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.

8 Simple Rules...

...for dating a confident, unsuspecting, and slightly cynical American woman. This post will tell of the encounters I have had with Bulgarian men who wanted to date me. I hope you'll find this as entertaining and sufficiently mortifying as I found living it.

1. We should have a common language.

I feel like this goes without saying.

2. Don't use my students as translators.

It tends to make things a little more creepy and awkward.

3. You should own less than nine computers.

This should be a rule for everyone, unless you're a computer repairman. Anything more than two is just craziness.

4. Do not ask me on a date in front of my class.

It makes me feel bad when I turn you down in front of an audience and then my class can't focus on the lesson after you leave. This makes me really dislike you.

5. Do not be old enough to be my father.

I'm 25. You do the math.

6. Do not wait outside of my apartment building for me.

That's called stalking and it's a bit off-putting.

7. Do not spend half of the first conversation we ever have trying to convince me that you're a good person by repeating it over and over again.

It makes me doubt you and wonder how many people you've killed.

8. Do not ask me if I plan on staying in Bulgaria.

I don't. I'm sorry, but I plan on going back to America and no, you can't come with me.

"...and by ice cream, I mean airplane."

This entry will be dedicated to the many, MANY mishaps that come with learning a new language. Some mishaps were minor and are easily forgettable, and some have managed to stick with me a year and a half into my service. There were, obviously, plenty of misunderstandings that occurred when I was living with my Bulgarian family, during training. I did my best to record the most entertaining ones, but when living in a country as foreign as Bulgaria, every day is an adventure.

There are a lot of words in the Bulgarian language that sound very similar, but mean very different things. This has been a problem more than once. An example of this are the two words "samolet" and "sladoled". "Samolet" means "airplane" and "sladoled" means "ice cream". When I first arrived in Koynare and started teaching, my students asked me how I got to Bulgaria. I wanted to say something ridiculous like, "I walked/swam/ran all the way here." or "I was dropped off my some aliens on their way to Mars." or "Wait a minute. You mean I'm not in America?" Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) my brain didn't work that quickly in Bulgarian yet. Instead, I went for the truth. I told them confidently, "Az patoovam tuke sus sladoled." That's right, I said, "I traveled here by ice cream." It wasn't until my class erupted in laughter that I even realized what I had said. I quickly retracted my statement. I told them that I meant to say "samolet" NOT "sladoled". We all had a good laugh and I'm grateful that it didn't go the other way and I didn't accidentally say that I liked to eat airplanes. That probably would've been worse (though just as funny).

Another time was also in front of a class when we were going over the alphabet. We were playing a game and I wanted them to go around the room and say one word that begins with each letter of the alphabet. One person says a word that begins with the letter "A" and then the next person says a word that begins with the letter "B" and so on and so on. When I was introducing this game, I told the class that we were going to be playing a game with "oboofki"...which is the word for "shoes". They looked at me like I had a disorder and I was completely oblivious to my mistake. They asked "What?" and I repeated myself, feeling falsely confident (again). Then one student said "Do you mean "bookvi?" I couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Yes", I answered. "That's exactly what I mean." The word "oboofki" means "shoes" and the word "bookvi" means "letters" (like the alphabet, not the kind that you get in your mailbox. That's a whole new word that we won't worry about right now).

There was another time when I told my friend Beti that I had to go home because I had "robots tomorrow." I meant to say that I had work tomorrow and the words are basically the same ("roboty" and "rabota"). The only difference is an intonation and the letter "a". She corrected me and I told her that she didn't know and that maybe I DID have to do something with robots tomorrow. Luckily now, for the most part, I get along much easier and my brain can function in Bulgarian. Now that I've said that I'll probably have another mishap this week...

"Back to School, Back to School , To Prove to Dad I'm Not a Fool"

First of all, that is a quote from the movie "Billy Madison" with Adam Sandler, for those of you who aren't hip to pop culture references. My dad doesn't actually think I'm a fool. I just wanted to clear that up first.

Now that we have that sorted out, it's that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the nights are chilly and the smell of burning plastic is everywhere. That's right, it's back-to-school time. When I was growing up, this was a time of year that I dreaded. The only part I liked about going back to school was the shopping that I got to do beforehand. Now that I'm on the other side of the classroom, it's a completely different story. I welcomed school with open arms after a summer of not having a schedule or a direction.

Like in America, the teachers have to be at school before the students do. I used this time to go through my school books and come up with ideas that will actually keep my students' attention. It's harder than you think. I also talked to some of my colleagues that I hadn't seen all summer. It was nice actually talking to them, for a change. Last year they kind of avoided me because they weren't sure of my Bulgarian skills. This year, however, they're sure that since I've been here a year I MUST be fluent (I'm not) and they talk to me much more. The change is welcome, don't get me wrong, but there are definitely still times when I have to ask them to slow down...and then they just say it louder. Oh well.

I also feel like this year will be a more positive year for me. Not that last year was terrible, I just didn't know what to expect. This year, I know all of my students and I know what I have to do to keep their attention and to get them to work (beatings and bribes...why didn't I think of that last year?). I'm teaching grades 10-12 this year, so I shouldn't have to deal with the crazy shenanigans of the younger students, which I'm very grateful for.

The first day of school came and we had our traditional celebration. The Director spoke, as well as some of the upperclassmen and the Mayor of Koynare. There was also some entertainment: the fourth grade class sang a few songs that were awesomely off-key, but still very cute. Then, the twelfth graders walked with the new first graders through an arch to symbolize...something and we all went to look at the new basketball court that had been built over the summer. It was a nice ceremony and it was good to see my students again. I could tell they were excited to see me (mostly because they all ran over to me when I walked in and gave me hugs) and it kept my attitude positive for the year's events. After the ceremony the teachers had a banquet and a social hour. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better first day.

