Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Loving and Light-filled holiday season.  Here's a short winter clip from beautiful Bulgaria.
С пожелание всеки един любящ и изпълнен със светлина ваканционния сезон. Ето кратък клип за зимата от красива България

I am also posting more photos from recent days on the December photo page in the right column.

Аз също съм публикуване на снимка страница декември в дясната колона.

Winter is Arriving

Here is a photo I took on my balcony this evening.  I'm sharing a little of the US Southwest with my village in the form of luminarias.  I'm using small white sandwich bags which seem to work quite well.

Yesterday was a day of freezing drizzle and black ice....today we have a little snow and it's beautiful.

Autumn Sunset

In less than 60 seconds you will see 3 clips of the north/central Bulgarian countryside on a late autumn afternoon. I was on the train traveling from Gorna Oryahovitsa to Sofia.  (Mute the volume unless you want to hear a lot of noisy wind.)

A Gorgeous Sunset!

Farming country - the green is winter wheat which was planted within the past month.
Leaves have fallen off the trees.  It's been a mild autumn, but colder temperatures are on their way.

Passing by a hamlet - buildings which may or may not be in use.

Честит Празник / Happy Thanksgiving

Today is November 21, 2012.  In America it's the day before the Thanksgiving holiday.  In Bulgaria it's a church holiday "The Presentation of Mary" (when she was 3 years old).  Below is an explanation of the holiday.

Above is a photo from my visit to the kindergarten class today.  We practiced our usual numbers, letters of the alphabet, colors and adjectives like big, small, long, short, etc.  Then I talked a little about Thanksgiving in America (well, I didn't exactly talk....I made a PowerPoint presentation in Bulgarian and one of the teachers read it for me.  She was great, she added explanations so they could understand).  Then they made pictures of turkeys - using an outline of their hand as a template.

A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

I'm thinking of you and sending love your way.

Below is a video of the same children plus others who gave a performance for their parents after school today.  They made me smile a lot.....they were having a great time dancing, jumping, singing and going wild.  I love watching their enthusiasm for life and unbridled energy! I hope it brings a smile to your face too.

The Presentation of Mary

When the young Virgin Mary turned three, her parents had to fulfill a promise that they made previously and took her to the Temple of Jerusalem to consecrate her to God. 

They placed Mary at the first step. To the wonder of all bystanders, the small Mary managed to climb all 15 stairs by herself. Priest Zacharias took her inside.

Upon the permission of priests, her parents returned to Nazareth.

Mary lived alongside other girls and widows that served in the temple. St. Anna, Mary’s mother, joined her daughter upon the death of her husband.

Preparing for her mission, Mary worked hard, prayed constantly and read. 

When Mary became old enough to get married, priests asked her to do so. Yet, Mary told them that she wanted to spend her life devoted to God. Yet, priests decided to engage her to the older Joseph, a relative of her parents.

Throughout their life, Joseph respected Mary’s wish to remain devoted to God.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates Mary’s presentation on November 21. The decision was taken back in 1929. November 21 is also the holiday of the Christian family and youth. It sends a message to all parents to guard their children and to take care of their spiritual training.

(copied from http://www.bulgariainside.eu/en/articles/November-21---The-Presentation-of-Mary/567/index.html)

Blog or Facebook?

Tryavna, Gabrovo, Bulgaria
Трявна, Габрово, Булгария

There are so many “social network” ways to share now..... and  it seems everyone has their favorite way.  I am going to continue to use both this blog and Facebook since they are not 100% mutually exclusive.  I know some of you who prefer one to the other and do not participate in both.  I apologize to those who do read both for any overlapping repetition….not a big deal, right?

The first weekend in November, I was invited to join the Women's Club Djula on an excursion to the picturesque town of Tryavna.  I posted some photos from this recent trip on the November-December page and previously posted photos from my visit in August.  This time there were many personal touches to the visit...going na gosti to the welcoming home of Stoyan and Ivanka for a delicious, and true to Bulgarian tradition, very generous meal.  Prior to eating, Ivan drove us up to a great overlook.  Far in the distance on the mountain tops, I could see monument which I have seen from the opposite side when I went to Shipka and Kazanluk.  This was a real treat, because usually I am limited to places public transportation or my feet can take me to.  And Sunday, Stoyan and Ivanka gave me a tour around the town they have loved living in for many, many years.

This weekend I was grateful to have some time at home to do laundry, clean, catch-up and pull out my winter bedding.  It's definitely cooler, but still mild.  

Over the past 6 weeks I've had some minor health challenges, but things are looking brighter now.  I won’t go into all the unpleasant details, because I am feeling better now.  One interesting aspect though was my visits to a nearby hospital for ten physical therapy appointments for tendonitis in my left bicep/shoulder area.  Each one included light therapy, electric magnets, mild electrical currents and something like a sonogram (sonar?).  I could definitely feel the energy or activity of each method in my arm.  Now it’s time to give it time for rest and healing for a month.  I’m grateful for the treatments, however they were very different than the alternative therapies I usually do. If I were at home, I would have gone to my acupuncturist, massage therapist and maybe had some cranial sacral work - all of which treat the whole body when addressing a specific issue.  I have done some yoga stretches and want to continue, gently stretching and energizing my arm.  These treatments are more subtle than what I experienced with the physical therapy.  It will be interesting to see in a month, how my arm (and body) feels. And I am making an effort to lighten my backpack, and I am not riding my bike right now because that involves carrying it down and up 1 ½ flights of stairs from/to my apartment.

