Last post of the year!

Welcome to the last post of the year. Over the past month since my last post, many a wonderful merry things have happened. First thing and biggest thing is that my PCPP (fancy term for the track team project I've been working on) is fully funded! Thanks to the kind donations from my friends and family, we raised over $4,500 to purchase equipment for the track and field team here in Koynare. The team currently has very dated uniforms, only a few pairs of running shoes, one or two starting blocks, three hurdles and they are lacking much more. But this money will be able to purchase all the necessary equipment they need to actually have a successful team! We are all very excited here to get the money so we can see this project to the end. I am especially excited because I know that the benefits of this will pay off for these kids and the town for many years.

Second most awesome thing is that in a couple days I am going to be headed back to the states for the first time since May 2009. I am going to be in Chicago for 2 weeks with family and friends for the holidays and I can't wait! I am just not really looking forward to the long flight and I will miss Cveti a lot while I am there, but other than those two things, I am really excited to see everyone and spend some time with them! It has been a long time and everything will be wonderful. I hear that we will even be able to catch a Chicago Bears game... :)

So for Thanksgiving we celebrated again this year at my apartment. However, we did not need to find a live turkey as we planned a little bit more in advance and Dan was able to purchase a frozen turkey from Pleven. Cveti and I hosted Dan and Kari who are two other volunteers and in the spirit of Thanksgiving we invited Plamen and his wife to celebrate with us. Plamen is a teacher at the school who has been like an uncle to me here. He has helped me with countless problems and is the main leader of the Scouts group that we are starting here. He is a guy that I am very thankful to know and that is exactly why we invited him to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was something amazing this year. We had such a good time. Everything was American except a couple very Bulgarian twists. We cooked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed onions, deviled eggs, and had apple crisp for desert. The meal was served buffet style which is very strange here, but I insisted on it. So until this point it was dead on American. But instead of eating a big dinner meal at like 4 or 5pm like we usually do, the dinner started after the guests arrived at around 8:30pm. Plamen, being the hunter he is, brought some fresh cooked pigeons that he had shot recently. Pigeon is kinda delicious. At least now I know that if I live in Chicago without work, I can find food. He also brought some Bulgarian homemade rakia and a salad for us. So we sat and started with salad and rakia. Traditional Bulgarian start to a meal. Then around 9:30 or so, we started on dinner. We ate and ate and ate. Everything was great and my Bulgarian guests LOVED the food. Well, after plates were empty, or close to empty,  and we had been sitting for an hour and a half or so talking, I asked if Plamen and his wife were finished eating so I could clear their plates. I thought I was being polite. They said they were still eating and everything was ok. Later, Cveti explained to me that it was rude of me to have asked that since the meal had just started! I swear we had been at the table for close to 2 hours at this point. Well we waited a few more hours, told jokes and stories and enjoyed each other's company until around 11:30 before we put the dessert on the table... And at midnight we lit up a hookah that I got for my birthday and passed it around. It also happened that at around 12:30am we called my mom to wish her a happy birthday. At this point we were all pretty jolly and it was a lot of fun to talk to her on skype. Finally at around 1:30-2am, dinner was over and everyone went home and we went to bed. Literally a 4-5 hour Thanksgiving dinner spent saying thanks to the people that have helped me the most. It was wonderful. Absolutely the best.

Here is a link for some pictures of the night. http://picasaweb.google.com/Roryjnolan/Thanksgiving2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCI38hKPDqcjzOw#

So we also did a really successful HIV/AIDS day of activities with the kids here. We had like 20-25 kids that showed up and all day we did games and activities to teach them about HIV/AIDS. It was a lot of fun and a huge success. I must say that if Cveti wasn't there to help me, then it would not have been even half as successful as it was. It was a great day. Here are more pictures! http://picasaweb.google.com/Roryjnolan/20101206#

Ok, that is all for now. I will be going home soon for a few weeks and after that I'll be sure to write.

Thank you to everyone that donated to my project too! And I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season!

Rory

Recap and the greatest question of all time... read below to find out more!

Winter's coming and I am getting busier. After surviving last winter, I now respect the cold like I have never before. This year I have SEALED my apartment. The draft last year was so bad that it was impossible to get my apartment above 45 degrees. This year all windows and doors are sealed shut with insulation. My new worry is suffocation but we will find out if that's possible or not soon. :)  I have a new fireplace in my apartment too which is 3 times the size of the one last year. It will really warm the place up. My mother sent me a cover for my down comforter that is so freaking warm that I don't know if I'll ever get out of bed in the mornings. Seriously, I know I am getting old when I get super excited about getting a cover for my down comforter for my birthday. But it's the best gift ever.

So this year I say to winter, BRING IT ON! The cold slap of winter caught me off guard last year. This year, I will show winter who is boss and why MAN is on top of the food chain!

As for work, things have been uber busy. We are starting a scouts group here in Koynare which is a lot more complicated than it should be. We are doing it though and it's looking like it will be successful. Due to our imminent success, I am becoming a Peace Corps expert on Scouts and have been asked to help with getting more support for the organization. I will be presenting to the new group of volunteers here next week on how and why scouts are important to youth development and why Bulgaria needs a stronger organization. On top of that, I will start working with the national organization on strategies for success.

Another thing, which may be too early to start celebrating since I haven't yet received confirmation from Peace Corps, is that my track team project here looks as though it is FULLY FUNDED!!! This news is amazing. Seriously amazing. 5,000 dollars. This is all it takes to transform a failing sports team into something successful. This track team has been working for the last 10 years on getting some sort of financial support. They just do not have the experience or the know-how to do it alone. They needed a little help from their local PCV from Chicago and the support of his friends and family. I really think this project will be a huge success and will be something that benefits Koynare and the kids for years and years.

On Dec 1, International HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I am hosting an awareness camp here for the day wit

Oh, and Halloween... yea, we had like 150 kids participate. It was about 100 more than I was expecting so needless to say, we were a bit unprepared. We did not get to do everything I wanted to during the party, but we did have a successful costume competition. The kids also went trick or treating in the center of town which is the first time anything like that had ever happened. At the end of the day, I was exhausted and feeling like it was too hectic to have been a success. But after talking to some people around town, teachers, and most importantly the kids, I realized that just because I had other visions of how the day was supposed to go that I did not see how much FUN everyone was having! People are still talking about it. They are dying for next year so they can do it again. I saw kids with bags full of candy wearing Halloween costumes walking around town laughing. After a bit of reflection on the day, there were things I could have done better, things that should be done next year and other small issues, but most importantly, everyone had a great time and great memories that they will never forget.

My boss from Peace Corps came here yesterday and he made me realize that my time is coming to an end. I am on my second year and only have so many months left. He then told me that if I want to stay for another year, that I have to decide soon. Kinda scary. So let me ask you this, my readers, what do you think of me staying another year here in Bulgaria? Is there work back in the states for me? Will I be as happy there as I am here?

I look forward to your answers! Oh, I'm going back to the states to Chicago from Dec 22nd til Jan 4th. I'd love to catch up with you face to face if it's possible.

Take care,
Rory

Waaaaassss Haappaa-nin'?

So school's started and things are moving forward. I have been spending my mornings going to the school and helping with English classes, meeting with teachers, meeting with the principal and with my group. We have actually been pretty busy and a bunch of good things are on the horizon. The kids and I have been planning a Halloween party at the school on the last Friday of the month. The party is going to have all sorts of fun things including costume contests, food, music and games. The kids are totally excited. They do not celebrate Halloween like we do in the States. They have a holiday here in the spring that is based on the same core reasons for celebrating Halloween, but it is more serious. Halloween for kids is probably the best holiday ever. I have been trying to explain to the kids that they get to dress up as whoever they want, be whatever they want, and go from place to place to receive candy. What's bad about that?

Besides the party, I am trying to get the stores and cafes in town to support "trick or treating" on Saturday before Halloween. I have a vision of little kids getting all excited and dressing up and going trick or treating around town. I've spoken to a couple places already and they seem pretty excited about it! I am pumped and really hope that it works. It would be a great memory for these kids to have and hopefully next year they would continue it as well. Even though it is an American thing...

I am also planning and AIDS/HIV Camp here. It is actually part of a project that Ashley started and put together. I went to her town earlier this fall and saw how it works. Now I have to do it here. We have the camp set up to take place on December 1st which is International AIDS Awareness Day or something like that.

Annnddd what else? I am working with the kids to possibly clear out a room in the basement of the school in order to be used as kind of a "kid's room" where they could watch movies or do whatever really. So that could be sweet.

We are raising the money too for the track team. Right now we have nearly 2,000 dollars donated from my friends and family. Thank you all so much for the donations so far! It really does mean a lot to me and to the people here in town. I am excited for the full amount to be reached and then we can get it all started :)

I have been preparing for winter too recently. Last winter was so cold that I am doing everything I can to make sure my place is comfortable! I have been insulating and sealing all the windows and doors so there will not be such a bad draft this year. I also got a new wood burning stove from a friend. This one is seriously heavy duty and will be a ton warmer than the thing I used last year!

Cveti is in school at Sofia and has been getting really frustrated recently because for whatever reason, the professors aren't showing up for classes. She will go to the class, travel like an hour to get there from where she lives, only to find out that the professor never showed up. It's total BS and its really driving her crazy, understandably.

