We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

And that Charlie Brown...

2009-12-23T03:42:00.002-05:00

I'm off today to get some errands done in Sofia (more on that soon, but to everyone from BBC who helped with my project, thank you!!), then tomorrow heading South to celebrate Christmas with my PCV family. And no skiing!! Promise. :)

I love and miss everyone back home more than you can imagine. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2009-12-21T16:22:00.002-05:00

Rule number one: never go ANYWHERE as a PCV without a camera... you never know when an impromtu dance party (or something else just as incredible) may commence.

Getting ready to "Celebrate the Day"

2009-12-20T12:37:00.003-05:00

I find it hard (very hard, in fact) to stay focused here. I chose Peace Corps largely because I knew it was going to stretch me in ways I've never been - and need to be - put to the test. With Christmas coming up this week, it's been especially distracting. For me, Christmas is a reminder to be centered on a gift and grace I have never once deserved, and the opportunity to celebrate with loved ones. It's hard... being here. Away from all of that.

So here's a song that helps put things in perspective.

Tis the season...

2009-12-17T16:01:00.005-05:00

To "paint" cookies!!

Last year, my aunt sent me some fun things to use with my program kids from Svetlina to decorate Christmas cookies, and even though I only had a few kids participate, they LOVED it! They'd never done anything like it before, and its still a tradition with me every year, so I was very excited when I got another package last month filled with cookie decorations, sprinkles, food coloring... everything!

This year we had about 25 kids come, and it was a blast. In fact, the newspaper even came to take some pictures and write an article for the Samokov paper about our Christmas activities.

So, even though I'm feeling pretty homesick being away from family this time of year, its been great to have a little bit of "home" here with me.

THANKS VAL!!!!

2009-12-17T14:03:00.003-05:00

Last week was a really long and emotional week. But considering I've been back for three months and that was the first all around rough week (and not to mention all of my extremities are in tact...) I've had, I guess I don't have much to complain about.

It all started when it suddenly hit me hard that this is the second of three Christmases in a row that I'll be away from my family. Not to mention that December 5th was five years from the death of a friend from Barcroft Youth Group. I didn't know Ben all that well, but I looked up to him more than I did probably any one else... he was just one of those guys who's love for Christ and people was contagious, and when he died a hero in Iraq midway through my freshman year, it hit me hard. So, the emotional weekend kicked off a very frustrating week where my patience and energy levels were already low.

The brief rundown: rough week of programming with my kids at the center (attendance has been tough...), I adopted a very needy and obnoxious cat (who was supposed to be a kitten) who later chewed through my computer AC adapter, I substituted for a day of English classes (which stresses me out and I'm convinced I am a horrible teacher), I got locked in my classroom by a group of kids I didn't even know after they shoved a stuck through the door handles... then stood by and laughed as I tried to wave to some other kids to let me out, my computer cable was deemed unfixable, I had no computer to talk to the people who are always there for me when I need them, one of my kids is going through something at home and she won't tell me what it is and I don't know how to be there for her, for the first time in my life I am dreaming at night... and I hate it, I got really really sick on Saturday, and on top of all this (and more...), I lost my favorite scarf at the very beginning of a super cold winter.

That's the watered down version, but let's just say I'm extremely thankful for a new week, amazing family and friends, fantastic colleagues, local computer tech guys (who speak English!!), a God who promises not to give me more than I can handle.... and the Kuchek Chicken Dance.

2009-11-30T15:44:00.006-05:00

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that even though I've only seen my Svetlina kids 4 days in the last month (for various reasons... many of which are out of our control, and the other reasons we're trying to reconcile with grant applications and program strengthening), this time around I find the work infinitely more emotionally draining. The reality of the situation and circumstance with my kids wears on me in the worst way, but I just want to express how much I LOVE my work here. No matter how tired or worn out I am (or frustrated!), the kids make me smile and remind me why I'm here.

Lately, my joy has come from these little kiddos - my Detska Gradina (Kindergarten) boys (don't ask why the whole class is boys... no clue... there are technically girls, but I rarely see them, and certainly never all three at the same time!).

