I am the coolest!!!

So today was my big day.

My program manager and my principal of the school I teach at observed my teaching. (Keep in mind, my principal doesn't speak English so that eased the nerves a bit.) But anyways, they observed my absolute worst class that I have. This is a class where the boys are running around the classroom like wild monkeys, they are always getting into fights and sometimes even try to throw the little runt of the class out the window (obviously without success every time).

But when we walked into class today, my students were perfect angels. They were all sitting quietly at their desks anxious for class to start. It was like the beginning of those scenes you see in movies where the class is perfect because they are playing tricks on the teachers. But no tricks were played....

...And I kicked some major ass. They LOVED me!!! And my students in line for once they actually thought the lesson was interesting.

So, the after class critique...My director loves me! She thinks I am doing a great job and have adjusted to everything really well. She has heard nothing but good things about me and thinks the students take to me very well. My PC program manager also thought I was a very good teacher. I was confident and poised and had control of my students. I was very prepared and organized. He also really liked my ideas and the material I was teaching.

Man....I am soo cool!!! (for today anyways...)

Only in Bulgaria...

Only in Bulgaria would I be driving in a car touring different cities with a guy from France and a girl from Spain. And our main means of communicating was all in Spanish... And although I could understand everything in Spanish (most everything), my answers kept coming out in Spangarian or Banglish... I kept thinking in Bulgarian and couldnt seem to dust off the Spanish that has been sitting uselessly in the back of my mind. Oh well.


This was what my Sunday consisted of. We rented a car a drove to a few popular destinations. Veliko Turnovo, Shipka, and Kalofer. It was quite a treat to be in a car and not have to worry about the public transportation. Veliko Turnovo was a very unique city. It is very much the modern mixed with the old. There is a big rebuilt ancient castle with a church atop it. But there is a twist..the art in the church was very modernistic and almost abstract. Not what you would expect to find. With only a short time to tour the castle, I am certain I will be back to tour the rest of the city. Cant wait to see what it looks like in the spring when the fog is gone and it looks less like a scary medieval setting. I think there may have even been snow...(well, some form of it anyway.)


All in all a good day. My new motto for living in Bulgarian...."Todo es possible en Bulgaria." (Anything is possible in Bulgaria...in Spanish)

Go Bears!

As most of you know by now, I was brought up on Cal Football. I used to go to all the home games with my family. We would tailgate before hand and after head to the fraternity house and meet up with my dad's old "brothers." If I have my memories in order, I can remember running around the house playing on a rope swing in the back while my parents mingled. That was when I was much younger. As the years went on it became more of just a quick trip down to the stadium to watch the game and then we would head back. Needless to say, I have many a memory of those great Cal football games. And even now, living in Bulgaria, those memories have come back. The reason being...Alex.

(Alex, Matt, and Larry...my site mates.)

Alex is the new PC Volunteer in town here. He arrived a few weeks ago and I have only just met him. So, when you first meet someone you usually go through the whole shpeal...where are you from, what were you doing before this, how old are you... you get the point. Well, with Alex, it didn't get much further than hometown. This is how the conversation followed..

Jessie: "Soo, where are you from back in the states?"
Alex: "California."
Jessie: "Really!! What part?!?"
Alex: "San Fransisco."
Jessie: "REALLY!! What part?!?"
Alex: "Oakland. Where are you from?"
Jessie: "Oakland...Berkeley!"

As one would expect, I was very excited, anxious to know more... I suddenly had soo many questions. The conversation continued on its course. What high school did you go to? What part of Oakland are you from? Do you know so and so? (Playing the name game of course.) The conversation continues...

Jessie: "Where did you go to school..college?"
Alex: "CAL."
Jessie: "Really. My dad went there."
Alex: "Go Bears!"

That was all I needed to hear. I think we will get along just fine.

Bulgaria Goes Bling..

Shaky chairlifts, drafty dormitories and watery beetroot soup? Don't believe it? Its Bulgaria (well, certain parts of it)! And it will soon be the chic place to winter, giving the likes of other ski resorts a run for their money. There are even cigar lounges and vitamin bars. Bulgaria is the perfect place for today's traveler looking for a cozy place to vacation.

Are you intrigued?? Come visit....what are you waiting for?

The Gang...

Just a quick look at the gang...

