The Bulgarian National English Spelling Bee

Coaching 4^th – 7^th grade students for the Spelling Bee has been one of my favorite projects so far.  The kids are smart and enthusiastic about learning the words.  Some of the most difficult words on their study list are:  miscellaneous, necessity, encouragement, knowledge, rhythm and subscription.  These words are difficult for many English speaking adults let alone 10-14 year olds who may only study English two or three times a week.  Like anywhere some of the kids take studying seriously and some don’t.  There are several really bright kids in my village who did well spelling the difficult words.  Others who get up and try regardless of their ability – they have some awesome chutzpah! Their English teachers have encouraged them to do well.

Our local contest was March 28^th and the winner is going to Veliko Turnovo next Saturday for the regionals.  There are going to be about 25 contestants – all winners of their local competition.  Then two winners from each region will go to the National Finals in mid-May in the country’s capital, Sofia.

Wish us luck!

A Tour of Monasteries

The first weekend in April I went on a 2-day tour of 7 monasteries in the Veliko Turnovo region of Bulgaria.  About 28 of us boarded a bus on Saturday morning and headed to the countryside and villages.  As we visited each monastery one man gave detailed talks on the history and interesting facts ….. in Bulgarian.  My language skills have not developed to the point of being able to understand much of what he was saying.  However, thanks to fellow PCV Tricia T.  I was able to learn some of the more important details. 

Most are very old and many had a role as a secret meeting place for revolutionaries in the late 1800s as Bulgaria fought for its independence from Turkey.  During the communism years, religion was, of course, de-emphasized. 

It was a wonderful weekend – seeing villages and areas new to me.  Late afternoon on Saturday, several of us hiked up to the ridge above Dryanovo Monastery the location of our lodging for the night.  It was good to stretch my legs after a day in the bus and the view was beautiful (see photos). 

Saturday evening we had an indoor picnic – everyone brought their own food to eat and share.  There was traditional Bulgarian horo dancing and a celebration of Tricia’s birthday.  Sunday morning I visited Bacho Kiro cave. There was tour guide here as well.  I looked where he pointed and could see shapes of the words I recognized – horse, Mary and child, etc.  He talked about the cave qualities – stalagtites and stalagmites, water and the fact that this was the first cave in Bulgaria to have electricity for lighting.  Often I smiled because it seemed like the stories he told were very similar to the stories I’ve heard when visiting caves in America.  There was a “lucky penny” wall where you could affix a “stotinki”­ for good luck. I guess wherever there are mountains there are caves and wherever there are caves there are explorers and eventually tours with stories for entertainment as well as education.  :>)

On our return we also stopped at Etar which is an “open-air museum” presenting the Bulgarian customs, culture and craftsmanship.  Artisans craft and sell their wares as they have done for centuries…..(see photos). There were woven goods, pottery, hand-made knives, wood carving, a bakery – lots of interesting shops.

Gorgeous Days

We had a beautiful weekend in Bulgaria - sunny days and warmer temperatures.  People's spirits have lifted and the Sunday market was buzzing with activity, just like last summer.  It's wonderful to see people reemerge into the village with smiles on their faces.  Winter laundry has been washed and hanging on the line in the sun.  People are in their gardens clearing remnants of winter debris, turning the soil and planting onions and garlic.  I am happier for the longer hours of sunlight, warmer temperatures and spring energy.  While we were in the grip of one of the coldest winters on record, Sedona was its usual sunny, moderate self.  This weekend we had they sun and they received snow. 

Grateful for a Root Canal

In the past those two little words have evoked some mighty powerful emotions in folks.  I had a really positive experience this week.

In October I bit down on a piece of walnut shell in my food and after 3 days of discomfort that got worse rather than better, I went to the dentist to have my tooth checked.  Nothing serious was found.  So I came home and in time it did get better.  However, since then I've had intermittent pain in different forms in that tooth - sometimes on the surface, sometimes deep.  Last weekend, it began hurting again - it woke me up around 3:00 am with a lot of pain, so when Monday morning came around I made a call to Peace Corps and asked for an appointment with the dentist.

I was on a bus to Sofia by 1:00 pm Monday afternoon (it's a 4 hour trip from my village) so I could be at a 10:00 am appt. the next morning.

Tuesday's x-rays (digital rays) showed the demise of my tooth over the past 4 months.  That process has been the cause of the off-and-on again pain of the tooth and inflamation of the gum.

I am usually pretty sensitive to dental work and when numbing is needed, I ask for "extra" numbing.  Today Dr. Dean made the suggestion of not using anything to numb because the tooth has died and there will be no pain.  At first I thought he was crazy but he explained everything so well, that I trusted him enough to let him begin drilling with no numbing.  Guess what - he was right - no pain.  That was further evidence that the tooth had in fact died.  Only toward the end when he reached deeper into the tooth to the root canal nerve did I feel a little twinge of soreness.  From that point on he gave me a child's dose of numbing agent to continue the root canal process.  It helped calm me and it would wear off more quickly than the adult dose.  It was clear to me that this root canal was the necessary next step for my tooth.

I appreciate Dr Dean's thoroughness in his work and explanations of teeth and care.   His kindness and knowledge are truly reassuring to me as I lay in my least favorite chair in the world with my mouth wide open!

