hey yall. what a week or so. i have been shadowing the english teacher throughout the school all week and helping teach some of her classes. the ability level with english ranges greatly. there are a few students that speak very well, and others that dont know anything but the word "hello". so its been interesting. my actual classes started yesterday. I had 2 groups, the first one was a group of about 9 kids that are from 14-17 years old and can speak english well. the class will be more discussion based and just have them use english. the next group was a challenge for sure. it was a group of 15-17 year olds that cant speak english. i got a lot of really funny stares. and that class is full - 12 students.
my first lesson... how to say hello in different ways. i am so sick of walking through town or the school hearing "hello!" from every single kid - and then it is quickly followed by a "good-bye!" these are the only 2 words these kids know! So lesson #1 started off as "hello, i am rory. it is nice to meet you. how are you?" and a dialog similar to that. then they practiced with answers and such. but no one walks up to you in the real world and says "hello, i am rory. it is nice to meet you. how are you?" it usually goes a little more like this in a relaxed setting, after the first meeting. "hey rory, s'up? or sup man? or hows it going? or whats kicking? or how you been? - its not so formal. and hello turns into "hi" "hey" "yo" "aye" haha - so i taught them a few variations on the general greeting question of "how are you?" it was pretty humorous.
seriously. they thought i was nuts - but i am a bit nuts. they will learn my kinda english. my english is American English with a hint of East Coast, Colorado, Chicago and Indiana slang topped with a twist of Rory. After 2 years, they will all be speaking like this guy. haha... i might be doing more damage than good if i do that...
so i also have a girlfriend now. she lives in a town thats like 20 or so miles away, but it can take over an hour to get there. her name is Tsveti and i met her through another volunteer. she is bulgarian yes. and yes, she speaks english which helps a lot. we have hung out a few times and been talking for a month or so - we will see how this goes. i am certain that relationship norms here in bulgaria differ from the norms in the states...
i celebrated halloween in the new city our friend Brave Yankee lives in with another american. it was a good time. the only thing that differed from any other party here was that there was a jack-o-lantern on the table. but other than that, it was a table, with lots of food, homemade rakia and lots of other alcohols. we sat, ate, drank and talked until very late. it was a grand time. i think there are pictures on facebook that Tsveti put up.
Its cold. i sleep in my sleeping bag with a winter hat on. haha, its like i'll be camping until april/may when it warms up again...
I've made alliances with the stray dogs here. especially now that its getting cold and food is harder to find for them. soon i will form my army of stray dogs and we will wage war on the stray cats. these dogs have a lot of potential, they just need a strong leader with a focused vision of the future without the crying of cats outside my apartment during the night. i have not seen any evidence of the cats organizing and working together to prepare for the imminent battle of the territory around the dumpsters when winter strikes in all her fury. and for this, i rest easy, knowing that my dogs will easily claim their desired grounds while only suffering light casualties. wish us luck in these coming days. i am not sure what the future holds for us here on the front lines, and if i become mortally scratched by the enemy, know that i believe in this war with all of my heart and that i fell bravely amongst the trash heaps by the dumpsters defending the territory that was inherently granted to man's best friend!
next time - I'll try to keep my sanity.
Oh, and my birthday is friday. i hear some kids are organizing something for me. but shhhhh! its a secret. I'll probably have a small party on saturday or something. but when its your birthday, you have to pay for everything. so my party will be small - im on a limited salary. :)
honestly - i will be 26 years old. i think i have the mind and heart of a teenager. do you think ill ever grow up? i hope not. :) this way of life is too fun.
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please man, you'll never grow up, I hope I dont either. That's funny about the English. They'll prolly travel to America, try to get a job, and greet their potential employer by sayin' "what it do?" or "What's up my n%**a," (in Jackie Chan's voice from Rush Hour) Just kiddin. You got pretty poetic talkin about the dogs and preparin' for winter. Haha, I feel the same way w/ the squirrels preparin' for the winter at my apartments. Their hard work inspires me to work harder, so i formed alliances w/ them by leaving nuts and trail mix on my balcony for them to have. I know, wierd right? But yo, good luck w/ the winter man, buy a lot of blanckets and burn a lot of wood
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