I've moved!

You can now find my blog at: www.JimmyBulgaria.WordPress.com. I've changed because the format of Blogspot was getting frustrating. Plus I think Word Press is much cleaner. All the entries here have been imported and I've linked my Flickr photo account.

First snow in Chirpan

Political turmoil

It's been an odd day here in Chirpan. About two months ago elections for every single local government in Bulgaria were held. The election for mayor here went into a run off, which was held two weeks after the first one. The mayor was re-elected and sworn in about a month ago. It turns out, the election may have been flawed, and the number two guy challenged it in court. The election board recounted the ballots and re-certified the re-elected mayor as the winner. Today, the court in the providential capital, Stara Zagora, issued a ruling, essentially reversing the election board's decision. In order to preempt this court order, the city council met yesterday (illegally, I've been told), and appointed a interim mayor until everything gets sorted out. I've been told they guy they nominated isn't very well liked and this drew protests against the council's decision. So when my colleagues found out about this ruling, they all (pretty much everyone-lawyers, secretaries, accountants, janitors) went and stood outside the mayor's office to 1) show their support for the mayor who was re-elected and 2) pressure the interim dude out of the mayor's office, where, if I understand correctly, he had been holed up.

I headed up stairs, not wanting to be seen (and violate the PC policy of getting involved in local politics) one of the city lawyers was heading up too. "Ah, Democracy!" he said. I thought to myself, kinda reminds me of Florida in 2000...

As of right now, I have no idea who the mayor is. The courts rule the mayor isn't the mayor, but he's already been sworn in. I wonder what'll happen next. I also have no idea what either of their platforms are. The current (?) mayor was very helpful of the PCV I replaced and I've met them both and they're pretty nice. Who knows.

Well I don't think it's that bad

I've encountered a few problems with my apartment over the past few days. The biggest one by far has been the complete lack of hot water. Yes, this means I haven't been showering for the past few days. The pipe under the sink has also broken (Again. Good money says it'll be fixed with tape. Again.) as well as the freezer box door, which is now dripping on my food. And there is water damage from last week's rain on my kitchen walls. I tell my colleagues at work about these problems and they, as always, are always attentive to my concerns (not just about my living situation).

I was told that they couldn't get a repairman to my apartment then. It wasn't a big deal; I'm oddly calm about everything. I started out with "Well, my apartment might be frigid, but at least I have hot water" I just rolled with it and changed it to "Well, I might be able to see my breath and can't take a hot shower, but at least the pipes aren't frozen". Glass half full kinda stuff. But still, it got me thinking, if I lose power? I'd probably just shrug my shoulders "meh" and stick it out to morning. Odd, don't you think?

So back to the story. Today, my colleague gets a phone call saying my land lady is going to meet me at my apartment to get the boiler fixed. Thankfully, it's still under warranty (it was installed four days before I moved in). I get to the apartment with someone else from the office and she and a repairman are already there. I walk in, still wearing my boots, and notice everyone else is too. My land lady points to all the Bulgarian words and verbs I've taped around the foyer and smiles. She asks me for something from the kitchen, I go in and walk across, still in my shoes, to get it. She is horrified! And goes on about not wearing shoes in the apartment.

The boiler gets fixed (it turns out it was just a fuse) and I head back to the office. I walk in, and my colleague is on the phone...with my land lady. She (my co-worker) gets off the phone and tells me my land lady is very concerned about how messy my apartment is and the fact I wore my shoes into the kitchen. She goes on to tell me about how Bulgarian children are taught never to wear shoes in the house and that my land lady has offered to show me how to clean my apartment! My colleague then offers to show me how to clean my apartment as well! I'm sitting there thinking, ok, yes, I am a guy living alone, but it's not that bad. Should I be grateful or mildly insulted? She then calls my land lady back to assuage her. "Jimmy," she says laughing, "she wants to know what day she can come over and show you how to clean". I think she's joking, but no. She's coming over Sunday morning to teach the hapless American. I told my site mate I was going to pre-empt her and clean before she gets here. She just laughed at me "There is no way you can clean better than a Bulgarian" (she's lived in a small town in Bulgaria for over a year).

So that's my Sunday. Oh, and I have to work on Saturday (but I get the 31st off).

Dance party!

Last night was a holiday celebrating university students ("College" in Bulgaria is like a commuity college in the US). I was invited to attend a dance party at the bar/restaurant where I usually eat dinner with my colleagues and their friends on Fridays.

We walked in, and the place was starting to fill up; mostly with university students. We sat down and started to order. I ordered a Coke along with my meal. This got immediate attention from the people around me "without alcohol!?" "Do you drink?" "Are you ok?" I guess the people assumed I'd be drinking since it was a celebtration. My colleage leaned over and told me "I heard you didn't order any alcohol. Do you want a glass for our wine?" I agreed and all the questions stopped.

The evening was full of eating, drinking dancing and general merry-making. I danced the horo (I'm sure to the amazment of several people) as well as had some converstations in Bulgarian and met several people. I grew tired and left around 2am. I later found out that my colleague left at 5am and several other people left around 7:30. They don't mess around with partying here. I was told, laughing "It was practice for New Years". Last year, they didn't go home until 8 or 9 after their New Year's celebrations. And I plan on joining them.

Name Day

Today was the name day for everyone named after St. Nicolas (Nikola, Nikali, etc). Name days are the feast day of Christian Saints and in Bulgaria, they have the same significant as birthdays. According to tradition, the person celebrating is or her name day is supposed to treat everyone. Usually this is a drink and some sugary food. For closer friends, the person takes his or her friends out to a drink or a meal at a restaurant. As far as I know, hardly anyone celebrates the religious significance of the day.