That's it really - I know it's not a fun post or anything, but I'm tired and I felt obligated to keep you all in touch as to what's been going on in this world.

Take care
Rory

Life and death in BG

I think it's time for a new post. This is one that I have been kind of dreading writing about but I hear it's good to get your thoughts out and tell people your story.

So last Sunday around noon, I was at my apartment with Cveti. Cveti was in bed and I was in the living room playing on the computer. My neighbor in the apartment building came home and couldn't get into her apartment. She was banging on the door loudly and calling to her husband. I heard it and figured that he had gone out into town, locked the door and she had simply forgotten her keys. She ended up leaving for a minute or two before coming back to knocking on the door. I assumed she went out briefly to look for him. In another minute or two, she rings my doorbell. I answer the door and she has tears running down her face. She asks me if she can use my balcony, since they are adjoining, to yell to him. She does this and there is no answer. The door to their apartment is open though so Cveti, without hesitation, climbs over the railing and shimmies her way across the 2 inch wide foothold 2 stories off the ground. She gets over the neighbors balcony, into their apartment and unlocks the door from the inside. She comes back in the apartment and I asked her what happened. She says she didn't look around. Within moments, I hear the woman start yelling. I listen intently and wishing to hear him respond to her yells. I hear nothing from him, so I knock on her door and open it at the same time. I see her in the hallway leaning over her husband who is on the ground with his upper body coming out of the bathroom. He had apparently fallen against the closed bathroom door from the inside and when she opened it, he fell into the hallway. He was on his side when I came in the apartment. I quickly gave my phone to Cveti and told her to call for help. I bent down and found a faint pulse in his neck. My hopes went up and I knew it was time for action. I asked the wife to help me move him to his back. All my CPR trainings were coming back to me like a lightning storm of information. Call for help, assess the surroundings and situation, check his pulse, feel for breathing, secure neck while moving the body, begin CPR. Well, it was just instinct at this point. I will leave out the vivid details for your own good.

After a few minutes, two of my neighbors from the building came over to help. I was continuing CPR (which is a bit more difficult to manage alone on a real person than with the CPR dummy.) when my other neighbor assisted me in holding his head in the proper position. For a long 10-15 minutes I continued working on him. But after about 5 minutes of this, it became apparent that it wasn't any good. The wife was crying and saying over and over again that he was dead. My neighbor told me it was too late, but I insisted on continuing and he helped me without complaint. After a while, I too decided that it was too late for him. His pulse was gone and had been for some time. We stopped, I turned around and hugged his wife and said sorry. While we were waiting for the ambulance (which took about 30 minutes to arrive) the three of us moved his body to the bed where he was in a more dignified position. Turns out that he had a weak heart and if finally stopped working. He was 65 years old.

So that was my Sunday. I have now seen the cycle of life here in Bulgaria. I have been to the hospital hours after Cveti's baby sister was born, I have been to weddings, I have seen death here and everything in between. It is amazing to me how differently our two cultures, Americans and Bulgarians, cope with and understand death. Granted their are great number of traditions both our cultures practice before, during and after someone has died and each tradition has its own reasons for existing. One of the strangest to me was the utter acceptance of death that I saw from all involved, even his wife. Don't get me wrong here. His wife was devastated by the loss, but when she first saw him on the ground she did not check a pulse to see if he was alive or call for help. She started mourning the loss immediately. I am sure she was in shock and couldn't believe it. I have also never witnessed a death like this in the states. But my first reaction was, and I would assume most Americans would be, to see if he can be saved. Call for help, check to see if he is still alive. Basically to do everything possible to see if he can be saved. There is always hope. Right?

Ok, so say that his wife was in shock right? Then we can excuse her due to her extremely close connection with the victim. But the other people in town, the neighbors, my co workers, the cafe owners, my other friends here... they all just kind of shrugged, said he was old and he had a weak heart, and then went on with their day. It was like it was an everyday occurrence. It got about as much attention as if you told someone you cut your finger while chopping onions. A quick story followed by 1 or 2 questions and then a shrug saying "it happens."

That part for me is what scares me the most. Even the paramedics that came just had a stethoscope. They didn't bring anything else that I saw. Just listened for a heart beat, said sorry, and walked out. The utter acceptance and complacency of being sick and dying trickles down from the people to the doctors and nurses. They just kinda throw something at you, pray for the placebo effect to work, and if it doesn't say, "well, there was no hope for him." It's really something that upsets me.

But is it that the Bulgarians are doing something wrong? or are my American expectations, hopes and handling of these kinds of situations the problem? We all die right? Isn't it harder on everyone, including the person dying, if we always wish for a hope and do everything we can, only to come to the same end? Doesn't that just make it harder to deal with? If you believe there was hope and that there was something you could have done to save the person's life, doesn't that make you feel guilty for their death? The performing of CPR is an exercise taught to us to prolong the oxygen delivery to the victim's brain so when help arrives they can bring him back to life with some magical electric paddles or a quick shot of some wake-up juice. But when that fails - the ones close at the end feel guilty. Whereas the acceptance of it and the knowing that death is going to come to us all and we can never stop it from happening must make coping so much easier. I am a bit jealous of the people here that just shake their head, say tsk tsk tsk, and move on. I dunno.

But these are where my thoughts are these days.

Big entry today - big event happened.

I am taking Cveti to Sofia tomorrow to help her move into her new apartment. She will be starting school next week there and our summer of fun will be officially over. Now it's time to play the long distance relationship game.

Begging for Money

Hi all!

It is a great day here as my big project finally got put up and fully supported by Peace Corps. The project needs to be funded though by my friends and family, or just strangers who want to help a the kids of a small Bulgarian town out. The project will fund equipment for the track and field team. The current team has basically nothing to practice with. The town has a beautiful track and stadium though, just nothing else for the team. Anyone that has done track and field, or knows anything about the sport, will know that you need a little bit more than just a track. They have no running shoes, uniforms, track spikes, starting blocks, hurdles, javelins, shot puts, discus, etc. These are all things that will be purchased with the donated money. The idea is to start this team up, recruit kids and make track and field available to them. The town currently only has a working boys soccer team. There is nothing for girls to participate in. This will ideally attract more youth to sport and occupy their free time. Participation in sport is an incredibly invaluable learning experience that we take for granted in the US. There are youth here that are dying for some organized sport, but they do not have the ability to participate. They currently do have a youth track team, but its numbers are dwindling and the kids have to basically buy all their own equipment and pay for transportation to events. The team doesnt perform well either when they are at events and in turn, the country doesnt fund the team well due to their poor performance. They really need this equipment to keep the team alive. Please click the link and donate what you can to support this project. You will be helping provide a wonderful opportunity to the youth of Koynare.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=313-148

Thanks so much for your continued support and I really look forward to seeing this project come to life.

Oh did I mention that all donations are tax-deductible? :)

Rory

Summer events

Wow. Time flies when you are having fun! I just saw that it has been over a month since that last post, yet it feels like I just wrote it a few days ago. Oops.

Things here are moving right along. Last week I finished writing up my project proposal for new track and field equipment for the town. They barely have any equipment at all over here and the equipment they do have really needs to be replaced. So I finished that up last week and Peace Corps sent it to Washington for their final approval. The project proposal is actually kinda neat because it relies on donations from friends and family of the volunteer. Washington will host a site for collection of donated money for my project soon and when it finally gets put up, I will put the link on here. We are asking for a lot of money, but if everyone donates just a bit, then we will reach our goal and a lot of kids here in Koynare will have an opportunity to participate in competitive organized sport!

The bushes that we planted have been cared for by myself this summer. Actually, myself and one other guy. We have been watering them a couple days a week since there hasn't been a lot of rain here. They aren't growing as much as I'd like but at least most of them are still alive. I worry that once school starts back up, the kids will just walk all over them and destroy them. The plants aren't hardy enough to handle the gentle touch of kids playing tag through them...

So this guy that is helping me with the plants is turning out to be a huge resource for me. He is a teacher at the school and for the first year here, I really didn't ever talk to him. Then one day, a few months ago, we were riding the same bus back from Sofia to Koynare and we started talking. After that, he was friendly with me. Then at the end of July one of the trainees here, Nick, had a birthday. This guy, Plamen, came to Nick's party. Well, after a few rakias, I got to talking to him pretty boldly. After confessing my desires of meaningful work and solid support from the locals, he has become my #1 Go To Guy. He and I are starting discussions here for a Scout Group (think Boyscouts) in Koynare as well as other ideas for youth related activities. He is an avid outdoors man who teaches history, loves to talk and has had a lot of experience working with foreigners... so he is patient with me and takes the time to really understand what I am looking for. It's a match made in heaven so to speak... and it took me a year to find him.

I just got back from a little vacation at the Black Sea. Last week, on Wednesday, I was walking to work in the heat and said to myself that I really should go see the Black Sea since I might not be able to get there next year. That night I talked to Cveti about it. Then we did some research. We found a super cheap apartment that was like 200 yards away from the beach. Since we were getting an apartment, we invited one of her friends along. On Thursday, her friend confirmed that she could go, she came over to my apartment that night and then we left bright and early the next morning. Friday we arrived in the early afternoon in Varna and spent the remaining sunlit hours laying on the beach next to multiple topless women of all ages (18+) and sizes. We spent the next few days there, until Monday, enjoying hot sunny weather, warm sea water, cold fruity beverages and good seafood. It was a very much needed break.

