This is an actual, verbatim excerpt from an English language textbook that one of my kids is using. Nothing was changed.
Christy: Hi Daniel, what's that in your pocket?
Daniel: Ah, this? It's my new Busta Rhymes CD. It's awesome! Do you want to see it?
Christy: Nope. BR's not my favourite.
Daniel: Isn't he? Who's your favourite then?
Christy: I haven't got a favourite.
Daniel: You don't like rap music?
Christy: No, not at all.
Daniel: What kind of music do you like?
Christy: Actually I'm not keen on music. I like computer games. No, I love computer games. I play non-stop.
Daniel: You don't! You don't play on the bus! And I listen to music every where.
Christy: You don't! You don't listen to music in class.
Can anyone tell me what the heck this is supposed to teach kids, or when this situation would arise?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
This is Preslav: Chapter 1
So I’ve finally settled into life here in Preslav, starting to get into routines, starting to see the same people every day. This is only a good thing, as I keep telling myself every day. Even though I have a while to go before I’m fully “integrated” (PC buzzword) here, I’m certainly starting to become somewhat comfortable in this somewhat new place.
The town itself is a nice one despite its somewhat small size. In fact I had the realization the other day on my way to the bus station that the entire town might actually be smaller than the campus of Florida State. I can walk the town from one end to the other in 20 minutes. Regardless, the town is surprisingly dense, having a lot of cafes and shops, and there is a lot to keep me occupied outside of the walls of the orphanage.
The town is the seat of the municipality ("Obshtina" in Bulgarian). For a comparison to America, if each region in Bulgaria were a state, the Obshtinas would be like counties.
The fact that the town is the seat of the Obshtina is just about the only power this once great city (former capitol of Bulgaria) has left. Even so, there's still a lot of history and beauty here. The church in the center boasts having the only frescoes in Northeastern Bulgaria, and dates back to the mid 1800s. It's probably my favorite building in town, and can be seen from most places around town.
The town itself is a nice one despite its somewhat small size. In fact I had the realization the other day on my way to the bus station that the entire town might actually be smaller than the campus of Florida State. I can walk the town from one end to the other in 20 minutes. Regardless, the town is surprisingly dense, having a lot of cafes and shops, and there is a lot to keep me occupied outside of the walls of the orphanage.
The town is the seat of the municipality ("Obshtina" in Bulgarian). For a comparison to America, if each region in Bulgaria were a state, the Obshtinas would be like counties.
The fact that the town is the seat of the Obshtina is just about the only power this once great city (former capitol of Bulgaria) has left. Even so, there's still a lot of history and beauty here. The church in the center boasts having the only frescoes in Northeastern Bulgaria, and dates back to the mid 1800s. It's probably my favorite building in town, and can be seen from most places around town.
The town center is located right in the middle of the Chitalishte, the Obshtina, town hall, and the church. Most of the things to do here (shops, cafes, restaurants) are located either on or very close to here.
There is also a small park behind the center, overlooking the church.
This gigantic statue of the former king of Bulgaria serves as a reminder of the once great status of Preslav. Even though I think it's Communist era (looks that way at least), it really is a big presence in the town and it seems to be a source of pride of the residents here. Plus it looks really cool.
While the center pretty much lives up to its name, in that pretty much everything is located around it, there's a lot to do outside of it as well. There's the Sunday bazaar, the school and orphanage, and of course, the ruins of the old capitol, but those are all topics for another day.
I'll start posting more info on the orphanage at which I work soon. I'm still kind of feeling out the situation there, meeting the kids, and trying to get into some sort of routine. I'm in a sort of experimentation phase - seeing what works and what fails miserably - and documenting everything that I can. I already feel like I'm differentiating myself from the previous volunteer... More on that later.
Until next time...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Cribs - Bulgaria Edition
Hey everyone. Ever wonder what life in a former communist blok is like? I know I did before I came here. Now I’m living the dream in one of my own! All kidding aside, it’s actually a pretty nice place and I’m liking it so far. Here’s the tour... in video format!
The grand tour is also available in picture form on facebook...
