Thursday, December 2, 2010
Fighting The Good Fight
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Bulgarian Halloween
Friday, October 22, 2010
I Would Like to Call It Beauty
Sunday, July 25, 2010
It's My Anniversary!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Rhyme for the Summertime
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Be quick, but don't hurry.
All of the bicycles and helmets were given to SOS by sponsors, in addition to the different obstacles used in the tournament.
Each of the four courses were designed to require the rider to use maximum concentration and coordination to complete successfully. A representative from Bulgaria's largest automotive union officiated and sponsored the bicycle tournament.
The written test required each rider to identify road signs, hand signals, and the appropriate actions to take in situations involving other riders and automobiles. There were four different questions and each rider was given two minutes to complete the test.
The puzzle competition was one of two team activities in the tournament. There were four different puzzles for the teams to complete, and they were given two minutes to complete them.
The bicycle inspection was the second of the two team competitions, and also the last activity of the tournament. Each team was given drawings of certain parts of the bicycle and they had to perform an inspection to decide which parts were defective. Like most of the other activities they were given two minutes to complete the inspection.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
International Children's Day
Playstation 2 is the biggest hit for the children in SOS, because there's only one in the village. The children have computers in their homes so they're able to play PC games, but Playstation 2 games draw all of the attention. I have to set a time limit for the Playstation because otherwise there would be the same two children playing the entire time. No one wants to give up the seats in front of the TV for those games - it's like trying to get a front row seat to a Lil' Wayne concert!
The computer games are usually relegated to the children who don't have the audacity to fight and claw their way for a chance to play the Playstation 2 or foosball. It's a shame because I've spent hours trying to download fun games, only to realize that no one wants to play them. The children that do play computer games want to play internet games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, or spend their time talking on Skype. It's okay, though, because it just makes me realize how disconnected I am from the gaming world. When I was the kids' ages I was just as in-the-know about Playstation and computer games as they are now, so maybe it's a sign that I need to put down the books in my free time and check out the popular internet games. I never thought I would say that, but it's for the kids at the moment.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Coming Home
I made a short trip to Veliko Turnovo for a couple of days, which was nice because the weather is now warm. The trees and flowers are in full blossom, so the place is very lush at the moment.
Finally, I made a quick trip to Istanbul, Turkey for a few days, and it was amazing. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect in Istanbul, even though I had heard good things about the place, but it exceeded my expectations. Like Barcelona, there is so much to see and do that it's difficult to decide what to do from one thing to the next. The picture above is the Hagia Sophia (pronounced Ayia Sophia) and it was once a cathedral when Istanbul was known as Constantinople, and later converted into a mosque.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Art Project
I tried to setup the activity so that each kid had something to do, instead of allowing there to be a free-for-all of painting. It was setup so that a couple of kids painted outlines of the drawings, while the other kids colored in the spaces. Everything was going like clockwork until one of my colleagues decided to schedule a mountain biking activity next to where we were painting. Most of the kids wanted to ride bikes instead of paint, so I had to recruit some younger kids to finish the job.
Hopefully now the director will allow the kids to paint the other two trash containers in the village, because I think it will add a little character to the place. I shouldn't be complaining, but the village sometimes feels too sterile because it's so clean. Most Bulgarian towns have problems with trash laying around due to littering, including my own, but in SOS it's not a problem. The children pickup trash weekly, and as punishment, so the place looks well kept. Now, I hope my other Earth Day projects go as well as this one.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sun is shining, the weather is sweet...!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Честит Св. Патрик (Happy St. Patrick's Day)
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Sun is Rising Again!
Monday, March 8, 2010
International Women's Day
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." - the Dalai Lama
Peace, Love, and Understanding...
One of the SOS mothers is participating in a Bulgarian tradition by taking a piece of the bread and dipping it in honey.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Честита Баба Марта! (Happy Baba Marta)
If you don't know, which I know everyone does, March 1st is a national holiday in Bulgaria called Баба Марта (Baba Marta)! :) In Bulgarian "baba" means "grandmother" and "Marta" is the word for the month of March. Baba Marta is a tradition welcoming spring, and it is characterized by the colors red and white, and when woven together symbolizes good health. To symbolize the holiday it is customary to give your family, friends, people you're close to, etc. a мартеница (martenitsa), or adornment, made of red and white yarn. The martenitsa is usually a bracelet or tassel, and it is to be worn from March 1st until around the end of the month, or until the first sighting of a stork or budding tree. Once a stork or blossoming tree is spotted most Bulgarians, depending on the region, tie the martenitsa to the branch of a tree, which supposedly gives it good health and good luck. There is an old folk tale about Baba Marta and why the martenitsa brings good luck, but I'll let you research it to find out more. Below are some photos of the different styles of martenitsi.
Here is my martenitsa given to me by a colleague.