I went to school to teach the computer class. When I walked into the teacher's lounge, the table was covered in cookies, nuts, bon boni and soda. The teachers kept telling me to eat. I wasn't going to argue about sitting in a warm room being told to eat cookies. After teaching class, I went back to work. When I got there, I was informed I needed to contribute some money to help one my colleagues pay to help him celebrate his name day. The time came to go to his office. When I got there, there were several people crammed into his small office. The cover table, once again, was covered in nuts, cookies and candy. The only difference compared to the teachers' party was the half empty bottle of whisky. So I sat in an office drinking whisky with secretaries, lawyers and other people in the administration. The whole situation a was a bit surreal.

I ate dinner with my site mate; she made some awesome chili, cornbread and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. We were both stuffed to begin with from the name day, but that chili was_so_good!

On a sad note, I expirenced my first blatant bigotry towards the Roma. I was in a conversation with someone about the town. They told me where I shouldn't go in town, which quickly degraded into an anti-Roma tirade. I won't summarized the converation other than it made me feel really uncomfortable and I wondered how an educated person can hold such beliefs.

A few cultural notes

One of the hardest things that I’ve had to get used to here in Bulgaria is simple gestures. In the rest of the world, shaking your head means “no” and nodding means “yes”. But Bulgaria is the only country in the world where it’s the opposite. And it can be maddening (at least at first). When I first got here, I was completely thrown off. I had no idea what people met. And in smaller towns, such as Rila, they do a head bobble. It was very frustrating. I thought “why do they have to go against the grain on this? Why be so different on such a simple and universal thing. This is silly”. But that was when I didn’t know the history. Bulgaria has been the crossroads of history and is the gateway to the Middle East and Central Asia. All of the Crusades had to go through Bulgaria. So you can imagine, Bulgaria has been occupied by several empires and has been an important battleground of European history. For over 500 years, Bulgaria was under the Ottoman Empire, a period of history they refer to as “Turkish Yoke” They have only been independent of Turkey for just over 150 years, after being freed with the help of Tsarist Russia. Animosity towards the Turks is still high and during the final years of Communism, the Turkish minority was subject to a program to “Bulgarianize” them in an effort to assimilate them into Bulgarian society. This involved the suppression of Turkish traditions, language, Bulgarianization of Turkish names and sometimes, forced relocation. The Bulgarians, during the Ottoman rule, had what can be described as a mutual understanding. When they were ordered to do something by the Ottomans, they would nod, appearing to agree to their Turkish master. But it was universally understood amongst the Bulgarians that they were actually saying “no”; a silent defiance. After they were freed in the mid-19^th Century, what they actually meant stuck and nodding became “no” and shaking became “yes”. It’s starting to become a habit now with me and it can be really confusing when I get together with other PCVs. “Wait…is that a Bulgarian “yes” or an American “no”?” As time goes by it’s slowly becoming “yes”. I’m sure things will get interesting when I travel to another country and when I move back to America in two years.

The superstitions are still playing a role here in my life. I finished dance practice last night and I was unusually sweaty. But it was hot and I didn’t put my sweater on. It was someone’s birthday and there was plenty of food and drink. As it got late, I decided to leave. I hadn’t put on my jacket when I several of my classmates, including the teacher, callout to me to put my jacket on. They were all very concerned since I was told I’ll be performing with them on the 18^th. They didn’t want to lose one of the few guys by catching a cold and dying!

My site mate had a frustrating time when she was in Sofia (the capital) over the weekend. She was with her Bulgarian boyfriend and was planning on spending the night at his cousin’s apartment. His cousin was so excited that they were coming to visit, that he called his family in the small town where he is from (roughly 1,000 people). Unbeknownst to him (and my site mate for that matter), she and her boyfriend had gravely offended the family and were forbidden to pay his cousin and his wife a visit. They didn’t attend the wedding of a distant relative of her boyfriend; someone she had met nor heard of and was completely unaware of the event. She told me it was frustrating having to deal with the “protocol” of a small town. Hopefully this fo paux will blow over quickly.

Side notes:

I’ve been asked by the office I work for to hold off on writing the grant for the medical center until after my In Service Training where I will get more information on how to apply for this particular grant. It’s ok since it’s not due until late February and the office is on top of things. The whole project will cost a little more than 27,000 leva or about $19,000. The grant is for a maximum of $5,000. The Municipality will cover the difference.

I will be meeting with the “Sports Minister” tomorrow (the nickname given to him by his colleagues in the Obshtina because he loves sports and setting up games) about setting up a charity football (soccer) tournament in the spring (late March, early April). For the PCVs out there, stay posted for the details! I hope to form a few PCV teams.

I’m starting to get some Christmas packages from home as well as a few letters. Thanks so much! It’s great to hear how everyone in the US is doing.

It's supposed to snow tonight. Not sure how I feel about that.

Catch up

It's been a while since I've posted and I'm not doing a very good job with journaling. It's getting harder and harder to motivate myself to do this everyday. But here's a glimpse of what I've been up to:

I went na gosti, which is a type of party where you show up at someone's house and drink and eat. I went to my tutor's house to watch the Slavi Show (the Bulgarian Jay Leno). However I didn't really watch the show but more talked about American and Bulgarian history. Her husband wanted to know more about Missouri so I told him about The Cardinals, Budweiser, the Arch and Mark Twain.

