mealtime

Sorry I missed last Thurs and Fri's blog's!  Thurs I was preparing for the Kindergarten and then went to help a student with some English.  We were at his house and (little did I know-you would think I would have learned by now) I ended up staying for dinner.  Then on Fri I went to visit another school here and by the time I got home it was time for other things.  For today's blog I want to talk a little about my gosti exprience on Thurs.  This has been something I've noticed but never felt the need to blog about it until now.  Now I've gotten used to the whole gosti thing of being offered a small plate of goodies and tea/coffee.  Usually when I go the host will sit down with me and have some coffee or tea.  Sometimes that's not the case.  Sometimes I end up drinking my tea and eating a little something in front of the host.  I've been  raised  not to eat in front of others if they're not eating but this didn't bother me so much because it's just little snacky stuff.  However on Thurs I was presented with a tray of food for dinner; soup and the whole works.  When I asked the lady where hers was she said "oh I eat later with grandpa."  I then asked my student who I had an English"lesson" with if he was going to help me with any of the abundant food that I had before me.  He also said he ate later.  So here I was eating soup tarator (yogurt and water mix with cuccumbers-a traditional favorite), a bowl of a rice and meatball dish, fruit, dessert cakes (like a coffee cake) and bread in front of my student and his mother!  Of course I didn't eat it all; don't forget I had already been served the traditional coffee, soda, and little snack cakes.  I have to say I felt a little uncomfortable because I wasn't raised to eat in front of people.  Something else to get used to.  Another thing I have noticed about mealtime is that generally speaking there's not a lot of conversation.  When I have lunch with the teachers in the stola sometimes there is small talk between the teachers but silence isn't uncommon.  Coming from a family who disscussed magazine articles over meals and always talked about our days this is a little different for me.  Of course I think dinner is a little different with the students.  Tomorrow is a big day here in B!  Stay tuned!  Love and hugs!  Thoughts are of Libia right now and the unrest there.

senioritis

There's a word we use in the states for high school students in the last year of h.s. who think they are done working.  They're the top in the school and set to graduate within the year, they're done working. RIGHT?????  WRONG!!!!!  We in the states say these seniors have senioritis.  It's a "sickness" that happens in the last year of h.s.  The brain shuts down and work isn't really possible.  It occurs because the hardest of the work is over and graduation can't come fast enough.  That's the common thought among Seniors and it affects, dare I say, ALL Seniors; some people just handle it better.  I had it my senior year at North Central.  The 12th class here has it!  Anyway just like our seniors in the states have to take the SAT to graduate (I've forgotten when.  I want to say the Junior year but it's been awhile) the seniors here also have to take a test to graduate and theirs is called the Matura.  I've only seen partial copies of tests that have been used in previous years and I'm not really sure how it compares to the SAT.   I do know that there are 2 parts as well.  The first part is about Bulgaria.  I'm not quite sure if that includes things like History or what.  The second part there are 3 test  options: Math, Geography, or English.  2 of our 4 Seniors have opted for Geography, 1 for English, and I'm not sure about the other one-he wasn't at school today when I asked.  I have been helping one of the students prepare a little for his English portion and I must say I've been stumped a couple times.  THe grammar part is my favorite!  Right mom??!!????!!!  NOT IN THE LEAST!  I have to thank a TEFL volunteer friend of mine; I've called her several times for explaination and right answers.   There's a part for listening comprehension, reading comprehension, sentence completion, fill in the blank, and an essay I think.  THe test is in May and I wish all the seniors luck!    Now the daily run down.  Went to a couple English classes today.  Tomorrow  is the Kindergarten which means I have to figure out tonight what I am going to do.  When I woke up this morning an looked outside the ground was covered with snow.  It snowed yesterday but not much and it was warm enough it melted.  Last night it must've snowed more and continued on and off during the day today.  I'm guessing we have maybe about an inch to inch and a half.  Today for lunch we had fish, beans, and cabbage.  Of course our lentil soup started it off and lunch finished with an apple.  Kinda expecting leftovers tonight but we'll see!

