So, integration is a big part of Peace Corps. We are supposed to get to know the people in our villages, make friends, spend time with them and plan all kinds of na gosti’s (visits). I haven’t really done a whole lot of that. I get to know people, for sure. I’ve made friends, don’t get me wrong. I think most of my colleagues like me alright but na gosti’s are not popping up everywhere for me like they are for some volunteers. It seems to be more popular to go for coffee or have dinner at the (really nice) restaurant in town than to spend time in people’s homes. I don’t mind this at all, however, I feel more comfortable in that type of setting anyway. I also enjoy the occasional weekend where I never leave my apartment at all and really hope no one calls to “hodi na restorant.”
But, it can get a bit boring.
Hence the highlight of my evening a few days ago when, after eating a meal of boiled beans (cuz my culinary skills are sadly lacking), I saw a bean on the table and exclaimed to no one in particular,
“Hey! A stray bean! What’ya think you’re doing?”
And I ate it.
And then there’s the fact that I’ve come to look forward to washing my dishes. I actually enjoy it. To the point where I save them, waiting until the time is just right so I can savor the act of scrubbing while listening to my ipod and hoping that my neighbors can’t actually hear me singing through the walls while also thinking that it’s probably a bit of a treat for them as I sound pretty damn good (I don’t). I’ve also started to eat less in an attempt to not put on the weight of a hibernating bear which has seriously deteriorated my dish-count (though, sadly, not my waistline) making the evening ritual shorter than I’d like. Who would’ve thought that would be a downside to dieting? Certainly not me.
But what else is there to do when I’ve already given myself 20 minutes to come up with the cleverest facebook post I can think of to express my day and another hour or two jumping from skype chats to blog posts.
Not to say I don’t work (in case PC staff is reading this and judging the use of my seemingly immense amounts of free time). I do. Though, it’s slowed down as things have gotten colder and people are beginning to nestle down into their winter habits which are, as yet, unknown to me. I don’t know what my Bulgarian winter habits are either – though it’s clear they involve cleanliness… which is next to godliness… which may make me the God of winter, but only in Bulgaria. Which is cool.
I’ve also found it hard to work at home. Without the motivation of others working alongside me, it’s difficult to get excited about daily lesson planning. Sometimes I stay at school and work in my classroom or the teacher’s lounge but it’s just as lonely there as the teachers at my school book it the second school is over. My counterpart has a second job teaching at another school in town (not just English but math and music as well) and can’t stay after school to plan with me though the team effort would be nice. I sometimes wish there was another volunteer in my village to work with, bounce ideas off of, and bitch to but I also understand the importance of being a part of the community as opposed to a separate…commodity? I don’t know.
Anyway, I’ve started a Volunteer Committee with about a dozen students from my school (though I'm sure, like everything else I start, the numbers will dwindle to only the truly serious ones). Our first meeting will be this Friday which also kicks off the beginning of our clothes drive. I sent home fliers (in Bulgarian as the super nice lady at the internet club helped me write it) to the students to give to their parents asking for old clothes and shoes. Then the students helped me to decorate a Christmas box in order to put the clothing in and we’ll be making some fun posters tomorrow in technology class (my counterpart teaches this as well – she’s a busy lady). The kids are already pretty excited and talking about the bags of clothes they plan to bring.
I’ll then be making a slideshow of the children we’ll be donating these clothes to as another volunteer is collecting for the students in her orphanage and asked us all for help - she sent me photos of her students to add to my slideshow. I want to show the students where their generosity is going and, hopefully, take the students in the Volunteer Committee with me to donate the clothes in person and maybe even meet some of the other children. That would be asking a lot of everyone involved and I’m not sure if my school or kids are ready for that but I’m willing to give it a try.
What I’m not sure of, is what to do afterward. I want to show the students, and their parents, that I care and appreciate what they’ve done, show them that giving and thinking of others is truly important, but I don’t know how to go about that. A thank you letter might be nice but I thought maybe something more. Hmmmmmm. If you have any ideas, let me know!
That’s all. Love ya.
-Age
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