The following evening I went to a pub with my colleagues and some of their friends. There weren't as many people as there has been, but it was good to get out of the apartment for a bit. While I was eating dinner, I talked with some of them about a charity football (soccer) tournament I want to put on this spring. I'll get the ball rolling, so to speak, this upcoming week.

Yesterday, a PCV from Karlovo came to visit. I was waiting for her at the bus stop when a guy asked me when the bus to Stara Zagora was coming. I told him, in Bulgarian "I'm sorry, I don't speak much Bulgarian." He started to laugh "Seriously?" "Yes. I'm just here waiting for the bus from Plovdiv, which should be here at 8:30". We struck up a conversation. He was very surprised that I was an American who was learning Bulgarian. So after, people walking by wanted to chat. I told them where in was from in the US, how long I've been studying Bulgarian, where I studied and how long I would be living in Chirpan. One lady told me that my colleagues spoke English well. I thought I misheard her because I never told her were I worked. After I told her, she simply replied, "Oh, I know". I was a little surprised at her answer! As the bus pulled up, I said good bye to my new friends. One lady told me she was going to be interviewed for her green card. I don't think she'll get it as she was in her late 40s/ early 50s and her English was quite fractured. I've been told it costs a nonrefundable $100 to apply and can only apply once a year. Most people who do get it are younger, have a good grasp of English and are trained in high demand job.

I went to Stara Zagora to go shopping at Billa, a Bulgarian supermarket chain. Just walking through the doors can be overwhelming. I don't know what to do with so much choice! I got a bag a 3-1 (a very addictive instant coffee) and jar of marmalade. That evening we went to the SZ PCV's apartment and made hamburgers with some type of ground meat (I have no idea what it was, some sort of combination of beef, pork and/or veal). But it was tasty! We mixed garlic, onion, oregano and bread crumbs into the patties. We covered them with cheddar cheese! (very difficult to find) and Heinz ketchup (the ketchup in Bulgaria is much sweeter than the salty American stuff). When heading home, I struck up a conversation with a 14 year old girl. She was very surprised that I was a Bulgarian speaking American. She travels to Stara Zagora every day to study English and has been studying English for eight years! However, most of our conversation was in Bulgarian. She asked if people in America her age smoke, as she was pulling out a pack of cigarettes! I told her that they don't and in fact, none of my friends in the US smoke. She was quite surprised. I've read somewhere that the average Bulgarian smokes an average of seven cigarettes a day! It doesn't really surprise me, as everyone I know here (with the exception of maybe three people) smoke!

That's or less it for now.

Thanksgiving, Bulgarian style with 18 PCVs

Thanksgiving 044
Originally uploaded by kingsmen6

Since American holidays are regular working days for PCVs there were a bunch of PCV Thanksgiving gatherings scattered throughout Bulgaria. I went to Kazanlak to celebrate with 17 other PCVs at Anita's apartment. She had been cooking up a storm. We had plenty to eat and plenty to drink. There were two turkeys and several side dishes people had brought to share. We had a fantastic time. I'm pretty sure that my Bulgarian will atrophy with so much English.

A very busy day

Today has been one of the busiest days I've had so far in Bulgaria and I was quite excited for it. I woke up early to catch a ride with the municpality driver to Stara Zagora. My Bulgarian ID card, the Lichna Carta, was ready. Driving in Bulgaria can be a terrifying expirence since there are only traffic "suggestions". It takes about an hour by train to get to Stara, 45 mintues by bus and roughly 20 mintues via driver. It was hair raising expirence because the seat belts were removed and there was thick fog. I made it there and back without incident.

Since the Peace Corps was coming to inspect my apartment, they gave me the rest of the day off. I spent this new found free time to run a few errands around town. I went to the train station and bought a youth discount card. It will save me 50% on all train tickets and is vaild for a year. I think it's a very wise investment because with trains I get to see more of the country and they run at all hours of the day and night.

Today was also my counterpart's last day at work. We had a small get together at the end of the day. She will be working at a local bank. I wish her well. I really like her and was sad to see her go. I'm not terribley worried about fulfilling my responsiblites without her since all of my colleagues are very helpful and friendly.

After wishing her good luck, I went to the school festival in the Obshtina presentation hall. It was packed and a would have given a fire marshall a heart attack. I couldn't evem walk in the door! I later learned that the school chose this venue over the much larger theatre in town because the theatre was much colder. Bulgarian superstion at work again! Some of my students gave me a flower which I now have in a vase in my apartment. I didn't stick around long because it was really hot and very crowded.

I went to resturant for the party. All the teachers were very pleased to see me. I told one that I now have my ID card and wanted to see it. She then announced to the room that I am now a Bulgarian. There was applause. She then took my photo holding my card up. I spent the rest of the party chatting with teachers and (surprisingly) learning dirty jokes from some of the English teachers. At 9 I went to pick up another PCV who was staying the night at my apartment before we headed out to Kazanlak for Thanksgiving. I hung around the resturant for a bit longer and then went to Andrea's apartment for dinner.

She was hosting two other PCVs for Thanksgiving. All of the B-19s there and myself had trained in Rila. We had a lively evening and ate dinner around 1 am because someone forgot to turn the oven on. All in all, a very good day!

Best day so far

It's been a good day. I showed up to work not expecting to do much. But shortly after getting there, I was whisked away to a budget meeting with the vice mayor about the hospital project I'm going to be working on. The medical center I'm going to be working on is in a different village but still needs a lot of attention. After the meeting I went to the school to teach my computer class. The children were unusually well behaved and I feel like they learned something. A great feeling!

