Time To Move On

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for all of us to move on. I have completed my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer and I'm back in the States now. I will leave this blog behind and start a new one with all new adventures. You can follow me here: http://lifeaslivedbyevan.blogspot.com/. I appreciate you guys following me on my Bulgarian journey and I hope that you'll continue to follow me. Not literally follow me, that would get weird and crowded. I hope that you'll read my new blog. Wish me luck as I try to conquer the world!!

Life Lessons, Courtesy of Bulgaria

As my time in Bulgaria is coming to a rather swift end (I only have 20 more days!), I’ve started thinking and reminiscing on my time here. The ups and downs. The good and bad. The hot summer days and the freezing winter nights. I’ve been talking with my volunteer friends and we’ve shared what has changed about ourselves since we’ve been here. I, honestly, can’t think of that many things that have changed. Maybe I’m better at improvising now. Or maybe I’m much more confident walking into a room where I don’t know anyone or speak the same language as anyone.  I’ll never really know until I’m back in the States and I get put in these situations again. I will say, though, that there are plenty of things that Bulgaria has TAUGHT me. These are some of those things:

       1) When in doubt, try saying the word with a different accent.

o    There are many words that are similar in Bulgarian and English and the only difference is an accent, and maybe an intonation.

      2)  Miming is an effective means of communication.

o    Don’t know how to describe something? Act it out.

      3) Americans call is “stalking”. Bulgarians call is “courting”.

o    Either way, it’s a compliment, right?

       4) The phrase “Tova e Bulgaria.” (That’s Bulgaria.) is a perfectly acceptable response to any injustice, no matter the size.

o    The bus is 10 minutes late…again: Tova e Bulgaria.

o    There’s no water or electricity in the village for a couple days: Tova e Bulgaria.

      5) No good dinner party starts before 8 o’clock and is shorter than three and a half hours.

o    It’s also unacceptable if there’s not enough food or alcohol for a small army.

       6) Never ask what’s in something before you (are forced) try it.

o    Unless you’re the kind of person who wants to know that you’re about to eat goat brain.

       7) Don’t be afraid to dance with the locals.

o    You might end up being pretty good at it.

       8) Accept every invitation to dinner (or banquets) that you get.

o    It’s an easy way to get good food and build relationships with the people you’ll come to call your family.

Bulgaria, you and I have had some times. They haven’t always been good and they haven’t always been easy. But, no matter what, I will always look back on those times and remember what you’ve taught me. I wouldn’t change a thing about these last two years and I know that I’ll always remember them as an amazing adventure.

Everyone Needs A Little Turkey

So, I embarked on another adventure. This time, my travels took me to Istanbul, Turkey for Spring Break and it was absolutely amazing. I've been to some pretty great places since I've been in Bulgaria: Bologna, Italy, Athens, Greece and Santorini, but I have to say that Istanbul is my favorite. Everything about it was great. Well, almost everything. We had quite a journey getting there. Let me tell you about it.

I went with Adrienne and Katelyn and we ended up running into another volunteer, Nichole, on the way. We were taking a night train from Plovdiv and we were all pretty excited about it. However, it turned out to just be one, big mess. We got on the train and were immediately charged extra for the sleeping car (which we weren't expecting). We were told two different prices, because the Turkish man who was in charge of the sleeping car was drunk and couldn't get his act together. We only got to sleep for about two hours before we had to get off the train at the border of Turkey (because Turkey was remodeling their train lines). We then had to get our visas and passports checked in the rain. Then, we got on a bus that didn't work. The Turkish workers didn't really do anything to the broken bus except wait for it to work again. We all waited for about two hours (by now it's about 4 in the morning). Finally, we get on our way, but only for half an hour before the bus breaks down completely. At 4:30 in the morning, another bus picks us up and we're FINALLY on our way to Istanbul. The bus ride was long and cold (they never turned on the heat). We got to Istanbul at 9:30 in the morning and finally got to our hostel where we could get some real rest.

The rest of the trip was nothing like this experience (thank God). From that point on, we enjoyed the wonders of Istanbul. Everything about the city is fantastic. The streets are clean, the food is delicious, the people are friendly, the prices are reasonable (for the most part), and there is always something to do or see. I think it's the perfect combination of the Eastern and Western worlds.

We got to be real tourists and see all of the sights. We saw the Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, the Spice Market, the Grand Bazaar (where I found my Turkish boyfriend), and the Topkapi Palace. We stayed in Second Home Hostel and I would absolutely recommend staying there (if hostels don't scare you). The staff was amazing, it's in a convenient location, the price is reasonable, and it's very clean. There was even one night where the staff made us Turkish food and we had a dance party.

