I Drink Coffee

Yes, you read the title correctly. I now drink coffee and actually enjoy it immensely. The coffee here is quite strong and drank in small quantities similar to espresso. It’s delicious with a sugar or sometimes two. On a relatable note, Veneta (my host grandma) gives me tea and coffee every morning. It’s great because she also likes to sweeten up her own drinks so I don’t feel so guilty adding the sugar. A spoonful of honey with the tea and a spoonful of sugar for the coffee. Our breakfasts tend to include one or more of the following:

Princessa – Bread with spiced meat on top that is broiled
Cheese Bread – Bread with cheese on top (Kashkaval, one of the two types of cheese here) that is broiled
Fried egg
Mekitsa – I do not know how to spell that but it is fried dough which has a lighter consistency than a doughnut but the same idea. Sometimes there is cheese inside (cirene, similar to feta) but I prefer without. You then dip the mekitsa in honey or sugar. It’s very delicious.
Yogurt – The stuff here does not taste the same as yogurt in the United States. I can’t quite explain it, I guess you’ll have to visit to find out. I add honey to the yogurt if we have it.
Bread
Apple and or Banana (An apple in the morning keeps you beautiful, an apple in the evening is good for your health. Or so says my baba.)

That’s about all I’ve got for breakfast at the moment but if you’re looking for a delicious summer salad I have just the thing for you. We have this with almost every dinner and it is incredibly delicious.

Recipe:
Chop 3 tomatoes to every 1 cucumber into medium or large pieces.
Sprinkle a small spoonful of salt on top
Add vinegar to your liking, I tend to include slightly more to twice as much as the quantity of salt.
Mix

And that’s it, easiest summer salad. We also add chives or turnips if we’ve picked them. Dill and or parsley can be added though I prefer without. These are very common spices in Bulgaria.

One of the best food things from this week was picking potatoes with Veneta and then eating them about an hour later. I don’t think they’ve ever tasted better. She fried them up in some oil and that was it. She uses Sunflower oil in case anyone was wondering.

This week, an assignment we had was to cook a Bulgarian meal. This happened Wednesday at our trainer’s house. I made the salad above and Banitsa (it’s a bread, egg, and cheese dish). Everything turned out well. Some of it tasted better than other things but it all turned out well and was edible.

Moving on, the baby cow was born Monday. I was not able to see the birth as I was at language class though she was beautiful. She was born healthy and the family is selling her because they simply have no room for more than 10 cows. I’m loving all the baby animals. I even saw 24 baby turkeys will a mother the other day. Never knew what they looked like. Oh, this week my neighbor slaughtered a sheep from a tree in his yard. It smelled horrible near his house. He’s an interesting character. Overall, I’m pleased with the city I’m in for our Pre-service Training.

Another thing about my small city in Bulgaria. What I know about church thus far is from my Eastern Orthodox family. All of the women in my family here where a cross necklace of some type. They attend church for major holiday though not on a weekly basis. There is an old church in my community which is beautiful and has a memorial in the front for soldiers. That’s about it thus far.

This week I taught three 8^th grade English lessons. The lessons went well. I was observed by a Peace Corps technical trainer Friday as well. It’s going to be an interesting 2 years teaching British English. I found out this week we are planning on joining the eighth graders on their excursion. We are heading to a city in the mountains next Friday overnight. It will be fun, they are excited for us to join them and I am interested to see how much English they know in a non-formal setting. Most Eighth graders in Bulgaria have some sort of end of year trip so this is the one for the students in my town.

This week we were also able to have a different language trainer come to our training site. We switched with another town and it was a nice change of pace for a day. We also were able to read through some potential site descriptions. We have some interviews next week and soon enough I’ll find out where I will be placed for the next two years! I can’t wait to find out.

I went to one of my baba's friends to get my fortune read from my cup of coffee this week. It was quite interesting, more hits than misses!

I’m missing Minnesota but loving Bulgaria!

Keegan – I wish you could see the squirrels here. They’re priceless.

Dad, Dave, and Todd – It is very difficult to explain what you do.

Sonya – I was thinking of your delicious cooking the other day.

Rowan – Saw some girls dancing for a holiday this week.

Braden – I don’t see many video games but I met a few puzzle loving boys.

Kathy – Saw some interesting road-kill (squirrels, frogs, and a hedgehog)

Brodie – Motorcycle racing was on TV the other night.

Calder and Quinn - Most of the flowers smell wonderful. Especially the huge red roses!

Most beautiful thing this week: Rainbow. It’s the brightest one I’ve ever seen to my recollection.

The lovely rainbow this week:

The lovely rainbow this week:

A beautiful white rose, Alice in Wonderland fans?

What I believe may be snap-dragons, let me know:

Boriana, the other baba at our house. I just loved this photo of her:
The delicious cherries at my house:

A stork:

One of the many snails here:
One of our pigs who loves the snails above as a special treat:

Barn swallow babies:

The chicks are growing up:
Our baby cow that we sold:

Babas singing for a celebration, my baba Veneta is in the middle:

The church in my town:
Another view of the church in my town:

The Children's Day Celebration:

Dancing:

Eating Competition: