All of my language learning is currently being done without the help of a language tutor. I listen to those around me and carry on conversations to make progress with my language learning.For this, and the fact that I coach 10-14 year olds in baseball, I generally end up learning a few "slang words".One of my favorites is "ЯКО" (pronounced "Yako")!My dictionary at work puts it as such:

"ЯКО

1 нар. fast, tight, firmly;"However my dictionary at work is wrong. It translates closer to "cool" and is used in the same way we would use "cool". To add emphasis, if something is "more than cool", you would say, "SUPER YAKO"! Which translates to something like, "Really cool"!It is just a fun word to say and rolls well off the tounge. I hope this has been interesting and informative. Take care everyone. Until next time...Kaskaval Pane.

Several places in my town have words and phrases that have caught my eye and even caused me to spend time thinking about their purpose and or intentions. Some could have been placed for any number of reasons................boredom, lack of paper in the house, practicing English. Other words and phrases seem to have more thought behind them, including hate and humor.I came across one that said simply USE. This one stood out to me from the array of ATAKA and Nazi symbols. I decided it meant USE as in the how Bulgarians tend to use an abundance of materials for all daily activities and then discard as waste. Don't get me wrong, Americans and the rest of the western world is just as capable of creating an waste but in this country they seem to be creating, using and discarding materials at a rate that is just baffling. Every day I bite my tongue as a child throws his wrapper from his banitsa on the ground with the waste basket only steps away. Plastic bags that are given to you for the smallest item, often line the streets and cover open fields. I read this as more of a label or description of the people in this country.........a large number of people who USE their environment rather then working with it and protecting it from the over consumption of plastics and other un natural materials.

After going for a walk around town I came across this message sprayed on a wall next to a Turkish mosque. My town is not very diverse. We have roma and Turkish in our town but they are not welcome like in many towns. The Mahala is very far from the center of Karlovo and I have only come into contact with 3 or 4 Turkish families which are not completely accepted into society. When I worked at the Municipality there was one woman in my office who is Turkish and though all the other women interacted with her she was talked about when not in the room and comments were made about her being a terrorist by other members of the municipality. There are only two other churches in the main town of Karlovo. One is no longer working and the other is only used for holiday services. This was written next to a Mosque that is used every day for local Turkish Muslims. Bulgaria is one of the most diverse countries in the European Union and for most Bulgarians, they would prefer to be a country of only "Bulgarians." This is very interesting to me because most Bulgarians are not %100. This country has been conquered so many times and is surrounded by Romania, Turkey, Macedonia, and Greece that there is so much mixing of cultures with in the country and the people that there isnt much purity..........but this doesn't create a better environment for multi culturalism.

I thought I would end on a positive note. I was walking by a local elementary school during the rose festival in Karlovo and I came across this sweet little message; " I pee on you !" This did a great job of making me laugh and trying to figure out what inspored this person to write those words. Maybe it was to be endearing like when a dog pees on something he is marking his territory or when you lick something you are claiming it so other people dont eat it.........It could be the new way for the local youth to say "I love you and your mine." It sounds a bit cave man from that angle but otherwise I was thinking that was a rowdy teen making a statement about how the government tends to do give nothing back to the people, making them feel worthless or helpless like the grass or flower that is marked with the dog's urine.

1. What is your occupation?

PCV Isperih, Bulgaria. More specifically, at Business Center Isperih. Mostly I clean up English, look for projects outside of work (fairly unsuccessfully) and coach a baseball team (when the kids decided to show up).

2. What is the color of your socks now? It's funny you should ask as this morning I was struggling to find two that matched, and fellow PCV Shaun Wood was 'na gosti" and he asked, "What does it matter?" So I am wearing one gray on my left foot and one black on my right.

3. What are you listening to right now? The song I am listening to is called "You're English is Good" by the band Tokyo Police Club. Released in 2007

4.a What are you smelling right now? Not a whole lot. I am a bit sick and my nose is stuffy.

4.b What was the last thing you ate? Soletti (Pretzels)

5. Can you drive a stick shift? In a pinch but I am not too great at it. In fact I didn't really drive too much the last year or so I lived in America and now since I have been here I am forbidden to drive at all I am not even sure if I will remember how to drive an automatic after 27 months.

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Bulgarian friend Jefer about when we were going to meet at the Hard Rock Cafe (not official) here in Isperih last night.

8. Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles, but thanks for making me pick it is pretty hard. I think the Beatles put together great albums and the Stones had great singles, perhaps more great singles, but great albums touch me more. I personally get more out of them. So that is why.

9.a How old are you today? 23 but in exactly one month (as of 17.5.08) I will be 24.

9.b Does that thrill or frighten you? Both at the same time. I think it hinders this job a bit. People do not take me seriously because I am "just a boy", but to know that I am getting this kind of experience that I will be able to reference for so many years I am thrilled.10. Favorite drink? PBR. Yup, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I will be without if for 27 months and that makes me said. My favorite drink here is the Florina Brand Apple Juice. It is fantastic and 100% Juice, however it is one of the most expensive things I buy.

11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Running, specifically the mile. It is the most incredible event. Novels can, and have, been written based around 4 trips around the track. It is the perfect distance. Too bad it was not what I was best at. I think every runner has some sort of obsession with the mile. However I love to watch people race the mile.

11.b What is your favorite sport to play? You really are talking to a running nerd here. I love to watch and "play" running more than almost anything else in the world. Running is essential to me. If I don't I can go insane.

12. Have you ever dyed your hair? No, nor have I ever put any product in my hair outside of shampoo or conditioner. Only those. Nothing.

13. Pets? Right now? No, but I might get a new kitten from my neighbors. Before I had a lot of fish when I was young and I had a Black Lab dog that lived until 2-3 months before I left for the Peace Corps. Her name was Lucky.

14. Favorite food? Asparagus.

15. Last movie you watched at a theater? I made it a point to watch Sicko by Michael Moore before I left the country. That was a good film and one of his best yet. I have a love/hate thing going with Mr. Moore. I love that he is out there doing something about the way he feels but his approach sometimes angers me. But all that is too much to go into on a 43 question survey.

16. Favorite Day of the year? Normally the first Sunday in May because of a race in Spokane called Bloomsday where anywhere from 40-50,000 people run/walk 12KM down the streets of my hometown, Spokane, Washington. I have ran it 11 times, and helped with water stations on 3 other occasions. It is a big day for an obsessive runner.

17. What do you do to vent anger? Write in my journal or put on the self-titled debut album by Be Your Own Pet and crank it up on my headphones and dance away the anger until I want to take a nap.

18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Wrinkles, a stuffed dog that I could make talk by sticking my hand in the back of his head. It was pretty fun. In fact I still have it.

19.a What is your favorite season? Fall because it is/was cross-country season (Sorry you are going to hear more about running), and the weather seems to be perfect for me. I like the rain and moderate temperatures.

19.b What tourist attraction do you have in your town?

Not too much in my town so much as just outside of my town. We have a Thracian Tomb from the 2nd Century BC that is really cool. I have been there once but I would like to make it out again. OPEN INVITE: I will go with anybody that comes to town to see it. Also, I had 6 other PCVs recently visit to a Crypt/Mosque from the 16th Century that is in the forest just outside of my town.

21. Rasberry or Blueberry? Before I answer I would like to ask where question number 20 went? And Raspberries, definitely.

22. Bazaar or grocery story? Well, "grocery store" is a loose term here in my town of 8,500 people. Not really much of a store but I mostly go there because cooking for one it is hard to buy things only on one day, which would be Friday Bazaar day so I go a couple of times to stores and try to buy most of my fruit from the Bazaar, at least the weekends worth.

23. Dyado or baba? I love the Dyado fashion. I'd love to rock all the old Commie-styles so perfectly like them. No matter the weather, suits, nice long jackets, fashionable hats. I dig it. I say Dyado, despite that fact that Babas can cook and do give you free food!

24. Where do you get your news? Letsrun.com (running), BBC (International), Daily Press Briefings (about Bulgaria), economist.com (Business), random news blogs and b22blogstars.