Right now I’m still settling in to my new place, but I start working at the orphanage on Monday. There's a lot of kinks to work out - all the normal ones associated with moving to a new place, and then there's also some extra little surprises thrown in the mix since of course "this is Bulgaria" (a favorite phrase of Bulgarians). All in all I'm having a good time, and it's nice to finally be out on my own.
On a different note, I'm on Skype now, so you can call me for free if you have the internet and a microphone. My skype name is pretty easy: greg.herb so drop me a line sometime. Just remember I'm 7-10 hours ahead of you. I'm also on AIM (moxwax) still.
Until next time...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Dom Sweet Dom
Hey everyone... just a quick update. I'm all moved in to my little bloc apartment here in Preslav. Settling in here will be a whole different beast, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll get a more detailed post up later, but just wanted to let people know that I did in fact make it out here. I also have regular internet service now! Woohoo! If you want my address, shoot me an email or a facebook message.
More coming soon.
More coming soon.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Snow Alert
It's the beginning of October and the hills near my village are covered in snow. Here we go...
In other news, training is wrapping up. Here's a look at what I'll be up to for the next few days:
Today I take my final language test - the LPI (Language Proficiency Interview... sounds intense, right?). I have to score at an intermediate-low level. Wish me luck...
Tomorrow I'm taking a trip with some other volunteers to Melnik, the wine capital of Bulgaria, and Sandanski, the birthplace of Spartacus.
On Wednesday, we have our final HUB session in Dupnitsa, reflect on how our training went, make final preparations for service, and have one last good time together before heading out to our sites.
Thursday is swearing-in, and my departure to my home for the next 2 years.
Some stats from the last 11 weeks of training:
Hours of language classes taken: too many
murals painted: 1
Bulgarian landmarks seen: 5
football games of home teams missed: 10
hamburgers eaten: 1 (I caved in Sofia... it was pretty disappointing)
pounds lost: somewhere between 10 - 15
More details to come.
Until next time...
In other news, training is wrapping up. Here's a look at what I'll be up to for the next few days:
Today I take my final language test - the LPI (Language Proficiency Interview... sounds intense, right?). I have to score at an intermediate-low level. Wish me luck...
Tomorrow I'm taking a trip with some other volunteers to Melnik, the wine capital of Bulgaria, and Sandanski, the birthplace of Spartacus.
On Wednesday, we have our final HUB session in Dupnitsa, reflect on how our training went, make final preparations for service, and have one last good time together before heading out to our sites.
Thursday is swearing-in, and my departure to my home for the next 2 years.
Some stats from the last 11 weeks of training:
Hours of language classes taken: too many
murals painted: 1
Bulgarian landmarks seen: 5
football games of home teams missed: 10
hamburgers eaten: 1 (I caved in Sofia... it was pretty disappointing)
pounds lost: somewhere between 10 - 15
More details to come.
Until next time...
Monday, September 29, 2008
On Rakia
It’s that time of year again folks… and not the one you’re thinking of. I’m not raking up leaves, I’m not watching football, I’m not gearing up to carve pumpkins and eat turkey, and while I am eating copious amounts of food, I do that here pretty much every day anyway. No, my friends… It’s rakia-making time!
Some of you from the States might not have heard of or experienced rakia. I’ll try to explain it. Here in Bulgaria they try to say that rakia is a type of brandy, but I tend to disagree. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s very tasty stuff, but it’s powerful. Think of the most potent drink you’ve ever had, and then combine it with jet fuel, and you might come close to getting the same results.
Regardless, it’s a very important part of Bulgarian culture, and is found at most dinner tables on most nights, sipped straight up with Shopska Salat as the chaser. My host family explained that the drink is regarded as the national drink of Bulgaria, and that if possible every Bulgarian family brews their own rakia. I’m pretty sure that not every household brews their own, but I’ve seen for myself that it is indeed very prevalent, and is a source of pride for many Bulgarian families, each recipe being unique to each family. A lot of the rakia here in BG is made from grapes, but my host family’s is brewed from a mixture of apples and plums. I’ve also heard of rakia made from peaches, raspberries, and a variety of other fruits.
The process started long ago, when I walked through the gates of my house to find my host family smashing fruit with a hammer and pouring it into large plastic vats.
A few days later the fermentation process was well underway, and the vats were locked away in a shed for about a month.
