jimyea-the mosque

i know that's not how it's spelled even in English but that'll have to do for now.  i had a little problem with my connection yest that's why i didn't blog but i think todays can make up for that!  last night, mon at about 5pm-good timing all around, nargis and i went to the mosque, or jimeya.  it was good she was with me b/c in addition to doing some translating for me she's also muslim.  it was soooo cool and one of those "pinch me" moments.  the picture i posted on my blog of the mosque all lit up at night?  yeah, we got to go up there and see all G!  anyway, we had to wait right when we first got there b/c the men were inside doing their Ha Mas, prayers.  after that nargis and i got to talk with the Imam, kinda like the pastor, and he took us inside and showed us around.  now mind you that in addition to speaking in B some of this conversation was also in Turkish so i was double thankful nargis was with me!  of course i think you all are aware of the 5 times a day prayers.  what i wasn't aware of was they do not always face east, they face in the direction of Saudi Arabia where Muhammad came from.  you enter the jimeya with the right foot, b/c that's the good side, and exit with the left foot first, b/c that's not the good side.  i asked nargis if it would be very rude and inappropriate of me to ask to see his do the Ha Mas, b/c i'm a woman and i'll get into that later, but she said no and i got to see him do a little bit of the Ha Mas!  how utterly cool is that!  nargis asked me when we first left my apt where my camera was and i told her i'm not taking a picture of that; i think that would be inappropriate.  the first time a muslim "bows" down it is standing and without the kneeling motion.  all times after that it is with the kneeling motion.  one of the things he told us is that for the 5 prayers a day there are 40 stand/kneel times!   talk about your thighs getting a workout!!  there are necklaces with beads they use while doing the Ha Mas and there are 33 beads, then a bigger bead, then 33 more and so on.  each of these beads has a prayer kinda like in the Catholic church they have certain prayers for certain things.  muslims go through all the beads but i forgot, they do their Ha Mas, stand/kneel,  first.  on fridays the Imam does a special "reading" for muslims who want to hear.  these "stories" come from Sofia (the capital).  also, i think i got this right, the call to prayer is at different times depending on where you're located.  the times are according to Istanbul and then the distance from Sofia is taken into consideration.  then he got out the Quran.  for you mennonites out there, it has 606 pages.  isn't that a funny coincidence??  there are also 6666 periods, "fullstop"s in B, in the Quran.   i also got to hear him read in Arabic!  he said he didn't understand but it was interesting to hear him!  he also said the Jimeya was from the 1700's!  oh i forgot!  before all this, before a muslim enters the jimeya they have to do a special washing ritual to be "clean" when entering and going before Allah.  the ritual starts from head to toes and includes washing face, behing the ears. arms up to the elbows, and your feet including btwn the toes.  i think that's it but it's quite possible i've forgotten some body parts.  i was also lucky enough to get to see this!  there is a special balcony for women and it is curtained off so the men can't see the women and vise versa.  of course shoes are taken off.  i'm not quite sure about women.  i think they can go "upstairs" whenever and can go into the lower man's part when men are not in there or if they can only go in the lower part during Ramazan.  there is also a special little house type building behind the jimeya that can be used by women too.  before going into the jimeya i noticed some things outside.  they have a cemetary on the grounds and along with a headstone they also have a foot stone.  there is a small table outside and narg said in that case is told me this is to wash the body before it is buried b/c it has to be "clean".  like i told you all before we got to go up top and looking out all over G was a beautiful sight and again one of those "pinch me" moments!  one of my favorite parts of the night, it's hard to choose but this kinda stood out, is when the Imam asked if nargis and i wanted a small pear from the pear tree.  so we went over and got 2 and i took a bite of mine...and then remembered where i was andthat even thought i don't participate in Ramazan i was at a jimeya and should be sensative to muslim customs, and there ware other muslim Dyados, muslim gpas, who had come for the next Ha Mass so we were in company of several Muslim persons.  i said "that was stupid" and spit out my bite in my hand.  nargis, whose muslim but not practicing, asked me why i did that and told me we could eat, it was time.  i said "well in that case" and took several more bites of my pear and was almost done with it when she looked at me and said"actually we can't."  it figures while i'm trying to be sensative of the MUSLIM traditions a MUSLIM gets me in trouble!!  a little while later one of the dyados gave us a date, used to open and close the days during Ramazan, and we were patiently waiting to eat until we left when margis looked at me and told me we could eat.  i asked her if she as sure this time and she said "he said so and i trust him."  this is wicked long i know and i have to quit but let me just tell you those men look so cute!  little old men, one was 85, hunched over from the yrs of very hard work, wearing their little black hats.  babies are cute but this was a sight!  the Imam gave me an idea i'm going to work on too!  i have been asking people if they ant to go to America and he said "very much so" so i'm going to make a little America here since they might not be able to make it to America.  i know a perfect time to do this is for American holidays and with tradditions but i want to do something other that that!  i'm just not sure what yet!!  if anyone has any ideas let me know!  or if something really stands out to yo uabout being American" tell me!  this is one of those things i get in my head and it won't leave b/c i'm set on it; kinda like my hair!!  ok, enough for today!  the school yr starts tom for teachers, the kids come on the 15th.  i've been working on translating some things i did at my childcare job, games, into B.  love and many kudos and nazdrave! to my family 

imagine this!

i'm in Bulgaria watching the USA FIBA basketball team play and they are announcing in Turkish!

NOW i'm home!