The two Lincolns, Julie, and myself back in Chigaco when we first met. What would I do without great friends here.

A Bulgarian Halloween...

Halloween in Bulgaria. Well, it doesn't exist. There were no costumes, candy or jack-o-lanterns. It was just another ordinary day in Bulgaria. People walking the streets, bundled up in the cold weather, going about their usual day.


But there is a Halloween for us Volunteers. It is what you make of it, right? I decided to avoid the big drunken debauchery in Veliko Turnovo where many volunteers used the day as another excuse to dress weird and party hard.

But I took a different route. I headed to a small village town of about 3,000 people. I think I am yet to be to a town that small. But it was actually very amazing. It is so unique in its own way. (I am not saying I would want to live there, but it was quite nice for a quiet, relaxing excursion.)


A few of us gathered for some good company, good food, and good times. We built a small bonfire on the top of the mountain, told stories (scary and not so scary) and made many many smores (marshmallows do not exist in Bulgaria). A great time was had by all. Even Georgi (our very own Bulgarian jack-o-lantern) enjoyed himself!

Six Months...

Six months.

I have now been in Bulgaria for a total of six months. I cant believe it, really. I feel like it was yesterday when I working in the insurance world, getting crazy in San Francisco, eating lots of delicious foods, and saying the last goodbyes to friends and family. And boy, have things changed since then. Now, I am teaching Bulgarian high school students, getting crazy in Stara Zagora, eating lots of Musaka and Shopska Salads, and trying to say things in Bulgarian. I have experienced so much in this small amount of time. Because really, in the whole scheme of life, even the scheme of 2 years, 6 months is nothing.


But nonetheless, I really have learned a lot about this foreign land and the people here. About this country I didn't know anything about, not even where it was (I had to Google it and search for it on a map). Although, I think I have learned even more about myself. Things I never knew.
Here are just a few things... I can actually live by myself. I no longer freak out by the creak in the walls or the wind blowing against my thin windows. I can kill a spider, cockroach, or you name it, without running to get some brawny guy to take care of it. I can paint an apartment and move furniture without help. I have learned how to hang dry all my clothes on the line (there is actually a certain way to do it). I have learned to drink luke warm/cold coffee. I have learned that a garbage disposal is not necessary (but how I wish I had one). I have also learned that a crumpled piece of paper serves as the perfect cat toy.

But in all seriousness. I have come to appreciate things in a much different way too. I appreciate what I had in the states. I dearly appreciate my family back home, (keeping in touch with them probably more than they would like, I am sure.) I appreciate the small things. Those things you never stop to think about, but when you are thrown into a land where your world is turned upside down, you are forced to looked at differently.

But at the end of the day, I am what we all like to call "a self-sufficient peace corps volunteer." 21 months to go...but who's counting.

Bring It On, Bobby....

If you haven't heard already, a Bulgarian has become the world chess champion. His name is Veselin Topalov.


He is 30 years old from the northern Bulgarian town Ruse. Topalov took the throne after ending even against Rustam Kasimdzhanov from Uzbekistan. Now, the legendary Bobby Fischer wants a piece. Fischer is willing to face Topalov in a game of chess, but not the classical type of the game but a version invented by Fischer.

So to that, I say "bring it on, Bobby!"

Romania, Turkey...Now Bulgaria?

The Bird Flu has reached Romania and Turkey. With Bulgaria sandwiched between the two countries, is it the next logical victim? Well, lets hope not. As with any health issue, the Peace Corps office is always on top of their game giving us the much needed information should a problem arise.


Here is the most recent information about the situation in Romania, as described by the Peace Corps Medical Officer in Romania (the situation in Turkey also seems to be similar):

"In the previous 3 weeks, unexplained domestic and wild birds deaths have been reported in rural area of Tulcea and Galati counties. This fact is coincidental with wild birds migration from NE Europe and West Asia towards the Danube Delta, a yearly natural phenomenon. Due to the reported cases of Avian Flu in Russia and Uzbekistan, it is a possible threat of viral migration towards our area. Bird cadavers have been analyzed and anti-avian flu antibodies have been found. For a highly specific confirmation test (live-cells viral growth test), samples have been
sent to a reference lab from UK (Weybridge); the results will be available in about two weeks."

