Sun is shining, the weather is sweet...!

I've been in-country for a little over 10 months, not that I'm counting, and finally something has happened which I've been waiting for. This morning the air was crisp with the mountain dew and the sun's rays were playing hide and seek above the Tryavna Balkan Mountain, and with that I knew today's run would be a good one. I ran past the usual farmyard with its sheep, horses, roosters, and manic dog, and I began to brace for that infamous smell of manure. On most days it's so strong that I've mastered the skill of holding my breath for about 50 meters without hyperventilating, but today was different. As I approached the concrete electrical tower marking the start of my newfound talent I lost my sense of consciousness to the odor, maybe due to the bloom of the morning. Before I could recognize where my footsteps were landing the scent of manure came to me as a welcoming gesture, like a fist-bump from my best friend or a wink from my next-door neighbor. I wondered before coming to Bulgaria if I would ever find a new norm of essence for the tang of animal feces and today I think I realized it. Now, I don't want this to sound like my most prestigious accomplishment since arriving here, but I must admit that I'm finally beginning to feel accustomed to my surroundings. The cool mornings and pleasant afternoons are massaging my senses with bliss, which are making the thought of this past winter truly a thing of the past. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and there will be peace and unending love in the world, but then again maybe that's asking too much!

Quotes of the Day:

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken away from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances and to choose one's own way." - Vicktor Frankl

"Caring about others, running the risk of feeling, and leaving an impact on people, brings happiness." - Harold Kushner

Beat on Repeat:

"Window Seat" - Erykah Badu

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

Честит Св. Патрик (Happy St. Patrick's Day)

In commemoration of St. Patrick's Day I decided to do an activity with my English class to teach them about the day. Since Bulgaria does not celebrate the day no one knew what it was or why we, Americans, celebrate it. I showed pictures from the Internet of St. Patrick's Day celebrations around the States, and everyone was really fascinated that the city of Chicago dyes the Chicago River green for the day. I also tried to give them a brief history of why we celebrate, and the meaning behind certain aspects the day such as the shamrock, leprechaun, and the color green. Lastly, we made a poster with shamrocks and hand-colored leprechauns, which was fun because the children were able to use their imagination a little. Hopefully I did a good job at Peace Corps' Goal #2, and the children will remember something about St. Patrick's Day.

Quotes of Day:

"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these." - George Washington Carver

"Lack of patience in small matters can wreak havoc in great ones." - Chinese proverb

Beat on Repeat:

"Fast car" - Tracy Chapman

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

One of my students really concentrating on his drawing.

The whole group hard at work.

The final product!

The Sun is Rising Again!

Things are starting to look up just as winter, hopefully, is on it's way out. The SOS Tryavna children's parliament has finally gotten some feet and is starting after 2 months of planning and waiting. On Friday, we had a our first election for president and ambassadors of the children's parliament. The parliament is made up of one president and 11 ambassadors, or one child from each house in the village. The children were extremely excited to start the parliament, and they had a really good time electing their own peers to represent them. The most interesting part of the process was the vote for president. When it was time to give nominations for president there were many different names given, but when it came time to vote there was an overwhelming majority for one child. I was very surprised for many reasons, because for one the person elected was a girl, and two, she's very quiet and shy. Bulgaria is a very male-dominated country, and it's very evident by the behavior of the children in the village. The boys try to reign supreme over the girls by bullying them, and usually the girls give in without a fight. So when a girl was elected so lopsidedly, it confirmed a lot of things that I knew but I wasn't seeing. First, you don't have to push your weight around to be respected, and secondly, there is much more gender equality in the village than is given credit for. Going into the election I speculated that the vote would come down to two well-known boys in the village, but as it turned out only one was nominated and he received only 5-10 percent of the vote. I feel like President Obama when he wrote in his second book The Audacity of Hope, "I am robbed of the certainty of uncertainty - for sometimes absolute truths may well be absolute." Overall, I think the experience for the children was a success, and hopefully the parliament can be used to allow them the opportunity to make decisions in the SOS village.

In other news, today Peace Corps volunteers around the world received some really good news from our director, Aaron S. Williams. As of April 1, 2010 Peace Corps is raising the readjustment allowance volunteers accumulate during their service and receive after completion. As of now we accumulate $225 per month, but after April 1st we'll receive $275 each month. If you're inspired enough to extend your service past the normal 2-year assignment into a third year, you'll receive $375 a month towards your readjustment allowance. So for anyone out there thinking of joining Peace Corps you now have an extra incentive to make the jump.

Quotes of the Day:

"We can't change the world except insofar as we change the way we look at the world - and, in fact, any one of us can make that change, in any direction, at any moment." - Pico Lyer

"The present moment is all you ever have." - Eckhart Tolle

Beat on Repeat:

"Paris Nights/New York Mornings" - Corinne Bailey Rae

"Closer" - Corinne Bailey Rae

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

The final tally for president of the parliament.

The elected ambassadors from each house in the village.

The final vote for president.

Children from one house deliberating over their decision for ambassador.

A group of kids waiting for the final vote for president.

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day, so I thought I would do my part to recognize this important day. In Bulgaria, like the majority of other places in world, women are being recognized for the economic, political, and social accomplishments made through hard work and sacrifice. In SOS Tryavna, we held a celebration for all of the mothers and female staff members in the village, and we hosted a group of female guests from Gorna Oryahovitsa, a small town in northern Bulgaria. The director gave all of the women flowers and toasted them for all of their hard work. The women's group from Gorna Oryahovitsa also gave a toast, then recited poems celebrating women's achievements. Afterwards, there were refreshments ranging from banitsa to cookies and cake. One of the pedagogues made a Powerpoint presentations also paying tribute to the women of SOS, which was entertaining because most of the women had never seen the pictures.

