Throw Something

The school year. My first school year, is coming to an end. I also recently passed my one year anniversary in Bulgaria. So many things to feel and no desire to actually be feeling them.

Last night was the prom for my 12th graders, yes teachers attend these things here. Of course being Bulgaria EVERYONE was drunk. The (ex)Students tried their best to get me to a hospital from alcohol poisening. Luckily I have learned enough in this country about drinking without drinking. I did dance for hours. I did enjoy the way that the newly liberated youths seemed to forget the disfunctional relationship we had all year. There were tearfull thank yous, apologies for mental torment, and professions of love. Magically with the lubrication of whiskey I heard more english from some students than I could ever pull from them in class. As debaucherous as it sounds, it was another reasurance that I am having an effect on kids, even if im not seeing it. I got home at 5 this morning and had one of the most relaxing sleeps I have had in the past year.

I know that I dont update much, to the 3 people who read this im sorry about that.
What I have been up to:

Baseball Club Бейсбол Клуб
Several nights a week I coach baseball with about 20 local kids. Baseball is kind of an exotic sport here so we have an interesting group of kids. Most of them arent my students, which is great, and we have kids from 4th grade up to 11th. I never realized how complicated baseball is, and exlplaining it has been a blast for my bulgarian language skills. The basics were simple enough, but I still cant get them not to run on a fly ball, or to understand a pickle. Its usually the highlight of my day and no one has died so I guess its a success.

Spring Break Пролетна Почифка
For spring break I had 8 days free and decided to travel to Romania. It was beautifull and definetly more "european" than Bulgaria. However I didnt really like the people or the culture that much. I kept finding myself wishing I was back in Bulgaria, something that shouldnt happen on such a short vacation. Sign that this place is growing on me? Definetly.

Sigishoara, Transylvania


Sibiu, Transylvania


Sleepy Saxon House


Best place to have an eastern european train transfer. Copsa Mica, Romania


I have also been up to lots of other odds and ends. This summer Pravetz will get 2 new volunteers. My friend Marcy is transfering here and a fresh newbie will be moving next month. I will definetly not be at want of friends to spend time with, at the same time im a bit unsure. This was always "my" town. I was the Volunteer, and I had to make an effort to make bulgarian friends. Its definetly going to change my volunteer experience but probably for the better. They are both great people and no one ever said that you had to suffer like a hermit to be a good volunteer and do the things you wanted when you signed up for this adventure.

The weather was getting quite hot, but for the last week it has rained and thundered every day strait. Im planning on procuring a tent and attempting to see as much of the country as possible this summer. And of course there is the trip to Ukraine and the visit from the family so I couldnt be more excited for the summer.

Уморен съм

Mountain Aires

So two weeks ago I went on the most amazing ski vacation and Im just now getting around to updating about it.

I went to a mountain chalet with my 8th graders as a chaperone. According to the PE teachers I was a "guard" which is a funny word for them to use because my classes are usually complete chaos. Now I was initialy dreading the trip because as I saw it, I was going to be locked in a mountain hut with 40 14 year olds. In addition I have what can best be described as animosity towards about 80% of my students, mainly for making my life a stressfull hell. In the day time we skied (I found out im actually very good at skiing), had snowball fights, played hours of Skip-Bo, Monopoly and cards, and goofed around. Then every evening I went and got completely drunk on home made wiskey with all other teachers in the true Bulgarian way. Anyways long story short, I had a great week rediscovering why im here, why was reminded exactly why I chose to join PC. I came back to earth and realized that my kids are just that: Kids. And most importantly I realized that I am really accomplishing things here, even if it doesnt always feel like that. By the eighth day everyone was physically exhausted and ready to come home. I am already looking forward to next year when im going with all my classes for 3 weeks.

Groups Photo


A few of the little mountain terrors.


The Bunny hill where I learned to ski, and fell quite a bit in the proccess.


Beautifull Rila Mountain

A turn to negative town

So its the end of the semester. Half way through the year, and time for me to give my first official "permanent record" grades.

I was on my way to flunking half of the 12th grade, when the the kind little secretary told me that I basically couldnt. Here in Bulgaria EVERYONE passes regardless of what you know or how you did. Regardless of if you ever came to class (even once) or ever even started the first sentence of a homework.

You see in an effort to make sure that all these post-commy era single children (little emperors as I call them) never have to do anything they don't want to, it is completely unheard of to fail a class. Esspecially 12th graders. So in my abundant grace and mercy I offered them all the chance to get 6s (As) even those little worms who played on their cell phones all class and never lifted a piggy finger. Redemption was in the form of essays, and to my great surprise I recieved over 60 of them int he past week. The breakdown was as follows:

60% Strait cut and paste off the Internet. These are the easiest to spot, as their english improves light years, to the point where its obvious no 18yo ESL student wrote it.

Actual EX: In music there are a variety of instruments that display the color of harmonies, when they are played in an orchestra or a band. The ranges of their sounds spans from the lowest pitch of a contrabass to the highest pitch of a piccolo. Moreover their classification derives by the group or section to which they belong.