25. Without checking, what are the times in seconds of the following? Coyote falls off the cliff after missing the roadrunner. You see him fall for __________ seconds, he disappears from view for __________ seconds, before you see a puff of smoke for ______ seconds.7, 5, 6... Sheer guesses, all of them.

26. Pitka or banitza? Banitza only if it's with Tikva. I love me some Tikven banitza! Especially my host mothers.

27. Would you rather perform in a dance recital or rap-battle? Is the dance recital a group thing? If so I chose that one, but my poem writing practice could help me do alright at a rap battle contest. This is a tough question. I would need more information. Like where is this rap battle? What kid of dancing? I am assuming the audience size would be about equal... That is a lot to consider, but if push came to shove... rap-battle, I think. Mostly because I cannot dance.

28. In what format do you consume your music? Well on my iTunes. I own over 1,000 CDs and I tried to put most of them onto my computer before I left. So I have 80 gigs in iTunes. Some times I go to pitchfork.com and check out the videos and samples they have randomly on their site.

29. You'd rather have your picture taken with which branch of government: judicial, legislative, or executive? Ask me in 9 months and I will most likely say Executive.

30. Would you rather fight vampires, werewolves, zombies, or apathy?

I heard a quote once that went something like this: "Apathy is the weapon by which the west is committing suicide." and Joan Baez had some good words to say about how horrible apathy has became in American society. I'd go with that.

31. Who inspires you? Barack Obama, my fellow B22s, some of the smartest people I have meet in my life, my grandmothers both two very strong women that are always making the most of what they have, Ian MacKaye and some of my really good long-time friends from Spokane. That is a short list.

32. What are you afraid of?

My mind.

33. Plain, cheese or veggie hamburgers?

Normally black bean burgers with no-cheese. My stomach isn't the best at dealing with dairy. I think I am partially lactose, but not enough that I have to avoid it completely.

34. Car, truck, motorcycle, or hot-air balloon?

Jules Verne had the right idea... give me a hot-air balloon and I'll go around the world in 80 days.

35. Would you shave your chest for any reason?

If I lost a bet yes, but here in Bulgaria I think it can add to the Maleness. So it helps that I have some hair on my chest but normally I would not ever shave my chest. I have no reason too, and judging by how quickly I grew back my beard when I shaved it you can tell that I hate shaving.

38. Favorite day of the week?

Friday, Bazaar day. All the villagers come to buy things for the week and the town nearly doubles in size. The town comes alive and people are everywhere, walking, hanging out, talking (mostly in Turkish so I have no idea what they are saying) and I spend my entire lunch break walking around people watching and saying hello to friends.

39. How many states have you lived in? How many countries?

Well I have only lived in Washington, but my residence with the Peace Corps is my sisters house in Portland, Oregon, so according to them I live there but I never really lived. Just visited. Countries, 2. America and Bulgaria. I hope to add more to those short lists sometime in the future.

40. Favorite Comedian? Henry Rollins. I don't know if he exactly qualifies but that is my pick.

41. Anything else you want to share? Projects you are working on? Yeah, I am working on writing a Project Proposal with the basketball coach from the school for kids aged 7-15. This would be a decent sized project as 800 kids go to the school and it would be for basketball equipment for the gym classes and for the 4 teams the school has.

42. What was the last work of art you experienced that brought you to tears?A movie. It was called Freedom Writers but if you ask me next week it will change. Normally a movie or a CD hits me pretty hard. I love visual art and painting but music normally does it for me. Oh and I'd like to thank everyone for reading my random and slightly crazed responses that somehow have very little to do with my Peace Corps life.

43. If possible, would you prefer to be remembered by a portrait in the National Gallery or on a thousand comemorative key-chains?Depends on the style of artist. Is it like Jackson Pollock? Because if so, I'd go with the key-chains. And what is the design on the key-chains. Do I look like Che? Or that picture of Einstein with his hair flipped up and his tongue sticking out? Sorry I ask too many questions. I'll go with the key-chain. As much as I love art I would not feel right about being in a National Gallery slot. I feel, if I am to be remembered at all, that a key-chain is more appropriate.

This week I didn't have any of my own crazy little graffiti findings but I did come across a great little website that is dedicated to graffiti artists in Bulgaria. This includes videos, exhibitions, festivals and work for well known corporations.

Check it out: http://www.graffart.eu/

What led you to join the Peace Corps?

I always knew that I wanted to go overseas and volunteer after graduating, but I just didn't know which organization. Right before Jason and I got married we started thinking more seriously about which organization to go with. After looking at a lot of stuff online- we decided to go with the Peace Corps. (It was free! Most other ones we looked at we'd have to pay our way...) So we turned in our applications about a month after our wedding and left for Bulgaria a year later!

What were your initial reactions to hearing you would be going to Bulgaria?

Well, I knew it was in Eastern Europe...that's about it. I was at work when I got the email and I hadn't told my boss yet.... so I was excited, but then again nervous trying to figure out how to tell my boss I was leaving. I went immediately to wikipedia to read about Bulgaria- I really didn't know anything about the country at all.

Have these desires been met? Do you feel that your Peace Corps experience is fulfilling the reasons you wished to join?

Yes, I think that my experience has been fulfilling so far. Our recruiter told us that our experience would really depend on how proactive we are- and it's so true. So, it is what you make it. I have found that my most fulfilling experiences have been working with kids that are underprivileged. It really reminds me why I came here and helps me keep going too. I was also looking forward to learning another language- and that has been a great experience. Yeah, it's hard and I make mistakes- but in reality I am having conversations in Bulgarian every day...still crazy to think about.

What exactly do you do?

I work at the "Youth House." It is a youth organization funded by the municipality. We work on lots of project and youth exchanges. Some of the recent themes have been the environment, integration, human trafficking, leadership, etc. I also tutor for English at the youth house and hang out with the kids. Outside of the youth house I have been helping out at a school for disabled kids and teaching English at an orphanage for 12-16 year olds.

With how many people?I work with 4 other women: the boss, the accountant and 2 project managers (one of which is my counterpart)

How long is your work day? Weekends? After hours work?

I typically work 9-5...although I have been known to sleep in and show up at 9:30 or 10 :) I do my language tutoring in the afternoons- so I don't know if that counts as working hours or not. A few times a month my organization has events at night- like a youth concert, holiday party, dinner, etc. We sometimes work on the weekends- but not too much. We actually just finished up our Earth Day project- which consisted of cleaning our river and planting flowers along it- that took place on multiple Sundays. Glad that project is over though- I missed relaxing on Sundays!!

What is a typical day like?

I typically show up to work and chat with my co-workers. We used to have coffee time in the morning, but then my boss stopped buying us 3-in-1 for some reason (not really sure why), so no more coffee time for us! Then a number of things happens- I hang out with kids in the youth house, have a meeting for an upcoming project, look for grants online, do some English tutoring, go to my Bulgarian lessons, etc. Every day is different really. My organization is very active, so I am always told at the last minute that I am going somewhere to attend something. Today, for instance, my organization put on a play of some sort for the day of Europe in the municipality- so I tagged along to watch.

Without telling us the name of the place you live, tell us about where you live :)

I live in a larger city close to some beautiful mountains. We have a nice square with lots of cafes. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there's lots of places to sit outside and have coffee or tea. Our most famous landmark is the Blue Rocks National Park and our town hero is Hadji Dimitar- who helped fight the Turkish invasion in the 1800's.

Is there a song that comes to mind when you think about where you live now? (Is it possible to describe your town in reference to any movies, songs, or other common pop-culture markers that would help us identify with where you are at?)

The only song I can think of is Bulgarska Rosa...it unfortunately gets stuck in my head sometimes out of the blue!

In contrast, is there a song that reminds you of home?

Of course- "Home Means Nevada"- my state song :) We had to learn it in music class as kids and I still remember all the words...

Where are you from? How is it different from where you are now?

Nevada is almost all desert- so Bulgaria is quite a change. We get about 4 inches of precipitation a year back home- so anything with greenery, trees, rain, etc is way different for me. I am also from a very small town- so I am actually living in a town now that's about 10 times bigger than my home town.

