I'm sitting here, waiting patiently for Spring. With Spring comes, not only sunshine and warmer weather, but all the things I miss and love about being a volunteer here in Bulgaria: my volleyball team, my adult English course with the best Bulgarian ladies EVER, and the ability to exercise and not feel like a hybernating bear.
Though, there are a surprising number of things going on currently that I'm pretty darn excited about. First, I'm a Co-Secondary Organizer (Official title. Fancy, right?) of the International Writing Olympics here in The Bulge. Several countries from this neck of the wordly woods are competing and Bulgaria is participating for the first time. Which means, we're kind of new at this. Vaune, the coordinator, basically our boss, is an amazing volunteer who has taken-on this project with gumption and only minor skepticism. She has delegated to Megan (the other Co-SO) the task of collecting 21 prizes for the first round of the competition. Things started off slow - like us planning a trip to Sofia with letters written in English and Bulgarian asking major bookstores and publishers to donate to our event only to find that all the bookstores were closed - no one is interested in reading on Saturdays, apparently. But, after the PC office promised us old Bulgarian-English dictionaries and the amazing Valya gave me the email to a woman at the embassy who has already started looking for other prizes for us, things are looking up!
The event takes place this Thursday and I have some students from the local high school interested. Though I've taken on a bit too much lately and haven't been able to make my way over there in awhile, I hope that more students have decided to sign-up and I'll have some seriously great essays to take with me to Sofia for judging in just a few short weeks. Then, it's on to the the International part of the competition (which means our work is pretty much over and the more exciting aspect of the competition begins!)
Also, some more awesome volunteers are coordinating a spelling bee for Bulgaria and I and my counterpart, Reni, are participating. I am working with not only my school, but a school in a neighboring village becuase the English teacher there had a PC volunteer at one time and is still very intersted in the things we do, naturally. We've decided to have our own practice SB between the two schools at the end of February and then move on the the regional aspect of the competition in late March. Eventually, our best students will wind-up in Sofia to compete nationally. I'm pretty excited about this as I have some pretty amazing 2nd and 6th graders (as well as one stupidly smart 4th grader) who I feel will go really far. The list of words for each grade is long - 250 words - but I know they can do it, I've got some smarties.
Being a teacher here in BG is exhausting. So exhausting that I've been abbreviating for some time now, I'm sure you've noticed. Also, I'm too lazy to spell-check and find out if "abbreviate" has two b's or not. I go to bed at 9:00pm. Like an old lady or a 3rd-grader. I'm either 9 or 79 depending on whether I drink apple juice or warm milk before falling asleep. Don't judge me.
Anyway, like I said, I'm sitting here, waiting not so patiently for Spring. It snowed today. Snow, I'm beginning to really despise you. Though, I recently bought (or PC bought) a ton of wood for my pechka (stove) to keep me warm over the next couple months - as soon as I get a key to the garage it's locked away in, I'll be warm and toasty. Mmmmm, toast. I'm gonna go make some. Ciao.
Wait! I also recently found out I'm going home to the States for a two-week vaca in June!!! I'm so excited that 3 exclamation points really don't feel sufficient so...
! x Infinity = my excitement (it's probably algebra and can't be debated. Math never lies, I'm that excited.)
-Age
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Impression of Democracy
My friend Evan and I have spent some serious time discussing what we plan to do after we leave the Peace Corps. There are many options and we weighed them all with the wisdom of our combined experience. We could take advantage of the one year of non-competitive job eligibility within the government, we could enroll in one of the many graduate schools PC has partnered with, or we could extend our service and stay in Bulgaria for another year. Though these all seemed like interesting and beneficial options we ultimately decided on world domination, the obvious choice.
We quickly decided that dictatorship is a tricky business. It’s been done before and seriously out of style so if we were going to do it right for the first time in world history we would need to vamp it up a bit. Go at it from a new angle. Which is why we decided to campaign. And, yes, we’re well aware of the irony. After some brainstorming we chose the campaign slogan:
We quickly decided that dictatorship is a tricky business. It’s been done before and seriously out of style so if we were going to do it right for the first time in world history we would need to vamp it up a bit. Go at it from a new angle. Which is why we decided to campaign. And, yes, we’re well aware of the irony. After some brainstorming we chose the campaign slogan:
Evan and Adrienne
World Leaders
or
Rulers of the World
(official title pending)
“The Impression of Democracy”
(This regal walrus will be our mascot)
It gave just the effect we were hoping for: implied fairness. Though, we totally plan on being absolutely fair. I mean, we are Peace Corps volunteers after all. We’ve decided that we will use the mistakes of past dictators as a platform for our dictatorship; we won’t make the same mistakes. The world will be awesome because of us, we’re super good at problem solving.
Here are some examples of our future campaign ideas:
“Evan and Adrienne: Making the world a better place one non-disputable decision at a time.”
“We’re painting the White House blue because we’re not racist or sexist!”
“Dictatorship is such an ugly word. Feel free to never call us that or we’ll chop off your head. Kisses – Evan and Adrienne, World Leaders 2012.”
“Hitler: What a douche. Vote for us! (voting is purely arbitrary but in a completely non-condescending way)”
“Stalin was a buttface. Our faces look nothing like butts. Vote for us! (voting is purely arbitrary but comes with a free cookie upon ballot completion)”
“First order of business: Solving World Hunger. Cuz we really feel like Marie Antoinette was onto something.”
Those are just a small taste of the awesomeness that is to come. We’ll continue strategizing. Right now we plan to coordinate with Ludacris, Science, and the lady who wrote the Twilight books cuz all of those things worked out pretty well. They’ll be like consultants (cuz consultants sounds better than royal advisors – though we’re totally gonna have jesters cuz, I mean, who wouldn’t?)
That’s all for now but I would advise all to be super nice to us cuz, who knows, there may be a country in it for ya!
-Age, Co-World Leader 2012
Friday, February 4, 2011
Attitude Adjustment
To be quite honest, I haven’t been enjoying teaching much. There are a lot of reasons and I don’t really want to get into them all (plus, I’ve already whined about this) but I’ve been having a difficult time finding the motivation I need. It seems that I simply can’t wait to leave my village on the weekends and meet up with other volunteers. I try not to do it too much but my weekend’s quickly fill up and I so look forward to the end of the week. This is beginning to worry me. I’m here not simply to help, I’m here for the experience as well. But I’m not gonna experience much in terms of Bulgarian life and culture if I’m not a part of it, right?
After the flu vacation and my many days off from school, I did not want to go back. I wanted to stay in bed and be lazy and pretend that I didn’t have any responsibility here. I mean, who would miss me really? I team-teach every class so it isn’t as if the students would be left without an English teacher. The Bulgarians I tutor were getting on just fine a few months ago without me. Volleyball isn’t going to define the futures of the young girls in my village. And my school’s fully capable of collecting money and supplies when needed. Who would miss me?
But, I got out of bed. I went to school. And all my students, all my little monsters, greeted me with big smiles, with English “Hello, Miss Hadaway, how are you?”’s, with “happy birthday”’s, and made it perfectly obvious that they did in fact miss me. There are some students who could care less about whether or not I’m there and those students are louder. They used to grab my attention with more frustrating strength but now I know that most of my students are sweet and kind and benefitting from my presence. It felt good.
Not only that, I had my friend, Marietta, and her husband, Angel, over for dinner to celebrate my birthday and they immediately began to fix every problem I had in the place. They showed me how to make a fire, offered to find me wood to last the rest of winter, unfroze my pipes so I could shower (hallelujah!), and changed the breakers so that I’d stop losing electricity. She also said that I should come for dinner at her house once a week and sleepover – it’ll be fun and more warm, she says. They are always taking such good care of me.
It’s good to be back.
I’m still running around and planning to meet volunteers in various places but I’ve decided to try and spend more time in my village because there are some amazing people here and the relationships I’ve made are real and worth the struggles. I’m blessed. I’ve been trying to foster this attitude for months knowing it was somewhere inside of me and I think I’ve finally found it. I’m going to focus on the good and exciting things that are happening (like the National Spelling Bee and International Writing Olympics!) and really enjoy the rest of this school year.
-Age
After the flu vacation and my many days off from school, I did not want to go back. I wanted to stay in bed and be lazy and pretend that I didn’t have any responsibility here. I mean, who would miss me really? I team-teach every class so it isn’t as if the students would be left without an English teacher. The Bulgarians I tutor were getting on just fine a few months ago without me. Volleyball isn’t going to define the futures of the young girls in my village. And my school’s fully capable of collecting money and supplies when needed. Who would miss me?
But, I got out of bed. I went to school. And all my students, all my little monsters, greeted me with big smiles, with English “Hello, Miss Hadaway, how are you?”’s, with “happy birthday”’s, and made it perfectly obvious that they did in fact miss me. There are some students who could care less about whether or not I’m there and those students are louder. They used to grab my attention with more frustrating strength but now I know that most of my students are sweet and kind and benefitting from my presence. It felt good.
Not only that, I had my friend, Marietta, and her husband, Angel, over for dinner to celebrate my birthday and they immediately began to fix every problem I had in the place. They showed me how to make a fire, offered to find me wood to last the rest of winter, unfroze my pipes so I could shower (hallelujah!), and changed the breakers so that I’d stop losing electricity. She also said that I should come for dinner at her house once a week and sleepover – it’ll be fun and more warm, she says. They are always taking such good care of me.
It’s good to be back.
I’m still running around and planning to meet volunteers in various places but I’ve decided to try and spend more time in my village because there are some amazing people here and the relationships I’ve made are real and worth the struggles. I’m blessed. I’ve been trying to foster this attitude for months knowing it was somewhere inside of me and I think I’ve finally found it. I’m going to focus on the good and exciting things that are happening (like the National Spelling Bee and International Writing Olympics!) and really enjoy the rest of this school year.
-Age
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Flucation
Written last week when I was actually on flucation and away from my computer:
The oblast, or county, I work in closed its schools this past week due to a flu epidemic that has broken out this winter season. Many schools around Bulgaria have shut down as well and many TEFL volunteers including myself have found ourselves in the midst of a surprise vacation. That is not something I ever considered possibly (hence my usage of the word "surprise" in the previous sentence). At the most, I was looking forward to the prospect of a snow-day or two, something unheard of in my Sunny Southern California, but 7 full days of school off? All I can say is Woo Hoo!
I'm sure all the kids are excited as well, whether or not they're one of the many suffering from the flu, as final exams for the end of this first semester have been postponed. For some students this means the ability to momentarily put-off the inevitable F's that they know are coming their way because they crack open their books to study just about as often as they ask for extra chores or put themselves to bed early (though they'll act outraged when they receive their grades - it's a matter of principle, after all). For others, this will mean an opportunity to study further and do really well on their exams. From what I've seen of Bulgarian students, there's very little middle-ground. They either know the information or they don't. They either study all their subjects with dedication or they don't study at all.
Even at a young age, some students are aware that their future starts now. Ambition is an uncommon emotion for many students and because of this, an extremely valuable asset for those who have it. Others seem already doomed to a disappointingly mediocre fate regardless of their potential or any available opportunities. Much like the States, motivation and desire are everything and if the students lack these things, if they or, more importantly, their parents, aren't capable of valuing education and showcasing an optimistic attitude towards the future, they won't go far.
It's unfortunate but true.
Education is a problem here in Bulgaria, most Bulgarians will be the first to tell you. There needs to be a complete overhaul in the education system. Families from all over need to regard their local schools as an important part of the community and the learning going on inside as the future of Bulgaria - full of opportunity for prosperity.
Bulgaria's generally defeatist attitude, fostered under years of oppression where one's views and desires were of little importance because individual effort didn't influence the outcome of one's life, is what keeps them from making a united, proactive change. They have so much potential as a country part of the European Union and with genuinely clever youth who could grow up to make a real difference if raised with the right attitude and examples.
Basically, the problem is bigger than me but I can still do my part. My contribution, if combined with the contribution of others in my community in positions of influence: teachers, parents, directors, students, community leaders, and so on, can create a small change moving in the right direction. It seems lofty, because it is, but it's also absolutely possible.
But, right now, I'm on flucation and enjoying every minute of it...as are my students, each in their own way.
-Age
The oblast, or county, I work in closed its schools this past week due to a flu epidemic that has broken out this winter season. Many schools around Bulgaria have shut down as well and many TEFL volunteers including myself have found ourselves in the midst of a surprise vacation. That is not something I ever considered possibly (hence my usage of the word "surprise" in the previous sentence). At the most, I was looking forward to the prospect of a snow-day or two, something unheard of in my Sunny Southern California, but 7 full days of school off? All I can say is Woo Hoo!
I'm sure all the kids are excited as well, whether or not they're one of the many suffering from the flu, as final exams for the end of this first semester have been postponed. For some students this means the ability to momentarily put-off the inevitable F's that they know are coming their way because they crack open their books to study just about as often as they ask for extra chores or put themselves to bed early (though they'll act outraged when they receive their grades - it's a matter of principle, after all). For others, this will mean an opportunity to study further and do really well on their exams. From what I've seen of Bulgarian students, there's very little middle-ground. They either know the information or they don't. They either study all their subjects with dedication or they don't study at all.
Even at a young age, some students are aware that their future starts now. Ambition is an uncommon emotion for many students and because of this, an extremely valuable asset for those who have it. Others seem already doomed to a disappointingly mediocre fate regardless of their potential or any available opportunities. Much like the States, motivation and desire are everything and if the students lack these things, if they or, more importantly, their parents, aren't capable of valuing education and showcasing an optimistic attitude towards the future, they won't go far.
It's unfortunate but true.
Education is a problem here in Bulgaria, most Bulgarians will be the first to tell you. There needs to be a complete overhaul in the education system. Families from all over need to regard their local schools as an important part of the community and the learning going on inside as the future of Bulgaria - full of opportunity for prosperity.
Bulgaria's generally defeatist attitude, fostered under years of oppression where one's views and desires were of little importance because individual effort didn't influence the outcome of one's life, is what keeps them from making a united, proactive change. They have so much potential as a country part of the European Union and with genuinely clever youth who could grow up to make a real difference if raised with the right attitude and examples.
Basically, the problem is bigger than me but I can still do my part. My contribution, if combined with the contribution of others in my community in positions of influence: teachers, parents, directors, students, community leaders, and so on, can create a small change moving in the right direction. It seems lofty, because it is, but it's also absolutely possible.
But, right now, I'm on flucation and enjoying every minute of it...as are my students, each in their own way.
-Age
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Men are Apparently for Keeping Warm and Other Fantasies
It’s been a bit strange for me here lately. First off, I’ve been told quite a lot recently how necessary it is that I find a man as soon as possible.
The first attack was from my friend, Marietta, who, point-blank, told me, “You’re almost twenty-seven. You need to get married and have babies.”
Um. Wow.
Then, our local policeman, Vladi, told me that I need a boyfriend. He offered to post a big sign along our main road saying, “Local American accepting applications. Pictures and CV must be included. Interviews to follow upon selection.” He offered to be one of my judges. I accepted his offer, saying I trusted his judgment explicitly. But really it’s because he can put me in jail.
He then asked me a series of questions:
“Do you smoke?”
No.
“Do you drink alcohol?”
No.
“Do you have a boyfriend here in Bulgaria or in America?”
No.
“OK. You don’t smoke. You don’t drink. You don’t have a man…what do you do?”
Ummmm…
Then, today, three of my co-workers asked me what I look for in a man. I won’t tell you the fuss they put up when I quoted the tall, dark, and handsome phrase we often use in America. But, after we discussed the few other adjectives I know in Bulgarian: smart, funny, nice, blah, blah, blah, they said that I should be on the look-out. “No, seriously. You need to look. If you find him, grab him. Seriously.”
OK.
Even my principal, my boss, told me it was necessary to have a man if for nothing more than to keep me warm in the winter.
“I have blankets. And a heater!”
“Men are better.”
I really enjoyed each conversation immensely.
Another reason the past few weeks have been strange relates to my lack of contact with other PCV’s. I usually see someone at least every other weekend. But, it’s been awhile. Two weekends. At home. Doing…not a whole lot. I’ve been bored and lacking in the silly, American antics that allow me a sense of release.
I’m pretty sure this is why I’ve been having wild daydreams and fantasies lately.
Nothing scandalous. Nothing related to the topic above. My fantasies have more to do with being a huge rock star or world-renown author or something like that. I mean just the wildest, detailed fantasies. I have to shake myself out of these sometimes, laugh at myself, and go back to work. It’s silly. I think I’m just absolutely bored out of my mind. I need to do something fun. Soon.