This is going to be kind of quick b/c i've got lots i should do today!  i cleaned, ironed, washed clothes, and other things around the apt yest so today i can help Nargis move and do pc stuff.  however, since i found the FIBA world basketball championships that may all fall by the wayside!  it won't but i think the USA, including danny granger, plays today and if i'm right, i will be watching!  those of you that know me better know how much of a bball fan i am and was very happy to find it!  i watched some of the games yest after my work was done and while on breaks.  is it wierd that in B i can recognize the USA in turkish?   anyway, friday was spent going ha ghosti and looking at pictures so i didn't have much time to blog.  and my B class.  i'm going to include a picture of some of my coworkers.  now i can tell you all their names and know i can't spell them correctly.  i can tell you that the man you see is Bisale and the lady next to him is his wife, Naje.  the next lady, pardon me i can't remember her name, is one of the cooks for the school and she was with N and I when i made choc chip cookies.  the next is Nargis, then me, then the ladies house we were at.  she's kinda like a custodian for the school too but does so much more, just like the janitors/custodians in the states!  speaking of custodians i hope school is starting well for everybody.  school here starts the 15th of sept and either i will be on a bus or in S, a meeting with 5 other pc yd volunteers to learn things and put on a camp for roma kids.   ok that's it from here!  see you mon!

magazines

magazines are little shops and i know i've mentioned them before and probably didn't explain them well.  when i need anything instead of going to the store as i would in the states i go to one of the various magazines here in G.  and they are kinda a very small supertarget.  a person can find anything they need from laundry detergent to eggs to utensils.  and pretty much every magazine here has little bits of everything.  and just like i can walk into target and drop $50 just like that today i was in kubrat with nargis and we went into this store for cheese and i ended up spending 10 leva.  but...I GOT BROCCOLI!  then after we came back to G i headed to the post office to post some letters for tom and ended up talking with the post office Naze and her daughter-in-law, ok i cheated a bit b/c her d-i-l speaks english so she translated some things i wasn't able to get across in B.  they had never heard of the pc asked me questions about it, why i'm doing it and what i get.  i tried to explain i don't get anything but all the food and generousity from the B people.  i like talking about that b/c that's what is important to me.  when i was talking about cy class in V before during pst i told them i had 20= hrs/week and now i only have 3.  they asked me why and i explained about everything i will be doing come mid sept.  one of the things i mentioned is that i will have an english class.  Naze assured me she would come to my class.  now all i have to do is have a class!!  yeah.  then after i left the p.o. i went to have coffee, yes coffee, with my neighbors and noticed they had a big pile of tree midsections, ok more than the stump but w/o branches, sitting right in the "driveway" and asked about it.  deana said "why?  do you want to help?"  i think they're used to me asking to help b/c i want to help with everything.  it wouldn't surrise me if i'm chopping wood tom!  deana said she would take a picture of me chopping wood and send it to my mom and my mom would cry.  why she thought she would cry is beyond me but i said "no.  shat would happen is that she'd know i know how and when i return to the states in 2 yrs she will want me to chop wood.  they thought that was so funny!  and yes, there wil be pictures if i end up chopping wood.  that's it from here!  have a great day and if i forget tom GO FEVER!!

my experience

one of the things my aunt asked me was if there was anything i could compare my experience to that would give you all an idea what it's like over here and all around.  i have to say since i'm a little older now than when i went to the dominican republic in college my experience feels a little different.  i'm older and can rely on myself more.  but still i'd have to say it's a blind leap of faith, the 1st 3 months especially!  a person has to place total trust in complete strangers to care for them and have their best interests in mind. i'm talking about the host family.  yes the pc checks everything out and makes sure the families that sign up for a volunteer have the necessary things needed to host but still i'm sure there are times when things happen that don't go according to plan.  just like when i was in college i have an organization behind me, ready to back me up and help with whatever.  but i'm the one living day to day with the family.  for me it's believing in God that helps me and is why i'm able to do this.  think about it.  a person is lumped in with 80+, in my group that is, other volunteers that chances are you  have never seen before.  getting along isn't a question, it's a must!  the little petty differences btwn certain people have to be put on the backburner.  it's kinda like you jump from the first impressions to depending on that person for  a part of your survival!  now that i'm finished with pst and out on my own it's different but it's not.  it's all up to me and it's still a blind leap of faith.  face it, i can always go to a store and point to something i want/need and can be understood, but whose to say the person behind the cash register is going to be honest and take the right amount of money when i hold out my money if i didn't have words?  for me to know that there are 200+ volunteers in B that i can ask for help if i happen upon them is so comforting!  the majority of the volunteers have never seen each other before but won't hesitate to help me if happen to be in their neck of the woods.  we're a united group in an, more or less, unfamiliar country, speaking an unfamiliar language, with unfamiliar people who we have to depend on for certain things.  for instance the outlets in my apt didn't work the other day.  i have to depend on someone i've known for a month to fix the problem correctly.  all of the above worked very well for me!  i'm surrounded by very kind and generous people who have taken me in.  not sure if i'm one of their own yet but i need to earn that!  i have wonderful neighbors and a very awesome counterpart!  i have been invied ha ghosti countless times and have been given more food than i know what to do with and have had to learn to make compot and conserve b/c of all my extra food!  i don't know what the next 2 yrs have in store for me but if i leave Bulgaria with as much as has been "given" me I'll be surprised!  my blind leap has worked out very well for me so far!  i was blessed to have a wonderful family during pst and a great site, where i am now!  i would do it over again in a heartbeat!  and i must add that it helps a whole lot to have you all behind me affirming me in what i'm doing and supporting me with letters, etc.now while we're on the sub please excuse me for today; i have a package to go pick up.

PICTURES FINALLY!

market day again

the view out my apt to the right.
you can see a "typical" house.

more market day. this is entering from the backside

this is the view straight out my balcony.
this is the center of G.

this is the same picture as the other
straight out my balc just not zoomed.
you can see the hostel.

this is nargis and i going na ghosti.

this is the view to the left from my
balcony.  the lower part of the picture
you can see the roof of the tavern i live
above. 

again na ghosti

cutting up tomatoes with nargis' daughter
for conserve.

this is the side view of the detsa gardina, kindergarten,
where i will spend some time in addition to
my other duties and work i will find.

conserve with all the tomatoes people
are very generous to give me but i can't
eat. this way i can eat them this winter. 

this is the hostel where the students
not from G who go the the
english school live during the week.
in the bottom left corner you can see
the entrance to the post office, the white
pillars. they are impressed by how much mail
i get! 

this has to be 1 of my fav. pictures!
this is to the right from my balc. and is the
mosque lit up at dusk signaling Muslims
they can eat, etc. during Ramadan.