What animal are you most likely to see in your town? (wild dog, cat, sheep, pet cat/dog)? How often?

Since we live in a city, it's mostly stray dogs and cats. We do however have a man that takes his goats out for a walk daily- and I actually saw him today walking down the street, with his two goats on leashes!

What industry is common to your town/region? How do people make their living? Most common employer?

I have heard that our town is famous for textiles. However, it's not true so much anymore as most of the factories are closed down. We do still have one huge textile factory here, an Italian clothing maker. It is one of the biggest employers in town. What do you eat?We eat a lot of pasta for dinner- we aren't all that creative really. Jason makes pizza for dinner a few times a month and it's yummy! We also really love making guevech with lots of veggies- our host mom taught us how to make it. We have 2 other PCV's in our town- so we have Mexican food nights sometimes. Here's a hint for making Mexican food here: buy plain duner bread from the duner stand for the tortillas- it works perfectly! We had to go to 3 different stands, however, before we actually convinced someone to sell us just the bread!

Do you have a common meal for dinner? Lunch? Breakfast? What is it?

Breakfast is always muesli with yogurt and a banana. Lunch is random- sometimes some crackers or pretzels, sometimes pizza or a sandwich.

Do you cook your meals, have someone else cook for you, eat out most of the time?

Yeah we hired a chef- it's really nice to not have to cook for ourselves anymore.... j/k :)

Do you eat alone? With friends? A baba? With the television?

Jason and the laptop with downloaded TV shows from back home.

What is your favorite desert?

Raffy ice cream, of course!

What is your favorite food now that you had never eaten before you came to Bulgaria?

Definitely would have to be the guevech- it is such a simple idea but I had never thought of it before. I also love tikvinik.

What food do you miss the most that you cannot get here? (for example, i daydream about asiago-cheese bagels and starbucks mocha frappacinnos)

Well, I too miss frappacinnos- carmel for me though.

Is there an american food that is not common to your town that you have, nevertheless, found a way to prepare? (For example, I combine a mlako sus karamel with obeeknoveno kafay and make a pretty good caramel machiatto)

One day Jason and I ordered 2 cafes and 2 mlyarko s kakao and combined them- everyone was giving us the craziest looks- I thought the server was going to have a heart-attack.

How do you feel you have been most useful to your community?

I think the times I have felt most useful is when my English skills have been needed. We just got done planning an international use exchange with participants from 3 other countries- so my organization relied on me quite a bit to communicate with all the teams about logistics, etc.

How do you feel your community has been most useful to you?

I really had a lot of community help for our river project. When it came time to plant flowers along the river bank, lots of people donated flowers and encouraged us along the way.

At this point in your service, what do you look forward to bringing back with you to the States. (i look forward to making shopskas and showing off my baba socks)

I agree about the shopskas! For sure I am bringing my Bulgarian kitty back to the states too :) She already has her "passport"

Are there any projects you are working on at the moment? Tell us about it.

Right now I am starting a new project on recycling. Our goal is to get a recycle bin in every classroom in town. We're also going to have an education campaign- teaching the basics or recycling and it's importance.Over the summer I am going to have a camp for teen girls. The camp was started last year by the previous volunteer and so I am carrying on the tradition.I will also be starting a art and music summer program for the kids at an orphanage for the disabled. I actually want to buy recorders (you know, those little plastic flutes we had to play in music class in Elementary school??) and teach the kids to play some songs.

What one thing do you wish you had now that you do not have?

Carpet, dryer, dish washer, shower curtain, bath tub, oops- that's more than one thing... :)

If you watch TV, what is your favorite show? Would you recommend it?

My favorite show is the office- of course I recommend it! We have been downloading and watching new shows over here now- we were introduced to the world of torrents since being in Bulgaria...still don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet...

Are there any hobbies that a Bulgarian has introduced you to? Tell us about it.

Yes! I like to call it "extreme indoor gardening" I don't know if Bulgaria necessarily introduced me to it though, but I got inspired one day walking through the pazar. A guy was selling tomato plants in little yogurt cups- the plants were about 6 inches tall. So I bought that and a pot and some dirt and started growing it indoors (We don't really have a place to put it outdoors- it would get stolen unfortunately) So from there, we started buying other plants and we now have: some strawberry plants, hot pepper plants, another tomato plant, and various flowers. We did have an herb garden and a raspberry bush as well- but the cat kinda ruined those! Our neighbors and Bulgarian friends are really doubting that anything will come from our gardening efforts. I told my neighbor that I would give her some strawberries as soon as they're ripe! We'll see what happens... We also worked with our neighbors to plant a little flower garden in front of our block. It was fun working together- I didn't realize how big a deal gardening is here! While we were working, we were congratulated numerous times by other neighbors and just people passing by- they were saying that we were hoobavi detsta, chudesno, etc. pretty cool!

Are there any hobbies you sought out here that you didn't do in the states?

In addition to the gardening, I also started doing yoga. It is really helpful for stress and relaxation.

What did you use to do in the states during your free-time that you cannot do now but wish you could? (go to the movies, go to the gym, speak in my native tongue)

Yeah- all those 3 things for sure. I also miss being able to talk on my cell phone for more than 2 minutes and not have to worry about how much it costs!

Is there any advice you wish you knew, would like to give, to a pcv going through training now?

My best advice is to just hang in there- those 2 1/2 months felt like the longest time ever. Now that I am at my site, time is flying by. So- just hang in there and don't be nervous about the future. Things get much easier over time.

What posters/decorations do you have where you live?

We just acquired two little wooden wall hangings- one says "Happy Spring" and the other says "Home Sweet Home" They gave them to us for free the other day at the one lev store...not really sure why. So I hung them up.

What do you most hope to accomplish by the time you go home?

The one thing I really want to accomplish is to create a city wide anti-trafficking campaign. It is a huge issue facing youth in Bulgaria- and if I can prevent the spread of it in any way, that would be the biggest accomplishment for me.

The weeks post will be about another artist. I must say that I am really very impressed with the painters, sculptors and writers that this country has produced. They continue to blow my away. The more I learn about the more surprised I am. Great art comes from this country and it has so for many years. Take for example this weeks Historical Bulgaria:

Silvia Dimitrova, which is "Силвия Димитрова" in Bulgarian (CLICK HERE FOR HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE), was born in 1970 in the town of Pleven, she is a painter of icons, as well as a few other, more contemporary works. Icons are very important here in Bulgaria, which is largely Bulgarian Orthodox in religion and she is recognized as one of the best.

According to her web-site, where most of this information came from, "She works in the traditional technique of icon painting - egg tempera on wood, and her work covers the whole spectrum of traditional Bulgarian icons and original works". Below I have included some samples of her Icons:

She has held a solo exhibition in Rueil-Malmaison, a suburb of Paris in 1997. In 1999 she was commissioned by a monastery in Wells called "Downside Abbey", which was completed shortly before the outbreak of WWI, to pain the Icon of St. Benenict (Pictured below).She then began working, in 2000, at the Wells Cathedral as an artist-in-residence where she painted the 14 Stations of the Cross. In the same year she was nominated for a "European Women of Achievement" Award in the field of Arts. In that same year she had work displayed at St. Paul's Cathedral in London and Hertford College in Oxford.

For a long and detailed list of her more notable exhibitions and commissions feel free to go to her web-site.

Her is a brief sample of some of her secular work:

A quote on her work: "Silvia Dimitrova's art is a vibrant gift from God to people of various Christian traditions and also to those who do not yet believe. Her two styles of traditional Bulgarian icons and modern love paintings, the sacred and the secular, enrich and influence each other. They are inspiring in their profundity and fecundity." Canon Dr Graham Kings, Vicar of St Mary Islington

She currently lives and works in the United Kingdom.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Until next time this is Kashkaval Pane signing off.

