my grandma#2

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMAN'S DAY !!  Let all the women out there be celebrated!!  The idea for this blog, again-thanks mom, came from my mom.  Oh, before I start I have to thank and celebrate all the women in my life, past and present.  My mom who has been my supporter and advocate for 40+ years.  My sister who has developed over the years into more than a sister, my friend and confidant as well.  My step-mother who kept fighting against my sister and I, not outwardly of course, to be part of our family, even though we didn't make it easy at all.  “Dad, I’m not hungary for...” (whatever Ronni made for dinner that night which was I’m sure delicious)  “are you sure?  Just try a bite and then if you don’t like it you don’t have to finish but you have to eat something.”  “I don’t want to.”  “Fine, do you want me to make you a grilled cheese?”  “I guess...”  Or how about when your soon to be step-daughter “just happens (it had to be an accident, I don’t think I had the gaul to do this purposefully) to put several BAD AND VERY NOTICABLE runs in her pantyhose ON THE DAY OF THE WEDDING!  I could go on and on with aunts, grandparents, teachers, and women friends who have made a difference in my life.  I also have to mention my best friend over here, Jezreel, who has helped me tremendously.  You have shown me a different side of friendship and I have much to learn!  Ok, today’s blog is about my maternal grandmother, Helen.  When my great-grandmother was pregnant with Helen she was in an accident and thrown from the buggy she was riding in.  Because of that my grandma never walked without a limp and was never able to bend the pointer finger of her left(?) hand.  But when you live on a farm, it doesn’t matter how fast you walk or how slow, how strong you are or how weak; the work has to get done!  Story time:  years after college I decided to go back to Goshen for the weekend for a visit.  I stayed with my grandparents and met up with some friends one night and we stayed out a little later than bedtime for my grandparents.  I called  and told them I would be late.  When I got in the main door to the house was locked (she must have locked it out of habit and forgot I needed to get in) so I curled up on an old sofa they had out in their entry room and tried to get some sleep.   The next morning I wake up to (somewhat) familiar sound.  There was my grandma walking on the treadmill!  I’m not sure if it was more for exercise or physical therapy.  I mentioned last year that my grandma did handpainted cards to help her finger agility.  Towards the end of her life, obviously as is the case in just about all deaths, there was a decline in some of her abilities; her abiliy to eat by herself, dress herself, and walk by herself.  BUT my grandma was still using a squishy ball to help with her finger agility/movement.  So when she passed away my mom was given her squishy balls and passed them on to my sister and I.  My sister took here into the delivery room with her when she gave birth to her kids.  I brought mine here to B with me.  It is a symbol of strength and that “never give up” attitude my family is famous for.  Just the other day I gave my ball away.  I gave it to a young person who is having a hard time here for many reasons.  I told this person to take care of it for me and think of my grandma whenever he/she looks at it.  Think about how she was struggling to eat, to walk, and had to depend on others to take her to the bathroom.  BUT YET she did her exercises, day after day, to keep her hand and finger strength up!  She didn’t give up, not even when it seemed like everything was against her.  Now I don’t know if this person understood the whole story or not; sometimes even when a person understands things in English the meaning isn’t quite the same.  Either way I feel good about giving it to another person and I know my grandma would too.  Now...the ONE THING I thought for certain would be the same (ok I hadn’t really thought about it but I think the fact that I didn’t think about it being any different means that I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be different) when I closed out my service here in B and returned to my life in the states was that PEYTON MANNING WOULD BE THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS!  Yesterday was truely a sad day for the Colts organization and myself.  I read a comment someone posted saying that “if you don’t cry at this press conference you have no soul” and said to myself “that’s silly!  it’s just a press conference with a bunch of reporters and cameras and stuff!”    Ok, who reading this blog actually thought I would NOT cry??  I think it’s safe to say that tissues were moistened; yes, I cried.  Love and hugs from me!