 

this is the english school where i will
spend some of my time, speaking english
not bulgarian!

1.

1. close-up of one of the stands at
market day  2. an overview of the
market day crowds.  the whole street is lined with stands selling fruits and veggies to shoes.

alphabet

i'm on a self-imposed quarantine so i figured i'd get my blog done early.  seems like i've picked up a cold and figured while i can i'll stay home and not spread germs and take better care of myself.  my aunt asked me some questions about life here and it started me thining maybe there's more i can explain about the alphabet.  there alphabet has 30 characters including the same letters as our letters a,b,c,e,h,k,m,o,p,t,x,  and y.  now this might seem like a way to cheat b/c i already know these but let me assure you it's not.  b,k,m,and t make the same sound as we're used to.  now the b is tricky.  if it's B it sounds like our v but if it's a b it sounds like our letter b.  now the kinda tricky part.  the c sounds like our s, the e is a short e, the letter p is an r sound, the x is an h sound, and their letter h sounds like our n, their y sounds like "oo."  here, this might do a better job:   абвгдежзийклмнопрстуфхцчшщъьюя. there are also words that are spelled the same or very similar and if you put the stress on the wrong syllable or mix up a letter it's a whole new word!  xoro is the dance that is very common here and xora means many people.  most times when people don't understand me it's b/c i don't get the stress of the word right.  i have the right word i just am saying it wrong.  either that or i have run into people not expecting B to come out of my mouth so they just don't try to understand, kinda like i do when all my B friends are talking amongst themselves and, after awhile of trying to pick up words,  i know it's kinda pointless to try to understand so i kinda just tune them out.  then i get caught b/c someone asks me if i understand anything.  i was at the post office waiting for nargis the other day and saw this older guy looking at me and, after asking nargis if he spoke B, introduced myself to him.  he didn't say anything and nargis asked him why and he said b/c he couldn't understand me!  nargis and i talked about this and decided it was a combination of him not thinking i was going to speak in B and me not putting the stress on the words right b/c nargis said she could understand me, but she's used to my American accent now.  i'm going to try to post those pictures,see next blog for today, i told you about.  love and thoughts are with my family!

wedding

my first thought when i hear there's going to be a wedding isn't "oh how glorious!  2 people have decided to spend their lives together" as it should be.  instead my thoughts jump to "another night when i won't be able to sleep!"  that's the wrong attitude i know, and i've only been in G since July 24, but since i live right in the center of town and the "reception" takes place right across from my apt i've developed that attitude.  once again there was a wedding both days this past wknd.  so sun pm when Nargis asked me if i wanted to go and check out the weeding i had to stifle my american"it's late and i'm inside and i really don't want to go back out" attitude and figured maybe it's time i see for myself what all the fuss is all about!  the first thing that is really different is the fact that we could in fact go.  it was a muslim wedding and it really starts in the afternoon where there is a small signing the marriage certificate ceremony in the mayor's office.  then the music begins!  the family hires a band and that band plays in the afternoon for people to come and give their gifts to the couple in the center.  there is a small dinner break about 7:30-8 when everyone goes home to have dinner.   then things pick up again about 9:30 and kinda like our reception it's a party with dancing.  well i guess maybe not exactly like a reception b/c other things happen at our receptions.  there's only dancing here.  and anyone can go and watch, see what's happening!  so it's 9:30 and i figured even tho we're not a part of the wedding since it's a wedding i should look somewhat presentable so i took a quick shower before nargis came.  i asked nargis what she was wearing, i didn't ant to overdress and really had no idea, and she said she was in the same outfit as before.  that meant shorts and a nicer blouse!  you can believe i was a bit confused!  even more so when i told her i had no shorts dry, i had just done wash and my shorts that i would've worn were still drying on the line, except for the shorts i run in and my dressier shirts really don't look good with those.
she said i looked fine and that we weren't going to dance.  good thing too!  o here i am going to a wedding of people i don't know wearing old shorts and a cruddy tshirt!  but would you believe it i didn't look that out of place!  something else i noticed is the dress of the guys in the wedding party.  they looked more business casual to me then part of a wedding party!  right when we first got there the party was dancing, but there were only guys.  what fun is that??  for awhile this went on with only guys and i had not seen the bride or groom yet.  then after we had been there about 15 min's the bride and groom showed up.  but only the bride and no other women.  when i asked about this nargis said the women were at home taking care of the children.  again i ask you what fun is that?!  once the bride arrived i guess that gave everyone else termission to start dancing.  now it's not unusual for the b and g to talk to seperate people and not always be together during the reception but at least in the states they "touch base" with each other more often than not.  i didn't see the b and g together before we left except for the slow dance which i'll talk about later.  i questioned nargis about this and she said "oh, they'll find themselves this night believe me!" i just thought it was strange for them to not be toeether more.  i guess the muslim tradition is that the b and g go live with the groom's parents.  and again i have to say "who wouldn't just love to live with their mother-in-law??"  nargis also told me there is a tradition where you can "tuck" money in , hold on guys, a woman's bust line if you want to touch their breasts.  i guess nargis saw some guy do that and told me about it.  in addition to that you can tape money to someone's forehead if they are dancing really ell.  believe me i saw some guys who were trying to make a leva!  i was getting a little chilly and it was past 11 so we decided to go.  but before we left what did i see???  slow dancing!  i ddon't know what i expected, if i expected to not see that or b/c i've heard so much about the horo and qucheck slow dancing neven crossed my mind.  SURE ENOUGH!! they were slow dancing. i'm really not ssure why i was so surprised to see a kind of dancing i recognize, let's face it i let the guys lead, but THEY WERE SLOW DANCING!  i just happened to think just now of course all the music is instrumental and i'm sure they'd look at me like i was nuts if i requested "strokin" (that's a shout out to mu aunt).  and later when i was up in my apt getting ready for bed they were doing, i'm going to think comparable to "thanks for coming" and "welcome to the family" kinda speeches but i can't say for sure since it was in turkish!  this has been longer than i thought so the pictures i've taken will have to wait for tom if i remember.  1 more quick thing.  nargis told me if her bro-in-law gets married next yr i'll be a special guest at the wedding and then she said but sometimes the b is like julia roberts.  i asked her to clarify and it turns out reaking an engagement is pretty common here.  she said that was better than after marriage realizing it wouldn't work.  i told her i find that encouraging, maybe that''s the wrong word, to think that women (here?) are smart enough to not get married and face the stigma of having been engaged before.  i guess if you break an engagment you won't be able to find a hus in the same village but a woman can in a diff village.  kudos to the women who face that stigma rather than live an unhappy life!  that's it i promise!  love!

