a small pochievka for me!

I'm am going to have to take a break from blogging until Thursday in order to get ready for the 4th of July celebration on the 29th of July.  Things are slowly coming together!  Until then, love and hugs and have a good week!

"ready, set, stop!"

Well I'm back for a short time before I go celebrate the 4th of July with some volunteers and then go have our mid-service conference.  This summer just keeps getting busier and busier!  Forget about the Black Sea!  I'm not going to have any time to go to the Sea with all the traveling that coming up!  I can't guarantee how often I will get a chance to blog next week with all my thoughts going to the potato salad and ground beef and cookies for the 4th!  This is something you may find interesting and to tell the truth just figured out myself about a month ago.  Say you're driving down the road in the states and see the green light change to yellow.  Depending on where the car is in relation to the yellow light generally you slow down and prepare to stop.  Yellow means "slow down."  Yellow here means "get ready" to put your foot on the gas and go!  In the states we go from red to green to yellow and repeat the process.  Here they go from red to yellow to green.  A little different!  Anyway this last conference I attended was about teaching issues relating to sexual health to young people.  My counterpart and I are hoping to have a (several) day camp about these issues in the next several months but have a lot to do yet!  Sex is more of a taboo topic here and because of that STIs and infertility are common problems.   Only 4% of women use the birth contro pill and condoms and the IUD are the most popular forms of birth control.  So we're going to try to get some healthy messages out to our students!  It is pretty near the 90s in the afternoons here and the bus rides back here yesterday were a little on the stuffy side!!  I just have to share some news.  While in another town yesterday I found and bought an American football!!  That made me happier than I thought!!   Love and hugs!!

mish mash2

What to write about today??  First off let me say this will be my last blog until next Thurs or Friday.  I will be at a continuation of a training and will be traveling starting tomorrow.  Secondly, I went in to school today and read my B tutor my "book report" since the teacher who picked the story for me to read and understand was in class.  She told me I had it more or less right.  Let me tell you my dictionary got a workout last night and this morning!!!  I have decided to have a 4th of July party before school is over; the last school day is the 30th and the party is the 29th.  I'm going to make potato salad, hamburgers, and cookies.  Of course I will have plenty of help!!!  Come to think about it, this might actually be my last blog for awhile.  While my counterpart and I were asking the school director for permission to have the party I overheard him say "maybe she can put something on the bulletin board" about the 4th.  When the director suggests something like that it's more of an "she should put something on the bulletin board" than a suggestion.  So I sarted thinking of things and surprisingly an idea came right to mind (it usually takes awhile of stewing over the situation before anything comes to mind).  I spelled out the words "Independence Day" and thought of something for each letter starting with that  letter.  I was having trouble after the routine word such as "patriotic" and "In 1776" so I went to the computer and googled "Independence Day" and do you know I actually learned several new things about July 4th??  For instance, I never realized that there was a dispute over when the "Declaration of Independence" was signed!  Come to find out that historians now think it was signed on August 2, 1776 instead of when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams said,  July 4, 1776.  Also, every year on July 4th since the year 1916 New York has a hotdog eating contest.  I guess in 1916 4 immigrants to America thought that the person eating the most hotdogs had the most patriotism.  Things that make you go hmmmmm!  That's where I'm going to stop for now.  To my family in New York; I hope you have a great time this next week and I will be with you in spirit and possibly see you on the webcam!!  Love and hugs!!

wanna bet?!??

First of all I have taken public transportation in the states; thanks for correcting me Steph!!  That was such a fun time but I have to say I would have enjoyed the show more if we had realized it was the same night instead of thinking it was the next night and had to rush around trying to get ready.  For Christmas one time my parents got my sister and I tickets to a play in Chicago and after we got to our hotel we relaxed and were ready to just stay in the hotel until we looked at the tickets and the play we thought was the next night was THAT night...in like 30 minutes!!  I think I fell asleep during the play I was so tired from the trip and all!!  Now that that is out of the way the rest of this blog is going to be very quick!  Some of you know me well enough to know that if you tell me I can't do something that's all the more reason I want to do it and, kind of, take it as a personal attack (so to speak).  My B tutor was looking at the B book I bought the other day, and really planned on reading, and I overheard another teacher say something like "the stories are too long; she won't be able to understand" or something to that effect.   So I took the book back in to work today and told the teacher to pick out a story not more then 1-2 pages with no Turkish words.  Tomorrow I will go  to school and tell her about the story, using only my dictionary and not asking anyone for help unless I can't find a word in the dictionary.  So needless to say I have some reading to do!   Love and hugs!!!