According to Reuters, Bulgarian Agriculture Minister said on Monday that authorities have stepped up controls, particularly near the Danube river frontier with Romania, and were disinfecting cars traveling from Turkey and Romania into Bulgaria. But "at the moment, there is no data pointing to a case of bird flu in Bulgaria, or even suspected cases of bird flu".

So for now, I will follow the medical office's requests..

1.) avoid direct contact with living birds, wild or domestic (direct touch or breathing around them or near their faces)
2.) dead birds are not to be touched, under any circumstance
3.) all poultry products (meat and eggs) should be thoroughly cooked; paying special attention to mayonnaise, creams or salad dressings

Teacher or Student??

So I know I am obviously a teacher here in Bulgaria and at the same time a student, learning new things everyday. (Aren't we all students?)

But here is the thing. At my school, there are two different entrances to the school building. One in the front for teachers only and one in the back for students. At the teacher's entrance, there is a lady that sits at the door to stop students from coming and going through the teachers only door. I think I get stopped at least once a week if not once a day by a different lady (the lady guarding the door changes constantly). They think I am trying to be a sneaky kid and take the short way in or out. As soon as I explain that I am a teacher they let me pass. (These ladies are like the troll in the Three Billy Goat Gruff's story.) Just let me pass, why even have two different entrances??

Every time this happens it just makes me laugh. I know I look young, but do I really look like I am a high school student?

Converse and Side Ponytails....

I must be the coolest teacher ever! My students came up to me after class today asking me if I was wearing real old school Converse. I said, why yes, of course.

(I had a weird side ponytail thing going on at the time...don't ask.)

"Zagorka! Big!"

It has been said that you can survive in Stara Zagora quite nicely once you master the words "Zagorka! Big!" holding your hands about a foot apart, as you speak. I know there are better brews here in Bulgaria (Shumensko Red is a favorite of mine) but Zagorka is a pretty good beer and it's hugely distributed. Not to mention it is a native to Stara Zagora, hence the name.

Zagorka is a former state-owned beer that was privatized in 1994, when the Dutch producer Heineken bought an 80% share. Zagorka is the first and only brewery in Bulgaria that was granted the international standard for management and control of quality. The company holds 25 per cent of the beer market in the country. (A great foreign investment sucuess story!)

And for some reason, Bulgaria ups in beer drinking. The total amount of beer consumed in the country was 294 million litres in 1997, reaching 425 million in 2003 and 473 million in 2004, according to an investor website. Furthermore it is said that beer drinking is expected to see further boosting in the upcoming years.


Maybe its the boost in tourism and travelers, or maybe it is people like me who cant afford much else. But, really, who wouldnt want a huge beer for less than 1.50 leva (thats only about a buck to our standards.)

Cheers mate!!!

Let the festivities begin....

Today is Stara Zagora Day! What does this mean exactly? Another excuse to take the day off and do nothing. Well, not nothing I guess. The festivities started days ago. There have been concerts and dancing and of course the carnival. All this fun celebrates the 130th anniversary of the Stara Zagora Uprising.


And the story goes...on October 5, 1879 General-Governor of Eastern Rumelia Aleko Bogoridi laid the foundation stone of Stara Zagora town, which had been burnt to ashes by the Ottoman Turks. According to writer Atanas Illiev, one of the chief chroniclers of Stara Zagora, only 221 Bulgarian houses remained in the ten-thousand-strong town after the raid of Suleiman Pasha and his hordes. About 700 Bulgarian widows and their little children were crammed into hastily knocked up huts. In this same year, the Municipal Councilors of Stara Zagora adopted the urban development plan of Czech architect Lubor Bayer, which would determine the development of the town for many years on. Thus, the town was literary revived from the ashes.

I guess there is reason for celebration!

Bulgarian Carnival Rides...

Okay, so the story goes.

I have now been on three very different Bulgarian rides since being here. The first, in Panagyrishte, was something similar to a pirate ship rocking back and forth. My host sister dragged me on this ride after having just met her. The second, in Varna, was some monstrosity that rocks you every which way until you really feel like you might want to blow chunks (for lack of better wording). I decided to go on this with another volunteer after not being able to go on it the night before. (Good thing too, since were both a bit buzzed.) But we came off that ride unable to even walk 5 feet. We had to immediately sit on the curb and find our footing again. The third, here in Stara Zagora, was merely a simple Ferris Wheel (although I have never been on one in my life). I accompanied a colleagues little girl on the ride but still found myself holding on like a little girl myself.