Some of you from the States might not have heard of or experienced rakia. I’ll try to explain it. Here in Bulgaria they try to say that rakia is a type of brandy, but I tend to disagree. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s very tasty stuff, but it’s powerful. Think of the most potent drink you’ve ever had, and then combine it with jet fuel, and you might come close to getting the same results.
Regardless, it’s a very important part of Bulgarian culture, and is found at most dinner tables on most nights, sipped straight up with Shopska Salat as the chaser. My host family explained that the drink is regarded as the national drink of Bulgaria, and that if possible every Bulgarian family brews their own rakia. I’m pretty sure that not every household brews their own, but I’ve seen for myself that it is indeed very prevalent, and is a source of pride for many Bulgarian families, each recipe being unique to each family. A lot of the rakia here in BG is made from grapes, but my host family’s is brewed from a mixture of apples and plums. I’ve also heard of rakia made from peaches, raspberries, and a variety of other fruits.
The process started long ago, when I walked through the gates of my house to find my host family smashing fruit with a hammer and pouring it into large plastic vats.
A few days later the fermentation process was well underway, and the vats were locked away in a shed for about a month.
This weekend the vats were dragged out of the shed again, and an apparatus was built to “cook” the rakia. Here one doesn’t distill alcohol, but “cooks” it.
We got a fire going, and the end result traveled up out of the vat, through the “serpent” for cooling, and out into a bucket, from which it was transferred into containers for storage.
After testing the ABV, which clocked in at around 50%, the new rakia was locked away, not to be touched again for a year (though my host father snuck a few sips to check if “everything had gone alright”).
This means that we also finally got to crack open last year’s batch, which everyone around apparently simultaneously agreed is much better than the previous year’s. I didn’t detect much of a difference. I did however have an awesome time watching this whole process happen, and I’m pretty sure everyone is excited to have rakia for another year. Since the winter is creeping up on us, there was also talk of a related drink called gran rakia, which is heated and blended with sugar. Sounds magical.
Until next time… cheers and na’zdrave!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Elate da Izrisuvame!
“Come and paint with us!”
Peace Corps Bulgaria wanted something sustainable, and we gave it to them… What could be more sustainable than a giant picture on a once-blank wall that shows how patriotic your town is? About 20-ish kids showed up, as well as 10 adults, to clean up their town and create a lasting expression of peace. At least that’s what I like to think of it as… Really, we had a fun day in the town center, did some painting, and gave away a soccer ball for picking up trash around the town center. It all just seemed to work together well.
Before:
During:
After Day 1:
By the way, I was also on Bulgarian television for the first time, since the regional news came out to cover our project for whatever reason. I did an interview… in Bulgarian. The constant onslaught of language lessons every day is paying off I guess!
The mural reads “Welcome to Kraynitsi” (Dobre Doshli b Kraynitisi) and is written against an outline of Bulgaria filled in with the colors of the Bulgarian flag – white, green, and red. On the side is one of the symbols of Bulgaria, pink roses, and at the bottom is displayed the emblem of the European Union, of which Bulgaria is now a part. Just under the lettering, and contained within the borders of Bulgaria (and in its correct region, I must add) is displayed the coat of arms of Kraynitsi, in which is a traditionally dressed figure holding an apple and a flower. I'll add the picture of the emblem later.
Other volunteers from our area came out and gave their help and support as well. Thanks guys!
Now begins the final stages of our training for service here in Bulgaria. Swearing-in is just under 3 weeks away. Somewhere in between now and then we’ll make another trip to Sofia to check out some of the sites, as well as the Peace Corps office and US Embassy. After that, we only have another week until we are officially sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. Then it’s on to Preslav… and into the bitter Bulgarian winter, which seems to have already begun, coming out of nowhere. Seriously, I think the average temperature in my bedroom during this past week has been somewhere in the 40s… Great!
Until next time…
Peace Corps Bulgaria wanted something sustainable, and we gave it to them… What could be more sustainable than a giant picture on a once-blank wall that shows how patriotic your town is? About 20-ish kids showed up, as well as 10 adults, to clean up their town and create a lasting expression of peace. At least that’s what I like to think of it as… Really, we had a fun day in the town center, did some painting, and gave away a soccer ball for picking up trash around the town center. It all just seemed to work together well.
