Rila Planina

So I have been running nonstop for the past 2 weeks... sorry I haven't been able to provide a lot of substance. I'm glad everyone liked the pictures. If you have a facebook account you can check out some others I have uploaded (it's easier there than on here).

Work has been constant. I'm learning more about myself and my own capabilities and limitations than I ever have before... which is definitely a good thing. My Bulgarian is getting much better, and I can catch a few more phrases every day. This week we have a meeting with some community bigwigs, such as the mayor and the principal of the school. We'll be discussing possible community projects to implement during our three month stay in the town.

We also got to go on a trip to the nearby city of Kyustendil to talk to some volunteers about their service. I've really narrowed my focus of what I want to do and where I want to work, but it's up to the program staff at this point. I have my final site placement interview in a couple of days, and I'll find out where I'll be spending the next two years in a couple of weeks. I'm really drawn to work with at-risk kids in either a school or orphanage setting, but I'll know in 2 weeks time...

In other news, I was privileged enough to spend this weekend camping in a tent (palatka) in the Rila Mountains, with my host family. This place is amazingly beautiful. Think the Smoky Mountains, but on a bit of smaller scale. We camped in a clearing right on the Iliyna River, and cooked spicy kyufte and mixed shopska salat for our meals...

From there, we hiked to the Rila Monastery twice. It was about a 4 mile hike there, but it was worth every step. The monastery is Bulgaria's most important cultural site, and was founded and built by Ivan Rilski (the monastery's namesake) about 1000 years ago. The church is contained within a 4 story fortress, complete with a tower and guardhouses, and became a powerful fiefdom in the Middle Ages. The church in the fortress is immaculate, and remarkably well preserved. The entire building is painted inside and out with amazingly detailed frescoes depicting heaven, hell, and the saints important to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Believe me when I say that every inch of the building is either painted or gilded, and this makes for an incredibly awe-inspiring experience. Buried inside the monastery is Boris III, who I think introduced Christianity to Bulgaria.

I'll try to put some pictures from the monastery up very soon. It has to be seen to believed...

Until next time...