"A life without love is like a year without summer" ~Swedish Proverb

Sadly, this will be the last post of the summer. I will try to attach a video montage of the camp that my organization had at the Black Sea. I hope you all enjoy seeing the laughter, smiles and activities all the children participated in!

School will start on September 15^th, a mere 11 days away. As of now I am uncertain of my role (as most PCV’s are at the start). I do know that I will be teaching English to Roma kindergarteners and also helping with 7^th and 8^th class English with my counterpart at our Roma School. Teenagers are tricky but are also a great population to work with as they are still discovering who they are and what they want to become. I have many ideas spinning through my head but ultimately I’m not here to impress upon my opinions but to help with the needs of my organization. Once I am at school for awhile my counterpart and I will discuss what types of projects I can help with.

The weather here has finally started to cool down with a light jacket being needed past 8:00. While the sun is still hot, it is bearable and actually pleasant. As you know, I live in a mountain city and whenever I take a minute to glance at the mountains I try and imagine what it will look like when the snow starts to come. On Tuesday I will take the trek up the mountain to Musala, the highest peak in the Balkans. This will be about a 7 hour hike. During our hike we will pass through the 7 famous lakes of Bulgaria. I’m not sure of all the names but I know most of them are after body parts.

In other news I now have a 2 month old kitten named Zoe to keep me company. She’s very spunky and enjoys so play (as most babies…)! I really like coming home to someone waiting for me.

I hope you all are doing well wherever you may be. Remember to take time to smell the roses.

With Love,

Jo

"When you walk, just walk. When you eat, just eat" - Buddha

Greetings from Bulgaria!

It is with an apology that it’s taken me so long to write another blog. However, I need to have some stuff to talk about, don’t I?!

I’ve been at my site now for about two months. Everyday has had something new to offer. Whether it be working at my organization or hanging out with one of my closest friends/sitemate (she now has left after completing her service…sad!).

For the last two weeks I was busy in a resort town called Kiten where my organization has their annual beach camp. There were 26 kids and 10 adults. I was fortunate enough to have another volunteer come with me and we had so much fun.The kids look forward to this every year and it was a great experience. It started with a seven hour bus ride (claiming they had A.C….nope) to the other side of the country. Our hotel was nice and comfortable. Every morning I would wake up to the sound of the Black Sea waves and it was so pleasant.

This was the first time I was able to meet many of my kids. I will be working with Roma teenagers. It was so great that I was able to meet them through fun in the sun because everyone was relaxed, no homework, just kids being kids. Our schedule consisted of waking up every morning at seven and then having morning fitness exercises. Following that we had breakfast and headed to the Black Sea for a couple hours. At the sea we played games, laid out and swam in the sea. After our first sea trip we would head back to the hotel, have lunch and then have a two hour rest session. Every day I NEEDED to take a nap. It was tiring speaking Bulgarian so much and being so busy! After the rest there were educational activities (drama, alcohol education, motivation for school, puzzles, etc…). For the next couple of hours we would head back to the beach and do beach activities (bury each other, sandcastles, etc…) and swim.

After dinner sometimes we would do structured activities but for the most part we danced horo (local Bulgarian dance) and cucheck (Roma dance). One night we had a talent show and almost all the kids participated. Some danced in groups, other sang and some did a skit. The other volunteer and I did the Cupid Shuffle and Macarena dance with one of the older boys. It was fun! There were six girls who dressed up in local costumes and did two special dances. Well, the next day we met a camp with 400 people here from Russia and they were having a show the following night. My girls opened up their show with the Bulgarian dance! They did excellent and I was so proud of them!

So now I am back in my site and am gearing up for when school starts in a couple weeks. I will be teaching English, working in a kindergarten and I will also be at my organization every day after school. Hopefully I will stay very busy!

I hope all is week across the seas wherever you may be. Stay healthy and happy!

Jo

"Never let life's hardships disturb you...no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages." Nichiren Daishonen

It's been about a month and I am settling into my new home rather nicely! On June....9th? 38 PCVT's were sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers and we all went our separate ways. Some live on the Black Sea, others in the Rhodope Mountains and some in the center. We will all see each other once again in about 3 months at our next weekend training.

About my site...I am fortunate to be right near that capital city and have found that I can go to the movies or even eat a Subway whenever I want! I have been forced to learn to take busses and trolleys - this is a new experience for me! Usually I sit next to an older lady and they always help me with where I need to go. The other weekend I went to visit my language tutor from my training and we went to see a movie, walk around Sofia and had cake at this place called 'Sunday's.' It was such a fun day and I am truly grateful that I am in the vicinity to do these things.