Little Ivo! SUCH a sweetheart...

Boicho - "Katie, why do you have to work with OTHER kids? Why can't you stay here with us?" Love... :)

Yanko
SO CUTE!! I love watching some of the older boys help the younger ones with their lettering practice.

[Big] Ivo... a little high maintenance, but always the first one to yell my name when I walk in the classroom.
I know you aren't supposed to have a favorite when you work with kids... but look at him!! And he's always sooo excited about our English lessons.

My boys dancing the Bulgarian Horo!
Music class... complete with an accordion, of course!!

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, HRISTO!!! A very special little boy and my one on one buddy. :) Look at the smile! I just ignore the fact that the pic I took 3 seconds before this featured him sticking his tongue out at me... haha.

Happy Turkey Day from Bulgaria!

2009-11-26T02:53:00.002-05:00

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

Frederick Buechner

This year I'm thankful for second chances... and families that come in so many different forms. :)

2009-11-24T14:25:00.003-05:00

Last week was one of the more emotionally trying weeks I've had since I've been back in country. Although the work is easier this go around (but only because during my time at home I found my passion and drive for where God has called me), the reality of the situation here and the nature of my job is on the draining side. It's funny, in the grand scheme of things, I spend very little time with my kids. In fact, today was the first day in more than three weeks I even SAW them. When you combine the swine flu that knocked out about two and a half weeks of work with last week's "incident," its been a little slow in these parts.

Last weekend I was invited to the in-service training for the newest group of volunteers to give a brief choice session on working with Roma. Since I am one of the few volunteers who works solely with the Roma population (more on that later), I was asked to go over my experiences and plans, and share the struggles I have encountered along the way. Because of the timing, I missed the kid's first day back to school after two weeks of official swine flu "vacation" (we also lost kid's attendence in the days leading up to the mandated closure). On Wednesday, I headed over to the office to prep for the day's game with the kids, and encountered a HUGE crowd of seemingly angry people, and an entire fleet of police cars (well... 6... but thats more than I have ever seen here!) at the Tourism magnet school directly across the street from my school.

As soon as I got to the office, I called my counterpart to see if she knew what was going on, because there were no kids in site. From the little I understood, I gathered that there was a stabbing, and one of the students from our school was hurt, but I didn't get any more details (my ability to understand Bulgarian on the phone without visual cues is limited). Later, I asked a couple Bulgarians at the basketball game what had happened, and got so many conflicting reports. One person said a man stabbed a young child, another said that a teenage Bulgarian boy stabbed a young Roma student and he was dead (???), and still another person gave a different story. Nothing lined up, so I vowed to remain indifferent until I got real details.

Before I go further, read this: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=110133

This was the article I got in the morning. The "school across the street" is where I work. Samokov is known for these "alleged" racial issues... in 2007 a Roma teenager was beaten to death in the town center while people essentially watched it happen. Roma all over the country protested and rallied, so when this incident happened, even though it was a group of Bulgarian students fighting a group of Roma students, people were angry.

They immediately closed my school and the kids were sent home. The boy who was stabbed (9th grader who used to be in our program... i met him last year a couple of times but don't work with him now) suffered a fairly extensive abdominal wound and immediately went into surgery (as far as I know he is still at the hospital), but is going to be ok. The mayor and police chief were called out to the school to try and calm the maddening crowds, and the next day parents came to the school without their kids to demand answers, and a Ministry representative from Sofia was called in to try and "diffuse" the situation.

Later on, this article was written: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=110172

Needless to say, its a hard reality to deal with. Regardless of whether racial issues are "artificially" created or not, there are HERE. Parents already don't understand the value of their kids education, since 9th grade is the last stop for most of them anyway (if they get that far). So now I am tasked with trying to find a way to reach the parents, and MORE kids than just the ones who are already a part of our program. It's tiring. And emotionally draining, and many days I'm not sure what direction to head in...

I was asked the other day if I regret coming back, the answer is still NO. I'm just thankful to know what I'm fighting for, even though I don't know how to quite yet.