Next week I am going to another volunteers site to help her with an HIV/AIDS camp that she is hosting. Then on the 11th there is a race in Koynare which I will be participating in and hosting other volunteers here. On the 12th I have to wake up bright and early to get to Sofia and meet my brother at the airport!!! He is staying until the 16th and we will have an absolute blast together. I am really excited about it. Unfortunately it is such a short amount of time that we can't really travel around and see the country, but he will be hanging with me in my world for a few days. I can't wait! After that, school will start back up and the new season of work will begin!

I hope the blog finds you all well and I will update soon with a link to my donations page. Please please please send a little love this way. It will be seriously appreciated!

Take care and much love.
Rory

a little time for reflection

I’m going to take a little different approach to this blog today. Usually I just write and re-cap details about what’s been going on in my life here, but this one will be a little more reflective and heart felt. On July 25^th 2010, I had my one year anniversary of my arrival in Koynare. The internet is down at the Chitalishte where I am right now and I am writing this in MS Word, and I can’t check to see if I wrote one of these for my 1-year-in-Bulgaria anniversary back in May. I think I touched on it a little bit, but here I want to reflect more on my time in Koynare. Honestly, I think my opinion has changed and matured a bit since then. Actually, I know it has. My experiences with the trainees that were in Koynare and the mid service conference that we had a few weeks ago really put everything in perspective for me.

It is very difficult for me to actually write down and capture the emotions, situations, experiences and importance of all the stuff that goes on here but I’ll try anyways. I am fighting three very big challenges that will hinder this entry.

- One – I was out last night at a friend’s house for dinner until about 1am and was awoken this morning to mosquitoes biting me around 5am. The rest of the morning was spent hunting the bloodsuckers. I’m tired.

- Two – My Bulgarian language abilities are getting stronger and I am struggling to find English words, usually the big ones. Like Homer Simpson once said, “Every time I learn something new, I forget something old. Like the time I took that home wine making course and forgot how to drive.”

- Three – Pepi is here alone with me and as always our conversation is without end and the interruptions are frequent.

Well let’s get on with this.

Someone last night asked me where I consider home since I was explaining to her how many times I have moved. I hesitated to answer. In the past, when I was asked that question, I would answer with the fact that I went to middle school and high school in Connecticut. That was the longest I’d ever been in a place and where I had some of my happiest memories. But I graduated high school about 8 years ago. A lot of time has passed since then and the “home” feeling I have from there is now distant. I never really felt at home in Chicago either. That was just the place where my parents lived when I got out of college and the natural place for me to migrate to. I made friends there through work and enjoyed my time with my family, but I never really lived on my own and had a place to call “my home”. Don’t get me wrong, it was super nice living with my folks but it just wasn’t “my home”. It always felt temporary.

So my answer to last night’s question of where I consider home was “Here, in Koynare.” Home is where the heart is, right?  If there is one thing that I have put in this town, it is my heart.

I came here a year ago as an eager, naïve, ambitious, and unprepared foreigner. I was all alone and felt that way. The people were nice to me and welcoming, but how close can you get with someone when you hardly speak their language and their warmth seems like it is conjured out of sheer curiosity about the American? I was treated like a guest and felt like one too. I moved into an apartment with two rooms and a kitchen. I lived in the kitchen and slept in the bedroom. I didn’t go into the living room for the first month because I didn’t feel like it was my apartment.

Oh, how much has changed…

I don’t know why or what caused it, but I have totally made a life for me here over the last year and I don’t know if I could have done it better. The warm greetings I get from everyone here is no longer a cover but genuine. I am invited to sit at tables, to enter conversations and to give my opinions about anything from the price of bread to global corruption issues. I am spending evenings as a guest at different people’s houses regularly. Last week, Cveti and I even treated a family to a Mexican dish we prepared, at their place of course! My opinion is now considered and my presence is welcomed.

I am no longer a guest in this town but a member of the community. I was getting a hair cut a few weeks ago and a man entered the barbershop while I was in the chair. He is a man that I have met maybe a few times but seen around a lot. He saw me in the chair and said to the hairdresser, “Take care of Rory and give him a great haircut! He is a Koynarian and our boy. We all have to take care of him and make sure everything is good for him.” I looked at him in the mirror and shot him a smile. He then turned to me and asked me how long I’d been here in town and how much longer I will be here. I told him that I have been here for a year with a year left. He smiled and said, “Well hopefully you decide to stay in Koynare after you finish your year with the Peace Corps.” I have heard this type of thing many times from people I have come across, but the way he said it and the way he acted sounded like he genuinely meant it.

Not only do I feel more accepted here by the people of the community but over the year I have accepted the community. That is more important and harder than it appears. As an American entering a developing country with different values, culture and habits than what I have known, in order to work together with locals and live within the community, the adjustment is astronomical. Especially when I look back on all the stuff that I have accepted and adjusted to, it’s amazing that only one year has passed! Not until you can accept and understand why things are the way they are and why people do what the do, can you be comfortable.

An example – when I first got here, one of the biggest things that I missed was food. Ranch dressing, a cheeseburger, Mexican food, vegetables year round etc… Not only did I miss the food, but the process of purchasing food too. Walking through isles with a cart and endless options available was my dream. I craved this stuff and I rejected the things around me involving food. I thought that the food and the way they bought food was so weird and incorrect and that they should really have stores and food like America. Because America is better, right? Well my eyes were just closed to the beauty of food here. I go to the store now to buy food everyday. I buy just enough for a day or two and hardly spend more than 10 leva. I can’t explain why I like the process now and what is available to eat, but I simply do. Maybe it’s the conversations I have with the person working there or just that I have gotten used to it now. I no longer have a single craving for American food, but I find myself craving a shopska salata with home grown tomatoes, cucumber, onions, peppers and home made cheese. The food is so fresh and good to me now that I fear going back to the states and trying to eat vegetables, meat and cheeses. All the food here comes from no more than 30 miles away. Sometimes it even comes from a friend’s garden or personal livestock. An omelet made with fresh eggs from a colleague’s chickens cooked with homemade cheese from sheep’s milk that was given to you on your walk home from work by the guy that made it, mixed with vegetables grown in the spot of land behind the apartment building, spiced with dill from your neighbor’s garden after she overheard that the person at the store said they didn’t have any to sell you so she ran home to pick the dill and give it to you, and eaten with warm bread baked less than 50 yards from your front door is a dish that only a lucky few in the states can understand. Yet that is a meal that is more the norm than the exception. How can I not fall in love with this place?

Well all that is fine and dandy right? The other thing is that I have made my life here, MY life. I made work my own and understood the expectations of me from my host organization and community. My work has taken off and I have many projects that I hope will be successful. I have support and just so you all know, we finished the park project recently… J I finally accepted my apartment as being mine. I have now added things to it, taken things out, and consider it my place. It could be more comfortable, but whatever. I have great memories there and host guests for weekends.

The most important guest that I host is my wonderful girlfriend Cveti. I know I am mentioning her late in this long rant of reflections and experiences, but she is by far the most important thing that has happened to me. Without her, my life would not feel anywhere near as complete as it does now. She has been with me since November and has been by my side for most of this year. She has lent a listening ear, a comforting touch, and solid advice. She has given me companionship and endless laughter, smiles, and support. She has opened my eyes to accept more and to see more. She has opened her heart and let me in, and I the same. She has been with me through all the hard times, frustrations, challenges, and rainy days. She has shown me how strong someone can be during times that appear lost. She has shown me hope in more things than anyone will ever know. Without her I would not be nearly as successful as I am today. Frustrations may have gotten the best of me or my outlook may be more negative during misunderstandings with others. Basically – she is guilty for my happiness, successes and feeling of completeness. Way to go Cveti… I came here for the hardest job I’d ever love, but you’ve made it easy. J

So that’s been my year. Sorry for the length of it all but it’s been a year. I’ve made life long friends here and as I said in one of my first entries before I came to Bulgaria, I am not the same person I was when I left. On the surface I haven’t changed much, but my soul is richer, warmer, happier, fuller, bigger, more open and more loving.

So now I want to say: Bring on the next year! I can only hope that it is as fulfilling as the last one has been! 

1 year left... almost.

Guess what everybody?! I'm still here! 

In 2 weeks, I will have completed exactly 1 year of my real service here. That is to say that the first 3 months of training do not count for the 2 years of service. Since I will have completed 1 year, that means that I only have 1 year left. Unless I decide to stick around a bit longer in the ol' BG. Actually, that might be a possibility. I found out recently of a new position that Peace Corps BG is starting. It's basically a position where a 3rd year volunteer will commit 50% of their time assisting other volunteers and 50% of their time at their volunteer organization. The person needs to basically be fluent in Bulgarian in order to even qualify since the position requires mentoring between volunteers and their respective organizations. This sounds right up my alley and I really think I'd love the job. But that's a year away and a lot can happen between then and now... I mean, just look at the last year that I've been through. I'm only Rory v.1.5 right now, so the transformation still requires some time...