Visiting a hospital outside of a large city in Bulgaria is different too.  First, let me say that I'm grateful to the Peace Corps staff because they are always there if I need interpretation from Bulgarian to English or vice-versa.  They are always just a phone call away and always willing to assist. 

O.k. back to visiting a hospital. Typically you find the correct hallway with the door of the doctor’s office you’re looking for, knock on it – maybe peek in, and then wait in the hall until the doctor comes out.  This can be anywhere from a minute to 30 or more.  The doctors offices I’ve seen have been painted a variety of pastel colors – peach, yellow, green – and it looks pretty fresh, but the corridors of the hospitals are pretty much the same as they were 50 years ago.  Kinda cold, kinda gloomy.  Maybe one reason the hospitals are not all shiny and new is because average health care is very inexpensive compared to western standards.  My 10 sessions (4 treatments, approx. 10 min. each) cost a total of 71 leva which is approximately $46.18…less than the cost of 10 round trip bus fares from my village. 

All for now, I’m going to load some photos and call it a night.  Hope you are enjoying autumn.

Autumn Activities

I haven’t been writing my usual, lengthy blog posts.  Life has been busy for me in Bulgaria.  Instead of writing, I have become more dependent on photos for journaling my life here.

Here’s a quick overview of the past month.  Each year, September 15 is the first day of school.  Since the 15th was a Saturday this year, school began on the 17^th.  Children, teachers, parents and administrators gathered in the school yard to celebrate the beginning of the year.  Then parents were invited into their children’s classrooms.  That was over a month ago and the rhythm of the school year is in full swing now.  An interesting note is that children have the same teacher from 1^st grade through 4^th grade.

A project I assisted with is helping write a grant proposal in English and submitting it to several organizations which offer funding opportunities.  The Woman’s Club – Djula, wants to create a women’s resource center in the village where women can improve their job skills (office organization, math, computer) and life skills (first aid, nutrition, etc.).  This is an energetic group of women with lots of ideas for projects.  The biggest challenge is to find funding to implement their ideas and creating sustainability once a project has begun.

At the end of September there was a newly developed “Carving Festival” celebrating the traditions of farming and gardening as well as the more creative side of design - art by carving veggies and fruit .  Our village created an historical exhibit with photos, artifacts and text about the history of its gardeners.  The reputation for excellence and skill spread throughout Eastern Europe.  At different times, master gardeners from here went to other countries to teach their gardening skills.  Almost every household has at least one garden where food is grown, harvested, and preserved for the cold winter months.  It’s life here – many people do not have money to purchase canned goods or frozen foods from grocery stores.  They are dependent on their gardens for their survival. 

For this festival I made my first movie.  Katya took photos and clips from planting seedlings to picking gorgeous, ripe veggies.  I produced a movie from these and added music and subtitles and it played in an endless loop in the exhibition hall.  I enjoyed the process while learning along the way as well as the end result.  It requires a lot of patience with repetition and a lot of time for the process.

This past Saturday I visited a local plant where fresh vegetables and fruit are delivered, prepared and frozen to be distributed for sale throughout Bulgaria and other European countries. They were coring red peppers by hand, roasting then peeling, then placing on trays to freeze.  Others were busy blanching broccoli and cauliflower in preparation of freezing.  I have never seen such huge heads of broccoli and cauliflower (see photo).

After a full weekend of Carving Festival activities, I went to Sofia for 5 days.  The first two days were for a celebration of the Peace Corps presence and work in Bulgaria over the past 21 years.  Americans and Bulgarians remembered the work together, the projects and the relationships built.  We had a social event at the US Ambassadors residence (Marci Ries arrived to begin her new job, just a few days earlier).   The next day there were speeches, dancing, singing and memories shared in a beautiful Officer’s Club auditorium in Sofia. 

The last two days of the week I attended a Warden training where we reviewed safety procedures in case of emergencies.  The Peace Corps leadership and staff in Bulgaria is very, very organized.  Their attention to detail and care of us volunteers is commendable.  The most interesting part of the training was the day we went to a NATO training center to experience an earthquake simulator so we could practice where to “duck and cover.”  We were also hidden amongst debris of a fallen building where search and rescue had to locate us and extract us.  In a flood related exercise, we made a human levee-building chain putting sandbag upon sandbag to create a barrier for flood waters.  Finally we were voluntarily marooned on one of three flood locations – the roof of a submerged house; a house that wasn’t submerged, but totally surrounded by water, a partially submerged car - and were again rescued by emergency  crews.   I love this kind of experiential learning!  It creates a solid memory to pull up if such a situation arises.

After a full week of activities I returned home for some serious rest….because I had a hitchhiking virus which accompanied me home.  I had diarrhea for 8 days.  At first I thought it was something I ate, but it took too long to resolve.  My energy was depleted and I did sleep a lot.  Unfortunately, a week later I did eat some bad food and it demonstrated that indeed if it is food poisoning, after only 24 hours of digestive distress, things got better.  Saturday was better, but had the first sniffles which has developed into an autumn cold.  Yesterday I rode my bike to the train station at 7:00am and mostly slept on the train to Sofia.  When I arrived at the hostel and I took a nap before heading out for a bowl of soup.  Monday morning I had an appointment with a doctor and a renowned orthopedic surgeon who has spent over 20 years perfecting his knowledge and skill.  I had an ultrasound of my shoulder girdle muscles and tendons because about 8 weeks ago , while stretching normally, something got “tweaked” and my arm hurts in certain positions.  I gave it some time to see if it would heal on its own, but after several weeks, I thought I’d better find out what’s going on so I can prevent any further damage.  Thankfully it’s not serious and can most likely be helped through physical therapy.  So my next challenge is to find a local physical therapist and arrange my schedule so I can go 10 days in a row.  I’m enjoying the Bulgarian countryside and awesome autumn colors as my train meanders towards home.

