I did week five and on time! I just didn't post it for some reason. Hm.

Anyways, I made Garlic & Brown Sugar Chicken. I found the recipe on Pinterest which took me to THIS link I read a lot of the reviews and implemented some of them such as lining the baking dish with foil. It was easy to make and pretty quick. Next time, I'd marinate the chicken for awhile with teriyaki sauce or something of the like...

The recipe as is gives it a nice glaze though. I'll definitely make (a variation) of this one again.

I realize that this is not a very appetizing picture. After JLN and I had started eating he asked, "Weren't you supposed to take a picture?!" Thus... this is it. With his iPhone. (We had mashed potatoes and sauteed squash and zucchini on the side.) The picture on the recipe website looks way better.

Speaking of Pinterest recipes, Carrie Jo hosted a Superbowl party yesterday and I made Cookie Dough Dip (Hello fat fat) and JLN made Pizza Dip. (Seriously, he made it all by himself. I was so proud. He was too. So cute.) Both are/were delicious. I brought the leftovers to work because goodness knows I don't need that stuff lurking in my refrigerator.

I feel like I'm pretty good at spelling but "refrigerator" is one of those words that always takes me two or three times to get right. I always add a "d".

Otherwise, I cut four inches off of my hair last week. And got bangs. I dig it. My new glasses have been shipped and I should be receiving them this week. Maybe there'll finally be a picture of my face.

Until then...

Week four.... and done.

Chicken Curry with Couscous and Garlic Green Beans!

I had another jar of curry from Williams-Sonoma and since we're trying to use up the food we have in the house before hitting up the grocery store again this was it!

Obviously I went real fancy here by using a premade jar of curry, microwaveable couscous (this brand is delicious!!) and canned green beans. The most laborious part was cooking the chicken before adding the curry sauce.

Finished product. It was good. And the parents both enjoyed it. I get a little nervous "making" curry since we never grew up eating Indian food and my mom doesn't do spicy so well. This one had a little bit of kick but nothing she couldn't handle!

(@Lyndsey - You could totally do this with veggies instead of chicken. One day I'll do a vegetarian recipe in honor of you... although Dad will need to get his protein somewhere!)

Tonight I went Bulgarian style and made Musaka. (No pics.) This was the first time I tried to make it since I've been back in the States. I was a little disappointed... but then I had the realization that it wasn't how I made it but that the vegetables in the Bulg have far more flavor as compared to what's available here. I kinda miss going out to the backyard to the garden and grabbing veggies there. The Bulgarians did always say they had the best produce!

And for your listening pleasure... Straight No Chaser.

This is my current jam. On repeat again and again. Love.

Yesterday I sent JLN an email showing him something I found on Pinterest...

This was his response....

I have no doubt that I'm an absolutely delightful girlfriend so this has never been an issue for us... :)

I had a good laugh from it. I even sent it to one of my sister's who forwarded it to her husband. He found JLN's response very wise.

(Sidenote: What's with all the quotes/saying on Pinterest? Do people print these out or just look at them whenever they're on their Pinterest account?!)

Last night I made it to week three! Three weeks down, 49 to go!

I made Chicken & Chipotle Soup with Avocado & Lime from the Williams-Sonoma "Soup of the Day" cookbook. It was easy and pretty good. Originally I was going to do something from my Paula Deen "Southern Cooking Bible" but after the announcement of her diabetes, I decided her food probably wasn't what me (or my parents) need to be eating right now! Ha. (BTW, sorry Paula.)

Here's the book....

Here's the completed soup: topped with avocado and lime!

The soup wasn't too difficult to make although when I did my grocery shopping Tuesday night I couldn't find a mint sprig and I had no idea what kind of chile to get. There were about seven different options and there wasn't one labeled "Chipotle Chile in Adobo" sooooo I was confused. I ended up just buying a jalapeno, holding and roasting it over the gas stove, peeling and de-seeding and chopping. Worked well enough. (Plus Vic doesn't do too spicy so I wanted to make sure she could eat it!) There are chickpeas in the soup which added a nice flavor... and we even had some at the house so I didn't have to buy any.

Am I supposed to actually give the recipe on here? Does anyone care?? I guess it's easy enough to google if you want to create your own.

And just for good measure... here's an informal introduction to the man-friend:

And coming this weekend, my first book club with ladies from church. We'll be talking about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. If you click here you can find a stellar review of the book. (I found when I tried to explain it, I did it absolutely no justice!... Then you should bookmark that website.)

