Final Post - Заключителния пост

Hello Friends – near and far.  This will be my last post here and I’ve been thinking about how I want to say farewell.  There is no way I can sum up my experiences in Bulgaria in a few sentences, but those of you who have looked at my posts of the past 27 months have a good idea of many of my experiences and emotional journeys.  Twenty-seven months of being present to my life in a foreign land – foreign to me but not to all my Bulgarian friends, of course!  They welcomed a stranger to their villages and I  became a friend interwoven into their lives.

Mid-June I traveled back to the USA and Sedona was a wonderful place to return to. I was warmly welcomed by friends I hadn’t see for a long time.  And the familiarity and beauty of “home” made me feel like I had been away only a couple of weeks instead of a couple of years.  Driving a car after a 27 month hiatus was a piece of cake.  I’ve been in the US for 5 weeks now – the time is passing quickly.  My first two weeks were in Sedona and I was eager to visit with friends and colleagues.  I showed three different groups a 20-30 minute presentation of some of my favorite photos of Bulgaria.  Then I headed to California for 2 weeks to visit my family.  I also met new people who I look forward to seeing again.  Now I am once again in Sedona, though this time, I am resting and preparing to move to Santa Barbara CA.  There I am renting a room from a woman who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.  This will be the beginning of a new chapter for me - living in a new city.  I posted photos of my travels in Sedona and California – see the right hand column.

I know that however my life unfolds next, my heart and soul are richer because of my time in Bulgaria, living and breathing and sharing life with everyone I met (Bulgarians, English and other Peace Corps Volunteers).  Thank you to each and every one of you.

If you want to stay in contact, email me at:  pspatricia11@yahoo.com .  I’m also on Facebook pspatricia11.  I’m decreasing the amount of time I spend on FB, but will continue to check it at least a couple of times every week.

Peace.

Здравейте Приятели - близо и далеч. Това ще бъде последният ми пост тук и си мисля за това как искам да кажа сбогом. Няма начин мога да обобщя моя опит в България в няколко изречения, но тези от вас, които са се занимавали с моите постове от последните 27месеца имат добра представа за много от моите преживявания и емоционални пътувания. Двадесет и седем месеца да присъства в живота ми в чужда земя - чужда за мен, но не на всички мои български приятели, разбира се! Те приветстваха непознат за селата си и живота ни стана преплетени.

Средата на юни се върнах в САЩ и Sedona е чудесно място да се върнете към. Бях посрещнат топло от приятели не бях виж за дълго време. И познаване и красотата на "дом" ме накара да се чувствам като съм бил далеч само няколко седмици, вместо на няколко години. Карането на кола след 27 месеца пауза е парче от тортата. Бил съм в САЩ в продължение на 5 седмици - времето минава бързо. Моят първите две седмици са били в Sedona и бях нетърпелив да посетите с приятели и колеги. I показва три различни групи по 20-30 минути представяне на някои от любимите ми снимки от България. След 2 седмици в Sedona, аз отидох в Калифорния в продължение на 12 дни, за да посети семейството ми. Аз също се срещна с нови хора, които очаквам да се видим отново. Сега съм отново в Седона, въпреки че този път, аз съм почивка и подготовка да се премести в Санта Барбара, калифорния. Там съм и аз наемане на стая от една жена, която беше доброволка от Корпуса на мира в Африка през 1970-те и 1980-те. Това ще бъде началото на нова глава за мен - живея в един град, ново за мен. Имам публикувани снимки на моите пътувания в Седона и Калифорния - виж дясната колона.

Знам, че все пак животът ми развива следващата, сърцето и душата ми са по-богати, защото от времето си в България, живот и дишане и споделяне на живота с всички срещнах (българи, Англичаните и други доброволци от Корпуса на мира). Благодаря на всеки един от вас.

Ако искате да останат в контакт, ми пишете на: pspatricia11@yahoo.com. Аз също съм на Facebook (pspatricia11). Аз съм намаляване на количеството на време прекарвам и в FB, но ще продължи да се провери това поне няколко пъти всяка седмица.

Мир.

