Alo,

The past week has been one with many ups and downs. I learned from my mother that a family member past away. It is really difficult to get this kind of news when you live so far away and you can not be there to comfort or console those you care about. You can try over the phone but it is not the same as being there. My great aunt was so much fun. I wish I would have had the opportunity to know her better.

Living this far from home, I have come to learn about a kind of hierarchy when it comes to a passing in the family. I hate for this to sound as a cut and dry matter of the fact type observation, but unless telling it face to face, it will unfortunately come off as this. What I mean by hierarchy is that there seems to be a certain path to grieving with obviously those closest to the person who has passed needs the most love and support from those around them. Then it goes on down the line with those not as close providing that support and receiving it from those who are even less directly related and on and on. In the type of society in which we live in the US (usually family does not live close to each other) it is sometimes easy for those who are slightly more distant relatives to forget their role in all of this. Sometimes during a passing, we are reminded why family is so important that the responsibility that each of us has and how we can be there for one another.

I guess it made it only fitting that after receiving this news that I headed to the mountains where it seems that all though life slows down, it is at the same time never more fulfilling. My friend Rado, his cousin, and his younger brother went to the mountains nearby Sandanski in the Pirin Mountains. The first day we hiked for about 2 hours up to some bungalows where we were to stay. The bungalows had no heat or electricity and everything we at we carried with us. The first day we went on a short 3 hour hike and just took pictures of the beautiful scenery. At night we sat around and played cards in the only building with electricity and tried not to freeze while sleeping. The next day we went on a six hour hike and once again enjoyed some Bulgarian rakia and cards. On the final day we had clear skies and could see for miles. It was a day that none of use wanted to end. We started climbing at 10 in the morning and stopped for some breaks but for the most part walked until 8:30 at night. It was a great time, had with great friends.

Upon returning to civilization I was informed that the Spa grant that I helped write for the local minority women and children’s center was approved. So I am finishing up the paperwork on that. This was great news to receive.

This upcoming weekend is the Pirin Folk Festival. Singers and dancers from all over the Balkans come and perform at our outdoor theater. The weather will be hot but should be with clear skies. I got my tickets for Saturday’s night show and promise to post some pics.

Until next time, this is me missing you.

Kellen

Alo,

So why did I title this blog my favorite line from the most underrated comic strip, Hagar the Horrible? Because I just did a radio interview today and Ehhhh Gawd is my Bulgarian horrible. But let’s back up.

On Tuesday I was contacted by Peace Corps and asked if I would be interested in doing a radio interview for a station out of the nearest big city, Blagoevgrad. The reason for conducting this interview was due to the fact that it is the day of peace on September 1st.

Sidenote: I googled

Sidenote w/in a sidenote: Dear John McCain:

Google, which is approaching its 10th anniversary of its incorporation, is the largest American Corporation that is not traded on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It employs around 20,000 of those constituents that you would like to vote for you. Most people utilize Google to conduct what is called a search. You go to Google.com and type in a key word or phrase and click on Google Search. Google keeps an index of words they find in web pages in the World Wide Web that are related to those keywords. The use of Google has become so prolific that when people are looking for information they are often told "Google" it. For example, I googled the fact that you stated that you do not know how to use a computer, have never sent an email, and have never used Google. I also googled the fact that you said "I do not really understand economics". So you do not understand economics and you know nothing about technology, but still consider yourself to be a good candidate for the President of the United States in the 21st Century?!?! If nothing else, please select a running mate who understands that in addition to allowing one to see outside while in his own house, windows is also a software operating system developed by this company called Microsoft. They are a pretty big deal, you should check them out. End Sidenote w/in a sidenote.

the date September 1st with the words peace day and then later the words day of peace and then later the words day of peace in Bulgaria and found no information about this said day. End Sidenote.

Not wanting to let on to Peace Corps that my Bulgarian is atrocious, I said of course I will. So the interview was arranged for Thursday. I decided maybe I should learn how to say the Peace Corps goals in Bulgarian and more words in general. So, I studied how to say these things and reviewed some sentence structure information, etc, etc. Feeling less than confident which was a significant increase from suicidal, I was ready for the interview. I met this lady who of course lived in Chicago at one time and whose daughter still lives there.

Sidenote: Every Bulgarian has lived in Chicago at one time. If they say they have not, it is because they were there illegally. I say Chicago should build a fence to keep out the foreigners. End sidenote.

Which this was great because she spoke English. This put me at ease based on the fact that if I did not understand the question, I could ask her to repeat it in English and I could then try to answer it in Bulgarian. So, I started off the interview answering the basic questions that I feel ok answering and this was nice. But then she started to get into more advanced topics and by more advance I mean she started asking questions that took more than a one word or one sentence answer. Upon feeling my throat close up and my chest tightened, the realization that my Bulgarian was not just horrible but worse than I could of imagined. This was when the Ehhh Gawd!!! Factor set in and in my mind I said in Bulgarian “Ehhhhh Gawwd” my Bulgarian is horrible.

I really need to change because before people would ask me how long I have been in Bulgaria and I would say 1 month than 2 than 3………and all the way up until now people would be amazed by the fact I can speak it to a certain degree. But now, I have now eclipsed a year since first learning a Bulgarian word and people are less supportive in a sense. I think I am going to go back to saying I have only been here for 3 months. It was a lot more fun when I was wowing people.

Anywho, the interview went on and she told me that if I answered in English she would have someone translate it, which was reassuring. But that is not the embarrassing thing, the embarrassing thing is going to be when they have to have someone translate my Bulgarian answers into Bulgarian. Needless to say this provided me the motivation, I needed once again to began my lessons. I also feel extremely guilty considering this poor woman is going to have to spend her weekend editing that piece. If nothing else though, she invited me to Blagoevgrad to go Na Gosti anytime I want, which it is always cool to have the press on your side.

I will let you know how it played out on the radio.

Until next time, this is me studying Bulgarian!

Kellen

Alo,

So it has been awhile since I last blogged. Here is a synopsis of what happened, I went to America for a vacation and came back. Alright you are caught up.

You may be wondering why I would thank China for well anything. If you have talked to me, you know how I feel about its position on Tibet and the Sudan, censorship of the press, the negative impact the country has on the environment (tad bit hypocritical), etc. But, I have to say thank you to China (well not so much China more like the Olympics in general) because it made me fall even in more in love with America and one event in particular reminded me why I love the world. This may also surprise you because if you have been talking to me, I have been raging about how poor the track and field team (the most important part of the Olympics) did at these Olympics. Although my three favorite events the men’s 400 open, mile relay, and the decathlon were dominated by Americans. So, why did the Games of the 29th Olympiad make me fall even more in love with the red, white and blue and almost to the extent that I just about listened to a Toby Keith song? Because it represented to the world, what I love most about America, our amazing DIVERSITY!

We opened the games with Lopez Lomong as our flag bearer. Lomong is a 1500 m runner who spent 10 years in a refugee camp in Kenya after he was force to leave his native Sudan at a young age (type his name into Google and just enjoy reading about him). He was quoted as saying that running for America was such an unbelievable honor because not only did it provide him safety he was also able to attend college because of a scholarship funded by taxpayers. He is a member of Team Darfur and has used this opportunity to help raise awareness about the atrocities being committed. This was also a big ol’ screw you to China and their continued support of a genocidal regime and total indifference towards human rights abuses (mildly put and hypocritical because the US has done nowhere near enough (see sidenote)).

Then we close the games with Archer Khatuna Lorig as the flag bearer. This was her fourth Olympics and the US is the third country she has represented. In 1992, she was a member of the Unifed Team comprised of former Soviet Union countries and in 96 and 00 she represented Georgia. Now, she was voted on by the captains of the various teams of the American delegation to carry the US flag. This was like a big ol’ screw you to Russia for going into South Ossetia. Our two flag bearers made a louder statement about the type of country that America is than our leaders could ever do.

In between the opening and closing ceremony the diversity of America was consistently on display. The men’s gymnastics team was comprised of members with Indian, Chinese, and Russian decent. Henry Cejudo the son of Mexican illegal immigrants won a gold medal in wrestling (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olyplaschke20-2008aug20,0,7629954,full.column). The women’s all around medalist’s father was a Russian gymnast. The lead goal scorer for the men’s water polo team is from Brazil. The Lopez family from Texas had three sibling members (2 brothers and 1 sister) competing in Taekwondo in the Olympics and all three medaled http://www.nbcolympics.com/taekwondo/news/newsid=183256.html. Crystl Bustos is a Mexican American homerun hitting machine for US women’s softball and carried them into the championship game. Brian Clay who is part African American and part Japanese American won the decathlon and the title of world’s greatest athlete. Etc, etc, etc.

You may be thinking that duh Kellen we all know that America is diverse. Well we as Americans do, but my Peace Corps experience has taught me that the rest of the world doesn’t. (Although many people that I meet see America now as black and white, which is why I did not list any examples of great performances turned in by white and black athletes, which is a step in the right direction when this may not have always been the case.) I was told early on by multiple Bulgarians, that I look American. When asked why this was, it is mainly because I am white with lighter colored hair; whereas, other members of Peace Corps Bulgaria who come from different backgrounds get asked where they are from and upon answering that they are Americans, they get the, but really where did your family come from (http://bulgariasia.wordpress.com/2007/12/). It is a frustrating experience for these dedicated volunteers who are representing what America is in its best form and upsetting for the rest of us who consider these people to be close friends. But just as the Olympic team showed on a world wide stage what Americans are, volunteers do it through the Peace Corps on a local level in communities throughout the world. So, while many people debate which is more meaningful the gold medal count or the overall medal count, America won what really mattered as its medal total was shared by the most diverse group of athletes in the history of the games. So, thank you Beijing for providing a forum in which the beautiful diversity of America could be show cased for the rest of the world.

