I can't believe Obama's speech. It was honest and addressed what people say when they are home with their families and surrounded by "safe" ears. He spoke about deep concerns that blacks have with the white population. I was thinking...ok yeah yeah yeah because I've heard it a million times. But then he finished that and moved over the other side that NOONE speaks of. White concerns about blacks and other minorities. The dissent that we are not allowed to feel because we are white and "priveledged" and anything that we might see as injustice to us couldn't be because we're white.

When he was talking about white concerns about affirmative action, immigration, and jobs oversees, I was dumb founded. Absolutely have I heard and even spoken some of those sentiments! What I've never heard is a politician take a contrversial issue and admit that it exists, it's not going away soon, won't be fixed overnight, but slowly we can work together to change it over time.

Also, I'm glad to see that he stood by his former Pastor. I have a lot of family in the south and have heard some outrageously racist things come from my own grandparents, aunts and uncles, BUT I still love them even though I hate what they say sometimes. We can love people, care about them, and have them involved in our lives even if they don't believe all the same things that we do. And just because I was rasied with family in my life that spoke of "nigger town" and to this day would be unaccepting if I dated outside the white race does not mean that I have those same feelings and use that same language. So it can be the same of Obama and his former Pastor.

I wish that I could hear this kind of honesty on a regular basis from both parties. Democrats, Republicans, and Independants should take note. This is what America needs, leaders who can address what is really wrong in our country and who tell us what we need to hear vs. what they thing we want to hear.

I do hope that Hillary and McCain take note. No matter who wins the general election, I'd like to see this become more of a trend. Our country isn't perfect and it's about time that a politican addresses an unspoken issue so that dialogue happens which always promotes change.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords

We just had a big cookie kick off event at the Western Heritage Museum and my fellow partner in crime at the Girl Scout Council and I decided to make a box car along with all the girls. Of course we were schooled by all the troops. The girls made some awesome boxes and we were all really impressed. This is our box. My picture is in the middle and Mary is on the right :-)

The only rules were to cover the white box and use a min. of one girl scout cookie which we provided. Seriously man, I get paid for this. I love my job!

more pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/harm1020

My friend Stephanie is on a road trip across America and she came by for a visit. The funny thing was that we both had just purchased brand new cars!!! Here's a pic of the two of us. Note that she is doing her road trip with in-transits. Just loving that new car.

Here's a picture of me signing the paperwork

The BBC reports:

"Strike shuts Bulgaria's schools
Thousands of teachers have begun an indefinite strike in Bulgaria, demanding a doubling of their pay.

State schools and kindergartens across the country cancelled classes and sent children home.

Teachers rejected a 32% pay rise offered during talks with the education ministry last week.

The average monthly wage of Bulgarian teachers is 440 leva (£157; 226 euros), according to the government. The strike is expected to expand on Tuesday.

At least 100,000 people work in Bulgaria's schools."

Yeah right! Take 440 and divide by two and then you'll be at a more accurate number. This equals out to about $140 a month. It's a pretty crappy pay. Though I hope in this strike that the teachers will actually strike. Last time they went on strike the teachers at my school taught their classes but wore ribbons to show they were striking in spirit....uhh sorry Bulgarians, but that doesn't mean anything. I dare you, the Bulgarians, to actually strike and demand to be paid a decent wage!!

One of the places I went was Sarajevo. Here's a bit about it:

Sarajevo is one of the most historically interesting cities in Europe. It is the place where the Western & Eastern Roman Empire split; where the people of the Eastern Orthodox east, the Ottoman south and the Roman Catholic west, met, lived and warred. It has been both an example of historical turbulence and the clash of civilizations, as well as a beacon of hope for peace and tolerance through multi-cultural integration.

We went to the Tunnel Museum as described here:

During the Siege of Sarajevo during Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995, the Sarajevo Tunnel was constructed by the besieged Bosniaks in order to link the city of Sarajevo, which was entirely cut-off by Serbian forces, with the supposedly neutral area at the Sarajevo airport set up by the United Nations.

Beginning in January 1993, the Sarajevo Tunnel was dug by Bosnian volunteers working in 8-hour shifts. The Sarajevo tunnel was completed in mid 1993, which allowed food and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out. The tunnel was one of the major ways of bypassing the international arms embargo and providing the city defenders with weaponry. In effect, it is said the tunnel saved Sarajevo.

The tunnel was 1.5 metres in height and width, and ran for approximately 800 metres in length.

The tunnel was most famously used to transport the former Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović in his wheelchair. The 20 metres of tunnel that are left today now form part of a museum in Sarajevo, which is open to visitors.

Kathy and I in the tunnel: (note how low the ceiling is and how there are rails for carts to go through)


more pics: http://flickr.com/photos/harm1020

So last night we decided to make dinner. We bought food and brought it to the kitchen of the place we are staying in. The man told me that he would fix the fish and veggies for us. It was outstanding and in the mean time, I got to talk to him and hear all about his life. He was a cook for his whole life and after the war he had to work in Germany because there was no work in Dubrovnik. I asked where he lived durning the war and he showed me the "suveniors" from the serbs. There is a missle hanging from a piece of wood that used to be his door that was blown into his house and there were marks in the house from that missle. He said he was sitting on the couch when it hit....I cannot even imagine! He is such an interesting man and I'm glad that we are staying in his home.

Today we headed to the nude beach. Luckily, there were lots of young people there too and not just old gross men...but of course they were there. We bared all for all and it was so much fun!! Then as we were swimming in the sea, 3 groups of 50 kayakers each paddled by. We just laughed and laughed...I mean what else can you do!! It was a great day and my dream of being at a nude beach has finally been realized.

Then we came back and walked the wall of the city. It took and hour and we got great views and great pictures. Tonight we are taking it easy and tomorrow we will fly to Budapest. We can't wait for the famed baths!

