Happy Veteran's Day!

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I fall into this political chasm of general partisan confusion... I refuse to identify solely with one party or the other - I stick to my beliefs and principals. I avoid conversations that aim to encourage me to commit to one political leaning over the other, rather I discuss and vote the things that are most important to me, and respect that what makes this country beautiful - diversity.

You will never hear me make threats of leaving the country in protest to an election or an issue. Honestly, I'm more mature than that, and love the freedom I have given too much to stoop so low as to threaten to do so.

In fact, I left my country to SERVE it because it is my right and responsibility to do so - to defend my love for my country in the outside world that is often blinded by the sheer power our nation possesses, and the divisions that have sadly arisen from it.

There is one thing I am certain of, however, and will defend to my death:

I am PRO the men and women defending our country,
and those who have done so selflessly in the past.

A few years ago on a Friday morning I sat in a freshman religion class in a combination of shock, dismay, and panic as I heard my professor agree with one of my classmates that my grandfathers, dad, brother, and many close friends were all going to hell because they are/were in the military.

I cowered in my seat as I rehearsed many responses in defense of my loved ones.

I did nothing.

I said nothing.

I thought much.

All weekend I hated myself for sitting by and doing nothing as I heard people attack the salvation of the courageous men and women I have known all of my lives - some of the most dedicated, loving, giving, and courageous people anyone will ever meet. I've heard people attack our nation's service-members before, but never had it gnawed at me in such a way.

On Monday my mom called at an unusual time, and asked when the last time I had heard from Ben was. Ben was a corporal in the Marines, and had been deployed in Iraq for some time.

About the time I was sitting in that religion class on Friday morning boiling over comments of my classmates but not standing up for my beliefs, Ben and a fellow marine were stopping a suicide bomber on the outskirts of camp - giving their own lives, but saving the lives of every other man in their unit.

Don't tell me that one of the most popular guys of the Barcroft Youth Group - the guy whose smile and passion for God could light up a room full of teenagers and bring them to their knees in desperate worship - is going to hell because he gave his life for his country.

Don't tell me that because every officer, marine, soldier, sailor who loves God can't meet their maker because they paid the ultimate sacrifice or served the country that HE created.




Dad (and mom - the ever supportive Navy wife :)) - you will never know what an amazing example of loyalty, dedication, and love for this country and Christ you have been to me for 22 years. I guess when I was little and told you I was following in your footsteps to the Naval Academy, you knew better than I did that that wasn't in the plan for me, but I am so thankful to be able to serve the same country you did but in a different capacity. I love you BOTH for providing such an example patriotism.

Ryan - you aren't a veteran yet, but I LOVE YOU and I am sooooo incredibly proud of you!

For all the other veterans and servicemembers in my life - In a mere expression of gratitude, and on behalf of all those that too often forget about you, THANK YOU. For everything.

Keep singing for Jesus Ben...
Can't wait to worship with you again some day.
I'm still a horrible bass guitar player
(I never did get the double on stage like you wanted)
but I love our Creator even more than I did in HS, and just like you taught me -
THAT'S so much more important.

"Do they even have Halloween in Bulgaria?"

"Only if there are awesome Peace Corps Volunteers who decide to show Bulgarians how its done!"

More than a week after the actual holiday... with a lot of substitutions for normally integral Halloween materials... the party that my site-mate Amy and I threw for our kids yesterday went off without a hitch.

You know it must have been a good party if I went home at the end of the night covered in pumpkin guts, frosting, slimy spaghetti, and a little bit of glue.

Amy and I even managed to hunt down a Baba selling pumpkins in the Pazar. She only had two (very small) pumpkins with her, but the next day I returned with three of my girls and the Baba actually packed up her little basket of pears, took us to her house, and sold us 9 pumpkins. My kids were super excited to be able to help as they thought about the concept of carving pumpkins that I had told them so much about (a totally new concept for them), and I think we totally made the Babas day! 9 pumkpins only cost me 20 leva (about $14), but I bet that was more than she makes in a few weeks selling her apples and pears at the Pazar. So everyone was happy, and my kids even got candy from her and I got an invite to come back and visit!