Last week, my group had our 1-year conference. This conference was in Vratsa and all the b-25s got together for 2 days of meetings. It was so much fun! We all have grown so much since the last time we saw each other. During the days, we discussed our successes and struggles over the last year. We also planned for the next year. Each of us had such different experiences! We just sat and talked and had a great time with each other. It was seriously fun. Then on Friday, I gave a 50 minute presentation to the new group regarding what it is like to be a community worker and how they should prepare for it. It went really well and I got some great feedback from the PC staff. I went to Moravitsa Friday night with Cveti and Scott and hung out there with the old crew and the new volunteers that are there. On Saturday, Rosen and some of the other guys from Moravitsa came to Koynare to camp and go fishing. Cveti and I hung out with them and fished a little. So last week, starting on Tuesday night, I may have gotten a total of 15 hours of sleep. On Saturday night, when I got home from the river, I went to bed at like 1AM... and slept until noon. Then I fell asleep again on Sunday at like 2:30 and slept till 6... then I went to bed at 11 that night and slept straight to 7am... I don't think I've ever slept that much in my life. I was awake for only like 8 hours on Sunday. I needed it.

This week, I am going to the Black Sea with the dance team here in Koynare. It should be a ton of fun! The dance choreographer told me that he is going to tell the competition judges that I am the choreographer for the dance... I am really curious what will happen when they find out that an American choreographed the Bulgarian Folklore dance... I'm sure they will start asking all sorts of questions that I won't know how to answer. Should make for a good time. Hopefully someone is there to record it.

The 4th of July was celebrated at the Mayor's house. We had the 5 American trainees here as well as Dan and Cveti. I made a big batch of chili for it. Dan brought tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, ground beef, and other stuff. We made salsa too. The other guys brought a thing of chili, made a cake, brought hot dogs and buns and all that good stuff. So we basically had chili, cheeseburgers, chili dogs and cake for the holiday while at the Mayor's house. It was pretty spectacular. 

I don't know if I really have all that much else to say. I think my park project (from last April) will finally get finished this month. 

The weather is hot and I am sweaty again. My water and electricity has been on and off all month. The water pressure is currently too low to get hot water out of the boiler. I have become the master at how to take sponge baths. If anyone wants advice on it, let me know - I have the process down to a science. I can fully clean myself with 3.5 liters of water. I think that's like 1 gallon... or 10 seconds in a shower... or 1 flush of the toilet... or if it was gas, 10 miles in Rubi... 

Take care all.

Rory 

Successes, injuries and metal shows.

Again, it's been about a month since my last post. Oops. :)

Let's start with some highlights. The trainees are still here and they are adapting well. They found out their permanent locations a few days ago and none of them are near Koynare unfortunately. On a positive note, Koynare will be getting another volunteer! Her name is Evan and she is going to be an English teacher here in town. She will move in at the end of July. I met her the other day and it seems like we will get along well and we both are looking forward to working with each other in the coming year(s).

I started working outside all the time now. I am available to the kids in the mornings at the stadium where I wait with my big bag of sports equipment for them. It's not as big a success as I want it to be right now, but with time I think it will attract more kids. They did recommend that I go to the stadium at around dinner time instead of in the morning. In the morning, it's getting hot and the kids have to wake up early. At night, its cooling down and they are already up. So I guess I'll start going in the evenings.

I also started a fitness group at the local gym. I am helping out with fitness training and all that good stuff. It's fun but I don't know how long it will last. It started enthusiastically and is now appearing to die down. Yesterday no one showed up... So we will see.

Shakira, the dog I had, has also returned to her previous owner. Which is way better for her. And now I have a cat. She is 3 months old and super cute. She loves being around people and enjoys sleeping in the bed with me, which is kinda strange.

So that's the good news.

The bad news is that about 2 weeks ago I was playing volleyball and sprained my ankle pretty bad. It's a funny sprain and isn't really healing as well as I want it to. So I am in a brace for the next few weeks. The sprain and all the limping around has also inflamed a patellar tendinitis which I was dealing with anyways. It was a small problem, but now it has become more of a problem. I went to the hospital while I was in Sofia this week with the Peace Corps. The doctor there re-x-rayed my ankle and ruled out a fracture in my metatarsal which was a possibility. Then she told me not to do anything sports wise for 3 weeks or so. Then I told her about my knee. She put me in a knee a brace and then told me to rest that knee for 1 month... So now my sports filled summer is going to start late and I am walking around like the bionic man with braces all over me.

That's the bad news. But it's not horrible.

I want to end this post with an observation I made this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Cveti and I were at a concert in Sofia. Not just any concert... but the most bad-ass metal concert I've been to. Day 1 was Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica. Day 2 was Stone Sour, Alice in Chains, Manowar, and Rammstien. It was crazy. But not as crazy as I had anticipated in fact. Let me tell you the differences between the way Americans go to metal concerts, and the way Bulgarians go to metal concerts. The first thing I noticed was the demographic. American metal shows are full of what society calls "outcasts". Not everyone, but I will speak in generalities here. The American metal show outcast stereotype is male, wearing black, fully tattooed, pierced, really fat, smelly, long hair or shaved head. The young ones are visibly angry and put a ton of thought into their appearance to show that to the world. The older ones are clearly not to be messed with as they have been following these bands for countless years and been blasting their music in their semi-trucks or harleys for ages. Either way, they look and feel the part. Also - about 5% of the crowd at the American show is made up of women. And only the lamest individuals are wearing the band's shirt that is playing at the concert.

Now for the Bulgarian demographic. This show was full. 70,000 people were recorded as being there. There were of course your really big metal heads that looked and felt the part. They looked like the American version described above. But they were the exception. The average person looked like the average person. I would say there were more males than females at the show, but not by much. Maybe 60/40. Black was the dominate color, but again, it wasn't necessary. And I think about 80% of the people attending the day that Metallica played, had on a Metallica shirt. Same for when Rammstien played the next day. Everyone was sporting the bands shirt. It was so odd. One last thing I noticed and it surprised me. Bulgarians go to the show to watch the bands and listen to the music. Americans (not all of them) go to the show to get tossed in the mosh pit. There was not a pit in Bulgaria and with bands like Slayer, Stone Sour, Manowar and Rammstien, I would have thought it would be hard to not be a part of a little pit action, especially since we were right up by the stage.
I guess the people here are smarter than us, or at least their metal heads are a little more sane...

So that's all for now. Hit me up with questions if you got any. I'm gonna get back to doing other stuff.

Rory

Happy 1 year anniversary to me! (and the other B-25s)

One year ago today, May 19th 2009, 61 scared Americans and I stepped off American soil and onto a plane headed across the ocean to enter the unknown. One day later, of the 62 that arrived, one stepped back on a plane and returned. Of the 62 that arrived one year ago, 56 will celebrate their one year anniversary in Bulgaria.

I guess it is time to reflect on the past 365 days. Let's just say that when I first got here, I was not thinking of the future. If I did, I would have driven myself insane. Those first days weeks and months are so difficult and long and scary and new that if you project out into the future and try to grasp the upcoming 27 months, you will lose your mind, begin crying, possibly start banging your head and utterly feel helpless. So it was best just to take it one day at a time and not really think of the future too much. With that said, even though I didn't look to the future and wonder what life for me would be like at the 1 year point, I don't think I could have imagined myself feeling this good, this happy and feeling more like myself.

My job and average day are not necessarily ideally what I would like to be doing but things are slowly but surely moving in the direction of the ideal. It also takes me a bit to see what my expectations are of me being here, and what my town's expectations are. When I combine the two, I see that I am actually doing a pretty good job in terms of work. Everyone is happy so what more can I ask for?

During our last trip around the sun, I have emotionally, spiritually and cognitively matured a lifetime. For this, I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve as a volunteer in Bulgaria.

I dare to say that my days spent in Koynare are comparable to my last 2 years in high school. I walk down the street confidently, greeting many people along the way, some of which require a shout across the town center. I have good conversations with my coworkers and friends, kids seek me out to talk to me or invite me places, and everyone is used to my language mishaps followed by a smile and laugh. The weekends are spent with Cveti or American friends and we always enjoy each others company. I feel as much at home in this town of 5,000 in northern Bulgaria as I have anywhere else. And all that after 1 year?

What will come of the next 15 months? I only foresee it getting better. The language will continue to improve, relations with townspeople will strengthen, trust will be reinforced and the gap between cultural expectations will continue to narrow. This is my current expectation and I hope it is accurate.

As for the new volunteers... there are 5 of them that arrived in Koynare last Sunday. They will all teach English. I'll give a quick description of each based on the limited knowledge I have so far. We have a married couple who are older. The husband recently retired as a NASA engineer and named Michael. His wife is Karen and I don't know anything else about them except that they have great personalities. There is a guy around 30 years old name Nick who speaks a bit of Russian and is getting along really well here. He was a teacher in Portland, OR. A girl named Deanna, or Diana (not sure), is around 24 years old and comes from Pennsylvania. The other girl is named Basima and she had a birthday yesterday bringing her to 23 years. She is from Ohio.

All of them will do great. They have good personalities and are ambitious to help. I am super excited to have the 5 of them here! I have already been out to dinner twice with Nick's family that he is staying with. I am helping the families and the volunteers communicate so it makes me feel good, and I get a free meal out of it. :)

So with 1 year behind me and at least another to go, I am doing better than good. Everyday I am thankful for the events that took place which put me here.

This weekend I am going to Moravitsa to meet the volunteers that are there now... I was assured by the staff at headquarters that they will live up to the town's expectations that my group set...

Take care!
Rory

Learn something new today.