Yesterday Kathy and I went to see the Marko Polo museum. Marko Polo was a famous world traveler who is know for the fact that he went to Asia and brought back many of the things that they invented there to Europe like toothpaste and pasta. He was born either in Corcula (where we were yesterday) or Venice. We also saw the place that could be his birthplace, but was certainly his home at some point. The Polos did live in Corcula but the debate is where exactly Marco was born. No one is sure.

Then we took a 4 hour ferry to Dubrovnik. We are saying in a lovely house inside the city walls. The city used to be completely enclosed in a fortress and you can walk around the top of the entire perimeter. We are waiting till it's not so hot for that walk b/c there is NO shade up there!!

Last night we found an irish pub and had a few drinks. We met a Croatian who took us to a Latin club. Kathy saw two guys and she was sure they were American. I went and asked them and they were. So we started to talk to them, then a South African, then some Irish guys, and an Alaskan who knew a guy that we know from pc bulgaria!! Small world. It's so fun to be surrounded by people from all over the world. At the end of the night kathy was cornered by some lame ass guy and and lame ass Canadian. (who by the way loooooove to go out of their way to tell you how unamerican they are). I said to the guy, "hey I heard you hate Americans" (he told a guy that in the bathroom) and he said yeah i do. I said, "then fuck off b/c we're americans." He said, "but your friend likes my friend". I said, "no she doesn't", and grabbed her and away we went. It felt so good to tell someone that was such and asshat to f* off. The asshattery must be curtailed!!!!

Today we've been walking and seeing the sights. This place received heavy bombing from the Serbs as well. Those Serbs aren't too friendly to their neighbors. Not cool. It's awful to actually see the effects of a war on a city. It has really opened my eyes to the horrors of it.

Tomorrow it's the nude beach and a monestary. It'll be a fun day :-)

From Split we headed to Hvar, Croatia. An island off the coast. We took a ferry to get there and arrived in Stari Grad. We had to take a bus from there to the city of Hvar, which is on the island of Hvar. The bus was so bumpy and awful. I thought that I would throw up on the bus but luckily...I didnt!

We arrived in Hvar and found a baba renting a room. We looked at the room and agreed to take it. It was wondeful. The room had AC and a kitchen. We were in heaven compared to the last place where we couldnt sleep due to the massive heat.

Hvar was beautiful and the beaches were so much better. I would recommend Split for a day trip and then head out to an island. We saw a lovely church and hiked up to a gigantic fortress. Then I took a picture of kathy next to an aloe plant that was taller than she was. Weve been seeing the most amazing plants here. Lemon trees, orange trees, olive treees, gigantic aloe plants, and the largest array of beautiful flowers!! The night life in Hvar consisted of only one club, Carpe Diem. We went there of course and drank too much of course!

From there we hopped another ferry to Korcula. Thats where I am right now. Its even more beautiful here than Hvar. When we got off of the boat lots of people tried to offer us a room and we only wanted one with AC. One baba told me that she had AC and so we walked all the way to her place and it turned out she had AC in the living room but not the bedroom where we were stayzing. NO THANK YOU! So we went back and everyone tried to tell us that we didnt need AC because of the island breeze..but im telling you, thats a lie! You need it! After a small search and a bit of bargining, we found a place with ac, on the water, and a great view of several islands. This morning we woke up and watched all the boats and windsurfers going by. All this for only 16 euro a night.

We finally found a sandy beach, unlike the rocky ones that are everywhere else. And the water in the Adratic Sea is so clear. The Adratic Sea is the sea that surrounds croatia and all of its islands. You can always see your feet and the bottom of the sea from wherever you are swimming here!! Yesterday was the first cloudy day weve encountered and we both burned to a crisp because of it. Then this morning...our burns disappeared except for a bit on the girls. Oh well. Thats the price of beauty.

Now we are headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia by ferry and then on the 30th we are flying to Budapest. I hear there is a nude beach in Dubrovnik and i just might be bearing my bottom to the sun very soon!!!

So I'm here in Split with a slight sunburn and a rocking tan. There is a HUGE roman place still standing and some people even still live in it! It's crazy.

We showed up in town at 4am and we sat there until a baba came by and offered us a room at her house. It's about 13 euro a night or 100kn (their money). We knew in advance that this was the standard price for staying at a granny's house and we held out until we got the price we were expecting. We are staying three nights and then Sat. morning we'll take a ferry boat down to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Our first day was spent looking at museums, bones in gold boxes, and other old stuff. Unlike the description that I just gave it, it was actually a great day. Then today we sat on the beach and got some sunshine. The beach was either rocks, concrete path, or dirt. We chose dirt and tomorrow we'll do the small pebble rocks. I'm hoping the beaches are betting in Dubrovnik. The water on the other hand was amazing. So clear and blue. We were swimming in the Adriatic sea. That's the sea that touches Croatia :-) The sea is salty like the ocean but w/o the rough waves. We floated and then tanned. The heat is intense here and it's 100 degrees. I burned slightly but not too bad.

My biggest complaint is that the beach is NOT topless like I was expecting!

Belgrade, Serbia was fun. Our hostel, downtown hostel, was very nice and the lady who ran it was very cool. She read our palms and showed us card tricks.

The city is very modern looking though as times you'll walk by a bombed building but they have reconstructed nearly the entire city! They have a huge fortress and a military museum. Plus there are barges on the Sava river that are actually clubs.

