The last few weeks

Summer to Winter: Canning and Hiking in Chiprovtsi
September and the beginning of October went by in a blur. It wasn’t until the shock of cold weather over the weekend that I realized the second month of fall is almost half over. Now the signs are everywhere. Bright reds, yellows, and oranges cover the mountains, the tops of which received their first snow last night. I’ve moved my basil, cilantro, and jalapeno plants indoors where they will die slightly more slowly than on my balcony. Pumpkins, potatoes, and apples from neighbors are filling my spare room and the smoke from roasting peppers has come and gone. The days are noticeably shorter and my fingers are dyed a dark brown from shelling walnuts. I know I’ll probably be wishing for a hot, sunny day in a few months, but this weekend I was grateful for a few days of dreary rain. It felt like it was about time. We haven’t had hardly any rain these past few months and these were the first rainy days in months.

Besides the weather update, what else is new? Well, as you can see in the awesome slideshow, I canned and pickled vegetables for the first time. One of my personal discoveries in Bulgaria is that I love the pickled carrots, cauliflower, and red peppers. I’m happy I learned how easy it is to make since a suitcase full of it probably won’t make it through customs. 

With friends from Chiprovtsi, I went on a fantastic day hike in the mountains nearby. I’ve been hiking around here a lot of the past year, but this was my first time going to the mountains with a jeep-an adventure in itself. Our hike didn’t even begin until we passed the tree line. It is easily one of the top 5 most beautiful places I’ve ever been. They’re relatively unknown in tourist world, few visitors even from Bulgaria come to see them. The two pictures below are from Plamen Petkov. 

School starts, activities around town

School started on September 15^th with opening ceremonies and flowers for teachers at schools nationwide. I’ve been spending a lot more time at the school this fall. With the teachers, I’ve organized two youth/scout groups. I’m lucky how great the kids here are: they listen and are eager to participate in everything. With the older group, we’re working on a couple of projects and discussion themes. Now, we’re talking about communities (how we define them, which ones they belong to, etc.) and collecting bottles to make a greenhouse. 


The younger group is making paper mache this week. The women and girl’s fitness group is going strong, still meeting 3 times a week. Participation has also grown and some of the women stay late to help teach gymnastics to the younger girls. Adult English classes have restarted after a few week hiatus. Attendance fell during the summer and when garden work picked up, it made the most sense. Before Bulgaria, I’d never taught a language, organized youth activities, or led a fitness group. Now, I do at least one of these things almost everyday and absolutely love them. 

15 September is an important day, especially for 1st graders. 

In the news...
Bulgaria is in full campaign mode for the elections at the end of this month. It’s interesting working in a municipal office during a local election year, there are constantly things coming up. There are so many candidates, it seems everyone is somehow personally involved. With the America’s election season beginning more than a year in advance, I don’t know how anything gets accomplished.

Tension with Bulgaria's Roma communities have been in the news lately. Though rhetoric and recent drama has been unpleasant, it has drawn attention to an important issue that will have to be addressed, not just in Bulgaria, but across Central and Eastern Europe.
Scores Arrested in Roma Protests 
The Return of the Gypsies - Transitions Online

Bulgaria: Attractive Tourist Destination
On Monday, my counterpart and I went to the Sofia airport for the opening of a photo exhibition. Last winter, I sent in pictures to an online contest for “Bulgaria—Attractive Tourist Destination.” Two of my pictures were selected to be among the top 30 displayed in the exhibition. The exhibition will be in the airport until the end of the month. It moves to Sofia University in November, and then to Pleven in December. 

A friend of mine from Chiprovtsi also submitted photos that made the final cut. I’m thrilled that of the 30 photos chosen to represent attractive tourist destinations in Bulgaria, FOUR are from Chiprovtsi. Put another way, 13% of the images of tourist destinations in Bulgaria show Chiprovtsi. 10,000 people pass through the terminal each day, which is pretty good free advertising. I received an award, gave an awkward tv interview, and enjoyed free snacks with my counterpart and the driver. The pictures can be found at: http://phototourismbg.com/


On the way to Sofia, we came across an accident. A semi truck full of beer had spilled cases of beer all over the highway. No one was hurt at the scene, but a highway full of free beer could lead to lots of things. 

Back to the topic of weather...
The unusual hot weather that persisted until Friday is referred to locally as a “gypsy summer,” similar to how “Indian summer” is used in the states. I had never given much thought to it before, just assumed it wasn’t a nice term. After hearing its parallel in another language, I need to let you know: it’s offensive and it should not be used. Think about it: the term originated from the colonial belief that the Native Americans (Indians) were deceptive and untrustworthy. We no longer use leaches to bleed sick people or burn witches at the stake, so please, don’t use Indian summer. It’s a linguistic example of how racial prejudices once permeated American culture, affecting even the names of weather patterns. If you want a replacement phrase to describe unseasonably hot weather in the fall, I recommend: “Golden October” (Germany/Austria) or “a tiger in autumn” (China).