As I've mentioned numerous times, I work for an organization here in Samokov that is based out of the only 100% Roma school outside of the Roma neighborhood. Amy teaches English at a predominately Bulgarian school in the center of town. We figured that if we held the party at my organization and invited both of our groups of kids, not only would we get to work together as Samokov's Peace Corps Volunteers, but it would be a great opportunity to get our kids to interact and have fun together. We knew the chances were high that we'd notice a lot of divisions throughout the evening, and they did exist, but it was awesome to see our kids mix long enough to cover their friends (or "mummies") in toilet paper and cheer each other on as they dug "eye balls" out of slimy spaghetti using only spoons between their lips.

All in all, the kids seemed to have a blast, my counterpart was happy, and other than the weather suddenly turning into winter on us, everything went off without a hitch. I learned a lot about what it takes to make this sort of thing happen, and my prayer was answered that this be a good learning experience and first shot so that in the next two years, I can continue to find ways to bring these kids from very different worlds, together.

"Do you remember when we were just kids and cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss? Schoolyard conversations taken to heart, and laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not..." - 'Inevitable' by Anberlin

Kids are kids - no matter where in the world you are.

I value few things more than the consistency found in that statement.

But its not an exaggeration to say that some kids are given much more room and freedom to actually BE kids.

But who gets to choose which kids are given every opportunity and which are labeled "FAILURE" without a second thought?

This isn't supposed to provoke some deep theological, moral, or political discussion here.

This is reality.

My reality.

The reality of the kids I worked with in North Carolina, DC, Virginia, and New York.

The kids here.

Every day I walk past a variety of different schools in Samokov, and often have to remind myself to suppress the frustration raging deep in my soul... most of the schools in the city are predominantly attended by ethnic Bulgarian children. These schools are usually freshly painted in vibrant colors (sans graffiti) with manicured lawns and {relatively} observed trash cans.

My organization operates in the one 100% Roma school in Samokov that is outside of the actual Roma neighborhood. Next time you are in Samokov, take a little walk down one of the main drag's and take a look, you can't miss it - the "gypsy school" (as it is not-so affectionately known) is a drab gray color with more broken windows that I can count, trash overflowing from the dumpster, more than just a smattering of graffiti, and a building that might look abandoned if it weren't teeming with kids and no one seeming to care if they are actually in class or not.

The school doesn't even offer classes after the 9th grade, so if the student decides to challenge their "right" to marry at the age of 14, they will be thrust into one of the Bulgarian schools, where chances are they won't be well enough equipped academically to succeed. So what option do they have? Go back to the Roma neighborhood that their parents hardly leave anymore because of the community wide resentment towards their existence, forget about any thougths of higher education, and get married. {**This is often the reality in Bulgaria, but Samokov seems to be a bit of an exception to the extent of the segregation - please try to refrain from tough judgements on this reality**}.

I fell in love with the Bulgarian people and the culture here from the day I stepped foot in the beautiful Balkan mountains, and moreso when I met my "family" in Kraynitsi. These are loving people living in a country that has unfortunately seen so much oppression (although more passive than in other former-Soviet countries) in the past decades that they don't know any different way to view the world. Now that the country has joined the European Union, all of Bulgaria needs to take drastic steps to meet the various EU standards. Unfortunately, the Roma people, one of the same groups that got overlooked throughout years of governmental squelching, is still so far on the back burner that they seem to be left behind again.

I've worked hard in the past few years to try and give voices to those society often neglects to address, but I don't think I've ever stood in front of such a large mountain of obstacles knowing that in reality I will accomplish very little in the next two years...

But I digress...

Now that I have been in Samokov for about a month, I am FINALLY starting to settle into some semblance of a routine:

• Mondays: enjoy a slower morning either studying Bulgarian or scouring the internet for various project/grant ideas, then head over to my organization to "teach" English (aka, break up fights and exhaust my VERY limited list of Bulgarian directives/commands).
• Tuesdays: an hour and a half of Bulgarian language in the morning (with a tutor who speaks ZERO English and explains grammar to me like I am a native speaker... I'm hoping this pays off later instead of getting the best of me), then I head over to the organization for arts and crafts with my kids.
  