There are two rives around Belgrade. The Sava and the Danube. For this reason the city has been rebuilt 40 times b/c it's a really easy place for other people to attack~

In sarajevo right now. It's amazing here. We came in on a night bus and paid 7 euro for a taxi *expensive*. Then we checked into a sketch hostel, Hostel Ljubicica, with a zillion beds and one bathroom and one shower. The shower and bathroom were dirty. Kathy showered and convinced me to wait a few days b/c it's too gross here!! It also has lockers that don't lock...not cool. We were sure we were going to get robbed..but we didn't. The beds were wooden slats with some missing slats and a thin mattress on top. I was certain that the bed was going to collapse and I was going to fall on top of Kathy! Our room didn't have a window and was connected to several other rooms. It was so hot and stuffy in there. So anyways, other than our hostel it's really beautiful here and they have done so much reconstruction here in the last ten years. We saw a film and saw buildings on fire and getting bombs blown up in them. These same buildings are fully rebuilt and look as modern as anything you would find in the US. It's amazing b/c Sofia in Bulgaria has never been bombed and looks like a big huge dump. This place is so beautiful and the people are so happy looking unlike the majority of Bulgarians! Belgrade was the same way.

All around Sarajevo are red circles of concrete. These are called Sarajevo Roses. Those spots are where air artillary hit the concrete and exploded. The reconstruction companies redid a lot of sidewalks and so many of the Roses are gone, but the city now makes sure the existing ones will remain as reminds of a city that was under seige for four years and never gave up and in the end was victorious. They also symbolize all the lives that were lost durin the four years that they were surrounded.

We walked to the latin bridge and saw the spot where Franz Ferdinand was shot and the spot where the shooter stood. This assination was what started WWI. Therefore, very historcial spot!

We also went to the tunnel museum. The tunnel was for people here to get from in the town to out of the town to get supplies that the town desperately needed. The town was surrounded by Serbs expect for the airport and the tunnel went there to get the supplies. It was built in four months and 4 days. Most of it is collapsed but they have perserved 25meters of it and we got to walk through it.

Also in Sarajevo is a mosque, temple, and church within 150 meters of each other. The only other place in the world where this happens is in Jeresulem. I didn't know this, but Sarajevo historically has been a place of tolerance and religious diversity and peace. I love it here so much.

Tonight we are taking a night bus to Split, Croatia. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be on the beach drinking beer. I cannot wait! Kathy and I will be on the beaches of Croatia till the 30th.

I've been talking to my mom and she told me that durning training our teacher took her aside and told her that I was doing the worst at Bulgarian in my class. Now I already knew this, but I didn't know that Adnan had told Dori that!! Of course now my bulgarian is pretty dang good, and better than many. I'm just a slow starter :-)

In other news my new cards are in Vidin and Kathy is going to get them delivered to her. I called fed ex and they said that was fine. Horray! Now i'm just waiting for her call saying she has them.

Last night we went to a resturant with my aunt, and a family friend and the husbands. We had an amazing time laughing and sitting outside for hours. My mom bragged about how I picked a gigantic bucket of cherries all by myself and how helpful i've been around the house.

Then today we had a bbq by the river. Thick steaks and peppers on the grill...yep peppers. They just put them on the grill and then we peeled the skins off and ate them. It was delicious! After a lot of food and cold beer, me and my mom took a nap under the trees. It was heaven.

Time is running out!!!!!!!!

this probably didn't solve my problems, but it did make me feel better:

Dear US Bank,
I would like to thank you for NOT express sending my new ATM card like you said you would which has now stranded me in a foreign country, not emailing me back promptly, and having a customer service person burp loudly on the phone when I called last Sunday.

I would like to think that my business matters to you a small amount, but it seems as though I would be incorrect.

Thank you for being so unhelpful in a very stressful situation.
Melody

so it turns out that even though the bank said they would express mail me my ATM card...they didn't. I called them and they sent it regular mail. When I called them, I made it very clear that I was out of the country, needed to have it mailed to me here, and only had two weeks to get it done...and that i needed that damn card ASAP! Why was that guy such a twit? Why did US Bank never email me back after I emailed yesterday asking about my card? So now hopefully, my card will arrive on Tuesday to a city that is now where I live. But my host mom said that it wasn't a problem to drive me there when it arrives. We are going to call the post office to let them know in advance that the card is coming and we are expecting it.

Funny story:
My mom called me today. I'm not sure what she was saying but she talked to the baba. Baba said "I'll go and get Melody. She will come" and then my mom would say something and she would say it again. I guess they went around and around for a while. Both sides having not the slightest idea what was going on on the other side.

In other news Baba said I'm now ready to get married b/c i've been cooking, doing laundry, and working in the yard. Horray for me.

Last night a guy told me that he wanted me to find him an American girlfriend. I told him that he wouldn't like dating american girls b/c if they cook dinner, then they expect the man to do the dishes. And if you are both at the table and the man wants beer, she'll point to the fridge and say "it's over there". That is NOT how it works in Bulgaria. The women here basically do everything for the men and children of the family. The guy was shocked and agreed that he didn't want to date an american girl.

I told my host mom and she laughed and then later she told Gosho (the dad) that he had to wash the dishes. He looked shocked and asked why. She said that she grilled the meat, made the salad, and fried the potatoes, plus she served the entire meal. Poor guy looked totally confused! Then she told him what I told her and he laughed and she laughed and we all know that later she'll do the dishes. Though I'll never be that type of wife, I have no judgements about their life b/c they have one of the strongest marriages, nicest and smartest kids, and are happier than almost everyone I know. Clearly, it's working for them, and I applaud their happy family!

I hate my bank. US BANK YOU BLOW! My sister emailed me and said that my ATM which should have been at the bank for her to pick up isn't there! What am I gonna do w/o an ATM card?? I can use my credit card which has arrived and my mom is mailing but they do charge 3% for every withdrawl via cash advance and that really sucks. I'm trying not to freak out b/c really, there is nothing I can do about this if it doesn't come but man, I'm so angry with the bank. They have been a terrible bank the last two years and when I get back to the states, i'm getting a new bank right away. I wrote them a strongly worded e-mail explaining my displeaure but I'm certain they could care less. I've been a customer of theirs for years and have very high credit lines with them and I would think that they would appreciate my business but turns out that i'm incorrect on that point!

