Independence Day in Byala

This post is a bit delayed however I think it's ready now. Last Thursday (September 22nd) was Independence Day here in Bulgaria which meant no school Thursday or Friday. (This is why we had school last Saturday.) I decided to use my time off of school to visit another volunteer who lives near me in her village of Byala. A few of us volunteers got together there and had a great time. We even got to go to a few na gostis (visits) with some of her friends in the village. One woman's house had a beautiful garden where we sat having grapes, pears, apples, berry liquor, cookies, and a few other pastries. We also were able to pick fresh raspberries and blueberries from the bushes around the yard, they were delicious. At another woman's house we were able to milk goats and we sat having a few drinks and plenty of grapes. Gotta love visiting the village.

This week is school as normal without my extra after/before school activities which will begin in October. I'm just fixing the schedule a bit and getting lists of how many kids will attend which things. I will be running a club composed of a small group of dedicated 6th and 7th graders to make videos and other information to share with the U.S. (specifically Minnesota) about Bulgaria. I will also have four or five different groups to practice spelling, speaking, and pronunciation. Finally, I will be meeting with one or two high schoolers to help them improve their English. This will all hopefully be topped off with me watching the 3rd and 4th grade students who practice traditional dance each week. Along with all this I'm busy working on getting a Halloween Carnival put together for all the elementary students at the end of the month and getting all my paperwork in for a grant.

I hope you're all having a beautiful last week of September, here are a few photos from the last week:

Extra Info:
September 22nd celebrated independence from the Ottoman Empire here in Bulgaria. Interested in Independence Days around the world? Click HERE.

Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.