training

so i've started my training for the 15k in turkey next oct.  right now nargis is running with me so i have another reason to get up and run in the am's, she's waiting on me.  we don't run far i'm sure but the idea for this blog came the 2nd am we were running.  you know how there are certain things that happen at the same time each day and that's how you know what time it is?  like i learned when traveling with my sister in europe yrs ago that the trains leave on time and not a minute late!  i have to say i learned that the hard way.  anyway, nargis and i know we are on the same schedule when we run b/c at a certain  time we have to be careful of the cows crossing the road!  that's how we know if we're on time or late.  this am we were late, the cows had crossed the road and were getting ready to cross back.  never thought i'd be using cows to keep a schedule!  the other night we were walking around and Nargis was quizzing me on B tenses and what should come trotting down the center of the street?  a cow followed closely by a boy on his bike.  i just think that's funny  oh yeah!  last night Nargis was in the middle of something and so i was trying to entertain her daughter.  her daughter knows Turkish so even the B i do know rarely helps.  we were outside on my balcony and she started talking to me.  i felt kinda bad b/c i wanted to understand what she was saying but there was no way.  i don't even know if i faked looking interested or not, even though i was.  you know how to pretend you're listening to something you an nod and say certain words at certain times (yes, i know what you mean, etc) so you can pretend you're interested?  doesn't really work in another language.  so here i am, certain this is something very important by the facial expressions and the tone of her voice but helpless to do anything to understand.  so i listened and hoped i was looking like i was enjoying what she was sharing with me.  (sorry, she's 5 i think).  nargis had a break from her work long enough to come over to the balc door and tell me she as telling me the story of little red riding hood.  how about that!  little red riding hood...in turkish told by a 5 yr old!  i've got cows telling me what time it is and listening to a fairytale in turkish!   how about them apples!  life!  ain't it sweet!  till mon!  love to all!    

subtle selfishness

so i had a whole other opener typed up and lost it but it's not important so i'm not going to retype it. i've been kinda feeling like a bump on a log when it comes to anything as far as work goes, when things need to get done.  no one will let me help.  even with little piddly things i could do with no energy and with my eves closed, like carry a bag when hands are full, the people here are hesitant to let me help them.  with my work ethic being what it is this kinda irks me.  i had a conversation with Nargis about this and how i want to help and i want to do things and everyonee more i think about it the more this nugget  seems hesitant to let me.  so that's why i was all excited when Bisale, kinda comparable to a janitor/custodian of our schools. he works in the english school, said a bunch of the staff was going to the hostel, where the not from G kids stay during the week, to clean it and prepare it for the upcoming yr and i could help them at 8:30 this am as long as i wore old clothes.  i thought "this is my chance to show them i can do things!"  needless to say i had lots of time to think while cleaning , everyone was speaking in B or even Turkish and i understood only a small part of what was being said.  in thinking about how i want to do things, i want to help, and other things that I want to do i realized there are a lot of "I"s in there.  now yes i am here to learn and do everything i said.  however, while i was helping B move a heavier piece of furniture and assuring him that "i can help with this, i'm strong(he use the work strong not me) it occured to me that just b/c i can do something doesn't necesarily mean i should.   i have been focusing too much on what i'm not doing and need to readjust my focus to "how can i show them i can?"  that's where the selfishness comes into play.  i have been focusing on "me" and not on "us."  i'm going to live here for 2 yrs and in those 2 yrs i'll be able to show off my work ethic and the fact that i "can."  if the situation were reversed and a foreigner came to the states i'd probably do the same thing, do all the work for them, b/c i was raised to work and help.  maybe they were raised the same way and don't think about not letting me, but instead they just do b/c thats what they're used to.  what i need to do know is just relax, stop thinking about what i'm not doing  and start  focusing on how i can show them i can, be happy with what i can do, and do the little things i'm able to do "c oodolvostvea" (with pleasure)!  there's so much here that if i just took a step back and looked at it from the angle of what i would do if i were in their shoes i find i would end up doing exactly what they do!  the coprs prepared us very well for the aspect of being prepared to just relax and let things come to us and not be too eager to "make things happen" as far as doing projects is concerned.  the more i think about it the more this little nugget of information is useful in other areas of our lives too!  now a last closing remark.  mom if you're reading this as strange as it may seem i think the glass of vinegar water actually helps with the bites!  and it really doesn't taste too terribly bad as long as i have a FULL glass of water.