In other news, I've been picking cherries and it is HARD work! You don't get to eat them all and cherry trees always seem to be full of cherries no matter how many you pick! The baba sells them and that's why we have to pick them by the gigantic bucket full. Tomorrow it's back to the tomatoes.

Oh and I checked...I have put on 4lbs since Sunday when I arrived in the village. This is wonderful considering i'm going to the croatian beaches in a week and plan on being topless! Oh well, squishy or not, i'm sunbathing! The main problem is that my clothes are starting to be a tad tight. One more week here and I'm done for! No worries, I wouldn't give up this time in the village for anything. I love it here.

I love my village. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!

I'm having a great time just hanging out. Monday I hung up laundry, washed my own laundry, fixed lunch, then hung out with Eric's mom and then went home and worked in the tomato fields. Dori showed me what to pull of the plants and away we went for 2 hours. She said this is the last year they'll grow tomatoes b/c they are too much work and all the kids are grown up. They just planted apple trees and those trees will start bearing fruit in two years. They'll sell apples instead of tomatoes.

Yesterday it rained all day and I didn't get out of my pjs till 8pm :-) It was a completely lazy day.

Today I got up and showered and headed to the internet club. Soon I'll head back home and make egg salad. My mom specially requested it.

One draw back of being in the village though....I'm completely full. You know how you feel after you eat too much...I feel like that all the time here. I wake up full! Then my mom asks me why I am not eating. My pants are already feeling too tight and I have to go to the beach in two weeks!!!

...from an email:

Friday I checked out of Peace Corps and now i'm totally finished and am an RPCV (returned pcv). Then Jessie and I headed to INXS. INXS was really fun. I don't actually remember watching too much of the concert b/c we had had a bit to drink already at this point and so we were just dancing and singing the whole time. Then saturday we slept in our hostel all day long b/c we were out dancing till 5am :-)

Then we met up with Kathy and had beers at the beer hall sat. night. The really weird thing that happened was that on craigs list kathy replied to an add for a roommate. Turned out that the girl was Bulgarian and is in Sofia right now. So we got to meet her and Kathy signed her new lease for her pittsburg house in Bulgaria. Small world isn't it?? Then we went Salsa dancing with this girl at a private salsa party with Kathy's new roommate. Sadly neither Jessie, Kathy, or I know how to salsa so we just hung out in the corner doing our own thing. Of course we had way too much to drink this night too!! Then at god knows what time we got in a cab and went back to our hostel. I ended up puking half the night away which i hardly ever do. It sucked quite a bit. Then in the morning I went for my wallet b/c I had to go to the ATM and get cash to pay for the hostel. But guess what....NO WALLET!! I must have left it in the cab. I know I had it there b/c i gave Jessie my last lev to pay for the cab and then i either put it in my bag and it fell out, or i put it on the seat or something. Anyways all that was in it was my ATM card and my credit card. I have cancelled them both and now am waiting for them to arrive at my sisters so she can fedex them. Luckily I had just turned in my bulgarian ID card but that would be a nightmare to deal with!!! Plus i'm lucky that i'm in BG two more weeks so i have an address in which to send the cards. I only hope that my sister gets the cards here in time or i'm fucked for cash b/c i have a total of none. I had to borrow money to pay for the hostel and my bus back to my town.

I'm now in the village and my family gave me so cash so i'm good to go. So no worries :-) It's all going to work out.

I've reached the end of my Peace Corps journey. Two years ago I headed out not having any idea what I was getting myself into but trusting the fact that plenty of people had done it before me and I would be fine.

These past couple of years I have felt highs that were higher than anything I could have ever imagined. Though the lows were so low that at times, I was freaked out by how truly low a person can sink. I feel like I've moved mountains with some of the work that I've done and the friends that I have made here are the best friends that I've ever had. We are tight knit group and together we've done what most would fail at or even attempt. I have finished my Peace Corps service. I feel like I have made a difference in my school and that my school is better because I have been there.

I am a better person because of this. I have been humbled by these experiences and my eyes have been opened to an entirely new way of looking at other cultures and people. I have looked at my own country from the perspective of an ocean away. I've experienced another country in a way that no tourist ever could. A long time ago I made a decision and I stood by it. I joined the Peace Corps, I have done the best I could with the opportunities that I've had. Looking back, I would not have done my service any differently and I feel like I lived it to the fullest while taking advantage of all that was offered to me.

As of Sunday, June 3rd, 2007, I, Melody Jones, will be an RPCV.

So my first summer in BG a group of us went to the beach. It was awesome and I wore a bikini!!!



Just last weekend we had 80's night. It was pretty much just people from my group doing a last hurrah!

Preparing myself to leave Bulgaria is the strangest feeling. When I left the states, I always knew that I would return. In a very real sense, I didn't leave so much as took an extended absence from America. Now i've made a life in Bulgaria. I have friends, family, and work. The time has come to give it all up and return to my mother country. My stuff cannot be boxed up and stored at my mom's house. What is too expensive to ship must be given away, sold, or thrown away. The language that I speak daily will be forgotten after a short time. I am leaving the people, culture, food, and my life. When I come back, my students will have grown up and I will have missed all of it. I'm not ever going to live here again and I'm OK with that. It's what I want but it feels so strange to mentally prepare for something so permanent. The next time I come to Bulgaria I will be a tourist and not so much a local as I feel now.

I'm not complaining. Only mentioning that's what I'm feeling and it's not easy.

Hostels and backbackers...
You can meet the most profound people in a hostel. You'll know when you've found someone who has truely discovered the meaning of life by traveling and meeting new people b/c you will see them in the common room of your hostel journaling. They look deep in thought and by using body moments and very serious expressions, they want everyone to know that they have a journal and are in fact writing something very profound and important.