This blog is like dirty laundry. I know it's there, I know the longer I wait to do it the more stuff builds up, I know that I should just get it over with and dive in... but I'm just lazy. So I let it build up and I go weeks without doing either my laundry or writing in my blog. Speaking of laundry, my washing machine broke again, for the 3rd time. This is what happens when you purchase a German made washing machine from a second hand store... I now need to find someone to figure out why it isn't pulling water into it... especially since I waited until the last minute to do laundry only to find out the machine is broke.

Here is a link to my vbox profile - vbox is like youtube, but without all the copyright stuff... :) http://vbox7.com/user:panterarn?p=allvideos
These videos, if they load for you, are from the park day.

Tomorrow the new batch of volunteers arrive in Bulgaria. I bet they are scared out of their minds and anxious and all that good stuff. In fact, I remember that feeling like it was yesterday. Rory 1.0 boards the plane and hears the German flight attendants go through the security brief. I thought to myself, "well... good-bye native English speakers..." and so began my journey. Almost 1 year ago. It will actually be May 20th 2010 that will mark my 1 year anniversary. It's amazing I have been here that long. I feel like a COMPLETELY different person. I have gained 10 years of wisdom in 1 year of living. I think anyone that has a burning desire to learn something new should join the Peace Corps. I look back on the last year and all the stories I have and things I have done and seen... And then I compare that to the year before that... and I see nothing but a couple big deals both won and lost at work, talking on the phone for hours at a time, same routine during the week only broken up by joyous rides in my wonderful ex-girlfriend/jeep Rubi. There were things that happened that were out of the norm day to day, but nothing like this. I am not saying my time in the states was bad, it was just so ordinary. I pretty much knew what everyday would bring and where things would be. But here... something new each day. That is not a lie or exaggeration. I see, learn, hear, do, make, experience something new EVERY... SINGLE... DAY. Who else can say that? I challenge you, think of yesterday and tell me what you experienced that was new? For me, I became the professional photographer for the 12th grade graduation in my town. I went through every motion with them for their ceremony. I had never experienced how Koynare students graduate from high school.

Last weekend, we had a 4 day weekend. I took Wednesday off as well and went to Cveti's town. She had her graduation ceremony. It was great. We then went and hung out with all her friends from her class at a party that night. On Thursday, Ashley, Dan, Cveti and I went to Varna which is one of the big tourist destinations for Europeans when they want to go to the Black Sea. It was their off season, but it was still great. So we spent Thursday through Sunday there. The weather was ideal for me... 70-75 and sunny. We went to the beach, went swimming in the 60 degree water, went to the hot springs, sang karaoke, played pool, went shopping, Ashley ate sushi, drank a Guinness, etc... It was grand.

I will be trading Scooter for another dog that will fit my life a little better. I like Scooter, he just needs a different place to live. He is too energetic and too high maintenance for a single working person who lives in an apartment. But the dog that I will get is way more chill. She is house-broken, likes staying indoors, quiet, loving, etc... or so they have told me. We will see when the time comes. Keep your fingers crossed. I love dogs and would love to have the right one for me.

On a side note, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Especially mine. I appreciate the hard work and love you put into raising me.I am forever grateful, even if I don't always say it. And thanks especially this year for the love and support you gave me for my first year in Bulgaria. I know that wasn't easy but it meant the world to me. I couldn't be here if I didn't have your support. Thanks Mom - I love you.


Rory

Park project completion, interviews and new blood

I was on here like 2 days ago and I swear there was a button that let me upload videos... Apparently it is no longer there. I really want to show the video that I made of the park project we did last weekend, but I guess it won't happen. Unfortunately I added a great song to the video, and now youtube won't let me upload it do to "copyright violations"... whatever that is.

The park project went unbelievably well. We had at least 30 kids there, the mayor, my coworkers, Cveti, and a news crew came. I was interviewed along with the Mayor and one of the other kids in my group. It was awesome. I am a super star. They had me on TV. I think the interview is terrible and that I am just a mumbling fool trying to answer the questions, but the Bulgarians that have seen it said I did a "great job" so I guess it wasn't all that bad. Or they are just being nice... 

The kids and I worked from 9am until about 1pm or so, maybe later. We all had pizza and drinks and cleaned while listening to music. Everyone was really enthusiastic and the such. Now we are waiting until next week to get some park benches installed, flowers, bushes and maybe some actual pathways made. If it all goes to plan, this park is going to totally be transformed. It's really great to see that these kids are the ones responsible. I have just kind of guided their hand, but in the end, it was them that made it all happen. 

In a few weeks, the new volunteers come! They will get here on May 15th, which is Cveti's birthday, and also a Saturday. Koynare is getting 6 new American volunteers! I will unfortunately not be here when they arrive as I will be celebrating Cveti's birthday. On Monday the 17th, I have to be in Sofia too for a dentist appointment... So I won't get to meet them until they have been here 3 days! I really want to get to see them and their wide eyes during the first few days when they see what they have gotten into.

Plus, any of you that know me well, know how much I love to take people under my wing when they are going through something that I have experienced. I've done that my whole life and I will do it again! This is gonna be fun.

That's all for now, projects are moving forward, weather is getting warmer, and I'm staying busy. 

Summary of Booboo and Pop's Visit

I am back from my vacation and time with my parents. To say that the trip was great would be an understatement. I had an absolutely amazing time! I met my parents in Sofia on Saturday the 10th of April. I was with Dan when we picked them up from the airport. We rented a car and got checked into the hotel, which was probably the nicest hotel in Sofia! Then met up with Ashley. The five of us went out to a traditional Bulgarian restaurant for dinner. Afterwards we did a little walking around Sofia to see the sights and what not. From the travel, my parents were obviously tired and they went back to the hotel. Dan, Ashley and I went out to a bar and met up with some other volunteers that were in town. Day 1 with the folks was over. On the second day, we got up, ate some mexican food and dropped Ashley and Dan off at the train station. My parents and I enjoyed a long drive out to Veliko Turnovo. We arrived late in the afternoon, got a hotel room and did the old walk around Veliko Turnovo. We were still a bit tired from the trip and all that, so we crashed early. We got up and did the old tourist stuff around town. We went to a big castle, went down some old streets, saw some cool monuments and those kind of things. We then got back in the car (after we charged the battery since "someone" is used to cars automatically turning off their lights...) and drove to Koynare. On the way into town, we ran into Pepi, my coworker. We talked to him a bit, then went to go check out my apartment. It was super duper clean and everything was good. After that, we went out to Cherven Bryag, a nearby town, to check into the hotel that is there. Ok, now we are on the next day. My parents and I went to Koynare again, I went to work for a bit where they met all the people I work with on a daily basis. There was a meeting that we attended and then went to the cafe with the mayor of the town. I had an afternoon meeting with my group about the park project too. From there, we departed Koynare, went to get Cveti in Byala Slatina, and then continued on to Vratsa and Moravitsa.

My folks got to see Moravitsa where we met up with Rosen and his family. We had beers at the cafe and then headed back in to Vratsa for a dinner with his parents. It was an absolute blast. The food was amazing. His mom cooked all day for us and had a million things to eat. We drank rakia, ate salads and traditional food, and laughed and laughed. It was wonderful. I think it was probably the most memorable dinner ever, even if we did consume a bit too much rakia.

The next day we awoke with headaches, packed our bags and headed into Sofia. We went to the Peace Corps office for an hour or so. My parents got to meet my bosses at the Peace Corps and see where the Bulgarian headquarters are. Then we got to the airport, and without any problems, departed for Barcelona.

We arrived late at night, around midnight, in Barcelona. Cveti, my parents and I together went to the hotel where we quickly fell asleep. The next day we walked all over Barcelona checking out whatever we could. Actually, the next 2 days were like that. We were staying in a beautiful hotel in central Barcelona and we just walked all over the place when we were there. After those 2 days, we moved locations to The W Hotel in Barcelona. We were living large! The W is on the water and kind of removed from the city. But the hotel lacked nothing. Beautiful rooms with beautiful views. Good food, nice people, a pool, bar, club, restaurant... the works. During those days, we went out into the city and saw a castle and a cathedral that is being built. Cveti and I made a trip to the aquarium one day to see the sharks. She had never been to one, so it was a real treat.

Anyways, come the last full day we were there, my parents realized that their flights were cancelled due to some volcanic activity that shut down almost all flights in Europe. This was Sunday and they were supposed to fly out Monday morning at around the same time Cveti and I were. Well, the next flight they could get booked on was on THURSDAY. This was a slight problem because my dad is starting his new job on Wednesday.

Well, Cveti and I went to the airport on Monday morning, around 4am, with fingers crossed that our flights were green-lighted. And luckily they were! We had no issues getting back. The flights we were on flew south of the ash cloud that was causing all the problems.

So we left my parents in Barcelona where they enjoyed a few more days on their own. I just got an email from them saying that they are travelling back right now and that there are no problems so far.

All in all - the trip was amazing. The last 10 days or so couldnt have been better. It was amazing seeing them, we had a great time, made many memories, shared many laughs and they really got to get a feel for my life in Koynare. Things were perfect. Needless to say, it was very difficult to say goodbye to them.

Sorry this wasn't real funny - this was more for my own records, but hopefully you enjoyed reading it anyways.

Take care,
Rory

My Parents Are Coming! and a special thanks to Hannah Montana.