Well, it's snowing again, so Baba Marta, like Groundhog's Day, didn't necessarily mark the end of winter again. I'm learning just to take each day as it comes and not get disappointed when I look out the window and see it snowing. Maybe one day soon it will stop!

Quotes of the Day:

"The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?" – Bob Marley, in reference to the gunmen that shot him in his home before a peace rally.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." - the Dalai Lama

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

This is the group of women from SOS and Gorna Oryahovitsa.

The psychologist, is giving one of the mothers in SOS a flower for International Women's Day.

One of the SOS mothers is participating in a Bulgarian tradition by taking a piece of the bread and dipping it in honey.

The director, a woman from Gorna Oryahovitsa, and one of the pedagogues taking part in the Bulgarian tradition.

The traditional Bulgarian round bread and honey, which is given to welcome guests.

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.

So with all of that said, I hope winter is truly on it's way out. If Baba Marta is anything like Groundhog's Day we might be in for another few weeks of cold weather. At this point I can deal with temperatures around 32F, but anything below freezing has worn out it's welcome. Gauging by the past week, I think we are in the clear of any more snow because the weather has been relatively nice. On average, the temperatures have been around 50F (10-11C) as a high, and we have gotten lucky on a couple of days with temperatures in the 60s. Although, I feel like I'm jinxing myself because as I type I'm looking at the forecast for the upcoming week, and it's not looking good.

Quote of the Day:

"Focusing your life solely on making bucks shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential." - Barack Obama

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

Here is my martenitsa given to me by a colleague.

White wine, why aren't you red?

So after a month of constant sub-freezing temperatures, the weather finally decided to show us a glimpse of what it might be like in spring. This past weekend it was a balmy 44F with sunshine, and the snow almost completely melted away, at least from the streets. I had almost forgotten what my street looks like without being covered by 6 inches of snow. I was able to go for a run for the first time without showing the neighbors my ice skating skills! All of that nice weather was short lived because I woke up to this morning to winter again, a.k.a 3 inches of snow. :(

This past weekend my English club had it's monthly activity, so we decided to go bowling and see a movie. Me and two guys from the club dusted off our bowling skills before the movie, which was really fun and comical. What was also funny is the fact that we went to see a romantic comedy on Valentine's Day weekend. I think we were the only people in the theater not posing as a couple, which resulted in a few stares in itself! We saw the movie Valentine's Day, which featured a star-studded cast, so it turned out to be a good film.

On February 14th, Bulgaria not only celebrates Valentine's Day but they also commemorate the beginning of vine growing season. The day is better known as Trifon Zarezon, and it is the day of vine-growers and wine-makers who are said to be protected by Saint Trifon. Traditionally on this day the men prune the vines while the women prepare a feast, usually of bread and roasted chicken. After everyone's finished pruning and cooking they gather to eat, drink, sing and dance. Many Bulgarians love to make their own wine, and much of the wine made and consumed here is red wine. There is a famous song in Bulgaria that asks the question, "white wine, why aren't you red?"

Well, that's about all since you've had your Bulgarian culture lesson.

Quote of the Day:

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who only dream by night." - Edgar Allen Poe

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

These two guys love posing for the camera. If you're wondering, I do work with other children besides these two!

Koko is showing off his bowling skills, which surprised everyone because he's really good.

It was Evecho's first time bowling, but it didn't exempt him from getting laughed at by us!

If anyone is wondering what the inside of a typical Bulgarian train looks like here it is. It's not very posh, but at least it's warm.

It's Freezing in Bulgaria!!!

Hi Everyone,

I thought I'd give a quick a update on what's been happening lately. Well, in short, the main event has been the weather. The past two weeks has been unbelievably cold, at least for me, with low temps hovering between -25 - -20C (-14 - -4F) and high temps ranging from -13 - -5C (9-23F). For everyone in South Carolina, and the south in general, you have no idea what those low temps feel like because it never even comes close to being that cold there. Now, I know you guys had a cold spell come through a couple of weeks ago, but that's a warm front compared to what's going on here. I will admit that even though it's really cold, it's also very beautiful here at the moment. The snow is resting on the trees undisturbed, and it hasn't become grimy as a byproduct of cars and pollution, unlike places such as Sofia.

Other than the cold weather everything is pretty much the same as before. Next week I'll start holding exercise classes for the mothers of the village, so I'm interested to see how that goes. Bulgarians do a lot of walking which has it's benefits, but they also have some bad habits such as smoking so I'm trying not to set my expectations too high. Also next week I'm going to start a youth parliament with the children of SOS to teach them the basic concepts of democracy. There are a few children that are very outspoken and enjoy taking lead roles in my English classes, so I'm expecting them to flourish in the youth parliament. Evidently the youth parliament has been tried in the past and it wasn't successful, but as I learned of the details it sounds like there was a lack of organization. I'm optimistic it will work and be successful, so I'm not worrying!

Peace, Love, and Understanding...

The kids love any excuse to take a break from English class. :-)

This a picture of the Old Town from a bridge in the center of Tryavna.

This is the same lake that's near SOS, but now it doesn't really look like a lake.

Here is the town center covered in snow. It's a stark difference between the summer picture (below).