• Wednesdays: I'm hoping to soon get involved with a soup kitchen over in the Roma neighborhood a couple mornings every week, but that requires I can manage to book it across the city in time to be at "Trust Me" to work with kids with special needs for the afternoon (another overlooked people group in the country - kids here are often immediately institutionalized, but "Trust Me" is run by parents who are trying to keep their kids in the school system. Its pretty incredible...)
• Thursday: Bulgarian language in the morning and then the organization to hang out with my kids and play sports (blustery Bulgarian weather permitting - although it is downright gorgeous right now!!)
• Friday: Hopefully soon to be soup kitchen time, then back to "Trust Me" to hang out with my other kids. ;)

Това Е...

A Quick Guide on How to Meet Your Bulgarian Neighboors:

With the anticipation of living in your Soviet-Style Block apartment for the 2 years, it makes sense that you would want to befriend those living closest to you, especially since you are probably the only person in the entire building (or neighborhood/city/country) with an up to date fire extinguisher. Let's be honest, if anyone in the building has a cooking mishap, they are bringing you all down with them... and potentially quite literally.

Practically aside, it would also just be nice to have a few friendly faces in a world that sometimes seems to spin without you...

After only living in country for a mere 4 months (what? When did that happen?), its not a surprise that your Bulgarian language skills are sufficient for juvenile requests and modest introductions only.

Here are a few handy dandy tips on creating situations in which it is possible to meet your floor neighbors:

1. On a particularly cold evening, start by plugging in the electric heater that is without a doubt, older than you are. Most likely, within the following hour, it will make slight, but still rather substantially nerve wracking exploding sounds that will alert your next door neighbor there is a problem. Probably out of initial concern for the wall that separates your place from his, he will come to the rescue - providing the perfect situation for you to introduce himself for the first time... and giving you the opportunity to alert him that you come complete with a fire extinguisher should he need its services.

2. Bake good old fashion American cookies, then very awkwardly knock on the door of each neighbor. If you are lucky, one door might be answered, providing a great opportunity for you to get really nervous and forget the first things you learned in Bulgarian language training - how to introduce yourself. They will probably laugh at you just enough that you calm down a little and start over with your introduction. If they understand you the second time, they will skeptically accept the offering of cookies, and introduce themselves to you. In English. Chances are, you will probably develop a love/hate relationship with the occasional English response when you lease expect it. But learn to love it... especially when you learn that it is in fact true that if you bring someone a plate of something homemade, culture says they are supposed to RETURN the plate with something yummy on it!! Just when you think you may never see them ever again, just wait for a knock on your door with a huge piece of deliciousness on it. THEN you may never see them again.

3. Start freezing to death and get the bright idea that maybe the bigger heater of your two might just work if you try it ONE more time. In this situation, you will most likely blow a fuse... If odds are in your favor, when you walk out in the corridor to turn the hall light on so you can see the scary old fuse box that you have absolutely no idea what to do with it, the last neighbor you hadn't met will just be closing the door thinking she escaped you. Here is where confidence in your awkwardness comes in handy... lunge towards her in a way where she might get too startled to close her door, and thrust your hand towards her by way of introduction. This would be a good opportunity to wow her with your well practiced, mechanical introduction (Аз съм новата доброволка от Корпъс На Мира... Аз съм Американка... Аз съм yadda yadda yadda), and she will reply with a rapid fire response in Bulgarian explaining all about her son that is about your age, speaks English, is single, and probably coming for a visit soon. Really, you only caught the gist of that because it has gotten to be a pretty standard response from anyone who could be old enough to have a son your age and they realize you are single and living by yourself. The safest thing to do here is smile and nod, and right before she tries to say goodnight and close the door, don your most pathetically helpless expression and show her your handful full of fuses. Not only have you introduced yourself and gotten your problem fixed, but she also probably now thinks you are incapable of taking care of yourself and will hopefully follow up the introduction with lots of free food and advice.