That answers the first question. But what event reminded you that you love the world? Well that would be the single greatest event in Olympics’ history which took place in the closing ceremonies as Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya (C), silver medalist Jaouad Gharib of Morocco (L) and bronze medalist Tsegay Kebede of Ethiopia stood on top of the medal podium with eyes of the world on them.

While China, America, Russia, Great Britain, etc stood on the sidelines, the national anthem of Kenya was played and the flags of countries which rate 148th, 126th, and 169th respectively in the United Nation’s Human Development Index were raised. I could not imagine what went through the thoughts of these three athletes. To me, it was only fitting that the last three honored come from a continent that is all too often written off. It also provided me with hope that between now and London Games, that much will be done to improve the conditions for all the countries of Africa.

Until next time, this is me missing you!

Kellen

Sidenote: Previously I wrote about some thoughts I had in regards to how minorities would be treated in America if those in the majority did not have jobs and struggled to make a living. Would the majority care about the needs of others? My feeling was that the majority would become more protective and develop a me first attitude and want to close ourselves off and just like throughout history minorities would become the scapegoats. For instance, maybe our government would think it is a great idea to spend a ton of money on a fun climbing wall (might as well just include the hand grips) to separate ourselves from Mexico. (Wait a minute, we are doing that.) I pondered this question because; it helps me try to understand why there is hatred and ethnic divides to such a great extent in other countries and especially poorer ones. Through developing economies and providing aid we can improve the situation in many underdeveloped countries and help to end the slaughter of countless lives. I was perfectly happy with this mindset until I heard our government say time and time again leading up to the games and during it, that an improvement in a country’s human rights policy is preceded by an improvement in economic factors. It is being said so matter of factly (not a word, I know) now that it is starting to just sound like an easy way out for our government to avoid taking a hard-line stance with countries that are blatant human rights abusers but are economic allies. Even if the company line is the reality, it still makes me sad and I wish our government could at least pretend to care. End Sidenote.

Alo,

So today, I got a slip in the mail that said I received a package. I was not expecting a package, so instantly I thought the GOP sent me a bomb. Instead, it was my GOP friend Matt, who sent me a bomb of a present.

A little history on the relationship of Matt and Kellen in third person (don't feel right giving aways matt's last name without his consent.) Kellen met Matt back in the summer of 2001 when Kellen applied for a scholarship from the fratnerity that Matt was apart of. Turns out the scholarship was just part of an elaborate recruitment scheme. Naive was Kellen (third person with some Yoda mixed in). Kellen meets Matt at Applebee's in Minot, Matt interviews Kellen while subtly glancing at his watch to make sure he is not missing he tee time. Kellen ends up joining the same fraternity as Matt and slowly begin to build a friendship. Kellen goes to England for a semester in the fall of 02 and comes back and is on Matt's executive board in the fraternity. Matt and Kellen develop a really strong bond and Matt becomes a mentor for Kellen to go to for advice. Relationship continues as Kellen follows Matt's footsteps into the fraternity President's role. Later Kellen has the honor of being one of Matt's groomsmen and Matt moves to California.

Currently Matt has a beautiful wife and daughter and is enjoying life. Lately we have been exchanging some good emails mainly about politics and how I am wrong but also we discuss European football. I have really enjoyed the exchange that has been going on and that has been present enough, or so I thought.

As I slice open this bomb and peer inside, I first see fritos, then dorritos, then smarties, then suckers, then skittles, then a USA tshirt, then some red white and blue boxers, then a sweet American flag bandana, then a book on 911, then a SigEp journal, then a sweet toliet decal (John McCain 2008 sticker), and some other goodies. But three things stood out, he sent me a picture of his daughter and a heartfelt card. (Sorry Kelli, I know that I am giving Matt all the credit in this blog post and no doubt believe that you played just as big as role in it, but it kind of goes with the them of a Matt and Kellen story. Love you, Big Hugs Kelli. If only you would have had a sister, I would have married her. Tell your family to adopt one.)

But there was something else on the bottom. Something that was the biggest factor in the 10 KG bomb of a present. Something familiar and tear provoking. Something refreshing and classic. Something that I have been pining for and no longer have to. Something that the more I write this the more, I become overwhelmed. Something that represents the wholeness and purity of all that is America. Something that takes me back to those North Dakota nights and college days. Something that makes me think of Harry Carey and the Cubbies. Something that is the only redeeming thing about St. Louis (jk, only said that because I hate the cardinals, also really liked Nelly's Dilemma song). Something that makes me think of the Rod Stewart Have I told you lately that I love you and the lyrics to it.What is this something that fills my heart with gladness, takes away all my sadness and eases my troubles:

(Insert picture when I get home and continue blog at a later time.)

Alo,

Wow it has been a super long time since I last posted a blog. Here is an update:

-I turned 25

-Celebrated my birthday with Jon and Chase

-Learned that I have the coolest Bulgarian friends in all of Bulgaria

-Received awesome presents ranging from a painting, a bell, and an American Eagle that now has half a head.

-Improved my dance skills

-Hung out with some American Archaelogical students

-Attended a business conference for high schoolers in Sofia

-Am currently writing a SPA Grant and EU Grant

-Continue to teach English at the center for people with intellectual and physical disablities

-Still have horrible Bulgarian

-Learned that I am 100% a Gemini (different post, different day)

-Watched the first 6th episodes of the new American Gladiators (still in love with JET and Crush)

-Have less than a month and then I will be home

-Continue to teach an English level one course and have started teach a level 2 course

-learned what it means to sit and sweat

-Learned why it is unfair to characterisize people in the deep south for being lazy when all they doing is sitting around and sweating.

-One of my best friends in back from Iraq and my other best friend got a hot girlfriend

-Had two friends from college come to Bulgaria and visit me (Jay Fisher and Andrew Shaker)

-Went on a sweet hike with them from Rozen to Melnik

-Met the Lodwicks, probably the coolest people I have ever met

-Entertained Thomas' brother, one of the most fun jobs, I have ever had

-Found a non stop mysaka restaurant which is pretty much the late night equivalent of a truck stop

-Successfully fended off a relationship attempt

-Still working on getting a turtle

-Met joe the second and hung out with rajun

-Pondered get a tattoo but decided against because it is a big no no in the peace corps (actually I do not want a tattoo)

This is me missing you,

Kellen

Alo,

So life has not been all that eventful lately. A new season of American Gladiators has just started and with the combination of Crush and Jet being on the same side, it is safe to say the my life is much happier.

I traveled to Blagoevgrad this past weekend to hang out with some other volunteers. I went to my first movie in about a year and was really excited to see Indiana Jones. This movie has made me reevaluate if I really did like the first three. It was the worst movie I have seen in about a really long time. George Lucas strikes again.

A couple of weeks back I went to the mountains with some of my Bulgarian friends and had a pretty good time on Saturday night, Sunday was not one of my finer days.

I have attended my 1,000,000th parade in Bulgaria as Saturday was the day celebrating Saint Cyril and Methodius and all of the schools lined up their kids and paraded down the streets behind their school's banners. Other than the kids from the Hristo Botev school who had a huge poster of this guy and his picture on the shirts (google the guy you will see why it is cool), i was pretty disappointed. What is the point of having a parade unless there is candy, costumes and floats? I agree none.

This weekend will be a good one as I turn 25 and will have a get together.

Well, not really feeling to inspired these days. Will try again soon!

Until next time, this is me missing you!

Kellen

So I was not going to blog today until I heard the dumbest and I mean dumbest thing in a long line of dumb things that our President has said. He stood on foreign soil and commented that if the US (i.e. Obama if elected) would engage Iran in diplomatic talks that it would have been like the U.S. engaging Hitler prior to WWII. (Sidenote: Even though I think that the only people that have benefitted over the course of the past 8 years of this administration have been defense contractors, big energy companies, and international bankers, I was going to cut our pres some slack. His daughter just got married and he was on his way out. End sidenote.)

First off, this was on foreign soil. Didn't the Dixie Chicks get ripped by the Republican press for mentioning negative things about Bush on foreign soil and they all said that they should have had the guts to do it on American soil?

Second off, Prescot Bush (George Jr.'s Grandpa) while director of Union Banking Corps was found to be financing Nazi's even as his 18 year old son George Sr. was training as a naval pilot. (http://www.tarpley.net/bush2.htm, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100474,00.html, and http://www.spiritone.com/~gdy52150/timeline.html) As you can see even fox news has reported this connection.

Third, Iran has become stronger over the course of 8 years as a direct result of Bush's policies.

Fourth, he negotiated with Libyan terrorists involved with the Pan Am flight that was bombed so the conservative Livingston Group (headed up by Bush friends) could make millions. (http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/04/libya.oil/index.html).

Fifth, the type of negotiations currently taking place and gaining progress in North Korea are the type that Barack wants to engage in.

Sixth, Robert Gates current Secretary of Defense has indicated that the Bush administration will try and engage Iran in the types of talks that Barack ultimately wants to do in Iran.

Alo,

So it has been awhile since I last blogged and this has been primarily due to one thing a change in my daily routine. The past three weeks have been filled with holidays and changing of office locations. As a result, work has been hectic and unreliable i.e. it took over two weeks for a meter to be installed in our office, so that we could start using electricity. I have come to the conclusion without the use of computers and the internet work is impossible.

But during this time:

I celebrated Easter here which included a trip to the church at midnight to light a candle. The candle was lit from a flame that was flown in from Jerusalem. Following this, I along with thousands of other residents of Sandanski walked to our respective homes and let the candle burn as is tradition.

I went to the new disco, “Sin City”, which is in the brand new Mall of Sandanski. A friend of mine here works for the company who developed this and can get premium seats. It is a very nice club, but I can only listen to House and Chalga for so long.

I started training for the Sofia marathon, which is the second Tuesday in October. I am mulling over which one I want to run the Sofia or the Athens, with me leaning towards the Sofia as of right now.

