So I have Internet and Cable available to me 24/7 in my new apartment. You know what that means… An increase in the supply of new blog posts! (That is, unless I am super busy or nothing new is going on.) But let's rewind a bit. For those who are confused, I recently became an official Peace Corps Volunteer. After three hard months of grueling training, language learning, and home stay, I am now on my own in a small city, with an estimated population of 30,000 people. A place I have only seen once before and a place where I will spend two amazing years of my life (or at least I hope I will).
The last week at my training site was filled with happiness, anxiety, and sadness. I have created strong ties with people I lived with. So strong that I get calls from my Baba almost every day, checking my voice level to make sure I do not go hungry. Before I left my village, I also had to schedule appointment/visiting days for the remaining year. The last day of my Peace Corps trainee life was filled with a party specifically thrown for me. The swearing-in ceremony included the U.S Ambassador of Bulgaria and apparently a lot of press. Here is a video which I hope you enjoy (or try to understand) summarizing the event. I make a few appearances here and there.
Regarding the present time:
It has been a week since I moved in to my site and slowly but surely my one bedroom apartment is getting to feel like my home. A painful process though, which included walking 15 minutes to a supermarket, buying everything I could carry, and then coming back again doing the same thing again. I felt like I was in one of those strong man competitions where you see men carrying logs, looking like they are about to get a hernia. I am currently teaching English to high school students and teachers, in two separate levels with two separate lessons. This takes a lot of time from my schedule but it gives me something to do.
This Saturday I went on a walk with one of the Peace Corps Language trainers and realized the beauty of my town. Apparently I have a zoo, ancient Roman ruins, plenty of bath houses and museums.
i LOVE that you have internet now. I'm going to try to call you today ... I'm driving back from Alla's (in Philly) so hopefully we'll have awhile to talk.
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