After that class was over, I stood in front of my classroom, waiting for my next class. One of the teachers grabbed me and took me to lunch. I started to protest "I've only got five minutes!" "Let's go! There's time!". The caf was serving Muska, which is the Bulgarian equvolent of Shepard's pie. Very tasty. I rushed back to my classroom only to find that the school had canceled it for rehearsal as tomorrow is a school festival. A bunch of the teachers caught me in the hall and invited me to a party after the school play. I eagerly accepted.

I headed back to the Obshtina where I was informed that I would be going to the village to inspect the medical center. I was going with people I had vaguely met before and none of them spoke any English. We piled into an old Soviet-era car with no seat belts and drove off into vast farmland. In typical rural Bulgarian fashion, we shared the road with several horse and carts. We got to the village and picked up the mayor. The medical center is much nicer than the other one I was going to be working until the mayor walked into a closet and literally fell through the floor! Before leaving, I was invited to the mayor's office for coffee and biscuits. I felt like I was invited not because he felt like he had to but because he wanted to. It was a great sense of belonging. I tried to explain to them the history of Thanksgiving but I have no idea what they understood. However, they complimented me on my Bulgarian skills which was a great confidence booster.

After work I went to my tutor's apartment where she commented that my Bulgarian was getting noticeably better, even though I've only had less than a month's worth of lessons with her! And there were few mistakes with my homework. I then headed to dance practice where I met my site mate, Andrea's boyfriend. After class I went to her apartment and had a beer with them. It's been a good day and I'm starting to feel like I'm being accepted here.

A pretty random day

Today I was the first day I had to teach class this week. I was prepared; I had a lesson plan and everything. My back pocket was full of hopes and dreams of having a successful class. I get to the school and walk into the teacher's lounge. I plop down on the couch and just loaf until time. Andrea and I walk across the hall to the classroom and wait. We chat about this and that. Times ticks by. "Ok...they should be here any minute now" goes my inner monologue. More time passes. No one. "What is going on?" I wonder. I hear a lot of chanting, screaming and cheering outside. I hadn't paid any attention to it until now. We get up and walk outside. Unbeknownst to me, the school had canceled my class to hold a school sanctioned, first through fourth grade, arm wrestling tournament. It was the last thing I was expecting but totally awesome. I stood there watching what is the competitive drive (and attention span) of elementary athletics. It was a mob around a table full of loud, shirll, exclusive chanting. It was quite a sight (actual picture ->)

On other (less interesting) notes, I got a haircut today. I have shed that homely look I've had for the past several weeks. It was probably the most intensive haircut I've ever had. I was the only one in there and when she was done, I knew it was the most attention anyone has ever put into my hair. It cost me 3Lv (roughly$2.25). I gave her 4 and when looking for change! I told her to keep it and she was very appreciative.

This evening, Andrea came over to do her laundry. We decided to make Shepard's Pie. I went and bought the groceries. I felt guilty for "cheating" on my baba and buying my vegetables elsewhere. So I went to her stand and asked for five potatoes. She was so thrilled she kept patting me on the back and asking dozens of questions what I'll be using them for. I assume they were questions because she was speaking so fast and my Bulgarian still isn't where I want it to be. So I said "Pie" since I don't know what "Shepard" is. I'm sure this only provoked more questions but I hastily left her in a stupor.

That Pie is probably THE best thing I've made in Bulgaria so far. I kept eating it even though I was full. (My excuse was it won't be nearly as good the second time around but in reality, I couldn't stop eating it). It was so easy to make. My culinary repertoire is growing quickly. The next time she comes we're going to be making chili and cornbread!
<-Look at it in all of it's splendor! Next to mister oven thermometer (thanks mom!)

The past week

I haven’t done a really good job of keeping my blog up-to-date so here’s a rundown of the highlights (as well as the lows)

1. It rained for five days straight
2. My roof cannot take five straight days of rain and I now have running water in my kitchen, down the walls
3. I had dinner with several teachers from the school where I teach as well as an RPCV who served here in Chirpan from 2001-2003.
4. Amber, the PCV in Stara Zagora for the dinner. We ate at the Flamingo restaurant and had awkward conversations (in BG) with the teachers. But I’d be surprised if I could hold a conversation that wasn’t awkward.
5. I went to Stara and had lunch and a beer with Shane, another PCV.
6. I took the train to visit Cindy and Roger in Karlovo via Plovdiv.
7. I discovered that Plovdiv has three train stations.
8. There is no train to Karlovo from the Trakia train station
9. It costs 4.06 Lv to catch a taxi from Trakia to the Central train station, where I should have gotten off in the first place.
10. The train to Karlovo doesn't leave from track 6, despite what the sign said.
11. I nearly got on the wrong train...back to Chirpan.
    

That’s more or less the past week in a nutshell.

(those were meant to be manly Arabic numerals but Blogspot converted them in to emasculating flowers.)

My dance teacher saved my life

if I were superstitious, that is. Let me start from the beginning. I went to dance class where we practiced a really difficult horo. By the end of class I was pretty sweaty. I went to put on my sweater. There was a baba sitting there who started to yell at me. I had no idea what she was saying, but she was quite animated. I just turned around and ignored her. I then saw my teacher come in and told me to take off my shirt. I objected, but she insisted. Not wanting to make a bigger deal out of it, I did. She then took my shirt and proceeded to wipe my sweat off. Making sure she got it all, she raised my arms and turned me around, using my shirt as a sponge. All of this happened while standing shirtless in the middle of the room. She gave me a shirt which was waaaay too tight. The entire class was concerned that I would catch a cold while walking home and die.