I buzzed my hair for the first time in my life. Between this and laser eye surgery, my get reading time is next to near nothing. This has furthered my quest to live as efficiently as possible. (Sidenote: I am embarrassed to write this. I use to buy $15 carton hair stuff and buy expensive shampoo and condition, together around $30. In addition my haircuts were around $20. What in the hell was I thinking? For a few leva, I can go get a buzz, let it grow for two months and get it buzzed again and my shampoo is running about 4 leva a bottle and lasts for at least 2 months. End sidenote.) I have learned something from buzzing my hair and that is there is no way I am going bald. No peaks nothing.

I started teaching English and computer at the local center for people with intellectual disabilities and a colleague there and I are working on starting a Special Olympics team. This has become my favorite thing to do.

I continue to teach English classes and my adult class is at 10 students. They are all women, which is so much fun as few have turned into surrogate mothers.

I have started to attend a Baptist service at 4:30 on Sundays. A pastor and his family come from Sofia comes to Sandanski. The family is from South Carolina and has been living here for 7 years. He has pretty good Bulgarian and his kids have excellent Bulgarian skills. The service takes place in one of the 10 members houses. Supposedly there is a big difference between Bulgarian Baptist teachings and American Baptist teachings which explains why the Bulgarians do not attend the Bulgarian Baptist church. Anywho the service is done in English and translated by one of the Bulgarian members. It has been good for me as I stopped going to the church in town because I really was not getting anything out of it as too much was lost in the translation.

I am working on a survey and website project for my primary work office, but work will soon become sporadic once again as the new elections take place in June. This is a special election that was mandated by the court as the results of the first election for municipality council we declared invalid due to improper election supervision. All of my colleagues are in a non political political party and so work will come to a halt soon. It will be interesting to see the outcome of these elections. I will just be happy once they are over due to the waste that elections create. The town was just cleaning up from the October elections and all the posters that were plastered and flyers handed out, and now it starts all over again. I hate elections.

I have shopped at Sandanski’s Billa. What is Billa, well Billa is like a grocery store you would find in the states. I only shop there for goods that are not available in my local stores such as peanut butter and certain meats and tortilla chips. Put it this way, having a local Billa is a volunteers dream.

That is a little run down of what has been transpiring in my life. I promise to do a better job of blogging in the future.

Until next time, this is me not missing my hair and loving my Billa.

Kellen

Alo,

Life is good, the weather is nice, the new office is great but still being set up. I am back on track with my running and have found a new member for the running club. Yep that is about it. Stay tuned.

Until next time, this is me missing you.

Kellen

Alo,

I have some awesome news, I get to spend what is arguably the nicest weekend out of the year, moving heavy boxes. The business center has been asked to pack up shop and find a new home. I have yet to learn where this new home and am hoping that it is closer to my apartment, although I sincerely doubt this will be the case. Why has the business center been asked to move by the municipal council? Let’s just say politics is playing quite the role in this decision.

I would have to say that this is the 1,000,000th move that I have participated in over the course of the past 7 years. It all starts that wonderful day when you leave for college, than you switch rooms during the year, than you move home, than you go to England, than you move into the fraternity house, than you move out during the summer, than you move back in, than you move out for the summer, than you move back in, than you move to fargo to your grandparents, than you move to one apartment, than you move to your friends house, than you move to another apartment, than you move to grandforks to live with your friend, than you move back home, than you move to Bulgaria and to your host family’s, than you move to your permanent site. This is not counting moves that you have helped with in regards to friends, family, ex-girlfriend (at least 8 times helped with this one), brother (it should be a rule that no moving should be done on SpringFest), work office, etc.

The thing that haunts me, is that I am no where done moving in my life. When I get done with the PC, I will go to grad school and live there for a year or two, than it is hopefully overseas again and hopefully to a bunch of different locations, than maybe back stateside to a few different spots. By the time I land back in Western NoDak (Bismarck), I will be drawn into the indentured servitude that all parents become a part of as they are begrudgingly force to become movers themselves.

As I scan the office and the stacks of boxes already packed up and all the stuff still left to pack (Sidenote: Buildings built in former socialist bloc countries are not very conducive to moving in and out of. I figure this must be because once you were elected or put in a place you were not really given the option of leaving and or had nothing to leave for. End sidenote.), I am starting to understand why some people live in one place forever.

Until next time, this is me missing you.

Kellen

Alo,

Well this past weekend was probably the most exhaustingly fun time, I have had in quite awhile. On Friday morning, I boarded a bus at 8 and headed to Sofia. Once in Sofia, I met up with my fellow Southwesterns’ Thomas and Barb and dined on some awesome vegetarian food at a place called the Dream House in Sofia. (Sidenote: I am not becoming a vegetarian anytime soon, but if I could make dishes like that, I would at least contemplate the idea.)

After this we boarded a train to Starza Gora. This was my first time on a train in Bulgaria. I may have held out the longest out of anyone in my group. I am not oppose to travel by train and in many ways (financially) I prefer it, especially when traveling in a group. Although my first experience was not that kind to me as the train was packed and we were forced to hang out by the water closet for about three hours. On the bright side, we help to ensure the no one walked in on someone else using the bathroom. It is true what they say we are PCV’s 24/7, always helping.

After a stop near a big city we were finally able to land some seats and were joined by another volunteer, Alexa, for the rest of the trip. I had the pleasure of meeting a Bulgarian solider who had served in Iraq twice. He then gave me his dog tags as a gift. This happened after approximately five minutes of on again off again talking. I guess I just have a friendly face. The only thing that I could say to this is, I am also blood type O, which was written on the tags. Which may or may not have been a lie due to the fact, I have no clue what my blood type is. The only thing I had to offer him in return were some ND playing cards. So, some dude in Bulgaria right now has a pretty sweet deck of cards with all the fine birds from the great state of ND on them. I thought it was an equal trade.

The more I think about this exchange the more something (I have no clue what word could be used to describe this exchange) I feel. I thought pretty hard about another time that I received a gift in which I had no clue what to say and nothing even comes close. I am still a mixture of confusion, splashed with a little bit of honored, splashed with a little bit of about a million other different things.

So we finally made it to the Starza Gora and met Chase who was coming off a different train at the station. It is so cool just to run into other volunteers randomly. We then went to Ambers apartment. That night we bowled and enjoyed a wonderful evening of dancing to Chalga (I hate Chalga.) The night was a good time though. Chase and I even found a sweet room all to ourselves to sleep in.

The next day started off early and I have never been so lively and ready to play some football (soccer). The group of us hopped on a bus and headed to Chirpan where the charity football tournament, which was arranged by a man amongst volunteers the Jimmy Wall, was to be played. There were about 25 or so volunteers who formed teams and teams from Chirpan and the surrounding community as well. I am proud to report that the team I was on Аз Съм Мъж (literally translated as I Am Man, I came up with it, it was probably my biggest contribution to the team) made it to the championship game where we lost in penalties. I got a sweet second place medal out of the deal. Come to think of it I came away from the weekend with some sweet jewelry. After this we boarded a train back to Starza Gora got cleaned up and played some rummy which resulted in the greatest come back in the history of rummy by me. I have a feeling this comeback will be passed down from Peace Corps group to Peace Corps group. In fact we probably weren’t going to go out again that night until that comeback took place. It pretty much riled up the group so much to see history be made that we had to go out and celebrate this 200 point come from behind win.

The night started at a café and ended with some more sweet Chalga music. I hate Chalga. The next day (Sunday) we planned on catching the 12:50 bus to Sofia, but for the first time since I have been in Bulgaria a bus was sold out. So then we ended up catching a 1:49 train but by the time we landed in Sofia it was 6:50 which means, I was not going to make it home that night. I ended up take a bus to Dupnitsa with Barb and slept there for the night.

The next day, I woke up and walked to the side of the highway to flag down a bus as cars went speeding by. It was during this 50 minute wait along the side of the highway (this occurs as you miss the one bus every hour but about 10 minutes) that I put on the headphones listened to country music and sat on the railing, looked at the old houses, the graffiti, the mountains, the grandma’s pushing carts, and all the other signs of activity that have become normal that you just get to sit and think. This experience is not going to get boring anytime soon.

Until next time, this is me missing you,

Kellen

Alo,

So the B22’s are no longer the NKOTB (New Kids on the Block) of Bulgaria. The B23’s, all 39 of them, arrived on Monday full force and are ready to educate the young minds of Bulgaria. A group of 10 current volunteers met them at the airport and gave them some sweet vafli to eat on their ride to the mountains. For those who are not in the Peace Corps, there are different types of programs one can be in when joining the Peace Corps. The B22’s are comprised of Youth Development (YD) and Community and Organizational Development (COD). This new group is comprised of all teachers. Some will be elementary and some will be high school teachers.

Over the course of the next couple of months, they will start to learn Bulgarian and become familiar with what it means to be a teacher in Bulgaria. Sometime in June they will move to each of their respective sites, where they will make connections and get ready for the upcoming school year.

To date I have been in Bulgaria for 8 months and four days and am 8 days short of being an official volunteer for 6 months, and after seeing the looks on their faces, the mixture of anticipation, exhaustion, apprehension, and what in the @$#% am I doing in Bulgaria, I decided I need to do some reflection of my own. During this time, I have learned that I:

-love working with kids.

-will never enjoy a desk job in any country.

-enjoy not having the responsibility that comes along with having a car.

-want to be debt free as soon as possible.

-have the best family and friends.

-love working out.

-have no clue where life is going to take me.

-am a Christian.

