More Nagosti!

Well, I’ll keep telling you of my February adventures. I’m continuing to enjoy having Jesús here... to experience Bulgaria through a new set of eyes! I’ve realized how much progress I’ve made here since August as I’m able to be his guide in Bulgaria. I’ve added some picures of the things we have been doing together. We’ve sat in on a singing group of Babas from Trud who entertained us with some traditional Bulgarian songs – me for my birthday and Jesús for a warm welcome! You can see my counterpart, Krastina, in the photo above (second woman from the right with blond hair). Also we toured Plovdiv with a new friend who we suprisingly met while at a salsa club and who speaks fluent Spanish! Jesús and I posed for a picture in front of the oldest arc in Bulgaria; we walked around Old Town, which felt like I imagine Western Europe to be. Another photo (below) is an ancient Roman theatre restored and currently used throughout the summers in Plovdiv by opera singers, dance performers, orchestras, etc. Finally, I’ve included some pictures of a weekend trip back to Kyustendil to see my host family. They were so excited to meet Jesús. It was great to be back in Kyustendil (even though Pepito was nowhere in site) and to actually communicate with my home-stay family, to show Jesús the places I had only told him about previously, and to picnic & play soccer in the mountains there...

Left above: I sit with Ilian and Ellie (and their dog, Leo, who was a very small puppy when I left). Right above: Me and the host family!

Welcome Jesús!!

February has brought with it some nice changes... My first guest, Jesús (my boyfriend), came all the way from Mexico! Chestit (Congratulations) to me/us! After a delayed flight from Cancun, Mexico to Milan, Italy, he missed a flight from Milan to Sofia, Bulgaria. He arrived one day later than expected, after flying from Milan to Austria and Austria to Sofia. Boy was I glad when he
finally arrived! During his first weekend here, Jesús and I traveled for a short break in the Rodopi Mountains, in the town of Razlog. We took a LONG train ride there, during which Jesús enjoyed his first real experience with snow. I'm sure the Bulgarians on the train were amused by his enthusiasm while he took photos of the falling snow... I should mention that global warming seems to have taken its toll on Bulgaria. The people here keep telling me that this is the warmest winter in memory. Anywho, the pictures above are of the train station and some tracks on our journey to Razlog (compliments of Jesús - I can't claim them as my own).

As a side note, I turned 29 this month! Oh heavens- next year the big 3-0! I thorougly plan to enjoy my last year as a 20-something! Groundhog's Day passed and I never gave it a thought until weeks later. Next year I plan to expose Bulgaria to Punxsatawney Phil!

The Crazy Dog-Lady

Photos: (Clockwise from top left): Big Eddie with Little Eddie in the background, Kristen looks at the puppies living in the Roman Thermes, Atilla (my host dog) sleeps, me with Pepito and Bulgarian Scrappy.

Well, I'm still here! First, let me bring you up to date about my training before telling you more about the future. Many of you who email me have asked what a typical day is like. Sasho (my host father) and I eat breakfast together and discuss our plans for the day (in Bulgarian I might add, but don't get too excited... this sounds impressive but it is not that big of a deal since I generally do the same things every day). Then I go to the chitalishte (community center) for language training. It's about 4 hours of language training with my instructor (Valeria) and the four other volunteers here in Kyustendil (Brook, Taylor, Kristen, and Micah), followed by lunch and work on projects and assignments that PC gives us to complete. Generally there is one big assignment per week (for example, researching communism or interacting with the minority group - the Romi or "Gypsies"- here in Bulgaria). Meanwhile, we are planning our biggest activity (a volunteer clean up day with local youth) which is an ongoing project and will be implemented in October. Then I relax with the other volunteers, just chatting at a cafe, or hiking, or watching a movie. When I go back to my host home, I chat for a little bit or help with preparing dinner, then eat and do my homework, and then go to bed.

