another friend!

Well the good news is that as of yet, I am knocking on wood as we speak, I haven't been hit with the flu.  However I guess enough people in my region have been hit and the schools are on a week long "flu pochievka" or flu break.  The kindergarten is closed too so I have been holed up in my apt, and YES I'm surviving without the hostel food prepared for me, reading fairy tales in B, planning additional lessons for the little ones and big ones, going gosti, and much more!  Seems I have made friends with the dogs that live around my building because each and every time I set foot outside they greet me AND accompany me on my journey.  Even if I don't have food!  I met a new baba, grandma, today while running errands.  She was walking her trash to the dumpster that was close and walking with a cane/walking stick.   I was closeby and went to grab her trash and walk the rest of the way so she didn't have to.  I'm kinda surprised she let me help her although it was just trash she had and who in their right mind would run off with that?  Ok, maybe the dogs.  SHe let me and instead of thanking me and going back inside and sitting down, my idea for her in the first place, she stayed and talked to me for a little and then asked me to follow her to a magazine nearby to get warm.  We chatted awhile and I bought some tea from the magazine, I just kinda thought I should, and then was on my way.  I got to tell her I was a volunteer with the PC and will be here till July 2012.  I got the question that every volunteer is waiting for which is "there's a lot of money there(states) and not much here so why are you here?"   If I was thinking clearly I should have said something clever like "yeah but there's no shopska calata in the states!"  Of course I didn't but did get out that I was a volunteer.  Another ha gosti for another day!  Hope all is well and brace yourselves for the storm!  Feel free to send some snow this way!  Love and hugs and BE SAFE!!!