Yesterday I started Fame by Karen Kingsbury. I won this set of books from a blog of an old colleague (she's not old, just the job!). Check out her blog here. Thank you Sara! :)

Number of books for 2012: 2 (1 down, 1 in progress)

Monday night I went ahead and made my Week Two recipe: Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions.

It was good. Although I had higher ambitions to actually use the Slow Cooker but when I got home from work my mom said, "Why don't you just do those now?" So being the obliging/gracious/fantastic daughter I am, I gave her the night off. (The recipe has it for both oven and slow cooker so it wasn't an issue!)

Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Slow Cooking(This is a fantastic cookbook, you should get it!)

The ingredients which were all on hand (Except you're supposed to use two yellow onions but I was using what was available!).

The dish.

I realize this presentation doesn't look as good as it tasted. We also had mashed potatoes and I probably should've taken the picture once I scooped the pork chop and onions onto the potatoes. Live and learn, eh?

At least I'm two for two so far.

(Tonight I made a Chicken Coconut Curry with Couscous. Williams-Sonoma sells a Coconut Curry starter - not the cheapest thing but the taste and ease of cooking is worth the cost! Dinner was pretty good if I do say so myself...)

Now, if the weather would only go back up to 65 degrees and sunny... that'd help resolution number two. Or I could go to the gym. But I'll sit at my computer and blame my lack of exercise on the weather instead! :)

Ummm.... about this resolution... we can count Pinterest recipes too, right? Sure, it's my resolution.

As I realized I nearly failed in my resolution during the first week, my man friend said to count what I made from a recipe via Pinterest this past Sunday. I'm gonna say Pinterest can count because who wants to have not failed the first week of a NY's Resolution?! Plus, it means I actually did something from Pinterest! (Although I don't have a picture because I had this other great plan on what I was going to do but this first week of 2012 didn't start in the most ideal way.)

Anyways, I made this. Or a version thereof.Picture from here.Recipe here.

Pizza Casserole!Delicious. Mine didn't exactly look like this because the 13x9 pan is not in the house. (It got left at my aunt's at T-Give and we haven't gotten around to getting it again! Aunt Suzy, let's meet so mom or I can get this pan back!) I used another dish that made it go up instead of long. Either way. It's good.

I did make some changes to the recipe trying to do it somewhat "healthier". I used turkey pepperoni (tastes the same) and ground turkey instead of sausage. This recipe does make a lot though... I ended up eating it as lunch leftovers four out of five days this week! Even my dad and brother ate some too. I think next time (which there will most definitely be!), I can cut the recipe in half. Thank you Pinterest!

Let's see if I can make week 2....

I have a New Year's Resolution.

And it's all thanks to sister the first, Lyndsey! For Christmas, she gave me two new cookbooks. "Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible" and "Milk & Cookies."

The resolution is that once a week I'm going to try out a new recipe. So I started today! Who cares that it's still 2011?! While I was working at Williams-Sonoma I bought a couple of good cookbooks ("Soup of the Day" and "Essentials of Slow Cooking") so I have plenty to check out.

(When I was living in Bulgaria, I cooked from scratch nearly every day. I miss it. I did have much more free time out there though...)

Today I made Ambrosia Chicken Salad from "Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible." It was super easy, we already had all of the ingredients on hand and everyone (myself and the 'rents) liked it. And here we are...

Ingredients: Cookbook, Lime Juice, 20oz. can of Pineapple, Mayo, Shredded Coconut, Salt, Chicken and Almonds.

Completed! I topped it off with Craisins and put it on a bed of lettuce!

One recipe down, 52 to go. Let's see how long I last.... :)

That one time back in October...? Over two months ago? Yes, well I finally had a day off with no commitments and am finally getting around to it.

(I wrote that yesterday. Why in the world is it taking me so long to do this?!)

Okay, so back in October my friend Spencer and I went to go visit his parents who live in Doha, Qatar. They moved there not long after I arrived in Bulgaria so they've been there since Summer '09. Spencer and I grew up together at church, went to ACU together and I love his parents so why not go visit them in the Middle East!

We drove from Dallas to Houston to catch a direct flight into Doha. Since his parents travel so much they've become friends with the Qatar Airways employees who then hooked Spencer and I up by putting us in the bulkhead seats. So much room! (Travel tip: Always ask for the bulkhead seats when you go to check in the at the desk!) And the adventure begins with a 14 hour flight to Doha....

Diet Coke. Duh.

Here is where I learned my love for camels. We went on a quick camel ride with some of the Jackson's friends who also live out there. (This was after four wheeling in the sand dunes!)

Yes.

More Camels!

The Souk // The Market

Museum of Islamic Art

The Pearl (This is the development that Jerry, Spencer's dad, works at!)

The sashimi igloo platter at Magu. Who has ever seen such a display?!

My wonderful hosts! The Jackson family! The scale model behind them is of The Pearl development!

Now I'm in Dubai!(Doha to Dubai is about a 45 minute flight.)This is the view from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world! It was a little sandy but some crazy views from the 124th floor!

The Dubai Aquarium... I got excited about the SHARK TANK... IN THE MALL!

At the Sky View Bar in the Burj Al Arab. Spencer became famous at this bar where a drink was created in honor of him.

View of the Burj Al Arab from Pierchic.

I had so many wonderful pictures from this trip. This is a seriously quick overview. The Jackson's were such great hosts and fantastic tour guides. It was an awesome way to experience the Middle East. I mean, who doesn't love going to the pool at The Ritz in Doha?! This was far different from my other travels... where I couchsurfed, ate as cheap as I could and wandered around. I like this kind of traveling too! :)

The flight home was another... adventure... It took 16 hours, Spencer was sick and the altitude just about did him in! We had our own rows but on the way there we both fell asleep and slept through the whole trip. On the way back... not so much. Then we arrived in Houston, jumped straight in the truck and drove back to Dallas. It was a LONG day to say the least!

If you want to look at pictures, you can check them out HERE.I realize I didn't write too much about the actual trip... kinda hard to do so many months after it happened.

But know this... It was awesome. You should go.

I still read a lot. No surprise there. On my lunch break I go to the cafeteria area with my Kindle and lunch and sit and read. I spend my lunch hour (typically) all by myself. And I like it.

Maybe I spent too much time by myself in Bulgaria and I've turned into a big loner. It's okay with me. Kind of annoying to the man friend. Oh well.

Anyways, here's a list of the books I've read since I've been back in America. I'm continuing the numbers from while I was traveling... because, hey, it's still 2011. I'll start a new list in 2012.

80- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan81- Unbroken82- Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2)83- Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3)84- Then Came You85- Sarah's Key86- The Night Circus

I just started "The Kite Runner" today. It's my new lunch book. And I've got a real copy of "Wonder Struck" waiting for me on my dresser. My mom and I read "Hugo" way back in the day. I want to see the movie.

Anyways, reading is cool. Anyone have any book recommendations?!

I still haven't forgot about a Doha/Dubai blog. Or a life update. Small steps.

I haven't forgotten about this... I've had the best of intentions to update!

In fact, I have two "drafts" I've started including my trip to Doha and Dubai. Complete with pictures. (Ones like this. Turns out I have a fascination with camels.)

Working two jobs and not having weekends free for the time being makes me have an attitude that does not include blog updates. (I am thankful to be employed though!)

Someday a real update will happen... if y'all are still out there.

Wow, I've definitely turned into a terrible blogger. It might be better because otherwise I'd be telling y'all about how I'm jobless (though not putting forth much of an effort to find a job) and the Peace Corps money is definitely going out but nothing coming in. Whatever.

Good news is that I'm less than a month away from heading to the Middle East to visit some family friends! (Thus being the reason I'm not job searching too hard.) "Hi, please hire me. But I need a week off in October. Thanks." I don't think that would fly too well.

But I have worked on some of my craft projects including the bike! And it's finished. My amazing dad helped me completely revamp the bike. I learned all about grease guns, oiling joints and other things that my dad mysteriously knows about. (It's not really a mystery... he was raised on a farm and had one of those bikes from the old days!)

Before:It doesn't look too terrible here but it needed a new paint job, work on the brakes, and a kickstand. It really just needed some love.

After:We had a power washer that entertained me for awhile...

Painting

Putting back together

Cleaned and painted basket

All done!

My dad was so great about helping me and my mom enjoyed seeing her old bike get updated! We ended up keeping the original handles and streamers and we didn't paint the inside of the tires. Gotta keep some of the character! But it's working good and rideable... now I just need somewhere to go so I can put something in the basket! :)

While I was doing all of my travel research I realized it was super hard to find a lot of information about official Eastern European train/bus schedules. So I wrote all of mine how they actually happened. This won't be a very interesting entry unless you care about the particulars of Eastern Europe transportation! Mostly this one is for the travelers googling train or bus schedules!

The public transport itinerary was: Sofia - Beograd - Sarajevo -Split - Zagreb - Budapest - Vienna(I went to some other places but was lucky enough to catch some rides for free!)

My travel information from July 2011:Sofia, Bulgaria - Belgrade, Serbia TrainEstimated Departure: 12.25 // Arrival: 19.19Actual Departure: 12.25 // Arrival: 01.0041.56 BGN // $30 USD // 21 EUR* Terrible train! Ridiculously hot and way longer than what the people in Bulgaria said. Apparently the train is always 12ish hours. Be prepared.