I saw such a girl yesterday in my hostel. I'm in Sofia for three days starting the checkout process of pc. She was talking to herself as she tried to figure out the exact words to write and also was using hand gestures and facial expressions to demonstrate her thoughts to herself. She could have gone to her room or on a walk in the park b/c it was beautiful. But she was traveling alone and looking like an idiotic pretentious asshole is of course the best way to make friends at a hostel. Note to travelers, we all have journals. You are not special and we do not want to watch you journal in your profound and deep way. Get a life. kthks.

In other news I met a guy last night who was just like my brother except that he was motivated. It make me homesick for my goofy little brother. I also met some really cool aussie girls.

OK of to pechat with kathy!!!!

I've gotten rid of two bags of clothes.

Thrown out a bunch of crap

Put away my heater and busted out the fan.

Finally write my final grant paperwork that was due months ago

Finished my Description of Service

Have all my shit together to go to sofia this week for the inital check out of peace corps process

eaten peanut butter cups (thanks dad!!)

Uploaded all my pictures on flickr

downloaded two albums

I WIN THE GETTING SHIT DONE AWARD ON A SUNDAY!!!!

Tomorrow I head to my Close of Service conference and I can't help but think about the last two years and how they have affected me. Where I came from and where I am now. For sure I've made some great friends that I love like family. In a very real sense we are family. Here is a picture of my first Peace Corps family, my training site. From the very beginning we have been great friends and I love all three of them so much! Thanks Jessie for the picture from swearing in. Kathy, Eric, and Stephanie, I love you guys!! So here's the day I swore in as an official peace corps volunteer with the first three pcvs that really loved me and still do:


"The best group ever from the castle of knowledge!"

Due to the randomness of what is and is not appropriate on a blog, I'm making mine unavailable to the general public. If you'd like to keep up on my life, just open a lj account, drop me a comment, and I'll add your name so you can read the entries. Sorry it has to be this way. If you dont like it, email Uncle Sam.

kathy and I freezing our butts over the morning after our hike! Me jumping over the fire on Baba Marta day! And finally, a sweet little bunny from the kindergarten play!

After last week's fun class adventure I ran as fast as I could to my friend Jessie's place. We went out and drank our blues away. First it was dinner which wasnt as easy as we thought. It was womens day and all the places were packed. We sent Alex into several places for a table and couldnt get one. The last place we tried, I decided to go in. I was wearing a cute skirt and boots to my knees. I asked if they had a table and then went back out to my friends and told them that if they wanted a table they would have to send in someone hotter than Alex :-). At the end of the night we were in a club and I swear there was a guy fingering his nearly passed out girlfriend on the couch next to us. We were all grossed out! Plus the music wasn't that good.

So Friday morning in my hungover state, I got a phone call. I answer it and on the other end is a woman that says she met me at the Womens Day event I went to a few days before. We were at the same table and she works at the cotton institute here in my town. They want me to teach an adult english class with a focus on discussion. I give her a million reasons why I cant do it and she counters every single one. I finally agree to meet her on Monday. Note to self: dont answer the phone when you are hungover and can't argue well!

The rest of Friday was just Jessie and I hanging in our pjs and then eating dinner with Shane. Pretty laid back. Kathy showed up at midnight and we stayed up till 3 talking.

Morning came waaay to early on Saturday. We got up and dressed and headed to the bus station. After a quick stop in Kazenluk to pick up Emily, we headed up to the Shipka monument. 1,000 stairs later we were at the monument. It's really cool and tall. Basically inside of this tall narrow building is a national history museum. There were still flowers laid out in the inside from the National holiday we had on March 3 (our July 4th). There were a lot of paintings of Bulgarian heroes and many artifacts from the various wars that Bulgaria has been in. Jessie got picked up by some guys who wanted their picture taken with her and that was really strange.

Having had enough of creepy guys, we started our hike. Emily headed back home and it was Kathy, Jessie, and I each carrying food, water, and booze for later. At the bottom of the stairs were many stands selling buffalo yougart and we picked some of that up too. The region is famous for it. We had a two and a half hour hike in front of us and it was time to get started!

The first leg was pretty difficult and was very steep. We stopped when we reached the top of a grassy plain and took a ten min. break. It was amazing up there. The air was so crisp and windy. We were all very hot from hiking so the cold felt really wonderful. Due to thick fog, we couldnt see that far into the distance but what we could see made us feel like rockstars. We could see the monument in the distance and it looked so far away from where we were. We really had made some distance. Soon enough we started to feel cold and it was time to continue the hike.

The land was pretty steady for the next leg and we had no difficulties. There werent any trees and very gray. After a bit we were back in the forest. This time it was all down hill. This may seem easy but it was not at all! I found a great walking stick and it proved to be very helpful because the ground was a little bit muddy and was easy to slip in. At the bottom of the hill were a few creeks that were tricky to cross but noone fell in.

All good things must end and soon it was uphill the rest of the way. The woods were great though. Up in the mountains are these little purple flowers that seemed to be randomly sprouting everywhere. The were pretty and delicate. Pretty flowers or not, we were all feeling the effects of the hard core hiking and were hoping to find our lodge soon. We were not near anything and had no idea how much further we were going to have to hike. Kathy was worried b/c it was going to get dark soon and she didnt want to be suck in the woods at night.

FINALLY! We arrived at our mountain lodge in exactly the time it was supposed to take us. This means that we hiked the regular pace and not too slow. Clearly this means that we are physically fit goddesses!