I am sure most of you have been to a fair or carnival and been on your fair share of rides. (I can proudly say I was actually a security guard for the band stand at the all too famous Mid State Fair in Paso Robles...although no rides were ridden by me.) Anyways, they all look a bit old and rusty...most look plain sketch. The same can be said for those rides in Bulgaria if not more so. I would also have to say that the typical fair mixes a combination of loud Chalga music (a terrible form of Bulgarian pop), many noisy, scary looking rides, endless amounts of cotton candy, Turkish delights, and other horribly sweet foods, and crowds of people. I think that it is this combination that always makes one feel nauseas after engaging in what is meant to be pure fun. It is this deadly combination that inspires me to write all this nonsense. I have now decided to rule out any and all Bulgarian rides no matter the circumstance. They are just no good for the mind, body or soul (well, maybe soul if if makes you feel like a kid again).

So here is my word to the wise:

AVOID BULGARIAN RIDES AT ALL COSTS!!!

(Nothing good will come of them.)

Where is my Cali weather???

It is the beginning of October and already I am cold. I am out of my rainbow sandals and tank tops and into my tennis shoes and jackets. Seriously WTF? First off, there wasn't much of a summer with all the floods. There was maybe a two week period where it was unbearably hot. And now I am in my pj's, sweatshirt, socks, and slippers, cuddled up with my kitten.

The thing is it is really quite expensive for heating here and everyone says it is not cold enough yet to start turning on those radiators. But I already broke down and turned on my heater. I only heat one room as it would never be able to heat the whole place. I really dont want to move into one room for the winter like most PCV do (but if this is only the beginning, than I am in for quite a treat.) I want my California weather...whaaahh!

And what's more, my apartment always seems to be much colder inside than it actually is outside. Why is that?

No Electricity...

They warned us that one of the realities of living in a block apartment is that your electricity may blow out rather frequently. Remember, they use a higher voltage. Its nothing to be careless about.



I had been lucky up to this point but the day has finally come. My electricity blew out. I got home from school to no power. What a bust! I didn't know where to begin, so I called my counterpart. (Do land line phones usually work when the power is out in the states? I cant remember.) Anyways, my counterpart instructed me to take a look at my fuse box, to check if the fuse was black and burned. Okay, so I grabbed a chair and my trusty (no batteries needed) flashlight and unscrewed the fuse. Nope, looks fine to me. What next you ask. That is where those nosy neighbors come in handy.

As usual, there were about four or five babas and diados sitting out on their benches. I walk outside confident as day, ready to explain my problem. The only problem is I blanked. How do you say "electricity"? I think I ended up saying "I have no sun", but they got the picture. One of the very old men came to save the day. He looked at my fuse box. Everything normal there. So he checked the fuse box outside my apartment. Oh, wait...it's locked..and he doesn't have the key.


So all I could do was wait. Not a problem, it was the middle of the day. About 20 minutes later, I hear loud voices outside my door and TA-DA!!! I am back in the game. I have power! So, thanks to the ever handy diado, I was able to get back online and write this damn blog. YEAH!

The Wacky Bulgarian School System...

During the communist period between 1945 and 1989, the Bulgarian education system was strongly influenced by Russia and their way of doing things. But in the last 15 years or so it has had some great fundamental changes. I am not aware of what exactly the Russian style of teaching was, but even today I still see some very communistic ways. When I or any other teacher walks into the classroom, the students are obligated to stand. They remain standing until the teacher directs them to sit. If the students are late for class, they stand at the door, profess their apologies and sit only when the teacher instructs them to do so.

Do you remember when you were in high school? You had certain classes and you moved around the school attending your different classes with different classmates. Well, another odd aspect to the education system here in Bulgaria is that the students stay put and the teachers move around the school. The same 25-30 students are placed in a classroom and those are the students that will be together for the next 4-5 years. They stay in one classroom and the teachers come to them. Needless to say, the classroom walls are rather bare as it is not one teacher’s classroom but a classroom shared by many teachers.

