| My Reflections |
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| Wednesday, June 20, 2001 |
| I can't even BEGIN to describe the amazing beauty of Bulgaria. When our airplane landed in my new country today, I literally tingled and shook with total anticipation . . . it was such an awesome experience. Bulgaria is covered with the deepest green I have ever seen and it is a country of such majestic hills and mountains, the beauty extends as far as the eye can see. The evidence of God's handi-work is so incredibly awe-inspiring and evident. Quaint, sleepy European towns, filled with herders tending to their herds, horse-drawn carts squeaking through narrow cobblestone streets, men and women tending to their gardens and vineyards. The cities are filled with crumbling communist structures. Bulgaria is so unique and the people are wonderful! We were greeted at the airport by currently serving PCVs and Bulgarians, who clapped and cheered with large banners and signs as they force-fed us delicious, juicy cherries. I am already so in love with this place and this experience! Now, I must retire to rest off this awful jet lag. I just took a shower in a bathroom that has a drain in the middle of the floor! I love new experiences! |
| Friday, June 22, 2001 |
| Right now, I am laying in my typical, lumpy Bulgarian bed, with sheets that have a hole in the middle to house a blanket, listening to millions of dogs barking outside, a goat crying madly from somewhere in the neighborhood, and loudly exuberant neighbors having a "na gosti" a couple of houses down. Where else but in Bulgaria? After a wonderful meal and cultural performance last night at the hotel we stayed at, we met our host families today. Yikes! At the school in Panagyurishte, we had to match half of a map of Bulgaria with the other half in which our host families held on to. At first, I feared that I was with the wrong family because I was picked up by my host dad (Georgi) and his sister and nephew because my host mom (Katya) was manning the families fish shop. Georgi and Katya have two kids: Dimitar (age 10) and Iva (age 7). As I sat dumbfounded in the car on the way home, my first thought was, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?!!?" This entire adventure is truly going to be my biggest challenge . . . what potential it has. Communication is hard, but that is to be expected right now. The Kostovi family is trying very hard to communicate with me and I struggle to understand their Bulgarian. It's frustrating, but we stumble along together. When I got to the house today, they insisted I eat . . . a big place of fried fish with disgusting skin and bones which I managed to choke down. Again, I questioned, "What in the WORLD have I gotten myself into?!!?" I am not in "Kansas" anymore, my life has definitely taken a DRASTIC change! Wow, what an experience of a lifetime!!! |
| Monday, June 25, 2001 |
| Pre-Service Training officially began today, on this warm Bulgarian summer day. And, boy, am I EXHAUSTED!!!!! Already, I am screaming, "No more Bulgarski!!!" I feel like it is coming out of my ears because I am learning so much! Training went well and we had language, culture, and technical classes to attend, which were all crammed so full of so much important information! Learning the cyrillic alphabet is definitely going to be a tough one. I can learn to speak Bulgarian fine, but writing it is another story! It was definitely nice to speak English today and swap host family stories with my new friends. When I got home from training, I was greeted with a big hug from my host sister, Iva. Tonight, we also had a na gosti with Georgi's sister and her friend and we had a great time laughing and talking . . . okay, okay, so they did a lot of laughing at me! Being an American in Bulgaria is like being a celebrity in America. I am now in a fish bowl! Bulgarians stare at Americans with curiousity and hang on our every word, kids ask us for autographs and giggle at our Bulgarian. I always wanted to be in the spotlight! :-) |
| What a night! It really was dobre vecher! Especially since I don't have school tomorrow and I am FINALLY FREE of the rigors of training for an entire weekend. I came home from school today totally ready to RELAX . . . oh, yeah, I SURVIVED MY FIRST WEEK OF PRE-SERVICE TRAINING!!!!! YIPPEE! Now, if that isn't cause for celebration, I don't know what is! And I am pressing right ahead and I am doing surprisingly well with the language. A few people in my language class are very slow because they haven't split us into language levels yet, so my teacher has actually been assigning Sarah and I extra work to move us right along since we are ahead of the rest of our group. I actually enjoy, studying a language, believe it or not, and I might actually study another when I get home. Anyway, I came home today after a long, exhausting, productive week of training, ready to relax. But, no. Relax?! That's not apart of Peace Corps Trainee vocabulary! When I got home, I accidentally locked myself in my bedroom and had to hand the key under the door to my host mom so that she could let me out. Then, we went to a na gosti next door at the home of the neighbors who, I swear, have a na gosti every single night. And, once again, the American was center stage! It was a great night, and now the GLORIOUS weekend is finally upon me. Who knows what it holds this time?!!? |
| Friday, June 29, 2001 |
| Saturday, June 30, 2001 |
| I am sooo tired after a long, intense week of training and never really having the chance to get over the jet lag! I really could use an entire day of sleep about now! But, as I said before, I am a Peace Corps trainee and that's not an option! When I got up this morning, Katya was working at the fish shop, so the kids were the only ones home. So, after breakfast, the kids and I went to the huge market that they have in Panagyurishte every Saturday. It was fun just hanging out with my host siblings for the day! They are so cute! We walked around the market and I got them cokes and Iva and I shot bottle caps across the table at one another. After a stop at the fish shop, we devoured ice cream cones as we walked through the park. Then, we came home and played outside. As we played outside, it seemed as if large crowds began to gather to talk to "the American"! Many tried to speak with me and some practiced their broken English. One young girl even ran home to get her diploma, that she had just gotten, to proudly show me and they questioned me about America. It was a great day. And so, for now, leka nosht!!! |
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