our final party

I'm sorry I didn't get around to blogging yesterday and I'll apologize ahead of time about not blogging tomorrow too!  We are in the middle of getting ready for a combination 4th of July/end of the school year/farewell party/celebration for me tomorrow night and things got crazy all of a sudden!  Yesterday I asked a student to help me with a power point presentation (I've never done one- I know you all are SHOCKED!) and in the middle of uploading my pictures to the presentation we lost power and lost everything we had done.  I should say everything HE had done, which was about 1/4 of what needed to be done and the easy part turns out which was good.  Same thing happened today but he saved more frequently so not a big loss.  Nargis and I also took a bunch of my stuff to the Jimea yesterday so it could be given to whoever needs it.  In the middle of planning (starting to really) this gathering tomorrow night I heard a rumor that only some of the students could come...and I got mad!  "This is my last party with the students and, darn it, I want everyone there!" was what I  was thinking.   Turns out I got all “in a tizzy” (that’s for you mom) for no reason and the mood that I caused myself to be in only set me back; hurt me!  That’s what I get for listening to rumors!  Nargis wants me to say something about the 4th tomorrow night and I think this time I’m going to IN BULGARIAN!  I figure if the students see me fumbling all over my words and making mistakes they might get more of the idea that mistakes aren’t bad, actually necessary and good most of the time!   I just thought about something!  I’m not even going to read over it more than once; I’ll just have to tell the teachrs to let me read and NOT to help me!  So that is tomorrow night and then Friday is the last day of school and my last day with the hostel students:(  Getting to major kleenex time here (lots of crying)!  Love and hugs!

(going) back home again!

Today's blog is for all my volunteer friends who are leaving today or tomorrow.  If we're done with our work and all squared away with Peace Corps stuff we can leave (with permission of course) up to a month early, which is today.  I know that 3 out of 4 of the volunteers still in B that were with me in Varshets left/are leaving today or tomorrow.  Our pst in Varshets was hard and the 6 of us (one went home already) survived!  I made some friends that I will have for life and even have a potential illustrator for my children's books (if that goes anywhere.  That's also something I have to look into when I get back to the States!)  Our ages (in May 2010)  ranged from 24 (or 23?) year old Sean from California to 68 year old Naomi from Texas.  Naomi was quite the inspiration.  Not sure why but she lived in the house farthest away (by quite a bit) from the training center where we studied (our home base) in Varshets.   She enjoyed telling us stories of her being part of crews on sailing ships.  I remember her telling us that during pst (Varshets) she and her family spoke in Italian a lot because they both knew Italian and B wasn't coming to her as quickly as some of our pst mates...and I was right there with her-except for the Italian part!  After the first couple weeks in Varshets our language class split (it just kind of happened) into 2 groups, the persons who were picking up the language fairly quickly and could speak well, and Naomi, Marisa, and myself who were coming along at a slower pace.   Naomi and I decided one day to practice what we had learned in class, how to order a meal.  We went to this little kafe; we were so nervous!  When the menus came we saw that there were pictures as well as the B description of the dishes and we were very happy.  We ordered (by pointing to the pictures and using very minimal B) and our meals came.  After a few seconds we both looked at each other and said "I don't think this is what I wanted."  THen one of our sitemates came in with the better B and ordered a beer and started chatting with the waitress and Naomi and I just looked at each other and sighed.  When we became volunteers and left for our individaul sites on the 23rd of July 2010, I cried as I watched their train leave.  It felt like one chapter of my life was ending; I guess it was.  The 6 of us literally did just about everything together for those 11 weeks and were so ready to NOT see each other everyday!  I'm of course speaking for myself but I think that was the general consensus of the rest as well.  So to all the volunteers leaving today or tomorrow I want to thank you for serving with me.  I of course knew some better than others; with a group of 87 it's hard to know everyone well.  Our group had a lot of volunteers from California.  Service to others, as well as learning from others, is important.  Thank you for beiing willing, and having the courage, to see outside of yourselves and comit to anothr country for almost 2 1/2 years!  Have safe travels and всичко хубаво!  (God) bless you!  Love and hugs from me!

I need a car???