Our last night in Istanbul was probably my favorite. I got to go on a date with my cute Turkish boyfriend. He proposed marriage first and THEN asked me out on a date (apparently they do things a bit backwards in Turkey). Adrienne and Katelyn came with me and we all enjoyed some Turkish tea and hookah. Afterwards, us gals headed out (we also picked up Nichole) for some dancing. We found a hole-in-the-wall bar with a rooftop terrace/dance floor. There we spent our whole night dancing to an interesting array of music (hip hop/Turkish/oldies/ska/techno remixes) with an interesting array of people. Nichole and Katelyn even got to dance on the bar. Which was cool until they lit the bar on fire (Katelyn is deathly afraid of fire). But, she lived and it was an interesting way to end our time in Istanbul.

Now I'm back in Koynare and getting ready to horo in the Festival this weekend. I'll be posting (hopefully) pictures and videos of the event. I got my costume yesterday, and everyone told me that I looked like a Bulgarian. Umm, thanks? Now, let's just hope I'll be able to horo like one.

Dancing Queen

I want to start off by saying that this post is a little behind schedule. As usual.

Something has finally happened in my village. Something that I've been wanting to happen for a long time. A dance class was started. Not just any dance class. This is a horo dance class. Now, you're probably thinking, "What's this "horo" you speak of?" Well, horo is traditional Bulgarian folk dancing. I'm not sure if any description I can give will do it justice, so you can watch one of the dances HERE. The dance in the video is one that my group actually does.

I was so excited when Beti told me that a horo group was starting up at the end of February. I was going crazy stuck inside my apartment because of the freezing weather. This class would be an outlet for me to be more social in the community and a fun way to exercise. The time for the first class came around and I was nervous and excited. I was nervous that the other people in the class would already be professionals, since here you learn to dance horo once you learn how to walk. We got to the class and there were only about five women. This made me feel better. If I was going to look like an idiot, at least it wouldn't be in front of the whole village. We began with some of the simpler dances and, before long, I was on my way to being a professional horo-er. The teacher even questioned if I was American or Bulgarian (apparently it's impossible for Americans to be good at this kind of cultural dance, because we have no cultural dance. Unless you could the Electric Slide...and I try not to).

After a couple classes, word spread about the group and now we have a decent sized group of women who come every Wednesday and Sunday to dance horo. It's definitely a highlight of my week and it doesn't hurt that I'm pretty good at it (not to brag, or anything, but I'm pretty much one of the best in the class). It's been nice getting to know these ladies and having a social outlet in the community.

Now, when I joined this group, it was strictly for fun. I just wanted to dance and meet people. Nothing fancy. That's not, however, how it's turning out. Our teacher has told us that we're going to a Bulgarian Horo Festival at the end of this month. We're going to be dancing on stage. In front of people. In costume. I'm, both, excited and nervous for this. I've never been too keen on performing and they're acting like they're going to put me right up front (since I'll probably be the only American there, and all). We've been learning all the horos in the book and practicing them until they're perfect. I think it'll be fun, though, and I'll try to get some pictures or videos up for you guys. The next time you see me (in person) I might just be Bulgaria's Next Top Horo-er.

The Deep Freeze

Hello everyone! I chose to wait a while and write about this until I was absolutely sure that it could not come back to bite me (it is almost Spring, after all). Though, we could definitely still get snow (last year it snowed in April), I'm pretty positive that it won't be NEARLY as cold as it was just last month.

I'm sure most of you have heard about the cold snap that occurred in this part of the world in January and February of this year. I would like to give you my account of the story. When I got back from my Christmas vacation in the States, I knew I was flying over Bulgaria when I looked out of the plane window and saw snow. I wasn't entirely surprised by this discovery, but I was entirely dreading the coming winter. Being from North Carolina, I'm not very well equipped to deal with extreme cold weather. Don't get me wrong. It gets cold in North Carolina and, sometimes we even get snow...but I don't think there was anything that could have prepared me for this winter.

Only a few short days after I got back to Koynare, it began to snow. I thought nothing of it, and even took a few pictures because it was so pretty. But then...it didn't stop snowing. Ever. It snowed for days. It snowed for weeks (I may be exaggerating, but I really don't think I am, because that's what it felt like). At first, everyone was excited. I had never seen so much snow in my life! There was snow up to my knees! I even went around town and played in it with some friends, but then it became a problem. Not only was there snow, but there was a cold that I had never felt before.

