September 23, 2001

This is quite a time to be living abroad. The world seems to be changing – sometimes it seems to be slipping beneath our feet. Our country has experienced a huge loss and now, hopefully, making careful decisions that will dramatically alter the next few years. It’s easy to say that life has returned to normal in Silistra. The students are back in class, people are out and about, and there seems to be no difference in people’s lives. But we know what is going on back in America. Grounded planes, guarded water supplies, tightened security, increase in anxiety . . . Troops, ships, planes, and ammunition are heading towards Afghanistan. The rest of the world is holding its breath. There are volunteers here who are from NYC who know of people who were in the WTC when they were hit. Thankfully, they all were able to escape. As far as we know, there are no Bulgarian PCV’s who have experienced loss of family or friends during the attack.

When we first saw it on television, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. The local TV channel was re-broadcasting CNN, and a translator was trying to translate what he heard as the report kept coming. It was frustrating to us to see such devastation and have to muddle through the Bulgarian to try and understand it. We really didn’t want to hear Bulgarian at that point. The next morning, after the attack, we left our building and our anxiety meters were way up. We didn’t know how people had responded to it. We didn’t know if people would care, or if we Americans all of a sudden looked vulnerable – as someone’s target – or what. Instead, we found that people called us, consoled us, and were very concerned about what this meant for the world. Our heads were down as we walked through the town, quickly stopping by the school, and then through the Center to buy more Internet hours so we could keep up on the news. The incident occupied about six hours of television coverage on Bulgarian TV and we felt deeply out of touch when it returned to normal programming. We were on the Internet almost constantly the next day, trying to get any information we could about it. And now, the station that we get the best on our television, “BTV” (owned by Rupert Murdoch, nonetheless), has a dramatic little intro every time the news talks about what happened. They call it “The Blow to America’s Heart.” The American flag waves solemnly in the background as clouds of smoke from the WTC rise above it, shots of firefighters emerging from wreckage, eyewitnesses are wide-eyed and speechless, and all the while a grinding rock theme deepens the mood. The date, 11 September 2001, bounces across the screen. We stop and watch it. At least half of the news coverage is devoted to the events that happened and are now happening.

We don’t know what this means for us being in Peace Corps. Our country director is encouraging us, telling us that at times like these, our work is especially important. Immediately after the attack, we thought we might go home. Now we realize that we’re probably in one of the safest places in the world. Our PC office has been incredibly helpful and supportive through the whole thing – contacting us and making sure that we’re okay. As far as we know, no one has left our program as a result of the attack. As well as it should be. If we did pack up and go home, I think we’d be giving in to what the terrorists did. If there is reason to be evacuated, we know what to do and we’ll get out of here safely. We feel confident that the US Embassy here and PC will advise us when to leave, if we need to. Right now, it seems there will be no need to leave. Even though we are geographically closer to the Middle East, we’re in a country that isn’t known for its polarizing politics or tactics. It’s frustrating enough to get to this corner of Bulgaria, even if you live here.

So we’re waiting and watching, along with the rest of the world. We’re proud of the way our country has shown its strength to the rest of the world – by not lashing out immediately, by coming together for prayer and mourning, and by showing its strength through its volunteerism and willingness to help during the crisis. I’m scared of what another attack, even a minor one, could do to the stability of the US. Hopefully it won’t happen. So many things have changed since we left the States. When we left, the “New Economy” could do no wrong, Clinton was still President, and the World Trade Centers were still standing. I think we’ll be returning to a new country when we come back next summer.

Peace –

Josh