Autumn in Bulgaria

First things first - I apologize that the photo at the top of the page is off-center....haven't figured out the solution yet.  It will be obvious when I do :>).

We're having a delightfully mild autumn.  People still enjoying the outdoors .... for enjoyment and for work.  The gardens are winding down - now there is a lot of cabbage, cauliflower and leeks.  Last week was a busy week with canning and pickling peppers.  Lots of wood being chopped too - in preparation for the use of wood stoves soon.  Just about everyone heats with wood, and some still use it in their kitchen ovens too.
It's a busy time for everyone.

I have posted some photos of fall colors - click on Photos Oct - Dec 2012 to the right. Enjoy.

Another Blog for Photos of Bulgaria

There is a website, where Peace Corps volunteers in Bulgaria are posting photos of our memories here. Right now, mine are the second set from the top of the page. My post is called "Snippets of Bulgaria." (Sometimes it takes a long time for the photos to load - be patient). 

http://snapshotlegacy.posterous.com/   

Налице е уебсайт, където доброволци от Корпуса на мира в България се публикуване на снимки на нашите спомени. В момента са мои втория сет от горната част на страницата.Моя пост се нарича "малки парченца от България." (Понякога това отнема много време за снимките, за да се зареди - бъдете търпеливи).

Beautiful, Bountiful Bulgaria

These are all gifts from the garden this week. The tall leafy green is celery leaves, stalks are rarely used here, and they are very tiny stalks, not like the ones that make excellent "dip" vehicles.

Peppers are most often roasted and/or canned.  Or stuffed with "sirene" cheese and baked.  Mmmmm.  The grapes are at their peak - juicy and sweet.  They are eaten as snacks, but most become wine and rakia. The carrots are beautiful and grow into creative shapes.  The apples and pears are not quite ripe but soon they will be.

The happy challenge now, is eating it all!   Thank you everyone.  I am so blessed!

Dog Days of Summer / Кучешки дни на лятото

This dog had the right idea on how to cool off on a hot summer day.  He had an audience smiling at him too!

Productive Procrastination

It's another hot day at the end of a hot week. The weather forecast says this is the last day of this hot streak. I hope so - I'm not a fan of temperatures of 95F / 35C and higher.

Today I put 3 things on my list to complete - an online real estate continuing education course which I began on Friday and I'm 1/3 of the way through Lesson 3 (of 8) (a requirement so I can renew my license in preparation for next year); finish writing a step-by-step lesson on how to create and use an email account for computer novices (in Bulgarian and English); and post a photo essay - snapshots of our Peace Corps experiences here.  I don't mind doing any of these, it just seems I prefer to begin new things over finishing up the old.  So many of my hours today have been doing my laundry (excellent drying conditions outside) and organizing my photo folders on my computer.  I've taken thousands of photos in the past year and a half and they are organized by date.  This is helpful for chronologies but not so helpful when I need to find a particular one I know I have but can't.  So today I've been creating new folders by topic - scenery by season, people, flowers, animals, forms of transportation, buildings, etc.  I've also begun tagging my photos.  It's not difficult, I just haven't previously utilized this tool.  Today I recognize the value of it.  I've relied on naming a photo with identifying words for sorting.

And now I'm catching up on a blog entry.  So I will have accomplished several things today, just not the ones I had given a higher priority for the day.  So this is an illustration of productive procrastination.  I have not touched the 3 projects I wanted to finish, nor the ones next on my list, like putting pen to paper (fingers to keys?) for writing lesson plans for English classes which resume in a few short weeks.  But I am happy with what I have accomplished (or half accomplished - I only made it through the end of 2011 organizing my photos.  It will be another - "to be finished" project for another day.)

My last entry was August 8th.  Since then I have gone bicycling a few more times - to the third neighboring village which is easily accessible on scenic back roads.  One more village is only about 7 km away, but 2 of the 7km are on a busy, 2-lane highway which goes all the way to the Black Sea coast.  Not wide enough for trucks, buses, cars and me!  There are a couple other villages - about 14-17 km on the back roads.  Don't know if I'll make it to them - time is one factor, and bike ergonomics are another.  90 minutes of riding and my body needs some stretching and a different activity.

Last weekend I had and outing and went to visit another volunteer in a village about 4 hours away by train.  Her village is tinier than the one I live in.  Amy is awesome - full of positive energy and I really enjoyed seeing a slice of her life.  We also had some heartwarming conversations, which is something I really enjoy.  So it was fun for me as well as a positive connection with a new friend.  I've posted photos - click on the link to the right - Photos August - Sept. 2012.

