Weekends of Fun

I am going to be a busy kid for the next couple of weekends. Last weekend, I visited the Fulbrighter in Haskovo for Indian food and wonderful conversation along with several Peace Corps Volunteers. It was a lovely quick break from the mountain of grading I have, and it was really nice to talk to new people. I was there for just about 24 hours, and it was really nice.

This weekend, I'm going here. There is a Survakari Festival in a town near Sofia. According to tradition, men in the village dress up either around the New Year (Survakari) or right before spring (Kukeri) and dance to ward off evil spirits and bring in luck and fertility. Around Sofia, men dance around the New Year and are called Survakari, and that is who I'm going to see. Around Stara Zagora, there are Kukeri who dance in early spring, but I don't know yet if I'll be in town for any of the dances because of spring break.

Next weekend, I'll be here at the largest monastery in Bulgaria. Fulbright has arranged for all of us to be given a tour of the monastery. It should be cold but incredible. The pictures look amazing. I can't imagine what it will look like in person!

After that, I'll be in Stara for several weekends, getting ready for a possible trip to Vienna followed by spring break in the UK with Kari and Mitch. I hope all is going well with you guys, and that you aren't freezing this winter!

Winter Blues

It's been a hectic week. I had a brief vacation after returning to Bulgaria because of the outbreak of hepatitis a in Stara Zagora, an outbreak that turned out to be more media hype than actual danger, and then I dove right back into my classes. Today marks the last day of the first semester. Which means that grades are due. Which means that I have been flooded this week with last minute papers and worksheets and pleading requests to grade them in time to enter them into the book. So, I've been doing a lot of grading. Luckily, their grade is not solely reliant on me. Their regular teacher gives them a grade based on her own classes, and she takes my grades into consideration as well. So, it's not all on me.

Other than grading, I'm just trying really hard to not let winter get me down. It's gotten pretty cold outside, which means that I spend a good majority of my time inside. It's too cold for the long walks I took all fall. Between the lack of sunlight, the constant cold, the lack of exercise, and the amount of time I spend indoors these days, I'm starting to feel a bit like this:

It doesn't help that winters here aren't like winters at home. It's really cold, but the most snow we've had has been more like this:

In other words, the kind of snow I hate. I love snow when there's a lot of it, and it lays beautifully over the land. When there's only a little bit and it melts quickly, it just makes everything dirty and slushy. The dirt parking lot outside of my building has become a giant mud pit. If it were a bit warmer, that could be a lot of fun. In the meantime, I walk across it on my tiptoes trying to not get mud on my work pants. I think part of my gloomy mood is also being a bit lonely now that I'm back. I can't help but miss things like this:

But, despite it all, I am enjoying being back here in many ways. I have started to make friends and do get out of the house more than this post might imply. And I get to skype my nephew all the time. He now calls his belly button his butt. And every time we skype, at least twice during the conversation, he yells "BUTT!" and lifts his shirt up to show me his belly button. As for the rest of it, I've always found winter a gloomy time, but I'm doing my best to keep a positive attitude. My students are great, the play I'm directing is going really well, and I've been able to keep myself busy and entertained. Today, I started doing some cross between meditation and yoga in my living room. It helps stretch me out since I've been kind of sore lately from hunching over my computer, and it helps me center myself and find peace.

It helps, as well, that I've been listening to this and this with a little bit of this thrown in. I also received this as a Christmas present and am making my way through it. I haven't actually watched it straight through before. It makes a lot more sense this way. Every time I've seen it, it's been out of order and hard to follow. It's excellent when in order. :) And, of course, I'm rereading this. Because I'm a nerd. And I love these books. Throw in some tea at my new favorite cafe, and I think I'll get through these winter blues just fine.

Sometimes, you just have to laugh at life

I dragged myself out of bed this morning at 7:00. I know, most of you are rolling your eyes because 7:00 does not seem that early. But it was my first morning shift since coming back from Christmas. I had Christmas break and then Hep A break. So, I'm struggling just a little to get back into the routine of early mornings. But I managed to get up just fine, had some cheese on bread, and stumbled off towards school. At my school, there are two entrances, one for students and one for teachers. Students are not allowed to enter through the teacher's door. As usual, I headed towards the teacher's entrance. But today was not like most days. Today, a teacher grabbed me by the arm and started yelling at me in Bulgarian. Apparently, she thought I was a student. My sleep deprived brain struggled to catch up to me as I explained, in English, that I was a teacher. But she didn't speak English. Luckily, one of my janitor friends saw what was happening and came to my rescue. It was all straightened out, but for about thirty seconds, I felt like I was back in tenth grade, caught in the hallway without my bathroom pass. Looking back, though, it was kind of funny. Why do I look like I'm sixteen???

New goals:

Dress like a grown up. If I can't look like a grown up, I can at least dress like one. AKA stop wearing sneakers to work.

Learn how to say "I am a teacher" in Bulgarian. I can say "I am" but always forget "teacher."

Wake up early enough to drink coffee and get my A game on BEFORE arriving at school.

Merry Christmas, Bulgaria!

I'm back in Bulgaria! After a very tense three days in which my flight home was repeatedly cancelled, I managed to make it home on Christmas Day for a lovely bit of relaxation and Christmas fun with my family and boyfriend. And of course, most importantly, I got to spend several days with my nephew, who is already spoiled beyond belief. But, he's super duper adorable and is thus forgiven. It was really great to be able to spend some time with my family. As much as I joke about loving to be away from them, I miss them like crazy when I'm gone!

I claim this gift as my own! This nail gun is mine!

Hi, Auntie Lala!

Mark and I also made a quick trip up to Minocqua, Wisconsin to visit his grandparents. And by quick trip, I mean we drove sixteen hours in three days. It was a lot of driving, but we had a good time. And I can't wait to see my own grandparents next summer. I miss you guys!

Mark and I outside the Cave of the Mounds

Now I'm back in Bulgaria. I am staying in the capital for a week because there are some cases of Hepatitis A in the city where I teach. Nothing to worry about, but just to play it safe, I've been advised to stay in the capital for a week while things work themselves out. So, I'm going to hang out with friends and relax a bit while getting all of my plans in place for the spring. I hope you all had the merriest of Christmases. Much love from Bulgaria!