The main thing that I have been thinking about during my time over here, is what I want to do with my life. I do know now that the main factor in determining what I am going to do is life experience. I am only 24 and am approaching 25 but I could not imagine waking up at 30 and realizing that I spent a good portion of my 20’s climbing a corporate ladder. Owning a big house and nice car is no longer as romantic to me as owning a scooter and condo filled with sweet second hand treasures (slowly becoming my mother). I am not knocking the former lifestyle as some people are born to be bankers and accountants and own a ton of stuff which they consider part of their American Dream. I guess the main thing change that the Peace Corps has inspired is a change in my American Dream, one that has a lot less stuff, stress, and debt.

Until next time, this is me missing you.

Kellen

Alo,

So the steps leading up to my office and the main floor of the building in which my office is in has been besieged by vendors. They showed up on the weekend and will be here pawning there goods until Sunday. This brought back some bad memories.

There is a common theme as 97% of the vendors are selling clothing or accessories. What is it about assembling a large amount of junk in one area that makes people think that it is not junk. I have five issues with this recent development.

The first issue: Sandanski already has more clothing shops per capita than anyplace else in the world. I have no facts to back up this assumption, but clothing shops almost outnumber people. Even on side streets that are nowhere near the main center you can find a clothing shop. So, why would we need to import vendors to sell the same exact clothing which is already sold in the local shops?

The second issue: By the third day of the week long festivities, all the vendors were putting things on sale. The third day! Seriously nothing tells potential buyers that you were initially trying to rip them off by starting a sale when the weeklong sale was not even half way through and that the stuff is so worthless that you would rather leave it here because you could not stand the idea of having to fold it, pack it, and then try to resell it in a different town. Sidewalk sales make liars out of vendors and fools out of buyers. It is were distrust was first established.

The third issue: Ever since I was a little kid and it was the middle of summer and it was scorching hot outside and you are forced to look at crap (or at least what I consider crap), I have hated sidewalk sales. To top it off, the only thing that is remotely interesting to you is the scraggly looking old school war vet turned war protester who is still sporting the camouflage all the while trying to sell rusty old knives and vinyl albums, but you cannot even hang out with him because mom does not want you buying a knife and you do not have a record player so you cannot lie to your mom that you want to buy a record when then truth is he is the only other person there than moms and grandmas. These days were the worst when I was kid. It shares the same things that I detest about the wedding receiving line: hot, sweaty, confusing, and keeps you from actually doing something worthwhile. I swear sidewalk sales inspired the fanny pack. (In fact there is a stand selling fanny packs.) At least Sandanski planned ahead and had this when the weather is bearable.

The fourth issue: If (big if) you are to have a sidewalk sale you must have deep fried food options such as Twinkies, Oreos, snickers etc., funnel cakes, slushies, or some other random food item that is not normally available. This sale is lacking those items. I call these items bait with which parents con their kids into coming so it can count as quality time or they simply help to keep your kids content and quiet. Now that I think about sidewalk sales are not only to blame for the creation of distrust, invention of the receiving line and fanny packs but for also obesity amongst the youth.

The fifth issue: They cause debt through irrational spending. Since they are only a few days to a week long, the consumer has to make a rash decision. You have on average fifteen minutes to decide if you should buy this $65 birdhouse with a witty saying in which the female bird says to the male bird you better watch it or you will have to sleep in the dog house (I just came up with that, it is actually pretty good, I might have to build a birdhouse after all, $65 is the third day price it starts at $90 on the first day) on it or not to buy this $65 birdhouse. Think about that $65 long and hard and its possible return in a Roth IRA over the course of 20 years. Probably will do you better there than sitting in some tree in a house you do not even own anymore.

In addition to creating distrust, inspiring the use of receiving lines at weddings, the creation and use of fanny packs, causing obsesity amongst the youth, I will now add bankruptcy to the list of things sidewalk sales creates. You see nothing good comes out of sidewalk sales. Nothing! If you would excuse me, I have to go build a birdhouse.

Until next time, this is me missing my sidewalk sale free city of Sandanski.

Kellen

Alo,

So all has been going well. I helped out with basketball and with Sunday activities. I also received a letter from my Grandma which will be incorporated into a future post. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! Happy Easter to you too! (Sidenote: Easter is not celebrated until the end of April/beginning of May here.) In addition, 25 gigs of music from my Ipod are now back on my computer.

On to the topic. I have found myself rewriting this paragraph a few times as it is really hard to put into words what I want to describe. I want to tell you about those certain moments that take place at a certain time at a certain place in which you are at your happiest. For instance for me, these moments occur when I am camping at the lake and am the first one up and the water is calm and the sun is shining or at the lake under the stars and around a camp fire with friends. I do not know what it is about these moments that make them the perfect moments for me, but there is something.

I have found these same moments over here and they take place right where I live. As I walk down the stairs of my apartment, the sun is shining through the door and as I step through the door, I am greeted by the snow capped mountains. That feeling of serenity instantly comes rushing in as it is the first reminder everyday that I am someplace new with the opportunity to do something special. The other takes place while I am running after sun down at the stadium by myself. As I circle the track I go from looking at the mountains to looking at the river to looking at the old soviet style apartments. This is the time when I just get to reflect on life and ponder where it is headed next.

It amazes me as everything in between can be monotonous or frustrating, but no matter what transpires during the day in this little Bulgarian town, I always have at least those two times to look forward to.

Until next time, this is me missing my Grandparents!

Kellen

Alo,

It has been a while since I last posted and you know why that is…I have been busy. Man that feels tremendous to say. I have been busy. Not busy like, I took up time and space, but actually busy.

Before we get into what is really keeping me busy, I want to first say that my Sunday day trip (yeah I live that close that I make day trips) to Greece was phenomenal. Five Bulgarian friends and I went visited my counterparts dad who works in Kavala, Greece which is close to Thessalonica. We hung out on the white sea (Aegean) and walked along a path that carved around a river. I also had the best gyros (kebab/douner) ever. It was a great day! I am excited to see more of Greece as it only took us two hours by car to reach the coast. Click on the link to see some pictures of the trip. (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2116243&l=a5e25&id=29419115)

Back to discussing what I am actually here for. My week has finally filled up. My work days are still the same as I will continue with my cluster, normal work duties, and assisting Roma businesses at the center, but what has changed (although I am getting much more mundane work at the office which I take as a sign of being a member of the team) is my off time. On Sunday’s and normally Tuesday’s (tonight is an exception as one of the children has a birthday, I am hoping she likes Oreos) I volunteer at the Roma Mother’s Center. Sunday’s at 11 AM is a Sunday School/Activity time for the children (song and dance and games) and Tuesday (5-7) I help tutor math. Tutoring math is the perfect thing for me to do as it only takes knowing the numbers and the different signs. Also, I just like math. We are also going to start English lessons at the center on Thursdays from 5-6:30. I am hoping to gear these more towards adults but we will see who is interested.

In addition to work with the Mother Center, I am an assistant coach with a grade school basketball team. The coach is a great guy who teaches very good fundamentals. The kids only play against each other as there is little funding and no real other programs in the area. I still have not figured out if there is a group of adults who get together to play basketball. This would be the best. The coaching gig takes place M and W from 5-6:30 and Saturday at 10 AM.

So, I get to use my love of math and basketball to work with kids and assist some wonderful people in the community.

In addition, I was invited by the local band director (we celebrated Trifon day at his house) to attend a local band practice. They played a special concert for yours truly. We got to talking and the band is in need of some new equipment. So, I am going to see how I can aid them in this. It is also interesting to note that the Mother’s Center is in need of some new traditional dance outfits. I am hoping to combine the two into one project to create a cultural explosion of music and dance.

All these things are taking place in addition to my twice weekly (Tuesday and Thursday night) language lessons. Also the running club has shrunk considerably but Plamen and I are still running three days a week, M, W, and Saturday.

These few new activities may seem small but they helped fill up my schedule which is something that I desperately needed. I was going crazy during my down times and now, I have a schedule that keeps me plenty busy and surrounded by people. In addition, the weekend activities provide me even more incentive to stay in site on the weekends which will only serve to save me money.

When I say that I desperately needed these things, this was an understatement. I received an email the other day from a future PCV and he said that from reading my blog posts that the PC seems very enjoyable for me and that I lack mention of hardships (except for Boza). Even though I do not complain about them, they are definitely there. Days in which you miss the comfort of home. Days in which you think about what you would be doing back in the states. Days in which you think of how your friends get to meet up and go to the bar. Days in which all you want to do is kick it with your family. Days in which you just want to hop in a car and drive somewhere/anywhere familiar. Days in which you wish you could contribute to your retirement account. Days in which you just do not want to study Bulgarian. Days in which you do not want to see someone you know on the street because then you have to stop and talk and your brain in not in Bulgarian mode. Days in which you question your commitment. Trust me, there are days like that, I just hate when people complain about life. I am afraid that when I go back to the states and I hear someone complain about something petty after seeing how little some of the people in my community have, I will snap.

These days are not fun, but then something happens maybe you meet a new person, maybe your boss says something that makes you laugh, maybe you get a nice message from a fellow PCV, or maybe you have a great work out. I have found these all to be life savers but I am counting on two things to take care of days like these: my new busy schedule and working with kids. Nothing can erase bad times like being busy and hanging with the youth.

Until next time, this is me not missing those days!

Kellen

Alo,

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, There will be a new blogpost Tomorrow. It is only a day away.

In the mean time read: http://www.b22blogstars.blogspot.com/

Until next time, this is me missing you,

Kellen

Alo,

So, as I promised early in the week, today’s posting will be a little update on my Bible reading adventures. A couple of weeks ago I jumped head first into the Old Testament. I learned about the creation of the world, the creation of sin, hung out with Isaac and became depressed and scared. I have found myself missing the New Testament and to a greater extent the gospels so much. I even miss Mark. The New Testament is so uplifting. You have this message from a guy named Jesus that is encouraging and uplifting. (Sidenote: Kind of like Barack.) He is someone who you would want to follow in his footsteps.

