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!