I heart Holland...

And they heart their bikes....

Things Learned from Mission Holland:

1.) The Dutch have different eating habits. They eat chocolate sprinkles on their buttered toast in the morning. The chocolate sprinkles are called "HAGLESLAG." Not only is it a bit enjoyable to eat, but it is quite fun to say. "Hey honey, can you pass the Hagleslag?" Also, they like their French fries with mayonnaise instead of ketchup. There is no way I am adopting the mayo on fries. That is a heart attack waiting to happen. But I could definitely get accustomed to the sprinkles. Sounds strange, but you have to try it at least once. So next time you are buttering your toast in the morning, look in the cupboard for some chocolate sprinkles. You may just find you like it too.

2.) It is a biking culture in Holland. Aside from their bad diets, the Dutch are actually quite active people. They bike everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Kids bike into school from the villages anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes every morning. I don’t know why I only said kids, because it is everyone. Kids not only bike everywhere, but EVERYONE bikes everywhere. Teachers, doctors, shop owners, dads, moms. They really all bike. I think it is so they can say “way back when I was growing up I used to bike to school in the snow, uphill.” (I know your parents tried to pull that one on you.) And you thought there was bad traffic in the morning getting over the bay bridge. Imagine bike traffic in the small city. Quite a site at 8 in the morning.

3.) Holland is known for Van Gogh, wind mills, tulips and wooden shoes. Unfortunately due to the timing of our trip tulips were not in season. We did however happen by the flower market in Amsterdam where they sell hundreds of types of flowers, and of course, the tulip bulbs safe for crossing borders.

4.) And finally, the most important thing I learned is....drum roll please. The name of the country is the Netherlands, though it is commonly referred to as Holland. (As Max pointed out to me, Holland is a province, of which Amsterdam is the capital, though because of its historic importance and dominance of the rest of the country, Holland has become an unofficial name.) Good to know, huh?

Now, I am sure I learned a lot more than that, but those are the interesting ones. And I have to keep it interesting. Enjoy.

More on Holland...

I AMsterdam...

In my previous blog I mentioned Amsterdam. Yes, Amsterdam. The students and teachers went on a day excursion to the big city. It is a bustling city with trams whizzing past, bikers ringing their bells telling you to get out of the lane, and boats merrily going down the rivers. We even had our very own tour guide, the leader of the exchange. He used to live in Amsterdam for 6 years as a student and was able to point out and take us to all the small nooks and crannies of the city telling us things we probably wouldn’t have read in a book.

Amsterdam really is quite a beautiful city with great architecture, cool museums, and beautiful canals that remind you of Venice (minus the foul smell).

But Amsterdam also has a side to it that just doesn’t appeal to me. The side that every pot smoking, hippie backpacker goes to find paradise. Where “coffee shops” line the streets and the air is filled with that sweet aroma. The same place where sleezy old men and immature college students alike go for sex or at least to look. For me, the "Red Light District" was the most shocking part of Amsterdam. It is shocking and down right appalling to see these women, probably most there through the illegal sex trades, selling themselves. Yes, Amsterdam. It turns Amsterdam's beauty into a trashy hot spot. I never really had any desire to go to Amsterdam before for these very reasons.

Interestingly enough, if you ask a Dutchman what he thinks of those aspects of Amsterdam, he will tell you it is part of who they are. It is part of their culture. And therfore it is something everyone should see. They allow the use of marijuana and the solicitation of sex and prostitution out in the open, therefore maybe making it easier to control. Whatever the case, if I were in charge of my own country, say, Jessistan, I would abolish these practices. And that is what I have to say about that.

Post 100!!!!

I have to take a short break from my adventures in the Netherlands and give a big shout out to my blog. Thats right, my blog!! We have just hit the 100th posting mark.

Wow, I cant even believe it. It has been a difficult relationship, my blog and I. We have been through a lot. There have been lots of highs and lows. Its been a bumpy ride. But I wouldn't give it up for anything. There have been times where I let my blog down and failed to write weeks and months on end. But now, I think we have have gotten through the rough patches. I am regularly updating, making not only my blog happy, but my few readers happy too. So, here's to you BLOG. I heart you! Congrats to you and me and making it to our 100th posting anniversary.

(*Note: Because I not only love self photos, but I also love the 80s. I had to post a little side pony tail action. Now all I need are some leg warmers.)

Mission Holland....

The Mission: Toting around 9 students with the help of a Bulgarian colleague, Mima and another PCV, Max as chaperons. Nine students, three adults, and Holland at our disposal. It was great!