I've noticed several superstitions while being in Bulgaria so far. The biggest one is the fear of the течение, or the Draft. There seems to be a very sincere concern for their life when the feel a draft. During my training in Rila, it was incredibly hot riding in buses because no one wanted to jeopardize their, or anyone else's life, by opening a window. I, in fact did this, and was severely scolded by an old man. However, when there is a draft, and it cannot be avoided, everyone covers their neck. I was riding in an ultra-hot bus when the A/C kicked in. People were frantically trying to turn their nozzle off. When that didn't work, they put on a scarf or popped their collar. I could only help but chuckle because for me, it was a welcome relief!

There are some other superstitions that I've heard about, but never seen practiced. Some of them are odd, like, if you don't finish your bread, you'll be attacked by "the Gypsies" or if you sing at the table, you'll marry a drunk. Some of them, however, I've heard but never seen practiced. For example, filling someone's unfinished cup with more alcohol is bad luck. We were told this during training if we politely didn't want to drink anymore. Not the case. Oh well. My family told me my Bulgarian gets better after I've had a little to drink.

Cleaning my kitchen

I arrived home from work tired. I wasn't too hungry since I had a large lunch. I sat down at my computer in the living room, put on the latest Foo Fighters album and decided to do my white laundry, which I had neglected to do this weekend. So I go into the kitchen and start the load. I figured I could just lounge in the living room while my washer did the work. I'm sitting reading political analysis and the situation going on Pakistan listening to Dave Grohl serenade me. 6:30 rolls around and I need to get going to dance class. I walk into the kitchen to turn off the washing machine off. As I open the kitchen door, I had feel some resistance and step in. I see it before I can feel it, my entire kitchen is flooded. I have at least an inch of standing water in my apartment. The hose from the washing machine, which I had put in the sink, had come out and was lying on the floor, spewing water. I am really angry at myself. Because when I put the hose from the washing machine in the sink while thinking "Hey, this probably won't stay in the sink". But that was the end of that thought process. I'm just standing there, looking at the pool of water. How the hell am I going to fix this? I stand there for a good five minutes trying to comprehend what has happened. I find the mental capacity to call my counterpart. She can't understand me. I grab a broom and try sweeping the water into a bucket. Believe it or not, that is not a good way to remove water where it should not be. I find a towel mopping. "This is going to take forever" but I have no other options. It's cold and (surprise!) wet. My counterpart comes with her boyfriend. "Great" I think, "this will be the second time he's bailed me out" (pun intended). The three of us start mopping my floor and ripping apart my floor to the concrete. At least my kitchen is really clean now, right? As I'm hauling parts of the floor and my rug to hang outside and my counterpart pulls the windows wide up I think "Hey, at least is not sno..." Oh yeah, it's going to snow tomorrow. Damn it.

Now my kitchen is in complete disarray, I turn to my counterpart "Well, it looks like I'm going out for dinner tonight". They hadn't had dinner yet so the three of us go to the Flamingo. We had a lovely dinner together and I had a great time. It made me forget that just a few floors above me, my kitchen was underwater. I was introduced to duck hearts cooked "hunter style" which was awesome. I'll definitely be eating that again. That was pretty much the only highlight of my evening. At least I don't have to go to work tomorrow.

Kupon!

This weekend I met up with several volunteers in Stara Zagora (the biggest town close to Chirpan. It's the fifth largest in Bulgaria). It was so good to see familiar faces! And I spoke the most English in two days than I've done at site for three weeks!

I met Barb on the bus to Stara and met up with four other PCVs at an Italian restaurant. Afterwards Barb, Amber, Anita and I went shopping for groceries. We went to a magazine for some wine and vodka. I don't own a corkscrew so we asked the cashier where we could buy one. She handed Barb a pair of scissors to open the bottle in the store. It failed miserably. We then went grocery shopping for our stir fry. We then walked briskly to the train station. I tried to buy three tickets to Chirpan but the ticket lady told me to buy them on the train. We rushed to the platform and seconds after we boarded, the train pulled away.

We found a compartment with two Bulgarian guys in it. We sat down and laughed about how close it was. The conductor started to roam about checking tickets. He started with the Bulgarians and then asked us for ours. I told him "Hello! Yes, we tried to buy the tickets at the station but the ticket lady told us we could buy them on the train". Unfortunately, it came out as "Woman....train station...say that...ticket...in train." He smiled and left. None of us had any idea what was going on. Is he not going to charge us? Or is he going to find a police officer and fine us or kick us off the train? It didn't help that moments after he left, the train stopped in a middle of a field. He came back and I tried so hard to explain our situation. It wasn't helpful having two other Bulgarians in the compartment while facing the possibility of a fine up to ten times the ticket price. Thankfully, he just issued us a ticket to Chirpan (Although I'm pretty sure it was much higher than it should have been but we gladly paid it as a fine would have been much higher).

We got some chicken and tonic water at the grocery store and then it was onward to the apartment for the kupon! The chicken was the shape of the packages and it more or less looked completely disgusting. In fact, it started to peel went we put it in the boiling water. But boy was it good! We made stir fry and had real soy sauce! It certainly gave me more hope that I could be more creative and adventurous when it comes to cooking.

We stared to watch Superbad, a movie Barb as been talking about for weeks. Sadly, she fell asleep and missed most of the movie. Lamezzz. This week is going to be so long after having so much fun this weekend. And it's supposed to snow this week. Here comes winter!