unprepared

yest was kinda a busier day and i didn't have time to blog, sorry, but now have plenty to blog about.  i woke up yest to find my sink with quite a bit of a leak. long story short i went to my B lesson by myself and Nargis stayed at my place b/c Bysale, a man who works at the school and will be my handyman these 2 yrs and is going to show me how to make honey, was not done with my sink.  so my lesson is kinda wrapping up when i get a txt from Nargis telling me to hurry and come home b/c we have to go and meet with the Mayor.  the Mayor.  i'd met him before during my site visit to G.  i asked her why and she had no idea.  so i get my "A" game ready and go to visit the Mayor.  we walked in the office and there were 3 more men sitting around the table.  i'm happy Nargis is here to help me and can translate for me but i was especially glad she was with me!  whe explained to me that these men (basically) have land in G and have people work for them on the land and asked what they can do to help me.  talk about being blindsided!  i don't care where you are and what the culture is like, it's not good to waste important people's(really anyone for that mater) time!  here i was sitting in front of 4 people who i know can help me with something i just need to know what that something is! then in came another man, the head of the police from Betobo.  him i guess i was more  prepared for although i couldn't think of any questions for him either,  so he leaves and that leaves Nargis and i sitting with these 3 men and the mayor like bumps on logs while i struggle to think of things to ask them.  then to add to the already smoldering fire when things are kinda wrapping up and i think i've saved face a little, as long as i turn everything around to youth then i feel like something has been accomplished,, hes secretary brings in coffee and tea for me.  this is the custom and is great...except for the fact when it's really hot and a full mug AND it sounds like the mayor has other things to do.  when I can notice that, and B is not my first language and i'm not even comfortable with the lang fully, then it's really time to go!  but i have a full mag of tea and can't drink it fast b/c it's hot.  in this situation i should really start drinking coffee i think...the cups are smaller!  anyway i finished and we excused ourselves and i vented, in english, to Nargis all the way home about how unprepared i was for that and hope they are glad i'm here b/c at times like that i don't feel like i'm "doing my job."  and i really don't care how many times she tells me not to worry about it and how the mayor was unprepared too and all that I need to feel good about it.  it's not in my nature to , pardon the french, "half' ass" things and that's what i feel like i did.  it's at times like yest when i really need to remind myself that b/c i now have a "family" in varshetts coming here has been worth it and if nothing else happens i can feel satisfied!  the BIG picture is important on days like yest!  those of you that know me better know i'm a quote lover.  i made myself a small poster with some of the more important reasons we're here and look at it every day when i'm getting ready:  world peace and friendships, sustainable development, relationships, people to people contact, and i also have what JFK said about the corps when he 1st created it, how we're at the same level as the local people, eat their food, and need to be prepared for conditions of hardship if necessary.  so after a minor pity party, it was about 3 and neither one of us had eaten, we went home and Nargis had informed earlier in the day I was going to be the host for a ghosti later at around 6, ok that means i was going to be visited by Bisale's wife and Nargis.  i have to say i was kind of excited!  the first visitors in my apt besides Nargis and her family and they never have anything to drink when they're here which is kinda what you do when you go na ghosti.  i did my dishes. swept my floor, and got my food out.  i also started the digital frame, dad and ronni-thanks, i have with the chip of family ron made for me to bring over.  i think it went well!  i did the whole "what do you want to drink" thing and had snacky type things to eat.  sunflower seeds are big here.  i haven't quite learned the trick of how to eat them yet.  they don't eat the whole seed and they spit out the shell.  i haven't learned how to seperate the shell from the seed yet but have been assured in 2 yrs i'll learn!  i think that's about all i had for today and actually already have an idea for tom's blog so am ahead of the game!  i got mail yest and have to thank all of you for being behind me and writing!  i'm starting to decorated the wall by my desk with pictures from maya, charlotte, jack, and jill.  thanks guys!  oh one more  thing.  the lady in the post office yest told me i needed to get married and have a family.  it's even over here in B!  have a great wed!  did the fever win!

my "job"

i thought maybe i'd explain what i will be doing here for the 2 yrs i'm here.  there is a special high school here that concentrates on the english language, english is the priority for this school.  there are 4 english teachers, including my counterpart, and i'll leave the teaching to them.  how i will help is by visiting the classes and reading to them so they can hear a "native" speaker. i will help out with the dialogues and other things that would be benificial  if spoken by a native speaker.   i will also be visiting the hostel, where the students not from here live m-f, and checking to see if they understood their day and the material discussed.  there is also a kindergarten i will be helping out with.  the kg's over here are a little different.  they are like our child care centers.  chances are i will be doing something with english there too.  i will also be helping out a little in the municipality, or the government building doing what i'm not sure.  on the side there are always english classes to teach, since i'm an expert at teaching, and let's not forget the main reason i'm here...to work with youth.   i will be busy and time will fly!  there's also traveling to different parts of B i want to do and other countries.  AND to top all that off there is mandatory traveling, for additional training which is always helpful, for the corps.  when you add into there the fact i have to integrate, learn a new language, and everything else that comes with living alone, it took me the whole wknd to hand wash some clothes,  i don't think i'll be lacking for anything to do!  all this can seem overwhelming and the corps has done a great job of letting us know what really matters; not to loose focus of the reason the corps was started and that was for world peace and friendship (i can't help but thins of the miss Am pagent every time i hear this).   we will have great ideas that will go nowhere and we will try things and will fail and that's just the way it's going to be.  I'M here to represent my corner of America, the America that i live in and am very happy in.  I'M here to learn about B and to let you all see what i see.  i want to show B's that America is not always like it is portrayed in the movies or on the radio.  i want to learn B ways of doing things.  i want to have b friends and when they talk about America they can have a slice of what it's like to live there b/c they know me.  i want to bring b back to the states and show you all what i learned and experienced.  it will be a very interesting, trying, at times frustrating, at times exhillerating, and many other emotions thrown in there, 2 yrs!  that's a little picture of the next 2 yrs!  now it's off to study some B language!  happy monday!  

it's my soap!

