| My Reflections |
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| Wednesday, July 4, 2001 |
| Who would have thought that the best 4th of July celebration I have ever had would be in . . . BULGARIA?!!? Our party tonight was amazing . . . the town orchestra delighted us with beautiful music, we danced traditional Bulgarian folk dances (Bulgarians LOVE to dance!), and we belted out a perfect rendition of, "The Star Spangled Banner." Our host families were invited, but I think that half the town of Panagyurishte possibly showed up, all eager to help us celebrate our independence. We did get rained on, but it didn't really seem to bother any of us as we truly danced and celebrated America. I spent much of the time entertaining and being entertained by Iva and we had a great time dancing together, just me and my little host sister. I always have more fun with and relate better with kids than people my own age! Iva and I danced, did hand claps (yes, they have those in Bulgaria too!), and we acted ver silly! To end an amazing night, we oohed and awed at a great fireworks display as we once again belted out, "The Star Spangled Banner." I felt such a SURGE of pride and it was such a neat experience to share a little bit of OUR culture with Bulgarians. Another reminder of WHY I am here . . . and can you believe I was seen on the evening news dancing with Iva?! What a sight!!! |
| Friday, July 6, 2001 |
| Well, I have officially survived my second week of pre-service training! It's unbelieveable, we only have 8 weeks left! Today, I came home very spent and Micah and I went to visit the neighbors who are always drinking and na gostiing on their porch. There is one guy who is always there who speaks some English and who is always very eager to practice his English with me. Sometimes, he just stares at me waiting for me to say something in English to him. Iva kept running over to the house with friends for her "Kako" ("Big Sister") to meet, and I managed to meet them, speak English to the staring guy, break out in Bulgarian for the other adults, and sip my coke all at the same time. Anyway, the staring guy has high hopes and dreams of living and working in America, as do many Bulgarians. He longs for anything American, and he longs for me to tell him everything about America, he wants all the information I can give about what life is like in America. He can't understand why I would want to give up such a wonderful life in America to come to Bulgaria and I try to explain my desire to help the Bulgarian people. He asked if I thought he could live in America and I told him that he definitely could and that he could probably find a job easily because his English is good enough. You would have thought I had just given him a million dollars when I said that! He shook my hand vigorously, with a huge grin plastered to his face, and he continuously thanked me, telling me that that was a huge compliment, and he remarked that I was a very good friend. It's amazing what I have to be thankful for, I realize that everyday. It's all about making a difference, one Bulgarian at a time . . . |
| Friday, July 20, 2001 |
| Our Model School, which is like a 2-week student teaching experience, has officially begun. I have to admit, I was very apprehensive at first!!! We drew out of a box for grades and schedules on Wednesday afternoon and I ended up with grades 3rd, 5th, and 7th . . . 7TH GRADE!!!!! God help me! What in the WORLD do you do with 7th graders?!!? It is beyond me! I've barely even LOOKED at 7th graders in my lifetime . . . I didn't even like teenagers when I WAS one for crying out loud!!! This will probably be my biggest challenge, especially with so few resources. So, we met our students on Thursday afternoon, and then proceeded with introductions and assessment today. In the 7th grade class, I have one class clown who seems to set the whole class aflame, but he surely makes the class much more interesting. My 5th graders are amazing and my 3rd graders are cute, even though they don't know a lick of English. This should be an interesting 2 weeks! So, this weekend, I shall plan and plan HARD!!! What an experience this will be! |
| Tuesday, July 24, 2001 |
| Today, I am convinced that my 3rd graders are spawns of satan. My 7th and 5th grade classes both went wonderfully today, and I even got perfect marks when my resource teacher observed my 5th grade lesson. So, I was COCKY . . . until I entered that dreaded 3rd grade classroom . . . and then I knew that it was the end my my good spirits . . . The 3rd graders had eaten A LOT of junk food from the snack bar throughout the morning, so, by the time I got them, they were BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS!!!!! In Bulgaria, I might as well throw all of my classroom management strategies out the window. There is absolutely no discipline here! Plus, to make matters worse, these third graders don't know any English and I know such little Bulgarian! So, no amount of pleading, bargaining, and yelling does any good since they don't understand a word I'm saying. So, it's quite frustrating. At one point, I was forced to yell, "STIGA!!!", which means, "STOP!" And, boy, did THAT get their attention right away! I try using some Bulgarian with this class, but, as I said, my Bulgarian is quite limited right now! And these kids have no idea what I am trying to teach them! So, I sat down with Nathan after class today, who is in his fourth Peace Corps experience and he was able to help me restructure my 3rd grade lesson plans quite a bit. Whew! Thank God tomorrow is another day!!! :-) |
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