family

So sometime today while sitting at school it occured to me that I should also be writing about similarities in addition to differences.   Starting with families.  Families are just as important here as in the states, sometimes I even think more so.  Babas and Djados, grandmas and grandpas, play a more inportant role here...and...THE BABAS RULE!!  The older generation is more valued here, generally speaking.  The family is so important sometimes it forces families to live apart.  You want to do what's best for your family, want them to have the best possible andsometimes that means finding a job away from the family.  I have a neighbor (a baba) whose daughter is in Germany making money to send her daughter to university.  I have coworkers whose parent or spouse are in other countries making money for the family.  It's sad that it has to be that way but you go where the jobs are to keep food on the table.  Just like families is the states will do whatever to help their family (case in point me for example.  My family does so much for me over here!) it's just the same here.  A very short blog today.  for some reason my caps lock won't go off so you'll just have to deal with all capitals.  for the second time since i've been here i came home after school today and took a nap.  i thought of an idea for my pen pal project, now i just have to put it into action!  it snowed today again and this time it stuck around.  maybe an inch.  that's all from here!  steph, don't worry about the chat.  i'm just glad everyone is on the mend; i hope you are too! oh yeah!  I got my hair cut  (not very short) last night because it was getting too long for me.  I will say it is easier to have short hair when you have central heat!  I left the WARM teachers room today to go to the COLD bathroom and was quickly made aware that I had less hair!  love and hugs!

thank you's!

I've written blogs about the word "thank you" and how it just doesn't say enough in my opinion.  Someone gives you something from their heart and you say "thank you?"  Just doesn't cut it in my book!  However that's the fact (jack) and something I'm learning  I have to accept.  However one thing that is different here than in the states (all the credit goes to my parents) is the writing of thank you notes.   I was raised that when someone gives you something in addition to saying "thank you" it's appropriate to write a note thanking them for whatever.  I've done that here several dozen times already and have been told that thank you notes are not traditionally written here.   This is something that I will do, to the very best of my ability, here and NOT give up because it's not the tradition.  I have to say most things I'm into adopting, or forgetting;whichever is the case, because it's the Bulgarian way/tradition but this is not one of them.  Someone gives me something, they  will (eventually) get a thank you note from me.   Now of course there may be a delay of a couple weeks but that's because I want to be gramatically correct and for that to happen right now I need the help of other people who are naive B speakers (thank you Nargis and Tadsjeneur).  In addition to thank you notes not being written in B, or at least that's not the tradition, neither are sympathy notes.  My host father's father passed away in January and both myself (pretty delayed) and my mom, she had met him in October, sent "sympathy/I'm sorry for your loss" notes."  Something I learned in the process of having my note proofread is that the phrase "sorry for your loss" isn't used after someone dies but they use another phrase altogether.  Right now I can't remember it and even if I did it's in B and I don't have the translation in E or even know if it translates to E.  So there it is.  Something else that I'm learning is different bewteen the states and here.  However I'm not too sure how long it will be done in the states; it may be dieing off.  As far as my day?  I got my hair cut and it was actually pretty exciting; it was getting pretty long...for me.  I had a nice talk with my mom, her cousin, and my siser and her fam last night and that was very nice.  It's cold but not chilling cold.  I'm going to go gosti in the hostel tonight with the girls "keeper" or "mom during the week" or the female teacher who stays in the hostel during the week with the girls.  That will be my gosti for today.  Love and hugs!!

the difference 9 months make!

So I'm traveling back to my house after getting my package (thanks mom and ron!) when once again it occurs to me I'm doing something that even 6 months ago I didn't think I'd ever be able to do.  It was another one of those "pinch me" moments.  I left this morning thinking my package was at the bus station.  I've been to the bus station plenty and am comfortable there.  Then I remember our post office lady said "gara" not "autogara" which meant the train station NOT the bus station.  No problem, the gara is right beside the autogara and I've been there, once with Leo on my crazy xmas trip to Italy.  Oh yeah, before that I went shopping a little and had lunch.  I ordered lunch!  During pst I was so not looking forward to that and was sure I'd do it wrong.  So anyway I'm on my way to the train station but once there have to find out where to go.  So I had to ask, and understood the important stuff.  Then I had to talk with the ladies in the post office, get my package and make my way back to my bus stop.  There was a lady getting a package at the same time as me, her son is in Chicago, and would you believe she was on my bus home?  I think about how afraid I was to make my first solo trip traveling anywhere and other things I thought I'd never do, was afraid to do and think now "why was I ever so hesitant?"  We've go a new bunch of trainees, B27s, coming on March 20th (I think) and I remember how freaked out I was when I got to B and even when I left pst (pre-service training).   I remember that last interview I had with my program manager, telling her how I thought the head shake yes and no would never come to me (basically yes is our no and no is our yes).  Now I struggle to do it the way I was raised, the American way!   Just goes to show  what we're capable of if we really want it!!  Have a great weekend!  Love and hugs!