2009-11-22T04:26:00.001-05:00

On the 22nd of November, exactly a year ago, I woke up to 6 inches of snow on the ground, and it continued to come down all day. This year, we've already seen snow a couple of days, but today, its in the 60s outside.

2009-11-19T15:11:00.002-05:00

I've always heard people say that God has a sense of humor, and I tend to believe that claim. On Sunday I arrived to the bus station early to wait in line for the 4pm bus to Plovdiv. It was super crowded, so I was glad I had allowed the time to make sure I was at the front of the line. About 15 minutes before the bus was schedule to leave (don't forget - this is Europe... a bus will leave early, but never late), I was proudly standing at the front of the line when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I had to interupt the conversation as the Bulgarians in front of me muscled there way to the front of the line. I lost my place, and by the time I fought my way to the front, the bus was full. Completely. And I was out of luck since the next bus wasn't until the next morning...

While I was trying to figure out what to do (didn't even have enough time to try and go through Sofia), I threw out the cliche hail mary prayer, "alright God... you know how important this is!"

Next thing I know, the bus driver is waving me towards him. Again, he told me there was no room, to which I replied that I had understood, I was just trying to figure out what to do. He looked at the ticket collector, who looked at me, looked back at the driver, then grabbed a newspaper, spread it out on the stairs of the double decker bus, and emphatically said, "sit!"

And there I sat - for the next hour.

I may have gotten a tad car sick on the windy mountain roads while watching the window at my feet whip through the scenery, but thanks. I got there. :)

2009-11-18T04:07:00.002-05:00

While I seem to be able to navigate my way almost anywhere in this country, I am utterly incapable of returning home in anything that might resemble an efficient fashion (case in point - getting locked on a bus because i took it in the wrong direction once, and remember that loooonnngg trip back home to the US with a broken leg and without a passport? yeah...).

So, here is a shout out to the 26 (and a half) Bulgarians in Plovdiv who helped me navigate my incredibly painful route back to Samokov yesterday.

Awkwardly comfortable...

2009-11-15T03:22:00.002-05:00

Comfortably awkward?

I'm pretty sure that exactly sums up what PC Volunteers all around the world are striving for during their service. You know how you sometimes put things off because it stresses you out, but all along you know the longer you wait, the harder the task will be? Well, that is how I felt about calling my host parents from Pre-Service Training... until I finally called them on Thursday, they didn't even know I was back in the country. So, yesterday I went for a little lunch time "na gosti" (basically having guests or being a guest in someones home) with Svetla and Kiril.

The whole day was interesting... I only live about 30 minutes (+ a 2km walk from the highway) from my training village from my town now, so its an easy trek and very doable to spend the day with them before returning on the 5pm bus. Last fall, when I would come, Kiril would meet me out by the highway and we would walk in together. I loved seeing him waiting for me when I got off the bus!! Then we would go back, make lunch together, drink coffee, and catch up. This time, however, I walk to their house and into the yard, and no one is home. I was really confused. I called ahead of time to make sure they would be home, so I started to replay my phone convo with Kiril to make sure we had both understood everything! I didn't understand where I went wrong... finally I walk out through the garden to the field and he is back there working. He comes out to greet me, apologizes for working, hands me a magazine and said he would be back in a little while and Svetla was on her way. Turns out their daughter had just had her baby, and Svetla was in Sofia helping, and should have been back that morning. So, my host dad and I spend an entire "awkwardly comfortable" day talking about everything and nothing in particular, while playing with the new kitten! (who, by the way... would have come home with me if we could figure out a way to transport him on the bus...). Anyway, Svetla finally came home later, and I hated to tell her I only had another hour before the last bus from town, so we drank a quick cup of coffee and ate my mom's famous (and heavily adapted here in the Bulg) coffee cake before I was showered with apples, potatoes, and homemade wine to take back with me. Then Svetla walked me to the bus and made me promise to come back soon when everyone had more time. Not how I expected things to go, but a good day. :)

PS - when dealing with farm animals and live stock, don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to. And most importantly, don't make friends with any of them.

But kittens, are not livestock!!! Misho!

Happy Veteran's Day!

