Today I ache - head and body. I've had a busy week and now I need a little rest. I did some yoga this morning before work and it was one of those - "I think I feel worse" afterward. It's probably true - not because I did yoga, but because I haven't been doing it enough.
Today I went to work but had trouble being present. When I'm over tired I have little or no motivation or enthusiasm. I forget things. I'm easily annoyed. I want to withdraw rather than participate. Nothing very unusual.
Monday and Tuesday I was in Veliko Turnovo - my closest "big city." Monday was a Peace Corps meeting with all the volunteers in this region. I enjoy these meetings and visiting with other volunteers and hearing their successes and challenges. Staff from Sofia also attend, and we get updates on the business of the Peace Corps. They're nice folks and it's nice to know we're on their radar and that they are available for questions and/or feedback. They also bring things we've requested. I received a binder of vocabulary photos which we used in our training this spring, which I plan on using for teaching English.
Monday night I stayed a Ashlei's apartment, along with 3 other volunteers. PCVs have a lot of slumber parties - cheap lodging. Then Tuesday morning she sponsored a workshop with another woman who is a retired teacher and is headed home after being a PCV here in Bulgaria for the past 2 1/2 years. It was very informative and Lynn did an awesome job sharing her classroom ideas for teaching English to elementary school children. We also had time to work on making Bingo cards using a template of hers. She shared with us and amazing compilation of files she's used over time. Thank you so much Lynn (and Ashlei for organizing it)!!
I enjoyed meeting 7 Bulgarian teachers who were bright and enthusiastic about the beginning of the new school year (Sept. 15th).
Yesterday I returned to my schedule of visiting the other two villages weekly. I enjoy getting to know the different people and the dynamics of the different villages. It makes for a full day. Yesterday there was physical labor involved which I enjoy. They are beginning a remodel to make a hang-out space for young people including an area for indoor ping-pong during the winter. I contributed a small part of moving furniture, pulling up old, yucky carpeting and ripping wall paper off the walls. How exciting to put new energy into an old, unused space. Hmmm - and I'm achy today - go figure.
This weekend, I'm going to walk and then pull in to rest and work on more lesson plans. If anyone would like to send postcards of where you live, so I can share scenes of English-speaking countries that would be awesome. I have lots of postcards of Sedona, but other parts of the world would be a nice addition. I want to make postcard posters to decorate the classroom walls.
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