I have spent the past four weeks honestly just adjusting into my new area. Living in another country and speaking another language is mentally exhausting and I find that I am worn out after just a little bit of the day. I work at a Roma organization working with teenagers. As of now we are preparing for a 10 day camp on the Black Sea at the end of July. My job has been to plan all the games and activities. If you have any suggestions, please throw them my way! Another volunteer who has been here for a year will accompany me so that is awesome since he speaks the language rather well :)

Fortunately, I have had some help transitioning into my location...a B25 will be closing her service at the end of July so she is here with me for another 4 weeks. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such an amazing person. She has been such a good resource for meeting new people and learning all about my community.

My town also has a British population due to the fact that it is near a large ski resort in Bulgaria. It is nice to speak my native language when my brain is fried from the day. Learning Bulgarian is very tricky...there are suffixes and prefixes to so many words and one change can affect the meaning of the sentence. I am studying with a lady who speaks fluent American English (as she has lived in America for a total of 4 years throughout her life). She has the cutest family with three kids, 6, 8, and 10 and I love going over there and hanging out with them.

So yes, I have been keeping busy and keeping happy. I am excited for the school year to start as summer is all about adjusting and settling in. Once I get a regular schedule things will be different. I'll probably be even more tired :)

Anyways, feel free to ask questions. I have been cooking for myself a couple times a week and I find that my biggest struggle is not knowing WHAT to cook! I'll have to have my mom send me an easy recipe cookbook...and chocolate chips :)

Take care and when something exciting happens, I'll post again!

Jo

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters" ~ Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

“Warriors take chances. Like everyone else, they fear failing, but they refuse to let fear control them” Japanese Proverb

I hope this message finds everyone doing well wherever they may be! It’s been an intense past couple of weeks. Our focus has been studying language and preparing for our permanent site. Language is of course tough but it’s so rewarding when different pieces of the language puzzle fit together. Several weeks ago we worked on a project for the local Chitalishte (youth center). We named it, “Holiday for Kids!” We planned relay races, skits and dancing for an entire afternoon. We had a turnout of about 30+ kids which is awesome for my tiny village!

Last Thursday we all headed to a larger town called Vratsa an awaited our site placement. Being in the Youth Development Program I really had no idea what I would be doing – only that I’d be working with youth. We started the morning with a session and then proceeded to our normal meeting place where a map of Bulgaria was outlined in tape with the names of where we would be placed on the map. One by one our names were called and we stood on our city. I’m in a medium sized city about an hour away from the capital city and a just a short distance from the most famous ski resort in Bulgaria. Volunteers were placed throughout the entire country and some were placed near each other while others will be isolated and hiding in the mountains! There are several volunteers who are so close to Greece they can just walk!

When I arrived at site the first thing to do was see my apartment. Since a previous volunteer had lived here it is completely furnished. I was excited when I saw the hot pink blanket on my bed and orange walls. Do they know me? While I had no idea what to expect, what I have is a lot more than I thought! I have a fully furnished kitchen, a living/bedroom and a huge bathroom! My apartment is surrounded by stores, cafes and restaurants. Since there are numerous apartments around me there are also parks with kids playing all the time. If I ever get bored I know I can bring a Frisbee and have a laugh with the kids! I was then able to have a walking tour of my city. There are so many things here! Sports center, schools, shopping – even a mall, knick knack stores and so many restaurants! The center was also amazing with an old drinking fountain from the Ottoman Empire. The water is fresh flowing spring water straight from the mountains. It is beautiful! After a small break in my apartment I went to dinner with my counterpart, landlord, director and one of their friends. They are amazing women who have a good sense of humor. They are all single and their motto is, “no men – no problems!” How true is that?! For dessert I had delicious apple pie. I kept telling the women that I will get fat because of all the delicious food here!

Monday was a very busy day as well. I spent the morning with one of the women and we saw the Post Office, Police Station, a bank and a history museum. An interesting fact about my city is the extreme amount of history it holds! During the 14-18^th Centuries my city was famous for their iron production. It was the first in Bulgaria. They made anchors, cannon balls, etc… for the army during the wars.

Second was the homespun production in the 19^th century. My city is famous for all their silk materials and designs. They would use a paint made out of grass to embed patterns on fabric. An interesting fact is that after someone was ready for the day all the mirrors would be covered. Old tradition said you weren’t supposed to look at yourself during the day. Once you were ready that was it. During this period and on all the women wore fancy dresses – city women! During this time my city was a rather large business center and many rich people owned businesses here. Because they were rich they’d often travel and bring fabrics from all over Europe, specifically Italy, France, Serbia, Albania, Hungary and Turkey.

