Please begin with reading Monday
Wednesday –
morning and afternoon in the community center working on projects, studying
Bulgarian and planning for teaching English.
At least that’s my plan. I’m
feeling out of sorts – can’t seem to get started or focused. Coffee and chocolate I use to get me “up and
running” just make me more agitated and irritable. I try to keep a low profile. But I’m annoyed by everything and everyone.
Obviously it doesn’t have anything to do with them – it’s just the space I’m
in. I’m not getting anything done I want to get done – especially English class
prep and studying Bulgarian.
Harrumphhh. I’m
grumpy and cancel tutoring with my Bulgarian tutor in the evening. I try
meditating but I don’t connect…my mind remains engaged and agitated. I go for a
walk and speak with some Babas sitting on their benches. Moving and interaction help me feel better.
I decide to cook some lentils and quinoa so I have more than
popcorn for tomorrow’s menu.
Not a great day – but I have those in Arizona too. Usually it’s an indicator that I’m
disconnected from myself and it’s time to re-connect to my spirit. Now that I’m
feeling better, I give myself extra meditation time before going to sleep.
Thursday – early
morning bus (8:00 am) to a larger town (40 minutes away) which is a
transportation hub. I have a 2 ¼ hour
wait for a connecting bus to village D3 (15 minutes). I use this time to do errands in the “big
town” or to study or visit with friends.
Today I walk 20 minutes uphill to the supermarket and look for a few
things my village stores don’t carry (molasses; deep, dark brown sugar, a
nutcracker). I was unsuccessful finding
all those items, but managed to find other things to carry home with me (dense
pumpernickel bread, a large cinnamon, a large cup for tea, facial tissue,
etc.). Then I walked to the cell phone
store to pay my bill but was about 10 days too early (now I know when to pay).
Then back to the bus station. It’s a
short ride to D3.
The day is spent at the community center/library. This center has a couple of computers for the
public to use. The secretary has a
little work to finish and I check email and look at a cooking magazine (in
Bulgarian of course – mmm, looks like there is a good lentil loaf recipe). I teach my first “class” – beginners English
to 3 women. One woman’s teenage daughter
joins us – she has studied English in school for many years and is a big help
with translating. They are great and we
move right along. What a mirror for
me. I see the language learning process
from the other side. They have as much
of a challenge saying simple English words like I have saying what they
consider simple Bulgarian words. One
sound that is very difficult for Bulgarians is “th” like in Thursday, think,
three. They don’t have that sound in
their language. It’s also difficult for
them to say “r” without rolling it. For
me one of the most difficult sounds in Bulgarian is “vt” as in “vtornik” which
is spelled вторник and is
their word for Tuesday. I also have trouble rolling “r” – I’m usually o.k. if
it’s at the beginning or end of a word, but it’s really hard sometimes when
it’s in the middle.
The hour goes by quickly and then Jordanka tells me that
she’s going home for a few minutes. I
say great I brought my lunch (lentil salad), so I’ll eat.
O.K. – when I‘m done eating and she hasn’t
gone home yet, I realize I misunderstood what she said (what a surprise,
eh?). Aha, she waited for me to finish
my lunch and then said "Time to go." It
turns out we are going to Lela Maria’s for na gosti (Lela = Layla – is the term
of endearment for “Aunt.) Great. I love these na gostis to meet people and see
their gardens and/or homes. Jordanka
buys two buckets of fresh tomatoes from Lela.
She gives us a tour of the garden – lots and lots of grape vines. She also has about a dozen chickens and a
pig. I got excited because it’s the
first pig I’ve gotten to visit up close and personal. Nice pig.
I think its destiny is to be on
the Christmas table. I came away with a
huge and wonderful amount of grapes and two ripe peaches. Yum! I
wish some of my American friends were closer so I could share all these
wonderful fruits and vegetables with you.
Later the teenager returns and helps me find songs on the
internet in English to use for classes for the students. Also a couple of songs in Bulgarian which can
be translated into English. In the late
afternoon I take a taxi (no buses available at this time) to the transportation
hub town so I can get the last bus of the day to my village, D1 (usually about
a 45 min. wait – I want to make sure I don’t miss the last bus!). Lately I’ve been meeting with my friend and
fellow volunteer, Tricia, for a cool beverage at a café near her
apartment. We share stories from the
week and she’s an awesome resource for me to ask questions and to learn from
her experiences from the 2 ½ years she’s been in Bulgaria. She’ll complete her third year of service
next June. Then it’s a 40 min. bus ride home.
I put the groceries away, start cooking some chicken and decide to
change my clothes.
Oh-ohhhhh. Look at
all those fleas on the floor. Oh
no….look at all those bites on my feet, legs and thighs. I had fleas in my pants!!! Usually, I only see one or two but this time
there are many! Eeeek. Maybe I shouldn’t have said “hi” to the
pig. I counted 22 bites. I took my clothes and put them in hot soapy
water. I mopped the floor and took a
shower. My mantra was “Kill the
f……s.” Not exactly my spiritual side,
but I don’t feel patient when I’m covered in bites that ITCH. Not the plan I
had for the evening, but absolutely necessary.
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