Yesterday I went on a day trip to a town called Tryavna.  It is a historic center for woodcarving and colorful (religious) icon painting.  It's a lovely small town and I enjoyed walking around it on a hot summer day.  I even saw a Bulgarian man wearing a tee-shirt that said "Arizona" on it.  He didn't want to chat though....I got one of those looks (like I was a creature from outer space) when I said - in my very best Bulgarian - "I'm from Arizona" and pointed to his shirt.  Then I kept walking - it was clear this was not one of those moments for a spontaneous conversation.

However, I have been visiting several Bulgarian friends, old and new.  In the evenings when I go for a walk I'm invited to sit on benches with folks or to join them for a longer visit in the garden.   Many people have benches outside of their gated/walled yards to sit and watch the world go by.  And almost everyone has an outdoor kitchen and table for summer.  It's so pleasant to be outdoors, frequently sitting under the grape arbors. And a lot of canning is going on right now - tomatoes are being canned whole and becoming a variety of sauces. One is lutenitsa which is a combination of tomatoes and peppers and occasionally spicy hot peppers. Usually canning happens outdoors - and often over a wood-burning fire on the street.  Firewood is being delivered and men are splitting and stacking it in preparation for winter heating.  Both canning and firewood are winter survival necessities in the village.

Soon the school year will begin again, and so will conversational English classes.  The busy schedule will return, so I am enjoying the more relaxed summer schedule I have.  Although I don't seem to have quite as much "free" time as I thought I would.  I'm finding ways to stay busy and to stay engaged in my experience here.

Now I have a question for the travelers among you.  I am starting to think about winter holiday options.  I don't think I want to travel too far, but I'm looking for ideas.  Do you have any absolutely favorite places you've visited in Greece, Turkey or Eastern Europe?  I'm thinking water (like a Sea) and/or snowy mountain idyll with an affordable spa and/or visiting somewhere with cool natural features and animals.  Someday I want to see African animals in the wild; swim with dolphins in the open sea; and study Spanish in a Spanish speaking country.  However, none of these seem quite right for a brief (7-10 day), moderately priced, winter holiday.  Any ideas?

Bicycle = велосипед

One of the rules we have being Peace Corps volunteers is that we cannot drive any mechanized vehicle - car, motorcycle, atv, tractor, etc.  This is the first time in my adult life I have not driven a car for such an extended period of time.  I'm not sure, but I think the reason for this is that in the past, all over the world, there have been too many car accidents involving PC volunteers.  So Peace Corps pulled the plug on this activity.  My transportation is either by bus, train, friend or kind neighbor.

I haven't missed driving per se as much as I anticipated.  However I have missed the access to exploring the countryside where I live.  Usually I can't wait to visit new surroundings - villages, parks, hiking trails, scenery.    

So when another volunteer, Tricia, completed her service and left Bulgaria, I bought her bike (for half of what she paid for it last year!).  This week I have biked to two near-by villages, each about 6-8 kilometers away from where I live.  I like the extended range of a bike over walking.  I was hoping I might reach villages farther out as well, but I think not.  The bike is a little big for me, so the ergonomics aren't perfect.  I think I'll keep to this shorter-but-longer-than-walking range.

I love the feeling breeze as I ride on warm summer mornings.  I will love it once my body has adapted to riding a bicycle one again.  I'm a little nervous about dogs - chasing moving things.  So far I haven't had a problem and pray this continues.  Another Peace Corps rule is that if we ride a bicycle we must wear a helmet, which I do in the US anyway.  Most people here, who just ride around the village, don't, so I look a little odd. 

I'm thrilled to have a new mode of exploration and exercise.

July 2012

July began with Ryan's visit.  This is a little about the rest of the month.

It's been hot, humid and dry (o.k. this may not make sense, but it's true).  Only a small amount of rain for a short amount of time in this area.

I have visited with three Bulgarian women all of whom speak excellent English.  One lives in Gorna and is moving to England very soon, one lives in Veliko Turnovo and one in another village nearby.  I enjoy these conversations very much because I can ask questions about life in Bulgaria and understand the answers better in English than in Bulgarian.  I am grateful for the Bulgarian language that I know and am continuing to learn, but talking in my native language gives me deeper understanding.

I went to another village, Cherni Vit, to help with a summer camp for kids.  It's a scenic village at a higher altitude than my village and I knew this because it was cool enough at night to need a blanket.  It was fun being with the kids.  We played ball games like 4-Square and kickball - like baseball but kicking a big rubber ball instead of using a bat and baseball.  It was great fun.  We tried to explain the rules of the game - both in English and our "best" Bulgarian.  We had some success and ultimately it didn't matter too much.  I thought it was hilarious when base runners would pass one another - for example the person at 2nd base forgot to run and the person on 1st base passed them and went on to 3rd.  Another fun interpretation was when the kids kicked a home run and ran all the bases......and kept going for a second round after they reached home plate.  We also sang songs ... My Darlin' Clementine, B-I-N-G-O, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and played some English word games.  I'm glad I was able to help out!

I returned home on Friday night because I agreed to cook Carrot Cake muffins and Brownies for my village's Fourth Annual Culinary Festival on Sunday.

The Culinary Festival celebrates traditional Bulgarian foods and recipes (and one American entry).  This year it was a smashing success.  Thirteen villages participated and lots of visitors came!  It was impressive growth in one short year.  More participants and more visitors.  Many of the women who contributed dishes were interviewed.  I've posted photos (see column on the right).  And of course, there was plenty of singing by Babas and children as well as horo dancing.