Before:
During:
After Day 1:
We had a bit of scare while we were touching up a few parts of the mural the day after. It started to rain overnight, and when we got to Bulgarian class everyone had the same look on their faces – a look that obviously said, “Are we sure the paint is waterproof?” Luckily the mural made it through the night, but we’re going to cover it with waterproof sealant just in case.
By the way, I was also on Bulgarian television for the first time, since the regional news came out to cover our project for whatever reason. I did an interview… in Bulgarian. The constant onslaught of language lessons every day is paying off I guess!
The mural reads “Welcome to Kraynitsi” (Dobre Doshli b Kraynitisi) and is written against an outline of Bulgaria filled in with the colors of the Bulgarian flag – white, green, and red. On the side is one of the symbols of Bulgaria, pink roses, and at the bottom is displayed the emblem of the European Union, of which Bulgaria is now a part. Just under the lettering, and contained within the borders of Bulgaria (and in its correct region, I must add) is displayed the coat of arms of Kraynitsi, in which is a traditionally dressed figure holding an apple and a flower. I'll add the picture of the emblem later.
Other volunteers from our area came out and gave their help and support as well. Thanks guys!
Now begins the final stages of our training for service here in Bulgaria. Swearing-in is just under 3 weeks away. Somewhere in between now and then we’ll make another trip to Sofia to check out some of the sites, as well as the Peace Corps office and US Embassy. After that, we only have another week until we are officially sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. Then it’s on to Preslav… and into the bitter Bulgarian winter, which seems to have already begun, coming out of nowhere. Seriously, I think the average temperature in my bedroom during this past week has been somewhere in the 40s… Great!
Until next time…
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thoughts Fom the Top of the World
Every day I feel more and more like a Peace Corps advertisement: “Life is calling… How far will you go?” Last weekend I hiked into the mountains up to about 10,000 feet to see the Seven Rila Lakes, which I can say with confidence is hands down one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It takes a good 3 hours to get up to the lakes, and once there, another 2-3 hours to get to them all, including an hour hike almost straight up from the 5th lake to the top of the mountain where the last 2 are hidden, but it’s definitely worth it. Any questions as to why I’ve come this far were wiped away as I looked down at Bulgaria… Then a hailstorm came and we pretty much slid the rest of the way down the mountain in huge piles of mud.
Am I living my life? I like to think so.
From that point, at which I’m pretty sure was the highest elevation I’ve ever stood, I couldn’t help but feeling small. I also couldn’t believe how far I’ve already come in such a short time. It’s hard to believe that just 2 months ago I stepped off the plane into this crazy adventure, where now so many weird things seem completely normal to me. I’m trying to imagine what kind of warped reality I will be living in after 2 years, or how many things I’ll be missing in the States. But I can’t quite wrap my mind around that yet… Maybe I will have finally integrated into this Bulgarian life. Maybe the lack of oxygen was just getting to me…
One thing I’m not missing is the ridiculous amount of politicking that is going on this election year. Pretty much my only lifeline to American news is internet sources, and right now they’re jammed with worthless personal crap about the candidates. It’s everywhere, including places where I thought were safe havens (like my email inbox). I know that election years are usually crazy, but this year seems to be on a different level. I don’t know if it’s that the stakes are so high or if the media is just more prevalent than ever. Whatever it is, I’m glad I’m not in the thick of it right now…
Thankfully I can escape the constant bombardment by simply focusing on my work here. I taught my first class ever this week – an hour long English lesson about parts of the body, concluding with a pseudo dance party (Do a dance move using your… arms!). This weekend marks the beginning of the most important events of our pre-service training. We will be painting our mural on the town’s chitalishte on Sunday, and then we’ll be presenting our cultural topic on Friday (our group will be talking about Bulgarian superstitions).
Until next time.