i don't really know why i am saying it like this but i am pleased as punch to announce that, yes, i may have fleas BUT this am i also found out my soap i use to hand wash my clothes is also the culprit! just like we do in the states i washed my skort and forgot i had money in the pocket.  when i put my hand in the pocket to get my money, the part of my hand that was in my pocket developed little splotches of red just like before when i had this problem.  so i guess i have some experimenting with hand washing soap to do!

time to get serious!

my apt, although it's messy-i want NO comments on this, and my papers are organized.  now it's time to do the same with my day.  i have got to try harder to keep to the same schedule as i had in Varshetts!  my studies are lacking and that's a problem.  yes i'm writing new words and just by going outside am using my Bulgarian.  HOWEVER i'm not doing enough to keep from taking giant leaps backwards!  and yes it's true learning styles are very different and yes i'm learning new things everyday but i need to do better and i can do better.  enough of that; time to buckle down!  this am i made choc chip cookies using the kitchen in the school's hostel.  there are students who go to the english school who are not from G and they live there during the week and then go home on weekends.  the cookies got a little overdone for my liking but hey, now i know that the oven there bakes hotter than i'm used to.  i plan to give them away, of course after i eat some.   oh yeah.  before i go i heard you all about the pictures and will get some up on my blog but every time i go outside i forget to take pic's!  but they are coming!  that's all for now b/c i can't think of anything else to say.  have a great weekend and i can't believe the pacers traded troy murphy!

3 months!

i just realized a few hrs ago that it's been exactly 3 months today that i've been in B!  when i compare these 3 months with the 3 months i spent in the DR  i see such a big difference, but then that was 20 yrs ago!  it really doesn't seem possible and when i think about all i've accomplished and learned in these 3 months i gasp and have to wonder if i truly did do all those things!  and what did i do for my 3 month anniversary???  i got a screen for my balcony door so i can leave it open and not have to worry about bugs eating me alive!  or at least about bugs getting IN to eat me alive!  if anyone would have told me a yr ago i'd be so extremely happy over a screen i would have thought you were nuts!!  i'm a happy camper!!  now i can open the window AND the door and feel the breeze.  i think i deserve some ice cream! either that or wafers, which have become my new vice.   either of those 2 things will not last in the apt!  on to the fleas.  i think they have calmed down a bit or at least i don't see as many bites as i have had but they are still with me!  just about 10 secs ago my wrist felt a little funny and i looked and sure enough, 2 new bites.  i have been trying mom's remedy she found on the internet with lemons and water and i "caught" 1 bug but it wasn't a flea.  but hey, getting rid of anything that bites me is great in my book!  and i have to say last night i resorted to drinking some vinegar with a glass of water to see if that helps.  i've never been one to remember measurements and, even though i have a handy little conversion chart from angie, think i got too much vinegar! you know, in the states i'd go out and celebrate, ok for those of you that know ME maybe i wouldn't, a  special occasion or small victory like this but there really is nowhere here to really do that...but i'll think of something!!  love to all of you!  

compot

these are cucumbers my neighbor Ivan gave me!

once again it happened  so this is going to be short.  i learned how to make compot today, that is food for winter and now have 5 jars of plums and cucumbers sitting ontop of my fridge.  i'm going to put some pictures in and since i've done this already tonight i can tell you that you'll have to start from the last picture and work up for the process to be in order.  i have neighbors who are going to show me how.  the process today wasn't hard, at least for me it wasn't, so i really can't say i learned.  i also met someone from chicage today.  he was born here but lives there and comes back every summer.  we really did not have much time to talk b/c i was late going na ghosti and had to leave but i'm sure we'll run into each other again and if we don't i'm sure the bulgarian people will make sure we see each other, the 2 Americans...we kinda stand out, it's pretty impossible for us to go unknown.  mom i can already hear you and you can just stop and yes he's young too.  before this gets deleated again i'm going to put some pictures on and post quickly.  oh yeah!  in about 9 more days i'm going to help make honey too!  a man at our school has hives and when he was showing me them i asked if i could help him sometime and he told me i could.  i'm actually kinda excited!  

"...the start of a beautiful friendship."

i've never seen that movie but have seen the ending enough to know that they drive off into the sunset surrounded by nothing but open space and more sunset.  just one road winding it's way through the countryside.  and that one road goes on for, probably, miles upon miles.  nothing but fields on either side of that one lonely road.    i lived part of that movie today. today some of the students in the engliish school and N and i went on a picnic and walked down that road.  we did end up walking aways but it was all worth it when we got to our destination.  what do you know!!  i've found a mini raccoon lake in B!  for those of you who don't know my family my parents have a house on raccoon lake in western IN and i go there often to chill and take a break from my life. now granted there is no lake and the amenities aren't quite the same but it's rustic, has a trailer, a firepit (well sort-of), and even has a well!  we had kebache, mini hamburgers, cleb, bread, voda, water, chips, and coke.  i think people here are amazed i can find something like that nice and beautiful.  while walking today i said "this is nice" and one young lady said "what? this?"(or at least that's how I took it). i can't remember ever before seeing fields...just fields and that's it.  and 1 road...and more fields.  anyway we had fun and even got a ride back to G. after lunch by the dad of one of the students.  
step 1 and 2 of operation "az ne iscam brumbe" (i don't want bugs) are completed!   yesterday N helped me put a screen up over my window to keep out the bugs and let in the fresh air.  it feels so nice!  i also made a homemade anti-flea control and set part of it out last night.  tonight i will use the lemon spray i made, thank you mom!, and we shall see!  i will say i slept soooo much better last night!  it also didn't hurt that there weren't any people who decided to party right under my apt till all hrs of the night and early am. too!
something i'm having a hard time getting across to people here is the attitude of not having.  i'm not saying that right.  i didn't join the corps to "have."  in fact quite the opposite is true and i'm having a hard time getting that across.  i think the idea of people going without is something they can't understand.  living with the minimum is one of the basic components of the corps (and i'm not saying that just b/c one of the staffers of the corps may be reading this!) that hasn't change over the yrs.  am i living like i do in the states?  certainly not!  could my life here be made easier if i had certain things?  of course!  but can i live without them?  yes!  n and i have had several talks about this and she's on the same page as i am now.  the thing i tried to tell her last night is that things do not make a person happy.  and if i want things that's what my money is for!  it's the not having that is going to make my experience much more fulfilling.  just the very fact i spent time with n putting up a screen is something not a lot of people, ok...in the states, get to do and i  have.  when i'm 50 and start with the "i remember when i had to..." stories  i can share that experience with my sister's kids.  i want to be tactful when i say no more but i have to get across the fact that this is important to me.  if not everyone in G has something i don't want it and if I do i will use my money.  one the other hand i've had to give myself a talk and tell myself i don't know G, nargis does and have to trust her on this issue and that was hard for me to remember at first.  ok enough of that!
i got a package from my siser and her family yest and was so happy!  i love those little mints!  thank you belieres!  i think that's enough of my rambling for today!