Now, there are many other ways to create awkward situations in which meeting your neighboors can be facilitated, but most Peace Corps Volunteers would agree that bribery and mild explosions are the most fool-proof way to "integrate" (Peace Corps buzz word!!).

Comments containing feedback and further advice are always welcome.

Soviet-Style Block Apartment? or Bomb Shelter?

At least not even the boogie man can get into my apartment!!

I am, however, foreseeing a problem if I need to get out of my block in a hurry... but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we need to.

**Please note the chunk of plaster they removed on the right side of the bar... :)

О Боже...

Yet again, just what The Doctor ordered...

I'm just going to come out and be honest (something I haven't been doing a whole lot with myself lately)... this was not a very good week.

It may even have been a bad week.

Instead of allowing myself to be encouraged by my friends, family... heavenly Father, I ignored it (or tried) and hoped my feelings of impatience, confusion, and loneliness would go away. As you would expect, they didn't. I look a lot of walks out to the river behind the Blocks to try and "process," (or not process) and pretty sure I found myself in tears every night this week out of sheer frustration.

Here's the thing - even before I left for Bulgaria and the Peace Corps, I would have told you that my heart is in the U.S.. Right before I received my invitation to Bulgaria from the PC, I almost decided to call and give up my spot. I mean, I was doing a job I loved, had a couple opportunities to STAY doing jobs I loved, in a city I was passionate about, with people who will always have a place in my heart.

But as people keep reminding me, the city WILL be there in two years.

I would give anything to have more time investing in the relationships I was building with people like Danny, Stevie Ray, and Maximus... especially with so much going on with economic stability in the US - http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-21-homeless_N.htm.

My mom sometimes laughs at me (all out of love - I know :)), but I tend to put my heart into every job and experience I find myself in. Even when I thought things couldn't get much worse at Camp last summer, I knew I was where I needed to be and fought hard for those kids. Each job has been something "I could do forever." I often wrestle with where I see myself headed career wise, but I could see myself joining the Police force with friends in Burlington, taking a job with Boys and Girls Clubs or Boys Town, or hitting the streets again in New York. Its never been hard to fight through the struggles and pour my heart and soul into something - its how I'm wired... and my best friend wasn't the first person to tell me the other day that that is one of the things she she loves about me. :)

The Peace Corps has been my dream for a long time.

But what do you do if you are living your dream, and you're not sure its your dream anymore? I expected things to be hard here - I chose PC because I WANTED to be pushed, pulled, pressured... I'm so used to working for things, but I've never felt as disconnected and constantly frustrated as I am here. I miss the passion... Its non existent (for the first time since I can remember), and it scares me.

Yesterday, though, I had the opportunity to be surrounded by fellow Believers for the first time since I left the US.

I got to sit and be a part of a family for the first time in months.

I got to talk to people who in this country fighting for some of the same things I am.

And it felt right.

These next two years are not going to be easy, and two years is already starting to feel a lot longer than I anticipated, but I am reminded again why I left the people I love most in the world, and why I left what I do believe to be my life's calling for 27 months: to see and experience LOVE in a whole new way.

"Instead of a Show" by Jon Foreman

I really just want you to think about this for a minute... that is a NORMAL sized egg... with a kiwi, a peach, and the biggest apple I've ever seen...

Before I left for the Peace Corps, I had decided that I wanted to have access to the internet, but I didn't want to actually have it… then I got here and realized how much I value my support network back home (and how cheap it is for me to have internet in my apartment!).

The other day I got to talk to one of my CSM directors from my job in New York City, and it was so incredible. Noelle reminded me how awesome it was (and still is) to watch God orchestrate the entire journey that got me here to Bulgaria. My coworkers only knew me for about 3 months, but they watched as I wrestled with my desire to stay on with CSM or take an internship with another ministry in the City and give up on my dream of Peace Corps altogether, or hold my breath and trust that He had something even more incredible headed my way. Don't get me wrong, there are still days where I look back on the direction I was headed in the states and wonder if I chose the wrong path, but I do also know my heart is back in inner-city America, AND that it will be there ready for me in two years. J

It's so awesome to look back at how everything from my first day at Elon kind of morphed into what got me here to Samokov – from my freshman summer experience with Pre-Serve where I worked at the Boys and Girls Club for the first time, to my first service-learning course which lead to others, which lead to my job with LINCS, which ignited this passion to help my peers dig deeper in the service and see the true, and relatively often hidden at first, resonation of their service. All of that lead me to starting my application with Peace Corps, and a life-changing stop in New York City with CSM where yet again I got to create relationships that really pushed the envelope on reality and the need for SHOWING our love to people who need it the most.

