COS Conference and Spelling Bees

This week was busy busy busy. Beginning on Sunday afternoon volunteers from my B26 group arrived in Sliven for our COS (Close of Service) conference. I was thankful to also be able to stay in the hotel even though the conference was in my city. I'll take time with friends and a bathtub over my place for a few days :) We didn't have a schedule on Sunday so I was able to have dinner with a group of people and just hang out. Monday morning started the conference with sessions all day. However, we were free for dinner so I was able to spend some time with the volunteers I trained with at a local restaurant. Tuesday was sessions all day again followed by our official dinner that evening. Some of the students from my school were able to dance for us to start things off which was wonderful. I always enjoy watching them. We ate on and off but the main festivities included a presentation from our amazing country director Mikel Herrington, a slide show, the presentation of our certificates, the receiving of new PC pins, and then the talent show. The talent show was filled with a variety of acts from singing to dancing to the reading of poems. It was a nice evening though ended all too soon as the hotel made us leave the hall just after midnight. However, I've wanted to complete Ellen's "Dance Dare" a few times behind some PCVs which was fun. Here's the proof:

Our COS conference ended at noon on Wednesday so I came back to my place to check on my cats however was then back at the hotel as I was asked to participate in the Legacy conference which started that afternoon. Since PC will be finished in Bulgaria in 2013 there are many plans on how to leave the best legacy, who to give our resources to, and who will be able to take over successful projects. This conference invited a small group of interested Bulgarians to learn more about what we have available and network. I presented on Thursday with the American Culture Club lesson plan I created along with the dates of the teaching workshops I will be facilitating this April and May. It was nice to be a part of such a positive group of Bulgarians who want their country to be successful.

Then came Thursday night which meant my school's spelling bee :) I was fortunate enough to have a few volunteers come with me to help judge and photograph the event. Things went extremely well thanks to my counterpart who did all the logistics for the event. Our school's winner Danny is a 6th grade student who won with the word "finally" :)

Friday meant a 2nd spelling bee for me to dictate and judge at another school in the center of Sliven. Their kids were more advanced than mine with the words and the bee lasted much longer. A girl ended up winning with the word "unbelievable" :)

After the busy week I'm happy to have a relaxing weekend just watching TV, looking into job opportunities and housing for Madison, and my to-do list.

Also, late Friday night there was an earthquake! According to the European Seismology Center the quake was a magnitude of 4, its epicenter was 10 km outside of Sliven, and it was a depth of 3 km. It was definitely a strange feeling and the cats were a on edge but it didn't last too long and I'm not aware of any damage so all is good.

Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.