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Budzludza

I was at a restaurant with other volunteers during MSC, when Neysa comes over and tells me she just met a British woman in the bathroom who will take us to the spaceship on Friday. I nearly fell over laughing. I’ve heard some strange things, but this was an easy top 5. The spaceship she was referring to is actually Buzludzha, an old communist meeting place off the Shipka pass. 


Sitting above tree line on a peak (4,728 ft) in the middle of a nature reserve and shaped like a flying saucer with an unconnected tower, Buzludzha resembles a spaceship. It is not open for visitors, but is also not fenced in nor are there signs forbidding entry. This website has history of the building and more pictures.

Construction of Buzludzha was completed in 1981. It was unveiled on the 1300th anniversary of the creation of the first Bulgarian state. 90 years after the secret meeting that started organized socialist movement in Bulgaria was held on the mountain.

After our last MSC breakfast, we met the British woman and her husband under the clock tower in Tryavna. Buzludzha is about an hour’s drive away. We didn’t realize a road leads directly to it and parked in a turn-off beneath a large monument down the mountain. Then hiked the steep stone path up the mountain.


When we reached the building, there was a herd of horses, blocking the main entrance. We walked around looking for another way in. Not finding one, we returned to the building’s front and tried to think of ways to make the horses move.

Very large herd of horses. The graffiti above the door reads "FORGET YOUR PAST."

We’d been staring and making noises at the horses for about 20 minutes when a car drove up. A young Bulgarian couple with their dog got out. The man had been inside before and told us the entrance was actually through a dark creepy room on one side we’d passed by. He must have though us quite a site, sweating from our hike up the mountain, attempting to move a 40 wild horses from a locked door by clapping and whistling, stumbling back whenever one of the horses turned too look at us. We followed them through a dark room with metal door that had been bent backwards leaving just enough space for a person to climb through.

The passageway we stepped down into led to the downstairs hall of Buzludzha. Red felt hung sporadically from the walls and broken concrete was everywhere. 

Despite being in a pretty sorry state of destruction, the acoustics of the room were perfect. Standing in the middle, you could feel your voice reverberate around the room when speaking.

 The ceiling reads: “Proletariat of every country, unite!”

 The windows are blown out and the exterior murals destroyed.

The interior walls are also covered with murals, many of which have been destroyed. The face of Todor Zhivkov, the communist leader in Bulgaria for 35 year's, has been completely removed in the one below. 

What it used to look like: 

I took the pictures of the old Buzludzha from www.Budludja.com.

Mid Service Conference

After our 4^th of July activities, Charity and I travelled to Tryavna for our Mid-Service Conference. It is the first time since November the entire group of volunteers that arrived and trained with me have been together. It is also the last time we will meet before our Close of Service Conference next year. Strange to think that my time in Bulgaria is already more than halfway over.

Tryavna is a beautiful town in the mountains of central Bulgaria. With a population of about 9,000, it has quite a few restaurants and guest houses. All the food I had was amazing. The town center looks like a postcard and the hotel we stayed at was huge. Even with 80 of us, we hardly filled half of the dining room.

A lot of the conference was spent discussing abstract topics related to our service (usually we spend more time talking about current projects and challenges). I liked the change of themes. It’s easy to get caught up in action plans and deadlines and, after more than year, sessions on what it means to be a volunteer and integrity were helpful to renew a sense of purpose.

Some volunteers also presented legacy projects, like the tourism database we began in April. One of the projects that really impressed me was ‘Camp in a Box.’ Camp in a Box will be a resource for Bulgarians who want to plan camps. It will include day and sleep away varieties with environmental and arts/crafts activities. Each activity/camp will have step-by-step instructions, time estimations, budgets, etc. It will be divided by age groups and translated into Bulgarian. Each volunteer who contributes one or more activity for its creation will receive a copy for their host organization.

The last night of MSC was a talent show and karaoke. Many of the volunteers participated in various songs/dances. Even I sang and played a musical instrument (at the same time!). For anyone who knows me well, this is quite impressive. Granted it was just a maracas and a few lyrics during an ensemble performance of the awful song “Friday,” but still… The show stealer was our staff, which flawlessly rapped an original song. 

Independence Day: Volunteer Assistance

The next day, I took a bus across the country to meet a PCV on the coast. The weather here has been crazy lately-going from proper summer to winter-ish overnight When I arrived for my first view of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, it was FREEZING, super windy, and pouring rain.

C, my friend from training, lives in the far southeast of country, just a few kilometers from the Turkish border. We had dinner in Burgas before the hour ride to her town. It was my first time visiting her site—we live about as far apart as is possible. She works in a culture center in a small border town.  

For the 4^th, she had planned American games and trivia with local youth (I brought patriotic beach balls and paddleballs for prizes—thanks Mom) and a women’s group meeting. Although the rules of capture the flag were never quite followed and we ended up playing Bulgarian dodge ball for last hour, the kids seemed to enjoy it and it was nice to see her community. 

Fireworks for the Fourth on the Second

To celebrate, I met some other volunteers for the AmCham Independence Day Party on July 2nd. Held at the American University in Sofia, ticket price included drinks, concert admission, and random free things, like kites. There was tons of food, way more than anyone could ever eat in a day. For example: from McDonald’s each person received a muffin, a coffee, a cheeseburger, fries, chicken nuggets, and a salad—and that was only one vendor. Jack Daniel’s Whiskey sponsored a BBQ contest emceed by a Bulgarian TV chef, Uti Bachavrov, who let us try amazing grilled eggplant pizzas afterwards. There were also kiddie rides, raffles, Ronald McDonald, and fireworks.

Most of the attendees were Bulgarian families. I hope they don’t think Americans typically eat that much McDonald’s on holidays! There were only 4 of us PCVs who attended, but I’m glad I went. I was surprised by the nostalgia and patriotism I felt during the fireworks. I’ve never been that into fireworks or 4th of July celebrations, but after more than a year without being in the states, it was great way to celebrate.