And now here I am, dreaming about what's next.

I know I just started this journey (I'm really only a week in!!), but I've always been a dreamer (not to be confused with a planner J).

In my language proficiency interview, I was asked what I wanted to do after my two years in Peace Corps. The funny thing was that I didn't even know how to answer that question in English! I heard myself saying (in Bulgaria – how strange) that I was definitely going to travel some, and then probably head back to New York or Washington DC. Then I heard myself saying… "and maybe graduate school."

Really? Come on Katie…

That has always been I thought I've immediately removed from the thought sequence as soon as it enters.

And then I realized, that if I found an undergraduate program to meet my needs (you know, one that kept me out of the classroom as much as possible and into the field… haha), then there might just be graduate programs out there that do the same. I also know that there are tons of fellowships available for returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Including… one at University of Maryland - Baltimore County working on inner city reform and youth development.

And oh yeah, they don't require GRE scores (taking the test is really enough to keep me out of grad school altogether… seriously.)

Cool. J

So here I am, sitting on my comfy little chair in my apartment in Bulgaria, dreaming about what's next.

I know, I know, PATIENCE KATIE.

Cause if He could orchestrate my journey thus far so incredibly, I am soooo excited about what comes next.

Doesn't hurt to dream a little, does it? J

It's strange, I have the ENTIRE city of Samokov beckoning for me outside of my apartment, and yet, I don't know where to begin or what to do with myself.

Per usual, my brain is in constant overdrive about how much work there is to do here, and yet, here I sit - constantly thinking about how I don't have the contacts for this, or the language for that, or the guts for ANYTHING.

During training they were constantly warning us about how difficult a transition it would be from being overprotected and over managed, to entirely on your own at site. I think for some reason I thought I was an exception – that's how much I couldn't wait to get here and start working.

And now I'm here, sitting at my computer – busying myself with a project Kevin (the volunteer I replaced) asked me to work on.

My colleagues are so worried about overstressing me, that they aren't really letting me work, so I'm trying to entertain myself, and hoping on Monday I find a way to just put myself out there…

My apartment!!

I am officially "settled" into my little one room apartment in Samokov!

Here is my cozy bedroom/living room.













Who know my very first apartment would be in a Former-Soviet Block Building? In BULGARIA!?!?!?

Hehe, I love life... and my perfect view of people watching from my balcony!

There are about 40,000 people in Samokov... I want to say about 20,000 of those live here in the Blocks with me...







My itty bitty little kitchen! Complete with a bed and washing machine... obviously.

Bit enough to feed 6 people on one of my first nights here! A bit tight though... :)

Even though the washing machine is a hot commodity for volunteers here, it doesn't work. But that's necessarily a bad thing - because otherwise I would have washed an ENTIRE load of laundry in bleach, instead of just handwashing a couple pairs of jeans in it... Even though I can't read in Bulgarian, word to the wise: the little pictures on detergent bottles are VERY helpful.

Friday, October 10, 2008: „Добре Дошла В Самоков!”

Passage of time in Bulgaria baffles me…

In one way, I feel like I just got on a plane this past week, in another, I can't believe I've only been in this beautiful country for barely 2 and a half months.

My biggest fear in coming here has turned out to be one of wasted energy – I did really well on my Language Proficiency Interview! I scored a level higher than the requirement, and in the highest group of trainees (there are many better speakers than me, but they will only score you so high so you have plenty of room to see the improvement as we retest throughout the next two years). God has been reminding me through so many people that this should have been one of my last worries ("it WILL come Katie! How can it not?") but I still managed to stress continually. Another lesson in listening when He's trying to tell me something, huh? I've been getting a lot of those lately… ;P Now I've got 2 whole more years to keep learning!