I am considered the crazy dog lady here in Kyustendil by my teammates because I continuously make friends with the local strays. There are tons of them in Kyustendil, and I thank God I won't be living here long term because it would be a challenge not to adopt one. My favorite dog happens to be Pepito (named by my fellow trainee, Taylor). Pepito is great, albeit surly. He has a tendency to run after bicyclists on the main drag in Kyustendil, and therefore gets kicked in the head frequently. It was after one such experience that I fell in love with him. He came to me with what little pride he had left and I gave him some lunch. Now we are good friends. Also there is Little Eddie and Big Eddie... They greet me every morning as I walk to school. They look just alike, but differ in size as you might imagine from their names. Little Eddie is so ugly he is cute; he looks like a pure beagle to me. Big Eddie looks like a beagle/lab mix to me; he likes me only for my food. Then there are the three puppies that live in the Roman Thermes (one of the many ancient ruins in Kyustendil left from the Roman Empire). I could go on and on, but I will stop here. You get the picture. I love the stray dogs. Gosh, I miss Scrappy!

Life in Kyustendil

During PST (Pre-Service Training) we live with host famililes in a town of about 40,000 in Kyustendil, which is very close to the Macedonian border. My host family includes Sasho and Ellie, and their children. Sasho's children are Alec, who is married to Vessi, and Constantine. His children are around my age. Ellie has two children also, Gabriel and Ilian, who are younger (around Jr. High School age). Sasho is probably the most patient person on the face of the earth; he is a great language teacher; he provides me with things to help with around the house which makes me feel like I belong. We sit outside and peel potatoes while he points to things and tries to make me understand him. Ellie is very kind, a lovely person. Sometimes we watch TV, which indicates that Bulgaria may be stuck in the 80's- I haven't seen so much of Whitney Houston in quite some time! Probably the best part of my host home are the fruit trees- cherry, peach, apricot, plum, apple- and grape vines everywhere. Sasho has a dog, Atila, who is very big and clumsy. I talk with him a lot because he seems attentive and I sometimes like to have conversation where I am not confused. Atila provides this for me! The greatest is when he gets loose and runs around the perimeter of the house tearing clothes off the laundary line as Sasho yells, "Ne Atila!" and Ellie peeps out from the door because she is not Atilla's biggest fan. The pictures I have attached are of my host home: The bench outside where Sasho and I sit to peel potatoes, my bedroom, and some gorgeous cherries!

I have started intensive language training with the other 4 volunteers. Training is four hours per day Monday through Friday, then homework and self study time. It is hard, but I'm taking it one day at a time and picking it up slowly but surely. Right now I have access to email but I will be moving to my permanent site in October... so that's the part that really matters. The food here is pretty good so far. A lot of cheese, beans, and breads. Also tomatoes and cucumber are common. Good thing I have acquired a taste for tomatoes over the past few years, huh Mom? Though I still can't take a lot of them. Rekia (Bulgarian whiskey) is POTENT! I don't like it. Wine is cheap- three leva for one glass; Bira (beer) is even cheaper...

Hello Bulgaria!

Photos: Me with some other PC B-20's (my roomate is next to me), the view from Panachiste, a bulgarian girl sings during a night of entertainment (pictured in the back is our country director- the American-looking guy).

Hello Bulgaria!!!! I am here! I can't believe it is finally real... On August 7th, After my two-day orientation training in Washington, D.C. I flew into Sophia (the capital) with about 40 other volunteers. From there we were wisked away to Panachiste, about one and a half hours south of Sophia by bus. Panachiste was my first impression of Bulgaria... the mountains are gorgeous. I have never seen such huge mountains in my life. Truly beautiful! They just seem to go on and on, fading into the distance. We started language training in Panachiste, which lasted about one week. The trainers, especially the language trainers are great. So far so good. Peace Corps brags that they are the best in the world. We will see. PC also brags that the medical attention you get here is as good as it gets! So those of you who worry, don't!