| Dear Family and Friends, I stood on the other side of the airport gate as nervous energy enveloped me, balancing a flashy sign, a bag full of juicy cherries, a camera, and a mini tape recorder. "Are they here yet?! Are they here yet?!" I exclaimed as I bounced up and down until everyone in my immediate proximity wanted to stone me with my own cherry pits. The airport bustled with anxious activity, most of it caused by the many Peace Corps staff and volunteers who awaited the arrival of our new group of volunteers. I was about to bounce right out of my skin as I reminisced about MY arrival to Bulgaria, already a year ago, as we were also greeted by a large group of Peace Corps people . . . I made my way through the arrival gate like a zombie as cheers resounded from every direction, lugging my too-heavy bags behind me because the airport had suddenly run out of luggage carts. "Heeeaaavvvve . . . Hooooo . . ." I chanted languidly as I pulled and shoved, pushed and tugged. And then eager volunteers, who had waited for the moment that they could help me lug my bags through the stifling Sofia Airport, were stripping my bags from me in one swift yank. In that moment, I was barreled over by even MORE eager volunteers . . . they were coming out of the woodwork . . . this was turning into a bad sequel of "Night of the Living Dead." "Uhhh, Ohhhh," I gurgled as the living dead examined me from head to toe. "Would you like a cherry?!" they charged, their eyes bulging right from their sockets. "A CHERRY? Come on, take one, PLEASE take one!!!" Out of fear for my own life, I timidly took a bright red cherry from the bulging bag as I plotted my escape to the glorious bus waiting just outside of the airport. And, then, in one swift breath, I was thrown back with, "What's your name?! Where are you from?! What's your program?! What's your favorite color?! What was the in-flight movie?! What's your sign?! What's your favorite aquatic species?! Boxers or briefs?! Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?! Do you like goats?! How many hours of sleep would you say you've had in the last 24 hours?!!?" And on and on it went from every direction as I was thrown against the wall like a battered rag doll. I gulped and cowered nervously, taking a deep breath and spluttering manically, "Chantel. Arizona. TEFL. Blue. ' Night of the Living Dead, part 15'. Libra. Dolphins. Boxers. Britney, of course. Yes. Zero." The living dead gave satisfied smirks and opened their mouths for another round of out of control questions as I suddenly ducked through the group in rapid flight. They gasped and attempted to charge at me, but were weighed down by the cherries as I darted, twirled, leaped, and rammed my way through the crowd. The volunteers shrugged and clustered around another victim as I made my escape-to my haven-the bus waiting outside, ready to wrap me up and send me into dreamland. I collapsed into a seat, breathing a sigh of relief, as I stared off into space in my deeply catatonic state. Just then, I was startled by a large figure looming over my seat in all of its deadly glory. The figure cackled, the figure gloated, the figure screeched in my battered ear, "Would you like a cherry?! A CHERRY? Come on, take one, PLEASE take one!!!" It's so hard to believe that MY arrival was already a year ago. Sometimes it seems like I just arrived in Bulgaria, sometimes it seems like I've been here forever. And I have encountered so many ADVENTURES in my time here, I can hardly wait to see what this next year will bring. So, there I stood, with a kilo of cherries dangling from my anxious fingers; there I stood, after having graduated to the esteemed position of "living dead." I was cocked and ready to fire as soon as the new volunteers stepped through that gate. And, finally, the moment I had been awaiting for an entire year had arrived . . . I was giddy as I yanked too-heavy bags from startled B-12s and I was brisk as I surrounded the timid new Americans with unadulterated joy. With an evil glint in my eye, I, along with the rest of the living dead, strangled the B-12s with rapid-fire questions, "What's your name?! How old are you?! Where are you from?! What's your favorite type of tree?! Who's your favorite movie star?! What's your shoe size?! What's your favorite microscopic organism?! Do you prefer cats or dogs?! Backstreet Boys or N'Sync?! Hamburgers or hot dogs?! Do you like sheep?! How many licks DOES it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop?!" And then, before they could even have a chance to answer, "Would you like a cherry?! A CHERRY? Come on, take one, PLEASE take one!!!" Awwww, the sheer delight of it!!! But, this new group was sly . . . they were the "foxes" that I never remember being a year ago as they fired back, "What do I have to do to call my mommy?! How does the Internet work?! Is it hard to learn Bulgarian?! Why aren't you at work?! Do they have ice cream here?! What about Britney Spears t-shirts?! Where are they going to take us now?! What is teaching in Bulgaria like?! Do they have a lot of goats here?! Where is the bathroom?! Will I be able to travel a lot while I am here?! Will we get to sleep later?! Did I bring too many bags?! Did I forget anything?!" I gaped at them, my awestruck mouth dropping mechanically to my chest. My timid eyes darted from one B- 12 to the next in humble fear and amazement as sweat poured down my cheeks like a violent rainstorm. And, then, without a second thought, I plastered a wicked grin onto my quivering lips and, in all of my living dead glory, I managed to muster a resounding, "Would you like a cherry?! A CHERRY? Come on, take one, PLEASE take one!!!" Won't anybody please have a cherry?! PLEASE?!!? |
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