The Place: Roermond, Holland. A smallish town in the southern region close to the German and Belgium borders. A quaint town with smooth, pristine roads, marked bike paths, and perfect little houses and shops. A great place for a quick getaway.

The Purpose: A cross cultural exchange between our Bulgarian students and the Dutch students. The Bulgarian students stayed with host families and formed quick friendships with their student counterparts. A bond that left the kids saying goodbye with lots of hugs and tears. (The Dutch kids will be coming to Bulgaria for the second part of the exchange in May. It should be a great reunion.)


Okay, enough of that. You get the gist. Overall the trip was a success. It was the first of its kind for our school and hopefully wont be the last. We had no idea what to expect but as in true Bulgarian fashion, we went with it.

The program consisted of the BG kids attending classes about art, history, drugs, astronomy, culture, geography, and a bit of the language. They were even able to go to a vocational branch of the school and do real hands on cooking. They learned how to prepare a traditional Dutch meal. Which actually wasn't that dissimilar from Bulgarian food, although they may tell you otherwise. (But hey, they got the mayonnaise salad, the meat ball and the potatoes. How much more Bulgarian can you get?) The program also included a day trip to Amsterdam. A trip which deserves its own blog.

All in all the kids had a blast as did the teachers. We were on the go go go from the start and it was sometimes hard to keep up with the busy schedule. Being exhausted by the end of the day it was a nice treat to be taken out by the Dutch colleagues for delicious feasts, good company and enjoyable conversations. Roermond, and Holland in general, are definitely worth a trip back.

Winter is back.....

...and this is how I feel about that.


The sky is no longer blue, and it started to rain again. There have even been small snow flurries in the air. It is time for me to say goodbye to the ballet slippers and hellooooo boots. Now when I go out I have to bundle up in even more layers than I already wear, put on the scarf, hat and gloves. This is my least favorite season (especially with so little snow this season keeping the dingy look of Bulgaria). But at least I have a big furry hood to keep me warm. That is the important thing.

And really, how often do you see me frown. I mean, I am not even good at it. This is a sad excuse for a frown. Maybe more of a dear in headlights expression.

Why I love SCRABBLE...

This word game was invented during the great depression and originally named Lexico, then "Criss-Cross Words." Eventually it was renamed SCRABBLE, meaning "to grope frantically," and was trademarked in 1948. And that is the same game people play today.

It is this same game that I have come to love here in Bulgaria. I had actually never played Scrabble until I got here. After moving into my apartment, I went through and cleaned all the closets, cabinets and drawers. That is when I happened across a travel size game of Scrabble. I don't play the game too often, but when I do, I throughly enjoy myself. And when I do play, I always find myself playing with people who possess a larger, almost obscure vocabulary. I may not always win, but I always come out of the game with a bit more knowledge of words I may never use except in my next game of Scrabble.


And one of my favorite things about the game is this. When you play for fun, and you play with someone nice, sometimes they are willing to help you out a little. Sometimes they are willing to tell you if a word is a word without you putting it down yet. This happened to me in my recent game of Scrabble. I wasn't sure about a word. As it turned out, my word really was a word. And I managed to get 74 points for it. 74 points for a word I didn't even know the meaning of. 74 points for the word QUINCE!

Quince meaning:

1. A western Asian shrub or tree having white flowers and hard apple-like fruit.
2. The aromatic, many-seeded fruit of this plant, edible only when cooked.
   

And that is why I love Scrabble. You always come out of the game a little smarter. And you can kick a little ass with words like QUINCE.

(*Note: The game board above is the Russian version of Scrabble. The letters pictured closely represent the Bulgarian alphabet with a few differences. The picture was found online.)

Ever want to lick a dictionary??

Or anything else lying around? Well, my furry monster of a cat has acquired a new hobby. He loves to lick things. Anything. The other night I was playing scrabble with my friend Max and being that is was a rather competitive game of scrabble, we had the dictionary out. Costa comes over to lay next to us. And the next thing we know is that he is licking the dictionary...all over! What was happening seemed quite unusual to Max, but to me, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Lately I have noticed Costa's new hobby and just thought it was normal. But Max, on the other hand had to disagree.


So, I decided to do a little research into the incident. I googled "cats licks things" and I came across some rather unusual links. All about cats licking things. Here are some quotes from the links about people's cats licking unusual things.