This weeks entry is not about Bulgarian graffiti, instead I will take you to an even smaller country (yes they exist) in the North EU. Just over a week ago I was in Latvia for a youth exchange. Participants included people from Portugal, the Czech Republic, Latvia and of course Bulgarians. The title of the project was called Looking Forward 4 Open Europe. Thought this was grammatically incorrect, the idea was fantastic to bring students from all over Europe and discuss issues and prejudices among Europeans that make communication and interaction more difficult across borders. This event encouraged youth to look passed these differences, embrace our similarities and learn to appreciate what we can learn from each other. The project was successful. One of our projects included creating some graffiti at a local school with a design created and implemented by the whole group that also included the "Youth in Action" logo, which is the organization responsible for the project. The graffiti included an eye that symbolizes the "looking" forward, Hands symbolizing youth working together and stars from the EU flag that included the flags of each participating country at the event. I hope this provides encouragement for the local students and that the participants implement similar projects in their hometown to spread the idea about and "Open Europe"( without borders) for everyone.

Every year for Easter and St. George’s day Bulgarians generally take oodles of time off of work. For Stacie and I it was no different because our organizations’ doors were closed over the holidays as well. So we went to Sunny Beach! It is fairly common knowledge here in BG that Sunny Beach is overcrowded and generally not a pleasant place to vacation. So we just wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. At this point there is not much in the way of tourists there simply because the season has not started yet. Case in point, we found a fairly nice/new hotel for 30lv a night. I am sure it will be much more in the summer.

Our Room:

The view from our room of some construction. Quite a tragedy.

The most impressive thing I liked about Sunny Beach was of course: the beach! (characterized by a distinct beach smell). The wind brought smells of sand, sea, and seafood all together in one delightful gust after another. If I could stay there I would have. I think that would be the embodiment of the American dream right here in Bulgaria!This place looked awesome!

Yes, they do have Mexican food. But don't get anything with avocados.

This one did not look as good.

This speaks for itself. (pizza, spaghetti, salads)

However, it was not long before we could discern the unpleasantness many had mentioned. On the way from our hotel to the beach (which was about a km) we had a difficult time finding roads that went there. Much of what we saw were dead-ends leading up to one hotel after another. When we finally found a main road to the beach it was lined with dusty and dangerous looking construction sites. Another scent related feature of Sunny Beach was the smell of sewage. I could not figure out exactly where it was coming from, but every now and again we would get a huge waft of ripe air that reminded me of traveling through Tacoma on I-5. Ick. But aside from the shnazular challenges that Sunny Beach posed, we were still able to enjoy relaxing on the beach getting some sun. Also, if you get to go to Nessebar that would be a big bonus.

I give Sunny Beach 3 out of 5 noses. The Inspector

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, better known simply as "Christo", was born on June 13th in the year 1935 in the town of Gabrovo. In the mid-1950s he studied at the Fine Arts Academy in Sofia and in 1957 he spent a semester at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy.

Moving to Paris in 1958 he meet his future wife and constant work-assossiate Jeanne-Claude, who was born Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon on June 13, 1935, in Casablanca. Together they would create many pieces of art ranging many dealing with environmental projects that involve "elements of architecture, sculpture, painting and urban planning".

Samples of their work are the wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin, the Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris, the Gates in Central Park, Ney York City, the Surrounded Islands in Miami, Florida, and the Running Fence in Marin and Sonoma Counties, California.

On May 11th of 1960 they had a son named Cyril, May 11. He went on to study at Cornell University and Columbia University in 1982. Publishing five books of poetry.

Here are a few of his early peices. Feel free to "right click" and "open in a new window" or "new tab" on any of the blue text to find out more information on a paticular project.

Stacked Oil Barrels, Dockside Packages at Cologne Harbor.,

Iron Curtain-Wall of Oil Barrels, Rue Visconti, Paris, 1961-62 The family packed up and moved to New York City in 1964. There they began working on many incredible and interesting pieces in America, such as; Wrapped Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago., Wrapped Floor and Stairway. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.,

Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76., Wrapped Walk Ways, Loose Park, Kansas City, Missouri, 1977-78, Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980-83., The Umbrellas, Japan-U.S.A., 1984-91., Over The River, Project for The Arkansas River, Colorado.

As well as continuing many international projects as well such as Wrapped Fountain and Wrapped Medieval Tower, Spoleto, Italy, Wrapping of a Public Building "Wrapped Kunsthalle Berne 1967-1968", 5,600 Cubicmeter Package, Documenta 4, Kassel, Germany 1967-68

Wrapped Coast, Little Bay,, Wrapped Monuments, Milano: Monument to Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza del Duomo, Milano, Italy., Monument to Leonardo da Vinci, Piazza della Scala, Milano, Italy., Valley Curtain, Grand Hogback, Rifle, Colorado, 1970-72,, The Wall, Wrapped Roman Wall, Via V. Veneto and Villa, Borghese, Rome, Italy.

The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, 1975-85.

Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95.

Wrapped Trees, Fondation Beyeler and Berower Park, Riehen-Basel, Switzerland 1997-98. The Wall,13,000 Oil Barrels, Gasometer, Oberhausen, Germany,1998-99. One of, if not their most, famous pieces of works is The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005. Which consists of "7,503 vinyl gates, with free-flowing nylon fabric panels, anchored to 15,006 steel bases on 37 kilometers", or 23 miles for those folks in America, of walkways.

Feel free to check out his web-site by CLICKING HERE. It is full of information and in English, which is a definate plus. If your appitite for Christo has not been satisfied feel free to read more information HERE.

I hope you all enjoyed this weeks edition and that you all had a fantastic Europe Day yesterday!

Take care and until next time this is Kashkaval Pane.

4ao 4ao.

The Sleeping Car! (спален вагон)

These cars are attached to night trains, giving passengers added comfort on their travels. You can buy these tickets on board (like this PCV did) or at the ticket counter of large stations. You must buy a separate ticket for the sleeping car. A trip to say, Varna from Chirpan, a ticket costs about 7 leva (with a discount card). A bed in the car costs roughly 8 leva. There were three beds in the compartment and since there was only two of us, we had to buy the third bed. It was worth it. Although I didn't get the best night sleep in the world (whenever the train would pull into a station, I would roll into the wall) but it was much better than sleeping in a closed compartment.

As you can see in the photo to the right, BDZ provides the blankets, pillows and sheets. They also, however, provide with complimentary items. We were given tissues, shoe shine, face wash and a toilet seat cover. It was a pleasant surprise getting this and we were the envy of all the PCVs in Varna that weekend who didn't take the sleeping car.

The lay out of the car was like this: on right side was a three tier bunk bed. On the left side was a closet with coat hangers behind a ladder to a shelf with more blankets. Against the far wall on the right was a mirror and a table. The table top lifted up to reveal a sink with running water (!).

All in all, travelling by sleeping car is the way to go! Lots of room, privacy, and a bed. Just remember to follow the sign-

J-Dub "the Duke" Paperstax

This may be a bit late in the game but just a couple of weeks ago (April 22, 2008) was Earth Day. This was a celebration all over the world to raise awareness about our Earth, the impact humans make and how we can be more environmental. In Karlovo, I organized two days of activities. The first was painting over the graffiti on our Tourism Information Center and planting trees, and the second day included 10 children from the local mahala creating bird feeders and seedling planters. On the second day, local High School students also came to help me paint a little Earth Day related graffiti on the side of the Information Center.

We came together to paint two pictures !.)Edelvise ( this is one symbol of the info center) and 2.) A tree with youth and a banner that says to celebrate the environment. The projects and the artwork turned out to be a great success and a wonderful experience to get the local youth involved in community beautification.

Take a look!

The day of this blog writing I happen to be in the beautiful city of Chirpan.

For this reason I chose one of the cities famous sons... and no I am not writing about fellow PCV Jimmy Wall

This weeks episode is one of Bulgarias most famous poets, Peyo Yavorov. He lived from January of 1878 until October 1914, living only until the age of 36.Yavorov lived a short and traumatic life, however, despite this most of his poems were romantic ones dedicated to his two greatest loves.

One died from tubercolosis and the other, whome he married, shot herself in 1912. Yavorov attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head. Instead the bullet went through his tempal leaving him blind. Yavorov eventually took no precautions and poisoned and then shot himself in 1914.