Anywho back to the Old Testament. Recently I have been hanging with David and have gone with him from a young field hand to King of the Israelites. He beat Goliath, united all the tribes, and repeatedly beat down the Philistines. The guy has everything going for him and then he sleeps with another guys wife, gets her pregnant, tries to hide the pregnancy by bringing back the dude to sleep with the wife, has he plan foiled when the guy won’t out of principle, and finally sends the guy to his death in the front lines. To punish David God makes his baby ill and it dies.

Even though depressing, it is honestly a great story to read, but the part that stands out the most is when David is confronted by Nathan (Sidenote: Out of all the names in the Bible this seems the least likely. It is not a Biblical name. I think it is a good name and I like it. It makes wonderful nicknames as well: Nate/Nate Dogg, but do not find it Biblical) who calls out David for his transgressions in a kind of like looking in the mirror type parable. David, who has been given everything because he has been faithful to God and has proclaimed all of his deeds done in Gods name, falls and repents for his sin. The mighty king David asked for forgiveness for his transgressions and his sins were forgiven. He was humbled by a common man when he easily could have followed what other Kings in the past did and have a person like Nathan killed, but he did not he came clean with his shortcomings. I will get back to this in a moment.

Yesterday, I read in the Grand Forks Herald about an anti-war protest that was done on UND’s campus. One of the organizers is one of my good friends and fellow UHS alum Hunter. We have reached the five year mark in this war and who knows how many more are left to follow. This protest got me thinking about present day leaders and if, when, how they ask for forgiveness for transgressions, mistakes, sins, lies whatever you would like to call them that they have made while in office.

I thought about Clinton and how weak of attempt he made when asking for forgiveness and how he was not forthright from the get go in regards to his ex marital affair. You also have to think of Nixon and well there was one too many lies to count there. I do not doubt for a second that every leader to some extent has made mistakes and has bent the truth or distorted facts to some extent.

Now when I think back to the start of this war and the basis for it, the case for it was made based on WMD’s and Iraq was a breeding ground for terrorists. Some may argue that there were other reasons, but these two were the ones most commonly mentioned by George W. Bush and those in his administration. (If anyone who disagrees with this, can find me facts to contradict the last sentence please let me know). All you heard in the build up to Iraq was terrorism and wmd’s. Congress was persuaded and supported Bush’s decision to go to War in Iraq based on wmd’s and terrorists. Both at the time were heavily debated and were later to be found out not to be the case.

Now, as I have stated before, I am not a peace loving hippie. As much as it pains me to say this since it is the 21st Century, war is still unavoidable and going into Afghanistan was the right thing to do. Also, was there any doubt that if America wanted to we could go in and defeat Iraq, we are the United States of America and as much as I hate that attitude, we can beat up whoever we want. Of course a surge in troops was going to work and if we brought even more in and stayed for a significant period of time and continued to invest billions of dollars we can win the war in Iraq which we are currently winning due to the abilities or our soldiers and overall military might. Think about the Yankees and the Lakers people, there is a reason they are or have been dominate, they spend the most money on the best players.

Even if we officially win the war it does not change the fact that as a country we were mislead by our administration and congressional leaders and as a result 4000 soldiers have perished and hundreds of thousands (some totals say a million) Iraqi citizens have been killed. (Sidenote: This group has created a list of 935 lies that were told by the administration when building the case for the War in Iraq and for the period immediately following it. http://www.publicintegrity.org/WarCard/). I will get back to this in a moment.

One of the main things I keep hearing about in this presidential election is about whether or not Barack Hussein Obama is a Christian or not. This tells me that a significant portion of the American people find religious affiliation to be an important factor in how they would vote for a president. I can only assume they would want a president or congressional leaders who have characteristics that the leaders found in the Bible possessed.

So if religion is so important to the people, why has the country not asked for its congressional leaders and the administration to follow in the footsteps of David and show some humility and prostrate themselves before the American people and admit that they were wrong; that they mislead the American public and are sorry for doing so.

I just hope that the next President follows these Christian principals and on behalf of the United States apologizes not only just to God (which I do not know if David made his transgressions known to the greater people or not, if anyone does know this, please tell me) but to the American citizens and the rest of the world for misleading it as it made its case for war. God rewarded David for coming forth and admitting to his transgressions and if God truly did bless America as so many like to proclaim (especially that Toby Keith) than I believe God, the American people, and the world’s community would reward our leaders as well. If only our leaders would be the Christians that the American people come election time want so bad.

Since that was kind of depressing kind of like the Old Testament, I am going to leave for the weekend with a quote by St. Theresa of Avila that I found as a discussion point in my Bible. This remarkable woman proclaimed, “I pray as if all depends on God; I work as if all depends on me.” Think about and it will be a blogpost soon.

Until next time this is me missing Christian leaders that act like Christians.

Kellen

PS Going to Greece on Sunday. Also the song What if God Was One of Us just came on. Which in a strange twist of fate or coincidence is a song that my friend Brandon and I listened to while playing a make shift game of basketball in his living room during the Final Four game between UMass and Kentucky. Random yes, informative? Very much so.

As I wrote last week, I am a b22 blogstar and my weekly bost about Bulgarian food or drink item of the week is on that site. Please click on the link below.

http://b22blogstars.blogspot.com/2008/03/rocky-heart-your-ultimate-fighting.html

Alo,

Yesterday, I made reflections of my trip to Austria, but I left out the two most important reflections:

Reflection 14: Blending In

For those who do not know, I am pretty much German. I say pretty much because like most Americans I am a mutt, but I feel safe to say there is more German in me than anything else. Since living in Bulgaria I really have not thought of this much other than when people ask me which part of Europe from ancestors are from and it is easier to say one country (felt like I was being racially profiled). Even as I have started to dress more like a Bulgarian (lots of black), I did not realize how little I looked like a Bulgarian. This was until I went to Austria and blended in with the people that reside close to my motherland, Germany, германия, Deutschland, etc. My counterpart was the first to point it out when he said man they smile at you because you look like them. Then I started to take notice, and I did look like them. I can not even pinpoint the certain physical characteristics, but I strangely felt at home amongst these close self resembling (I do not have any clue what that means either) people.

Reflection 15: Women

One of my tasks on the trip that was handed down to me by my fellow road trippers was to compare and contrast the women in each country. Now, I cannot honestly compare and contrast the women of Romania and Hungary. This is because in Romania all I saw were village babas (grandma’s) wearing their grandma hoods (please read: http://b22blogstars.blogspot.com/2008/03/baba-of-week-baba-hoods.html to learn more about the baba hood) and in Hungary I was either sleeping or reading as once again it looked like Eastern ND. But to compare and contrast the women of Bulgaria and Austria is something that I feel comfortable doing. (Sidenote: The following is what I have notice and does not pertain to every Bulgarian woman. In fact the comparison is amongst women from the ages of 18-23 that I have seen in each country. If you would like to know more about these women or see them for yourselves wait for the dollar to stop tanking and buy a ticket to the wonderful countries of Bulgaria and Austria. Keep in mind that I have not socialized in big cities in Bulgaria and have only went out two nights in Austria. End Sidenote.)

The women of Bulgaria as written previously are very attractive. They have a dark complexion with usually dark features (hair and eyes). Many of them (not all read the sidenote) that I have noticed wear a type of uniform: jeans tucked into high black boots, with a black shirt, big black sunglasses, hair straight or crimped (oyeah I dig the crimp), with a black puffy jacket and black purse. They walk in a row and usually arm in arm and it is like and Army coming at you. I think their way of dressing is heavily influenced by Chalga stars, which is cool with me. Like the Chalga singers they also look hot in the outfits.

The women of Austria had the same type of features as the women that I have grown up with have. Their hair and complexion is lighter. The clothing was not quite as tight fit and had color and variety. They do not look like they got dressed up to hit the run way rather the park for a leisurely walk. They also smiled a lot more too. As I was describing it to another volunteer these looked like the type of girls that you would go to a rock concert or a baseball game (if they liked baseball and is there anything hotter than a girl that can pull off a baseball hat) with.

I did not ask my colleagues their opinions on the differences, but I can only assume that I would have received the same answer that I usually get and that is that Bulgarian women are the most beautiful in the world and it is hard to disagree with them. But, just like I felt when I returned from England there is nothing that beats the beauty of the women from the fly over states. (I attribute this to the mutt factor as well, you mix up the gene pool enough, take a splash from this country mix in a little that country, and bam beauty.) The Austrians reminded me of the beauty that the women from middle America have.

In summary, Bulgarian women are hot in that Penelope Cruz sort of way, but Austrian women were beautiful chill in the Reece Witherspoon/Jennifer Garner sort of way.

It makes sense to me.

Until next time, this is me missing the beautiful chill women of the upper Midwest!

Kellen

PS I promise come Friday there will be a Bible Update. Currently in the Old Testament kicking it with David. Talk about a complex dude.

Alo,

The title of my blog is from one of my favorite songs: Traveling Man by Ricky Nelson. In deed this past week, I was just that a Traveling Man. At 3 AM last Wednesday, I got in a Peugot (if you are American just say P-Got because it makes Europeans irate when you say it wrong) and headed off to Graz, Austria. (Sidenote: Graz is the hometown of Arnold Schwarzenegger although I would not have known this if I had not learned about it before leaving. Arnold had a falling out with his hometown over his not granting clemency in death penalty cases and as result he told the city to remove his name from the stadium and that it could not use it in its advertising or promotion. I may not agree with the death penalty myself, but I do admire the fact that he stuck to his principles. End sidenote.)