20% Lets copy from eachother. These I just don't understand. Do you really think that I will mistake two copies that I read an hour apart as originals when the only thing differant about them is the handwriting?

20% Oh! A blessed 20% are actual original efforts. By this point I dont care about spelling, grammar, voice or formating. The only thing that matters is that they didnt cheat.

So as it stands right now, out of 118 12th graders im only failing 2. If this were any place other than Bulgaria (where the entire educational system is a barely functioning laughable excuse for a clown college) at least 80 would have failed. But if there is one thing im learning here, it is that there are something that are just beyond your control, so give them up.

So yeah, Im pretty sure that im getting more out of my Peace Corps service than anyone here. The old me would have felt bad, but you know what? Its not my fault.

Byzantine Byways

I returned from Istanbul this past thursday. As a city that I have dreamed about since childhood it did not dissapoint. I spent 6 days there and didnt begin to scratch the surface of the city. Churches, Mosques, Walls, Cisterns, Hippodromes, Palaces, and Streets all still standing and giving testament to millenia of history. It has a way of making you small and inconsequential when faced with the immense march of history. Pictures dont even begin to give justice to the immense beauty and mistical feeling of the place, but here are some of my favorites.

A panormama of the Bosphorous, the Old City, and the Golden Horn from the Galata Tower.



The "New" Mosque, from Galata Bridge with fishing poles in the foreground.



One of thousands of minarets in the city on my first evening in Istanbul.



The Golden Horn, I would like to think that the ancestors of these seagulls saw the countless waves of history come and go through this harbour.



The Suleiman Mosque, on of the most beautifull things I have ever seen created by the hand of man. Sitting in the courtyard near sunset, there isnt a human being on earth that wouldnt believe that good excists.





The Blue Mosque



Haga Sofia: Bulky on the outside from almost two millenia of repairs and structural changes, but on the inside it is beyond description.



A side street in the old part of town, its mindblowing to think that Roman Emperors, Sultans, and Crusaders all walked the same streets.



The gratuitous "Look at me in in Asia!" picture.



On the Bosphorous.





A grave that I liked.



The Archeological Museum occupied my attention for an entire afternoon.



The end of the Orient Express and the return to Bulgaria.

Oh Christmas Tree

So I went and bought my own Charlie Brown Christmas tree for my apartment. Its one meter tall and plastic. It cost me 4Leva (about $2.50)

Needless to say it broke before I even got it set up. Luckily with some duct tape (from my wonderfull christmas package) it appears to standing strait.

Bringing some Christmas cheer to my humble studio apartment:


I have some pictures from my trip last week to Sandanski to celebrate "student's holiday." I have no idea why I keep traveling during the winter. I should really just hole up in my apartment and read books. I keep forgeting it is December in Eastern Europe.



Me and the University students:

(Im in the back looking like the baby of the group when in reality im older than all of them. Smoking and drinking like sailors tends to age a man.)

How long do you think it took Daphne to wreak havoc on the poor christmas tree?


Here she is carefully planning which part of the tree will be attacked next.

Winter comes like a thief in the night

Well it has been forever since I updated. What can I say? Life has been moving along very fast for about 8 weeks. You ever get that feeling that your falling through time, the month and weeks pass in seconds, and somehow your missing so much around you? Well thats what its like. Alot has happened, so I will give you the sweetened condensed version.

Had my kitty run away.


Went to a mountain hut for the weekend.








Bulgarian Ski Lift (Yes this is opperational)


Contacted a nasty flu.

Found the kitty after 11 days.

Found out that the nasty, persistant "flu" was really Pneumonia. This is after 2 weeks of being downright cruddy.


Went to a Soccer match between Sofia Levski and Barcelona in the Champions league. Barcelona won (of course.)




Kitty ran away again (I swear I dont beat her.)

Spent Thanksgiving with other volunteers and my best Bulgarian friend Alex.


Went to a big Peace Corps conferance. Saw all the people that I dont make the effort to actually visit. Bored into a coma by endless hours of "seminars."


Cat found by kind but neighbors who are tired of me losing my cat.

Lots of other stuff has happened but I cant really think of it right now. Things are progressing fastly towards Christmas. Only 1.5 weeks of teaching left. Then my brother Ethan comes to visit, im so excited. I hope you are all having a great Holiday season!

Sunday Hike

I had some friends over for the weekend, the weather agreed and gave us a beautifull mild fall weekend. We played Tennis and spent as much time as possible outside. Today after everyone else went home Krissy stayed and went with me on a big hike and picnic in the mountains around town.

We walked to the monastary a few kiliometers up the valley, ate lunch and then took a beautifull hike back to town on the "EcoTrail" through the foothills.

Shepard's Home








I am so thankfull to be in a place so blessed with natural beauty. Im so glad that im up in the mountains and not down on the Danube flood plain.

Some of the amazing colors of a Balkan Mountain fall.


Pravets and my little valley from up on the hill.


Only about a 1000 kilometers to my little bro.