And yesterday I swore-in under the US Ambassador to Bulgaria as an official United States Peace Corps Volunteer.

Just a few hours later, I was on a bus to my new home: Samokov, Bulgaria!!

Monday, October 06, 2008

TRUE STORY:

It's fair to say that every transferable skill from America to Bulgaria to takes a little bit more time; and a little more effort to be successful. This is true for that game that sparked kid's interests every single time at the Boys and Girls Club, and the batch of cookies I have been making (and eating) since I had baby teeth.

After 2 months of three delicious (and substantial) meals a day, I wanted to thank my host parents with a little "taste" of home. The night before last I completely botched a batch of mom's famous Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies so the much anticipated (on my part, mostly) Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole was a bit of a daunting task…

Little shops in small Bulgarian villages don't exactly sell Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup and Ritz Crackers, but the creativity was pretty fun.

My concern was not necessarily making a meal, but making one that my host parents would eat and, more importantly, enjoy.

My casserole came beautifully out of the oven (smelling fantastic), we managed to locate a few extra tomatoes (I know, I had already said my goodbyes!!), and all was going well and good until, well….

There was a fight.

Out in front of the house.

Seriously.

An all out brawl.

Between the goats.

{Logically – who else?}

Actually, a stranger goat instigated the fight.

One we'd never seen before.

So Kiril kept him hostage until his owner came to claim him.

It's funny how fast word about lost goats travels in villages as small as this one, but next thing we know, my host mom is leading the psycho goat down the street with a very bewildered Baba scolding her "bully" goat the entire way home.

I've always thought it's amazing how all of the village goats know exactly where they live – usually their owners wait on the benches in front of their houses for them or jump up to let them in the gates when they hear the bells, but apparently every once in awhile there is a goat who feels like testing the system…

Only in Bulgaria…

 

 

My host parents - Kiril and Svetla!!

Svetla fed me and did my laundry at the crack of dawn every week.

Kiril (check out that jumpsuit) taught me how to milk a goat and make Rakia (mmmm, Bulgarian moonshine).

The two of them laughed as my confidence in the Bulgarian language grew (and so did the number of mistakes I made), and I tried my best to be as little culturally awkward as possible.

For two months, they were my first look into Bulgarian culture, and a big part of the reason why I absolutely love this country.


I can't wait to come back to my little "Celo" and speak to them for real, and really get to know them on a whole new level. :)

Today is the day I have been mourning since I stepped foot on Bulgarian soil.







The day I eat my LAST garden fresh tomato until Spring.

The day I eat my LAST homemade Shopska Salad.

Twice a day - EVERY day for almost 2 and a half months.

Its kind of like saying goodbye to a really good friend.....





Please - a moment of silence.

My new home!!!

Monday, September 22

Tonight after a long day of studying and working on our community mural project for me, and harvesting potatoes for my host parents, I sat at a delicious meal with host parents. After we were done, and all commenting about how tired we were after a long day/weekend of work, Svetla started laughing and then offered to write me a note to my Bulgarian teacher saying I had to stay at the house and help them tomorrow, instead of going to language training. She said that way I could sleep all day if I wanted to! 
The great thing was not just that my host mom was offering me a way to skip out on school for a day, but that I UNDERSTOOD HER WHEN SHE SAID IT!!!!

Things have been going really well… I’m far away from being conversational in Bulgarian (but hey, I’ve been here for far less than 3 months), but things are clicking way more than I ever thought they would. I love my host parents to death, and I can tell that hanging out with them as much as possible is paying off. I am more comfortable trying to explain things, and every day feel like I am understanding more and more. Its hard sometimes, to pass up on time with my fellow PCV’s, but I know that time with my host parents and my babas/diado’s is what is going to get me going through the next two years out on my own. It makes me so excited to know that Svetla and Kiril are already looking forward to me making the 20 kilometer trip from Samokov back to their village for na gosti’s, weekends, or vacation time. 

Makes me happy. 

Last week I was wearing sandals and a tank top and couldn't get cool enough...