some differences

i noticed a couple things over the weekend that i now realize we all, in the states, take for granted and thought I'd share.  for instance when we get hot in the states we turn on the air conditioner.  when Bulgarians get hot they turn on the fan, that and suffer.  when i wanted some water when i lived in the states I went to the fridge and put my glass under a spot in the door and presto!  cold water!  now when I want cold water i go to the fridge, i now have, and take water chilling from there.   there is no magic spot.  dogs run loose here and belong to no one.  they mate and have puppies who belong to no one.  it's really kinda sad.  they have to scavenge for food.  and they are the prime carriers of fleas.  another difference i don't even notice now.  i woke up to cars honking driving down the street this past sat.  i automatically thought "oh no!  there's going to be a wedding and that means loud music and i won't be able to sleep."  when people get married they drive their cars down the street, tied with balloons, honking their horns.  there are things about being B. I "just know" and forget that i need to explain this new culture.  something else that is different is that store owners sit outside their stores and smoke or chat until they have a customer.  something else that i am dealing with right now is that when we buy a house in the states we take for granted there are screens in the windows.  i remember how good it feels to have the window open at night and feel the wind blowing,  and get some fresh air.  my windows have not been open for several days because i have no screens and when the windows are open that gives free reign to the mosquitoes and other bugs that eat us alive.  if you want screens, you make them or buy a house with screens which i'm sure costs a lot more.on the other side every mon we have a bazar with fresh fruit, vegetables, and other things you might need.  this am i bought some cucumbers and a strainer to strain my lemon juice in for my continuing battle with fleas.  i also got plenty of lemons.  oh yeah!  here i've been told you don't say hi to someone on the street unless you know them.  sounds kinda strange to me and i have to say i'm not doing a very good job of integrating using this technique!   well I'm off to measure my windows for screens!  do utre!

the weekend

this weekend Nargis is going to her house in Kubrat and I'll be here.  i'm kinda excited!  not because i don't like being with her because i really do but b/c this is my chance to be here and do things on my own and stumble with my B, or not.  i go places by myself and speak but know she's only a phone call/txt away from helping me if i get stuck.  this weekend she won't be and it's on me.  i think people here are impressed i know a little B.  little do they know that the "little" is going to become "a lot" b/c i'm taking classes and am here to learn to speak in addition to work!   this am i also decided how I'm going to thank people.  maybe not thank them but, as my sister so appropriately put it, "pay it forward."  i'm gling to use the kitchen at school and make American desserts! ok, for all those sinics out there who know I don't cook just stop right now!  these 2 yrs are a chance to reinvent myself!  (i can already hear mike twisting that around) i figure what a better way to show american culture than with rice crispy treats or coconut bars!  now before you all, my peace corps army, take it upon yourselves to stock me up with goodies wait for awhile; i have a plan i'm working on!  anyway, i'm going now to stock my new fridge and maybe go ha ghosti.   have a great weekend and i'll leave you all with the info that i might not have fleas after all!  i need to investigate this further!  love to all!  i really feel you all with me; thanks for that!  pam, if you read this tell judy i have a stock of lifesavers coming to me!  i didn't know i would want them but turns out i do!  she got me PLENTY!  and here it's just me and i'm not passing them out to my usher buddies!

wait 5 minutes

of course when i want to find a mosquito i can't find one alive!

nargis told me my bites may not be fleas after all!

so i have to tell you about my big day today.  after declaring war on fleas i got about 3 hrs sleep last night because every time i got close i heard the buzz of a mosquito.  since i was at war, and tired, i was very mad and so got up several times during the night to use my flyswatter which looks a little worse for the ware.  so combined with the flea thoughts, of not wanting them and thinking they are everywhere, and the party outside, although that didn't bother me so much, i got about 3 hrs of sleep.  but i've got an hr ong bus ride to Pyce right?  that's what i thought and was so looking forward to the time to sleep; we left at 7 so i could still sleep easily...or so i thought.  nargis and i paid the driver for our ticket and were both getting ready to get some much needed rest when the driver decides it's late enough and he wants some music. english and loud.  now don't get me wrong i need to hear american music...but not at 7 am and not when all i want to do is sleep and definitely not loud!  ok so sleep is not an option.  we get to pyce and applied for my lichna carta, which went well and i will have to go back to pyce the day before my sisters bday to get it,did some shopping and headed back "home."  while again trying to sleep the ride seemed to go much faster and neither one of us got more than 30 minutes sleep and not good sleep at that.  we pull into G and wonder aloud if we will get any sleep tonight and then we see it...people with instruments and amps setting up in the city center right in front of our bldg.  there's a wedding today which means, in addition to people starting their lives together and all, ANOTHER LATE, NOISY NIGHT!  so i head up to my apt thinking of trying to get a nap in.  so here i am, tired and with red bites on my legs which may or may not be fleas, thinking about he sleep i'm not going to get tonight.  face it, i could have been in a better mood.  AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED TO MINIMIZE ALL THAT, well as much as they can be minimized.   nargis showed up at my door and told me MY REFRIGERATOR IS HERE!!!  Ok i bought a fan today in pyce and that helped because mosquitoes don't like fans, but now i can buy food and not have to worry about just buying enough.  and i have to say i'm really not a fan of warm beer or dt. coke.  YIPPEEEEEEEEEE!  now i can make eggs to go along with my potatoes and other veggies and have an omlet!  and i can have sirene anytime i want with  salad!  the little things.  i took some pic's of my new "friends." so you can share in my joy and my pain.  i had to laugh when nargis told me i would have to clean the fridge because, i'm so my mom's daughter, from the time they set it down in my apt my mind was wandering to how i would need to clean it.  here's a shout out to you mom!

