Sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer

Leaving Kravoder and finishing PST was sad, but I'm looking forward the upcoming experiences I'll have during my two years of service. My host family drove me to Chiprovtsi on Sunday. The drive went by much too fast. It took less than an hour, but I feel much farther away. I'm very far away from what had become my 'Bulgarian Comfort Zone.' However, this past weekend was filled with so much; I hardly had time to think twice about the new reality I’d be entering.

Friday was the swearing in ceremony. It was held in the Obshtini (government building) in Vratsa. Despite being early in the day, it was super hot. I felt like a sweaty mess before it even began. Sitting in the front row on the crowded stage (all 85 trainees plus our director, the ambassador, distinguished guests, etc.) trying to be very careful not to move around too much or slide out of my chair was tough, but the ceremony was great. It was quick and well executed. The two volunteers that prepared a speech on behalf of all of us did an excellent job. Charity, one of my good friends from Kravoder, sang ‘Moya Strana’ at the end of ceremony, bringing many in the audience to tears. Moya Strana is sort of the ‘America the Beautiful’ of Bulgaria, but holds probably an even greater importance to the Bulgarian people. Charity sang beautifully and we followed along during the refrains.

Here is a link to a news article that has recordings of the song and speeches: http://dariknews.bg/view_article.php?article_id=565086

We also made the nightly news:http://tv-vratsa.bg/index.php?lang=bg&r=home/tvvratza/t140/t308

After the ceremony everyone was bouncing between conversations, trying to make plans, say goodbyes, take photos, hugging, crying, etc. During training we’ve all become very close and rely on each other for support. Now, we won’t see each other for three months and will be on our own, without our families, language trainers, or each other. It’s a bit overwhelming. My training group will be 6, 8, 10, and 13 hours of bus/train travel away. I don’t much like rushed goodbyes in huge groups, and didn’t mind when my host parents were soon ready to depart. I’d said most of my goodbyes earlier and knew I’d see a few people later. My host parents took me to lunch at a peaceful restaurant near Vratsa. It was lovely-just the three of us sitting at a table overlooking a lake and the Vrachanski cliffs.

Group Kravoder. My host family and I before the swearing in ceremony.

When we returned to Kravoder, I dressed up in the traditional costume they’d bought me. It’s beautiful. They had several colors at the place where I was fitted, but the bright red I chose is traditional for the Kravoder region. That’s where I consider my Bulgarian home to be so I thought it appropriate to choose that color.

The rest of the Kravoder group departed for their permanent sites on Friday and Saturday. Since Chiprovtsi is so close and my family drove me, I had an extra day. Nevertheless, I’m grateful I didn’t have to spend it in my room thinking about being alone. We spent the day at a family member’s 80^th birthday party in Cherni Vruh (Black Peak). It is a tiny village an hour and a half away, with no mountains or peaks in site. It’s named after the 4^th biggest mountain in Bulgaria, and is one of the most visited by tourists. The northern village we went to is flat and I didn’t see any tourists. It was nice to be around some of my extended host family. My two host brothers, who have been with their other grandma this past week, as well as their cousin Sarah, were there.

My party buddies.

I spent most of the day in Cherni Vruk helping Kristian with his summer math homework and playing with the little kids. Kris is brilliant at math. He’s only 8, but is doing 5^th grade math with very little instruction. He needed some assistance with word problems and it was nice to feel like I was helping, but I was mostly just someone the kids could spend time with. They don’t have as many neighbor friends there as they do in Kravoder and it’s a much more rustic setting. Leaving at the end of the day was difficult. The kids didn’t want me to leave and I knew I wouldn’t see them again.

Kiril and I prepping the looty chushki (spicy peppers).

Packing didn’t take too long. Since Chiprovtsi is so close, I was able to leave some of my winter clothes and random things I don’t need there to pick up later. I had to leave room for the box of vegetables and fruits, the dozen jars of homemade water buffalo yogurt, and the three-dozen eggs my host family had prepared for me to bring to my new home. I am so grateful for them. I must have the best host family ever. It is a big risk to welcome a stranger into one’s home, especially one from another country who doesn’t speak their language. I hope they realize how much I appreciate all they have done for me and their incredibly generosity.