letter26

Dear Family and Friends,

I know it's been quite awhile since I've written, well since the last time I
did laundry and I noticed last night that the dirty clothes are piling up
again, so I thought I'd send you a little "smorgasboard" of stories. To
tell you the truth, I have been uninspired and there really hasn't been any
worthwhile writing material. But, today, there were just a couple of things
I decided to comment on.

Things are going well on my end, but there are times when I just can't help
but be completely frustrated. I have told you that discipline is tough in
Bulgaria, so you know this . . . but it just seems to get tougher everyday.
I have exhausted all of my methods, I have grown wary in the process. Now,
there are plenty of good moments as well as good classes and I try not to
let those be overshadowed by the bad, but it happens some days. I went to a
cafe with one of my colleagues the other day, which is the "high
entertainment" of life in Bulgaria. It had been a relatively rough day,
especially with one class in particular, the class which gives me more and
more gray hair every time I try to teach them. I'm telling you, I am going
to come home in two years and look like I've aged 50 years! This particular
colleague speaks some English, so I shared with her my woes of discipline
and, because it pretty much happens across the board, she shared with me
some of hers. We sat hunched over our drinks as if conspiring and she
looked me straight in the eye as she said bluntly in her broken English,
"Just yell at them, 'Shut up, assholes!'" Now, I must admit, I was taken
aback and I tried to hide my shock with a nervous giggle, but to no avail.
No doubt that would get their attention, but still . . . In class, I often
have to break up wild fights, stop various objects from flying through the
air, calm the anxst of pre-pubescent adolescents, chain students to their
desks 20 times, and take away cell phones (from 6th graders) and a variety
of other "toys" . . . but such is life in the Bulgarian school.

Today, I was just beginning the one class in which I CRINGE every time I
enter it. I was situating my materials, taking attendance, and beginning
the process of checking homework, when I saw two girls fly at each other in
rapid fury, hair and fists flying in every direction. The two girls, with
anger in their eyes, began to hit, kick, scream, and pull over the typical
teenage girl dissagreement as the excitement grew in the rest of the class.
Now, I often break up fights in the middle of class, some pretend and some
real, but this one was just ridiculous. Like a bolt of lightening, I
dropped my homework stamp and flew to the back of the room. I shoved my
short self in between the two tall girls, as the fists and legs flew. I am
forced to actually yell a lot more these days, something I would never do in
a classroom in the states, and I raised my voice yelling, "STIGA
SEGA!!!!!!!!" ("STOP NOW!!!!!!") as I attempted to control the insanity.
And then I grabbed the arms of both girls, called to a more advanced student
to come and help me interpret, told the rest of the class to wait and
behave, and then I left 15 other students to march two girls directly to the
principal's office. Why did I leave my class? Because otherwise I could
never trust the two to make it to the director's office alone. We left as
every other student in that class CHEERED simply because I was taking two
students to see the director, as if it were "cool" or something. But, WHY
isn't the school director there anytime I really need her? I had to march
the two back to class, separate them, and rely on my counterpart, the other
English teacher, to yell at them in Bulgarian after class, something that I
know will never solve anything. I grimaced as I watched the coy smiles that
played upon the girls' lips as my counterpart lectured them. Nothing is
ever solved, kids will continue to run wild through the halls, terrorize
their teachers, and fight in class because there aren't ever any
consequences.

But, I somehow still manage to survive. My sitemate, Ryan who has already
been here a year, and I just began an adult English class two nights a week.
Last night was our first official class and I threw my all into trying to
make older people enjoy the English language. We had a class of 37 people
for the beginner's class and we will teach advanced learners on Thursday
nights. It should be fun. In primary school, I also still try to enjoy
every moment, rewarding the kids and classes who are well-behaved and
attentive. Today, during our long break, I laughed at one of the stray dogs
as she rolled in a blanket of autumn leaves. When I talked to her, she
followed me, so what else was I to do but to buy her a ham sandwich and feed
it to the poor thing on the side of the road?! Yes, I am quite famous for
feeding strays . . . it's a great Peace Corps project. The lady who I
bought the sandwich and, then, another cold peice of ham from, thought I was
strange as she questioned, "Don't you want ketchup on your sandwich?
Mayonaise? Cabbage? Cucumbers?" So, I tried to sneak away from her view
to prevent her from seeing what I was actually going to do with the food.

Anyway, all is fine for the most part. Winter is rapidly approaching and my
little space heaters that are my one source of heat keep blowing the fuse
connected to my poor hot water heater. The electrical wiring in this
building really is quite ancient! Let's see, cold showers, or cold feet?!
That's a tough one! I love and miss you all, keep the
e-mails coming! I really do appreciate them! And, I assure you, I will
have new pictures on my website very soon!

Love Always,
Superwoman