at war!

I'm at war with fleas!!!  this am while walking to go na ghosti with a man who works at the school I showed Nargis the flea bites on my legs.  low and behold after i got back home after my b. lang lessons, after a very nice time of coffee, coke, peanuts, cake, and the earliest I have had beer in my life, i noticed what i thought were new bites so i asked Nargis and she thought they were new also.  I DECLARE WAR ON THE FLEAS!!  i washed my sheets again, my couch covering, and all the tablecloths and everything.  i borrowed a vacuum cleaner and swept the rug and floors; maybe the fleas that were hiding in the crevices of the floor are now in the vacuum bag!  i aired out my mattress and sprayed my chairs and bed frame with biokill stuff.  IT'S ON!!  while i was declaring war on the fleas i started rearranging things in the apt.  it feels a lot more roomy!  tom N and I are off the pyce again to start my lichna karta, the document so I can stay in the country.  it will be another early am for me so here's hoping the noisy guys downstairs take another night off!  i've started getting mail although both letters were given to me by Nargis.  since today was war with fleas i didn't have a chance to leave the apt in the afternoon. that was exciting even though everything in the letters i already know.  it really is comforting and something i look forward to; mail.  i'm really going to have to remember the ladies at the post office because I'm sure they're going to get tired of seeing my name the next 2 yrs!   today we saw the lady who cooks for the school and got permission to use the oven to make choc. chip cookies.  i have the mix mom sent me and just thought this am that would be a great thank you.  yes it's probably true i need to learn how to receive without thinking i need to give back but i also want to ensure future volunteers get the same treatment, of  fresh fruit and vegetables.  anyway i can't believe what is on tv right now.  stiffler?"  "i'm going to band camp!!"  go figure! love! 

being a foreigner

once again i have been humbled.  this am N, my counterpart, and I went to the local medical center to get some information to send into the pc and i came away with more plums, and not the purple kind, apples, and tomatoes i am going to be able to eat before the plums go bad in 5 days!  i also got a cucumber and some onions and a pepper for the chapska calata i had for lunch.  i stopped and got some serine and had the first chopska calata i've had since i've been in G.  and it tasted SOOO good!  but again i'm left with the thought of what can i do to make this up?  other than a thank you note i'd have to run by N to make sure everything is being said correctly i'm not sure what i can do for these people.  the pc offered a talk about living in a muslim community during one of the last HUB's, where all 85 of us come together and get info , given by current volunteers and i went to that one.  one of the things that everyone said is that being new people will give you things and it's important to give something back.  i'm just having trouble figuring out what exactly.  i'm working on taking more pic's so i can show you all my home for the next 2 yrs.  i decided on a schedule for the mornings although the past 2 days it hasn't worked because i have woken up at 3:30 the past 2 am's and wasn't able to get to back sleep for awhile so when my alarm clock went off at 6:30 i reset it.  i also decided today i'm going to label my apt in English and Bulgarian words.  tom am i am going over to the house of  one of the men and women who work at the school .  that will be interesting; to see other houses in G.  i have to get to the post office so that's gonna have to be all for today.  do utre!  please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers!  lisa

market day!

today was my first opportunity to experience market day in G. and it was quite something!   all kinds of vegetables andI saw on the webpage where the fever lost last night ha fruit under the sun!  other items as well.  every monday from, not really sure when it starts, until about 1:30.  I got some zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, peaches, bananas, and carrots!  I haven't seen carrots since I left the states!  well here and there in soups and on salads sometimes but not like this am!  now I need to go get a carrot peeler!  after that I had my first B language lesson since leaving Varshetts.  it was ok and I have lots of work to do!  a funny story.  last night I was sitting in front of the tv eating a late dinner when all of a sudden I felt something flu into my shorts and thought it was a mosquito so I swatted my upper leg.  next thing I know my leg is hurting like the dickens and when I looked there was something sticking out of my skin!  Hindsight being what it is I realize the times I tried to grab to stinger, I still didn't know exactly what stung me, I probably squeezed more venom into my skin.  after awhile I started scraping at it but I think it was too late.  still didn't know what it was so I text N thinking maybe it was a Bulgarian bug I didn't know and maybe something more serious would happen to me.  right before whe got to my door I saw it crawling around on my rug.  my leg still killed and was beginning to swell.  finally i found some ointment in my huge medical kit and it started feeling better.  i have been stung 2 times the last 2.5 months and can't remember being stung a second time in probably the last 5 yrs in the states!  some excitement last night!  oh yeah!  this am while walking to the market a hay bailer drove past.  how funny!  I'll work on taking some pictures of G this afternoon!  I read on the website where the fever lost yest.  are they starting to act like the Pacers???

Peace Corps Bulgaria - New Volunteer Swearing-In Ceremony

http://tv-vratsa.bg/index.php?lang=bg&r=home/tvvratza/t140/t3086