The lodge was owned by a nice couple that fed us and gave us homemade rakia. We ate wild garlic which looks like blades of grass but tastes like garlic...very cool. After sitting with them for 6+ hours it was time for bed. Sadly there were 8 gazillion teenage boys drinking and only three girls with them. This brought us some unwanted attention from one asshat boy but we told his buddies that he was bothering us and they kept him at bay and we went to sleep. We thought the music would stop eventually..but it kept strong until 8am and then restarted at 9. But we were so tired that we slept anyways.

I awoke to the sorest ass ever! Jessie had sore shins and Kathy had sore shoulders. So of course now my ass is rock hard after that workout. I'll be giving demonstrations later this week ;-)

So Monday rolls around and I meet the women who want the class and it's for cotton scientists so they can talk to other scientists in Europe and America. The class will start next week and I'm very nervous about it. I've never taught adults before and in fact have avoided it thus far. I'll give it a few trial runs and see if I like it and they like me.

So in short
*drunken forgetting of woes
*hiking
*sore ass
*nervous about new english class

Back to the First of March. I said Baba Marta came to my school and here she is: There were also two students dressed in the traditional garb who made a martinitsi on stage with Baba Marta: Here is a shot of the kindergartners wearning their martinitsas:

So after all that celebrating it was time to have another one on March 4th! Me and several of my friends took a bus up into the Rhodopi mountains to the picture perfect town of Devin. It's actually famous for their mineral water that they ship all over the country and the Balkan region. Sunday morning we arose to find that the scheduled bus wasn't running to the famous village of Shiroka Luka that we needed to get to. This would totally be a case of Bulgarska Rabota! Why the bus that runs everyday to this village would not be running on the day of a gigantic festival is beyond me. But no worries, we took a couple of taxis and made it there. The roads are very curvy and my stomach was ready to be out of that car in the 1/2 hr it took to get there.

Finally we had made it to the most famous Kukerie festival in Bulgaria. Before the festivities started we got ready by drinking some dancing green apple spirits and taking pictures. Here's Carin, Rachel and Kellen with a little Kukerche :-) Right before this picture a guy wearing Kukerie came up to Rachel and just followed her around for a while as she proceeded to be scared and tried to hide behind Kellen. We all laughed and expressed how impressed we were that the guy found the person in our group who would scare the most easily and provide the highest level of entertainment. Then we found a great spot to watch the upcoming show. No sooner did we grab our spot and they announced that there was a car parked in the center that needed to be moved. Seeing that it wasnt our car, we paid no attention. Then a lone dancing gypsy man started dancing inside the roped off circle. He danced until the old Babas came out to Horo (dancing in a big circle). During this whole time we saw another group of pcvs. We waved to them but they didnt actually come over b/c they were looking for a good spot. It was too bad that they didnt come over by us b/c we had a great spot and there was still a lot of room for them. They ended up getting spots in the back of the crowd and only the tallest of them could see well. Maybe the most wild thing they missed was the parked car. No one came to move it and so a bunch of men came by and PICKED UP THE CAR and moved it! Soon after this, the Kukerie came out. It was totally awesome. Kukerie are traditionally men wearing costumes made of goat hair and gigantic bells attached to them. They are supposed to be scary to make the ghosts and bad spirits leave. This is all tied up in spring, planting, and the cycle of life. At one point they had a scene where a woman died and then in her place a baby came to life. The whole them reminded me of what I studied in undergrad. There's a history of traditions that involve blood shed, death, rebirth, and then spring can come out to play. We all were wearing our Martinitsi which has red to symbolize blood and then the kukerie who in a way symbolize death and ward off all the bad spirits so that we have have a good harvest this year. Kukerie come in all differnt shapes, costumes, and sizes. Villages from all over Bulgaria sent groups of Kukerie to dance in the big show. Plus the town of Karlovo donated free wine for all the dancers to drink during the day. One village has brought a priest with him who blessed Rakia, bread, meat and cheese. They passed the Rakia around to all the Kukerie in the circle which they all took a drink from. It was very strange to see a priest (Popa) blessing what is clearly a Pagen ritual but eh, who cares. My favorite were the little Kukerche. Little kids dressed in the costumes! It was all around awesome.

There were people from all over the world and a ton of hippies. I usually have a firm stance against hippies but it somehow seemed appropriate and we had a fantastic time. After all the dancing by the Kukerie there was a gigantic Horo that went on for who knows how long. We danced for a while. For a very short time, I was leading the Horo. So of course I had to yell out "Look at the Amerikanka leading the Horo! I am a Bulgarka!" Every where people were smiling and slinging back spirits. We laughed ate, drank, and were merry until the moment we left. The horo was still going on and by this time it had been going on about 3 or 4 hours. I have no idea when they actually stopped. Bulgarians can horo like nobodies business! It was a really great day to be in Bulgaria.

More pictures can be found at: http://flickr.com/photos/harm1020/

Today is a really cool holiday in Bulgaria. In fact, I may go as far as to say it's the coolest. To celebrate the month of March everyone gives each other red and white bracelets and they tie to each others wrists on the first of the month. There are many differnt varieties with wooden beads, ones that you pin to your sweaters, ones in shapes of a Bulgarian girl and boy, and many others. Right now I'm covered in different Martinichis (the bracelets). There are many different stories about what the red and white means and it all boils down to a white thread that ended up getting covered in red blood but by the end of the story the heroes ended up living to the end. So that original thread that is now red and white was the first Martinichka.

This morning I came to school and a teacher greeted me with the phrase, "Chestita Baba Marta", and gave me a braclet. My first one of the day. She then told me that I couldnt go into the teachers lounge. I waited with her in the entrance way. After a bit the kindergartners came into the school. Soon after their arrival our radio journalism students put on a really good program all about the traditions of the holiday as well as an interview with the actual Baba Marta (Grandmother March). People wear the red and white decorations to appease her and make it so that winter will soon be gone. When she is happy, the month of March is lovely and when she is not, March can be very cold. She is the reason that March is such a tumultous month for weather. Whatever we can do to keep her happy, we'll do!