The last week of July, Tricia returned for one more visit to Bulgaria before heading to her new life in Norway for a Masters Program.  And I returned to the village where I spent my first 11 weeks in Bulgaria during our language and culture training.  It was a great visit.  I spent the first day and night in/near Vratsa with Didi and her family.  She was my initial Bulgarian language teacher.  And, of course, I enjoyed visiting with Lida and her family and sharing great food with them....more excellent tomatoes, cucumbers, and home made sheep's milk feta (called sirene here). Everyone in Bulgarian villages seem to have at least one garden, and often more than one.  It was a good measure for me of the ways I've changed during the past 17 months..

Bulgaria is beginning to feel "normal" to me.  When I first arrived, everything seemed so different from what I have known.  I'm much more comfortable with life here and have had some really wonderful visits and talks with people.  I am blessed to be part of my community here.  Things don't feel so "new" any more, but I do have new insights and clarity every day.  I can understand more of the language and speak more than before.  I understand parts of conversations - often  I can get a general idea of what is being talked about, but I still miss many of the details. My progress is slow, but it continues.

I may do one or two more weekend trips in August before English classes begin again in mid-September.  Otherwise, I will be here working in the Cultural Center.  Summer is flying by!

Reflections

In addition to having a good time with my son Ryan, and seeing parts of Bulgaria I haven't seen before, I have some new insights from his visit.  Ryan brought a freshness of perspective which I thoroughly enjoyed!  He loves how green Bulgaria is and how friendly the people he met are.  Its countryside is diverse.  The villages welcoming.

My village has become "home" to me - it's familiar and comfortable.  I am happy here and grateful to be here.  I feel I am growing relationships with Bulgarian friends - some younger, some older - sometimes in English, sometimes in Bulgarian and always with a sense of humor and patience.  I am blessed to be surrounded by good people and am thrilled to be sharing myself with them and sharing our cultures and ideas.

When I first arrived, everything was so strange to me and different than what I knew.  That was one thing I was looking for when I applied to Peace Corps.  The idea of something and the experience of something can be very different from one another.  This type of "clean slate" provides the opportunity for internal and external growth.

My language skills are good enough to engage in basic conversations and to find my way around.  I was really pleased that when Ryan and I were in Sofia, I navigated the buses and trams without any unplanned scenic detours.  My skills and confidence have grown over the past 16 months.  I could translate conversations for Ryan, but as long as he knew the topic, he did pretty well figuring out the general "gist" of the conversation.  Lots of hand gestures and facial expression help in this process.

The dichotomy between old and new was of interest to him.  And he was exceedingly impressed with the internet speed here. It was fun to see things he thought were interesting - or not.  It reminded me of many of my first impressions, not that long ago. He was expecting my villages to be more rural than they are - like no paved streets at all.  So when he saw they were paved he thought things are really good here.  He also likes the concept of having a "bath room" where there is a drain in the middle of the floor and taking a shower is not confined to a little closet-like space or bathtub with a shower curtain.  I too, think this is a great idea.  When I bought my apartment in Arizona the bathroom had wall-to-wall carpeting and I had to be careful every time I took a shower not to splash water on the carpet. (I had the carpet removed and put in a tile floor - now it's much better!).

In my visit with him I also realized I am changing.  I'm less concerned with a schedule and plan - I still think it's good to have them, but the deadlines are often more fluid.  I consciously look for the good things about people I meet and about myself.  I'm better about this than I used to be - less judgmental.  I fundamentally believe people have a reason for thinking the things they do or doing the things they do and that if I'm patient, I can understand them and myself better. And I think people tend to think and behave in ways that they think will make them feel good or better or have value– so it’s good to give everyone the benefit of the doubt initially (myself included).  (O.k. I know there are some people who don’t but I’m not addressing them here).

I also have opportunity and time to reflect on my own beliefs and habits from the past 50+ years – what I like and what I’m changing or want to change.  My time here in Bulgaria – the people, the challenges, the gifts - are deepening my experience of life.  I’m very happy to call Bulgaria home for these 2 years.

Ryan's Visit to Bulgaria

Ryan arrived in Varna late Thursday morning on June 28th.  How exciting!  He was weary after long hours of traveling and a short night in a hotel in Sofia, but willing to begin exploring Bulgaria.  It was such a joy to see him.  He will probably by the only one of my family and friends to actually visit and get an little idea of my life here.  That's pretty special.  (Of course, there is an open invitation to family and friends to visit!)


We had lunch near the hotel and then took the bus to Varna.  We were meeting about 25 other volunteers for a 2-hour ride on a pirate ship on the Black Sea. It was a nice introduction to Bulgaria for Ryan.  Highlights were being on the water and climbing up to the crows nest - I couldn't go the whole way - the last step was really high and I was feeling too short.  But I did get a nice birds eye view from the top of the net ladder!


Afterwards we only had energy for finding the bus back to the hotel and dinner - then it was time to rest! After a leisurely morning we gathered our things and headed out to the bus station where we could get a mini-van to Burgas - about 2 1/2 hours south of Varna - also on the coast.  Anyone who lives in a touristy area or travels a lot knows to beware of "deals" offered by some of the local entrepreneurs.  For example - we took a taxi from the hotel to the bus station because it was easier than taking our luggage on a public bus.  On the way the taxi driver offered to drive us to Burgas for only 100 leva.  He said it was only a little more the bus and we would get there sooner.  Yes, to getting there sooner, but the bus was only 15 leva each.