Endings, Beginnings

Today is my last day as a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer).  At midnight I become an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer).  These past weeks have been filled with breathing in deeply - my last sights, sounds, and scents of Bulgaria.  For two years Dzhulyunitsa, Dobri Dyal and Dragizhevo have been my home and have generously welcomed me into their communities.  It's been a rich time filled with new friends, new culture and language and discovery.  There have been great times and challenging times.  I have said "See You Soon" to my friends, colleagues, neighbors, Babas and acquaintances.  I am grateful to each person who has shared their smiles, hearts, patience and lovely food with me.  My heart and soul have expanded from this experience.  I have lots of photos and stories to share with America. I am filled with emotion.  While I excitedly anticipate the return to "home" and I feel sadness about closing this chapter in my life and saying good-bye to friends.  Thank you so much, to everyone who has touched my life here. I will remember the gifts of Bulgaria and her people.  I have added photos on the photo page.

Днес е последният ми ден като PCV (доброволка от Корпуса на мира). В полунощ да стана RPCV (Върната доброволка от Корпуса на мира) . Тези последните седмици бяха изпълнени с дишане в дълбоко - последните ми гледки, звуци и аромати на България. За две години и Джулюница, Добри дял и Драгижево да е моят дом и са щедро ме посрещна в техните общности. Той е бил богат време изпълнен с нови приятели, нова култура и език и открития. Имаше много добри времена и трудни времена. Аз казах "Ще се видим скоро" на моите приятели, колеги, съседи, баби и познати. Благодарен съм на всеки човек, който споделя своите усмивки, сърца, търпение и прекрасна храна с мен. Сърцето и душата ми са се разширили от този опит. Имам много снимки и истории за споделяне с Америка. Изпълнен съм с емоции. Докато аз развълнувано предвиждат връщането към родина и аз се чувствам тъга за затваряне на тази глава в живота си и да се сбогува с приятелите си. Благодаря ви много, на всички, които докосна живота ми тук. Ще си спомня даровете на България и нейния народ. (Имам добавят снимки на страницата със снимката.)

Even More Spring Rain - How to Have Fun....

Sunny this morning - afternoon rain (more intense than the last storm) - blue sky again before sunset. This dog shows how to turn flooding streets into a playground!  It's short and sweet - enjoy.

Spring Rain

We have had some spring rain!  Here's a little snippet of the road in front of my apartment yesterday.

Имахме някои пролетен дъжд! Ето един малък фрагмент на пътя пред апартамента ми вчера.

Almost the Blue Danube.....

April Lilacs

Katya, my friend and advocate here in Dzhulyunitsa, is a neighbor of mine in the single apartment building here.  She has another family house where they go to garden (one of two gardens) and to hang out in a quieter part of the village.  She invited me to the garden for fresh lettuce, onions, garlic and parsley.  And of course, a wonderful bunch of lovely lilacs!  What a treat to brighten my spirits and apartment.

(I have posted additional photos on the Spring 2013 page.  Click on the link in the column to the right.)

Over the past 6 months feeling well has been a challenge.  Off and on I've been successful, but I've had more than my share of colds and "owies."  I've always been a pretty healthy person, so this on-again, off-again, not-feeling-well is new to me and has made me more empathetic to folks who have chronic illnesses.  Around March 20th, another "new" cold began.  A few days later I traveled to Sofia for our Final Peace Corps conference.  I had a couple intense coughing spasms, but had assistance when I needed it.  I am grateful for the help of the Peace Corps medical staff.  For the past month I've been drinking herbal teas for lung health, using a few herbal remedies I brought with me to Bulgaria and meditated on my emotional/mental imbalance which might be causing these physical experiences.

Certainly I feel some stress about winding down my work and time in Bulgaria.  Two years in a community is a long time.  I will miss my friends here and have appreciated their warm embrace into their village and lives.  We have shared our cultures with each other.  We've shared laughter, learning and ideas. They have been very patient with my fledgling Bulgarian language skills.

I look forward to returning to America.  Can't wait to see my family and friends there.  Returning to a familiar life is both exciting and terrifying on various levels.  I will have some time in Sedona to re-acclimate to a time zone 10 hours earlier than what my body is used to.  I'm sure some of what used to be familiar to me, will still be.  But I will see everything with a different perspective after living in Bulgaria for an extended time.  The astounding beauty of Sedona is calling to me and I look forward to the quiet and the energy of some of my favorite trails (and maybe some new ones too). Then I will visit family in California and the Pacific Ocean.

