「新・文明の旅」プログラム　視察リポート

We landed in Sofia at about 10:00 am on a cold, wet, and cloudy Tuesday. It was about -2 degrees –  a big change from the day before in Ankara and Istanbul.

We were greeted by the bright smile and bubbly character of our guide Ele. Ele is a graduate student at Sofia University and she has studied the history of Sofia. She has been a wonderful guide. She is full of information and speaks Japanese fluently.

We got on the bus and Ele took us to see some of the historic places in town. Even though the weather was bad, the city was bustling with cars, buses, trams, and walkers. We enjoyed walking around among the big stone buildings, statues, and beautiful churches.

After lunch, we visited the university. First, we spoke with Prof Stefanov and Prof Anton. They are looking forward to your visit. They introduced us to a group of second-year students. The students said they are interested in learning about your lives: What kind of sports do you like? What is university life like in Japan? Many of them are hoping to be home stay families when you come.

We were impressed with the students’ Japanese ability. In fact, they can speak Bulgarian, Japanese, English and at least one other language. Very impressive!

by Gilner