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