2009-11-11T06:50:00.003-05:00

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matt 5:9)

Regardless of your stance on war and politics, remember the men and women who have sacrificed for your freedoms, and are continuing to do so everday. Let's prove to them we're a generation who hasn't forgotten their bravery - thank a veteran! And those continuing to serve now.

Happy Veterans Day.

2 Months

2009-11-10T10:26:00.002-05:00

If I've said it before, I'll say it again: passage of time here baffles me. As of today, I've been back in the Bulg for two months. Some days being here feels so right and so normal, and other days leave me feeling like it could all be taken away again at any moment. When someone reminds me I haven't actually been here working for the majority of the last year, it almost catches me off guard, but at the same time, the time I spent at home felt like an eternity and a lifetime ago. Hard to believe winter is here, I'm settled in, and I'm ready and waiting to tackle the frigid cold here in the Balkans.

I think I still have to process the journey I've been on the last couple of years. Much of it is surreal, then I remember how amazingly blessed I've been with such incredible opportunities!! How many 23 year olds have spent the time since their 21st birthday working as a gang unit intern with the police department (including a couple - small - undercover assignments and a missing person turned murder case!), and then finding their calling on the streets of NYC living and loving like Christ for 4 months before embarking on the adventure of a life time in Bulgaria with the Peace Corps... then sitting on a plane [unmedicated] alternating between tears and fits of laughter... and realizing it was all being taken away.... for 9 months.... possibly indefinitely... and then ultimately realizing how much it was worth fighting for... and then FIGHTING for it? Now if that doesn't exhaust you but make you super excited, then I don't know what will.

But here I am, missing my friends and family and the life that awaits me back home in a year and a half... but blessed beyond measure and thrilled for the second chance to be here.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner natuer is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." - 2 Cor. 4:16-18

2009-11-05T04:38:00.002-05:00

It's cold outside... but there is enough sun that I decided to take a chance on drying my bedsheets outside (I mean, I should have a couple more weeks before they immediately freeze, right?). Well, I think it was drying well enough that I should have been able to bring it in by the end of the day.

But a little bird... just decided to relieve itself... on my freshly clean bedsheet.

Oh le le.

"Svinski Grip"

2009-11-05T04:21:00.002-05:00

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=109635

The news is estimating that within the next week, Bulgaria will officially be in a "national crisis" for swine flu. My school closed this past Monday, and will remain closed until at least this coming Tuesday. Apparently there is a law in Bulgaria that if 30% of the student body is absent for whatever reason, then the school is required to close. On Monday I was substitute teaching for the English classes at my school (and if you know ANYTHING about me, you know I had been dreading this since I "volunteered" to do it for the day), and no kids showed up to my first period. I had two children for second period, third and fourth off, three kids in 5th, and then before I ever got to the last class, we were closed for "Swine Flu Vacation." Schools and towns along the Eastern part of the country were closing pretty quickly, but Samokov was the first Western municipality to declare an "epidemic." The news article estimates that 100,000 Bulgarians are sick with the "new flu," and once we hit 200 sick for every 10,000 Bulgarians, we'll officially be in a national crisis. Kind of scary, and definitely contributing to a panic mode! I walk by the hospital every day on my way to work, and it has been soooo crowded over the last couple of weeks. I even heard that some hospitals nationwide are having to turn people away because they are ill-equipped to handle everyone seeking medical attention.

On another note... I've been taking "my week off" as an opportunity to catch up on some of the administrative work I have to do. My organization has zero cash flow at the moment, and in dire need of some fuel for our operating costs. The last couple of days I have been weeding through old projects and trying to find pieces we can utilize for new grant proposals. One I've been working on in particular is focused on capacity building and social skills building for the kids. It's pretty awesome sounding, but trying to understand parts of it (it is in English, but you can tell at parts its been translated and retranslated back and forth between Bulgarian and English multiple times) well enough to formulate new ideas has been a challenge. But, I think as soon as I can work with my colleagues and decide on a dollar amount, it should be ready to go. Of course, this is just the letter... if we get approved to submit the full project, we are no where near being done!! :)

Starting a whole week...

