International Women's Day

Having grown up in Eastern Europe under communist/socialist rule, International Women’s Day not only holds fond memories for me, but also carries a certain amount of meaning, so I was excited when the local Bulgarian and Russian groups invited us to their joint party in celebration of March 8.

Since we have been to a number of events with the Bulgarian group now, we knew what to expect. Due to there being many international couples, we encountered the usual variety of nationalities, including, of course, Russian, Bulgarian, and American, but also Irish, Brazilian, German, and Ukrainian. It’s really interesting and eye-opening to speak to people of such diverse cultural backgrounds and get their takes on subjects like the recent disaster in Japan or public education or sibling relationships.

As always, the party was a potluck dinner with a long table laden with main and side dishes and a smaller table loaded with desserts. I made this almond marzipan coffeecake which, in my own strict culinary assessment, was one of the best I ever baked:

And, of course, there were music and dancing. These Eastern Europeans really like to shake a leg and have no inhibitions. It's a lot of fun for me that some of the songs that are played at these parties go way back to my elementary school musical crushes. For example, there’s a German band named Modern Talking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Talking). I was head over heels for the singer for a few years as a young girl. I would never be able to request a song by Modern Talking at an American wedding or a similar event, but the Bulgarian DJ knows exactly what I want and plays it for me. And then I dance with a big, goofy smile on my face surrounded by other Europeans who remember when this band topped the Euro charts. I love it!