In Burgas we dropped our luggage off and began exploring.  I think I like parts of Burgas more than the parts of Varna I saw.  The beach stretches for a long way without lots of resort hotels and there is a wonderful park on the bluff overlooking the beach with lots of shade and paths to walk on.  It also has a very long pedestrian mall for walking, people watching and eating.


The next morning - Sunday - we hopped on another bus to a smaller touristy village called SoZOpol - a village with a Greek fishing heritage.  Lots of walking, photos and exploring.  Bulgaria (and Europe) is so visually interesting - the history, architectural blends of old and new, and people with blended heritages.  We visited a museum and soaked in all the interesting views.  Then the 30-min. ride back to Burgas.  We walked all the way to the end of the pedestrian mall before making the mistake of eating a "dooner" for dinner.  It's like a Gyros - meat sliced off a turning vertical skewer and wrapped in a pita-style bread with french fries and sauces.  I picked out the french fries - there was enough grease without them.  It was a long, hot day; lots of walking; lots of eating; and this was a little heavy as a final meal for the day.  Ryan did fine - but I was throwing up in the wee morning hours (maybe some raw meat?).  I was a wreck the next day which was our travel day back to my village.


It always makes me appreciate how rarely I feel this bad and am grateful for being healthy.  The day started at 6:00 - I bought some yogurt to calm my stomach and we headed to the train to begin our 10 hours of traveling.  It all went well (except for the yogurt - throwing up again in the grass at the train station).  We hopped on and off 3 trains - catching a little sleep during the rides (with heads bobbing of course).  I was VERY happy to arrive home and sleep in my own bed.


Monday was a rest day and we had a leisurely walk along the river.  It was also time to introduce Ryan to my friends and colleagues in the village.  We were given lots of tomatoes and cucumbers for our salads - so many gifts from gardens. Love 'em - they are soooo tasty.  It was good to have a quieter day.  We went for a second walk in the evening and were invited na gosti (visitng) with Snezha and Peter.  It was a really nice visit and I couldn't believe it was 11:00pm when we left!


Tuesday morning we took the 8:00 bus to the village where I go every Tuesday.  Ryan met my colleagues and friends there too - Veselina, Nadia, Marina.  Bulgarians are very hospitable and generous.  We came home with more fruit and veggies from gardens and Ryan gave everyone a momento from San Francisco.  Then at noon there was a bus and a wait and another bus to the second village I visit every week on Thursdays.  Another neat na-gosti with Penka and Angel who are on "vacation" and remodeling their bedroom.  Then we walked to Camping Veliko Turnovo which is owned by Nick and Nicki - British ex-pats.  They have one of the best camp-ground views and a refreshing swimming pool which was completed last year.  They hold a number of events every month and generously and creatively support their Bulgarian community.  By the time we returned to the library and cultural center, we had a chance to visit with Yordanka.  Ryan has met everyone I work with and so many of my Bulgarian friends.  They all loved meeting him and he enjoyed it too.  He has about 7 Bulgarian words down - his efforts were appreciated!  


Wednesday once again we took the 8:00am bus this time going to Veliko Turnovo.  We spent 3 hours exploring Tsarevets.  "Tsarevets (Bulgarian: Царевец) is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and is a popular tourist attraction." (from Wikipedia) 


We had a great time - it's a pretty cool fortress to hike around.  After we found lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Yantra river and found a bus to take us home where we had a simple dinner (yup - cukes and tomatoes and sirene - love it!).


Thursday - an early morning walk up the hill above the village to see sunflowers and panoramic views.  Then back home to pack and go to one more na gosti with Katya and Hristina.  They prepared traditional food - mekitsi (a donut-like fried bread and shopska salad.)  They love to laugh and we all had a good visit.  Then we took the bus to Veliko Turnovo again so we could get a direct bus to Sofia.  We had a very short visit with one more Bulgarian woman, Tanya, who speaks excellent English (and teaches it at University as well).  It was a quick but lovely visit.  


We stayed at a hotel close to the airport in Sofia but took the tram to the center for our last Bulgarian dinner together.  What a full and fun week I had with Ryan.  I'm so proud of him - he is such a genuine, intelligent,  creative and kind man.  I will treasure him and our Bulgarian visit forever.  And a big thank you to all the Bulgarians who were so kind to us and continue to be to me. You are loved.

The Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria

We had a Peace Corps Mid-Service conference near Varna, Bulgaria.  It's my first visit to the coast here and I love water.  I've been swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, Lake Michigan and numerous smaller lakes and rivers but this may be the first "sea" I've been too.  As the train got closer and closer I could smell the sea in the air - how invigorating!  

Our conference (yes, Mid-Service means we are about 1/2 way through our two year stay here in Bulgaria - actually a little more than 1/2) provided a time to visit with other PC volunteers from all around Bulgaria, to share ideas and brainstorm challenges. The group of volunteers here are enthusiastic, creative and a really positive group of people.  And the Peace Corps staff is amazing - always helpful and supportive.  They are a group of a few Americans and many Bulgarians who have guided volunteers through the ups and downs of volunteerism specific to Bulgaria over the past 21 years.  It's a privilege to work with such a dedicated and authentic group of individuals.