Maliiiiii!!! As they say around these parts... I think it means like "Oh wow! It's unbelievable!" In this case, I use the phrase to describe my last couple of weeks. Let me say it again:  Maaa-LIIIIIIII!

I am writing this blog during quite a busy time for me due to a special request from a Mr. Tom Stien, former controller of my life at work. But Mr. Stien, I thank you for the request, because I gots me some things to say!

First off - I want to thank Miley Cyrus and her organization "Get Ur Good On" for granting my volunteer youth group $450 dollars to complete our first service project! The win was huge - 100 groups got grants up to $500 dollars. 90 of the groups were in the US, my group was one of ten to win internationally! Pretty sweet! I am totally pumped and so are the kids I work with. As always, with a win like this, comes great responsibility and more work. I have been busting my behind to get everything set up for the project completion deadline of April 25th.

And now to throw in the kicker - my parents are coming here on this Saturday, April 10th! I am so freaking excited for that it's not even funny. I will pick them up on Saturday from the airport in Sofia where we will stay for the night. That night, they will meet a couple of my closest friends here. Then, the next day, we will travel to a great city here called Veliko Turnovo where we will stay the next night. After that, we will travel to my town, Koynare, to check it out. We will stay here for 2 days. Then on the 14th we will pick up the lovely Cveti and head to Sofia again. This time we will catch a plane and bounce on over to Barcelona where we will stay until the 19th!

On the 20th I have a meeting in Sofia with the Peace Corps. I will return to Koynare on the 21st.

So if any of you were paying attention to the dates, you will know that I will only have 4 days after they come to complete this project of installing park benches, tables, flowers, shrubs, maybe a gazebo, painting the benches, cleaning the park, planting grass, and educating as many people as possible on environmental awareness and recruiting volunteers and getting the media there. Oh, and we still haven't received the money yet, so I have to buy everything too... This is not a lot of time. So these past 2 weeks I have been getting everyone on the same page to execute these needs without me. I will be in town on the 13th though, with my parents, to really finalize it all before I depart.

I am actually pretty confident in the people here that are helping with this project and I think it will all come together smoothly. I will still lose lots of sleep over it though.

And here is yet one more thing - Cveti and I are not 100% if she needs a passport to fly to Spain, or if her ID card will suffice. Some websites say ID card is enough, others say a passport is needed. She was told by a police officer in her town that she needed the passport. So today she went to the passport place to apply for a 3 day passport - but as our luck has it, Bulgaria just mandated a new format for their passports for EVERYONE. So the place was packed. Totally packed. They told her after she waited 4-5 hours that they would "do their best" to get her the passport in 3 days. If they can't do it in three days, it will be within the month and they will refund her the extra 40 leva... gee, thanks.

Well, that's where we stand now. I have heard from some people here that have traveled to Spain that they didn't need a passport, while others say you do. Websites even are confusing. One website said that passports were required, then under that it said "passport exemptions: Holders of National Identity Cards issued to nationals of Bulgaria." I am confused - a straight answer from a credible source would be nice.

Other successes - I got about 60 books in English delivered here from the Darien Book Aid Plan. That was sweet. Also, I was told that a bunch of sports equipment is on its way here. I've started lifting weights again. Annndd I had a great Easter weekend.

I'm sure that I am forgetting something but that's what's going on right now with me.

Till next time - I'll post pictures from Barcelona.

Rory

The Book of Rory.

Here I sit in my office, tired, a little cold and unsure what the day will bring. The weather recently, in the past few weeks, has been perfect. With temperatures in the 60s and low 70s and the sun shining strongly, I have taken advantage of the spring arrival and spent my afternoons after work outside by the stadium playing volleyball or taking the dog for a walk. The weather has never had such a strong impact on my daily life as it has here in Bulgaria. In the states, we have learned to control the weather. If the temperature is too cold outside, turn your little dial on the wall and Poof! there is heat flowing throughout the house and it stops once an ideal temperature is reached. Then you realize, you have to go to the store. That's not a problem, run outside quickly, turn your car on and run back inside, or just go into your garage to do that, or, if you are really lucky, press a button on your key chain. After you drive your temperature regulated car to the store and park in the nearest parking spot available, you will spend the most time of your day in the weather when you scurry from the vehicle to the store. Once again, the store will be a comfortable 66-70 degrees Fahrenheit. The same is true for summer. You can spend years without being genuinely cold or uncomfortably hot. And that was exactly how I spent the last few years in the states. Now, I am susceptible to the forces of nature and rules of weather. During winter, it's a fire and stove that keep me warm in my apartment. During the summer, it's... it's nothing that cools me down. Maybe a drink of ice water and my own overly productive sweat glands help a little. Anyways, as the weather is getting nice, my mood is drastically improving. I am feeling better about everything and anything. I am also aware that after a month or so, the real heat will start again and I will slip back into a state of sweaty misery. I have memories of last summer sitting in a concrete office, with the sun beating on me through the windows, temperatures of 100+ inside and outside, in long pants, closed shoes, and a sweat drenched t-shirt. They are not the most pleasant memories and I will do my best to prepare myself this year for the ensuing heat.

So besides the long analysis of the weather, my parents told me that they are coming out here April 4th until the 15th! I am super excited about there arrival and I am making plans that will surely keep them busy during their stay. For any of those that have had the honor of experiencing a "Nolan Vacation" you are aware that 9 times out of 10, you need a vacation after the vacation in order to finally get some rest. Vacations are no time to rest! There are things to be done!

Scooter is causing problems and I honestly might have to get rid of him. I feel bad cause he is a good dog but he needs more attention and space than I am able to give him. He is a 2 year old outside dog and has never been trained. He has some aggression issues as well. Now he is living in my small apartment and hangs out there alone for 8+ hours a day while I am at work. He isn't so happy and I can see his frustrations growing, which unfortunately can result in exacerbating the unpredictable aggression he has shown. Through looking at pictures and what not, I have basically theorized that Scooter is a Lab/Pit Bull mix. Not quite what I was looking for. I know Pit Bulls are good dogs, and reliable and loyal and all that stuff, but they are also as a breed predisposed to aggressive behavior, and they play rough. I wouldn't mind this if I didn't work with kids! I just can't take him around kids. Which means that I can't take him for walks. When kids see me on a walk with the dog here, they run up in groups and want to pet him. I can't afford an incident as I am certain it would taint my reputation in town and possibly jeopardize my service term. So we will see...

These past few weeks, Cveti and I have been preparing my apartment for my parents. We have been doing some serious spring cleaning. The place looks completely different and 1000 times better! I will not lie, Cveti is doing most the work and therefore deserves the credit. Don't get me wrong, I am helping, but she just sneaks off and cleans! I'll be watching something, cooking, doing anything really, and she will just disappear into another room. I won't pay attention to it for a little while, then I'll realize she has been gone for a half hour. By the time I find here, the other rooms been rearranged, swept, dusted and all-around cleaned. She is like a cleaning ninja. She sneaks around in the dark secretly cleaning. By the time you realize what's happened, it's too late, you've been cleaned.

So let's end this on a good note. I applied for a grant funded by Hannah Montana and Disney back in February. The grant was for 500 dollars and would help fund our project to clean up and improve a park in town. There were 100 grants awarded in the world. Well, 90 of them in the USA and 10 international. I found out on Sunday that we won the grant! We are getting 450 dollars which is basically 650 leva. This will cover a HUGE amount of our project. I am super excited. Not only am I excited, but it seems like the whole town is excited. My youth group, that developed the project and will spearhead everything, was ecstatic. They were pessimistic about receiving money, but now that this has happened, they are really proud. We met with the mayor yesterday and everyone is excited. I had people stopping me on the street yesterday saying congratulations! So yesterday, with the 70 degree sunny weather, the victory, the work, the pride and increased respect in town, I strolled through the town feeling like a small hero. It was a pretty good day. One of the better days to date.

This is a long one. Sorry for that, but hey - it's been a while and this is my life. Actually, I'm not sorry. Dig it. Soak it up. Read my preaching and hang on to every word. This is the word of Rory. Take these with you through your days and apply them (not sure how) to your daily happenings. Or whatever.

Take care and say a quick silent thank you to Hannah Montana for making a big impact in my experience here.

Rory

Baba Marta and Scooter

I got me a dog! He is crazy. His name is Scooter and he is a rescued dog from a shelter in Sofia. He is a small black lab mix. I am not sure exactly what his bloodline is, but he is not very big, he is black, skinny and he is strong. His hind legs look like a pit bulls, but his face is nothing like one. So who knows. Anyways, he has a lot of energy, loves to run and jump and play. He is territorial and has kind of freaked out a couple times when there are other people over. He doesn't have a single interest in balls or other toys. He steals my socks and puts them in his "bed" so he can smell my delicious feet. His bed is made of extra blankets that I had. It is set up in the kitchen. He has been peeing and pooping all over the apartment. I have recently trained him to at least go on the balcony when I am not home or its during the night. But now he likes that spot and basically refuses to go outside. I guess that works for me, for now. During the summer when the weathers better, I'll take him outside more. For now, it's still too cold and unpredictable outside, so the balcony works. During this week, as he is getting more used to living indoors, I will start actually training him. For now, I taught him "watch me" where he stops all the wandering and running and jumping and just stares at me. That is the first step. Once I can get him to pay attention to me, then I can get him to sit, come, lay down, etc...