PS: I’ve posted more pictures from the hike on my facebook page. I hope I can get more up on here, but in the meantime, if you have a facebook account (which I think everyone should have haha), you can check them out there…
Am I living my life? I like to think so.From that point, at which I’m pretty sure was the highest elevation I’ve ever stood, I couldn’t help but feeling small. I also couldn’t believe how far I’ve already come in such a short time. It’s hard to believe that just 2 months ago I stepped off the plane into this crazy adventure, where now so many weird things seem completely normal to me. I’m trying to imagine what kind of warped reality I will be living in after 2 years, or how many things I’ll be missing in the States. But I can’t quite wrap my mind around that yet… Maybe I will have finally integrated into this Bulgarian life. Maybe the lack of oxygen was just getting to me…
One thing I’m not missing is the ridiculous amount of politicking that is going on this election year. Pretty much my only lifeline to American news is internet sources, and right now they’re jammed with worthless personal crap about the candidates. It’s everywhere, including places where I thought were safe havens (like my email inbox). I know that election years are usually crazy, but this year seems to be on a different level. I don’t know if it’s that the stakes are so high or if the media is just more prevalent than ever. Whatever it is, I’m glad I’m not in the thick of it right now…
Thankfully I can escape the constant bombardment by simply focusing on my work here. I taught my first class ever this week – an hour long English lesson about parts of the body, concluding with a pseudo dance party (Do a dance move using your… arms!). This weekend marks the beginning of the most important events of our pre-service training. We will be painting our mural on the town’s chitalishte on Sunday, and then we’ll be presenting our cultural topic on Friday (our group will be talking about Bulgarian superstitions).
Until next time.
PS: I’ve posted more pictures from the hike on my facebook page. I hope I can get more up on here, but in the meantime, if you have a facebook account (which I think everyone should have haha), you can check them out there…
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Into the Mix
It’s a long 7 hours to and from Veliki Preslav.
Driving along the little highways in Bulgaria gave me a lot of time to think (especially since I didn’t bring anything to read. Good move, me!)… I think mostly about the little things in the now, but every once in a while I get some good ideas about future plans. This was one of those times. I guess the need to fill in the awkward silences in between my 3-year-old-level Bulgarian and my counterpart’s lack of English provides a good medium for plan-making. I have so many things floating around in my head right now it’s ridiculous…
My primary assignment will be to work in the local orphanage (Dom za Detsa – literally “home for children”), coordinating activities for the kids and teaching life skills for integration into the community. As secondary assignments, I’ll be working in a kindergarten and also holding English classes for adults in the town. This is perfect for me, not only because it means I’ll have a pretty stable workload over my two years here, but also because my primary interest and experience is with at-risk children. And believe me, these children are definitely at-risk. Hopefully I can get some of the local fathers in town involved as well in my second assignment, as that assignment not only involves the small kids but also their families.
I’m walking into a bit of a delicate situation here, as I’m replacing another volunteer whose service has ended. Luckily I was able to talk to said volunteer and discuss some things she’s done over the past couple of years. Admittedly, I have a different approach to working with children from her. This isn’t a bad thing, and I think that the ideas I’m mulling over right now can actually work out and can provide a big payoff for the kids in the area of life skills. I guess we’ll see in time…
As for my site itself, I couldn’t be happier. Preslav is a small city (a “gradche” as the residents there affectionately… or diminutively… refer to it) and was at one time the capital of Bulgaria. It once rivaled Constantinople as the most powerful city in the known world. Now it is a small, underserved, and all but forgotten town near the regional center of Shumen, having only ruins and a museum near the town to remind the world of its former status. That aside, the town itself is beautiful, with several cafes and restaurants, a weekly farmer’s market, a huge park, a nice central courtyard area with a gigantic statue of the former king of Bulgaria, and some nice old churches. There is another volunteer – a COD from the previous group - located in my town who is awesome and with whom I think I’ll get along really well. There are also a lot of other volunteers in my area (including 4 from my group – the B24s), so it will be nice to have all of them around in case things get hairy.
But for now I’m trying to concentrate on the near future… more specifically my group’s current project. We’re doing a mural painting on the wall of the local chitalishte (community center), which will involve the help of kids and community members. We’re also going to be coordinating some activities to happen while people are waiting to paint the mural, and might also hold a trash pickup in the town center. By the end of this week I will have also taught my first class ever – an hour long English lesson to Bulgarian children -and will have developed a 3 month action plan to implement when I get to my site. It will definitely be hard to stay focused on the present as all these ideas swim in my head, and as I plan for projects to come.