Also, the weather has been AMAZING! It’s sunny and warm and beautiful. I have to admit, it greatly effects my mood – I’ve been quite cheerful despite the boredom. Apparently this is very unusual for Bulgaria and it will most likely change soon, just like THAT. Cuz that’s how it is in Bulgaria. No warning, just extreme changes in weather that make you catch you breath and say, “Aw, crap, it’s snowing again.” I keep telling myself that I’m half-way through winter. Six more weeks and we’ll be past it and I no longer have to fear the impending doom that is below-zero temperatures.
Anyway, that’s all that’s going on with me.
-Age
The first attack was from my friend, Marietta, who, point-blank, told me, “You’re almost twenty-seven. You need to get married and have babies.”
Um. Wow.
Then, our local policeman, Vladi, told me that I need a boyfriend. He offered to post a big sign along our main road saying, “Local American accepting applications. Pictures and CV must be included. Interviews to follow upon selection.” He offered to be one of my judges. I accepted his offer, saying I trusted his judgment explicitly. But really it’s because he can put me in jail.
He then asked me a series of questions:
“Do you smoke?”
No.
“Do you drink alcohol?”
No.
“Do you have a boyfriend here in Bulgaria or in America?”
No.
“OK. You don’t smoke. You don’t drink. You don’t have a man…what do you do?”
Ummmm…
Then, today, three of my co-workers asked me what I look for in a man. I won’t tell you the fuss they put up when I quoted the tall, dark, and handsome phrase we often use in America. But, after we discussed the few other adjectives I know in Bulgarian: smart, funny, nice, blah, blah, blah, they said that I should be on the look-out. “No, seriously. You need to look. If you find him, grab him. Seriously.”
OK.
Even my principal, my boss, told me it was necessary to have a man if for nothing more than to keep me warm in the winter.
“I have blankets. And a heater!”
“Men are better.”
I really enjoyed each conversation immensely.
Another reason the past few weeks have been strange relates to my lack of contact with other PCV’s. I usually see someone at least every other weekend. But, it’s been awhile. Two weekends. At home. Doing…not a whole lot. I’ve been bored and lacking in the silly, American antics that allow me a sense of release.
I’m pretty sure this is why I’ve been having wild daydreams and fantasies lately.
Nothing scandalous. Nothing related to the topic above. My fantasies have more to do with being a huge rock star or world-renown author or something like that. I mean just the wildest, detailed fantasies. I have to shake myself out of these sometimes, laugh at myself, and go back to work. It’s silly. I think I’m just absolutely bored out of my mind. I need to do something fun. Soon.
Also, the weather has been AMAZING! It’s sunny and warm and beautiful. I have to admit, it greatly effects my mood – I’ve been quite cheerful despite the boredom. Apparently this is very unusual for Bulgaria and it will most likely change soon, just like THAT. Cuz that’s how it is in Bulgaria. No warning, just extreme changes in weather that make you catch you breath and say, “Aw, crap, it’s snowing again.” I keep telling myself that I’m half-way through winter. Six more weeks and we’ll be past it and I no longer have to fear the impending doom that is below-zero temperatures.
Anyway, that’s all that’s going on with me.
-Age
Sunday, January 16, 2011
20/20 Special
There has been a lot of talk lately regarding the special 20/20 has recently aired discussing the Peace Corps and its safety. I was aware that it did not show Peace Corps in a positive light and I thought, “What poor timing to degrade Peace Corps right before they celebrate such a monumental anniversary, 50 years of service.” Though, whether their motive was to increase ratings while Peace Corps is in the news or whether they honestly wanted to make people aware of this serious issue, it's an important topic and one to think about. What I’m about to write in no way reflects the thoughts or opinions of the Peace Corps or the US government.
Update: I've been informed that the Kate that was murdered while serving in the Peace Corps was killed during March of 2009 - so the girl I had referred to in a paragraph that I have just deleted from this exact spot is someone else entirely. I apologize. I made an assumption and you know what they say about those. In the future I'll put a bit more effort into researching "facts" that I pluck from the back of my dusty brain. (Though I still find the death of the 20-something girl who died of "natural causes" while serving in the Peace Corps a bit suspicious.)