favorite things #7

Before I start today's "favorite things" blog I need to do something.  In looking at the stats for my blogs I see "moving forward 'malko po malko'" is a favorite.  One of the things I wrote about in that blog was how a friend asked me to run a marathon with her this past November.  Believe it or not I was going to do it...really.  However the October, some time around then, 1 year before the marathon I had problems with my right knee.  I don't know why, I didn't aggrevate an  old injury that I know of.  Either way because of that I had to alter things a bit and work on strengthening my knee when the time came instead of running.  So I did NOT run the marathon in Greece but several PC volunteers did and had a great time.  In fact my friend Jez, who asked me to run the one in Greece, loved it so much she's running another one in a couple weeks with another volunteer friend.  Ok, on to some more favorites/reasons I love Bulgaria!  There are woods just before you get to my town.  You know how whan you were a little kid and you just instinctivly "know" when you're almost home?  Well, I "know" my woods and can recognize when I'm almost home...if coming from that direction.  I didn't set out to, it just kinda happened.  It's a landmark for me and that's a cool feeling.  I love that people know what I know and don't know.  I've been here for going on 2 years and when people see a confused look on my face (yes it still happens) they break things down for me.  They just know!  Along with that I love that people finish my sentences for me!  I have to say I haven't been the best with getting out and actually speaking (oopa!) so naturally things come slower then they used to.  People see that, know what I'm trying to say, and finish my sentences for me.  When I first got here I didn't appreciate that all that much; I was trying to learn and needed to make my way myself.  Now however I don't mind as much.  I love the fact that, when trying to explain the meaning of an English word to Nargis, it takes me a whole sentence for one word.  My sister always said I left "disertations" on answering machines instead of messages!!  I love the fact that people ask me "what are we going to do without you?"  It makes me feel special and loved!!  I always tell them "you will be just fine!"  My thoughts and prayers are with the people effected by the tornadoes in the Midwest and South.  Sandy, hang in there; "malko po malko i stupka po stupka"  (little by little and step by step)!  Love and hugs!

baba marta 2012

CHESTIT BABA MARTA!!!  Once again it's that time of year to make and wear martinitzas!  For all you new folks a martinitza is a red and white bracelet that you make, buy, or are given.  You wear then on your wrist or lapel or around your neck until you see a stork; a symbol of Spring.  On a side note, we had snow last night and I'm ready for the stork!!  When you see a stork (which doesn't look a thing like the storks that carry the babies) you take your martinitzas off and hang it on a fruit bearing tree.  I have to admit I cheated last year and saved all mine.  This year the trees will get them!!  Once again we had a party to make m's last night after school and it was a bunch of fun!  We have some really creative students!  Anyway, happy 1st of March!!!  I had a teacher ask me yesterday what the English transltion of martinitzas is and I told her "there is no translation because there are no martinitzas in the statess."  At least that I know of.  I'm doing something a little different today.  Last year Bulgaria had their first English spelling bee open to 4th -7th graders and it was a tremendous success!!  The volunteer who is spearheading this emailed me and said there's a school near me participating with no volunteer and asked me if I could lend my native tongue and knowledge of spelling bees to them.  I had to familiarize myself with spelling bees a little but this afternoon I'm headed to see how I can help their school.  We shall see!!  I have to hand it to my fellow volunteers who stepped it up and are helping with this and got the ball rolling last year!!  I think I read where a 4th grader won last year...impressive!  Better go get ready for my meeting!  Love and hugs from here!!

favorite things #6

I believe it's about time for another "things I love about Bulgaria" blog.  This blog was inspired by the weather.  This passed weekend lots of the snow melted and on Sunday it got in the 40s, or upper 30s.  It's the end of Feb and everyone is looking forward to making martinitzas, a symbol of spring.  The snow was melting and the weather was getting warmer, little by little. Then I wake up this morning and look outside and see...NEWLY FALLEN SNOW.  I  love how I can be 1/2 a world away from my home in the states and be reminded every day of Indiana (you all can read about other reminders of Indiana in other favorite things blogs).  I love that one of the babas I live with is so concerned about me that the broom that I bought to be used by everybody in our building and I keep downstairs, so everyone can use it, keeps ending up by my door because "someone might steal it!"   I love how, when I stop and really think about things I realize #1) people that had no idea what I was saying when I first got here understand me (this will never fail to impress me) and we can carry on a conversation about something as important as cooking (yes mom you read right) and #2)  people wave at me, say hi, and honk their horns at me when I'm walking down the street.  That didn't happen when I first got here in July 2010.  I love when I make people laugh here; across the language barrier!  Now of course it's probably because I said something VERY wrong and didn't know it or maybe they are laughing AT me and not WITH me, but what I don't know can't hurt me!  Like the other day I was having tutoring and was telling about the time when I missed my plane to the states after traveling with my sister and had to spend the night at Charles De Gauhl(?) airport in Paris.  It was New Years and I was watching all the celebrations around the world, alone in my bed in an airport away from any kind of family and not even in my country.  Then when I finally did catch the plane the next day it landed in Chicago 10 minutes after the last flight to Indianapolis, home,  took off!  After that everything closed because of a huge snow storm and I was stuck in Chicago for the weekend!  3-4, give or take, hours from home and I couldn't get there; my dad couldn't even come and get me because THE ROADS WERE CLOSED!!  Then there was a night I was in a shop here and made the lady behind the counter laugh hysterically.  She was weighing potatoes and had to get exactly 2 kilograms.  I went behind the counter and was providing commentary ("very close or “exactly 2 kgs”) and she was cracking up.  Now again, possibly some people are laughing at me but I don’t really care; I just like that I can make them laugh!  Of course the missing the flight wasn’t funny then but now I can laugh right along with people...well, kind of.  I think this is getting a little long and so I will close for now!  I just helped teach 3 high school boys how to schuffle; it was pretty aweesome!!  Love and hugs from me!!

