Auld Lang Blog

So Christmas and New Years came and went, here are the pictures to prove it. Hope you had a wonderful holiday season!

These guys go around town and sing, like morning carolers. Then the women of the house give them the rolls of bread that you see stacked on their staff and also a piece of candy. There seems to be some debate on when they come, in my village they came the morning before Christmas. However when my language trainer asked she balked at the idea of them coming then. Apparently it is normal for them to do it, Christmas morning or the morning after. I just thought it was cool to see a really old tradition being preserved.

 Christmas morning in our pajamas! Jen and Brit were staying together so I hiked over to their place on Christmas morning which considering how much was drunk the night before was really a Christmas miracle in itself. It was well worth it to spend Christmas morning with the ladies!

 It was actually pretty warm and no white Christmas. Now of course these mountains are covered in snow.

We did stockings. Actually we did a stocking chain. I got Brit a stocking, Brit got Jen a stocking, and Jen got me a stocking!

My Bulgarian family on Christmas Eve. It was a wonderful Christmas! One of the best in fact.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Blog

Just wanted to blog quickly and tell everyone hello and Merry Christmas. The snow fell last week and the temperatures sure dropped! My bathroom froze, on the inside! That sure was interesting, sounds like I will have a lot more of that to look forward to as the cold months approach. The family I live with was nice enough to build me a wall with a sliding door, in my apartment that separates my living quarters and the back hall, that is all poorly insulated windows and the bathroom. So at least I will remain warm which is really the most important thing. I will just have to work up my nerve to go to the bathroom, and take a shower!! Things are picking up at work. It has been a lot of fun lately with my English classes, and all the Christmas activities going on. I am going to visit my host family over Christmas and I am really looking forward to seeing them again and resting. Some of my friends from training with also be there so that will make it a very nice visit. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and if you are lucky enough to be home with your friends and family then make sure you take a moment to really appreciate it!!

This is the tree my friend Ivanka gave me. I was able to find the decorations and my Aunt gave me the cute penguin ornament that I used as my tree topper. All the gifts under it are also from my Aunt Marilyn.

Stocking from my Aunt Marilyn =)

Some of my co-workers after we spent the day making Christmas decorations and this sign.

Merry Christmas To All!

All I want for Christmas is Blog!

(Wrote this blog a few days ago before my internet went out and I couldn't post it)

Yes, it  has been awhile since my last post. Once again waiting around for the blogger elves to blog for me did not pay off. Maybe I should talk to their union rep? Where should I begin............

Well October was a great month. There was a really fun Volunteer party I went to on 10/10/10 and got to meet a  lot of people I either had not met yet, or didn't really know. 

This is a random one from a night out that I thought I would throw in,

Henry in his chair on wheels!

At the end of October I took my first vacation and flew to the Netherlands to meet up with my family. Through powers greater than my own, my sister-in-law Lindsey, along with my Brother and their 2 adorable kids, were transferred to work on a project in Netherlands and have been there since August. They were originally supposed to leave at the end of October, which caused my parents to fly out at that time in order to help them with the move back, and me to fly in to catch a glimpse of them because that is just to close not to see them. The great news is that it was a wonderful visit.

Ivy my niece is talking more and more everyday. Henry my nephew is probably the sweetest thing I have ever seen. His eyes light up and then he gets this enormous smile on his face. When I left the states he was just over 2 months old. So getting to see him and his personality was a real treat when I thought I had said good-bye for two years. 

Ben and Linds got Ivy this bear in Gouda. 

The even better news (for me) is that Lindsey's project got extended and they are there until April, which means I can squeeze another visit in before they head back. 

My Mom and Ivy

Lindsey and Henry

So that brings us into November. The weather here has been very warm unseasonably warm in fact. The mosquitoes have been attacking every night. I have found out that they will bite you anywhere that you leave exposed: lips, eye lids, hands etc. I don't know why I thought there were certain places that were off limit in mosquito etiquette, obviously I have learned otherwise. I am still working with a group of kids after school. The schedule switches with them every month, their schedules change here between afternoon and morning shift. So sometimes we meet before school, sometimes after school. They have been great and I have a very loyal following. They give me energy ever time we meet and are so much fun to work with. I also have an adult English class now. I will probably add another one, but am trying to find some more projects before I add another one. The adults have been great. I have a group of 14, and about 12 show up daily. It is great to get to meet them and interact with them. I brought in some banana bread I made and they really seemed to like it. I really look forward to getting to be friends with them. The B26'ers also had our In-service Training Conference at the end of November. It was great seeing the group together, and also staying in the amazing hotel we stayed at!

I am also privately tutoring some people. I have been working with one women, Snejana, for a few months now. She is wonderful! She lives in Plovdiv and is a nice friend to have. I worked with her son, Stoyan, for awhile while he prepared for an interview.

This is Snejana with one of her Mosaics at her winery.

Now through my English class I have made another friend. Her name is Ivanka. She is about my age and lives very near to my house. She and I talk in Bulgarian and English and it is a wonderful exchange. She doesn't judge my Bulgarian abilities, and I help her with her all ready pretty good English. 

Things here seem to be moving along nicely. I am reaching out to a lot more people I meet in order to get out there and find more projects. At the end of December I will have completed my 5th month of Volunteer service!    