This isn’t the place to get too far into my thoughts and opinions regarding the safety and security of volunteers here in Bulgaria but I will say that if our safety is their number one priority than Peace Corps should not hesitate for a second to do what is right and necessary regardless of how it may reflect on their image or reputation. In fact, being open about their lack of tolerance for any form of harassment would be more reassuring then the hushing up of situations that are later heard through the grapevine…or aired on national television. If a female volunteer feels unsafe and has perfectly good reasons for wanting to be moved from her site or even just her current living situation, then it should happen. Period. Regardless of whether she came home a half-an-hour after dark or she had a beer at the local restaurant. She should not have to endure any behavior that makes her feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any way. I certainly wouldn’t.
I feel very opinionated on this subject because I’ve felt in the past that I wasn’t receiving the whole truth from Peace Corps. Not lies, necessarily, and nothing as important as major safety and security issues but I do wish that they were a bit more open with volunteers and the public. I was not at all surprised that they asked a woman who had been gang-raped to tell her fellow volunteers that she was going back to Washington to have her wisdom teeth pulled. The fact that I was not at all surprised is what worries me.
Despite what I’ve written, I have in no way ever felt unsafe here in Bulgaria. I think the staff are amazing people who are great at their jobs and each one of them believes in Peace Corps and its mission which fills me with admiration for our work here. The vast majority of my views towards the Peace Corps are positive. It is a wonderful organization doing truly incredible things all over the world and I’m proud to be a part of it. But it is not perfect. The flaws that have been presented, though unfortunately timed, need to be addressed and I would very much like to hear more from Peace Corps regarding these matters. The statistics are strong, Peace Corps is a safe organization. But, when there are warning signs, safety should come before image, before reputation, in all circumstances.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Kate Puzey and her family for all they have been through. I hope she has found peace and that her bravery is remembered by the people and community in which she served. She truly was a hero just as her father said, as are all people who stand up for the rights of women and minors despite how difficult it may be to come forward and be the one who has to take action. I’m very impressed by all who have done this, those of whom I know personally and those of whom I do not.
“Doing what’s right isn’t always positively accepted and doing what’s positively accepted isn’t always right.”
20/20 Special
-Age
Update: I've been informed that the Kate that was murdered while serving in the Peace Corps was killed during March of 2009 - so the girl I had referred to in a paragraph that I have just deleted from this exact spot is someone else entirely. I apologize. I made an assumption and you know what they say about those. In the future I'll put a bit more effort into researching "facts" that I pluck from the back of my dusty brain. (Though I still find the death of the 20-something girl who died of "natural causes" while serving in the Peace Corps a bit suspicious.)
This isn’t the place to get too far into my thoughts and opinions regarding the safety and security of volunteers here in Bulgaria but I will say that if our safety is their number one priority than Peace Corps should not hesitate for a second to do what is right and necessary regardless of how it may reflect on their image or reputation. In fact, being open about their lack of tolerance for any form of harassment would be more reassuring then the hushing up of situations that are later heard through the grapevine…or aired on national television. If a female volunteer feels unsafe and has perfectly good reasons for wanting to be moved from her site or even just her current living situation, then it should happen. Period. Regardless of whether she came home a half-an-hour after dark or she had a beer at the local restaurant. She should not have to endure any behavior that makes her feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any way. I certainly wouldn’t.
I feel very opinionated on this subject because I’ve felt in the past that I wasn’t receiving the whole truth from Peace Corps. Not lies, necessarily, and nothing as important as major safety and security issues but I do wish that they were a bit more open with volunteers and the public. I was not at all surprised that they asked a woman who had been gang-raped to tell her fellow volunteers that she was going back to Washington to have her wisdom teeth pulled. The fact that I was not at all surprised is what worries me.
Despite what I’ve written, I have in no way ever felt unsafe here in Bulgaria. I think the staff are amazing people who are great at their jobs and each one of them believes in Peace Corps and its mission which fills me with admiration for our work here. The vast majority of my views towards the Peace Corps are positive. It is a wonderful organization doing truly incredible things all over the world and I’m proud to be a part of it. But it is not perfect. The flaws that have been presented, though unfortunately timed, need to be addressed and I would very much like to hear more from Peace Corps regarding these matters. The statistics are strong, Peace Corps is a safe organization. But, when there are warning signs, safety should come before image, before reputation, in all circumstances.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Kate Puzey and her family for all they have been through. I hope she has found peace and that her bravery is remembered by the people and community in which she served. She truly was a hero just as her father said, as are all people who stand up for the rights of women and minors despite how difficult it may be to come forward and be the one who has to take action. I’m very impressed by all who have done this, those of whom I know personally and those of whom I do not.