2009-11-02T06:21:00.003-05:00

Of essentially nothing but project brainstorming/writing and studying, because its official - my school is on a "flu vacation" until next Tuesday.

Ще видим...

Fighting a champion-less battle...

2009-10-27T17:51:00.003-04:00

As "future" Peace Corps Volunteers, we often romanticize the coming Peace Corps experience. We read and hear about mosquito tents and daily water regimes, living without power (and God forbid - INTERNET ;)), and two years without a real cheeseburger.

When the day comes and you receive an invitation to serve in the Eastern Block for the next 27 months of your life, part of you knows better, but you still envision something resembling a mud hut, dirt roads, and the third world.

Then you actually get here... and while many of us still deal with the occasional "squatty potty," donkey cart, flea infestation, or exploding appliance; we all rest assured knowing that the closest McDonald's is "reasonable" bus ride away (how badly DO you want that cheeseburger?), internet is accessible (often at home), we can catch a movie or go bowling if and when the need/desire arises, and as far as European travel, the world is our oyster.

It can be distracting as a Peace Corps volunteer to know these luxuries are not just accessible, but often affordable. Not exactly the sacrificial lifestyle we all envision during those days of anticipation.

However "spoiled" we might be with amenities, all of the Big Macs and Bruce Willis movies in the world don't stand a chance against the emotional battle we fight here. If I was posted in the Africa or South America regions, my job as a PCV would be to offer grass roots development, usually by way of offering a skill set to achieve something tangible. When I left after my 2 year tour, I would leave knowing that if I built the well my village needed and transferred those skills to help in the future, I was successful.

Here, though? Reality is that I very well could leave Samokov in April 2011 leaving only a minimal trace of sustainability towards continued development. Sure, I'll have built relationships with some amazing kids, and that can't be taken away from either party. But what about the continued fight on racism and segregation? Soviet "ideals?" Corruption? Educational reform? I may be Pavlov's dog when it comes to that promised Mickey D's cheeseburger when I embark to the capital a mere hour away, but no amount of processed beef-like substances can lessen the emotional battles that can occur here.

Are we fighting a losing battle? Maybe.

Does that make it any less important? Nope.

Is our presence here viable and extremely crucial? Absolutely.

PC Bulgaria isn't any better, worse, easier, or harder than any other post in the Peace Corps. It's just different...

Maybe a developmental presence here is even more important. Because in posts that have never seen development, they don't know what they are missing. But here in the Eastern Block, entire people groups are being left behind in an otherwise developing world. Minority Groups (Roma and people with disabilities specifically come to mind) lack opportunity. It's there, it's just hard or impossible for them to access. Mindsets from former goverments are generations away from entirely being turned over.

The need is here, and after a 9 month "sabbatical" (haha, perfect...) I am so incredibly blessed and thankful to have acquired a new perspective to approach my current task in life: giving a voice to the voiceless, and loving on people who need it the most here in Samokov, Bulgaria while doing my part to help change the way they see the world, and most importantly - change the way the world sees THEM.

"The end of communism is still remote because communism, more than a political ideology or a method of the government, is a state of mind. Political power may change hands overnight, economics and social life may soon follow, but people's personalities, shaped by the communist regimes they lived under, are slower to change. Their characters have so deeply incorporated a particular set of values, a way of thinking and of perceiving the world, that exorcising this way of being will take an unforseeable length of time."

- How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed, by Slavenka Drakulic -

One point for the stubborn American!

2009-10-27T15:08:00.002-04:00

Today I quested my way back to the migration office in Sofia to tackle "step 2" of my permanent residency card. The goal was to return triumphant, and hopefully with even a fraction of the gratification I felt earlier this month when I successfully completed the first step for my card.

After knocking on the window, the woman was immediately like, "Filkins?" Not so sure how I feel about being so quickly recognized at the police station in a city where I don't even live (maybe thats better than being known where I DO live? Hmmm), but I chuckled to myself at the reality of the situation.

