Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Could the woman with the big boutique of flowers please stand up?

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give a quick update on what's happening with me here in Bulgaria. Last week, I spent 3 days at a project, design, and management conference in Veliko Turnovo. The conference went really well and now I feel more prepared to tackle larger projects in Tryavna. Veliko Turnovo is a super nice town nestled in the Balkan Mountains, so as you can imagine the scenery was very beautiful. I guess all didn't go well because I ended up bringing a stomach virus back with me, which kept me feeling miserable the entire weekend.

Starting this week my work should pick up because finally the summer holiday comes to a close, and school will begin. There are about 3 different projects that I'm trying to initiate with the help of colleagues, so I'm sure I will have my work cut out for me in the coming weeks and months. This week I begin teaching semi-formal lessons to the children in my organization, advising/coaching a youth basketball team, and organizing an English Club for youth and adults. Finally I'm beginning to feel like I'm doing something that is beneficial for people in my town. Hopefully this momentum will carry me into the winter months, which is exciting and dreadful all at the same time.

School starts today, so it's almost like an unofficial holiday here in Bulgaria. There was a huge ceremony before school welcoming the children back in which the mayor, school director, local soccer celebrity, and others spoke. All of the children gave their teachers a flower which is a great gift, but it's funny because I see people walking with these enormous boutiques of flowers and I know they must be a teacher. It was very easy to feel the excitement surrounding the arrival of another school year, one in which I haven't experienced in a few years!

That's all for now.

Peace, Love, and Understanding...


This is a random picture of the inside of a school in Tryavna.

The flowers on the table are an example of a boutique I was mentioning earlier.

This is the ceremony at the secondary school in Tryavna where the mayor and star soccer player spoke.