Dear Family and Friends,

Today is November 21^st 2000 and we are still living here in Bulgaria. Even though some relatives of mine keep thinking I am in Russia! I hope by now you have looked at a map and know where we are located! God is really blessing us here. We just recently got back from an in service training in Shuman (a city about1hour south of us) and got to visit with other volunteers and share our experiences with one another. Some people are really having a rough time with either the job and the people they are working with or just the feeling of isolation. We are really enjoying our work and are finding the teachers we work with very easy to get along with. Also, being married here is really a blessing, well let me rephrase that being married to Josh here (and at home) is really a blessing. Especially when you have a stalker! Yes, to add to the excitement of living in a foreign country I have been blessed with an admirer.

There is a man who works at the bazaar very near to our apartment and on the way to and from school. To make a long story short, I received two batches of flowers while walking through the bazaar. The first time it was a bunch of white flowers and the second time it was a red rose with a card. The first time I just politely said thank you and kept walking, but the second time I told him I couldn’t keep the flower and that I was married. Since the two flower episodes I have spoken with him and he seems to have an interest in learning English. He just seems to appear out of nowhere at any moment. He even happened to appear at the church we have attended several times. This has been an amusing thing to deal with and I have often tried to steer away from the bazaar and to find different routes, but I don’t think it’s anything to be afraid of. Josh will be meeting him soon and maybe he too will have an admirer too.

We had the opportunity to have a na gosti with my tutor Dora and her family. It was Dora, her husband and their two children, a twenty year old and an eight year old. It was fun. It was nice because none of them speak English and it gave us a few hours to brush up on our speaking skills. My comprehension is much more advanced than my speaking is. I still find the language exciting and fun to learn. At this na gosti (a visit) the husband talked our ears off and we were able to taste some homemade rakia, wine and whiskey. It Bulgaria you must always have a something in your glass. I think I have learned this skill of keeping just the right amount in the glass, so I will not receive more, but I am afraid Josh still has not caught on!

Here are some things that I have learned so far in Bulgaria and that I hope to carry home with me to the States. Never go empty handed when you visit someone. Many Bulgarians bring sweets, flowers or a drink to share. I love this; it is so thoughtful and really should be done everywhere. Another thing I hope to carry home is taking your shoes off at the door. We are always offered slippers to wear at any house we go to. I like this because I don’t like to wear shoes very much and also because I think it feels very welcoming.

I am sure there will be many more traditions and customs that we pick up here and many new things to carry home with us. We of course think of you often and pray that life in America is treating you well.

Love,

Kate