My heater, that had been sufficient last winter, was starting to make weird noises from being turned on "high" all day and night. I began to worry (a bit irrationally) for my warmth. I made plans to go to other people's houses if my heater broke. School was cancelled for two weeks. TWO WEEKS. Now, don't get me wrong, I was very excited to not have school for two weeks (I might have even been more excited than my students). But the fact that it was TOO COLD for school is what was so crazy for me. I filled my days doing nothing of much interest. I tried my hardest not to leave my apartment because anywhere I walked, my nose hairs would, literally, freeze before I got there. I caught up on a lot of reading and television. I would only leave for food and if I was invited to have dinner at someone's house because, they too, were concerned for my safety in the extreme cold.

The way my apartment is set up, I only, really, have three rooms. A kitchen, a bathroom, and a living/bedroom. My heater was only in the living/bedroom, so that was the only room in my apartment with any warmth. I had to put on more layers just to go into the other rooms. I bundled up to fix myself dinner. My shower gel froze in the bathroom. I was lucky, though, because my pipes never froze. This was a problem for some volunteers. Taking showers was tricky too. I had to take them at a time when I thought I could get the maximum amount of hot water (this was usually afternoon/early evening). I would start the hot water running, then get ready in my warm room and then sprint to the bathroom, which, luckily, isn't very far. After the shower, I'd have to sprint back into the warm room. It was something interesting to do, if nothing else.

Some bus routes were cancelled, which made travelling a bit more difficult, but I still managed. It was pretty torturous to sit on a bus with no heat for some hours and hoping that the volunteer you were visiting had sufficient heating. The whole time you're thinking this, you're shaking and you can see your breath anytime you breathe (out of your mouth or nose, even).

One time, when I went into a store, the woman working there asked me the usual "How are you?" and "What do you think about this weather?" After making is very clear that I am NOT a fan of the cold, she tells me that this is the coldest winter Bulgaria has had in the last sixty years. She then puts on a smile and reiterates, "It hasn't been this cold in sixty years. And you're here for the coldest winter I've ever seen!" I smugly respond with "Lucky me." and I pay her and stalk out of the store. Just my luck to be stuck in the coldest winter Bulgaria has seen in sixty years.

I am proud to say that I survived with little to no injury. My heater did, in fact, break. It no longer works on "high" and it makes scary sparking sounds when it's on "medium". I'm also pretty sure that I got a little bit crazier while I was locked away in my apartment. Luckily, it hasn't gotten down to freezing during the day in a while. I've been able to get out and get some fresh air and exercise. Just keep your fingers crossed that this won't be the coldest Bulgarian spring in sixty years, and we should all be alright.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Alright guys, sorry I've been a bit behind with my postings. I'll do my best to catch everyone up with what's been going on in my oh-so-exciting life. I'll break it down into multiple posts, so they won't all be so long. Anyway, the most exciting thing (I think) is the holidays. I was lucky enough to get to go home for Christmas and New Years.

The days leading up to this exciting vacation from Bulgaria were spent with friends, both American and Bulgarian. I bid my students and colleagues farewell and promised that I would return. I headed off to Sofia for the weekend, where I met up with some of my favorite volunteers for one last hoorah that included eating American food, drinking American drinks, watching American movies, and speaking in English. This was to prepare me for what was to come.

Monday December, 19 I took a taxi to the Sofia airport to start my long journey back home. I flew from Sofia to London and then London to Washington DC with little to no problem. The flights had, both, been a little late, but I didn't think anything about it until we got to customs. The dreaded customs. Our entire plane had to go through it and I had about an hour to make it to my next flight to Raleigh. I tried to plead my way to the front of the line, but the airport employee didn't care that I had another flight to catch and that it was the last flight to North Carolina that night. Needless to say, I didn't make it on my flight because customs (as most of you know) takes forever and when I got through and tried to put my bags at the gate, the man tells me that the gate has been closed because the plane is about to leave. I have to ask him to repeat himself because I couldn't believe what was happening to me. He restates the fact that I can't get on the flight that will take me home and I immediately get hysterical. I don't know what to do, so I wander around until I find a very nice woman who let me use her cellphone to call my parents and tell them about my situation. Luckily, British Airways set me up with a nice hotel room for the night and a seat on the first flight to Raleigh for the next day. After I got to the hotel and took a shower, I settled down into bed and was grateful that it was the best of a bad situation.