It’s hard to believe that as I’m having the time of my life here I’ll be missing football season (“real football” haha) for the first time. Luckily we have in the BG are keeping the spirit alive with a fantasy football league. It’s not quite the same but it’s better than nothing. I expect all of you with access to a TV on Saturdays and Sundays to keep me updated. Hopefully I’ll find a place that is sympathetic to the needs of American football fans. In the meantime, Bulgarian soccer will have to hold me over. More on that whole situation later…
Until next time… Go Noles, Go Bucs…
Driving along the little highways in Bulgaria gave me a lot of time to think (especially since I didn’t bring anything to read. Good move, me!)… I think mostly about the little things in the now, but every once in a while I get some good ideas about future plans. This was one of those times. I guess the need to fill in the awkward silences in between my 3-year-old-level Bulgarian and my counterpart’s lack of English provides a good medium for plan-making. I have so many things floating around in my head right now it’s ridiculous…
My primary assignment will be to work in the local orphanage (Dom za Detsa – literally “home for children”), coordinating activities for the kids and teaching life skills for integration into the community. As secondary assignments, I’ll be working in a kindergarten and also holding English classes for adults in the town. This is perfect for me, not only because it means I’ll have a pretty stable workload over my two years here, but also because my primary interest and experience is with at-risk children. And believe me, these children are definitely at-risk. Hopefully I can get some of the local fathers in town involved as well in my second assignment, as that assignment not only involves the small kids but also their families.
I’m walking into a bit of a delicate situation here, as I’m replacing another volunteer whose service has ended. Luckily I was able to talk to said volunteer and discuss some things she’s done over the past couple of years. Admittedly, I have a different approach to working with children from her. This isn’t a bad thing, and I think that the ideas I’m mulling over right now can actually work out and can provide a big payoff for the kids in the area of life skills. I guess we’ll see in time…
As for my site itself, I couldn’t be happier. Preslav is a small city (a “gradche” as the residents there affectionately… or diminutively… refer to it) and was at one time the capital of Bulgaria. It once rivaled Constantinople as the most powerful city in the known world. Now it is a small, underserved, and all but forgotten town near the regional center of Shumen, having only ruins and a museum near the town to remind the world of its former status. That aside, the town itself is beautiful, with several cafes and restaurants, a weekly farmer’s market, a huge park, a nice central courtyard area with a gigantic statue of the former king of Bulgaria, and some nice old churches. There is another volunteer – a COD from the previous group - located in my town who is awesome and with whom I think I’ll get along really well. There are also a lot of other volunteers in my area (including 4 from my group – the B24s), so it will be nice to have all of them around in case things get hairy.
But for now I’m trying to concentrate on the near future… more specifically my group’s current project. We’re doing a mural painting on the wall of the local chitalishte (community center), which will involve the help of kids and community members. We’re also going to be coordinating some activities to happen while people are waiting to paint the mural, and might also hold a trash pickup in the town center. By the end of this week I will have also taught my first class ever – an hour long English lesson to Bulgarian children -and will have developed a 3 month action plan to implement when I get to my site. It will definitely be hard to stay focused on the present as all these ideas swim in my head, and as I plan for projects to come.
It’s hard to believe that as I’m having the time of my life here I’ll be missing football season (“real football” haha) for the first time. Luckily we have in the BG are keeping the spirit alive with a fantasy football league. It’s not quite the same but it’s better than nothing. I expect all of you with access to a TV on Saturdays and Sundays to keep me updated. Hopefully I’ll find a place that is sympathetic to the needs of American football fans. In the meantime, Bulgarian soccer will have to hold me over. More on that whole situation later…
Until next time… Go Noles, Go Bucs…
Monday, September 1, 2008
Moment of Truth
Man... September is here already?
Today I found out where I'm spending the next two years of my life and what exactly I'll be doing in this crazy country. I'm headed to the town of VELIKI PRESLAV, where I will be working at both an orphanage and a preschool. Look out BG...
I'll send more info once I get it. This week will be spent scoping out my future site and getting to know more about what I'll be doing.
Wish me luck!
Today I found out where I'm spending the next two years of my life and what exactly I'll be doing in this crazy country. I'm headed to the town of VELIKI PRESLAV, where I will be working at both an orphanage and a preschool. Look out BG...