In order to get to Graz we had to travel to the Romanian border (6 hours), take a ferry boat (half hour ride/1.5 hour wait), travel through Romania (9 hours), travel through Hungary (5.5 hours), and travel to Graz (1.5 hours). Add that up and you have a wonderful 24 hour trip. (Sidenote: In my last post, I complained about not being able to travel through Serbia. Turns out I was just in my complaints as some people from Kazanlak (nice people) which is about the same distance to Graz as Sandanski is, made the trip in under 15 hours. When adding it up both ways, the fact that Serbia does not like the US cost me and my colleagues (the true victims) 18 hours of our lives, then through in the cost of the extra gas and the environmental costs with burning that extra gas and the lowering the quality of life and my butt being extremely sore and you start to understand the true costs of failed diplomacy. End sidenote.)

Some reflections of the road:

1. I will never ever take for granted the US transportation system. I feel this way for many reasons. One being that if a river separated us from Canada, we would simply build a bridge, not make people pay a ton of money to wait around to board a ferryboat. The Danube is not that wide. Two, I did not realize that pot holes developed every five feet. The potholed filled roads of SW Romania were the worst roads I have ever been on in my life. The Bulgarian transportation system resembles that of America in comparison to Romania’s.

2. Older Bulgarian men listen to American pop music in the car. I believe that this is because they like the catchy beats while being able to avoid the horrendous lyrics. My father would never listen to the stuff, but surprisingly they do not mind.

3. In terms of how visually appealing the scenery was along the trip it went something like this: Sandanski (beautiful even at night), NW Bulgaria (nice mountains), SW Romania (depressing, Bulgarian equivalent is Belene (once again, I have never been there), Hungary (Eastern ND, flat), Austria (flat). I realize that this was a pretty week reflection, but I realized how long it would take me to adequately describe each place.

4. Bulgarians do not read in the car. I finished two books, three magazines, and studied Bulgarian. I really did try to avoid reading as I was seeing some new areas I had never seen before, but after you have seen one depressing village in Romania you have seen them all and once again Hungary looked liked Eastern ND.

5. My Bulgarian colleagues do not need food to function only caffeine. We left at 3 in the morning and they did not have anything to eat until 4 in the afternoon and then two of them proceeded not to eat again until the next day. This blew me away.

6. Graz was amazing in every sense of the word. Everything was beautiful from the trams to the architecture. Public transportation, running, and riding bikes were the primary methods of getting from here to there. The art galleries both modern and older rivaled many of the others that I love. But what I loved the most was seeing people dressed differently. People had died hair, hair that was cut funny, clothes in colors, crazy shoes, etc. In Sandanski everyone dresses and looks the same (this is not that much different from most small towns), here I finally started to see some variety. I did not realize how much I missed this. I will some day live in Graz.

7. If given a chance to drink Guiness in an Irish pub in Austria and debate the reasons why America is the world’s super power with a Bulgarian colleague while Austrians and Irish bartenders listen in, do so. It was a great debate as I took the American stand point, of it had to do with a variety of factors with the people of America being the most important. He took the geography and wwii reasons. In a strange twist of events, the next day when the clouds had lifted from our heads he agreed with what I said and I agreed with what he said.

8. Conversation of the night:

Irish bartender says to us (in English), “blah blah blah blah blah, something something something.”

Bulgarian colleague who speaks perfect English, “I did not understand a word he said. What did he say?”

Me, “I have no clue, I have yet to understand an Irish man in my life. Just agree because you do not want to make the Irish angry. They are like the Scottish without kilts.”

9. So there I was at the business conference (yes this was a business trip) and I was there representing a group of metal processors from my region. The goal was for me to pick up some best practices for forming clusters. The participants in the group were from the following countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, and Bulgaria. Even though it was completely done in English, it was still pretty surreal.

10. Conversation of the conference:

Dude from Croatia in very bad English: “Where are you from?”

Me: “I am from Bulgaria.”

Dude: “You do not look Bulgarian.”

Me: “That is because I am a (insert story of I am an American who is in the Peace Corps during which time he nods his head as if he understands everything.)

Dude: “Well, you speak good English for a Bulgarian. It was nice to meet you.”

I think something got lost in the translation.

11. I was in countries that used the Latin Alphabet once again. It is amazing that once you are away from countries that use it, how much you start to see similarities between words in English and words in other languages that use the same alphabet.

12. Sometimes you can be wrong when thinking there are similarities. For instance, I saw the following sign:

I figured that Da which means yes in Bulgarian plus men which means men in English would translate into “Yes this is the Men’s room”. Turns out I was wrong.

13. I cannot wait for Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and the rest of the world for that matter to adopt the Euro. It would seriously make life easier.

Well, I am sure many more reflections will come to mind at a later time, but for now that is enough. I had a great time and I cannot stress enough how great the town of Graz was. Even though this was the case, there is still no place like home and I was pumped to return to the little slice of Heaven that is the Sandanski.

Until next time, this is me missing the St. Patrick’s Day run in Jamestown.

Kellen

As stated in the earlier post today, I will be gone for an extended length of time. In order to get your daily blog fix, please visit http://b22blogstars.blogspot.com/. There are 7 days in the week and 7 wondeful bloggers who each blog about a different Bulgarian related topic.

Enjoy!

This is me missing you,

Kellen

Alo,

Past weekend was another delightful one but nothing out of the ordinary. Drank at Cacoa and ran at the stadium.

I was also witness to two more holidays over the weekend. I am beginning to believe that if there is blank space on a calendar, it invites people to make up a holiday. On Saturday the 8th of March was National Women’s Day. Pretty much the equivalent of mothers day but for all women not just the reproducing kind. You are to buy your female friends and coworkers flowers to show your appreciation for all the kind things that they do for you throughout the year.

I have to admit, I did not buy flowers for anyone and you know what I do not feel guilty for this. See if I was the typical (not all) Bulgarian male (son, husband, grandfather) who does not cook or clean for themselves, I would gladly have purchased flowers for the opposite gender. But seeing as, I cook for myself and clean for myself, I avoided the temptation of being guilt tripped into this holiday.

(Sidenote: After reading the last paragraph, I am starting to think that I have become a Republican. Note to self, next March 8th, buy every woman I see a flower in order to avoid having my heart being turned permanently into stone by the fact that I will only do something nice for someone else based on if I get something in return. Hopefully by at least acknowledging this mistake, I will be able to keep my soul from being stolen by Rush Limbaugh, I mean Satan. End Sidenote.)

Then on Sunday was another holiday. This was national burn trees as a symbolic gesture of all of your sins and demons from the past year going up in smoke. The town of Sandanski was literally on fire as each neighborhood had its own massive fire. Between asking others for forgiveness on Friday and burning away all my bad deeds on Sunday, it is safe to say I have a clean slate. I guess I have that going for me, which is nice.

(Sidenote: When discussing the Sunday holiday with my counterpart, he told me that when they were kids they would gather old tires and burn them and the town would have a black residue and smell horribly for about a week. Turns out that was not a good idea. End Sidenote.)

The workweek has been great so far and is only slated to get better. Yesterday, a gentleman from Greece visited us. He is a very brilliant man with many years of business development experience especially in tourism. I was invited by my boss to have tea and eat lunch with him and the fellow from Greece. It was a great conversation that was one part Greek, one part English and one part Bulgarian. We discussed the banking sectors, development practices, cluster development, and even the US presidential election.

The rest of this week will be either spent on the road and at a conference in Austria. At 3 AM on Wednesday morning my boss, a businessman, my counterpart and I are leaving for Graz, Austria. Here we will attend a business conference on how to develop business clusters. My counterpart has started calling me the cluster as the research of business clusters has been my life for the past month.

(Sidenote: I have never really had a nickname in my life. The closest I get is when people call me KRU. In fact while most of my guy friends are called by their last names, I have never been. The more I thought about it, the more that I have come to realize that (as a male) the more unique your first name is the more likely you are not to have a nickname or to be called by your last name. For instance, the majority of my friends I call by their last names: Klundt, Strop, Ahrens, Tranby, Kerzman, Fegley, Orn, Foss, etc...There names are Josh, Justin, Chris, Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, Jeremy, and Craig respectively. As with every rule there are exceptions.

Ben being called by the shorten form of his last name, Hooch.

Jeran being called his last name, Harmon, or for that matter Bear Man.

Matt either goes by his last name, Hillerud or the Hilladude or Snugs.

Erik Anderson goes strictly by his initials EA.

Brian being call B-Shawn.

Whereas I have a friend named Hunter and I call him Hunter. End Sidenote.)

In America, we kind of take the practice of combining private industry, academia, and the public sector in order to promote regional development or the development of one sector in particular as the norm. I believe that this is because of the trust that has been developed between the entities, the level of transparency, and the protection of property rights that are present in America (last two go hand in hand).

During this past month, I have been pouring over all the research that I can get my hands on in terms of cluster development and best practices for transitioning economies. The study of cluster development is fascinating and I have never looked forward to a work conference as much as I am for this one. That is even before the fact that I will be seeing Romania, Hungary, and Austria for the first time settles in.

I cannot thank my boss enough for inviting me to go on the trip. It does come at a slight inconvenience for my fellow attendees as usually the fastest way to get between two points is a straight line, until politics gets involved. That straight line would have taken us through Serbia and although American’s are not forbidden from traveling there, the fear that we will be stopped for a significant length of time at the border has altered our traveling plans.

I am pretty stoked about the forthcoming trip and will have a long blog about the trip and will also post pics.

Here’s to everyone have a great St. Patrick’s Day celebration!

Until next time this is me soon to be missing Bulgaria!

Kellen

Alo,

We just finished up another weekly staff meeting. I was much more involved in this meeting though as work was not discussed. We were celebrating respect your elders day. I tried to find information on line about this day, but have failed to find anything. From what was told to me, this week and especially today is the day you ask your elders or anyone that you respect for forgiveness for any wrongs you may have done in the past year. Especially if you are a son you ask your father for forgiveness. I am not catholic, but I am imaging it kind of like being in a confessional booth expect with booze and food.