Picture of the statue of Peyo in the town of Chirpan:Here are two poems of his, translated into English (Sidenote1- Not translated by me but I cannot credit who did as the web-site I found them had no credit attributed to this work):

COME!

Your eyes to starry skies I shall compare

Your hair to the transparent veil

Of a late evening, such is your hair!

The scent that lingers round your maiden mouth

Is fresh, invigorating as the South,

……A breeze that browses in a flowery dale.

So come, the day is cold and dead.

The moonlit night, hair tumbling round your eyes,

Lower your head

And breathe into my face,

Come, warm my chilly heart with your embrace –

This moonlit night, beneath the starry skies.

TWO SOULS

I do not live: I burn. In acrimony raging

Two souls are duelling within my breast:

The soul of a devil, the sould of an angel.

Their breathing is flame and it gives me no rest.

Not one flame bursts but two – whatever I am touching,

And in each stone two heartbeats I hear clash …

Whereever I go there’s an odious doubling

Of two warring faces, which vanish in ash.

And everywhere the wind that follows me is spreading

The ashes: all my footprints are effaced.

For I am not living – I burn! – and am shedding

A trail of grey ashes across a dim waste.

Thanks for tuning in... until next time this is Kashkaval Pane signing off.

Празниц!

No post from me today; I'm on почивка and exploring this wonderful country. I'll be researching for up coming posts. не местете на друга уеб-страница!

Bus (автобус) Better late than never!

Buses are the most prolific of all transportation modes in Bulgaria. The highways are also filled with them. They are a faster and make fewer stops than trains. The downside is less room, more expensive and a potential wishy-washy schedule. It pretty much comes down to what you want-Time and a thrill ride or money, space and near 24 service. I say thrill ride because several buses drive, uh, quickly. This PCV has been on several buses that have arrived more than 30 minutes early and a few that have driven on the shoulder for several miles. It can be a hair raising experience.

The types of buses vary. The best buses are transnational whereas the most Soviet-looking ones are regional. Going from Sofia to say, Chirpan, the buses are all quite nice (and like trains, from Germany). Service to villages are usually old or microbuses.

Where do you catch these buses? Well in villages, you catch them from small bus stations like in Devin (left), really really nice bus station like in the capital, Sofia (middle), or shack.

Sometimes, you have to flag the bus down on the side of the road. In order to catch a ride from the Central Bus Station in Sofia to Dupnitsa, you have to find a bus driving south through Dupnitsa and haggle with the bus driver to convince him to top on the freeway to let you off. I'm sure they all wonder, why on earth would you want to go to Dupnitsa!? On the way out of Dupnitsa to the Central Bus Station, you have to stand on the side of the free way and wave the bus down. They will, more often than not, stop (at least, this PCV has yet to have any problems).

So there you have it, the автобус: Fast and thrilling.

J-Dub "The Duke" Paperstax

What led you to join the Peace Corps?

Actually, this is something I thought about doing about 20 years ago ( still older than you guys are, even then). I have always been interested in doing more with my life than just work and then retirement. This just happened to be the RIGHT time for me and after the LONG process of being accepted, finally am getting my chance.

What were your initial reactions to hearing you would be going to Bulgaria?

Well, I was first told I would be going to Asia and working in the health sector. Then I got my invitation that said Bulgaria and business. I felt a little let down since I had really been looking forward to doing something other than what I had done for more than 35 years. But, didn't want to look bad, so said sure, I'll go to Bulgaria.

Have these desires been met? Do you feel that your Peace Corps experience is fulfilling the reasons you wished to join?Actually, I don't have many desires any more. I have had a very fulfilling life and just want to hang around on this planet a little longer to watch others desires be met. My Peace Corps experience will be what I put into it, and so far, so good.

What exactly do you do?Where do you work?With how many people?Tell us about the structure?What do you do?How long is your work day? Weekends? After hours work?What is a typical day like?

I was placed in an archaeological museum in Veliki Preslav...probably because they didn't know what else to do with me. I work with anywhere from 8 to 20 people, depending on who shows up each day. I get up every morning about 6:00 and start my daily routine. By 8:30 I am out the door and walking a beautiful route to the museum (except Friday's, which is my community service day off). My work day is from 9:00 to 3:00, because that is what I choose to work (I also do work at home, you see). During that time I am usually working with the curator's doing translations or whatever else they want me to do...right now I have a SPA project written up that I will be submitting. Between the months of April and October though, I will have the opportunity to work in the [digs]. This is what I am really anxious to do...outside and working out, versus inside at a computer. Evenings I either have an aerobics class or a dance class, also Bulgarian language class, of course. Also, I spend time with the kids from the orphanage when I can, and meet with the vice mayor every week or so. Week-ends I spend time walking around town, meeting with friends, and working with a local women's ESL group. Not a very exciting life, but definitely integrated (PC's favorite word). I really don't travel out of site much, but when I get the opportunity, I like to travel to another site and visit the volunteer/volunteers there.

Tell us something that you often tell your friends or family back home about what you are doing (work-related)?

I usually tell them I am still patiently waiting for the dig season to begin. Otherwise, that I am trying to be of service, wherever and however I can, to the entire city, not just the museum.

If you bumped into an American on the street of your town and they asked your advice on what to do/see what would you tell them?Remember PDM? If you saw our skit, you would have an answer to this question.

Is there a song that comes to mind when you think about where you live now?

Well, a teacher here in town asked me what song she could have her students perform in English for an up-coming event...it needed to be short and easy. I suggested Old McDonald Had a Farm. Does that tell you anything. In contrast, is there a song that reminds you of home?Any Beach Boys songs will do.

Where are you from? How is it different from where you are now?I am from America, isn't that enough to say.

What industry is common to your town/region? My town is known for it's wine making. In fact, the Preslav Wine has received 22 gold medals from the competitions held every year the last week of March in Plovdid!What do you eat?Not much...that is why I have lost 30 pounds and gone down 3 pants sizes.

Do you have a common meal for dinner? Lunch? Breakfast? What is it?Breakfast is yogurt and cereal...I don't eat lunch or dinner except maybe once a week.

Do you cook your meals, have someone else cook for you, eat out most of the time?What do you think!

What is your favorite meal?Food is not a priority for me.

Do you eat alone? With friends? A baba? With the television?Once a week I meet with Susan for dinner, otherwise camo az.

What is your favorite desert?Don't eat desert.

What is your favorite food now that you had never eaten before you came to Bulgaria?How about a dooner (English spelling?)

What food do you miss the most that you cannot get here?Actually, if you read up a few lines, you can see that food is not a priority...I eat enough to survive. That is pretty much how I lived in the good ole US of A too. Guess if I had to say something, it would be seafood (crab and lobster are pretty good)

How do you feel you have been most useful to your community?

Since I am a pretty ambitious person, I try to be at all meetings, events, performances, etc., as well as doing direct work within my community. They know I am here and available for anything and everything.

How do you feel your community has been most useful to you?

My community has been very receptive to my presence in town, and whenever I have gone looking for something, they have been extremely helpful...like the local shoe repairer who works out of his home and has no sign to indicate his business. Or, the shop keepers who put up with my bad Bulgarian to accomodate my every need. Just the fact that they include me as a resident here, makes my day.

At this point in your service, what do you look forward to bringing back with you to the States. (i look forward to making shopskas and showing off my baba socks)

I don't plan to be in the states that long after COS since I will be re-upping next April for another Peace Corps service area. During the interum period, I would hope to enlighten others as to what it is we are doing here...not like the brochures and ads offer, but true experience sharing. Are there any projects you are working on at the moment? Tell us about it.

I have written a SPA for a new room to be constructed in the museum...for display of artifacts presently stored in boxes. Actually, I wrote it quite a while ago and am still waiting for my counterpart to give it back to me for submission. I have a pen pal program set up between two 7th and 8th grade classes here, with classes in the states. I work with a local women's group to improve their English. I have contacted several organizations regarding book/computer donations to our local library, and try to work with the children from the orphanage (so when Susan COS's, I will be there for them). I also have joined the local aerobics class and two dance classes.

What one thing do you wish you had now that you do not have?

