1st Day of School

September 15th marks the first day of school in Bulgaria. At my school everyone started gathering around 8:30 and the ceremony began at 9:00. There was the presentation and raising of the flag, giving of flowers to the monoment of Konstantin Konstantinov (who are school is named after), singing, dancing, and speeches. Plus, there was a walkway to welcome the new 1st graders into the building. Almost every student brings a flower or bouquet for their class teacher (homeroom) and whomever else they would like which means most teachers have quite the load to carry. It's a lovely site. I was happy receive some flowers as they always make my day a little bit brighter.

Me with some of the kids from 7A.

After the ceremony all the students go into the school to their homerooms and talk about the upcoming school year. They get their books, their schedule, talk about new school rules, and hang out a bit. Then the students leave and the teachers congregate in the teacher's room for a brief meeting and then some snacks. It was a lovely morning filled with friends, flowers, and photos. Check out the rest of my photos from the day under "15 September 2011" in the Links section of the blog.

On another note, the 1st day of school coincided with the public announcement that the Peace Corps will be phasing out of Bulgaria. The group of B27s who arrived this year will be the last group of volunteers in Bulgaria and will complete their service in June 2013, they are known as the Legacy Group. The Peace Corps has been in Bulgaria for 20 years and this announcement is bittersweet.

What does this mean for us volunteers? Well, it means that we want the Peace Corps to leave Bulgaria in the most positive way possible. This will occur through keeping our connections, remained integrated into our communities, and working to promote peace (Peace Corps Mission: Promote world peace and friendship). We all want to do as much as we can in the little time left to ensure sustainability, lasting relationships, and of course a bit of fun. We do this through following the 3 goals of the Peace corps. Goal 1, Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. Goal 2, Helping to promote a better understanding of American on the part of the peoples served. Goal 3, Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. Feel free to access one of these sites to learn more about Peace Corps Bulgaria (more information about the phasing out is sure to come as it was only announced today):

Peace Corps Bulgaria

Peace Corps Journals

Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.