Right now, my bedroom is 55 degrees Fahrenheit (12C) at its WARMEST and I left almost all of my warm clothes in Samokov.

My host mom's solution?

"Drink more Rakia!"

Site Visit Update: SAMOKOV!!!

I have been back in my training village for about a week, and I after that much time to process, I can officially express how excited I am!!

The first two days I was in Samokov last week I sat with my boss or whoever drinking beer or coffee and basically watching the world go by. "Going to Cafe" is the lifestyle here, but as I visual person, I was majorly struggling with the purpose God had for me there. I was hearing about the youth I would be working with, but I was mentally missing the connection.

Then, on Friday, we went into the Roma (one of the top 2 minority groups in Bulgaria) neighborhood ("Mahala" in Bulgaria) and I was blown away. Samokov is a major tourist destination because it lays at the foothills of Borovets, the international ski resort. I will be living in one of the coldest regions in Bulgaria, and none of the houses in the Mahala were insulated. There is no drainage system, so the sewage just runs down the streets already filled with trash. In the Roma culture girls get married very young (as young as 12 sometimes...), and start families immediately. The school in Samokov doesn't even offer grades past the 9th. Most of the Roma community doesn't even leave the neighborhood...

My first year in college I wrote a paper that turned some heads in my Global class... The topic was female circumcision, and in many ways, I defended the practice. No, I do NOT think it is morally correct or even justifiable, but what right do we have as Americans to walk into a culture that is not our own and demand they change their religious practices of hundreds of years? I proposed that we supported cultures that chose to engage in such practices by offering them health knowledge and resources to keep things safe. If people aren't open to change, they will resist EVERY motion of improvement. If you offer doctors and sterile environments, you allow them to still practice their traditions, while promoting health and safety.

I feel very similar about my future role in Samokov. I am not there to cause drastic change or force anyone to deviate from a lifestyle they believe to be true and appropriate. I am however, there to encourage them to think forwardly and to strive for advancement. I can't wait to encourage young girls to stay in school a little longer, but not by belitting the traditions of starting a young family. I thrive on the idea of encouraging the mixing of races and tearing down ethnic walls...

But I am NOT going to Samokov to force change. I am going as a change agent to broaden horizons and encourage the betterment of their lives using resources and knowledge they already have.

And THAT folks, is why I chose Peace Corps.... :)

God knows I'm not strong enough with this, but I am so excited (and honestly? Terrified) to know I don't need to be. I always seem to acquire the strength I need, and I know this is no different situation.

Its going to be a long, hard, emotional two years, but I can't wait to see God work through me and teach me things I never thought I would know.

Samokov as a whole is a BEAUTIFUL city (the international ski resort of Borovets is right up the road), and if you didn't know the Roma community was there, you would have no clue any of this was going on. Most Roma don't even leave the neighborhood... Those are the things that drew me to New York this past year - seeing the drastic juxtaposition between the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor, and yet again I will be driven by that here in Bulgaria.



I won't be moving to Samokov for another month, but I can't wait to share my experiences and the fruit of so many thoughts/prayers from my family and friends back home!!

PERMANENT SITE PLACEMENT DAY!!

I can't say my specific site on here, but if you want to know... ASK!!!

I'll be located an hour south-west of Sofia (the capital), and only 30 minutes west of Dupnitsa (which is the city half an hour from my training village).

I will be replacing a volunteer whose service is up in October at an NGO that serves a large Roma population. The Roma community in Bulgaria accounts for the largest percentage of education drop-out rates, deviance, and early pregnancies, and they are often segregated from the traditional Bulgarian community.

Job Description: "The organization works with the Roma minority and at-risk children, where the ethnic intolerance is quite visible. Your priorities will be working with at-risk children and managing their free-time, as well as: working with parents, writing project proposals/grants, youth leadership, skills transfer, english courses, and initiating sport activities."

I thought I was a hundred percent sure I wanted to work at an orphanage in a small town, but God had other plans!! You'd think I'd learn... :) 

I will be doing what I love to do - loving on kids who need it the most. :) 

So excited!!!

We leave tomorrow for our first site visits, and I will keep everyone posted!!