Not quite a diva

What a difference 2 years makes!  I remember when I first got here I didn't know up from down...or горе от долу (yes I'm showing off a little)!  Gradually I became a member of this community and started teaching 2, this year 3, times a week in the Kindergarten.  I always started with a new class with introductions, of course, knowing full well there was no way I was going to remember all those names.  Back in the states I knew every child's name at my old place of employment; names like Nicholas or Lauren or Hailey or James I can remember.  HOWEVER, names like Sergin and Mart and Berfin and Emer I'm not so good with in the memory department.  They are beautiful names and I hate messing them up, forgetting, or worst or all, misspronouncing them but my mind isn't wired for B names; when I only saw them once a week it was harder to remember.  No matter how many times I repeated my name, their teachers repeated my name, or their parents repeated my name, my name sometimes was (still is- I just heard it yesterday:)) "Angleiski" which means "English."  Regardless of that fact (and I so don't mind; I consider it like a pet name.  Who else really could they be talking about?) my name is  known by many a youngster here.  I'll never forget one of the first times, if not the first, I heard my name being called by a child as I was walking past the Kindergarten.  Little Tolga was being picked up by his father (who I see all the time; he collects the water bill money and hooked up my washing machine) and Tolga just happened to see me walking by and screamed "LISA!  I looked all around and then finally saw him running towards me at full speed.  I had no time to think about the cuteness of this, I had to prepare my arms (and self) to be jumped into by a 6 year old running at full speed!  I turned towards him, put down my bag, and braced myself for impact; feet firmly planted on the ground.  I WAS READY!!  To let everyone in (or at least those who don't know me very well) on a fact about me: I LOVE HUGS, especially from children! So here I am ready to have Tolga jump into my arms...and he stopped about 3 feet in front of me and all I thought to do was go up to him and rub him on the top of his head.   Why did I tell you this??  You know how everyone talks about "15 seconds of fame"?  I've had 2 years of fame.  Peace Corps staff told us that one of the things we will have to get used to  when we leave here is not being a rock star.  This is not meant to boast or say volunteers are more important than just people, because we're not.  What this means is that around towns and small villages and cities, probably less in big cities, we're known;  I'M known; like I said before-I kinda stick out.  Because of that I hear my name a lot walking down the street or wherever, kida saying hi.  THIS I will miss when I leave here!  I will not be blogging next Tuesday; I have a medical appointment in Sofia.  Nothing important, just PC making sure I'm healthy enought to leave the country.  That and some other "closing service" stuff.  I'll be back next Thursday.  I want to thank you all for the birthday wishes, cards, poems, and little hershey's.  Nothing spectacular this year; one tattoo's enough.  Love and hugs from me!