Up Days and ....

This past week has had its moments – like the field trip on Friday to a town on the Danube called Svishtov, the southernmost harbor on the Danube. The Pensioners and the girls from my village performed at another Folk Festival and I had the opportunity to go on the bus with the girls. They are very cute and like everywhere there is quite a mix of personalities. The teachers combined the singing visit with a sight-seeing tour. The bus ride was two hours north of here driving through lots of farmland – sunflowers, wheat, vineyards, melons, and other crops. I’m posting some photos, so click on the “Newer Photos” page to see them.

We visited a historical mansion, the downtown area of Sishtov and the Danube before heading to a nearby village for the singing festival. The girls loved being downtown and visiting a lot of shops (shoes, clothes, make-up, toys) that our village isn’t large enough to support. We went to the banks of the Danube for fresh air and a little running around time. It was a leisurely afternoon. Then we arrived at the festival and the girls offered a great performance and we hung around for a while to watch some of the seniors perfom. Of course there was a little time to explore the booths that were set up for the “festival spirit.” My big purchase for the day was a Japanese-style fan for comfort on the bus ride home. After our long afternoon exploring Svishtov and the girls performing, I thought they would be worn out and sleepy for the bus ride home. Wrong! They had lots of energy and were chatting, and singing and being silly. :>)

I’m very happy I got to go along for the ride. I’m getting to know some of the girls names so when I begin English classes, I’ll have a head start.

Now I'm going to whine a bit.....

My energy has been low for much of this past week. It’s been hot. I’ve had a low-grade headache and no energy or motivation. And then there is the rash (dermatitis) on my legs, arms and chest. I’ve been doing basic care and patiently waiting for the rash to run its course – which it did on my forearms, but then it kept blooming on other parts of my body. It inspired me to get out my Jin Shin Jyutsu info and begin treating myself again, which I haven’t been doing for a while. But alas, it’s been over 3 weeks that I’ve had the mildly but ever-present itch of the rash – now I’m feeling worn out and grumpy, so I finally sent photos to the Peace Corps doctors yesterday. They gave me a prescription for a topical cream and Claritin, an anti-histamine. Hopefully I will have some relief soon. I have to stay out of the sun and wear long sleeves and pants/skirts which is not my favorite way to dress on these hot summer days. But I’m happy to do it if it will help.

And of course, there are the almost daily bug bites I get. I do everything I can think of to not attract no-see-ums, fleas and other biting insects, but they love me! And it takes about 3 days for the very annoying itching to go away. Rashes, welts from bites and sweat - I'm not liking these hot summer days much.....

And because my energy has been low I’m feeling behind in my learning Bulgarian and preparing for teaching English next month. I’ve been taking deep breaths and meditating and I trust I will have really industrious days ahead where I will feel a greater sense of preparation and accomplishment.

Thanks for listening……all for now.