Tuesday December, 20 I board an 8 o'clock flight to Raleigh, NC and land about an hour later. I was greeted by my dad and we had a lovely ride home. We went straight to my mom's work, where I met Leslie and we surprised my mom. After our short family reunion, I went off to lunch with Leslie and our friend Ryan at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Mi Casita. It was the perfect first meal back home. The rest of the day was filled with getting important stuff done such as: getting my license renewed, getting my phone set up, and getting my hair done. After being in Bulgaria for a year and a half and not cutting my hair that entire time, I was in much need of some hair treatment. Thanks Mom! After dinner, Leslie and her family came over, as well as Ryan and Scooter and it was just like the old days. I had the perfect first day/night back home.

The next few days were filled with old friends, good food/drinks, and great times. I got to see almost everyone that I wanted to see and I was reminded of how lucky/blessed I am to have such great people in my life. Getting to see and hang out with everyone made me feel so loved and I, honestly, can't express how much it meant to me to have people make such an effort to see and hang out with me. Thank you so much to everyone and I love you all!

We spent our Christmas in Sanford with my dad's side of the family that I don't get to see too often, so that was a nice change. It was fun seeing my dad interact with his cousins that were like brothers when they were younger. It was also extremely obvious to me how Southern everyone was. In Bulgaria, I don't hear Southern accents or sayings, so I was thrown into all things Southern with these guys. It was pretty entertaining, to say the least.

My sister and her husband came up from Florida to spend New Years with us and it was awesome! We had our family Christmas and then Christmas with some extended family, and New Years all in one week. It was a whirlwind, but it was great. Leslie also came back to spend New Years with us and it was perfect.

Finally the day came when I had to head back to Bulgaria. I flew from Raleigh to JFK to London to Sofia. Of course this time I didn't have any problems with the flights and I, actually, ended up getting back to Bulgaria a little bit earlier than planned. I took a bus back to Koynare and slept for about three days.

Going home for Christmas was absolutely what I needed at that point in my service. I got to see (almost) everyone that I wanted to see and it reminded me of how lucky/blessed I am. It was a nice break from the day to day life in Bulgaria and motivated me to keep going for another seven months because I have some pretty great people to come back home to.

In A Perfect World...

Today, I gave my 11th grade students the task of creating their own country. They had to write an essay and describe how their country would be governed, what the name would be, what it would produce, and other various important geographical facts. I was very impressed with all of them, so I thought I'd share my favorite three essays (don't tell the others!). Enjoy!

My country is very big. It is in Europe-south Europe. It is called Romiland. Romiland was born in 1989 and is 23 years old. My country is very beautiful. Romiland has beautiful nature. The most beautiful country. A king is in charge. Romiland is a very rich country. The people haven't any problems. All people have a good job. the laws are very good. If people don't listen to laws he goes to prison for 20 years. The laws is, don't have a gun on yourself, don't smoking in a cafe, hotels and other places. Romiland produces many vegetables and other products. The king of government is very big and people listen to only him!!!

- by Georgi

I've a country and I'm so happy I got it. It's in a big, beautiful ocean, called Puppy. It's one of the smallest countries in the whole world. Its name is Squishy. The name is given by little jellyfish. Squishy is about 2,000,000,000 years old. It is the most crowded country ever. The population is about over a 2,000,000,000 people. The average amount of people in one house there are ten or more people. I'm in charge of this country and i'm the queen of it. the currency is pounds and the people are really rich. The average payment for each person is 1,000 pounds. My country produces olives, the biggest olives ever. The big olives in my country is like one two-car garage. Some of the laws of the country are: Everyone who is guilty goes to the prison for 20 years no matter what the crime is. The people aren't allowed to use weapons, like pistols, knives, and so on.

-by Stela

Gordalia is the oldest country in the world. It was created by the richest and prettiest guy in the universe. His name is Gordan Nenkovski. The country is ruled 'til that moment from its creator. Gordalia is also the biggest country, it's on two continents, Gordup and Gordalson. The two continents with biggest reserve of natural resources. The currency in that country is Gords. One Gord is about 21 euro and 30 dollars. Gordalia holds 92% of all of the world produce of petrol, diamonds, gold, cotton, automobiles, planes, corn and it's on first place also of everything else with 73% of the produce. The death penalty is still in effect so don't try to steal or kill anything. The ruler is the biggest metal fan, so every Friday and Saturday there is a concert. In Fridays, there's an underground gig, in Saturday, there are the legends. The ruler pays for all the concerts, so anyone can go, but you have Gords to buy a beer. The percent of the unemployed is about 0.0000001 which is the kids from 0-3 years. In the end- NO ONE SHOULD MESS WITH GORDALIA!

-by Gordy

I don't know about you guys, but it looks to me like these guys have got it all figured out. Today was a good day.