some answers, again

So yesterday I got a package from my aunt and she had some questions for me that I thought I'd turn into a blog.  She asked me what exactly I do with the students, what is my "work."  When I don't go to classes with the English teachers to speak or read to the students I try to encourage them to use English in other ways.  One of my goals for this next year is to be more active with the students.  More specifically I want to have an activity in the hostel stol, cafeteria, once a week.  We've previously had a game night, worked on the flashcard project 2 different nights, and had a pretty successful study night; students actually showed up much to my surprise!  I go on walks with the students and have hosted them in my apartment.  Again, next year I will do a better job of visiting the students in the hostel.  We play games, UNO is popular, or I help with homework if they ask.  Pretty much the reason I am here is for them; the young people and I do things for and with them, mostly with them.  My aunt asked me about the people and the friends I've made.  The people here couldn't be nicer to me!!  Of course I hear different things from different people but I have to say what I have experienced has been nothing but kindness and niceness!  I have lots of friends, or who I would call my friends, outside of the students and where I work.  Ok maybe not lots because the people I just described make up a big part of this place.  As it is becoming more and more summer and school is almost out I look forward to sitting with my neighbors at night, and the dogs who love me now, talking, making compot and conserve (canning), drinking tea and coffee, and most importantly trying to understand and improve my B!  She asked about the weekends and I have to say I am usually a hermit on the weekends and that is something that WILL change.  Usually I watch some English t.v. (weekends are for E tv), talk to my family, and finish up (or continue) projects.  Right now my favorite E show that I watch pretty much every Saturday morning is Gilmore Girls.  There was a show on called Army Wives that I was hooked on but I think it is over for the season, or over period I really don't know!  I have found Criminal Minds, THE favorite, on at a time when I am still awake and watch some but that's in B.  About whether B's like Americans?  I have written blogs about this and have to say from my experience, yes.  When I was in PST (1st 10 weeks here in B for those who are new or just don't know) the Peace Corps told all 87 of us in my group that on the whole B's like foriegners.  I paid attention but really brushed it aside.  Now that I've been here a year I have to say I whole heartedly agree with that statement.  I have had numerous times where someone has gone out of their way to help me because, well, I looked like I needed it!  I can't really speak from experience about other nationalities but if it's anything like how I have been accepted then I would have to say they would be just as accepted!  About President Obama.  He is mentioned a lot here and everyone knows him.  About what they think of him?  I really don't know and I stay as far from that as I can.  I can say usually he is spoken about with a positive tone.  One thing about how America is thought of I don't like is the fact that on the whole it is thought America is it, life is so much better in America, so much money, America is where it's at!  And please understand this is just my opinion.  I love my country!  We do have more money and opportunities there, I will admit.  But the idea that "the grass is always greener", everything would be better if only..., America is so much better is the attitude I really don't like.  Every country has it's problems and that includes America.  Life isn't easy there either.  Easier, maybe because of opportunities.  I will admit this is coming from a woman who grew up in America, not Bulgaria, so I really have no idea about life here.  However, the grass may be greener but it also may not be.  Wherever you go you have to work for things, they don't just appear overnight.  Anyway I think that's about enough of that!  If you want something bad enough no matter where you are and you work for it It might happen!  But if you don't work, chances of it happening are so much less!  It all starts with a dream!  (I just thought about how that sounds and I didn't mean for it to sound like I was trying to be MLK so please forgive me)!   Love and hugs!!