This is all I have planned.  I know the next chapter will work out just fine.  But I do have some stress when I begin thinking about all the details about where to live and work; how can I find a good car in my price range, etc.

I've been doing my best to stay focused on all the wonderful parts of my life and my personal strengths and gifts.  But my body has told me, I've been focusing too much on the stresses.  I went to Sofia last week for my departing medical and dental appointments.  Along with me went a refreshed version of a cold with a ongoing cough.  The doctor took me to a specialist who diagnosed a virus (no surprise).  More than five weeks of not feeling my usual healthy self, wore me down and I have embraced the medical solutions to my symptoms.  Yesterday was the first day of using an inhaler and taking Zyrtec.  I felt better almost immediately and I was able to go for an uphill walk with friends, without a long coughing spell.  I will continue the course of medication for a week because I want to be healthy and available to these last weeks in my village.

I will continue to focus on what I want to create in my life when I return to Arizona and California.  I will continue to trust the process of co-creation and that the next chapter in my life will be as lovely and rewarding as my life has been all along the way.

P.S.  I'm not sure how many more blog posts I'll have time for - there is lots to do in the next 6 weeks!

A Summary of Bulgarian Spring Holidays

The days are warm in Bulgaria.  This past week the temperatures have been in the mid-to-high 70s.  And the week before I was still using my heater occasionally when I felt chilled in the evenings and mornings.  It was a quick switch!

Here is a quick update on Bulgarian holidays - it’s a time rich in holidays :

Sat. April 27 – Lazarovden (Day of Lazar).  According to the Bulgarian tradition, Lazarovden is the day that marks the transition in maidens between a girl and a young woman fit to be married.   On this day, several groups of girls aged between 10 and 16 (“lazarki”), dressed in their best holiday clothes or wedding costumes adorned with wreaths and bunches of flowers go around the village. They visit each house and sing praises to everyone in the family, including children and the elderly, women and men, and Bulgarians of all professions.  The owners of each visited home gave them eggs and money.  Old sayings state that any house visited by lazarki will prosper throughout the year.

Sun. April 28 -  Bulgarian Orthodox Christians celebrate Palm Sunday - Tsventisa-Vrabnitsa, to mark the triumphal arrival of Christ into Jerusalem.   The Bulgarian tradition is to carry flowers and willow branches, rather than palm leaves, and the day is also regarded as the holiday of the fields, meadows and forests. It is one of the most important holy days, falling one week before Easter, and marking the beginning of the Passion of Christ.

Wed. May 1 – Labor Day, celebrates the efforts and accomplishments of those who work AND it marks the point in the year where people begin earning money for themselves after 4 months of earning money for the government – in the form of taxes.

Fri. May 3 – Bulgarian Orthodox Good Friday

Sat. May 4 - Bulgarian Orthodox Good Saturday

Sat. May 5 – Easter Sunday

Mon. May 6 – St. Georges Day. In Bulgaria St. George is the patron of spring verdure and fertility, and of shepherds and farmers. His Day, May 6, is believed to set in summer and the new farming cycle.   A common ritual is to prepare and eat a whole lamb, which is an ancient practice possibly related to Slavic pagan sacrificial traditions and the fact that St. George is the patron saint of shepherds.  A special place on the table is attributed to the ritual Gergyovden breed. All sorts of bread are made for the feast - the cross bread, the shepherd's bread, the large ring-bread, as well as small ones, or the special ring-shaped bun baked by the young wife in the house.

So this year many Bulgarians have a long holiday from May 1^st through the 6^th.

63 Days

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."   Seneca, Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD

Dear Friends, Family and Colleagues in Arizona and California,

First, let me say I have just posted photos from the past couple of months.  Click on Photos - Spring 2013 in the right hand column.

My time in Bulgaria as a Peace Corps Volunteer is quickly coming to a close.  The next seven weeks will be filled with final English classes, holidays and celebrations and many, many good-byes.  There will be laughter and there will be tears.

I am flying into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on June 16^th (I will know the exact time in the near future). 

I am beginning to explore options for the next chapter in my life when I return.  First, I’m very much looking forward to returning to the stunning beauty of Sedona to process these past 2 years and spending time on my favorite trails (as well as some one’s I haven’t been on) to assist my re-assimilation and reflection processes. 

