Anyway, I thought I'd share the article here anyway so that it doesn't go to total waste. I was pretty excited about it actually but now I've got to purge myself of this mistake and start writing about our impact.
Adjustment My Задникa
Television a little fuzzy? Twist those rabbit ears to left and, viola! Clear picture. Underwire feeling a bit too restrictive? A subtle yank is all you need. Comfort restored. Little brother needs to have his attitude adjusted? Backhand him. Problem solved.
But adjusting to a new country, language, and culture? Not so easy. Not that we haven’t tried. Oh, we’ve tried. Immediate and complete integration has been grilled into our heads throughout PST and failure is not an option (oh, PC staff, you know I tease). However, not everyone goes about their adjustments the same way. There are different approaches, each with varying levels of difficulty and success.
The first, when I’m feeling optimistic, I like to call “Diving in Head First” but usually in the morning before I’ve had my coffee, I call it simply “Ouch.” This involves ones’ head popping off of one’s pillow and a happy voice devoid of all morning grogginess declaring, “I will meet at least 10 new people today and we will become good friends, na gosti’s are in my immediate future!” Whistling as they go throughout their day, “dober dening” everyone they see, and stopping to help every baba they can find cross the perilous streets of Bulgaria, these eager volunteers know their way around a Bulgarian village and a Turkish toilet. Often, this degree of enthusiasm works well with Bulgarians, they love a cheerful and ambitious American. Bravo. But it can be exhausting and if the morning’s lofty goals are not met, detriment for the zealous volunteer whose day ends with a bowl full of tarator and tears.
(This is where the two missing paragraphs would go)
And though adjustment isn’t always simple, in some ways it is comparatively easier here in Bulgaria than other countries where Peace Corps serves. We remark on the fact that we are not living in mud huts like some of us may have originally assumed upon applying, and when referencing PC Bulgaria we often jokingly refer to it as the Posh Corps. There is even a deliciously funny bit of quote-collecting floating around the internet started by our own Megan Lindstrom. She decided to ask fellow volunteers what makes their Posh Corps experience difficult and here are some of the richly sarcastic answers:
'I was given too much free fruit to eat at once.'
'I forgot to plug-in my air conditioner, so I had to get up from the couch to plug it in before the remote would work.'
'I've only gotten 7 care packages in 4 months.'
'I have to turn two different knobs and a faucet in order to take a hot shower.'
'My new washing machine has too many options.'
Getting more serious about the topic at hand, I asked several volunteers about their approaches towards adjustment and the answers varied from bringing baskets full of apples to neighbors and getting to know colleagues to starting an adult English course in hopes of meeting people within the community and “updating” their wardrobe. It would seem that people associate the idea of adjustment with integration. It makes sense. As Tyler Wolfgang put it, 'Feeling comfortable in a new place could depend a great deal on how accepted you feel in your community. The more integrated you are, the less you would have to adjust.'
So, it would seem, the goal here is simply to continue what you’re doing. Live your life. Go to work. Get to know people. Ask questions. Give answers. And, using any one of the above-mentioned approaches, find that happy-medium where you feel that you fit in here in Bulgaria. I now know to bring tissues with me everywhere because toilet paper is never a guarantee. I now know that I put myself at great risk of eating random chicken parts with each na gosti invite I accept. I now know how to spakoyno. There are still many adjustments that need to be had and many more lessons to learn and mistakes to make along the path of integration but I’m not worried. After using my first outdoor, Turkish toilet in the middle of the night during a lightning storm with chickens, pigs, and donkeys making end-of-the-world noises, I can adjust to just about anything. And since every volunteer I know has a similar hilarious and horrifying story to tell, I know we can all make the adjustments needed to learn, grow, and leave an impression that lasts."
So. Yeah.
-Age
