Last day

Leaving Chiprovtsi was difficult. The morning of my departure was beautiful. I woke up early and said sent off Palma and Ivan (the seventh grader who won the local spelling) on the early bus to go to Vratsa for the regional bee. Then I walked through town for coffee with Elsa and Stalin before the 10 am bus. The center filling with activity for sabor (town reunion). I returned to my apartment to double-check that nothing was plugged in or turned on (like the refridgerator and boiler), and was met by Jordanka, Ivo, Gogo, and Velin ready to help with my luggage.

I’m not sure how (…carpets, knit socks, national costume…), but despite giving away and discarding most items I arrived with, I’ve accumulated a lot. We carried the bags to Gogo’s car and drove the 100 meters to where the bus usually stops. Dimi and Tsetska  and Jordanka’s family came to say goodbye. My bags were loaded and I departed. There were tears. When the bus drove through Zhelezna, the school director was there to say goodbye and waved. More tears. 

Goodbyes in Zhelezna

The village 1 kilometer from Chiprovtsi, Zhelezna, is where one of my closest friends and the local English teacher, Palma, is from. I spent a lot of time with her and friends in the village. We celebrated holidays (and my 25^th birthday!) together, pickled vegetables, and went for hikes and picnics. I can’t count the many days I spent chatting, gossiping, and venting with Palma. Though I probably would have survived, the stressful times in my service were more tolerable and the good times were much richer thanks to Palma and my friends in Zhelezna. With them, I felt I had a break from always being the “American,” and am so grateful for it.

 

During my last few weeks in Chiprovtsi, I spent several evenings in Zhelezna. 

We played soccer in center and Palma made dinner for a group of us making way better use of the microwave than I ever did. 

I introduced jello shots to the village. This was clearly part of the Peace Corps 2^nd goal: increasing the understanding of Americans in the host country. I also brought frozen daquiris. 

No worries, there weren’t any girls gone wild moments; we spent the evening playing games like modified charades and the one where everyone gets a famous name on their forehead and has to ask yes/no questions to guess their person. I was Michael Jackson.

We also had a bonfire to get rid of all my unnecessary Peace Corps files (and law school personal statement drafts!). And I made banitsa in Bulgaria one last time.

  

Municipality Farewell

My colleagues at the Municipality organized a send off with coffee and sweets. They gave me a hand woven pillow and the Mayor read a letter of appreciation. 

Farewell at Petar Parchevich School

The school threw me a goodbye celebration, it was fantastic! The best goodbye gift was the notebook the kids filled with letters and pictures to give to me. Working at the school was one of my favorite parts of Peace Corps service and I will treasure the book and memories with the kids for a long time. 

...with two of the teachers and the director....they provided snacks, I brought Twizzlers and other candies to try.

...after drinks and snacks we played frisbee and drew outside.

Saying goodbye to the school was difficult. Before Bulgaria, I’d never spent time with kids, now I look forward to working with youth. No matter what was going on in my life at the time, it always made me smile when I would go to the school. The kids would see me coming and lean out the window to yell my name. Little things make them happy and their demands are easy to meet. We played games, talked, laughed, and were happy.  Whatever I do next, I will hold on to the good memories I made during dodgeball games, arts and crafts activities, and spending time with them. 

Summer Soup: Kiselina

I think I've already posted a recipe for Tarator, my favorite cold dish for summertime. Recently, I learned a new cold summer soup that is perfect for hot weather.

Kiselina:
  Garlic
  Parsley
  Dill (if desired)
  Salt
  Vinegar
  Cucumbers (chopped or grated)
  Water

Mix together according to taste. It's a really easy and refreshing dish to bring along on a hike, adding water to it when wanting to eat.

Slavavitza

On Monday I hiked up to a waterfall and picnicked with Jordanka and her family. The weather was perfect and it was a beautiful way to spend one of my last days in the community.

GPS Coordinates and elevation if you're in the area and looking for a day hike:

Слававица

43°22'65.0"N

 22°48'65.8"E

[977 meters]

Спасово Сало (waterfall)

N 43*22'46.9

E 022*48'28.9

[1069 meters]

Ранков Ръд

N 43*22'68.1

E 022*48'75.8

[945 meters]

Ристина Ливада

N 43*22'72.9

E 022*49'05.5

[824 meters]

English Group Goodbyes

Farewell get togethers with the advanced and beginner English groups in Chiprovtsi. 

Easter and Goodbyes in Kravoder

According to the Orthodox calendar, Easter fell a week later than celebrated by Catholic and Protestant churches. I celebrated part of the holiday, which lasts from Good Friday to Easter Monday with my host family in Kravoder. While in the village, I visited other host families and said goodbye. It was strange to see some of the kids in the village a foot taller than I remembered…a reminder that TWO YEARS have passed since I arrived in Bulgaria!!! Unbelievable!!

The house smelled amazing. I love the traditional lamb stuffing/casserole served at Easter. I don’t know the ingredients besides liver, rice, onions, and mushrooms, but whatever part of the lamb the reddish salty meat in the stuffing comes from, it is delicious. The dish is one of my favorites in Bulgaria.

I met the Cuban Ambassador in hair and makeup

I received a call last Friday from program staff asking if I would mind participating in an hour-long studio interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT). BNT was putting together a series of impressions of Bulgaria from the perspective of its foreign residents and wanted to interview a Peace Corps Volunteer. My first reaction was to say no. After spending much of March speaking English with other PCVs, hanging out with Palma at site, and general departure planning anxiety-the thought of thinking critically in Bulgarian scared me. I didn’t want to embarrass Peace Corps or my community. Certainly there are volunteers with better language skills who would be better representatives. I changed my mind over the weekend, deciding it would be a great way to leave my community with a positive impression. And, since I would already be in Sofia for administrative appointments, I wouldn’t be taking additional time away from site. I agreed to the interview, emailed BNT for additional information, and began prepping my answers to the questions they sent me.

The actual interview was nothing like I'd anticipated. I arrived around 4 o’clock, spent an hour in hair and makeup and waiting. Then I joined the host and five other guests on set. For 90 minutes, we watched short clips of foreigners living in Bulgaria, discussing their motivations and offering our impressions. The eclectic group gathered for the interview included the Cuban ambassador to Bulgaria, an American actor living and working in Sofia, and a showman named Kofe Babone who is originally from Ghana, wore a du rag, and sang twice. It was more of a panel discussion than interview and none of the questions I’d prepped came up. But it was still a good experience, my first time doing something of the sort. I’m hoping the sparkly barrette, super tight ponytail, and orange glow face paint appears better on screen. The edited version will air on BNT 1 in a few weeks.