Stone & Compass is excited to partner once again on an exemplary service learning trip with the Graduate program in Occupational Therapy at CSUDH (California State University Dominguez Hills).
This program offers service at a youth clinic in Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
This partnership is in its third season. To read about the 2017 trip check out this blog.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
CSUDH Occupational Therapy Graduate Students
Flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Sofia, Bulgaria.
After arriving in Sofia, travel to the Stone & Compass Center.
Get acclimated to Bulgaria and enjoy the center and some winter outdoor hiking fun. Lectures will take place to prepare students for the week ahead. In the evening enjoy a traditional welcome dinner.
Clinic Day in Gabrovo at the NGO center. Return to the center for a late afternoon “night hike”! This hike will inspire the senses as we head up into the hills under the light of the winter moon and stars. Dinner will be served after our hike.
Clinic Day in Gabrovo at the NGO center. Return to the center for dinner and an evening of Karaoke and games.
Early Clinic Day in Gabrovo at the NGO center. Then we stay in Gabrovo and head out for a traditional Bulgarian dinner. Return to the center in the evening.
Time to wrap up the week with the residents as we deliver the final treatment sessions ending early in the afternoon. We’ll leave each client a framed version of the copper tooling activity, as an enduring reminder of our work with them. The first stop on our journey will be the open air ethnographic museum in Etarra. Here we’ll learn about the architecture and lifestyle of the Gabrovo region during the 18th and 18th centuries. We will be introduced to the arts and crafts of Bulgaria and observe craftspeople making bells, pottery, confections, furs, and copper goods. We will arrive in the ancient beach town of Sozopol, check into Villa Sozopolis, tour the city and end the evening with dinner overlooking the Black Sea.
Free day in Sozopol or as it was once named by the Greeks Apollonia on the Black Sea. It was one of the oldest towns used as a shipping port on the Black Sea coast dating back to the Bronze Age. Spend the day decompressing shopping, beach, poolside however you want to plan it. We’ll end this stunning week with dinner at Casa del Mare/art restaurant as the sunsets on our time at the Black Sea.
Time to work our way back to Sofia and check back into the Premier Best Western Hotel near the airport. We conclude our trip with a final dinner together on Vitosha Boulevard as we reflect on the lives we touched, our personal growth and the indelible cultural experiences.
Today we travel to the Greek city of Thessaloniki. The second largest city in Greece is a melting pot of ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine and modern Europe.
Continue exploring the ancient city of Thessaloniki.
Flight back to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Payment can be made in full or following the payment schedule below.
$2,500
$800
Due: February 24, 2021
$1,700
Due: May 29, 2021
