Just got my call

[JBrinkerhoff]

Hey everyone, my name is Justin Brinkerhoff, and i just received my call today. And to my great surprise, I'm called to Bulgaria, I'm very excited and never expected this.

I have one question. Now that i know where i am going and i report March 24, 2010, what would you recommend i do to prepare for Bulgaria?

[Richard Davies]

This question has already been asked (and answered) multiple times on this message board. Have you looked at the other messages? If there's a specific question, go ahead and ask, but I think the "general" preparation question has already been addressed in previous posts, so I'm not sure what else anyone has to add that hasn't already been said.

And oh ya, congratulations on your call!!

[JBrinkerhoff]

yeah, sorry, i thought about that after i posted that.
I would like someone if they can translate my last name for me, that would be great!
I tried my best and i came up with something like this Бринкроф but im not so sure about it.

Also, i speak a bit of German, would that be of any help while on the mission?

[Richard Davies]

You're real close with the name translation. It would actually be Бринкepxоф.

[JBrinkerhoff]

Thanks! So knowing Bulgarian, are you able to understand any other languages such as Russian?

[Richard Davies]

You'll probably be able to understand a little Russian. A lot of the words have similar roots, but Russian has a lot of conjugations that can make it hard to hear the root word unless they speak slow enough.

Serbian and Macedonian, however, are pretty close to Bulgarian. You'll probably be able to understand 75-90% of those languages after learning Bulgarian. I forget what it was called, but there was a movie a while back that had a lot of Serbian in it and I was able to understand most of it.

[JBrinkerhoff]

Thats cool, im excited to learn a language.
So how are the "facilities" there? (ex. Showers, toilet paper, etc.) I know they're a developed country, but just out of curiosity.

I'm also trying to find a good website to help learn the alphabet, any help would be great!

[Brinton]

There are many good sites out there for learning the alphabet.  Just google "Bulgarian alphabet".  If you wanted to get a book so that you and your family can learn simple stuff together I recommend "Teach Yourself Bulgarian" from the Teach Yourself Language series.  There is an alpabet guide, simple conversations, greetings etc to learn. 

As for preparing I'd study Preach My Gospel and the scriptures and lessons in that book, especially chapter 3 in that book.  Also read your scriptures and try to attend a missionary prep class if you have institute near you.

As for facilities, Bulgaria has everything you need, even toilet paper.   I would suggest bringing enough of your own stuff though to get you thru the MTC and maybe the first month in country till you can learn what is around you and what you like.  I would also suggest if you wear contacts make sure you have an up to date pair of glasses to take with you.  I lost my contacts while there and my glasses were so old and horrible I had to get a new pair in BG.  You can get new contacts there as well, but I was going home in 10 days so just opted to get glasses.  Anyway, had my glasses been up to date, I would have saved myself a boatload of money.


Chestito on your call, good luck and have fun in BG

[JBrinkerhoff]

Thanks that helps a lot!!
Because i do wear contacts/glasses and my glasses are wayyy out of date. Is solution and contacts there expensive?

[Brinton]

I don't know about solutions or prices now.  It's been along time for me.  When I was leaving in 1996 they were just getting soft contacts, and I wear hard, so that was also part of my problem.    Like I said, just bring enough to get you thru the first month or two so you can find out what is there and how much it all costs and whatnot.  And if you end up having to wear your glasses, no big deal either.

[Richard Davies]

As for facilities, Bulgaria has everything you need, even toilet paper.

Although Brinton's technically correct, the "facilities" are generally a bit different than what you're probably used to in the U.S. I won't go into details here... we still want you to have some surprises when you arrive in the country! ;-)

[Richard Davies]

Another thing that I would suggest in preparation would be to learn a bit about Bulgaria's history and culture. The Bulgarian people have a rich history that they are very proud of. Understanding this history and culture will go a long way towards understanding the people you will meet and teach. And the better you understand the Bulgarian people, the more effective you'll be as a missionary.

[Brinton]

Oh the history part is true too....

It's actually very interesting.  "A Concise History of Bulgaria" by RJ Crampton is a good jumping off point.

[JBrinkerhoff]

Thanks you all have been helpful 
And your right, i need to stop asking questions because i enjoy surprises haha

[Joy]

 Hi,
Don't worry about the country at all! This is a great country and you'll realize how privileged you are. You'll  live in luxurious apartments, you'll meet great people, the country is unbeleivably beautiful...And feel free to ask me about anything...


Regards,
Joy