I'll send more info once I get it. This week will be spent scoping out my future site and getting to know more about what I'll be doing.
Wish me luck!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Where the Gold At?
Last night, my host family and I went on a night-hike of sorts. We only ventured just outside the village, but from there I could see every star and the outline of the mountains against the navy blue sky. The nearby town of Sapareva Banya is barely visible during the day, but at this hour (and with all its lights on) the town shimmered like campfire coals strewn across the hillside. It’s one of those sights to which a picture could never do justice and for which words only scratch the surface. I have a lot of those little moments here, and every time it just proves to me that I’m exactly where I want to be right now.
I hope you like the pictures of the Rila Monastery and the surrounding mountains. That was another unforgettable experience, and I hope everyone gets to see it at some point.
Today I’m back in Dupnitsa for a meeting on how to write grants, with which we will carry out a community project in town. Our group in the village where I’m staying had a meeting with the mayor, director of the school, and some local families about possible projects. We decided on a mural on a prominent public building. We’re still tossing around ideas of what to actually paint, but I think that’s the topic of another meeting with the locals. We’re hoping for a lot of youth involvement so they can really band together and have something they can look at and be proud of creating. I think we’re aiming to get the director of the local Chitalishte (Bulgarian community center – every village, town, and city here, no matter how small, has one) involved as well…
Some people have asked me about how Bulgaria has been affected by the Georgia (“Gruzia” here in the BG) situation. I guess the answer to that would be “not very.” It doesn’t really seem to be on the radar over here, despite the apparent geographic closeness and the involvement of former overlord Russia. It’s on Bulgarian news every once in a while, but nobody seems to be talking about it. However, Peace Corps does have a post over there that has been successfully evacuated – which was pretty big news within the PC. Bulgaria’s gold medal in women’s rowing (woohoo!) is currently bigger news…
In other Bulgarian Olympic news, the total final medal count (I think) stands at 5: 1 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze. They were supposed to medal in some other events, but apparently choked – which the locals are pretty unhappy about. Jordan Jovchev (gymnast: rings - pretty much at national hero status here) missed a required element and so got a bad score. Volleyball is huge here, and the USA absolutely blew them out, which at first I felt kind of bad about, but then rubbed it in later. On top of that, the entire weightlifting team (one of BG’s specialties) was disqualified for steroid use… oh well. At least it was a fun experience to help my host family cheer on Bulgaria’s teams, and my host family helped cheer on the USA in the few games that I got to watch. I think this might be the only time in my life I will ever watch the following events as intently as I did: volleyball, rifle shooting, ribbon dancing, handball, and several others that I wouldn’t usually care about. I did get to watch the finals of men’s basketball though, which was pretty awesome.
Until next time…
I hope you like the pictures of the Rila Monastery and the surrounding mountains. That was another unforgettable experience, and I hope everyone gets to see it at some point.
Today I’m back in Dupnitsa for a meeting on how to write grants, with which we will carry out a community project in town. Our group in the village where I’m staying had a meeting with the mayor, director of the school, and some local families about possible projects. We decided on a mural on a prominent public building. We’re still tossing around ideas of what to actually paint, but I think that’s the topic of another meeting with the locals. We’re hoping for a lot of youth involvement so they can really band together and have something they can look at and be proud of creating. I think we’re aiming to get the director of the local Chitalishte (Bulgarian community center – every village, town, and city here, no matter how small, has one) involved as well…
Some people have asked me about how Bulgaria has been affected by the Georgia (“Gruzia” here in the BG) situation. I guess the answer to that would be “not very.” It doesn’t really seem to be on the radar over here, despite the apparent geographic closeness and the involvement of former overlord Russia. It’s on Bulgarian news every once in a while, but nobody seems to be talking about it. However, Peace Corps does have a post over there that has been successfully evacuated – which was pretty big news within the PC. Bulgaria’s gold medal in women’s rowing (woohoo!) is currently bigger news…
In other Bulgarian Olympic news, the total final medal count (I think) stands at 5: 1 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze. They were supposed to medal in some other events, but apparently choked – which the locals are pretty unhappy about. Jordan Jovchev (gymnast: rings - pretty much at national hero status here) missed a required element and so got a bad score. Volleyball is huge here, and the USA absolutely blew them out, which at first I felt kind of bad about, but then rubbed it in later. On top of that, the entire weightlifting team (one of BG’s specialties) was disqualified for steroid use… oh well. At least it was a fun experience to help my host family cheer on Bulgaria’s teams, and my host family helped cheer on the USA in the few games that I got to watch. I think this might be the only time in my life I will ever watch the following events as intently as I did: volleyball, rifle shooting, ribbon dancing, handball, and several others that I wouldn’t usually care about. I did get to watch the finals of men’s basketball though, which was pretty awesome.