Third was the jewelry trade. Many precious stones were brought from Greece and exquisite jewelry was made. The stones were polished, cut and made into jewelry. The stones mainly came from Mount Atos in Greece. This area is home to twenty monasteries where even today, only men are allowed. For some of these monasteries, the only means to arrive is through water travel.

Fourth was the goldsmith’s trade and also, my city is home to the first glass factory in Bulgaria.

Fifth was the coppersmith’s trade. If I gathered correctly, the coppersmith trade was brought in by the Turks when they ruled the land. They made bowls, cups, flasks, cans, etc… After liberation from the Turks (1877-1878) the imprint of St. George was used on the copper items. This was important because St. George is a Christian Saint and the Turks were Muslim.

6^th was the pottery trade. It was amazing to see all the different pottery that was made! One of the pitchers had a Turkish influence and looks like a duck. Another was a special pitcher used during wedding celebrations. The pitcher I found the most interesting had twelve holes but only one worked! I asked why and the reason is just for fun. No symbolism, just for fun! This trade had your typical pottery shapes and colors that would match the region. I saw greens, some red and even some oranges. The coloring was very clear. It was beautiful.

Another interesting fact about my city is that it is home to something very important – the first printing press in Bulgaria! It was a huge printing press and the metal letters were so tiny. The first original Bulgarian books were made my city. Also, the first Bulgarian magazine was created here. While it was published in Greece, it was written by Izmir in my city. Another neat fact is that the American College was opened and working from 1871-1929 here. Now its home is in Sofia, but it did not start there.

I’m sure you’re all wondering where I’ll be working for the next two years. I will be at an NGO placed in an all Roma school working with Roma youth. The majority of the kids are male. This is because in Roma culture girls get married at a very, very young age. The average age is around 13-15 years old. Because parents don’t want their girls to get snatched they are pulled out of school and stay at home. Roma people face a lot of hardships in their everyday life. They live in a Mahala (meaning ghetto) that is right outside of the city. Tomorrow I will take a walk with my director and see what the Mahala looks like.

That is all the information I am going to write for now. I will update more frequently when I have regular internet access. Wonderful wishes to all and take care!

 <3 Johanna

"Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence" Buddha

It's been quite awhile since I've updated but much has happened within the past 3 weeks or so. The biggest area I can comment on is the Easter Holiday. On Palm Sunday my mother took me to the church and we lit candles for our loved ones. We then received 'palms' which were from the willow tree. I was so lucky to see the inside of the church. It was comforting to see the same pictures as in an American Catholic Church. When we got home we put the palms in the gate to our house. This brings good luck. I also had a vase with the palms in my room. The next week we went to church at 10 p.m on the Saturday before Easter. Many people from the village showed up. It started with everyone getting candles for their loved ones and the priest saying some words. The priest then lit a main candle and everyone lit their single candles from one another with the original light coming from the priest. We then put our candles in several stands and all took one lit candle and walked around the church three times (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Afterwards the priest said some words...of which I couldn't understand and then we walked home with a lit candle. I found out later that we aren't supposed to talk on our way home... On Easter Sunday I woke up and we dyed eggs all sorts of different colors! I must say, in Bulgaria, their eggs are prettier. They use cotton, onion peels and different colors to make these amazing designs. It was awesome.

Another story I have happened just yesterday. I was on my way home and turned on my street. Normally I look at the ground when I walk and all of a sudden I decided to look up. Staring at me were 20 sheep! I then thought to move to the side of the road so I could pass...well...they followed me...so I walked faster...and they kept following me. I saw my mom down the way and she was laughing pretty hard! Apparently I'll make a good shepardess?

My daily routine consists of language from 8:30-1:30, an hour lunch and then studying, tutoring or working on community projects. We had to make a map of our community and are now working on a Community Service Day. The kids want us to sing, dance and do theatre activies.

I've been in my village for about a month now with 3 other volunteers are we are taking it day by day. It definitely isn't easy but we are having a blast! In two week we will find out about our permanent sites. As we are Youth Development workers we have no idea what kind of organization we will be in. It could be a school, orphanage, NGO, shelter, etc... Once we find out where we're going we will find out our counterparts (who we will be working side by side) and have a conference to get to know one another.

I find that I rarely have a spare moment and try and utilize my time learning the language as much as possible. We travel to a larger city when we have our 'hub' (the entire B27 group) which is awesome! City life is so very much different than the village life. I've had the opportunity to visit both an orphange and a special needs day center. It was quite an experience!

Other then that I am enjoying my time here, learning the language and meeting amazing new people...American and Bulgarian.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I appreciate them!

Love,

Jo