We stayed at a hotel a little north of Varna in the area called Saints Constantin and Eleana.  There are lots of resorts and associated businesses - restaurants, lots of souvenir stands, tour services, etc.  There was plenty of free time to stroll along the beach and explore the area.  We had one morning free and I decided to go to the Dephinarium - the dolphin show.  It's been a long time since I've seen dolphins and I didn't see them in the Sea.  It also sounds from the website that the owner is very committed to the physical and emotional well-being of these lovely animals.  

On the final day, after breakfast I hopped on a bus to the Varna airport to greet Ryan - my son.  How exciting!  More soon -- but for now, check out the photos I've added (click on Photos June-July in the right hand column).

Dear Friends and Family

Just a quick note....I'm thinking of you, wondering how your first day of summer is.  It definitely feels like summer -  90 degree temps here (although humidity was over 80%).  Fruits and veggies are ahead of last years schedule - mulberries and cherries have come and gone, I loved picking mulberries for breakfast every time I found a tree - they come in 3 colors - black, white and pink (the sweetest).  Now we're into apricots and plums. We also have lots of cucumbers, onions, garlic and zucchini.  It won't be much longer before the tomatoes begin to ripen.  :>)

 

Here's a little treat from one of my morning walks this week...

 

 

Wish you were here, to share the experience - the sounds, smells, cleaning little round clumps off of one's shoes, etc.... It's the simple things in life that give us great pleasure, right?

I hope the first day of summer/winter is a good one for you!

Festival of Roses

June 3rd, I traveled to Kazanluk with the Women's Club for the annual Rose Festival. I have added some photos in Spring 2012 of more beauty in Bulgaria.  Everything is richly green from a month of frequent and sometimes excessive rain.  Sunday was like a summer day - sunny and hot.  We left the village at 7:00am and returned 12 hours later.  I was tired and had a headache all day, but I couldn't complain because a couple of the women I was traveling with had worked long hours the day before at the company that freezes fresh fruit as it ripens.  Then they go home and do the home chores - like cooking, laundry and cooking.  They have been having very short nights for sleeping because it's the "high" season for strawberries. So they were on this excursion with about 3-5 hours of sleep, then they had to go to work after we returned to the village. Wow!

Some of my highlights from this day-long excursion:

• seeing some beautiful country traveling through the Balkan Mountains to the Valley of the Roses
• Traveling wtih Bulgarians who know so much history and geography and who have a sense of humor
• Seeing beautiful roses
• Visiting with other Peace Corps volunteers for a little while
• Picking up some yogurt made from Buffalo milk - really.

Check out the photos for more details.

Something Borrowed.......

Follow this link to a blog talking about what it's like to be an ex-pat in another country...she says it well and I feel both sides.  It's exciting to have the adventure of traveling somewhere new and different with an intention to share what I know.  At the same time all that I have known and is familiar is far away from here, now.

What Happens When You Live Abroad

Dear Gardener

Before the storm

waiting for the rain

It's been a rainy May in Bulgaria!  This past week lots of rain, rising rivers and mud!  But it is spring after all.  There are also ripe Mulberries and cherries on the trees and strawberries in the gardens.  Yeah!

I have a question for gardeners.....is it possible to plant young rose bushes in a shady spot in the middle of summer?  There are three 7th graders here who want to do a community service project during the summer for the village which also involves other students.  One idea is to plant lots of rose (seedlings?) in front of the elementary school.  They were told by a nursery owner that roses cannot be transplanted in the summer.  Is this true?  If so, does anyone have other ideas for what perennials might be a good choice for a long-term landscaping improvement?  The students want to beautify the village center for everyone to enjoy.  It will also be their legacy to the school - 7th grade is their final year there.  If you know plants, please share your ideas with me!  (Bulgaria's climate is similar to the midwest in the US - the corn-belt / wheat-belt.)

Last weekend was also a 4-day weekend.  It was a holiday celebrating the history of the Cyrillic alphabet.  Bulgarians love holidays and have a deep knowledge of history.  One night there was a history presentation honoring the holiday and very creative dancing by local talent - from our village and also from a near-by town.  The next night there were professional dancers performing outdoors - both traditional dances and modern.

София - Sofia

This weekend I went to the capital city of Sofia -  for the 3rd time in the past couple of months.  I've been having dentist appointments - first a root canal and follow-up, then continued work on the same tooth for preparation for a crown.  My dentist here is extremely knowledgeable and a perfectionist (which is a good quality for someone in a medical profession). He explains what he's doing and why - it's pretty interesting!


I met a Bulgarian woman who lives in Sofia on my last visit.  She was introduced to me while I was still in Sedona (via email)....someone I know who knows someone who knows someone..... (thank you Patsy!)  This visit I stayed with her.  She's dog-sitting for a gorgeous Hungarian Visla (Vishla?).  They were wonderful hosts and I enjoyed my stay with them very much!  

I thought my visit to the dentist on Friday was going to be a quick one, but it turned out to be over 2 hours and kind of difficult.  He removed the temporary filling, and shaped the tooth in preparation for the crown.  He also worked on slightly trimming other teeth to even out my bite to a more natural closing of my jaws.  He says that because my teeth (and bite) are uneven and certain teeth might feel the impact of closing my jaws together, it can lead to clenching and grinding - which I do a fair amount of.  Now my "bite" is even and all upper and lower teeth have equal touching - more balanced than before.  One more appointment for putting a crown in place and I should be done.  I was pretty exhausted Friday night - from the stress of the dental work and an extra early morning so I could walk 1 3/4 miles to the train station to catch the 7:45 am train to Sofia.

