This photo was taken in the spring of 2010, as I was traveling with my students and colleagues around different villages in northeastern Bulgaria for our First of Spring celebration. Every day we see grandmothers and grandfathers on benches, sharing gossip, eating sunflower seeds, and giving support and friendship. Sitting on these benches and talking with the older members of our communities is, I believe, a crucial element to our process of integration here in Bulgaria. What happens on these benches is deeply meaningful; it is here we find our Bulgarian friends and family!