After this all the kids went outside and Baba Marta came out and greeted us. She talked to all the kids and gave them bracelets to keep them healthy and happy. Then we walked over to the fire that was started. Another tradition of today is to clean the house in the morning because Baba Marta loves it when things are clean (spring cleaning!!). All the trash that is gathered is put onto a fire for good luck. The rest of the day no one will cook or do any difficult work. So we cleaned our classrooms and brought the trash to the fire. Each class dumped the trash on the fire and then all the kids jumped over it for good luck. With the kindergartners two teachers held the arms of each child to help them jump high enough. I missed all of this last year b/c I was snowboarding with my grandfather durning the holiday. I made sure to email him and remind him to celebrate the holiday today! All the kids eventually jumped over the fire and even I took a nice big jump! I didnt get burned and this should mean good luck for me all year.

I am now covered in red and white decorations and tonight I will have to remove many of them. A person just can't seriously walk around with 20 bracelts. But I will keep a few on and when I see a stork for the first time, or a budding fruit tree after March 22nd (official spring) I'll take them off and tie them to a tree. This will bring me good luck. Something else that I could do is to put one under a rock since I'm unmarried. This should bring me luck in love and I could certainly use some luck in that area. The children also put them under rocks and the next day, Baba Marta will have taken the bracelets and have left them candy or a 5cent coin.

This is a very important luck and can influence a persons entire year. No one wants bad luck all year so we try and stick to all the traditions. Plus they are really fun and everyone likes fun!

It's the first of March which means a huge holiday in Bulgaria! I'll explain later :-)

Here's a martinichki for luck, health, and love!

Oh man, I played american football this weekend and got my butt kicked!!! It was hard work! My legs are just two long (ok well short) sticks of soreness. The volunteer support network, which i'm on, had an event in the mountain town of Vratsa. We had an american football and played a game. It wasnt very competitive, but there was plenty of smack talk. It was plenty cold too but being that we werent a bunch of wussies, we played without coats. I actually tackled two different people. I'd like to think that I was the MVP of the game. Other people might tell you that I wasn't, but those people would be wrong.



Here are some of my friends at the game:



and here's a picture of stephanie enjoying the first snow of Montana:

The Ultimate Rejection Letter

---

Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University
College Hill, MA  34109

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank you for your letter of March 16.  After careful consideration, I
regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me
an assistant professor position in your department. 

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually
large number of rejection letters.  With such a varied and promising field
of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals. 

Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in
rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at
this time.  Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor
in your department this August.  I look forward to seeing you then. 

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen

So I'm working with the 4th graders and we are learning the song Help!, by the Beatles.  It's going really well expect that the girl who has the word 'independance' in her line of the song cant stop laughing and neither can any of the other kids.  There is only one thing that can make kids laugh so hard in class and that's sex.  So i asked them what was so funny and after some weird looks and embarrassed feet shuffling, one girl told me that independance sounds like something that only boys have.  AHHHHHHHH.  I got the joke, independance=penis.  Awesome.  The word for penis in Bulgarian is pretty similar to the English word.  Take the pen in independance and as 'is' to is.  Go ahead and say that out loud and then say independance.  I have to hand it to the kids, it is pretty funny.

It's hard to quantify why I'm such a stud but part of the reason has to do with the fact that I can do anything on earth (except change a light bulb.  For that I must have one if not two erics and/or and electrician).  Today I unclogged my own kitchen sink drain!  I'm now flying high on an "I dont need no man for nothing" vibe.  Oh Peace Corps, you have brought out the handy man in me.  From unclogging toilets w/o a plunger, to replacing parts of the shower, to unclogging drains.  I'm invincible!

First I bought some Mr. Muscle which is essentially drain-o as well some some powder versions of the stuff.  For two days I tried these methods.  All the while the water in my sink continued to get murkier and murkier.  I called a boy that I know for advice and although his intent was good, his advice was not.  He suggested I put my hand over the drain and try to plunger it.  This only ended up with me having really wrinkly and stinky hands plus a clogged sink.  So by this point my entire apartment smelled like drain-o, I had wrinkly hands, and I was high from the fumes.  This was not a good sign and yet I still didn't want to call my school and tell them I had a problem. 

I decided it was time to go to the hardware store.  I didnt even know what I needed but I knew that was the place for advice.  Totally unarmed w/o my dictionary (which i havent carried around with me since my first few months in country) I tried to explain that "There's a place in the kitchen where water goes.  It has a hole in the bottom.  Under the hole is a tunnel where the water goes.  Somewhere in that tunnel is something and now the water is just sitting there and wont go down."  They understood perfectly and a guy who was just in the store said to use Mr. Muscle.  I said that hadn't worked.  So then the guy pulls out the powdered stuff because it's stronger.  Again, I had to say that the powders didnt work.  I was starting to get nervous that they weren't going to be able to help and I'd have to cave in and call the school.  He then pulled out another powder and asked if I had tried it before.  He said it was different because you added hot water instead of cold water to get it to work and it was the strongest I could buy.  I told him that I didnt think it would work because of all the cold water just chilling in there.  He agreed.

Finally he had an idea that would work.  He told me to shove something down the drain and I said, uhhh I dont have whatever you're talking about.  I thought he meant wire, or something to that extent.  Whatever he said, I knew I didnt have one.  So then he goes in the back room and comes back with the word "wire".  I said that I understood but didnt have one.  The man walked out of the shop with a pair of pliers and came back with a gigantic length of wire.  He said just shove it down the sink and that should fix it.  I tried to pay him but the wire was on the house!  That's one of the things I love about Bulgaria.  They told me that my Bulgarian was really good and I thanked them for the help.