Saturday was the Bulgarian English Spelling Bee at the National level.   The twenty 4th - 7th graders were well prepared and bright.  The competition went on for over 2 hours.  What I found interesting was that by the time they reached the end of the list of words the kids had studied, there were 6 contestants left standing - all boys!!  They had to spell words that were not on the study list. Mistakes and eliminations sped up compared to the "studied" words - until there were 2 left.  The last 2 standing did an outstanding job spelling!  The winner (from Ruse) won a Kindle, while all the contestants received an mp3 player, a flash drive and a book to read in English!  Some of the words on the study list included - acquaintance, necessary, miscellaneous, once, wrong, collaborate, erroneous, encouragement, voyage, etc.  In Bulgarian, words usually have only letters which are pronounced and only rare double letters.  If you see a letter in a Bulgarian word you say it.  So in English words, silent letters can be tricky for spellers.  Also vowels and vowel pairs are difficult. Bulgarian vowels usually only have one pronunciation and English has many - cat, bar, cake, caught, paw.  To make matters more confusing there are some letters that are identical to our alphabet but pronounced differently (see below - 1st english; 2nd Bulgarian)

• e  =  ee / long a
• a  =  long a / only short a
• H  = aich / n
• x  =  ex / h

Also challenging are words that sound alike but are spelled differently - steel, steal / wait, weight, etc.  Kids do o.k. if they ask for the definition, but sometimes they are too excited or nervous and forget.  

And during one intermission, we had a Bulgarian Spelling Bee for the Peace Corps volunteers.  There were 9 of us -- I thought I would be the first one out, but I was the third out.  I was nervous and the word they gave me was Bulgarian for flower (цвете) but I could only think of flowers (цветя) - and it totally befuddled me.  It was funny - easy word, easy out.  The last two young men standing were excellent and they had to call it a tie because they didn't lose!

Saturday evening  there was a fund-raiser for a teen girls empowerment/leadership camp called Camp Glow.  It's a wonderful opportunity for teen girls to learn and strengthen confidence and leadership skills to take back to their communities.  See Camp Glow for an interview with it's founder here in Bulgaria. It was also an opportunity to see some of the other PC volunteers from around Bulgaria. 

Sunday afternoon it was about a 5 1/2 hour journey home - 4 1/2 on buses, one hour waiting.  

Addendum to Another Spring Walk

Someone just posted this in Facebook and I have to pass it along - relating to Bulgaria being a land of contrasts.

Another Spring Walk

Today I had the opportunity to go for a long morning walk.  It rained last night and everything felt clean and fresh.  It was good to have some time in nature to clear my head.

Bulgaria is a land of contrasts....here are a few I observed today:

Beautiful green rolling hills and a flowing river through town.....piles of trash on the roadside and banks.

Birds singing, bees buzzing.....loud diesel tractors and machinery

Horse carts....cell phones and satellite t.v. (I was stopped on the road and offered a "deal" fora  t.v. and internet package

Enjoy this short meditation video, listen to the call and response of the birds.  The bird is perched on a flowering acacia tree which is also humming with bees.

 If anyone knows what kind of birds these are I would love to know.

A Fine Day for a Picnic

This was a four-day weekend.  May 1st is the Bulgarian Labor Day.  It is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labor Day has its origins in the labor union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.


Saturday was the Spelling Bee in Veliko Turnovo.


Sunday morning another Peace Corps Volunteer and friend, Tricia, came to the village.  She has several friends here because she was visiting this village regularly for a couple of years before I arrived.  We met with Katya and Hristina.  First we went to the garden for fresh lettuce, onions and parsley for a salad.  Then we headed up into the hills for a hike.  We went into new territory I hadn't see before.  Everything is gorgeous right now - very green and lots of spring growth.  I posted some photos on the Spring photo page (see right column).


It was a gorgeous day of scenery, exercise, fresh food and especially, camaraderie.  There was laughter, singing and lots of chatting in Bulgarian, with brief moments of English. We managed to spend 7 glorious hours in nature!

Spelling Bee Regional Competition

Saturday four of us traveled from our village to the Bulgarian National English Spelling Bee Regional Competition in Veliko Turnovo.  Our contestant was Simona and her father kindly offered to drive us.  I also invited Maria who placed second in the local Bee at our school.

It was exciting - there were a total or 27 students from 4th grade to 7th grade who were competing for the opportunity to go to the National Bee in Sofia in May.  The top three from this Regional would go to Sofia.  All the contestants were nervous and filled with anticipation.  As usual the first couple of rounds sorted out all the weaker contestants.  By round 6 or so - there was a solid core of more than have of the participants successfully spelling English words.  Simona was well prepared and finished 7th overall.  She had an unfortunate moment during round 11 when she misspelled a word, not because she didn't know it, but because her brain and mouth were working on different frequencies. I know how that feels!  Of course, she was very disappointed when she couldn't continue, especially since she was so well prepared.

One of my favorite moments that made me smile was a moment of synchronicity.  About 15 minutes into the Bee, one corner of the Spelling Bee Banner (or sign) came loose from the tape and flopped over on itself.  The contestant at the microphone was in the process of spelling the English word, "sign."

Congratulations to all the participants for showing up and having the courage to participate.