I and Blog and You

The camp was a real turning point for me here. Since then my friend Jennifer and I travelled to Shumen to visit with Brittany. It was a long trip but totally worth it. We went for an early celebration of Jennifer's birthday. It was great seeing Shumen and Brittany. She took us for a tour around where we shopped at some great 2nd hand stores and we visited a monument that represents all of Bulgaria's history with 1300 steps, one for each year. (No I don't know if they add one each year) By the way that is a lot of freaking steps!!!! It is painful on the way up, luckily there is a small cafe about 3/4 of the way up to give you a little rest, but my legs were shaking for sure on the way down!

Back in my village I have been busy (finally) I told my counterpart I was ready, I want to start an after school program and start teaching English to adults. I don't know if it was a communication thing or what, but now I am teaching an after school English class to kids! ha!! We meet every Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday was just a quick introduction and I had 16 kids not only show up, but run there after school. Today I thought, ok, if I get half of those kids back then I will be happy. Well 17 kids showed up! 17 kids at all different levels of English, and me at all different levels of Bulgarian! =) I walked home with the best smile on my face and the most amazing feeling in my heart. Not only did my lesson plan work out to exactly the right amount of time, I had a blast, got to know some of the kids, and am so ready to dive in with so many more ideas and plans!! I will start teaching English to adults soon, but I am just really enjoying my first program and the kids! Hopefully I can maintain my sanity and keep them entertained as well as time goes on.

This picture is for my Mom. She sent me a couple great packages and this dress was in one of them! I have worn it a few times and love it! I have been lucky to receive a few packages and know that a few more are on the way. Thank you to everyone for the packages and letters, and honestly thank you for even thinking of and wanting to send one! =) I can't tell you how much I appreciate it and it lifts my spirits!

At the top of 1300 steps you are treated to some great views of Shumen as well as some transformer! =) Jennifer named them the steps to Mordor. There is certainly a transformer feel to the structure. But then when you turn the corner there are some beautiful mosaics very similar to the ones I saw in Russia. Well worth the steps!

Here I am on my last step! (up)

Jenn and Brit on their last steps!!

This is where they start. If you look in the distance at the top of the hill you can see the monument. It is the big thing that does not look like a tree!

Blog up

One of the coolest things about the conference in Sliven was that my counterpart approached me and wanted to see if I was interested in helping out some fellow volunteers at a camp. She had previously not allowed me to leave to go to another camp so I think this was her way of trying to make up for it. I very very happily accepted the invitation, once I figured out what she was talking about and when the other volunteers actually invited me themselves. I had such an amazing time!!! It was a camp put on by two volunteers from another group, Shah a B24 who has since COS'ed (his service ended) and John who is a B25. Another B25 CJ was there to help out. There were 3 Vols from my group of B26's, Amber (my first PC friend and roomie) and Ryan, a fellow Pacific North-westerner, and of course me. We had about 8 kids from ages 15-18 and they all spoke relatively good English, which was a huge relief for me! =)

It took place in the Rhodopi Mountains in the small beautiful village of Borino. The villages and people of the Rhodopi mountains are so friendly and it is SO beautiful!! We stayed in tents and the weather for the most part cooperated. The 3 of us B26's got in after dark since we were travelling directly from our conference. Our directions were that once we got off the bus in Borino there would be a man to meet us in a green van. I knew it would be one of those amazing experiences that drew me to join the Peace Corps and it did not dissapoint.

Here is Shah leading one of the English sessions

Amber and John in one of their sessions

And we shall call her "Old Faithful". This was our group transportation from where we were camping to the village. She rode about as good as she looks, but certainly was dependable!

We went to another village for their town celebration on Sat. This is Ryan, Amber and I.

They named the camp "Myle" I still don't know why, but here are the kids spelling it out. We followed this photo with a fun game of Duck Duck Goose.

The interior

Here is CJ, Amber and Ryan on our trip into town. There is a good reason Ryan is laughing in this photo. He and I sat in the very back and often got launched off of our seat a good foot or more from the "road" that we had to traverse in order to get to and from the camp.

Blogorious

After our conference in Blagoevgrad we had to wait about 2 weeks and we were all back together again. This time we were together with out counterparts. It was for our Project Design workshop and it took place in Sliven. It was great to be all together again. There are a few more photos that I was tagged in on facebook if anyone wants to see more.

All you need is Blog

So lets go back in time a bit. Towards the end of August we had a conference in Blagoevgrad, which is a city in the South Western part of the country very near to Macedonia. It was a great conference but by far the best part was getting together with my other friends and getting to meet and finally get to know some of the other volunteers. I didn't take a lot of pictures but what I did are posted here.

You be saying to yourself, why the heck haven't you blogged in so long, well to that my answer would be that better nothing than the emotional wreckage I have been trudging though. Some people put it all out there and others clam up, I would be in the latter group. I love this country, and I love the people here. I know that I read through a lot of blogs before I joined the Peace Corps. I read them to get a wide range of feelings and experiences of the people actually living the "dream". If there is anyone out there who would like to know more in detail what I have gone through or certain feelings and emotions that you may (or may not) feel your first few months I would be more than happy to share those with you. I do not feel prepared at this time to put everything in my blog though. Wow that sounds dramatic doesn't it! Seriously though, I am in a very good spot and can feel some great momentum now but it was not easy getting to this point.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

This was our first night together hanging out in almost a month! I had missed my girls very much. There was a very nice stairway from our hotel to a really pretty park that had some restaurants in it. It was a great location.