The first REAL day of school, however, was a bit of a different story. I only had one class and it was tenth grade. I was told that I had them fifth period, so I got there early to go over what I was going to say. When fifth period rolled around, I walked to their classroom and it was completely empty. Not even a single bag hanging off of a chair. So, I asked where they were and I was told that they were in their Physics class and that they didn't have English until sixth period. Awesome. My schedule is wrong for today and who knows about the other days? Oh well, I go back into the Teachers' Room and hang out until sixth period. Sixth period arrives and I go to the classroom and it's barren...again. I go back to the Teachers' Room (again) and tell them what happened and they all tell me to "relax" (I want to take this moment to vent: Please do not ever tell me to "relax" or "calm down", especially when I'm in no way upset. It makes me agitated and it also makes me want to punch you in the face. Thank you.) and that I should just look at this as a break. A break...from all of the work I've done today? I took it anyway and headed to the cafe with some other teachers.

This past week has been much better. My students have shown up for every class and things seem to be going well. I'm pretty excited for some of the stuff I have planned and I hope it will make things more interesting (because, let's face it, grammar sucks no matter what). It's been easy to keep my positive attitude up with things going well and the weather being nice.

Then, today we had our school's holiday and classes were shortened. No one told me and I missed my classes...just like last year. Oh well, I guess some things will never change.

I Get Around

I knew from the beginning that when I got to Bulgaria, I would take full advantage and try to see as much of the country as I could. I feel that halfway through my service I've managed to see more than the average volunteer. There are still some corners of the country that I haven't made it to yet, but I think that, overall, I've done pretty well getting around this country. Traveling around this country is a great many things that make it so special. It's exciting, exhausting, stifling hot, freezing cold, frustrating, and convenient all at the same time. But, above all other things, it's always an adventure.

There are two main methods of transportation for volunteers in Bulgaria: bus and train. The trains are cheaper, more reliable, and (I believe) generally more enjoyable but take longer. The buses are faster, will either give you a heart attack or make you sick (if it's your first time), and are more expensive. So, always take a train. It seems simple enough, right? Wrong. Not every town or village is accessible by train, so there are many cases in which buses are a must. I'm pretty lucky because my village is a short bus ride to a train station, so it's relatively easy for me to get around. Now I will dispense some delightful traveling anecdotes for you.

I remember my very first bus experience during our training. Now, we had been carted around the country by bus before we got to our training sites. But those buses were nice tour buses that had heating and air-conditioning and were just for us, so we all fit comfortably in them. We were spoiled. We had to go from our town of Byala Slatina to a nearby town of Knezha (pronounced just how it's spelled) for a teachers training. Our language trainer, Tanya, had warned us that it would most likely be full and that we needed to get there early to guarantee seats. We had managed to do just that. However, Kevin and I had to take seats all the way in the back of a bus that was only meant for 15, but was somehow holding 25. I was squished up against a window, with my book bag in my lap, and Kevin on the other side of me about to puke at any moment (he had been sick the day before because he had eaten some bad chicken paste). As the bus pulled out of the station and onto the street, it became obvious that paved roads were a thing of the New World and barely existed here. We bumped around for about 20 minutes that felt more like an hour. It was only an added bonus that all of the seats surrounding Kevin and myself were filled with teenage lovers who were eating each other's faces the entire ride. When we finally did arrive in Knezha, it was all I could do to not kiss the ground.

Another bus experience I had was rather recently. I had to go to Pleven to get my ID card and I was returning back to my village by bus. I wanted to stop at a large grocery store before I left so that I could get some different kinds of fruit that aren't available to me everyday. I thought I had timed it all perfectly, but as I was checking out at the grocery store, I realized that there was a good chance that I would miss my bus and be forced to take a train and then a taxi to my village. This would be a blow to my wallet that I didn't want to make. So, once I shoved all of my groceries into my bag, I speed walked then jogged then sprinted to the bus station and was relieved to see an older woman still getting on the bus. I boarded after she did and payed the driver for my ticked. It was instantly that I realized that this bus was not air-conditioned, which was something that I was used to. Then it really hit me. None of the windows could be opened except for the one by the bus driver and I didn't think he would appreciate me sitting on his lap. This realization was terrible for me. There was no ventilation in this bus. The sun was beating in on me and my black tank top (because everyone knows that black is more flattering) and I was dripping with sweat and felt like a turkey being prepared for Thanksgiving dinner. I was, actually, mainly concerned for my groceries. Some of my items were meant to be refrigerated. Luckily, the sun moved to the other side of the bus and didn't bother me anymore and I eventually cooled down. I made it back to my village in one (only slightly) overheated piece and my groceries made it as well. A happy ending for all.

It becomes a real experience when forces of nature have to be taken into account when making travel plans. I know the perfect place to sit on the bus when it's like an oven outside to maximize a cooler air flow. You should only sit in a train compartment with a working window and with younger people during the summer. Older Bulgarians think that the cool air that flows into the compartment will cause you to get sick and die. During the winter, there's no real hope for keeping warm unless you get lucky and your train or (big) bus is heated. The smaller buses never are, so you have to take that into account while you're getting dressed for the day. Wear lots of layers and thick socks. I hope these stories have entertained you and my advice will benefit you if you ever find yourself traveling in Bulgaria.