| What have you missed most from home? *Definitely my FAMILY!!! They say that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and being in Bulgaria really makes me appreciate my family much more. What will you miss most from Bulgaria? *Again, I'd have to say my FAMILY!!! My host family here has been a Godsend and I don't know what I'd do without them sometimes! Especially my little host sister, who has always known just how to "pick me up" and make me smile and giggle like an 8-year-old, in the good times and in the bad. What won't you miss from Bulgaria? *I know without a doubt that I won't miss Bulgarian students and teaching in Bulgaria one little bit! Teaching here has definitely been a challenge and I hope returning home to teach will remind me about what it means to be a teacher and about all of the JOYS of teaching . . . I've forgotten how enjoyable teaching CAN be!!! What was your biggest challenge? *Again, I'd have to say teaching Bulgarian kids has been a HUGE challenge, but another big challenge for a warm-weather Arizona girl has been the dull, gray Bulgarian winters. Surviving two of them (by the skin of my teeth!) has probably been my biggest accomplishment, though I STILL haven't mastered the art of walking on the ice and snow quite yet! What was your proudest accomplishment? *Surviving two disgusting winters . . . Arizona sunshine, here I come!!! But, winters aside, I would have to say my biggest accomplishment is seeing even the SLIGHTEST difference I have made in some of my students' lives . . . that's what makes it all worthwhile! Interview: 1. Cirene or Kashkaval? *Do I HAVE to choose?!!? I guess Kashkaval definitely beats salty Cirene! YUCK!!! 2. First Bulgarian word you learned outside of the classroom? *"Dovizhdane" was my first word before coming to Bulgaria! 3. Have you been given a nickname during your time here (by Bulgarians or by PCVs)? *No nicknames by Bulgarians, but Marisa and Chris call me "Tell" most of the time! 4. Have you broken a law while in Bulgaria? *Not a law, persay, but I DID run from a tram guy once. My tram tickets were wet, so the holes didn't punch real well and he decided to be a jerk about it. He dragged me off of the tram, demanding that I pay him 8 leva! So, I argued with him a little until as he jerked me around and held on to my bag to keep me there. Well, as soon as I got the slightest chance and his back was turned, I ran like a bat out of hell all the way to the Peace Corps office! 5. Your best food or drink discovery in Bulgaria? *I consider myself an "expert" in the art of making yummy Moussaka! ;-) 6. Chalga � yes or no? *Only when my 8-year-old host sister is jamming out to it! 7. Favorite Bulgarian word? *Definitely "Zapovyadiate"! I love the way it rolls of the tongue and how much of a headache it gave all of us during training! 8. Your biggest purchase in BG? *I haven't really had any BIG purchases . . . most of my money has been spent on my phone bills! But, I guess my "biggest" purchase would probably be the printer I bought from a COSing volunteer last year. 9. Thing you�re glad you brought with you? *My laptop has been an incredible lifesaver!!! I have also cherished my wonderful snow boots! 10. Thing you brought with you but never used? *I guess my Leatherman . . . I brought a pocket knife also and I have just used that! 11. Most ridiculous thing sent from home? *Last Christmas when my parents came, they brought with them gifts from various family members. Well, one of my uncles was convinced I wasn't eating enough meat here, so he sent everything from lots of beef jerky and large sausages to canned roast beef! Needless to say, by the time I was finished with all of that meat, I had enough protein in me to last me the rest of my service! 12. Most ridiculous thing given to you by a Bulgarian? *My host sis gives me all sorts of interesting gifts, the most recent being a small, fake plant. I guess she must of seen how I don't do a very good job of taking care of the live plants in my apartment! 13. Biggest way you�ve changed over the past 2 years? *I feel that Bulgaria has changed me more than I've changed Bulgaria. Serving here has definitely caused me to become much more independent and cautious/aware of my surroundings, while also causing me to become more humble and appreciative of all of those little things I took for granted before. 14. Most unexpected thing about your experience? *As with most PCVs, I came to Bulgaria with the attitude of "I'm going to change the world!", without ever realizing just how much "the world" would end up changing me. 15. Do you think BG have changed in the past 2 years? If yes, how? Have you seen the results of your work here? *Maybe in little ways that I haven't noticed, but I still think that most Bulgarians are scared of change and are unwilling to put forth much effort to bring about positive changes. Others might disagree, but I think Bulgaria still has a LONG way to go! I haven't seen many results with my work, as is usually the case with teaching. The results are more long term and, if anything, I've seen a few small, subtle changes. 16. If you knew then what you know now, would you still have come to BG? *Yes, some days I think differently and question why I ever came to Bulgaria in the first place, but I think Bulgaria has really been an awesome, life-changing, and humbling experience for me! 17. Your average job satisfaction here is BG from 1 �10 (�1� being least satisfied) *There have been good days and bad, but overall I guess I'd rate my job satisfaction either a 3 or 4. 18. Any interesting stories from family or friends who came to visit? *When my parents came to visit my first Christmas here, we spent New Years with my host family and we all had a great time. My parents experienced the joys of constant servings of wine and rakiya and, by the end of the night, my Dad was calling my host dad (Georgi) "Orgy"! On this night, I also had booked my parents a hotel room at the Pana-G hotel before arriving at the family's house because I knew that the family would be lacking sleeping room with all of the family members they had staying there who were visiting from out of town. But, of course, my host family was still upset that we had booked a hotel room and they never let me hear the end of it all night! So, as the night (and the rakiya!) progressed, my Dad thought he'd try his hand at Bulgarian and he figured he no longer needed my assistance, and, thinking he'd offer my host mom and dad the hotel room instead, he said, "Orgy . . . You . . . Katya . . . hotelo!" Well, my host family about died laughing and they spoke rapidly in Bulgarian and my host aunt about fell out of her chair with laughter, as I turned to my Dad and laughed, "They think you want to switch partners for the night, you staying here with Katya and Mom going to the hotel with Georgi!" We got it cleared up, but it was funny nevertheless! 19. What is the first thing you�ll do when you touch American soil? *Probably kiss it! And then I'll commence to do insane cartwheels through the streets of Phoenix and ballerina-style leaps over every cactus in sight. 20. What are your plans after COS? *Right now, I plan on moving back to Arizona and finding an elementary school teaching job close to home . . . at least until I figure out where my next adventure will take me! 21. Favorite place you visited while on holiday? *I went to many AMAZING places, but Italy was wonderful and Prague was a beautiful city. 22. Favorite �Peace Corps moment�? *This would have to be after one CRAZY night at the Pana-G disco during training. A group of us got the "brilliant" idea to do "human knots" and "trust falls" in the center of town at about 2:00 a.m.! What were we thinking?!!? ;-) |
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