Some of Stefan's cherven (English spelling again?) vino.

What do you do in your sparetime?Lots of puzzles (Sudoku), read, but I usually finish a book too soon...like in 1 sitting. Take walks, exercise, write in my journal and to friends via e-mail, talk on Skype with family or friends once a week. If you read, what book are you reading now? Would you recommend it?I read whatever I can get my hands on, but usually pick them up at the PC office when I go to Sofia.

If you watch TV, what is your favorite show? Would you recommend it?I am really getting a kick out of Music Idol...way more drama than our show back home.

What did you use to do in the states during your free-time that you cannot do now but wish you could? GOLF, GOLF. GOLF

Have you been to any cultural activities that you would like to return to and bring more friends to?Yeah, I would say that if you haven't seen Jimmy dance yet, his next performance is something you must attend.Don't know if I would recommend the Kukeri festival unless you refrain from eating the local food...at least that for sale in the streets. It was a great time until I contracted food poisoning and ended up sick for 2 weeks, black tongue and all. It did help me lose some more weight though and give me something to talk about with Dr. Georgi when he came to visit.

Is there any advice you wish you knew, would like to give, to a pcv going through training now?

Don't believe everything you read before signing up...but do keep an open mind. What you expect it to be, and what it really is, may be totally different...but still rewarding.

Anything else you want to share?I have really gotten used to 2 and 3 hour lunch breaks when there is something to celebrate. Of course my sister thinks I am going to go back to the states an alcoholic (she says PC will have to take care of my rehab). I don't eat that much you see, but I never turn down a drink. I just celebrated my 59th birthday and had a catered lunch brought in to the museum, as per their custom here, They gave me some beautiful gifts and a VERY large bouquet of flowers. Just having them remember this day and treating me as a fellow resident of their country (one of the gifts was a button that said...I am not a tourist, I live here), makes it all worth while.April 24th till May 3rd I will be in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, traveling with my sister and a friend,,,hope I remember how to drive!!! May 4th,,,Kiro and Dessi's wedding in Boboshevo What do you most hope to accomplish by the time you go home?

I would like to feel that when I leave, a piece of me stays here with the people as a good memory of my time spent in their city. Also, I figure by the time I go home, my Bulgarian might have actually improved.

If you are wondering why out of thousands of years of history that this country and this land has to its credit why I choose to write this weeks blog on a footballer then you have never been to Europe.

Football, or soccer to our American readers, is the biggest game in the world and if you live in any country other than America you are surrounded by it daily. In my case I think I talk more football than politics with Bulgarians. For that reason, here is one of Bulgarias most famous and historical figures, Hristo Stoitchkov.Hristo Stoitchkov ("Христо Стоичков Стоичков" in Bulgarian), also known as "Itso", was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in February of 1966 where he "was born with a ball between his feet." His father played goalie for a local team by the name of Maritsa, Hristo would play Forward during his entire professional career.

Stoitchkovs love for football (футбол) like most Europeans, began at a very young age when he was ball boy for his fathers team. By 1977, at the young age of 10 he began playing for the same team as his father! Shortly thereafter he attracted CSKA, one of Bulgarias best teams, where he played from 1986-1989.In his first full season they won the Championship Cup of Bulgaria. In 1989 he won the Golden Boot for Top Goal Scorer in Bulgaria with 23 goals, helping CSKA reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (also known as the European Cup Winners' Cup).

In their semifinal game they lost to Barcelona, however, Barcelona Coach Johan Cruyff was signed Hristo to a five-year contract worth $4.5 million!From 1990 until 1994, Stoitchkov scored over 100 goals for Barcelona helping them win the Championship of the Primera Division in everyone of those four years. In international competitions he was playing for the Bulgarian National Team where they qualified for their first World Cup!

In 1994, Parma from Italy paid $15 million for his rights from Barcelona. He played for them for only one year. I was unable, despite intense research, to find out why so if anyone knows I would love to hear why. Returning in 1997 to Barcelona they won many titles; the Spanish Championship, Spanish Super Cup, Spanish King's Cup and the European Cup.

Five times he was voted Bulgarian Football Player of the Year, and from all accounts he became a national hero! The big awards were in 1992 and 1994 where he won the Golden Ball for "Best Football Player in Europe" once, the Golden Onze for "Best Football Player in the World" once, finishing second another time and FIFA awarded him the Silver Globe for the "Second Best Football Player in the World" in 1992 and 1994.

Stoitchkov, like many Bulgarians, moved to Chicago to join the Major League Soccer team the Chicago Fire in 2000. He has helped the Fire win the MLS Cup Finals and to a two US Open Cup title in three years being named to Soccer America's Team of the Week 6 times!All this while only standing 1.78 meters (5'9" for our American readers) and weighing in at 165 lbs. I think, however, Hristo, despite all his success would have meet his match had he faced the PCV team that assembled in Chirpan recently named in Bulgarian "I AM MAN":

"Soccer is simple…. Your movement on the field is important, and you have to have the right mentality, fighting in every game, in every practice, for every ball." - Hristo Stoichkov.-Kashkaval Pane

For more information you can go to Hristo Stoichkovs Official Web-site LOCATED HERE

For highlight video of Hristo CLICK HERE

Alo,

This post was going to be about a different food until I got some very sad news Monday, but before I deliver that lets back up a bit. Think about your favorite fruit and then think about your next favorite fruit. Well my second favorite fruit is the Mandarin orange.

When I was younger, I always looked forward to going to the grocery store to get the latest, most freshest can of mandarin oranges in syrup. (It was North Dakota and although the cold climate is what made this man into a warrior, it is still not conducive to growing citrus). I would devour them, unless of course it was the off brand (flavorite, our family, etc.) because they did not taste well umm….good.

In fact, I just always assumed that mandarin oranges came in a can that was until I arrived in Bulgaria. I do not recall when I had my first one, but I would say it was sometime around November. Then weekly, I would buy a bag full of these little guys and enjoy them to no end. As the weeks turned in to months and winter started to give way too spring, one by one my normal fruit stands stopped having mandarins. So this drove me to go look at other fruit stands.

After the mid point in March I had become resigned to the fact that all the mandarins had simply disappeared. That was until, I found a gem of a fruit stand that still had them. Elated was the only to describe how I felt. But on Monday this elation gave way too despair as my new found fruit stand friend informed me, after I informed him that he was the only game in town that still had this delightful fruits from heaven, that I was picking from his last box of the season. Sad was me when I heard this news. He then quickly told me that since April that I was the only one that was still buying them.

In fact, I should have seen this coming, but I put on the blinders because I did not want to believe it. The signs were there. Everyday the box would lose two more mandarins without two more mandarins being add, the bright orange color was getting distorted,

and the taste, as much as I tried to fighting it was slowly starting to not be good. Much like the end of a relationship sometimes you just want to turn a blind eye to the writing that is on the wall and believe that there will always be a mandarin to great you everyday, but that is not reality.

Writing this post was more of a way for me to come to terms with what will be a difficult break up. Although the ultimate fighter in me though wants to round house kick all the lesser fruits in the face right now. Such is grief.

Peace and Love

Rocky Heart

Your Ultimate Fighting Bulgarian Food/Drink Critic Pacifist

Artmospheric not only kicks ass at web design, but also seems to have a completely awesome program of minimal electronic music, outdoor art, workshops, yoga, drum circles and more all located in the beautiful Bulgarian countryside. (The countryside, by the way, is absolutely popping green and beautiful right about now) 

Check it out!

Thanks Barb!

Todor Hristov Jivkov (or "Toдор Xpиcтoв Живков" in Bulgarian) was born on the 7th of September in the year of 1911 in the city of Pravets, (Shaded area on the map below). He lived until he was 87 years old, passing away on the 5th of August in 1998.Todor was the first secretary of the ruling Bulgarian Communist Party's Central Committee. He started in the year 1954 and continued until 1989. He was than President of Bulgaria from 1971 until 1989. Serving 35 years as the ruler of Bulgaria made the longest-serving of any leaders in any of the Soviet-bloc nations in Eastern Europe.

