letter66

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, I guess this is it. At least until I begin that next big adventure in my life that is worthy of an occasional e-mail. I look back now and I wonder, "How did two years just pass me by like that?!!?" It just doesn't seem possible! And I also wonder, "What's NEXT?! What great adventure is in store for me just around the bend? What marvelous stories will be entwined within the churning pages of that next chapter of my life?!!?" As I sit here at home with a sleepy golden retriever curled languidly at my feet and my thoughts captivated by the luxuries of a warm bath, soft clean clothes fresh from the dryer, and an endless selection of television channels, I fondly remember an experience that shaped me, humbled me, and opened my eyes to the world.

Truly, Bulgaria has become an intricate part of me and there will always be certain sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and experiences that will take me back in an instant, no matter where my adventurous nature has taken me. Despite any of the trials that have given me strength during the past two years, Bulgaria and it's people have taken over a very special place in my heart. And my memories will stay with me for a lifetime. With a twitch of my nose and a flick of my Magical Memory Wand, I will instantly be transported . . . I will always remember:

*Calling my Mom from the hotel in Washington D.C. before we even left for Bulgaria, crying as if my life was ending. "I don't fit in with the others in my group!" I told her. "How will I EVER survive for 2 whole years away from home?!!?"
*Being placed with my host family for the first time and being certain that I was with the wrong family. After all, my peice of paper listed the family members as two parents and two young children and I was picked up at the school by two parents who COULDN'T have been my host parents and a teenage boy. Little did I know that these people were my host Dad and his sister and nephew. "It's OKAY," I assured myself. "I'll just tell the Peace Corps about my BIG mistake on Monday!"
*Trying to communicate with my family, but having no idea what to say and how to say it. "How in the WORLD do I let them know that I just CAN'T palate this big plate of fish pieces?!"
*Meeting Iva for the first time (once I discovered that I DID go home with the right host family!) and becoming her curious student as she took my hand and introduced me to Bulgaria through the eyes of a child.
*Proving to myself that I COULD teach and ENJOY teaching 7th grade students and then, eventually, 6th, 8th, and 9th graders as well. Imagine that!
*Committing "Stomach Suicide" at countless Bulgarian Na Gostis and later realizing that rakiya really DOES cure many ailments.
*Jamming out at the disco on Thursday nights during training with all of my Peace Corps friends.
*Becoming delirious in Bulgarian language classes, to the point of realizing that the name "Tom" is the only name that is spelled the same in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.
*Playing hide-n-go-seek lat at night in the streets of Panagyurishte with my host sister and her host of wild banshee friends.
*Being sworn in as a Volunteer of the United States Peace Corps, something I've aspired to for as long as I can remember.
*That emotional first week alone at my first site, when I opened a closet door and "Rudy the Rat" (who was roughly the size of a large kitten, no joke) made a mad dash for me.
*Spending HOURS on my bathroom floor scrubbing PILES of laundry by hand, only to have it freeze on the clothes line on those REALLY cold days. (Talk about MANLY hands!:)
*Trudging in snow up to my knees and practically breaking my neck on the ice and slush and experiencing the bitter cold of winter. (When I'm 80, I can actually tell my kids, "When I was your age, I had to walk 6 miles to work in the snow, uphill both ways.")
*Suffering from a variety of ailments, not all involving peculiar bowel movements . . . the invasion of the painful aliens in my ear, breeding fungus (a.k.a. RINGWORM) that kept cultivating and that my cat coincidentally gave to 8 other volunteers, a swollen salivary gland that threatened to take over the entire right side of my head, and much more.
*Sending my fist FLYING through one of the windows at my school (accidentally, of course!) and later breaking a glass countertop at a store, a bedroom window, and much more.
*Trying my hand at skiing and then skiing right into my poor, unaware ski instructor's arms.
*The "joys" of teaching out-of-control Bulgarian kids every day.
*Getting lost going to the Bulgarian dentist, ending up at the wrong dentist's office and not realizing it until the poor, little Indian dentist got ready to drill my teeth.
*Running from the evil tram troll who tried to make me pay a big fee.
*All of my many travels with my friends to other countries around Europe . . . I travelled to ELEVEN different countries in two years! (Remember getting naked in Turkey? Having dihherea all over Bucharest? Spreading a strange fungus all over central Europe?)
*Sleeping through my bus stop and ending up at the bus driver's house at the end of his route . . . what a DORK!!! ;-)
*Throwing food off of my balcony for the benefit of the stray dogs and gypsies . . . at least until I got a little lecture about my FLYING FOOD!!! :-O
*The EMOTIONAL ups and downs of living and working in a depressed, underprivileged country and all of those tears that fell from my flushed cheeks.
*Recieving gifts and kind words from many of my students before I left.
*Saying an emotional goodbye to my Bulgarian family and all of the turmoil, emotions, and stress that leaving the country behind brought me.

I could go on and on, but I'd be suprised if you've actually made it this far! There is a lot of memories crammed into two short years! And I'm glad to have been able to share them with you and that you were able to take this exhilirating journey with me. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement through out this adventure. I really couldn't have done it without you! Who knows where I am supposed to go next, but, wherever it is, it's going to be hard to compare it with my life-changing experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer. And every day I realize how truly BLESSED I am and I thank God daily for those amazing blessings. And, whatever my future holds, I anticipate it with baited breath, eager eyes, and a willingness to give it all I've got and then some. But, for now, this is Chantel Sloan . . . SIGNING OFF.

Love Always,
Chantel

Letters Home