transportation

Do you know that besides the school bus when going to school in the states I have never taken public transportation in the states?  I'm racking my brain trying to think if that is right and I really have to say I think it is.  Now I've ridden on shuttles like sometimes they have in airports and such but as far as waiting for the bus, never.  I don't even think I'd know how!  Ok, I know how but I mean where the nearest busstop is to my house and which bus to take and things like that.  I can't even tell you how much the bus costs in Indianapolis.  I have a car and drive everywhere back in the states.  Here however the bus is all I take and I can more or less tell you the price of a ticket to certain places.  I have ridden in a train a couple times before and have only a few times here also.  Back in the states I have never taken a taxi but now taking a taxi is an option.    Public transportation is more eco-friendly.  Here I can live without a car...even if I could drive here.  Public transportation is more of an option here, more available.  Every town, village, and city has at least a bus stop (I'm pretty sure that's right but could be wrong since I haven't asked but every place I've been to or through has had one.)   Now sometimes, this happens more on smaller microbuses, you have to stand because there are no more seats or, as happened a few Saturdays ago when I was traveling, you have to "make" seats, sit in the back, or get a little creative and cozy.  The buses and trains, or course, run on a schedule during the week.  The schedule changes on the weekends and, in my opinion, it's harder to rely on public transportation.  So during the weekends when people want to travel it's harder.  But since I've never ridden public transportation in the states, maybe it's harder on the weekends there too!  Traveling here more than 2-3 hours away from home is kind of a luxary; it's expensive and since most people don't have cars they have to rely on the buses or trains.  Vacations here are taken at the Black Sea.  Just today I had some students tell me they want to go to the Black Sea with me this summer.  Or vacations are spent with parents in other countries.  I have a student who has a father in Germany and a mother in Turkey and when I asked her what she will do this summer she said she will spend time with her parents.  Boy, I can't imagine!  Now I'm a child of divorce but at least my parents lived within 30 minutes of each other (until High School) and I lived with one of them while growing up!  This has kind of been a hodge-podge blog today.  Sadly, the recent storm in Indianapolis took part of my willow tree with it, but everyone is ok thankfully.  However, that's nothing compared to what has been happening in the South!  My thoughts and prayers continue to be in Arizona and where all the flooding has been!!  Love and hugs and thanks for the package Kerrs!!

June 10th

This past Friday was a pretty special day in the life and times of Peace Corps Bulgaria.  First of all 41 new trainees became volunteers.  They are the 27th group in Bulgaria, hence the "B27."  I'm a B26, part of a group of 83 who arrived in B this May 12, 2010.  I, and I think I speak for all the volunteers here already, wish them success in this 2nd part of their journey!  They made it through the grueling and nothing but intensive first part, Pre-service Training, and now they get to put into practice more of what they learned!   The second reason the 10th of June was special, and no it's not because it was 2 days after my birthday, was because June 10th marked the 20 year anniversary of the first volunteers in B.  June 10th 1991 was when B 1 paved the way for the rest of the 26 groups of volunteers to live and work in B alongside Bulgarian partners.  They set the tone for all of us.  Because of that first group I was able to come to B.  They established the ongoing relationship between our 2 countries.  Kudos to them!!  I have to think of all the advantages I have now that I'm certain they didn't have.  I can talk to my family by emails and skype.  I can say that 10 years ago when a good college friend of mine was leaving to join the Peace Corps in Africa digital cameras were just coming out.  Interesting stuff to think about and reflect over!  I remember when I first got here, to my new home.  Those first couple days were a whirlwind; this whole year has been!!  One of the things that sticks out is that for the first day or so I didn't have a towel to dry myself off.  But then again it was the end of July and so hot that I didn't need one!  Well it's several housrs after I first started this and that means several hours closer to bed time.  Love and hugs!!

the irony of it all!

I figure I better take advantage of the fact that I have power and do a blog while I have the opportunity.  It's been rather windy and power was out several hours today and yesterday for awhile I had no internet connection.  Something I've come to get used to over here, and I still find kind of strange, is that I can walk into a restaurant or cafe over here and here American 80s songs that I haven't heard in a long while.  For instance sitting at a table outside a restaurant last weekend with a volunteer friend for a late lunch I realized I was listening to American 80s music.  I'm a fan of 80s music but the songs they were playing weren't the typical more popular 80s songs you usually hear listening to an 80s radio station.  We ordered our salads, loving the music and occasionally singing along, when it occured to me what an oxymoron I was living at the moment.  Maybe not an oxymoron exactly (my memory of the definition might be a little shaky and I don't want to stop and look it up right now) but incredibly ironic and unexpected.  Here I am in Bulgaria-BULGARIA-eating a salad that is awesome and my favorite salad here...yet it has no lettuce, a staple in a salad by many peoples' standards.  Also, what should be playing on the radio while we are waiting for our lettuce-less salads??  80s music from America!  It's the kind of thing that makes you stop for just a minute...and then say "ok."  So I've gotten used to hearing 80s music here and of course Bulgarian and Turkish music.  What I did find interesting however was when I walked into a restaurant with my friends, a small birthday celebration, sat down at the table, and heard American heavy metal/rap/not sure what kind of music it was!  What was even more interesting was that I took notice and it was "wrecking the mood!"  Since we were the only 4 in the restaurant there wasn't much of a mood but whatever American music this Bulgarian restaurant was playing didn't fit and I have to say I was happy when they changed it!  Not much of a blog today but it's Friday and this is what you get.  And Maya, "Soul Sister" by Train still makes me smile!!  I know you have moved on and all.  Love and hugs!!