It's Sunday night now, and I have been wonderfully happy all week with once again, having a pain-free mouth.  No photos for this one!  :>)

March 1st - Chesteet Baba Marta

I, for one, am grateful for milder temperatures and more hours of daylight in each day.  I love that Bulgarian's begin celebrating the coming of spring early!  I'm feeling the energy and renewal of spring and cheerfully anticipate it's arrival in a few short weeks. 

On the 1st of March Bulgarian people celebrate a traditional holiday called БАБА МАРТА (Baba Marta) and it is related to welcoming the approaching spring. On that day, Bulgarians exchange so called мартеници (martenitsi) and tell each other Честита Баба Марта! This custom is essentially to wish great health, good luck, and happiness to family and friends. The name мартеница is taken from the Bulgarian word for March (март),or, as a legend tells, an angry old lady called Grandma Marta -Баба Марта.

In Bulgarian folklore Баба Марта is a grumpy old woman who changes her mood very rapidly and it reflects in the changeable March weather. When she is smiling the weather is sunny and warm, but if she gets angry the cold will stay longer and it may even snow. By wearing the red and white colors of the мартеница our ancestors asked Баба Марта for mercy. They hoped that it will make winter pass faster and bring spring.

Мартеница is made of twined red and white threads - woolen, silk, or cotton. The white is a symbol of strength, purity and happiness. The red is associated with health, blood, conception, and fertility. The most typical мартеница represents two small wool dolls –Пижо and Пенда (Pisho and Penka). Пижо is the male doll, usually dominating in white color. Пендаis the female doll, usually dominating in red color and distinguished by her skirt. There are many other variations and forms. Twined red and white threads are also used to make bracelets, necklaces, tassels, pompons, balls, squares, human or animal figures. Over the past several decades the tradition has been innovated by attaching all kinds of representations and symbols made of wood, leather, ceramics, metal foil to the thread-made мартеници.

When someone gives you a мартеница you should wear it either pinned on your clothes, on the hand tied around the wrist, or around your neck until you see a stork or a fruit tree in blossom for the first time in the season. After that you can tie it on a blossoming tree for fertility. It is believed that the мартеница bring health, happiness and longevity. Like an amulet, мартеница was attributed a magic power believed to protect folks from "ill fortune", diseases and an evil eye.

(Thanks to the Peace Corps staff for this succinct synopsis).

Sun's Out....It's Warmer - and a Request

The sun is shining and it's above freezing today and has been for the past several days....though still icy cold at night.  The snow is melting during the day and it turns into frozen hard pack at night - it's rather slippery!  It's 12:30 on Sunday and after getting up a little later than usual, the dishes are washed, my laundry is washed, my hair is washed and I'm writing on my blog.  A wedding party drove through town at 3 different times this morning honking their horns. It's a lovely morning.

This will be a short post, but do look in the right column and click "Winter" to see some of my favorite recent photos.

I've been thinking about spring and summer.....

• I'm looking for someone to build me a screen for the bedroom window I keep open all summer long.  Typically lacy curtains hang in front of the windows to discourage flying visitors, but last summer I still had many uninvited pesky critters. One wonderful thing about winter is that bugs are not a problem now!
• I bought my first pack of flower seeds to plant in pots.  I have some large plastic 10 liter water bottles that I can cut in half and make into pots.  Maybe I'll plant some herbs on my balcony too.
• I'm thinking of some of the beautiful places in Bulgaria to visit - the Black Sea coast, the Rila mountains and lakes, the National Parks - there is a lot to choose from!
• I'm starting to research plane tickets for my son to come visit in the summer.  It's expensive and since I'm a volunteer in Bulgaria who receives a minimal stipend, I want to ask for your help.  Is there anyone with an abundance of airline miles they might be willing to donate towards a ticket for him?  If so, email me (see the bottom of the right column) and we can discuss it. As of today, round-trip airfare from San Francisco to Sofia is about $1600.

That's it for now, enjoy your day.

U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in Sofia

Today, Tuesday, it is another snowy day in Bulgaria.  It's 12˚ F / -8˚ C in my region.

Sunday I traveled to Sofia for a brief "Meet and Greet" with the Secretary of State.  What a privilege for me and about 50 other Peace Corps volunteers (the 50 of us who decided to make the trip - all the volunteers were invited).  It was the first time I had visited the Embassy and the first time I saw Hillary Clinton in person.  Aside from any political agendas one way or another, I appreciate her as a 21st Century woman. She's intelligent, powerful and has a compassionate heart.  She actively works to improve lives of the people on this planet.  So yes, for me it was worth the 10 hours of traveling round-trip to see her for 15 minutes.

Here's an excerpt of comments she shared with us - Embassy employees and Peace Corps Volunteers: 

"I’m delighted to have Peace Corps volunteers here somewhere. (Applause.) I know they’re not a quiet group. (Laughter.) I expect to get some reaction whenever I run into them. And so 20 years ago, Peace Corps volunteers started arriving to teach English, working here in development... And we see democratic institutions taking root and growing stronger. In fact, starting next year, Peace Corps members will start leaving...I know that you love serving here...But Bulgaria doesn’t need Peace Corps volunteers the way it once did...that’s the story we want to sell,...our aid, our people coming, and help in the democratic transition."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with James B. Warlick, Jr., the US Ambassador to Bulgaria.  She took the time to shake hands with everyone on the front row - including me.

If you are interested in more details about her trip to Bulgaria (she was here for about 6 hours) you can read more on the US Embassy - Sofia site.

A flag from each state hangs from the ceiling in the meeting hall.