Legend has it that he was the son of poor peasants. He went into Sofia as a child and joined a youth league that was outlawed by the Communist party called the "Komsomol".

He slowly gained in position in the party and during World War II he helped to organize the resistance movement known as the People's Liberation Insurgent Army. After the war, in 1951, when there was instated the Soviet backed communist government, he became a full member of the Politburo.From 1951 until the early sixties he quickly rose in position and status whereas by 1962 to 1971 Jivkov was premier of Bulgaria. Towards the latter years of his life he was voted president of the State Council that formed Bulgaria's constitution.

Jivkovs beliefs followed closely to those of the Soviet Union in regards to domestic policy and foreign affairs. Jivkov was a pretty decent leader, at least monetarily, and the standard of living rose substantially.

In 1989, after the fall of the many communist governments in Eastern Europe, Jivkov resigned. Then arrested in January 1990 and he was convicted of embezzlement in 1992 be handed a seven years prison sentence.

However, proof that "old Commies die hard", he came back and in 1998 he, like many other former Bulgarian communist leaders, became a member of the Socialist Party. He passed away that very same year.

Jivkov has made a mark on the Bulgarian political scene, being a major part of it for nearly 40 years, and is one of Bulgarias most known politicians. Thanks for reading, I hope you all have a happy Saturday.

Take care.

-Kashcaval Pane

PS- To show you the wonderful powers of Google, when I went searching for pictures of Mr. Jivkov I found the item pictured below... Mr. Todor Jivkovs signature?!?!?

Driving in Bulgaria is much more of a luxury than it is in the States. Many people do not have cars and rely on other transportation systems for their travel needs (thus the need to blog about transportation). But I don’t care so much about that right now. Now I will discuss the phenomenon of using natural gas (or propane as some people know it) as opposed to gasoline to power many cars in Bulgaria. You can tell by the smell. If you have ever been camping in a trailer or motor home you know what I am talking about. It is a smell that is much cleaner than the exhaust we are used to smelling coming out of the back of our SUV’s and boat cars. And it being Earth Day this Tuesday here is what greencar.com has to say about it: “Propane is rapidly establishing itself as an important alternative fuel in the transportation sector because of its impressive environmental benefits and inherent cost advantages over gasoline, diesel, and other alt-fuels. It isn’t a direct greenhouse gas when released into the air. Current measurements have not found a global climate impact from propane emissions (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change-IPCC). Compared to conventional fuel sources, propane generates fewer GHG emissions in almost every application. At the point of use, it has a lower carbon content than gasoline, diesel, heavy fuel oil, or even biodiesel and ethanol.” Of course not very many cars that have this natural gas apparatus were produced with it. It is common to see it on the older, less efficient ones. So it had to be installed at some point, usually costing about $400. Which is just a bit below the average monthly wage of someone working in Sofia at $410. Gasoline in Sofia now costs about $6 a gallon, compared to $3.42 back in the States. A little more research turned up the following. I put it in a table to try and not confuse myself. Fuel Facts Bulgaria USA Gasoline Cost per gallon $ 6.00 $ 3.42 Kilometers per gallon 26 26 Cost for 100 KM $ 23.08 $ 13.15 Propane Cost per gallon $ 3.25 $ 1.55 Kilometers per gallon 38 38 Cost for 100 KM $ 8.59 $ 5.00 Cost of conversion kit $ 400.00 $ 1,000.00 Distance to recover cost of switching to propane 5529 KM 21000 KM *Figures are in USD I have a friend with a car that gets 26 kilometers/gallon with gas here. So with that mileage a car it would cost $23.08 to drive 100 kilometers (vs $13.15 with the same fuel economy in the States). For propane however, it costs about $3.25 a gallon here in Sliven. And that same car that gets about 38 kilometers/gallon of propane. And since propane is cheaper, it would cost only $8.59 to drive 100 kilometers, quite a savings. With this savings, it would take roughly 5529 KM in Bulgaria to recover the cost of the installation of the apparatus. And since the average Bulgarian drives 45 KM a year, it would roughly take 9000 years to make investing in one of those things worth it. But for the average American it would take about one year to recover the cost. Since the price of gas has been rising the price of propane has also risen from $1.05 a year ago in the States. So the benefits on this one definitely outweigh the costs barring other unforeseen factors including the price of gas and the price of propane. But if you don’t drive much like me, I would not recommend buying one of those doodads based on cost alone. However, if you are trying to save the earth you should buy one for yourself and a friend.

Alo,

In Bulgaria there are two types of cheese: cerene and kashkaval. Upon first arrival, I initially liked kashkaval it seemed the more harmless out of the two, and thought it was the king of the Bulgarian cheeses. But, I soon learned that this was Bulgaria's gateway cheese to the far more addictive cheese cerene.

Long ago are the days of cheddar, swiss, mozzarella, taco blend, Mexican blend (never really understood the difference between the last two), colby jack, and provolone. It is not too say that I do not miss the former cheeses because trust me I do, especially when it is taco night at the Heart household. But they never gave me that extra something that brought me back for more.

So what is cerene. Cerene is kind of like feta cheese (texture and white color) but with a little different taste. It crumbles and sticks to pretty much everything. It also has a distinct smell. In fact, you have already be introduced to cerene a little, when I introduced you to banitsa. That is how it gets you hooked, they hide on it on you first. Then all of a suddent the next thing you know it starts to show up at every meal, maybe on a salad, maybe on pizza, maybe on french fries and even pastas.

Soon you start to crave it by itself. You start to develop a taste for it in its pure stage and the more expensive it is the better. You just cut it up throw it on a plate and dig in. You think to yourself I do not even know if I like the taste and it is going to smell bad after a few days. Which only makes you eat faster. You try to fight it, but when you see it chopped up and put into a line, something comes over you.

So take your rolled two lev bill down to the nearest store tell your neighborhood dealer that you need a few hundred grams of the white stuff. She obliges and puts it in a baggy. You do not even make it out of the store before you put a little taste on your tounge. Thats right, thats the good stuff.

Peace and Love,

Rocky Heart

Your Ultimate Fighting Bulgarian Food/Drink Critic Pacifist

After a bit of a wait I am back and ready to dish the dirt on some interesting Bulgarian architecture.

Most of the structures, monuments and buildings we see in Bulgaria today, were constructed durring communist times or prior. These tend to introduce materials like stone, concrete and marble. This creates a very cold, unnatural, sometimes non modern and maybe even less inviting feeling. As a designer, I must say that the architecture follows the "form over function" approach.......meaning it was desigend to be seen rather then the form supporting the function of the structure or building.

Wouldnt you know, Karlovo has the perfect example of this same idea. The Municipality of Karlovo is a beautiful building with mosaic artwork on the front outside wall, large windows and an opportunity to break your hip at every turn. The entrance to the building is a bit of a law suit ready to happen...............wait this is Bulgaria, Ok its just a death trap. The entrance is created by two inclines up to a large platform above the sidewalk. This platform stretches the length of the entry area and then meets another incline that leads to the front door. Sounds Nice.........Oh you think so?

What is the problem with this you may ask............

Problem # 1: The Inclines and platform are made out of white smooth marble. This looks very nice and fancy but imagine a rainy or snowy day with ice on the ground, and then imagine the type of shoes women wear in this country. Walking up an incline made of smooth marble in inclament weather in spike heals or any for that matter says "I'd like one broken neck please." Thankfully during the winter the Municipality put down a mat for us to walk on but it didnt keep everyone from biting the dust (or marble in this case) a few times this year.

Problem # 2: The platform is about 3 feet above the sidewalk without a railing.....Meaning you could just walk right off a three foot drop. Lets add a broken leg and or arm to this equation. When Valya from the COD program staff came to visit me last month I turned around just before she started to step off the ledge. It was a close one. I motioned her to the incline of death to get down from the platform.

The Municipality building in Karlovo is no exception to structural misshapps that are typical with Communist architecture.

Suggested Signage

(sorry i have not seen you for a while. things get crazy.)