I came home and fiddled, fiddled, and fiddled.  Nothing was happening.  I sat on the couch for a minute break and when I walked back to the sink, it had drained a considerable amount of water.  I was so pleased with myself that I bought myself a box of cheerios! 

*well i bought the cereal earlier but now i can say it was an award to myself and i feel less guilty about how much it cost me!

The death penalty is a very controversial topic.  I'm going to have to sit on the side of the fence where I say that it shouldnt be legal.  This is not because I think that some crimes dont warrent it, because I do.  Some crimes are so awful that I think being put to death is a fitting punishment for them.  The biggest problem is the American criminal justice system.  Justice is not dolled out in similar ways.  I could kill one guy and get the death penalty or someone else could kill 3 small children and get 10 years in jail.  For example, we have Ms. Asshat and her boyfriend Mr. Scaryblackman.   Somehow her car slides off a boat dock and they dont even have a boat.  She and her boyfriend manage to get out of the car without the children????  What kind of mother would leave her children, or anyone's children inside a sinking car?  Those three little kids died slow horrible deaths three years ago.  Now that the trial is all said and done, Ms. Asshat is getting a 10year prison sentence while the boyfriend Mr. Scaryblackman won the prize of life in prison without parole.  Any mother that could watch what she watched and now drowned herself while trying to save those children doesn't deserve to live.  She's an evil person.  It doesnt get more evil than a mother killing her own children.  Of course in the eyes of the law, Mr. Scaryblackman holds more responsibilty than the mother in this case even though they were together the entire time and committed the same crime.  Though I would say she committed a worse crime, since they were her own children. 

This seems to be a clear case of innocent stupid white woman being lured and conned by and evil cunning black man to do bad things.  Of course she deserved less punishment from the court.  I mean come on!  She's white!! 

And this case and all the cases like it are why I dont believe in the death penalty.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/02/01/lake.drowning.ap/index.html

CLINTON, Illinois (AP) -- A woman convicted of letting her three young children drown in a car that sank in a lake was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison.

Amanda Hamm, 30, was convicted in December in the deaths of Christopher Hamm, 6, Austin Brown, 3, and Kyleigh Hamm, 1, who were trapped in the car in Clinton Lake in 2003. She was cleared of first-degree murder charges that would have sent her to prison for life.

Prosecutors allege Hamm and then-boyfriend Maurice LaGrone Jr. planned the deaths because the children were in the way of their relationship. Hamm and LaGrone, who was convicted of first-degree murder, have maintained the car accidentally rolled into the water as LaGrone tried to back up from a boat ramp.

Hamm had faced a sentence ranging from probation to 20 years.

Her mother, Ann Powers, said she was pleased with the sentence, while prosecutors were disappointed. The children's father had said he wanted the maximum sentence imposed.

Powers had argued for leniency, saying she did not think Hamm meant for her children to die.

"I don't think there's any intent. ... I don't really know what to say," she said, choking back tears.

Defense attorney Steve Skelton has said he will ask that Hamm be released with credit for the time she already has spent in jail. He also plans to appeal her conviction.

LaGrone, 31, serving a life sentence without a chance of parole, has appealed his conviction.

Somewhere on my way home from Madrid, my ipod was stolen.  I'm not sure how it happened and I'm not even sure that I care.  All I know is that I need a new way to listen to music on my long bus rides across Bulgaria.  So this month I'm going to start pricing them and try to figure out which one I should get.  I asked my fellow teachers where in town they sold mp3 players and none of them even knew what in the heck I was talking about.  I realized I was asking the wrong people.  It wasn't my accent that was confusing them.  They really just had no idea what in the heck I was talking about.  So I asked my fourth grade boys. 

BINGO

After talking with the boys for about 5 minutes, I walked away knowing where they were sold, the cost, and how many songs I could get at each price range.  After I walked away, they were still arguing about the best models and the best stores in town.  So now I just need to go to these stores and figure out how to get the best bang for my buck.  Just like in America, the kids know everything about computers and all things that are cool to go with them.  They know way more about cell phones than I do, even though I sold them for four years and they are very internet savvy. 

I have a feeling that these kids are not unique to Bulgaria but represent a global trend by young people.  I grew up with computers and had one when I was 15.  These kids have them from birth and will surpass me in computer knowledge, if they havent already done so, within a few years.  The world is changing so fast and the future is going to show a smaller world than it already is.  Everything we do will affect everything else.  My kids are not going to be just Bulgarians, but global citizens along with all of their wiz kid peers from countries all over the world.   Like a native language, technology is best understood by people who learn it from birth.  I cant wait to see the world in about 10-15 years when these kids start making their marks.

In today's world I think it's even more important for people to join programs like the Peace Corps and to travel abroad to see how other people live.  I've really begun to realize while being here how interconnected everything is and I strongly feel that this experience will make me a better person in any future path I take. 

From the very beginning of my Peace Corps adventure, I've been looking for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) in Omaha.  I couldnt find a single one.  It was amazing actually.  How could a large city like Omaha not have a single RPCV.  I didnt believe it then and I dont believe it now. 

While searching online yesterday I finally found what I had been looking for, a Nebraska RPCV yahoo group.  Sadly, the group is inactive and full of spam messages.  So I emailed the owner of the group and asked to take it over.  I showed him the <lj user=pc4women> group as an example of something that I've helped create.  Hopefully he gives me the reins and then I'll promote the fuck out of the group online and see if anything bites.  If he says no, and i doubt he'll do that, then I'll be forced to create my own. 

I think emailed my country director to see if he had any information about the number of pcvs that Nebraska has sent out over the years as well as if there is an established RPCV association in Nebraska anywhere.  He sent me the reply:

I love how "the woman" was bolded and italised.  That kinda made my day :o)
No matter what happens, I'm excited to have some kind of work awaiting me when I get home.