Have you got a rubber?

The photos below are in no apparent order. I could not see what I was uploading until it was already on the screen. Thanks for visiting. Miss you all at home!

Beautiful orientation week!

The photo goes with one below. It is yet another song to celebrate the Cyrillic alphabet which was created by two Bulgarian men.

One of the bees at our house on yet another beautiful flower.

This is one of the many beautiful roses at our house!

Margarita's black cat.

Here are a group of students singing to celebrate the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet. This holiday took place on Monday. There was a celebration in the morning at the school and in the afternoon in the town square.

Here's my favorite cow.

Yummy dessert at our "formal" dinner during orientation week.

Here is my with my baba Veneta (on the left) and her friend, Margarita. We are holding the chicks Margarita gave us.
The photo above is from our Orientation when we first arrived in Bulgaria. Beautiful. No?

Well, that was the title of my first whole English lesson in the 2nd grade. The class I was in had 16 students (a rubber is an eraser in British English in case you’re still wondering). I’ve only spent time in one city thus far but so far the school is quite different. The school I am at is 1-8. Students are only mandated to attend school until the age of 16 here in Bulgaria. Every year 7th graders take a test to determine what path they may take in furthering their studies which happens this week. When children start school at age 6 (in 1st grade), each student is randomly assigned to a class. Depending on the town size there may only be one class for each grade. There is one class teacher who is responsible for this group of students involving attendance, discipline, and logistical information. This class stays together throughout each year of school. Also, absences are counted per individual class rather than by day (each student is allotted a certain number per year). Students tend to stay in the same room and teachers change throughout the day. One great thing I have noticed is that since there is at least a 10 minute break between each class (and it tends to be a free for all) the students are able to get out extra energy and focus easier during class. Also, the students at the school I am at sit in 2 person desks; therefore, they are automatically with a partner. Teachers also only come to school during the hours they need to teach. They do most all of their lesson planning, grading, and other things at home. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about school and I will try and answer them. I’m sure I’ll be able to sometime within the next 2 years!

This week I was able to visit a neighbor with my Bulgarian grandma (who is wonderful). It was great. We sat outside near the enormous garden (beautiful bleeding hearts nearby) and had strawberries, cookies, and soda. The woman (and her husband) had a nice house, garden, 2 cats, sheep, pigeons, chickens, a dog, and puppies (4 of them)! The woman was very sweet. We took home 3 chicks her chicken had to add to our 12, making our chicks up to 15!

Some interesting information about Bulgaria thus far:
If you have an indoor toilet (which I do), you throw the toilet paper in a garbage nearby. Also, you ALWAYS remove your shoes outside of the house. Socks or slippers are worn inside to keep it clean. You never know what is on your shoes with so many animals around town. The dogs at my house are given table scraps and random extra food. I have a friend who is a cow. She now recognizes me and lets me pet her (she licked me the other day). One of our cows should have her baby in about 5 days! The clothes dryer is a clothes line (this time of year at least). The weather reminds me of Minnesota. Rakia is a strong alcohol which is said to keep you healthy, many men drink it. Many people smoke cigarettes, including in the teacher’s lounge. There are community donkeys in my city. To further explain, several people may share in the caring of a donkey so they are all able to use it. Old scraps of fabric and clothing is used in our garden to help the grapevines climb and attach the tomatoes to wooden stakes. Bulgaria knows how to reuse! Fruit is a common dessert item and most everything is fresh! One of the most common meal items at my house is a salad of chopped tomatoes, cucumber, sometimes onions, sometimes radishes, parsley, dill, a bit of salt, and some vinegar. It is delicious. There are very strong traditions and holidays are meant to be celebrated. It is a beautiful place.

Dad, I got your note. Thanks.

Please send any questions you have my way and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Mission for the next few weeks:
Study Bulgarian. Learn to knit. Take a hike outside of town.