Miracles DO Happen!

Believe it or not, computer illiterate Eric found a way to post photos. It took a while, but after a quick SWAT analysis, local area resource evaluation, and hours of hard work, the task is complete. It's that kind of hard work my friends, that earned me my spot in the Peace Corps. All joking aside, by clicking on the link on the right side of the page, you will be able to access all of my photos. Currently there are only a few, as I have not yet upgraded to the "unlimited" account, but within a few days, I will have all my photos there. So... Enjoy!

Currently Listening To: "The Dust of Retreat" by Margot and the Nuclear So and So's

Boshe Moy!

Well, my first week of work is coming to an end and I have to say that I couldn't be happier. It has been a slow week, work wise, as for the first month or two they allow for an easing in process as we adjust to the environment and the language. I am working in the office of European Union integration for the municipality of Bratsigovo. Although we are technically affiliated with the municipality, we are considered a non-governmental organization which greatly increases the base from which we can write grants.

The main purpose of our organization is to identify needs and problems within the community and do what we can to help improve upon the situation. This many times involved writing grants to various organizations as well as interacting personally with the community. As of today, we won a grant to help install a heating system into the "halfway home" here in Bratsigovo. This home is a place where teens from the two local orphanages can live after the "graduate" from the orphanage. It's an exciting project which I will be working with frequently in the future. The project which I will personally be working on is for the renovation of a community center and pensionere's club in the nearby town of Biaga. Although I was initially disappointed to be working in an "obshtina," I think I have the potential to do much more here than I would in another NGO.

Since I have no great stories this week, and absolutely no animal bloodshed to share, I supose I will rant for a bit. Of all the non-personal things (family and friends) I will miss from the states, one of the largest things has to be a brand new season of "24." That's right, I said it... I'm bummed I will not be able to see a freaking TV show. I was told fox posted a trailer online and that it is incredible but being without sound or proper technology, I am unable to see it. Which brings me to my next point... I have will provide an extra special Bulgarian gift for whoever manages to find a way to send me episodes of "24." Be sure to keep in mind that I am technologically incompetent, as I have been living in a future EU country and am still unable to post pictures. Yet somehow my evil twin brother, traveling through Tibet has managed to find ways to post pictures, and videos, his entire trip. Boshe Moy...

First Days in Bratsigovo

Instead of a lengthy post on how much I enjoy my new home in Bratsigovo, which is sure to bore you all, I have decided to post two culturally enlightening stories for all to read.

Things Don't Always Have to be Difficult
To preface this story, I have to say that over the past two months, when discussing at-site living situations, there has been much talk of apartments with no heat, broken appliances, and other problems such as these. Having seen my apartment in Bratsigovo previously, I had no concerns until the night I arrived. Walking into the kitchen with my counterpart, Petiya, I saw that the fridge and freezer doors were both open, and the fridge was pulled a couple of inches away from the wall. Petiya began to tell me, in all Bulgarian mind you, how the fridge isn't working because it has problems when it is placed next to the wall. The freezer would work but the fridge itself did not remain cold and that in order to keep food, I should simply keep it where it was, by the window, and rely on the outdoor weather of the winter. This seemed reasonable to me, as I had been told something similar by the previous volunteer who lived there.

The next day, my landlord and his wife arrived to finish up some work in my bathroom. Through the previous night and day I had been mulling over what a pain it would be to not have a working fridge for the winter. "This will simply not work," I said to myself. But trusting in my newly found Bulgarian skills, I was sure I had understood her correctly. Wanting to press the issues further, I asked the wife of my landlord what exactly was wrong with my fridge. She stared at me for a couple of seconds with a puzzled look on her face, glanced back at the fridge, turned back to me and simply said, "The fridge isn't plugged it."

The World's Longest "Na Gosti"

For those of you unfamiliar with the term "Na Gosti," it refers to the Bulgarian custom of inviting and being invited to friends, family, and neighbor's houses for a meal, drinks, and a couple of laughs. I frequently went na gosti with my host family in Boboshevo, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Friday afternoon, while at my first day of work, I was asked by my counterpart Petiya, if I would like to come na gosti on Saturday afternoon. "Of course" I replied, as I am never one to refuse a free meal.

Saturday arrived and at 1:00, I boarded a bus to the nearby town of Byagam (which oddly means "to run" in Bulgarian.) Now thinking that this would be a normal na gosti, I came only with myself and a jacket. I had a nice meal with Petiya and her family and afterwards took a walk around town, was introduced to the daughter of one of her best friends, and went to the cafe with her for a while. As evening approached, I asked her when the last bus to Bratsigovo would be. "I'm not sure," she replied "but why would you be going back to Bratsigovo? I thought you were here for na gosti." Puzzled, we returned to Petiya's house and it became apparent that I would be staying for dinner as well. After dinner, we sat around, watched a movie on the television, all the while thinking I would be getting a ride home from Petiya's husband, as Bratsigovo is only 7 km away.