And instead of the normal 8:30 to 3:00 school day, most schools here function in two shifts: the morning shift form 7:30 to 1:20 and the afternoon shift from 1:30 to 7:20. At my school, the 9th and 10th classes are in one shift while the 11th and 12th are in another shift. And because I work at a language school, the 8th graders have 20 hours of English a week. They are at school all day from 7:30 to 6:30. (That is longer than the typical 9-5 job!)

What about grades? They don’t have the A, B, C, D, F system but rather the 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 system. It’s a big deal if you get a 2. This means poor, but really is the failing grade. It is rare for most teachers to give this out. Parents would have a field day.

The teachers’ duties are also slightly bizarre. We are required to prepare a year plan. This is a year plan of the material to be covered with each class group and schedules all textbook lessons to be taught as well as reviews and tests. This plan must be approved by the principal. This is a mighty hard task when you don’t teach from a textbook like myself. And me being a volunteer, they asked me not to bother. Then there is the “Dnevnik.” Each class of students has its own dnevnik. This is a big notebook that keeps tracks of the students’ absences, term grades and other comments written by the teacher. It is brought to each class each hour by the teacher who is teaching the class. And finally there is the “Materialna Kniga.” This is a large book placed in the teacher’s lounge. Every class is written in this book. After every class, you must write a short summary of what you taught that day and sign it.

So that is the wacky Bulgarian school system today. I am sure I did a horrible job of explaining it and probably missed some other important aspects I am just not aware of yet. But since I don’t speak Bulgarian above the 1st grade level, what do you expect. It all sounds very weird and confusing, but you catch on really fast.

My School's Website...

Here is a link to my school's website. I don't think they have updated it in some time so it is very outdated. Ans don't dare ask me what it all means, i can only understand bits of it. (But that is a start, right?)

Romain Rolland Foreign Language School

And the lady there, that is my principal. She is the most friendly and caring person. Always very concerned, making sure all is going well with me and my apartment and life here in Stara Zagora.

A Rocky Start...

So you know how they all say, start off with a bang and your students will listen to you. Well, it went off with a bang, but not the bang you necessarily want. I take my 7 minute walk to school, very excited for my first day of teaching. I am nervous about how things will go. But as long as I don't trip or my fly isn't down, it will be great!

I walk into my first class, the 11th grade, which started at 8:20 and wouldn't you know it... the schedule has changed and I was in the wrong class at the wrong time. I had just introduced myself and was about to get the lesson started when another teacher came in saying that she was teaching. Little did I know, my counterpart Borislav failed to inform me that the schedule he gave me changed. Typical. It was sooo humiliating having to gather all my things and walk out. I am almost positive my cheeks were a bit rosy as I left, too.

It was not the worst thing that could have happened, but it was not exactly the first impression I wanted to give either. Wish me luck for my other classes.

My First Day of School...

So the first day of school is September 15th. Every year, its the same thing. But to be honest, I thought the first day was a complete joke.


I arrived at 10 to meet my fellow teachers and future students in the school yard. Ideally an opening ceremony was to start at 10:30 but there were technical difficulties. So the show didn't start till about 11:15. The ceremony itself consisted of the playing of the national anthem, the principal speaking, a new student speaking and a graduated student speaking. That lasted maybe 20-30 minutes total. And that was it!!! From there, the students and teachers went to their classrooms and I myself, went home. What a first day, and what a waste of time. But it is the tradition that counts, right? And I guess I have no room for complaints because after all I did get flowers from one of my students I met over the summer. (The big thing here is that the students give the teachers lots and lots of flowers.)

Classes will resume/start as normal in Friday. But as luck would have it I don't teach on Fridays (Its just like college!) Then we have a working day on Saturday to make up for a long holiday next week. (Yes, students sometimes go to school on the weekends and its not considered detention). And since our holiday next week falls on a Friday, I dont have to work on Saturday either. Sooo, I don't really start school until Monday. So my first real week of teaching consists of 3 teaching days for me since we have Thursday and Friday off. (This really is like college!) What a life I tell you.


But really, I am getting pretty excited to get into the swing of things. Should be an interesting first couple of weeks. It is a bit nerve racking too, since I don't have any real experience teaching except for the small bit during training. (I think getting my teaching credential before I left would have been wise...but then I wouldn't be here now...) Lets just hope the kids don't terrorize me. I think my big smile will do the trick! What do you think? Wish me luck..