**Briefly to catch anyone who doesn't know every detail of "Katie's series of unfortunate events" early last winter: I started the process for my first residency card about a year ago. I went into Sofia for the first two steps, then only a week or so before my actual card was ready, my passport was stolen out of my purse just after reporting another... incident... Your residency card is directly linked to your passport, so they wouldn't give me the card until they processed a new one for the new passport. So we started the process over. I applied for a new passport and while waiting for it, I decided it would be fun to go ahead and break my leg and make everyone's lives - namely my own - miserable. Then this summer, when I decided to return, I decided to frustrate both the US and Bulgarian governments with this little story of mine, but here I am. So yes, I'm pretty much famous all the world over.**

So, under an hour later (victory is mine!) I left the police station with a promise that my card would be ready for pick up in about a month.

History would indicate that if I can make it through this next month bez (without) incident, I should be in the clear. AND NO SKIING!!

Promise. :)

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS!!!

2009-10-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Seriously... these are some really special momicha's!

I got to spend the afternoon with them in what started out as a "photography as art" lesson, and turned into an all out photo op around Samokov. In addition to being absolutely gorgeous, Petya (left) and Galia have pretty incredible hearts.

Love it.

"Head and shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes!)!

2009-10-16T13:37:00.002-04:00

I got to color and sing "Head and Shoulders" with the most adorable little kids today! It was my first day in the kindergarten, and we learned some body parts in English before breaking out the colored pencils and talking about sea animals that start with the "r" sound in Bulgarian. So fun!

I spent about an hour and a half with them before lunch and nap time, and I am really excited about returning a couple times every week. The kids are absolute sweethearts, and it looks like in addition to mini English lessons, I will get the chance to work with little Hristo. He's six years old, and has Down's Syndrome. One of the "at-risk" groups in Bulgaria are special needs children. A disproportionate number of children in orphanages and institutions are Roma or children with developmental disabilities. Usually, these children are institutionalized at a very young age, so last year when I worked at a day center for special needs kids, it was an encouraging and progressive thing to be a part of. But, they were well staffed and even better resourced, so I decided that even though I loved the kids and young adults there, it wasn't the best use of my time since they were already established and doing so well.

Anyway, Hristo is technically "main-streamed" with the rest of the kids in his class (meaning he is with them all day...), but I noticed that since he isn't capable of performing at the same level as his classmates, he usually sits in the corner and plays since the teacher is spread relatively thin and can't afford to give him one on one attention. So I asked if I could work with him while the other kids are doing their lessons after our English session! The teacher basically told me that whatever I could offer, they wanted. Especially English, since they had wanted to introduce some English words to the kids to help with cognitive development and to prepare them for school in the next couple of years (kindergarten here is technically preschool...). So, I am glad to be of help, but I am also excited about the opportunity to work with Hristo and even though my experience with special needs children is limited (and a bit dated... I worked with some autistic grade school students on a weekly basis while in high school... infrequently since then!), maybe come up with some models for more active participation and interaction from the special needs students. Instead of merely "keeping them busy," I want to encourage emphasis on the development of their cognitive and motor skills.

And, he's a cutie! I got the biggest grin when I gave him a hug on my way out today. Not to mention another little boy asked when I could come back and sing with them.

It will definitely be something to look forward to every week. :)

Where is FALL?!?

2009-10-15T03:50:00.002-04:00

The first thing my counterpart said to me a year ago when we met was, "you know its cold in Samokov, right? You know its in the mountains and one of the coldest cities in Bulgaria, right? You'll love it!"

Now, whenever I mention being cold, she laughs and says she warned me! Thanks Katya... :)

Last year I moved to Samokov on October 9th, and it was weeks before I routinely used my heater. This go around, I've been using my heater to knock the chill off of my freezer box for awhile, anxiously anticipating the day the gentleman downstairs lights his first fire... And a couple nights ago, it SNOWED!! I was on my way up to a local village for a little na gosti with some friends, and the first time I left my apartment I ran back upstairs to grab my rain coat to help defend against the icy cold precipitation. But little more than a minute later when I walked out the front door of my block, I groaned as I was greeted with SNOW. Wet, and lots of it. The cold front came all too fast for it to stick - the ground is still too warm, but not for long! It snowed for hours that night, and the next morning when I looked up to the mountains, I longed for the lost Fall Season as I noticed the ski slopes (a mere 15 minutes away) were COVERED in snow! I've been told to expect a longer, colder winter this year. And considering I only made it to 2 days after christmas last year, I'm in for a long haul until April! And to think, I willingly decided to sign up for a THIRD winter next year. Oozhus.