He has been the main concern of mine for the past 2 weeks. But on March 1st, there was a holiday here called "Baba Marta" literally meaning "Grandmother March". The holiday is celebrated by exchanging red and white bracelets with your friends and colleagues. These bracelets are to be worn until you see a stork. When you see a stork, you take the bracelet off and put it on the branch of a tree. A fruit tree is preferred, but if there isn't one around, then any tree will do. This is for your health. An interesting holiday, but a fun one. I helped make over 200 bracelets to give to the students in kindergarten through 3rd grade and then to the staff of the town offices. It was fun in a mundane sort of way. On that day, I walked around with a Baba dressed as Baba Marta and a couple kids. The kids and Baba Marta gave out the Martenitsi (bracelets) while I took pictures.

I also made a website for pictures from town. The site is www.picasaweb.google.com/koynare. You can check them out.

Other than this jazz, I don't really have much else to say believe it or not. So enjoy your day. It's snowing here again.

Rory

Scooter's coming... along with 5 strangers.

Last Friday I went to Sofia to visit the dog. I went with Cveti and she wanted to see some cats while we were down there. Well, while we were looking at cats, at a different shelter than the dog I went to look at, I noticed the dogs they had there. There were about 6-7 dogs hanging out in separate fenced in areas with their dog houses. All of them were either going crazy that I was there, or they were completely uninterested. They were barking and climbing and running and jumping... except for one. He was in the way back and he was just standing with his front paws on the chain link fence looking at me. He had black hair, with a darling face and his ears were kind of cocked-up in curiosity. As I walked around a little, he would lose sight of me. He would quickly find a new spot where he could see me and pop his head back up. I was impressed by his attentiveness, curiosity, and self control (because he wasn't barking or going crazy). I asked if I could see him. When they brought him around, I saw that he was a small black lab mix of 2 years old. He was super cute and incredibly friendly. I fell in love with him immediately. We did go look at the other dog, the one I originally went to see. He was super cute as well, but smaller and more like a lap dog/princess. When I returned home, I wrote to the organization and told them I wanted to foster the first dog I saw on accident. The name they gave him is Bruno, but he looks more like a Scooter to me... They were very happy that I wanted to take him into my apartment and they are dropping him off tomorrow (Friday the 26th). I am super excited! I get to spend all weekend with him. He is really attractive and very athletic. He seems to be really smart. We will see!

I also got news that is really exciting for me. Peace Corps is looking at Koynare to host 5 new trainees from mid May until the end of July! It is not 100% certain yet that Koynare will be a site for them, but they are strongly considering it. I hope that Koynare gets 5 new volunteers! It will be awesome to have 5 more Americans here who are enthusiastic about starting their service as volunteers. If you know me, you know how much I enjoy welcoming people who feel out of place and how I like to assist in their adjustments to their new environment. I am going to have a lot of fun helping and working with this new volunteers with their adjustments to life as a volunteer and living/working in Bulgaria! WOOO!!! 

I'm setting up connections with schools and students in the US to teach them about Bulgaria, Peace Corps, and all the fun that I am having. It's just the beginning of the relationships with the schools, so nothing has come to fruition quite yet, but I envision great things happening! At least I can be a dreamer...

And Britt... I still haven't talked to you on Skype yet... yep. That is a call out. A straight up call out. Even Catherine called me yesterday to talk. On Sunday last week, I got to talk to Mom, Dad, Kelly, Jay, Haley, Emma, and Molly... Yesterday I got Catherine... Still waiting for my big brother to step up and make the call... Ok Ok... Sorry Britt. I'm just messin with ya.

Buuuttt... If you want to meet Scooter, call me on Skype this weekend. I'll be around all weekend with the dog training him on how to live in a house and what not. 

Take care and enjoy the American coffee... I miss it.

Rory

The temperature scale: as according to Rory. and - a new friend?

another entry for the sake of having another entry. winter appears to be giving us a bit of a break here in northern  bulgaria. today is sunny and 4 degrees celsius... i guess thats near 40 maybe? and towards the end of the week the weather is supposed to get up to 11 degrees! which is like around 50? i know that 15 degrees is 60 fahrenheit... so yea. its going to get nice. here is my celsius scale. we will start from Evaporation to Glacier.
40+ = standing in front of a fan in a puddle of sweat, in my underwear, drinking water, taking salt tablets and waiting for the sun to go down.
35-40 = 8 liters of water consumed in a day, sweating from every pore in my body. ice in my freezer turns to water.
25-30 = hey look, im sweating while doing nothing!
20-25 = ahhhhh... i love wearing shorts!
15-20 = THE BEST WEATHER EVER! Rory performs at his best in these temperatures.
10-15= a nice walk around town in a sweatshirt and smile.
5-10 = hey, this aint so bad.
0-5 = hmm, its a little cold out there, i better put on a hat.
-5-0 = walk quicker, but stop to say hello to the familiar faces. carry tissues in my pocket for my runny nose. food is left in the kitchen, as it is basically a giant refrigerator.
-10 - -5= quick walk and a quick wave with a smile. (conversations outside are limited to "studeno li e?" translation: "are you cold?" conversations inside become "are you cold in your apartment?")
-20 - -10 = standing by the fire burning stove to escape the chill and willing my beard to grow faster and thicker.
-20 - -25 = quick inventory check of the amount of wood/inflammable items i have. make a fire, and sleep next to it. also, consumption of red wine increases to warm the fingers. computer usage limited in fear of frostbite. food and toothpaste in the kitchen freeze solid.
-25 and below =  contemplate burning furniture and unneeded clothing for heat. wear everything that is made of cloth and then get in the sleeping bag and wait.

So we are exiting the frigid scary times of cold and loneliness. and entering the times when the birds sing again in the morning. actually, this morning i awoke at 4am due to a restless brain and i read until it was time for work. the songbirds have actually returned already, and i was pleasantly excited to hear them singing in the wee hours of the morning. it wont be long though before i curse them as the arouse me from needed slumber in the spring and summer...

I recently found a website that is dedicated to rescuing the abused, abandoned and homeless dogs in Bulgaria. The need foster homes for them since they cannot house all of them. I showed interest in fostering one. They sent me a link for a dog who they found in the street a few months ago. the dog was starving because he used to be a house dog and didnt know how to fend for himself on the streets. They nursed him back to health, neutered, vaccinated and dewormed him. He is a small black shaggy dog of about 2 years. he is about the ugliest dog i've seen, which makes him all that much cuter. haha! I am going to meet him on Friday to see if we are a good fit. I am excited to get a dog. The companionship is much needed on both our ends!

I talked to my mom and dad on skype the other day. it was good to catch up and see where everyone is. now i just want to hear from my siblings... hint hint... :) and of couuuursee i want to hear from other family and friends likewise!

be good, be warm and hug your central heating units today.
Rory

SO MANY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Yesterday Cveti and I celebrated not only one holiday, or two holidays... but FOUR holidays... all on the same day! Obviously yesterday was Valentines, but that wasn't the most dominant. There is a holiday called Trefon Zarezan. This holiday has a lot of tradition, but basically what it means for the average Bulgarian is that they go out to their gardens, trim their grape vines, and then drink wine all day and dance and play music and all sorts of other fun stuff. The other holiday... Sirni Zagovezni... is kind of like mothers day and fathers day and grandparents day all in one. It's like the beginning of Lent from what I understand too. The people celebrate with their families and the kids ask forgiveness for all the mistakes they made as kids and the parents and grandparents forgive them and what not. It's a nice holiday... Then the last but not least holiday we celebrated is called Kurban. This is a personal holiday for my wonderful Cveti. When she was a kid, she suffered a bad burn on her stomach from boiling water. She was in a hospital for a while and took a long time to recover. February 14th is the anniversary of this event. So, per tradition, when you survive a life-threatening situation or illness, you celebrate the yearly anniversary by cooking chicken and eating it for your health. SOOOOO... lets see. we did a lot of celebrating.

First we wake up, say happy valentines to each other. Then we went and got coffee and breakfast at the cafe. The people there asked us which holiday we would celebrate today. We said valentines cause we are just THAT cute. But I found most people were interested in the wine holiday... of course. So after eating, we went shopping. We got an egg, some ground-up sweet wheat thing, and some other things. We got to the apartment and boiled the egg and cooked chicken that i had. when the egg was done (the egg was for the holiday about the parents and lent and all that stuff) we tied a string around it and hung it from a ceiling light at mouth level. tradition says that whoever can get the egg in their mouth first will be healthy all year or something like that. so cveti and i stood across from each other and without using our hands we had to try to get the egg. i won. i will be healthy for the year. luckily though, you do the same thing with that sweet wheat stuff. she won that time. so we will be healthy together. then we ate the chicken we cooked, and we had wine with that for the wine holiday. Unfortunately we didnt do too much for valentines though. i mean, i couldnt get flowers or anything like that. but we spent the weekend together being "valentine-y"... whatever that means.