I will leave B, with my mother in tow, July 29th.  Because of this and the fact that this has been my home for 2+ years I'm sure I will be experiencing many emotions and will be missing quie a bit of B when I get back to the states.  One of the things I will really miss when I return to the states is the fact that I can't walk everywhere.  I realize this seems trivial and it is in relation to the other things I will miss, but it's very true!  I can walk from one end of town to the other in probably about 20 minutes and everything I need (the basic necessities) is in there somewhere.  Where I live in the states I can walk to the nearest 7-11 but it would take me much longer than 20 minutes and is a lot more expensive than a regular store for food; Kroger for instance.  And if I want to go into a bigger town or city I jump on a bus or call Tzetzo the taxi driver.  Of course he comes from the next town over because we don't have one but that's ok.  Yes it's true that I have to coordinate with the bus schedule when I want to ride but I don't mind that either; I have gotten to know the bus drivers (like I said, I stand out from the "normal" B. person) and chat with them.  Every morning, or at least the mornings I go in to school, I walk to the English school and home when I leave for the day.  If I need to see Nargis about something, I walk to her house.  When I'm getting low on food in the house I walk to the magazine (store); and now all I have to do is walk outside my building and there is one right there, at the bottom of my building!  Of course I try to shop at all the closer food magazines.  And walking is exercise!  I don't speed walk or anything but it is a way to exercise that I don't get when I drive.  I'm not sure what to think when I get behind the wheel for the first time after 27 months of no driving.  I would like to say it'll come back to me but, since this is the first time I've gone 27 months without driving besides when I first learned how, I don't have anything with which to compare.  Along with not being able to walk everywhere, I will miss seeing non-motorized vehicles on the road; donkey/horse carts.  Tomorrow is the special English test for the 8th graders at special English schools; not exactly sure about other special schools.  I wish them luck!  Love and hugs from me!

recap

Sorry you all but this has to be a quick one!  First let me thank you for the birthday wishes! I spent the evening with a young lady from the English school and her family.  The next day, Saturday, I left here on a 7:30 im the morning microbus (the driver remembered my name from more than 1 year ago and I hadn't seen him until this past Saturday morning) that couldn't fit everyone.  The driver had to shuttle back and forth to a bigger bus to finally accomodate everyone.  Another "only in Bulgaria" comment.  You do realize that when I say that I don't mean anything negative towards B!  There have been several of those "only in B' comments come out of my mouth since I've been here.  I can't really explain what I mean when I say that; the closest would be to say things are seen and handled differently here than in the States.  So after that I got on a train that would take me to see my good friend Jez, leave her place for my medical and other appointments in Sofia, and head back to her place after the appointments, only to jump on another train the next morning to head home (B home).  I'm realizing that all the preparations I have done to end service up until now seem small.  Lots to do in terms of physical preparations.  Then there's the July 4th celebration we're supposed to be having in 2 weeks that needs to be planned.  Love and hugs from me!

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!

what I will miss.

So I was thinking last night about how today was blog day and I was trying to think about what to write.  I think I decided something as the 10:00 evening  call to prayer sounded; I'm done with the new and different things that I've written about before.  I'm leaving the country I have called home for the past 27 (25 as of now) months in July; now's about thoughts and feelings; saying goodbye stuff.  There are so many reasons why I love this country and the same number and more things (and people)  I will miss about this country when I leave.  Last night reminded me of one; granted it's not a deep and sappy thing but something I will have to remind myself over and over won't happen, at least around where I live in Indianapolis, when I return to the States.  The Call to Prayer.   I live in a Muslim community; the Jimea is on the corner (that seems funny to say.)  Five times a day I hear it.  It took ome getting used to when I first got here in July 2010, but now I don't think twice about "what is that" or "man that's loud!"  It's a fact I have come to live with and have visited several times.  I have experienced the reading of The Koran and seen "na mass" (the ritual of the praying) being observed and even was given some prayer beads.  I will never forget the first, I think it was the first, time I went.  Nargis was with me, I use her for her Turkish-just kidding, and I noticed Samet, the Imam, leaning very, very close to The Koran while reading.  I said something to N about this and asked about glasses and his sight.  There are many things she has said that I won't forget but this struck me and made me think "Lisa, DUH!  What were you thinking?"  She looked at me and without even stopping to think said "he doesn't need to see; God/Allah (and the words) is in here" and she tapped her heart.  You know when you say something and someone answers you and you want to come back but are left with no words, you are speechless?  It was one of those times.  Anyway, along with the call to prayer I also get the "dog call to prayer."  All the dogs start howling and singing along with the announcement of na mass.  It's kinda funny!  That is something too I have just learned to deal with and accept as part of life here.  When I leave it will take some time getting used to the fact that that won't happen (again, in my part of the States).  Today is another warm one; yesterday I even felt some humidity!  It gets hot here but usually the humidity isn't bad so the heat is bearable (for me).  Today is my step-fathers birthday and I wish him a very happy birthday!!  He and my mom are traveling out West now in their conversion van and I think they are in Nevada today.  Wherever you are have a very good birthday and very safe travels!!  Love you!  Love and hugs from me!