At 11:00, it was beginning to get late and my curiosity on when I would be leaving continued to grow. That is, until Petiya told me that when I was tired, I should just go into the other room and choose a bed, since I would be heading back to Bratsigovo in the morning. To make a long story longer, I returned home to my apartment this morning on the 10:20 bus, making the length of my na gosti just under 22 hours. As far as I know, this is a world record and I will soon be contacting the Guinness Book of World Records.

Currently Reading: "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand

Currently Listening to: "Hearts of Oak" by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Grapes and Misunderstandings (Also Known As: The Greatest Accient That Never Was)

Yesterday day while in the course of my jog I was running through the small town of Sopovo. While running down the middle of the one and only street in town I was stopped and called over to the yard of an elderly gentleman whom had briefly spoken with a couple of times before. When I came over he told me to wait while he hauled over a ladder, climbed up, and cut off three large bunches of grapes which he gave me as a gift. Delighted at my acceptance into the Bulgarian culture, both him and I failed to realize that with an ipod in one hand, and no back in site, I would be forced to carry the grapes in my right hand. Not wanting to be rude, I thanked him and continued on my run, bunches of grapes in hand.

When I reached a safe distance out of town I threw two of the bunches away as they were too much to carry for four more kilometers. When I was half a kilometer from town I felt a sharp pain in my right knee and was forced to walk (rather limp) the remaining distance home. I walked in the front door, took off my shoes and placed the grapes on the front bench. I then limped into the kitchen, not realizing that the grapes had bleed all over my yellow shirt and down my arm. Sadly, this was the first sight which Raina saw of me that day: Me limping into the kitchen, in my running clothes, with dark red liquid all over the right side of my body.

After a minute of calming Raina down I was finally able to explain to her what actually happened but needless to say, she was quite sure that I had been hit by a car. We all had a good laugh about it around the dinner table last night.

Currently Reading: "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers
Currently Listening to: "Ghost of the Great Highway" by Sun Kil Moon

Shopping 101: Bulgarian Style

As if picking grapes and making wine wasn't enough of a true Bulgarian experience, I upped the ante a couple of days ago. While sitting around the dinner table I was talking to my host dad when he told me that one of the rabbits which they keep just had seven babies. Since these babies would be kept in the same cages as the current rabbits, he informed me that he had to kill one of the adult rabbits. Not wanting to miss out on this opportunity I asked him if I could help and thus, ended up walking over to the house the next day at 4:30 for my first rabbit slaughter.

To start the process, Stefan grabbed a large, black rabbit by his ears and carried him over to a a part of the yard where he had placed two large pieces of cardboard. Stefan lowered the rabbit to the ground and due to a large amount of struggling by the rabbits, stepped on the rabbits two hind legs. The rabbit proceed to scream and cry in a high pitched whine which I was previously unaware rabbits were able to make. Taking a large knife, Stefan tilted the rabbits head back and proceeded to completely severe the head from the rabbits body. The head and body twitched for a good 30 seconds, all the while bleeding over the cardboard. Stefan then carried the rabbit, head in one hand, body in the other, to a ladder he had set up with a hook hanging from the middle. By cutting behind the achilles tendon of the left leg he hung the rabbit from the hook and began to break and cut off the rabbit's four legs. We then began the surprisingly easy process of skinning and gutting the rabbit.

To sum up this wonderful story I will simply say that I am extremely excited to head back to Boboshevo tonight for a family meal of shopska salad, mish-mash, and rabbit stew.

-Currently Reading: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain
-Currently Listening to: "Greetings from Michigan" by Sufjan Stevens

Life as a Bulgarian

I awoke this morning to a rooster crowing outside my window and the sounds of guests milling around in the kitchen outside my room. Why all the excitement you may be asking yourself? It's wine day for my family. At 9 o'clock we headed to the fields nearby and picked grapes for about three hours. After a picnic lunch in the fields we headed back to the house and began the process of making wine. The beginning of this process involves pouring the grapes into a large bucket and stomping on them to release the juices. We then poured the buckets (juice, grapes, stems included) into a large barrel where they will sit and ferment for a month. Althoguh I wont' be in Boboshevo when it is ready, I was promised by my host father that he will have a couple of bottles waiting for me when I return.

In other important news, I was asked to play soccer on the Boboshevo team as a substitute last night. As flattering as this sounds, I was asked by one of the players who had never seen me play but assumed I was good since we had been talking about soccer for the past thirty minutes. Either way I feel honored...

Currently Reading: "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
Currently Listening to: "Blue Screen Life" by Pinback