On April 8th, Roma people all of the world celebrated the international day of the Roma. It was a big celebration here in Bulgaria with concerts in almost every village with a Roma population. The festive atmosphere disguises the fact that it is a day to commemorate the over 500,000 Roma that were killed during the holocaust. The following lyrics are the translated lyrics (from Romani)of Djelem Djelem, which is the hymn for this day:

Djelem Djelem::

I have travelled over long roads

I have met fortunate Roma

I have travelled far and wide

I have met lucky Roma

Oh, Romani adults, Oh Romani youth

Oh, Romani adults, Oh Romani youth

Oh, Roma, from wherever you have come

With your tents along lucky roads

I too once had a large family

But the black legion murdered them

Come with me, Roma of the world

To where the Romani roads have been opened

Now is the time - stand up, Roma,

We shall succeed where we make the effort.

Oh, Roma adults, Oh, Roma youth

Oh, Roma adults, Oh, Roma youth.

All the following songs are sung in Romani, the offical language of the Roma people.

Esma Redzepova (the queen) - djelem djelem

A very interesting version of djelem djelem that shows pictures of the holocaust history that the song remembers. (be carful...some of these pictures are rather serious....)

Jazz rendition of djelem djelem

What is your name, age?

Roger Schrader. I am 23 years old.

What led you to join the Peace Corps?

It is a long story but I will try to keep it short. During my senior year in university I decided that I wanted to do my Masters in International Affairs/Relations. The schools that I had looked at wanted applicants to have at least 9 months of overseas experience. My university has a program where you can work overseas for a year teaching English. I looked at this and at the Peace Corp. I asked a poli sci professor who I have a good relationship with what she thought and she said “If you join the Peace Corp you can write your ticket to any grad program and any job.” This was a nice ringing endorsement, and, after looking at the Peace Corp a little more closely, it appeared that the Peace Corp would be a good match with my background as well as humanitarian leanings. I applied, got in and now here I am.

Have these desires been met? Do you feel that your Peace Corps experience is fulfilling the reasons you wished to join?

As of now, yes. I am learning a lot and the experience, although tough at times, has been good. I have learned much more about myself, what I can handle for example, than I ever thought I would. I feel I am gaining experiences that I am going to be able to apply to the rest of my life.

What were your initial reactions to hearing you would be going to Bulgaria?

My first reaction was “It is about time they told me where I was going”. This was closely followed by: “Bulgaria. That sounds familiar. Where is it again?”.

Where are you from? How is it different from where you are now?

I am from Owego, in Upstate NY, population, ummm I am not sure. I have been telling people it is about 3000. However, it is really small. Where I am living now has a little different feel than my hometown. For one there are more young people here than my hometown, but like my hometown there are not a lot of people my age around.

This is not the biggest difference. That would be the mountains. Where I live now is at the base of one of the Bulgarian mountain ranges. Upstate New York has hills and nothing close to the mountains that I see every day.

What exactly do you do?/Where do you work?

I work at a small youth NGO. We have a strong focus on exchanges with youth from other parts of the EU and Turkey. In addition, we have done projects covering environmental issues and AIDS/HIV awareness.

Are there any projects you are working on at the moment? Tell us about it.

Currently I am preparing for a youth exchange Turkey, the theme of which is body language and cross-cultural communication. We have two other projects in the works; one addressing violence in the schools and another on traffic safety, as well as another youth exchange in Lativa at the end of this month. On May 10th we are having American Culture Day. Kids from the language school Intellect are doing projects on American culture, some of which will be displayed. There will be a guest from the American Embassy as well as a food display. In the summer, plans are in the works for a youth conference on ATIP in S

What do you eat?

Lots and lots of banitsa. There is this stand in the center that sells if for 0.80st a piece and we are not talking small pieces either. These things are about the size of a slice of pizza and not personal pan pizza either. It is some of the best banitsa I have ever had. Rice is easy to make so I have that a lot a long with mixed veggies or chicken. Fruit is still fairly cheap so I try to get my lazy self to the bazaar regularly enough to have fresh fruit on a regular basis. O, I almost forgot. Princeska sandwiches. These things are heart attacks on a slice of bread but they a very easy to make and lately I have been eating a lot of them.

I cook most of my meals if you want to call them meals. But for lunch I usually get bantisa or a hot dog or go to the Stol. Good food for reasonable prices. I cannot argue with that.

What do you do in your spare time? If you read, what book are you reading now? Would you recommend it?

Are there any hobbies you sought out here that you didn't do in the states?

If these questions had been asked about two months ago, I would have told you it was playing Tomb Raider on my psp. I put that away as it was proving far too addictive and replaced it with reading and watching Stargate (yes, I am that geek). Currently I am rereading James Clavells Asian Saga. I had read the books in high school and I had remembered that they were really good. The Peace Corp library had the one that I was not able to read then so around Christmas time I snatched it up ad read it. Then it was just a matter of reading the rest of them. Right now I am on ‘Gai-Jin’.

It is a great book with good story lines and complex characters. The one thing that really appeals to me about these books is that, like I said, the characters are complex. It is hard to say that there are bad guys and good guys as everyone has their own competing agendas. Something that I have been meaning to do for a long time is to get back into some sort of an exercise program. I eventually was able to track down some guys that go to the gym on a fairly regular basis, so a few times a week, after work I have been going there. I end up being rather sore the next days but it is great times. They are great guys and I it might actually be making me healthy :D

The Thumb! (палецът!) Better known as hitchhiking (пътуване на автостоп)

It’s a great way to see the country, meet new people and add adventure to your adventure. Personally, I’d never hitchhiked before and was a little weary of doing it in a foreign country with a language I have a minimal grasp of. However, my fears were assuaged and I struck up conversations with some awesome people. Other PCVs have had similar experiences like former vafla aficionado and all round bad ass, Thomas Lodwick.And yes, I did steal that sweet pic from the linked entry. I have no qualms or apologies. For the lackadaisical PCV (like Mr. Lodwick and myself), hitchhiking is merely a mode of transportation in our arsenal. It's not a necessity, but spices up our trip and eases our wallet. However, other PCVs living remote areas (especially the illustrious ones in the Rhodopi mountains) find hitch-hiking indispensable and often times, inevitable. Villagers in the Rhodopis, where I first learned how to hitchhike, are very friendly and understanding of the circumstances for hitch-hiking (namely, the lack of a frequent bus schedule). Hitchhiking here is a way of life. However, The Word From Upon High That Bans All Things Fun (also known as the Peace Corps Policy Manuel), states in Section 23, subsection 1.2.5 "Hitchhiking is strictly forbidden". On the other hand, Lonely Planet, the premiere tour guide book, declares:Lonely Planet makes a habit of warning against hitchhiking in its standard text section in the back of guidebooks; ignore that here. Bulgaria practically begs you to do it - or at least pick people up. It's an everyday means of getting around for people who often lack their own transport. Grandmas pile bags into cars on the side of the highways, lone children hold out hand to stop strangers' cars to get to school - the only fear is whether or not the driver will be playing chalga -nauseatingly joyful, relentless, bouncing disco music ('truck driver music,' one Sofian hipster scoffed).I couldn't say it better myself. A few tips to successfully hitchhike: If you're in a large group, split up into groups of 2 or 3Be sure to keep that thumb up when you see a car comingTourists don't tend to pick up hitchhikersAlways be gracious when you get picked upSwap awesome stories However, the absolute MUST after a successful hitch is to brag about it to your suburban friends. You'll quickly been the envy of everyone (or least get a "Dude, we know you're doing awesome things. Stop making us feel bad about it").Sometimes the driver may ask for money. This may not alway be a bad thing as the driver can be more hospitable. For instance, I and a few other PCVs, caught a ride with a guy going to Plovdiv. He only asked us for 8lv (the bus ticket was 9lv) and he would be faster. We took him up on his offer. About an hour and a half later, he wanted to know we want to take a side trip to a monastery. How could we refuse? He was an excellent tour guide.All that said, hitchhiking, although strictly against PC policy, can be an interesting and rewarding experience that lets you reap the fruits of your integration skills. I for one, will plan on including hitchhiking into my next Bulgarian adventure!

J-Dub "The Duke" Paperstax