Time Flies

I can't believe it is almost July. Soon I will have been in Bulgaria for 2 months. Time is flying by. I will be at my permanent site by the end of July and then it's time to get to business. My school has planned for me to teach some summer English classes. We'll see how many kids sign up. On the plus side, I'll probably have regular internet. On the down side, I'll be far from my wonderful host family and fellow Americans.

What has been happening these days?

Well, the fruits and vegetables are growing well. We just harvested a great deal of onions and garlic. The corn here is quite tall and the chicks are almost chickens.

I have been studying a lot of Bulgarian. However, articles, prepositions, and objects oh my. The grammar is difficult for me.

I was able to go on a long walk with Mitko up the hills outside of our training site. It was gorgeous from the top as I could see for such a long distance. We ended up walking back to town the same time the cows come home (8:00 in the summer) which was great.

The Peace Corps also held a Roma culture day for us in which we learned more about the Roma minority of Bulgaria. It was a good morning, we heard from current volunteers and community representatives of the Vratsa area. We also played games with some Roma children from a local orphanage.

I was also able to speak with my mom and dad at home. It was the first time I have talked to them since I left in May (actually hearing each other).

I came home to 3 chicken heads in the garden the other day. It turns out they butchered a few while I was studying Bulgarian.

We stay incredibly busy and now it's time to determine a short term community project to accomplish in 2 weeks at our training site.

It's currently thunderstorming like it has off and on over the last week.

Miss you all back in Minnesota! Here are some photos (no real order).

Our cows crossing the river:

One of our chicks:

The cows coming home:

Mitko and my hike:

Our PST city from above, those huge buildings are part of the city dump, though you can actually see my house slightly from this photo:

My on our hike near a man-made lake:

Mitko having fun:

Some wildflowers I saw on Mitko and my hike:

Our delicious cucumbers:

Some tomatoes I cannot wait to eat (plus I love that even my Bulgarian family is all about the non GMO vegetables):

For all you insurance people out there, especially my dad:

Me and my new counterpart:

Me finding out my permanent site:

One of the spiders I found in the library:

An elephant slide in Vratsa:

Our chicks, soon-to-be chickens:

Gotta love the maroon and gold!

People, Places, and Things

It’s been a month here in Bulgaria and my time continues to be filled with activities and lessons in Bulgarian. This upcoming week is a big week as we find out our permanent site placements and have language proficiency interviews. On Wednesday a language staff member of Peace Corps Bulgaria will visit my PST site and interview me to test my language skills. I have some studying to do to be ready for it. I will meet with the B26 group of Peace Corps Volunteers (all 87 or so of us) on Thursday for an all day event. Then on Friday I will meet my counterpart for the next two years! We will have a two day conference and then I will travel to the site with him/her. I will be on my own coming home so I’m counting on my language skills. I am anxious for everything to get underway and find out where I will be permanently placed.

This week I was able to travel with the 8^th grade class for their end of year field trip. We traveled by bus to a city in the mountains about 2 hours away. We stopped about halfway there in a large city where I ate this delicious sandwich:

Saw a hot dog stand. Can you find where on the both it says “hot dog” in Bulgarian?

And saw several statues commemorating famous Bulgarians. This is Hristo Botev (check him out online):

This one is of Cyril and Methodius who created the Cyrillic alphabet (you can also check them out online).

There were some beautiful buildings near the town square such as the one below.

Before arriving at the hotel we also stopped at a monastery pictured below. We were not able to take photos inside therefore my photos are limited.

Though there were no photos inside, there were some wonderful sites outside. A sign giving information about animals native to the region (notice the squirrel I am highlighting).

There was also a friendly cat, who was wearing a flea collar (no fleas at my house presently).

There was also a graveyard. I found this grave of particular interest due to the small door at the base of the stone. I do not know the significance of that yet.

After the monastery we headed to the hotel. I had a lovely time visiting with the eighth graders, the staff, and other Peace Corps Volunteers. I need so much more Bulgarian! We were able to walk around the city, have a wonderful dinner, participate in the dancing festivities, and stay up talking. It was a nice change of pace. The photo below is the view from my hotel room (shared with another volunteer):

The dinner we had began with “Chopska Salata”, a particular salad which is very popular in Bulgaria. This one had chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and peppers with grated cheese on top and an olive (all the olives here have pits, it can be a hazard). I garnish the salad with vinegar (which is on the table alongside oil, salt, and pepper).

After dinner some photos were taken. Below is the 8^th grade class.

Then the dancing began.

Going back in time to the beginning of the week, I was able to try on some traditional Bulgarian attire my host Baba Veneta has which is handmade and very beautiful. In the middle of the week I wore the clothing for my PST group and recited a Bulgarian Poem. Veneta and I:

Boriana and I:

Mitko completed another experiment:

And his experiment changed the color on the tips of this rose he put in the smoke of the chemicals:

To show a bit of where I go everyday, the building below is where we have training everyday. It is the Mayor’s Building and we are on the second floor in a room facing the back of the building. The mayor in our city is a very friendly woman. I wish I could speak more Bulgarian so we could chat.

Part of our classroom view follows. Don’t forget the toilet paper and hand sanitizer as this is where we use the toilet.

On the side of our building there is a small park with a beautiful:

Next door to our building is the cultural center. The cultural center is home to the town library and hosts a variety of activities. This is where the band practices, kids can hang out, specific activities for youth are planned and advertised, and community celebrations can take place.

And here’s something we found in the attic of our Mayor’s Building:

Finally, thank goodness, our building is smoke-free!

This week we were able to go inside the church in our town. The church is usually locked as it is mainly used for major holidays and religious celebrations. It is a very beautiful church as you can see in the photos that follow.

On the way to the church there is a house with some of the most beautiful doors I have seen:

OurAfter visiting the church it was raining and thundering so we hung out at our training center for a while. We played cards and made paper hats! People actually wear these out in the fields and gardens to keep cool. trainer:

Me, Nikki, Megan, and Kristin

Our gardens continue to amaze me. Based on only on beauty but production, the corn is much taller here at this point in the summer than I remember MN being.

Dill:

Tomatoes:

Peppers:

Dimitar tying grapevines to the wire:

Baba Veneta tying grapes on top of a roof:

Our chicks continue to grow.

I’m waiting for the day the chicks get to be out with the rest of the hens because I think the other hens are talking:

Where does the garbage go in our home?

Thursday evening I went over to the spot the cows come across the river in the evenings. Everyone who owns cows waits for his or hers here. It was a great time. Though my Bulgarian is very limited I talked to several new people in the community. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood and it was fun to be around completely new people. The sheep come home first, between 7:00 and 8:00; and then, the cows come across the river at about 8:00.

The donkey and the toilet near the waiting area:

That’s about it for this week. I’m having a great time and greatly enjoying my family. I most likely will not blog again for another two weeks. I hope you’re all enjoying the summertime. It’s already quite hot here. Check the weather online if you like (I’m in the northwestern region). Hello to everyone who is following the blog!

Until next time, dovishdane, ciao, good bye.

Enjoy the beauty!

And don’t forget to enjoy the little things, such as my favorite eucalyptus gum!