Finally! Pictures!

Here are some pics of my apartmentA view from the outside. The Flamingo restaurant in on the ground floor. I discovered a fish market on the ground floor as well. Thankfully, it's out of business.
Perhaps the warmest room.
Living room.
That bed is probably the best investment I could have made. It's so comfortable!

More address info

I forgot to mention that if you send anything, the customs form should read: "Items for personal use/no commerical value". I recieved an email from a fellow PCV who got a package from home. The person sending it listed the value of it and she was forced to pay $175 (about 230 Leva) customs fee! So if you send anything, be sure to correctly fill out the form and don't write any values down.

"Alo Mester Jem!"

Today was my first day teaching a computer class at the local elementary school. I was pretty nervous because I had no idea what I was going to do. Let alone explain it. Before I went I asked a few B-22s for ideas. Barb suggested that I get them to type their name in English and other words relating to Halloween. So with this in mind, and a box of chocolates (the teacher's strike forced them to cancel any festivities) I set out with confidence to the school.

After getting lost on the way, I finally made it. I just relaxed in the teachers' lounge and shot the breeze with some English teachers. Finally it was time. I went to the classroom with one of the English teachers. They class was 30 minutes long and was over before I knew it. I didn't really teach as much as I supervised. I helped the kids long onto the internet and find a site which let them dress celebrities (I'm using that word loosely as Paris Hilton was one of them But I got a kick out of the fact they could 50 Cent). While they were playing online, I chatted with the teacher. She was blown away by my brother's ability to speak five languages. She really wants to meet him when he visits with my uncle in March. I was pretty much the token American today. But I know I'll be teaching something next week. Since the election went into a runoff, there will be no school next Monday because of the election.

I was pleased to find out today that there will be a TEFL volunteer moving to Chirpan next week. It'll be great having another American in town!

I know my blog looks pretty boring so I'll be uploading photos of Chirpan and my apartment later. До тогава, чао!

Address

In case anyone wants to send anything, here is my work address. :-) It should be in both Latin and Cyrillic. I figured if things were sent to a city hall, they won't get tampered with.

Jimmy Wall	Джими Уол
US Peace Corps Volunteer	Доброволец от Корпус на Mира на САЩ
Obshtina Chirpan	Oбщина Чирпан
Pl. Saedinenie № 1	Пл. Съединение № 1
Chirpan 6200	Чирпан 6200
BULGARIA	БЪЛГАРИЯ

One down, one hundred and three to go!

I now have internet in my apartment. You can expect to find the cunning witticisms and insightful insights you've grown to expect to find here. Or at least see what I've been up to.

I can't believe that my first week here has flown by. I've gotten know several people via dance class as well as people on the street. I have gotten some ideas for projects as well as starting to teach next week. My colleagues have suggested that I build on the project of the volunteer I'm replaced. He received a SPA (Small Project Assistance) Grant to repair the roof of one of the municipality's village hospitals. This grant was coupled with health lectures for the villagers. My counter part has asked me to look into writing a grant to repair the actual rooms in the hospital. Hope to visit soon. I briefly met one of the doctors and he was enthusiastic that showed interested. Unfortunately, I cannot submit a grant for the first three months and USAID pulled out of Bulgaria when they joined the EU. This means they will only be offering these grants until the end of 2008. But there are several organizations that offer grants for such projects. In fact, with the accession to the EU, there have been several more candidates for local office. They believe (and I don't know if this is true or not) that with membership, it is easier to get money for project. I do know, however, that the European Union spent a lot of money in Bulgaria to help get them up to their high standards. It seems that every highway I've been on has benefited from EU funds. In fact, in Rila, where I did my training, there were several churches that had received funds for restoration. Not bad for a town of 3,000!

As for this past week, if the rest of my time here in Bulgaria follows suit, I can't wait! Everyone has been so nice and I feel more and more "at home". Keep it up, Bulgaria.

Settling in

I have now spent a week at my site. It's gone by surprisingly fast. I was expecting it to be fairly rough but so far it's been smooth sailing through calm seas (knock on wood). The first few days at work were fairly slow. I had no idea what I should be doing nor what I could be doing. So I've shown up and practiced my Bulgarian with people around the office. I bring my workbook along and one of my colleagues is kind enough to check my work. Things have been picking up as of late. My site mate (another volunteer here) is no longer in Bulgaria. I was looking forward to living in the same town with another American. Since she was a TEFL volunteer at a school that has had a volunteer for the past 8 years, they are looking for someone to fill in. Twice a week now I am "Mr. Jim", the computer teacher. I will be teaching a computer class to children ages 6 to 9. I have no idea how this is going to play out. I've never taught kids before, let alone in Bulgarian!

I've also had meetings with local doctors for potential project ideas and I have a meeting with the president of the youth parliament this afternoon. I really hope someone at this meeting speaks English...

To help with my integration to my new community, I've been attending what I thought were dance classes. I found out last night that it is actually dance practice for a dance team! I figured this out when I heard they were preforming tonight and went to the changing room and saw rows of traditional Bulgarian outfits! I was relieved to find out that I will not be preforming with them tonight. I am very bad but I'm sure after two years I'll be much better.

The highlight of my week so far has been befriending a local baba who runs a vegetable stand. I was getting ingredients for my spaghetti one night and stopped for a tomato and an onion. She only charged me for the onion. I thanked her profusely. Now, whenever I walk past, I stop and chat with her. She is very pleased to hear that I am learning the horo (traditional Bulgarian dances).