tok dilemma

The idea for this blog came from my mom; thanks mom! By now I think most of you know that most people here heat their homes with wood stoves.  I on the other hand have a radiator that I plug in and uses tok (I was going to write it in B. but then I realized it is exactly the same), electricity.  I don't quite understand the whole workings of the fuse boxes here and the whole electrical workings but have been told to only have 3 things plugged in at one time or 2 things plugged in and my boiler on.  I've blown fuses before (at least that's what I think I did) and watched when Bi Sali fixed things in my fuse box.  My fridge stays plugged in all the time (#1-actually there was a time about 3 weeks ago where I unplugged it.  I didn't really need it; it was colder in my kitchen than it was in the fridge; and I could find other things to plug in that were more important! It's back to being plugged in now) and my radiator stays plugged in most of the time when I'm at home (#2-it was/is more energy efficient to keep it on all the time.  Now that it's not in the single digits and below during the day it's not as important to keep it on at all times.  And yes mom I did ask!).  Which means that I have to choose between working on my computer (pretty much all my work is done on the computer), cooking something on my hotplate, chilling out and watching tv, having hot water, or using the washing machine.  Now it's really not that much of a dilemma now that it is warming up.  Usually I use my fridge, radiator, and computer.  I turn my boiler on early in the morning and leave it on for a couple hours ( I do that while I'm sleeping since tok is cheaper after 10 at night and it eliminates the boiler from the possible choices) and usually have hot water most of the day.  I have to be careful, especially on the really cold days, that my water doesn't get cold before I use it (I think everybody knows cold showers are no fun, at least on colder days )!   If I'm needing more hot water, or have been gone for a couple days, I leave it on for 3 or 4 hours.  I have an older boiler and it doesn't heat as fast.  Usually what I do is wake up at 4 and turn on my boiler, go back to bed, get up at 6 and turn off the boiler, and then lay in bed for about 30 minutes before getting my rear in gear and take a shower.  That's on days I take a shower.  I admit during this seriously cold spell there were days where I laid in bed debating whether or not to take a shower since I had showered 3 days ago (when your bathroom and everywhere around you is freezing-no vents in there to warm up the place- smelling good and being fresh kinda go out the window!  And WHEN it's that cold you don't even want to go anywhere to be around people!  And I'm lucky, Nargis' shower is  below her house and to get to it she has to go outside.  I'm not sure if that's very common here or not, to have the shower be outside.  I know most toilets are outside and again I'm lucky  but I live in an apartment and not a house.  Some people have done repair work on their houses and their toilets/bathrooms are inside).  The tv isn't that much of a dilemma except on the weekends ( I've gotten hooked on Gilmore Girls in English and like to watch tv while I eat meals; there are some pretty cheesy but good movies on the "tube." I have gotten away from this a bit but the weekends are when I allow myself to watch in English) or when I want/need to watch the news.  Since I eat in he stol during the week (hostel cafeteria) I don't use my hotplate during the week and sparingly on the weekends (not much air flow in my kitchen and when I use the hotplate the moisture in the air creates mold.  It took me awhile but I learned to open the kitchen door a little to solve that.  However, when it's cold outside having the kitchen door open even a little is kinda chilly!  And keep in mind I only heat my bedroom).  You know, now as I'm writing this I'm finding it interesting just how much I've learned, figured out, and found ways around things  that I never would have thought of in the states or just didn't concern myself with because it wasn't an issue.  I was talking to Jez during our seriously cold spell and she was telling me how she learned how to work her apartment so she didn't get so cold at timesas well as for other things.  The more I think about it, she's right!  Even the subtle things I find myself exlaining to you all.  I catch myself and I think "yeah, I guess I did have to learn that!"  Ok, this blog is seriously long and I think I'm done.  Love and hugs from a sunny (yea) here!!