Other than impending doom rolling into my mountain town (brrrr... long underwear, scarfs, and hats ALREADY!?!?), things are going well. I met with a teacher and then the director of the kindergarten down in the Roma neighborhood earlier this week, and I will be able to help down there a couple mornings a week. I am excited! I miss spending time with little kids, so this will be something to look forward to, in addition to another avenue to spending time down in the other part of town.

Speaking of which, my photography contest (that i was SO excited about for a ton of reasons) appears to be a bust. None of the kids have showed up for their sessions various reasons. I'm hoping to grab a few to at least set an example of how fun it could be for the other kids, but so far its not working. I find it very hard to engage the kids outside of our designated times and programs. I seem to get them as a captive audience every day for an hour after school, but then thats it. You can't get them to plan ahead very far, and none of them will return later in the evening because of work and family obligations. So my new goal is to find the best way to maximize the small amount of time I DO have, and ways to engage them for additional activities... its a challenge, thats for sure!

On another note, yesterday I was finally able to finish fine tuning my first project! Well, rather, the letter of intent to show my interest to be considered for the grant! I submitted a years worth of enrichment and integration programming to be considered for funding by the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe. It's extremely competitive, and I won't hear anything back for awhile, but if we pass the first wicket, I'll hear again and be invited to submit the ENTIRE project for the next step. So, for now, we wait... and work on other ideas!

Brrrrrr. Seriously, its cold. And I'm not ready. We only got like 5 days of fall before winter and freezing temperatures hit. And I seem to be a bit homesick this week...

HAPPY ONE YEAR OF SERVICE, B-24s!!!!

2009-10-09T11:18:00.003-04:00

Even though I took a rather unanticipated 9month "sabbatical" and can't truly celebrate with you all yet, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

2009-10-06T15:49:00.001-04:00

“Many times with Jesus, genuine love and hope came in the oddest of packages. It was friendship; He laughed with them. It was life; He ate with them. He healed them. He loved them. He hung out with them. He became their friend in their environment, their neighborhood, their home… their gutter. He provided Hope to people with common pain and illustrated that normal people with normal problems and normal pain are the cement that forms the foundations of the gutter.”

- The Gutter, by Craig Gross

Overwhelming week... awesome weekend. :)

2009-10-05T12:38:00.002-04:00

This week was a little bit of a reality check. Nothing legitimately frustrating happened (and we all know I'm a magnet for those "incidents!"), I just felt a little frustrated and down.

But I had a super fun weekend! Went out on Friday night with some new friends and had a blast, then had a na gosti (dinner and visiting as a guest) with good company that resulted in the obligatory Bulgarian food coma (yummmmm), then spent Sunday with my friends in Sofia!

And then, to top it all off, I had a very self-gratifying and productive day in Sofia today. I spent the night last night because I had to head into the city today to restart the process for my permanent residency card (lichna karta). I had to apply all over again since I never actually received my card last fall and its now expired... but I was determined to try and complete step 1 by myself. My counterpart was on standy here in Samokov, but she had to work until after lunch, so I braved it alone, and was able to call her and tell her she didn't have to come!

The first step was FINDING the police station. I didn't know how to distinguish the one department from others when asking for directions (no one knew if it had a name or not), so i totally winged it and ended up finding it pretty quickly, then was even able to ask for directions for a photo place to get the pictures I needed taken. Then I went into the office and was able to handle the entire process! I was missing a form, but we worked it out that I can bring it for step 2. She asked me why I didn't have a colleague with me since usually foreigners have someone with them, but I said she was working and I was going to try and figure it out. She said I filled out the forms beautifully, and she was impressed at how well I did. Haha, in reality I was terrified, but when I walked out of there having completed the first step, it felt amazing. :) I rewarded myself with a McDonald's cheeseburger!