My first few days

These posts will become more frequent once I get a connection in my apartment. Here's a sample of my first two days at site.

So it begins...

I got off the bus and met my counterpart at the bus stop. She had a car. "Good start", I thought. We drove to my apartment. "I can't wait to get to move in!" I thought. After they showed me around and took me to the nearest magazine for dinner, they left me on my own. I started to unpack my crap and more or less made a mess in my apartment. It was starting to get cold and dark outside and thought (I didn't speak. I'm sure talking to myself will happen a few months from now) "Boy, I could sure eat some of that tastey powder soup!". So I walk around all my crap in the living room and go to the kitchen. Pour some water into a pot and put it on the stove. I turn the stove on and BANG! the power goes out. Shit. I'm now in a cold, dark apartment unable to get to the bedroom because of all my crap. I find my flash light and check the fuses (for what, I don't know. I'm trying to own the situation). After "inspecting" them, I go back to the kitchen and contimplate my options. I think about toughing it out until the morning but I can't reach my bed, it's cold and dark and I'm still hungry. I just sit there. For 20 minutes. Then I call my counterpart who brings an electrition (I'm pretty sure it's her boyfriend becuase who is going to help at gringo at 8 in the evening? (I don't know why I used gringo)). Anywho, he fixes the problem. Then I was told not to use the toilet because it doesn't flush. I didn't care and made my awful soup. I then set out to put together the bed I bought from Trevor (the volunteer I'm replacing). I pulled the frame out and started to look for the screws. I looked everywhere. Everywhere. "Maybe, as a practical joke, he put them in the freezer!" (He didn't). So, I slept on the mattress with the frame scattered around the bed. (Sidenote, that bed is the best investment I could have made.

Day #2.
I decide, "Hey! It would be fun to do laundry!" So I plug my washing machine into the kitchen wall. I put all my clothes in and the washing powder and turn it on. The kitchen light turns on instead. Yep, my washing machine became another light switch. I have no idea either. Undetured, I grab the PC unapproved electrical cord which was sitting in the living room and try another socket. Success! (It may seem like this took a matter of mintues but no. It took about 2 hours of me turning the kitchen light on (via the washer) before I struck upon this glorious idea). So I sit in my kitchen and read the biography on Che as my dirty clothes hum in the background. I had put the hose to let the dirty water into the sink for when it drains. 20-30 minutes into the cycle, the water starts to drain. Fast. I look up and hear a "splash!". Puzzled, I look under the sink. Turns out, packaging tape is not a good instrument to hold pipes together. Luckily, I had a bucket unter the sink so I didn't flood my apartment. I then used the dirty laundry water to flush my toilet. Talk about water management! (Oh and the water into the washer leaks. I used that water to cook dinner and wash dishes). When my clothes were finally finished, I went, like a normal person (I use "normal" very liberally when applied to me), to get them out. The washer was having none of it. I got frusterated and left the apartment thinking "Hey, maybe it's on a timer and will unlock after 10 or 15 minutes." I have no idea what prompted this train of thought, but it wasn't the case. I literally had to sit on the floor with my feet pressed up against the sides of the maching and force the door open. I'm pretty sure this is going to be routine as I had to do the same thing with my whites.

Yep. It made for an interesting two days. However, the sink has been fixed, the toilet replaced and some dude from work put my bed together. There has been no progress with the washer however. I really hope that I don't break it.

Almost finished

I've almost finished my training. I can't wait to get out and get to work. It's strange; I thought I would love to stay in the warmth of training. But ever since I found out where I'll be working, I (and everyone else) has been itching to get out. Most to the anticipation is get get control over our diet and living situation. I know when I finally move into my apartment and things slow down, I'm going be so bored without the constant language classes, assignments and traveling around the county. Especially with winter coming. I'm not really looking forward to it. I've heard the dreary weather makes it harder to integrate into the community. But this just gives me an opportunity to go to dance classes and learn the Horo and teach English.

I'll be posted more often when I get a reliable internet connection I'll be posting more often. I'll probably be backlogging some of my journal entries here. I've got some great stories.

An end to the heat!

The past week has been very hot; low 100's! But the weather has turned and it's wonderful! It reminds me of the Santa Ana winds in Southern California. There is some mist that covers the mountain tops early in the morning. It's a wonderful backdrop to run against. Walking home from the stadium, I pass sheperds herding their flock up the street to the mountain pastures and carts full of hay being pulled into town by donkeys. I don't think I'll ever tire of it. [Note: I would share pictures but the computers here in the only internet cafe don't read flash drives]

One thing that I've been wondering about is how long the winter's going to be. It's the end of August and everyday people are cutting fire wood. Walking down random streets, the stacks of wood grow bigger everyday and about half a story high! People are harvesting their personal gardens (everyone grows their own vegetables) and pickles them. This is also cause for concern because the markets don't sell vegtables and my service starts mid-Fall. I don't think I can survive on meat alone! I'm sure there must be a store somewhere that sells vegtables and it must be expensive.

My language training is coming along well. I can communicate with my family with less gestures every day. That feels wonderful! The most Enligsh I speak is during techinical training which is about an hour or two every day. So it's mostly Bulgarian for me! (Even then, the only English speakers I know are fellow volunteers...).

I haven't be posting much because there's too much to post, I don't have much time to post and all the directions for Blogspot here are in Bulgarian (that makes it difficult).

I'm back!

Hello all!

