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!
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