"My cat licks plastic"

"She licks articifical flowers and the leaves in two arrangements. She licks the lid on the wicker hamper, she licks the living room furniture, occasionally the carpet. And who knows what else when I don't see her."

"My female cat, Bob, cannot keep her tongue in her head. I found her and her daughter in an Arboretum parking lot five years ago. She licks my hair, tries to lick my ears, licks my hands, the carpet, her daughter, the newspaper, etc. I don't know what to tell you, except...I'm used to it. I think some cats are just a little strange..."

"Some of mine are perpetual lickers; others you wouldn't know they had a tongue except at mealtime. LOL. Plastic bags seem to be a real big turn on. Since plastic is petroleum based, maybe that is the reason? My vet isn't concerned and I don't mind running around with soaking wet hair on the side of my head where they are sleeping so guess all is well."

"Our 18 year old girl, Tiffany, has been a licker all her life. She licks the window screens, the fireplace stone, and me any time she can. It has not hurt her, even the vet says she is an amazing cat at her age."

"My kitty licks terra cotta flowerpots, a piece of decorative coral, a few select toys and sometimes me."

"I once had a neutered Siamese mix who had a fetish for rubber gloves."

"Some cats are lickers. Lily LOVES to lick anything plastic or paper. She would rather lick paper than eat some hamburger."

"My cat likes to lick the walls and eat the toilet paper off the role."

What a strange culture. The cat culture. Cat lovers. People are crazy when it comes to their cats. And I am just as crazy. But man, I really hope I don't turn into a cat lady that walks around her house in a ratty old bath robe and slippers trying to feed 7 different stray cats.

Baba Booties..

Baba booties, also known as knitted booties, are hand woven by Bulgarian grannies. It's these same booties that I have come to love. Some might even say obsessed if they ever saw my growing collection. Just look here at my pile of different booties. But don't fret, they are not all for me. They actually make quite good gifts for people. Not only are they stylish, but they are truly Bulgarian. I will be sure to bring a sack of them back with me upon my return.


In Bulgaria, everyone takes off their shoes upon entering the home. There is always a line of shoes at the front door as it is considered rude to wear your shoes in the house. But it is also considered crazy not to wear slippers (slippers like you would think of in the states). So along with that line of shoes at the front door, you will also find a line of slippers. There are always several pairs for unexpected guests (which is also very common.) Anyways, most people also wear these little foot booties and have ample supply in their homes for these said guests.

But since I dont have a Baba (grandmother) here in Bulgaria to knit me my own, I have to go to the local market and buy them. At the market, when the weather is good, the babas take their place on the sidewalk with their cardboard box for a stand, and set up their assortment of knitted goods. I am only ever interested in the booties though.
Here is my favorite lady. She is the one I regularly find in the market and whom I regularly buy my baba booties from. She knows me and says hi to me on the street. Most of the time I have no idea what she is saying to me, but I just do the old "nod your head and smile" thing. And it usually works. She has the best selection and has always been so nice to me. She even gave me a pair of baba booties for Christmas! How cool is that?!

(*Note: Those pictured are actually not the real baba bootie. Those are really just socks. I will try to get a good picture of the real deal. But aren't the little baby ones cute?)

More hiking...

This time it was to the baths. Oh, that's right, the Stara Zagora Mineral Baths.

My colleague and I have been talking for months about taking this 4 hour hike out to the baths. But something always comes up. But with the good weather, we finally decided on a time and date and we were off. Last Saturday, four of us woke early, packed our knapsacks full of fruit, sandwiches and water, and ventured off into the nature*.


The hike itself was not a treacherous one. It had a few steep hills, muddy paths, and windy passes, but it was amazing. It was a perfect day for a hike. We followed the paths worn by the horse carts, happened across a group of old hunters, ventured though a couple of quiet villages, rested in the shade, and simply enjoyed the company and the stories told.

The whole idea behind the hike was to go to the baths afterwards. After a long walk under the sun, it would be nice to dip in and relax those muscles in the warm pools of mineral water. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the baths were closed indefinitely. We will just have to do the hike again when the baths reopen. Either way, the hike was incredible and I cant wait to do it again.
*the nature: most Bulgarians use the phrase "the nature" when referring to the wild, the outdoors, the wilderness, etc. I had never heard the phrase "the nature" used so often, or ever for that matter, until I got to Bulgaria. They love to talk about the nature. And I have come to love using the phrase as well. I don't think I can go back to saying the wilderness. "The nature" is just so Bulgarian, and I like it!