Michelle Medintz spent at least $5,000 in 2022 alone, largely on books. She created a 'cozy corner' in her classroom with shelves filled with books, cushions on the floor, and stuffed animals. 'That doesn't make me a better teacher than my colleagues,' Medintz said.
On February 1, 2026, a man associated with Ivaylo Kalushev received a message from him: 'Goodbye, friend, we are very tired and have no more strength.' The next day, police found the bodies of three middle-aged men at Kalushev's burnt lodge in western Bulgaria.
Social anxiety and depression had other plans, leaving me in an ugly cycle of self-isolation and rumination. Terrified of rejection, I'd meet someone interesting during one of my English lectures and invite them out for frozen yogurt in my head.