Ohh... sorry - i want to step back to Friday the 12th... There was a party in town for the holidays and we went to a cafe/restaurant with like 30 other people. Cveti and i were the youngest ones there, as the others were mostly retired. We drank wine and rakia and ate lots of homemade food. we danced and told jokes and laughed and it was grand. then at the end, one guy decided he should interview me in front of everyone. he was already kinda... well. he had been really celebrating the holidays... so anyways, i couldnt understand a thing that he said. and i just kinda sat there going... uhhhhh..... what? haha it was pretty embarrassing, but funny im sure for the 30 other people in the room. ugh.

and last but not least, Pepi told me that his daughter, who lives in a nearby town, found a scorpion in her daughters room yesterday. just one more thing to worry about. i didnt even know scorpions lived here. the good thing is though, i am bigger than a scorpion and will surely win in if there is ever a battle between us. i just might be sore and slightly sick if the little bugger gets a strike in. and be sure, if he strikes, he wont perish comfortably under the sole of my boot. it will be slow and painful. i think maybe putting him in some cold water on the stove... then letting it slowly get hot... (to all the scorpions out there reading this: take this as a warning, for you will not get a second chance!)

That said, enjoy the day.
Rory

An Adventure in Sofialand

We have been getting plenty of snow here and the weather has stayed cold. But honestly, it has totally stopped being a problem. I've always enjoyed the cold as long as there is snow on the ground and I'm not having to sit in traffic.

So this weekend is Valentine's day and I will confess... I have no idea what to do for the girlfriend. Honestly. She is coming here this weekend. Typically a nice relaxing evening with a good meal, some wine and a movie sounds like something I would want to do on this holiday, but I live in a single room that is over-crowded with everything I own. We watch movies on my 15 inch laptop screen. It's really not as comfortable as I would like. The chairs I have to sit in are wooden school chairs and my table is about knee high off the ground. And the one restaurant in town to go to has made both of us kinda sick almost every time we go there... so I am at a loss of things to do. But I'm sure I'll figure something out!

This week I had to travel back to Sofia for some stuff with the PC office. Dan and I went down there on Tuesday afternoon. We arrived and decided that some Mexican food would be ideal. When we got to the one Mexican restaurant in town, we heard a group of very loud girls talking in the corner. Dan looks at me and says "That sounds like American English..." I agreed. Dan went over to say hello and ask where they were from and what they were doing here. They turned out to be 4 medical students from America studying in Bulgaria. They invited us to sit with them since it is so rare to meet another American in this country. These girls were (I hate stereotyping) typical American college students. They were so loud with no regard for those around them. Curse words were flung out colorfully as they tried talking over each other. We got into some conversations regarding sensitive topics such as the minority groups in this country and the opinions they delivered were clearly from a sheltered background. It was very interesting. We enjoyed their company and enjoyed being able to speak freely in American English with strangers. After the Swiss Burger with Mushrooms and a few cold beers, we all went our separate ways. Dan and I looked at each other and both agreed - we are glad we are here and we do not miss hearing that group sitting in the bar... It was definitely refreshing.  I experienced "Culture Shock" from sitting with a group of 4 American girls in their early 20s. It was astonishing. It makes me really wonder what it will be like to step back onto my country's soil and walk down the roads paved in gold on my way back home.

How hard will it be to re-adjust to the life in the Home of the Brave where almost every aspect of life is perceived differently?

Be well out there, and keep your eyes and heart open to the lives of the others in the world.

Rory

Damaged Packages and Busted Hands.

I just saw something that made me say to myself "I must share this with my followers."

I work across the street from the post office and I was standing outside just watching people walking around. The postal truck came down the road and pulled into the parking lot next to the post office. The parking lot is covered in snow, so the driver did what used to be one of my favorite things to do when I had my little Nissan... He pulled an e-brake slide. For those that don't know what that is, it is when you are driving, usually in snow, and turn the wheel in one direction and at the same time engage the e-brake. It locks your tires and swings the back end of the car around quickly. Needless to say, it made me laugh. This vehicle is the vehicle that carries those packages I receive from friends and family from the States. This driver is just thrashing that vehicle around and I'm sure those packages are bouncing around all over the place in the back of the car... Good times.

Other than that, I am still struggling to figure out what the heck is going on here. Yesterday I had a meeting with my group set up at 2:15 PM because school ends at 2:05. or so i thought... Turns out that every Wednesday and Friday, school actually gets out at 1pm. You would think this would be a fact I was aware of... But no. No one told me up until yesterday.

I also had the fun experience of getting a big splinter last night while putting wood in my stove. I don't own a needle or tweezers or really anything to remove said splinter. So I just left it in my thumb and went to bed. Needless to say, it hurt this morning. So I came to work, asked if anyone had a needle, and of course there wasn't one. But I was handed a small nail. After much digging with a dull nail on a slightly infected thumb, the splinter was freed! This fire burning stove has resulted in absolutely chewing up my hands. My index finger and thumb on both hands are so calloused from the small burns I get from the stove, that they actually don't feel heat anymore. Which of course I find a blessing because now I can touch the hot stove without worrying about "burning myself"... I have also received many small and one or two good sized cuts on my thumbs and fingers from my hatchet. I have to make the big pieces of wood smaller to get the fire started, and that involved chopping them up with a hatchet. Sometimes the hatchet misses the mark and shaves some skin of my hand instead. Nothing serious and I don't swing the thing hard enough to lose a finger or anything, but it's just making my hands look pretty awesome. Oh, and those burns I mentioned... they have turned my fingers a permanent shade of black that doesn't wash off. My coworkers just say that these injuries and wounds are normal when you have to light a stove to keep warm in the winter. Ohhhh... the price of staying warm....

Ok, a large bag of more wood just arrived for me to take to my apartment. Yay! I gotta go take it there now, on a sled, even though the snow is totally melted on the roads.

Take care
Rory

PROGRESS!!!

Again, its been a long time since I wrote anything in here. And again, I am sorry. It has been busy, and when it hasn’t been busy, I’ve been lazy or trying to stay warm. That’s another thing, it’s a real pain in the butt to type something long when your fingers are nearly frozen. The amount of mistakes I make typing are astronomical. I have a lucky moment now at work where the wood burning stove is exceptionally hot and my fingers feel normal. But don’t get me wrong, I’m still wearing my new down jacket that my mother sent for Christmas and my hat. My toes are still cold. The joys of winter.

So since last I wrote, it has gotten much colder. We have had a couple days here with -25 degree Celsius weather, which is around -10 or -15 Fahrenheit. It’s cold and it’s hard to escape. I just have to make a good fire and sit near it all day. For instance, a couple days ago I didn’t have any work to do so there wasn’t a reason for me to be in the office. I was also running out of wood to burn for warmth, so I grabbed a book, went to the office, and sat next to the stove all day reading. I went to work only to stay warm. Haha that’s a first!

Things with the girlfriend are going well. We get to see each other pretty much every weekend. Last weekend I went to her place and she set up a nice candle lit romantic dinner with music, warmth and good spaghetti. It was the first time someone has done something like that for me, and let me tell you, it’s probably about as relaxing as it gets. It was like a vacation for dinner. Sitting in a dark candle-lit warm room with relaxing music, good food and a bottle of wine is seriously underrated. For all those with significant others, I suggest doing this for them.

I have some unfortunate news though. One of my friends here who is a volunteer is leaving. Long story short, she worked at a place that was basically a correctional facility for youth. She was physically threatened and harmed on a daily basis. Some of the things done would scar the average person for life. This volunteer is very strong willed and very strong emotionally, but she simply does not have the training to handle a situation like the one she was in. She complained about it and was transferred to a different site due to the danger of working in the facility. Unfortunately the site where they sent her did not work out either. There were no more options available and she is now finished with her service. It’s a big tug back down to reality for me that this service is able to be terminated at any time. I feel terrible for her. She doesn’t leave for another week, so I will do my best to spend some time with her before she heads back to New York. She will be greatly missed by me, my friends, and the people of this country.

And now for the good news and the thing that is making me feel accomplished in my days! Over the past month or so, I have formed a group of youth. About 10 kids, mostly from 14-16 years old, are in this group. They are leading it with my help and our goal is to make Koynare a better place to live. Over the past few weeks, we have started a project to totally revamp a park near the school. The park is falling apart, over grown and filthy. We are going to add park benches, picnic tables, a gazebo, garbage cans, lamps and improve the grounds in general with grass, flowers and maybe more trees. It’s a big project. But these kids are super excited, super smart, and we have the full support of the Mayor for our project. It is so fun to see them starting to believe in a thing that they never thought was possible. I worked with 6 of them yesterday for 4 hours straight!! We finished with a meeting with the Mayor showing him everything we had done. The kids talked the whole time and I sat there with the biggest smile my face could allow. It was incredible. I feel like a proud father watching these children see that they actually have a voice. It’s what I came to do. And I am finally getting that warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment that I missed for the last 8 months. Ahh, it’s paying off…

So that’s kinda what’s going on in my life. I’m just trying to stay warm, keep the kids motivated, find new projects and activities and prepare for the warmth to come back when we can get these projects moving.

I have so much I want to do and it’s becoming possible with the support of these kids, and the town! Excellent.

Btw – I am now at 29.75% of my service complete. Just thought you’d like to know. But that’s if I finish at the normal time. Maybe I’ll extend another year if things are going well or maybe something happens that makes me finish early. Who knows? I wanna stay.

Another thing - for those that I used to work with - I am looking at a Ricoh van outside certainly making SPIFFs on whatever is being sold... you can't escape the Ricoh SPIFF. It's everywhere. Even Koynare.

Your friend, brother, son, grandson, cousin, nephew or uncle,

Rory (v.1.2975)