Though I am glad to be here in Bulgaria, there are some days that it’s truly the little things that get me through the days. Therefore, I have made a list of the little things that have happened recently that make my time here worthwhile:
I love receiving mail but lately I’ve received some great packages. Other than the amazing sweater and slippers I’ve already commented on, I received a Valentine’s Day box from my parents. Thanks mom and dad for all the goodness!
Also, it was some time ago but a friend back in the states sent me a lovely, long email. It’s nice hearing about the day to day things of people back in the states. It truly makes me appreciate my friends and family back home.
Last week we began spelling bee practices at school. I set up three different meeting groups so that I would have no more than 15 kids in each group. Though the two groups with 5th graders went okay I had a great time with the 6th graders. The 6th grade group is of students I do not teach. They were completely enjoyable to be around and seem motivated to get better at their spelling. A few of them even said thank you at the end of the time. I don’t hear that very often from students and it really made my day.
One day last week I was getting coffee in the teacher’s lounge and one of the PE teachers came in and instead of speaking Bulgarian he decided to try out his English. He is in my English for teachers group and it was nice to see him take the initiative to practice his skills. This same day I had sent an email to my counterpart about some things and added that I'm enjoying working with her and am glad we teach together. In her email back she said some wonderful things to me as well. Thanks for the compliment!
Last Thursday I gave a candy heart to each of my students and told them to read their heart before eating it. I then gave each of them a paper heart and their assignment was to write the saying on their heart and decorate it for Valentine’s Day. One student raised his hand and asked, “Why does it say ho ho on a Valentine’s heart?” The letter X in Bulgarian makes the H sound which means he read ho ho when the heart said XOXO for kisses and hugs. It made for a good laugh.
Last weekend I was able to go to Yambol (a city near Sliven) to be with other volunteers for the weekend. We had a wonderful weekend together of food, drinks, and games. However best of all were the meaningful conversations and feeling of being completely comfortable in a very foreign place.
In Yambol, we went on a walk after eating an enormous amount of food and were able to see a beautiful sunset. The warm colors against the pale buildings made for a beautiful sight.
Today I completed the Bulgarian census at my neighbor’s apartment. It is somewhat comical to me that at this time last year I was working for the U.S. Census and now I am participating in the Bulgarian one. After completing the census my neighbor told me I should call her or stop by to hang out as she is usually home all day. She told me she noticed that I knit last time she watched my cats and she does as well so we should have coffee and knit sometime. The offer itself was nice and I hope to take her up on it sometime soon. It will also greatly help with my Bulgarian skills.
On another note, I came across an interesting treat the other day at school. There is a chocolate covered biscuit called "Black Man" here in Bulgaria that is actually quite delicious. I can't help but think of the reaction to it if it was sold in the states. Thoughts?
Peace, love, literacy and reckless curiosity.
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