Almost Done with PST

On top of learning Bulgarian language for at least 4 hours each day, there was a great deal of cultural learning this week. Monday through Thursday we continued working with some of the children in town via English language learning for one hour each day. It has been fun being with them at the school during summertime. Things are much more relaxed than they were when they were still in school and we are teaching very small groups of students. We also play games and sing songs together. One day we even tried to learn some new dances with them.

This week our training group also had to plan the community project we plan on implementing which will happen for us Thursday, July 15^th. We are going to have a Community Art Day in order to promote people to get into the Chitalishte (cultural learning center). Most every town in Bulgaria has a Chitalishte which is similar to a community education building. In our town, the building was closed for several years and reopened only a few years ago. There is a small library there which is staffed by a librarian for about 5 hours each day Monday through Friday. There is also a stage in a large hall which is used for performances or dances. There is a smaller hall which the community band practices in and there are a few other rooms used for singing groups and so forth. At this point, the Chitalishte is not used as much as the librarian and other community members would prefer it be used. Therefore, we are hosting the town’s event in the building.

For our Community Art Day, there will be a traditional dance performance by local youth, the singing of several Bulgarian songs by a few groups of Babas (grandmas), a skit performed by the Sunshine club, a reading of a Bulgarian poem by our training group, the reading of several American poems by local youth, and a community art project which everyone is able to participate in. Each person will be drawing their idea of “community” or “their town”. We will then compile the drawings into a binder to be kept at the library. We will end the event with singing and traditional “horo” dancing by everyone. We will also have some snacks and refreshments. We hope to get people from all ages to participate in the event and get more peoples into the Chitalishte to help reinvigorate the town and show its strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses. We have already posted flyers which the students helped us make and handed out some invitations. We will also be meeting with the kids Monday – Thursday of this week to teach them the poems they will read and do extra cultural sharing activities. I’ll be sure to blog about it after it happens!

Another thing we did this week was to visit the local Nursing Home or the “ДОМ ЗА СТАРИ ХОРА”. The home is funded by the government and was very beautiful (only constructed about 5 or so years ago). The home was two stories and constructed to be three attached units. The entrance opens to a reception desk and sitting area along with a few offices. There was then a canteen followed by a large cafeteria, and a chapel. There were also several recreational type rooms to sit or to play pool/billiards. Unit one was the first and held the oldest people or those who may need more nursing care. Then there was unit two and finally unit three going for most care to least. The youngest person at the home was in his/her 70s with the oldest in his/her late 90s. There were more women than men at the home and seven married couples (one of which was married after they met while living there). The home is surrounded by grass with gardens, walkways, and a fountain. They are presently creating arches to go over one area of the walkway which will eventually be covered in grapevines. It was very interested to get a tour of a Bulgarian nursing home to compare to those I have visited in Minnesota. We also talked with one woman there who said she very much enjoyed living there as she had more freedom than she would at home with her child and his/her spouse always “telling what to do”. Other than seeing the home, the main reason we went to the home was for the children to put on a performance for them. Ten to fifteen students danced, sang a few songs, and put on a skit. It was a great show and even sparked two of the residents to get up and sing some songs. The kids were all dressed in traditional Bulgarian attire and we all danced Horo (traditional Bulgarian folk dance) at the end. I even learned a new Horo (there is usually a specific Horo to go with each song).

Nursing Home Church:

My and the guide at Ledenika:

Oops, out of place for the nursing home:

Friday we had another HUB in which we learned more about what it means to become a Peace Corps Volunteer as none of us have taken our oath yet and we are still trainees. We have a ceremony July 23^rd to swear in as volunteers. The afternoon of the HUB was great as we had choice sessions with current volunteers. I went to sessions on integrating into a large city, classroom management in Bulgaria, and ATIP (Anti-trafficking in Persons). It was great to speak with volunteers and hear their own perspectives, experiences, and thoughts on different issues relating to working and living in Bulgaria.

Saturday I went to Ledenika which is a cave near Vratsa. We went by car and we traveled to the top of a mountain to get to the cave entrance. I went with Mitko (my host brother), his uncle, and Megan (another trainee). We actually saw another trainee once we got to the cave with her host family. Ledenika was gorgeous! The entrance to the cave was the size of a large door however once we got inside the walkway opened into a large room with beautiful walls and small stalactites and stalagmites. We then walked through a small “hallway” into another room. From there, we went up stairs, down stairs, and through small tunnels into the “concert hall” which was incredibly beautiful. The placement of lights and walkways in the cave made it quite gorgeous, plus it was bigger than any cave I’ve been to. After the concert hall we went to two other areas which changed from tight squeezes to wide halls. There was a small pond where we made a wish after throwing in a coin and touching the water; and, there was a small room with some beautiful coloring of the minerals in the walls. I was extremely glad I was able to make it there while I was still in PST. When I move to my permanent site I will be much farther away from the cave than I am now.

Once again, my host family has been wonderful, I will greatly miss them when I move to my permanent site.

Veneta watering the cabbage:

Boriana by the corn:

Beautiful flowers which are only open at night or when it’s overcast:

The hedgehog I saw this week:

Overall it was a great week. Now it’s time to get down to studying language as my Language Proficiency Interview is in about 8 days! Please, if any of you have any questions or wondering feel free to comment or email me.