imagining

Well we just had a very nice summer storm!  So the other day, it was a Saturday at 7:30 which is early for me to be moving much less riding a (non-school) bus, I was meeting a coworker in her town about an hour away and was riding an early bus.  Considering the time I wasn't that awake but awake enough to have a conversation with a baba before boarding the bus.  When I boarded the bus I found a seat and removed my backpack (that has become as well known around here as I have.)  I was looking around at the people and noticed a man sitting in front of me on the other side of the bus.  I think he was the husband of the woman who I had a conversation with but I'm never sure.  He was a dyado, grandpa aged man, and was dressed up in a suit jacket and had nice pants on; he looked very nice.  He was holding flowers with the stems wrapped in paper soaked in water to last the hour+ long trip.  The first thought that popped into my mind was "that's so cute!"  The woman who might or might not have been his wife didn't get on the bus with him.  I had fun trying to think of the reason for the flowers.  I'm noticing more and more I have a very hard time guessing peoples ages here.  That and the fact that older people here are very active in everyday activities; they have to be.  Just the other day when I went to my coworkers house to pick cherries up in the tree was a man, who threw a small branch down for me.  He didn't look to be in his 30s, he was older.  Come to find out one of the ladies who was  there helping who I'm going to guess is in her upper 40s/maybe 50s said "that's my father!"  So I'm not good with ages over here.  So back to the bus.  The thought crossed my mind that this man could have been going to visit his mother.  Or maybe he was leaving his one family to spend time with his other family.  Since families are so often split up over here it's not unheard of in the Turkish ethnicity, maybe across the board-I'm not sure, for a man to have a family where he lives and another family where he works since the 2 aren't always in the same place.  Maybe he was going to see his wife, assuming he only has 1, and just couldn't live where she wanted to settle down so he stayed here, where he grew up.  That's not uncommon either.  I have a baba and dyado who live different places because neither one could live where the other wanted.  They each take turns going to see each other in the 2 different homes and stay for awhile, they just have to leave when it's time and I have to say I know that feeling.  Wherever he was going it was important enough for him to be wearing some of his nicest clothes.  I also noticed as the busride went on the more his flowers bloomed.  Then I thought to myself how, if you want flowers to stay looking fresh you have to pick them very early in the morning (could be the reason for the early bus?)when they are first starting to open and then as the day progresses they bloom all the more.  I just thought that was very touching and a very nice gesture.  When I think of the "reasons" people are given flowers in the states, and again generally speaking, I couldn't help but be impressed by this gesture.  Maybe he did something to make his wife mad and was in trouble, I have no idea!   I just thought he was so cute!   Love and hugs from here!!  Happy birthday Krisi!

this says "happy birthday Lisa-40"

me and he various teachers
around the spread.

this is a ceramic pot with pictures
of  Monestaries on/in it.

this is a horseshoe with a
little cowbell underneath
to take away the sickness and bad
stuff!

not a real good picture of the birthday
festivities but you can see more of how
the teachers room looks.

another ceramic pot, or part of one, with
a picture of a baba standing in
front of a monastery I think.

of course they made me cut the cake!

this was last weekend with Jez and
our spread.

this is my kind of dinner!  cake, oreos  and
peanut butter, wafers (my new vice)
and wine!  Wish I could eat like that all the
time!

it's here!

So here it is, my birthday.  I just got back from passing little chocolates out to various people here and while doing that I had 2 thoughts: #1- people can understand me and I can understand them for the most part and #2- this really has turned into a second, third if you count my pst time, home!  I walked into school today to be greeted with the song "happy birthday" in English while all the teachers stood around the table with a cake in the middle, reminding me it's #40.  I was presented with flowers, an odd number-even #'s are for funerals, and presents.  After I put my spread on the table, the birthday person treats everyone to chocolates and I had some juice, sprite, and a favorite coffee with me, in walks the Principal with another bag from the teachers of things that represent Bulgaria.  He told my counterpart to translate what he said but I understood him!  I had bought chocolates for all the students and put them out and even got a little (football shaped) cake from the 11th grade.  I was wished health, love, strength, and everything that comes with those.  As I reflect on these last 40 years, and this last one in particular, I feel very fortunate!!  I am living a dream by many people's standards.  There are a couple things I wish would have been different, when I let a boyfriend tell me what to do and when my cousin was in the hospital and I didn't go see her right away because I was with friends, but on the whole I have NOTHING to be unhappy and complain about!  I have the most awesome family anyone could want!  I'm surrounded by friends who care about me and help me in countless ways.  I have been lucky enough to get to travel and see a little bit of this beautiful world.  I have been blessed with awesome role models in my life who have shown me how to live a life of service and be humble.  It's been quite a ride so far!!  Now I'm serving my country by making lasting friendships and falling all over myself trying to learn to dance.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be part of the Peace Corps!  I just had a conversation with the pharmacist and she asked me what I'm going to do when my time here is over and I told her I didn't know.  She said "stay here" and I again missunderstood what she was trying to say and said "I don't know" and she repeated "stay here."  She wasn't asking me, she was telling me!!  I have another home here.  This place has adopted me and I can't begin to thank them!  I got an email from my pastor of my church in Indy last night and he asked me if I feel like I'm giving useful help.  After I told him that different days he would get different answers from me I told him that I feel like nothing I could possibly give would equal what has been given to me by my new place of residence.  That's the way I feel and I think that's a common feeling among volunteers but I can't speak for anyone but myself.  Bulgaria has such a rich culture that I wish all of you could experience first hand; my blog counts but not for "first hand."  For all of this I have to thank my God without whom none of this would be possible!  Before this becomes too long I'm going to quit and try to put some pictures on here too.  On second thought, I'll just post twice today!  Love and hugs from me!  I wish the fires away from towns in Arizona and no lives lost!!

flowers

So I'm sitting here eating cherries that I just picked from a co-workers tree and they are delicious!!  Thank you Esin and family!  I don't think I've blogged about just how loved flowers are here; if I have, sorry.  In fact they're more than loved, they are a hobby.  When I say hobby I mean I've seen pictures and been in houses where EVERY FREE SPACE has a flower/plant.  Now my mom loves her flowers and even has a room just for them (sadly to say they have died; I can't be in 2 places at once and truth be told I'd much rather be here) but let me say mom, you have met your match and you really have nothing on these women...sorry:(  Here along with the summer comes huge gardens with cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, dill, spinach, (I'm sure I'm leaving something out) and all sorts of fruit trees; cherry, apple, plum, and others I'm sure.  The question (as far as I've seen) isn't "will you have a garden this summer" but "what will you have in your garden" or "what kind of compot and conserve are you going to make this summer?"  Having as big of a garden as is very typical here is A LOT of work!!  I tip my hat to everyone who has a garden here; they work HARD!!  Of course planting and taking care of the garden is only part of the work.  Once the veggies or fruit is ready then it is time to sit in front of a fire (not all the time) drinking tea or coffee, chatting with friends, and making compot or conserve for the winter.  If there is no garden at the house or apartment where you are living then chances are there is one at the other house, the one where the parents live.  The garden is outside the house but once you go inside, then the flowers begin to show themselves!  Every little corner and space has a flower!  Now not all women are as into flowers as others are but believe me, when someone says "I want to show you pictures of my house" they mean "I want to show you pictures of my flowers" and there just happens to be a house in there too!  They also take lots of work.  One of the first weekends I was here I went to a coworkers house and she and her mom (I was a "gostinka" so I couldn't help) spent much of Sunday getting their flowers ready for winter and transplanting them.  I really am going to try and help this summer as much as they'll let me!  I asked the man I get my honey from last week if I could help this summer and he shook his head yes.   I really want to help because that's my nature but will take what is given to me and be glad for that!!  That's all from here!  Love and hugs!!