Since it was a day in which I was to respect those in authority, my boss took this as a great opportunity to bestow upon me his knowledge of the female gender and more specifically how to impress them and what they like to hear. So armed with my pen and notebook (figuratively not literally) I listened intently to his advice. Keep in mind he spoke only in Bulgarian and this was in front of my two female colleagues and two other male colleagues, good thing I do not get embarrassed easily. One of which was interpreting for me.

We started with a story which may or may not have been true or about him. He told me of a person who was in college during in the 80’s. Back then he told me that girls were not allowed in the boys dorms and vice versa. Also, the doors were locked at a certain time of the night so they would sneak in and out of windows. Turns out cohabitation policies in dorms do not work anywhere or during any decade.

Anywho, as the story goes he (fictional man in the story) shared a room with two others and one of his roommates really liked this beautiful girl. So with her permission they snuck her in through the window as they lived on the first floor. After a while the two others in a weird twist of fate left to go elsewhere and leave their roommate and the girl alone. Now anyone who has lived in a dorm or shared a room during college has probably been politely asked to leave the room. At this time I made an assumption that the story was going to be about his friend disrespecting the girl by him coming on to her and her denying him. Because this is usually what is going through the mind of the one who is asked to leave is that something physical will happen between the two. (I am not condoning this just explaining the process.) As one who has left the room before, you always sort of hoping your friend will get shot down, so you can guilt him for him asking you to leave. (At this moment in time, I have come to the realization that college age men are truly shady creatures.)

My assumption was wrong in this case. As the story unfolded one of those who was asked to leave was slapped across the face the next day at class by the girl who was left in the room. This man was so taken back by being slapped in front of others that he hurried back to ask his friend what had happened the night before. He asked his friend, “Did you try to, you know?” His friend said no and proceeded to explain that they stayed up til six in the morning as he read her poems all through the night. According to my boss, the one guy was slapped because he left the girl in the room with a guy who did not make a move on her and proceeded to keep her up by reading her poetry.

This was like one of those NBC Saturday morning with pick a cast member from California Dreams, Hang Time, or Save By the Bell “The More You Know” Segments. Moral of the story: Show respect towards women by making shameless physical attempts. In addition he also gave me some good lines to use when picking up the ladies here in Bulgaria. I am also to touch her hair and face a lot.

My boss is not alone in regards to giving me advice on how to interact with Bulgarian women. All mature male adults, enjoy bestowing their knowledge of the female gender. I know that I am not the only male PCV to receive advice in this area. In fact the first thing that I am asked when meeting a male adult is what I think of the Bulgarian women. My reply is that they are beautiful and I am not just saying that to be nice. Bulgarian women are beautiful. This question is usually followed with, do you have a Bulgarian girlfriend. Or for that matter, how many Bulgarian girlfriends do you have? When you answer no or none, they look at you like you are nuts and that is when the advice starts to come.

I want to write about what it is like to be single in a foreign country and all that. Trust me, I will some day soon. But, it is Friday and I just wanted to highlight the relationship advice that I received today and receive on a daily if not weekly basis. Sorry for the let down.

Until next time this is me missing you!

Kellen

PS A little heads up…Next week there will only be one entry as I will be attending a conference in Austria. We are driving from Bulgaria to Romania to Hungary and finally to Austria. 1300 KM! This trip will take place from the 11-16. I am really pumped to see all of these countries. It is going to be rad.

Alo,

Brief note that has nothing to do with BFDIW as it is not a Bulgarian food/drink item. Last night at the bowling alley I found a long lost friend, or so I thought. As the bowling server (she did not have a mullet either) listed off the types of beer that they had, a familiar beautiful word came out of her mouth, "Budweiser". I thought to myself, did I just hear her correctly? Was it possible that something got lost in the translation? Upon clarifying that it was indeed Budweiser that she said, my life once again found purpose and I was overjoyed.

The server brought it out and upon immediate inspection:

I could tell that something was not right about this Budweiser which lowered my level to joyed as is depicted in the picture.

Unfortunately joy soon turned into despair as the Czech imported Budweiser, did not taste, well...good. I just thank God Harry Carey never had to suffer though this type of let down when it came to Budweiser. Moments like this are why we discuss the ups and downs of Peace Corps service so much at trainings.

Until next time, this is me missing real Budweiser.

Kellen

Alo,

My apologies for not posting Part 2 of Bulgarian Food/Drink Item of the Week yesterday which was the allocated day. There are only a few things that get me to break promises nuclear war, American Gladiators, and integration opportunities. Last night, it was the latter. In fact I had all intention of posting it last night after the running club (sadly it is back down to two members as university has started once again), but then I got a call asking if I wanted to go bowling in Blagoevgrad. Whom am I to turn down bowling? Which is kind of ironic that I went bowling the same night I ate the "Bulgarian Redneck Dinner". (Sidenote: Not one mullet at the bowling alley. I did not know it was possible to be at a bowling alley where there was no mullets. I even double checked the sign on the door and it sure was a bowling alley. It did not feel like bowling though without the mullets.)

Prior to leaving though, I did take some pictures for BFDIW. In fact, I felt so guilty about not being able to post it yesterday that I did a two for one. You are going to learn about two Bulgarian Food/Drink Items which comprise the Bulgarian Redneck Dinner.

Write this equation down:

Finetti + Арйана (Areana E as in the first letter of Ezekiel) = Bulgarian Redneck Dinner

First up is Finetti. Finetti is made by a Greek company called Cream Line. They have three factories and one of which is in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria. Touring the factory is now topping my list of places to see in Bulgaria. Finetti, more specifically its unique combination of hazelnut spread with cocoa and white cream http://www.creamline.com/page/default.asp?id=554&la=2 pot, is my favorite food item in Bulgaria.

Inse

Many people choose to put it on bread or dip cookies or fruits into it. I in typically redneck/pregnant lady fashion choose to eat it straight out of the pot as they call it.

You maybe wondering how I choose which side to eat from: the white or the chocolate. I do not segregate, I integrate as it is the combination of both sides that makes this so special.

The second part of the Bulgarian Redneck Dinner, Арйана (Areana, E as in the first letter of еxactly), is a Bulgarian beer. In fact it is the cheapest Bulgarian that I have found. This is what college kids in America would drink. The bottle shown here:

Cost me 60 stoltinki which is about $.44. I was tempted to say it is like Pabst due to the price, but I like Pabst. So, I will call it a mixture of Icehouse and Milwaukee’s Best based on taste and price.

As I got ready to sit down for my traditional Bulgarian Redneck Dinner, I had to first put on my Redneck flannel (not flannel, itched like wool) thrift store shirt that was bought the previous weekend as seen in previous picture.

It was at this time, I realized I did not pack a white tank top, the affectionately called “wife beater”. Kind of made me sad.

In addition, I invited some family and friends to join in my “Bulgarian Redneck Feast”, because the only thing better than a Redneck feast, is a Redneck feast with family and friends.

Here’s my mom, dad and brother.

Here are my Grandmas

Here are my friends Brandon and Josh.

Even though I have yet to see a Bulgarian eat Finetti or even drink Арйана (Areana, E as in the first letter of experience) for that matter as I live in a classy place such as Sandanski, I think the people who moved from the village (where I can only imagine this is a normal meal) to the city still do this behind close doors.

Well that was Part 2 of the BFDIW hope you enjoyed.

Until next time this is me missing you.

Kellen

Alo,

Another great weekend has come and gone. On Friday night, I was invited to a na gosti with my friends. We stayed up til four drinking and eating and rocking out to 80’s ballads. It was not until I came to Bulgaria did I realize the genius of the Scorpions “Winds of Change.” What I love most about these is they make me feel like I am at home. I have always been fortunate to be surrounded by a great group of guy friends and here it has been no different for me. I am very lucky to be in a town with a young population as many other volunteers struggle to find people their age to hang out with during their free time. I have come to enjoy these even more as I have learned how to give other people grief (keeping the blog PG rated) in Bulgarian. Also this group understands my sarcasm which is lost on about 99% of the population. I am already dreading the day in which I have my last all night na gosti. Just happy it is well over 20 months away.

The next day was March 1st which is Baba Marta Den (Grandmother Martha Day/I may have made this translation up). Baba Marta Den is celebrated throughout Bulgaria and symbolizes the first day of spring. The highlight is the giving and receiving of Martenitsa which are bracelets made out of red and white yarn/string/chalga singers. You hand these to friends and loved ones. The rule of the band is that you must wear it until you see a stork or as some have told me a swallow. Upon seeing one you tie it to a blossoming tree.

Lucky for me, I had some fellow PCVS: Amy, Janelle, and Kai visit me this weekend and help me celebrate Baba Marta Den and soak up the beautiful weather. This marked the second consecutive weekend the Sandanski was visited by three volunteers. This further solidifies Sandanski ranking as the greatest town in the universe. In a surprise twist of fate a fourth volunteer also happened to be in town, dear old Besty (Beckie). So after making brownies, we all went out to the Cacoa bar and later to the Downtown. I think it is safe to say the Americans rocked the dance floor. No matter what music was spun, we could match it move for move.

The next day (Sunday) came rather quickly after a long night out. We made plans to visit the tourist site of Melnik. This would have to wait though as we (by we, pretty much Amy with Janelle as a close second) thoroughly dissected every article of clothing and pair of killer shades imaginable in the local thrift store. After this we finally made it to Melnik. (I do not promote other towns on my blog as I am a PCV in Sandanski. My loyalty is to Sandanski and its mighty football club Vihren, so if you want to know something about Melnik look it up.)

Upon returning to the Sandanski we played a little cards, hit up the Iceberg and called it a night. The next day (March 3rd) is Liberation Day in Bulgaria or National Day of Bulgaria. It is Liberation Day because it was when Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. I was expected fireworks (as they are randomly shot of anyways) or a parade or something. But, I had to settle for an ice cream sundae, some good company, a good workout, and a day off of work instead. It is weird to have a day off of work here when people back home do not and vice versa.