At this point, I don’t know what work I will be doing and I’m not sure where I will be living (the first will influence the second, I’m sure).  I have lots of ideas, but no plan. 

The following tasks I’ve been researching online, but I also want to ask you to keep your eyes and ears open for me for opportunities:

1.   If anyone is traveling from Phoenix to Sedona on the 16^th or 17^th and has room for one person and 3 large suitcases – I’d love a ride.

 2.   Initially, I am looking for a short-term place to stay –

from my arrival on June 16 or 17 until I go to visit family in Calfornia - either for the 4^th of July weekend or the week of the 8th.

  3.    I will need to buy a car – I sold mine for $4,000 before leaving and that is my ballpark price for the next one.  Two important qualities I’m looking for:  it as to be dependable and have reasonable gas mileage.

  4.    I will be looking for work.  I will not be returning to real estate as a full time sales agent.  I am open to possibilities of all kinds – let’s talk.   (My interests include (but not limited to) teaching ESL, working with animals and/or children, working in a environment for health and healing.)

My time as a Peace Corps Volunteer has been quite an experience and I’m looking forward to sharing with those in America who are interested.  

Peace Corps Close of Service Conference B-27s

I have been in Sofia for a week -  it’s been great.  My group of Peace Corps Volunteers here in Bulgaria – the 27^th group in the past 22 years – is the Legacy Group of Peace Corps Volunteers here, we are the final group.  This week we had a review of some of the language skills we've learned in the past 2 years and then we had our 3-day Close of Service conference.  Some of us will be leaving our community within the next month or so and the last volunteers will leave in July.

We spent time remembering our first meeting two years ago this week – at our initial Staging Conference in  Philadelphia. Remembering our first impressions of each other and of the Peace Corps staff.  Then that long bus ride to JFK Airport in New York and the even longer flight(s) to Sofia, Bulgaria.  Then our first few days in Panichiste – in the gorgeous mountains south of Sofia.  Days of orientation, rules, expectations and teams.  It was  a beautiful spot to begin our Bulgarian journey. After this brief stay, we headed north to villages in the general area of the city of Vratsa, and the person or family we would live with for the next 11 weeks.  We knew only a few words of Bulgarian and they knew little or no English.  Truly immersion learning about Bulgarian culture and language.

Fast forward 2 years – here we are – now experienced volunteers - sharing our trials and our joys and hugging each other good-bye.  Some of us have formed lifelong friendships with other volunteers and with our Bulgarian friends.  We respect one another for the patience, perseverance and skills we’ve all demonstrated through our lives here.  Each of our experiences is individual, yet we all have much in common.  It has been a challenging and beautifully rich experience. 

I am not yet done.  I will be in Bulgaria until mid-June.  There is still more to do – teaching more English and other things to finish and refine.  People to meet with for the first time or for yet another time. Laughter to share. Tears to share. And more photos to share.  And maybe even a little rakia.  My heart is full with the love, kindness and generosity of the people I live with and work with in Dzhulyunitsa, Dobri Dyal and Dragizhevo.  I am so happy to have had this opportunity to live in rural Bulgaria.  And I am grateful to the very competent and supportive Peace Corps staff in Sofia.  

It’s been a great week.

January 21st is Babinden

According to the Bulgaria Gazette, "Babinden" (Grandmother's Day) is a Bulgarian holiday, celebrated on January 8th or 21st.  It is the day to honor the grandmothers who served as midwives in villages of the past.  

The day is related closely to family traditions that thank the women, who gave birth to all the children of the family.

Babinden is among the biggest female Bulgarian holidays, and is dedicated to the women that served as midwives, and also to young brides that just gave birth. The rites on this day mostly involve honoring the elderly women that helped younger ones as they gave new life.

I joined the Babas - who got creative with their costumes - to take photos as they visited homes and business receiving blessings - bon bons, money and kind words.  

What A Change

What a difference time and temperature makes.  Last week we were experiencing spring-like days.  And winter has returned (it is January after all).....this is the view from my apartment this morning.

Chania, Crete, Greece

I have posted some photos of Chania (pronounced Hania) - finally.  It's such a joy to look at these once again.  I hope you enjoy them too!

Here's a map to give you an idea of what Greece looks like.  Bulgaria is one of the northern neighbors and Crete is the furthest south of the Greek Islands.