“Doing what’s right isn’t always positively accepted and doing what’s positively accepted isn’t always right.”
20/20 Special
-Age
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Mimicking Without a License
My Christmas in Varna was wonderful. Great people, old and new. We had a gift exchange (I got a beautiful new scarf from Kerri along with some kick-ass American candy, which I consumed within 24-hours), ate amazing food, played games, and enjoyed the unique holiday atmosphere that is Peace Corps Bulgaria.
Italy was amazing. A stark difference from Bulgaria in terms of people and culture and I swear I actually experienced a bit of culture shock. But in a good way. We mostly ate. And ate and ate and ate. I pushed my stomach to the limit and am really proud of the amount of pizza I can eat in one setting and the fact that I can always manage to squeeze in some gelato. I’m like a pro.
I won’t go on and on about that trip cuz I know that type of thing gets boring so I’ll just highlight:
• There was a two-story, paper frog in the center of Bologna. This frog was set on fire at the stroke of midnight and we all cheered and kissed and watched it light the sky ablaze while Italian firefighters and policemen patrolled the area. It was surreal. Our new hostel friend, Richard kept saying, “There’s a f*ing frog on fire. I mean, there’s a f*ing frog on fire!” It was epic.
• An Italian boy ran past me when we were walking down the streets of Bologna so, naturally, I start to run after him in a mocking fashion. He suddenly turns around, sees me chasing him, and then I burst into convulsive laughter because I was totally busted. He mocks my laughter, grabs my shirt sleeve, and marches me down the street saying something about a “magistrate” before I realize he’s taking me to the police station. He’s basically putting me under arrest. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. We later saw the same little boy dancing the cha-cha in the town center surrounded by 50 or so people. I chose the right little boy to mock.
• We ate a lot of pizza. Pizza is good.
• Where’s Matt? We never knew.
• We saw the statue of David. Well, kinda.
• Lots of girl talk. It was fun.
• We found the most delicious beer in the world called Kwak. Yeah, Kwak.
All in all, I had an amazing vacation and have spent the entire day today in bed recovering from it. You always know it’s a good vacation when you need to take an extra day off just to sleep in until noon.
Italy was amazing. A stark difference from Bulgaria in terms of people and culture and I swear I actually experienced a bit of culture shock. But in a good way. We mostly ate. And ate and ate and ate. I pushed my stomach to the limit and am really proud of the amount of pizza I can eat in one setting and the fact that I can always manage to squeeze in some gelato. I’m like a pro.
I won’t go on and on about that trip cuz I know that type of thing gets boring so I’ll just highlight:
• There was a two-story, paper frog in the center of Bologna. This frog was set on fire at the stroke of midnight and we all cheered and kissed and watched it light the sky ablaze while Italian firefighters and policemen patrolled the area. It was surreal. Our new hostel friend, Richard kept saying, “There’s a f*ing frog on fire. I mean, there’s a f*ing frog on fire!” It was epic.
• An Italian boy ran past me when we were walking down the streets of Bologna so, naturally, I start to run after him in a mocking fashion. He suddenly turns around, sees me chasing him, and then I burst into convulsive laughter because I was totally busted. He mocks my laughter, grabs my shirt sleeve, and marches me down the street saying something about a “magistrate” before I realize he’s taking me to the police station. He’s basically putting me under arrest. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. We later saw the same little boy dancing the cha-cha in the town center surrounded by 50 or so people. I chose the right little boy to mock.
• We ate a lot of pizza. Pizza is good.
• Where’s Matt? We never knew.
• We saw the statue of David. Well, kinda.
• Lots of girl talk. It was fun.
• We found the most delicious beer in the world called Kwak. Yeah, Kwak.
All in all, I had an amazing vacation and have spent the entire day today in bed recovering from it. You always know it’s a good vacation when you need to take an extra day off just to sleep in until noon.
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