As far as work is going, I am staying plenty busy and if my trip is approved by Peace Corps I will be heading to Austria for a business cluster training seminar from the 11-15th. This trip has been in the works for a couple weeks now, but I only got the all clear from my boss this morning. My attendance was almost derailed because we were initially going to drive through Serbia. Instead we are going to drive to Romania, Hungary and then to Austria. That is another three countries for the ol’ passport. Needless to say I am pretty stoked to represent my organization and see the countryside of Eastern and Central Europe.

Tomorrow is another weekly installment of BFDIW.

Until next time, this is me missing Betsy (Beckie)! (Why Beckie because bought me a Martenitsa that says I miss her and Martenitsa’s do not lie.)

Kellen

Alo,

Today, we had our weekly not scheduled sometimes random timing staff meeting. At the behest of my boss, we gather around the table and we start to discuss the monthly plans. By we, I mean they. This is not to say that they do not try to include me as they do make a valiant effort, it is just I do not speak Bulgarian, for the lack of a better word, good. Also, I do not expect them to translate everything for me. This would just be a pain and the meetings would run longer. These meetings usually last anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. There is no set agenda for the meetings, they are more of a state of the union type of address (minus the lies and the repetitive use of the words evil and terrorists and/or evil terrorists). For about the first hour and fifteen minutes of the meeting, I am pretty much non existent often with my mind bouncing from one random topic to the next.

During this hour and fifteen minutes of prime mediation time, I bite my tongue about 25 times. Why do I bite my tongue you may ask? Because this was a trick I learned in college. Whenever, my mind would start to wonder, I would bite down hard on my tongue to regain my concentration on the import matter at hand. I think I am going to have to find something new as no matter how hard I bite my mind wanders. So, I decided during this time, to let my mind wander and see where it took me. (Keep in mind that to truly let your mind wander, you cannot be thinking of you mind wandering and once I realize it is wandering, I would bite on my tongue to refocus on the conversation so as for me to lose interest so my mind could subconsciously start wandering again.)

Some reflections from my wandering mind:

1. I am a mind wandering multitasking pro. While my mind wanders, my body decides to keep itself busy by doing one of three things.

-Leg bounce: I am a leg bouncer. Scratch that legs bouncer. I am that annoying person who shakes a table and distracts others and heightens their anxiety levels. I come from a long line of leg bouncers and cannot really control it. I am kind of like fat bastard in Austin Powers who said, “I eat because I am depressed and I am depressed because I eat.” Well, "I bounce my legs because I have anxiety and I have anxiety because I bounce my legs". It makes sense to me. (For the record my legs are a bouncing right now. This could be why I dig dancing so much.)

-Nail biting: I can go a whole week without biting my nails, but once the weekly not scheduled sometimes random timing staff meeting occurs that growth is gone. I am not your normal nail biter, I am an extreme biter. One of those who if he sees and edge he goes for it, no matter how deep it is or if it will draw blood. My dad use to claim (by they way the guy has been a coach for 30 some years) that I was the only person he has ever seen who bit their nails while dribbling the ball down the court. I stopped this after sixth grade.

-Doodling: Whenever we have a weekly not scheduled sometimes random timing staff meeting I always grab some scratch paper in the event I maybe tasked with something important to the economic well being of the greater Sandanski area and my brain will not be able to remember the one thing that I am asked to do. So armed with my pen and piece of paper and while I am anxiously awaiting my tasks, random lines and circles form on my sheet. Upon biting my tongue, I embarrassingly fold the sheet to hide my doodling. Last meeting I had four fold which does not seem like a lot but trust me it is.

But today I even impressed myself, as I bit my tongue to the realization I was bouncing my leg, biting the nails on my left hand, and doodling. I think we have champ. Tongue bite.

2. I had two, "I cannot believe, I am sitting around a table in Bulgaria with Bulgarians who are speaking Bulgarian, where was I at last year at this time" moments. These are usually followed by me having a stupid smile come across my face. These are always followed by the realization that if I could stay focused on the discussion at hand, I could probably pick up some more Bulgarian. No tongue bite needed in these instances as my mind brings me back in to the discussion.

3. I often find myself having “what should I be doing on my other projects” mind wandering moments. I consider these productive mind wanderings. Tongue bite.

4. I also have the “what am I going to do when I am finished with the Peace Corps” mind wandering moments. I enjoy these the most as I find myself traveling the world, studying, becoming a bartender, curing Aids, living on a beach, getting married, producing babies (note how the last two came in the proper order), etc. Great times and also puts into perspective my current place in life. Tongue bite.

5. I also seem to have a “flashback” moment or two. During this particular mind wandering period, I had two flash backs. One was homecoming night my senior year of high school and the other was taking man shots in Pick City last summer. I love these reflection times. Tongue bite.

6. Finally I had a "What is my next blog going to be about" moment. It was during my mind wandering that the idea for this blog came about. I find many of my blogging topics during these meetings.

“Kellen” says my boss.

“Kak” says I. (Kak is the short form of what in Bulgarian.)

“What have you been up to?” Asks my boss. (not in English or if in English in broken English) (There is so much irony in this question. For you see, I would love to tell him all about my mind wanderings that I have had for the past hour and fifteen minutes as a result of not being able to speak Bulgarian. But, ironically I would not have these mind wanderings if I could speak Bulgarian. So, I am pretty disheartened by the fact my boss and I will never be completely close due to this twist of fate.)

This signifies that my mind wandering time has come to an end. This is code "for tell us but keep it short, it is lunch time". Here is where I list off my contributions to the center, receive my tasks for the week, and inform them of my save the world secondary project plans. It is immediately following the latter, I get the “that’s cute let us know how we can help" response.

So that is a basic weekly not scheduled sometimes random timing staff meeting for me over here. For the record, I do strive to make it further and further into the meeting with less mind wandering each time; although part of me really does not want to as I enjoy letting my mind wander.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Until next time, this is me missing you!

Kellen

Alo,

Welcome to the first ever installment of the “Bulgarian Food/Drink Item of the Week” or BFDIW. (Sidenote: Since I did not want anyone else to use this acronym, I have submitted a request on http://silmaril.ie/cgi-bin/uncgi/acronyms#submit to recognize the acronym BFDIW as Bulgarian Food/Drink Item of the Week. I do not believe this has any binding or legal significance, but does give me some peace of mind. End Sidenote.) Deciding on what was to be the first entry, was very perplexing. I pondered many of the wonderful kinds of food and drink that Bulgaria has. Ultimately, I thought it would only be fitting if I started this weekly segment, bychoosing the food that many Bulgarians choose to start their day with: BANITSA (БАНИЦА)!!!

What is banitsa?

I have found myself rewriting this paragraph time and time again as it is hard to describe the place the banitsa has in Buglarian society. On paper, banitsa is a pastry comprised of (according to the Peace Corps “Cooking in Bulgaria” handbook) butter, 500 grams of cirene (think feta cheese but better), 4-5 eggs, ¾ cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 250 mL yogurt, ¼-1/2 cup vegetable oil, and 1 package banitsa dough. But in Bulgarian society this food transcends just its basic ingredients. In fact, I have yet to attend a holiday celebration where banitsa was not served. During Christmas time lucky charms (късмети, kasmeti) are put into banitsa. (Stolen from Wikipedia) These charms may be coins or small symbolic objects. More recently, people have started writing happy wishes on small pieces of paper and wrapping them in tin foil. It looks like this:

Wishes may include happiness, health, or success throughout the new year. (Sidenote: My kasmeti informed me that I was going to get a car in the following year. Normally I would have been pretty stoked about this except for the fact that we cannot own a car while in the Peace Corps. Although if I could own one, it would be a Russian made NIVA which will one day be its own blogpost. I did dodge the having a child kasmeti and the getting married kasmeti, so I felt pretty fortunate about that. End sidenote.)

In addition the word banitsa can be used to describe badly maintained documents, passport or notebook. Another expression (courtesy of wiki), which was popular in the 1980s, is "And maybe you'd like some banitsa hand delivered tomorrow for breakfast too?" (а банички с кисело мляко сутрин рано за закуска в леглото не искаш ли?), meaning "You want too much." But my favorite use of banitsa or a banitsa related product deals with the pumpkin banitsa called "tikvenik". For instance if you are driving in Bulgaria and someone does something wrong you yell tikvenik, which means stupid or dumba**.

For many volunteers, one taste of banitsa was all it took and they were hooked. For me, I had to dip my toes in the banitsa pool a few times before, I jumped in and took to it. I limit myself to one banitsa during the weekdays. This is usually on Wednesday as Wednesday is a running club night. This is very important as a slice of banitsa contains about 1300 calories (I could be totally wrong on this and if anyone knows the right amount please let me know.) Also, banitsa is the pefect next morning medicine after a long night at the Iceberg. Banitsa is as effective as a Number 18 at the Big (not politically correct) Sioux café in Grand Forks at aiding in one’s recovery efforts.

The following pictures are a play by play of how I enjoy my Wednesday banitsa.

First, I see the sign, (cue the trumpets):

Second, I scan the options of different non healthy breakfast options that lay before me. Salivation has started.

Third, this lady and I make small chat which although pleasant delays my banitsa intake.

Fourth, I giddily walk and sit on a bench to inspect it.

I take a little peak at the topside.

I Check out the grease to non grease covered ratio on the wrapping (this is suprisingly not that bad).

Flip it over to check out its backside. Looking nice.

Also very important to dissect it to see its insides.

Fifth, its go time.

Sixth, I take it to my office to indulge some more, to flaunt the fact I bought banitsa.

Seventh, not wanting to be selfish I ask my counterpart to feast as well. Notice how excited a native (my Bulgarian counterpart and ladies man Plamen) gets in regards to the forthcoming consumption of banitsa.

Excited!

More excited!

Ecstasy!

Until next time; this is me missing you.

Kellen