foreigners2

Well I got back from my weekend about 4 hours ago and now have to play catch-up.  First of all a BIG THANK YOU again to my fellow volunteer Jez who made sure my birthday was special!  She made me a cake and everything AND used sprinkles!  I had to go to Sofia for a medical follow-up (no ear problems for the past 10-15 years and boom, I come to B and get a little infection.  Only little though and I can hear so much better out of my left ear now!  It's like a whole other  world that I can hear SO much better!) and then decided to take a side trip for the weekend.  It was just what both of us needed I think.  I also have to thank her for letting me help out with some things!   I can only imagine how hard it was for her and her trusting me enough was an awesome birthday gift!!  While considering what to blog about on one of my many buses back here I was reminded of how we were told when we first got here May 2010(yikes!) how "foreigner friendly" Bulgaria was.  I experienced that again today and thought "what a great blog."  I really have to wonder if the same friendliness to strangers would happen in the states.  I would love to think it would but truth be told I don't know that I can.  When I was in Sofia looking for the PC office AGAIN, been there 2 times and both times have gotten there different ways that were NOT how I was told to get there, I asked a man on the street where the street was that the office was on.  He started telling me and then just motioned for me to follow him.  He ended up walking me part of the way there!  Along the way we ended up having a nice conversation which was cool too; I found out he had lived in Columbus Ohio for a very short while some time ago.  Then just today on the bus when I was talking to my counterpart on the phone, my accent must have pointed out I'm not a native B speaker-go figure, the lady sitting next to me turned to me and said "do you speak English."  When I said I did she said she did too and asked me if I needed any help with anything.  I told her my situation and how I was going to take one more bus to where I would meet my ride.  Then when we got to our station,  after I had asked her at least 2 times "where are we", she offered to come inside and look at the bus schedule with me and ask about the bus.  I thanked her several times but said I'd be ok and we parted ways.  Again she had no reason to help me and didn't know me from Adam but she sensed I might need help and offered to help me.  This culture is so helpful to  outsiders and really does like foreigners!  They go out of their way to help and that is refreshing!  Like everything else this is dependant on several factors and really can't be a blanket across the board statement but has been my experience.  It almost makes getting lost fun!  I really hope that many of you reading this have the chance to come and experience this first-hand!  I know I'm late on this  and I'm sorry but HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY RON!!!  Love and hugs and congrats cuz!

kindergarten2

I created today's post in the wrong order and figured if I tried to write anything it would mess things up.  So I'll just post again.  Just like the childcare center where I worked in the states, these Kindergartners also have a graduation to send them to 1st grade, or purve klas.  Just like I've experienced in the states it's a big deal with parents and diplomas and singing and dancing and all!  The mothers cried and so did the director; her son is in this class.  I went for my usual Thursday afternoon with them and was told they have a big ceremony today and to come back if I wanted.  I went and they put on quite a show, just like the ones I've seen at my previous place of employment!!  Some of the dresses these little girls wore put my whole wardrobe to shame!  And as is tradition in Bulgaria, they can dance!  That's it from here!!  It looks like it could start pouring any minute now.  I will be traveling tomorrow so will not be able to blog; sorry about that.  But I should be able to hear you better when I return!  Love and hugs!

kindergarten pics

the Kindergarten teachers!

I tried to get close-ups of the kids
and some pictures were better than
others.  There were 16 Kindergarteners
in all.

Add caption

check out some of these dresses!
The last time I wore something
that fancy was MAYBE for
my sister's wedding!  Even then
Ithink these are fancier!

the group with their "diplomas."

and again in case I forgot
anyone!

 

"ball" pictures

one of the senors speaking and
our financer behind him.

the other 3 listening to Nurye
speak.  He got a 4.58 out of 6
on his choice exam:English 

the principal of our school

our financer

me and Angel and Enis.

me and Nurye

the 4 of them but  only the side
of Enis' head.  Sorry Enis!!

Edis (you got it right, Enis and
Edis) and his cousin, an
8th grader at out school.


Sorry I forgot to get these up earlier!    By the way, the study night I/we had
went better than I anticipated!  Students showed up with notebooks and even a laptop!  I was pleasantly surprised!