I'm out of time for today, but I have a few more photos to share from January 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  But they will have to wait.

A Vacation to Greece

,

Here's an overview of my visit to Athens.  In another post I will share about my time in Crete.  I love this photo because it says it all .... the ancient ruins atop the Acropolis, being renovated and tourists visiting both by foot and by Segue/Segway.  

Corresponding photos can be found in the column to the right.

December 25^th I took the morning train to Sofia to meet Joan Myers and Mary Smith, two other Peace Corps volunteers.  We decided to go to the movie “The Life of Pi” in the afternoon.  It was my first full length 3-D movie – and I loved it. 

December 26^th  we flew to Athens on a morning flight.  We had a surprise at the airport – we met Patrick, another volunteer, who was traveling on the same flight to Athens.  After settling into our hotel, we headed out to look for lunch.  A “very nice” man dressed in a business suit, suggested a restaurant and showed us the way.  Yup – person-to-person marketing. 

It was a nice restaurant and before sitting down we looked at the menu with expensive entrees.  I asked them what they could make for us for not more than 10 Euro each.  We had a fabulous lunch – Greek salad and fresh bread with Greek Olive oil (of course) and the ladies had grilled pork and Patrick tried the moussaka.  It was awesome and the environment was lovely.  At other times during our trip we saw the same man “corralling” people to the restaurant – it was pretty funny!

Patrick headed off to his hostel and Joan, Mary and I took a 90 minute bus tour to familiarize ourselves with the main tourist sites in central Athens.

So much of Europe has ancient ruins and artifacts, but in Athens they felt different to me.  Energetically they feel like the “originals” – from which so many other cultures evolved.  It’s humbling to walk around these ancient buildings.  The Parthenon – the Temple of Athena – located on the site called Acropolis – was completed around 432 B.C. 

And of course, Athens is a very modern, sophisticated city as well.  The contrasts are sooo interesting – old/new, Greek/Roman/Venetian/Ottoman…

In the evening Patrick and I went for a walk around Monastiraki Square and saw the ruins all lighted up!  Gorgeous.  This square is an active place – it has a flea market and bazaar, metro station, tourist shops, cart vendors selling fruit, knick-knacks, warm drinks and coconut meat / confections.  There is also spontaneous live music. 

December 27^th – time to walk around the Acropolis – but first a buggy ride which showed us the neighborhood - and took us as high as vehicles were allowed to go – making our walk up to the top a little shorter.  It’s a beautiful day for walking and exploring the many sites on the Acropolis.  (I have more details with the photos.)

In the evening Joan and I went to a show at the Planetarium.  We thought we knew how to get there by looking at maps but after getting off at what we thought was the correct metro station, we asked for further directions and found out it was really located in the opposite direction.  Ahh – the life of a traveler!  So back on the metro and to another station.  We finally took a taxi there.  The show was discussion about theories of what the “Star of Bethlehem” was – star, comet, asteroid, planetary conjuction, spiritual phenomenon.  No definite answer – but they could eliminate comet, asteroid and star.  It was pretty interesting and visually intriguing.  It was a very technologically advance planetarium.

December 28^th – We had a great day wandering around our neighborhood in Athens.  We headed to the National Gardens and saw flowers in bloom, and resident birds and goats.  Then headed to the Temple of Zeus for more ruins.  It was time to head back to the hotel and wait for our 4^th traveling companion to arrive – Susie.  As we walked from the bus stop to the hotel, guess who we ran in to….Susie.  Love it!  After lunch we headed to Monastiraki Square and listened to the music - Penny and the Swingers (or something close to that).  Wandered through the market – some nice new things, some junky new things and some antiques.  Athens has a great transportation system and many “walkable” neighborhoods.  We head to the ferry for our overnight passage to Crete….

Christmas Eve

What a beautiful day! I spent most of the day preparing for my trip to Greece. Then I visited the Hamov / Hamova family for a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. Traditionally it is a vegetarian meal (Orthodox Christians follow a vegetarian diet 40 days prior to Christmas Day). Then on Christmas day there is a feast with family and friends including fresh pork. However, early on the 25th I headed to Sofia to begin my travel adventure. I am blessed by this family's friendship, kindness and generosity. Thank you for all you share with me.

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.