Slavic peoples. Followed by

500 years of what the Bulgarians uniformly refer to as the “Ottoman Yoke.” Like it happened

yesterday. What was really interesting about museum was the total lack of reference to any

influence or development from the west, until the mid-19th century (excluding the Romans, of

course ). As if Western Europe didn't even exist for them. Probably true, the influence of the total

domination of Bulgarian history by the Ottoman and Russian influences.

Emily then taught our final lecture, and as always, we were shocked by the numbers in

attendance (see photo) and the level of student interest and participation. After class, we had

dinner with Jivko and his family at the newest and largest mall in Sofia. A real treat, because the

entire family was a delight (and spoke perfect English, among other languages). Jivko's wife is

actually by the US State Department and manages the payroll function for every US embassy in

Europe. Their older daughter, Irena, is a high student at the French Language lycee in a Sofia

and a serious equestrian(!). Also bright, beautiful and very very sophisticated. Their younger

daughter, Alexandra, is 9, same age as our Maya, and immediately conquered Emily by telling

her she was her baba (grandmother) for a few hours. So a wonderful day, in every way.

Tomorrow is our final class. We have decided to forego any more lecturing and to invite

questions and discussion on any topic the studenti wish. We wonder if anyone will bother

showing up.

St Geogi and St. Dimitrius (above, Mary and Jesus)

April 10

Our last day at the university- how sad. We loved the teaching and the students. We

started by taking the metro, which we have now mastered into Sofia. We returned to the

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and this time went to the crypt which now houses hundreds of icons

from the 12th through the 19th centuries. Due to our introduction to iconography by the wonderful

icon teacher we have observed and traveled with, we really began to see the significance of

particular scenes, their beauty and how they altered subtly over the centuries and yet remained

the same. We then visited Saint Sofia church, one of the oldest in Sofia ( a mosque for many

years) and got to observe a beautiful service. We also saw the one synagogue in Bulgaria where

they were actually getting prepared with wine and matzoh for Passover. .The small, shabby

museum upstairs told a history of Jews basically being kicked out of places they had wandered

to throughout history. The Bulgarians, however, are justly proud of the fact that, uniquely, they

refused as a matter of policy and public outrage to turn over their own Jews to the Nazis. Hitler

ultimately gave in after concluding that Bulgarians were simply too stupid to understand the

German theories of racial purity. We then gave our last class, answering the students'

questions, and signed the students’ completion certificates. They gave us great going away

gifts.and took our pictures. We then had a moving talk with our host professor Boris over final

drinks at our hotel, and talked about coming back.. A wonderful, sad day!

Last Shopska Salad