Age of Reason: Marriage or No Marriage, "We" Kill Turkeys, and I Dream About Potato Chips

Alright. Here's what I've been up to:

Some volunteer friends and I had thanksgiving dinner this past Saturday. We went to a village outside of the city to an old baba's (grandmother's) house with a backyard full of turkeys for sell. A boy-volunteer familiar with poultry, killed the turkey with an ancient-looking axe and left the baba's house covered in its blood though, somehow, with a smile on his face. I took a video of it which is on my fb page if you're interested in seeing the process (it's not pretty but definitely entertaining). We cooked so much food and managed to finish it all - it was amazing, delicious, and a really great time. We often joke about the "post-fun depression" we get after times like this when we have to go back to work.

I swear I saw one of my cats get hit by a car and then he showed up for dinner a few hours later. 9 lives are no joke, people. (that cat seems to always be on the brink of death - it's his most charming feature. "Oh, kitty, are you dying? That's so cute. Could you please go die outside? Thanks, hun.")

The restaurant in my village now delivers pizza. I have to spend at least 8.00 leva so I'll only be doing it when I have gosti (company) but still - DELIVERY! and PIZZA!

I've been spending time with two of my Roma students after school and I think I want to adopt them both and take them home with me to America. They are boys in the 5th grade, cousins, and they couldn't be cuter or sweeter or funnier. I will leave this experience with so much personal growth and change as well as ideas for the future but one of the BIGGEST ones will be my new-found desire to adopt a Roma child from Bulgaria. I'm going to do it. Which, if you really think about it, is pretty exciting. Marriage or no marriage, I'm gonna be a mom one day. That's pretty awesome. (My mom may have just freaked out at my "marriage or no marriage" sentence - sorry I 'm so weird, Mamo!)

We have three more weeks of school until Christmas break - two weeks of having fun all over Bulgaria - I'm very excited.

I took the GRE and did pretty well (the math wasn't as terrible as I expected and I rocked the English - rocked it) which was absolutely necessary since my GPA from undergrad is mediocre at best. I'm hoping my scores, combined with PC prestige, will get me into my dream school in New York. If not, my second choice is in Seattle where I already know a ton of people and will be just as happy. The future is looking pretty exciting. I was debating a Creative Writing masters program in Georgia but I chickened out - I love writing too much to find out I'm not very good at it - I think I'll keep it as a hobby. Applications are due this month and I've really got a lot of work ahead of me so keep me in your prayers - I'd like to be used by God and be a part of great things.

I tried to learn the dance from a Beyonce video at night alone in my apartment and made myself dizzy and had to lie down.

I dog-sat for a friend for a few days and wanted to kill him or myself. I'm not a pet person. Animals are for outside and for eating, not for inside or for touching. If I'm going to have someone jump up and down with excitement every time I come home, I'd rather it be a man. And even then I could do without the jumping part. It'd also be nice if he were charming, funny, and holding a bowl of ice cream. Coffee flavored. I would man-sit for a friend every day if that were the case. Maybe every other day - ice cream is fattening.

I will, for the rest of my life, love and adore washing machines and dryers. To an un-natural level. I will probably name mine when I get back to the states and bring them up in conversations at bars as if they're real people. "Oh, Carlisle did the funniest thing the other day - I set him to "extra rinse" and he leaked all over the floor! Daisy and I thought it was so funny. They really are the coolest - there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep them functioning for the next 3 to 5 years. Nothing."

"My pizza is said "Dean". It is composed of tomatoes, meat, milk, chicken and put a little garlic to taste, and has very nice sauce. Gift giving chocolate milk. WHO WANTS to come and eat of the good pizza ;)"

That's all.

-Age

Age of Reason