Until next time…
Monday, August 18, 2008
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...
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...
Monday, August 11, 2008
Pictures!
Hey everyone! Here are the pics I said I would put up... these were taken over the past couple of weeks, and they are from my village and from some hikes I have taken around the village. They are thumbnails so you can make them bigger by clicking on them.... Enjoy!
Zherman river
Waterfall in Ovchartsi
The goats come home at 7:30 every evening
Shopska Salat
The village in the evening
view from my bedroom window
Zherman river
Waterfall in Ovchartsi
The goats come home at 7:30 every evening
Shopska Salat
at my host family house
The street I live on
The school in town
The village in the evening
birthday at the kindergarten
street in the village
view from my bedroom window
from my house
around town
the training center
More coming later!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Zdravete ot Bulgaria
Hello from Bulgaria! There is so much to tell about, but I have so little time. I am in the town of Dupnitsa right now registering with the police so I can live here for an extended amount of time. I am living in a small nearby town in the southwestern region of the country. I can't put up pictures right now but for now just trust me when I say that this place is extremely beautiful.
Our first week in the country was spent at a nice hotel in the Rila Mountains. They took care not to throw us right into the action, giving us some simple language and culture lessons before moving in with our host families. We B-24s are a pretty awesome group, I must say...
I wake up every morning to see the sun rising over the Rila mountains, right near my village. My host family, an older couple, are extremely nice, and even though I can't speak any Bulgarian, and they don't speak any English, we seem to get along pretty well. I've been learning a lot of vocab from them as we take long walks around in the meadows outside the village. The word we say the most is "Spokoino" - "Relax... there is time."
My house has a very nice garden where my hosts grow fresh tomatoes, potatoes, cucmbers, onions, peppers, and apples. They have 3 cats, a dog, and about 7-8 hens. People in America like paying extra money for organic vegetables. Here, we make salad every night with vegetables picked just minutes before from out in the back yard.
The best food I've had here so far has to be the Shopska Salat - a simple salad made with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, red peppers, parsley, and sirene cheese (sort of like feta), mixed together. No dressing necessary - the secret to Shopka's taste is the freshness, picked literally miutes before being put on the plate.
Anyway, I have to head out now, as we are about to head out of Dupnitsa and head back to the village. I promise to put up pictures as soon as possible!
Until next time...
Our first week in the country was spent at a nice hotel in the Rila Mountains. They took care not to throw us right into the action, giving us some simple language and culture lessons before moving in with our host families. We B-24s are a pretty awesome group, I must say...
I wake up every morning to see the sun rising over the Rila mountains, right near my village. My host family, an older couple, are extremely nice, and even though I can't speak any Bulgarian, and they don't speak any English, we seem to get along pretty well. I've been learning a lot of vocab from them as we take long walks around in the meadows outside the village. The word we say the most is "Spokoino" - "Relax... there is time."
My house has a very nice garden where my hosts grow fresh tomatoes, potatoes, cucmbers, onions, peppers, and apples. They have 3 cats, a dog, and about 7-8 hens. People in America like paying extra money for organic vegetables. Here, we make salad every night with vegetables picked just minutes before from out in the back yard.
The best food I've had here so far has to be the Shopska Salat - a simple salad made with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, red peppers, parsley, and sirene cheese (sort of like feta), mixed together. No dressing necessary - the secret to Shopka's taste is the freshness, picked literally miutes before being put on the plate.
Anyway, I have to head out now, as we are about to head out of Dupnitsa and head back to the village. I promise to put up pictures as soon as possible!
Until next time...
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