Sorry it's taken me so long to update you, but I've been very busy between getting used to Bulgarian culture, learning Bulgarian, etc. I'll be back posting entries soon. I'm currently in the beautiful town of Rila. It's at the doorstep of the Rila Monastery, which is breath-taking. Rila has about 4,000 people which is small enough for people to hear, within an hour or so, of what I'm doing and with who (like running in the morning with another volunteer). I love it here. It's a great town with wonderful people.

Here's a typical day for me (so far):
Wake up early to go running
Breakfast
Language training for about 3 hours
Lunch
Technical training
Free study time
Go home and study some more
Dinner
Shoot the breeze with my host family (if only it were that easy, my vocabulary is limited)
Study some more
Bed

Repeat.

Communication

I've been told I won't be able to communicate much over the next 10 days or so. I have no idea what type of internet connection I'll have or if I have it at all. They also say I won't have much time to call, email, etc over the next three months since I'll be so busy. I'll try to keep you updated when I can.

I'm off to breakfast and then to JFK for Bulgaria!

Peace!

Almost time

Time has really flown by! It seems like yesterday I received my invitation during the chaos that is finals week. I can't believe I'm here! I feel like I'm on the brink, on the edge of a cliff about to jump in and start swimming. My excitement has been tempered by the anxiousness of the unknown. I'm looking forward to it!

I'm already packed AND 20 Lbs under the maximum alloted weight. I don't think I've forgotten anything...

Last night I took my parents out to sushi. I felt it was the least I could do for their support in this next big step in my life. Afterwards, Thom and I fulfilled our brotherly tradition. Ever since my senior year of high school, we sneak out of the house (as time has marched forward, it's more like we walk out) and get pancakes. Interesting tradition, I know. We do it every time we're home together.

That's pretty much it. I don't know when I'll be able to post again. But when I can, I will.

Friday creeps closer

It seems hard to believe that by the end of the week I'll be on my way. I'm tired of waiting! My anxiousness is subsiding (for now). It's really helped chating with some of the other volunteers in my group. I feel so much more confident. All I have to do now is pack... My list (more or less complete):

Clothing
short sleeve button up shirts
long sleeve button up shirts
ties
micro fiber undershirts
tee shirts
khaki pants
jeans
shorts
athletic shorts
wool socks
sock liners
cotton socks
underwear
long underwear
Cotton sweater
Fleece jacket
Fleece vest
Raincoat
fleece gloves
Rechargeable batteries
Shortwave radio
electrical adaptors
Converter
Sleeping bag w/liner
Pillow
Goretex hiking boots
Sneakers
Toiletries

Misc
Deck of cards
Uno
Journal
Assorted pens
Peanut butter
Tabasco
Spices
Photo album of friends and family
Crayons
Stickers (for kids)
Index cards
Sharpies
Various books (not "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich". That would be too much).

Talk about depressing

I just finished completing my living will with my parents. Wow. That was a downer. I had to go through the procedures I wanted or did not want to go through while being "Jimmy Shivo". I made that list really short. Though unpleasant it may be to thing about and actually write down, it had to be done. I've almost finished with my life insurance as well. That should be finished tomorrow.
I also found out I will be able to catch up with my former boss at Amnesty International during staging in Philadelphia. I'm really looking forward to that.

The pieces are coming together...

...slowly, but surely.

I've been scouring the Internet and talking RPCVs for packing lists and other ideas. I think I've more or less gotten everything I'm going to take with me. My goal is to get everything into my backpack. I know it's a loafy goal, but God bless compression sacks. With their help I think I can get it done. My "To Do List" is getting much shorter. I need to get insurance on my valuables (lap top, camera, etc), give my parents power of attorney, tie up other lose ends and get last minute gear. Three weeks left and I'm starting to feel the pressure.

I had a dental cleaning today. My dentist told me to come back in to get a filling as a "preventative" measure as he's seen Eastern European dentistry. I'm looking forward to getting that taken care of. I have no idea when my next check up will be.

My Bulgarian is coming along slowly. I can't say anything important. I can, however, sound words out.

Peaks and Troughs

Ever since I’ve been accepted to the Peace Corps, people have asked me “Are you nervous?” It’s a hard question to answer. I’m ecstatic that I’m going to be serving a higher purpose (and not a bottom line) and that I am going to be making a real difference. Sometimes this confidence comes crashing down and replaced by shear utter fear. I’m about to leave everything familiar to me and move to a country whose language I don’t speak and where I don’t know anyone to perform an ambiguous task. These feelings/realizations ebb and flow constantly. My biggest fear is I will move to Bulgaria and I won’t be able to complete my task.

Community development is such a vague sector. I could be developing after school program or writing grants for a museum or helping state and local government communicate better or working with the elderly. I have no idea. I also have no idea why I was selected for this program. I suppose the uncertainty and deep reflection is all part of the Peace Corps experience. Sometimes I wonder if I would be more suited to teaching English (more structure) or agriculture (physical results). Agriculture just seems so arrogant. If I were to go to a country with this PC program, the people I would be interacting with would probably have lived in the area for hundreds if not thousands of years. And here I am, a twenty-something suburban kid straight out of college with three months experience teaching them how to till their fields! On the other hand, I don’t want to be responsible for killing an entire crop!

All this aside, I think this is the program for me. Although the program is expansive I think I will be able to find my niche. I mean, most (if not all) the experience I have listed on my resume deals with policy in one form or another. And this is the field that works with NGOs.

Regardless, it will be an experience. While other people settle down in their jobs and get comfortable as they work for retirement, I will be out in the world making a real difference (or so I hope!)