Belgrade, Serbia - Sarajevo, Bosnia i HerzegovinaBusEstimated Departure: 08.00 // Arrival: 16.00Actual Departure: 08.00 // Arrival: 15.502150 RSD // $31 USD // 22 EUR*Stick with buses. They're air conditioned!

Split, Croatia - Zagreb, CroatiaBusEstimated Departure: 11.15 // Arrival: 16.00Actual Departure: 11.20 // Arrival: 16.30184 HRK // $36 USD // 25 EUR

Zagreb, Croatia - Budapest, HungaryTrainEstimated Departure: 16.20 // Arrival: 22.19Actual Departure: 16.20 // Arrival: 22.19228 HRK // $44 USD // 31 EUR*Train switch at 19.40 in Kopivrica. Easy switch. Air conditioned trains!

Budapest, Hungary - Vienna, AustriaTrainEstimated Departure: 09.00 // Arrival: 12.00Actual Departure: 09.00 // Arrival: 12.056750 HUF // $36 USD // 25 EUR

Good luck traveling! Make sure to go to the coast of Croatia!

Blog fail.

I have no excuse for not updating in two weeks. It's not like a TON of things haven't been happening. I even have a list of entries to write.... but.... I'll get to it.

All sorts of fun things have happened. Like RETURNING TO AMERICA. (I love America by the way.) I've been meeting up with family and friends, my parents hosted a party to welcome me home and 60ish people showed up!

Things are good. Things are happening. But now I need a job. The readjustment allowance from Peace Corps is disappearing. Quick. I went to the Dallas Galleria and just had to have some new things! :)

But know that I haven't forgot about my blogging responsibilities. I even have pictures for this one.

The four kids together for the first time since C's wedding in October 2008!

Remember my craft projects? This is my mom's bike from 1954 that I'm going to give some love to! This is the before picture....

Turns out the last post was my 200th!

So Happy 201st Post! (*It only took me six years!)

I'm in Sofia again. The three week Euro Trip has come to an end. And I didn't go to Bratislava. But all in all, it was a complete success. Even with super lame weather (rain, 20c/68f) I went out and explored everyday!

There is so much more to tell y'all but for now it's 8pm (Bulgaria time) and I have a taxi that will be waiting at 330am. Even though I woke up at 4am for a 430am train ride to the Vienna airport this morning. Here's hoping that all three of my flights go successfully tomorrow... and that I am on every one of them! The itinerary is not set up with a lot of grace time. So if you're awake at 345am (CST) or 1045am (Frankfurt time), send up a prayer that I made it on the flight!

The goal is to be at El Fenix eating chips and salsa, tortilla soup and nachos in the late afternoon with the parents (and my checked bag waiting in the car in the sweltering 41c/105f heat)!

Cheers (for the last time in awhile) from the great country of Bulgaria!

Just a quick update... and no pictures... sorry!

I've been traveling for five days and all is well! :)

I'm in Zenica, Bosnia (outside of Sarajevo) now and will soon head on to Mostar, Bosnia. After Mostar, I'll spend a couple of days in Split, Croatia (on the coast!). Then on to Zagreb, Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava! It's hot out here but super nonetheless.

Oh, and for anyone that will ever travel from Sofia, Bulgaria to Beograd, Serbia. Just know that the train is 11 hours. NOT the eight they tell you (or that's printed on the ticket). I took the 12.25 train and didn't arrive until after 01.00. (Incredibly delayed and unpleasant.) 13 HOURS in the heat. Not my favorite part of the trip.

If you ever travel from Beograd to Sarajevo... go with the bus! Only 4 euro more and AIR CONDITIONED! In the middle of summer, it makes a HUGE difference! Trust me!

And THANK YOU to all of y'all who have sent me emails and comments regarding the blog! I have no idea how many people follow this blog or check it out in Google Reader but I've been so thankful for the well wishes from people around the world! Once I get back to the States, we can all decide together what to do with my life!

...Any ideas or suggestions?! :)

Time for Mostar! (And traveling by CAR!)

The end of a milestone is here. At midnight I officially become an RPCV. (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer).

27 months of Peace Corps Bulgaria is at an end and in 13 hours I begin my three week backpack adventure.

Right now I'm sitting in Gabi and Yavor's apartment (sweating) and being incredibly thankful for this family. The three of us just walked to the shop so they could buy me snacks, sandwich supplies, water and Cola Light for the eight hour train ride. (Sidenote: I'm sweating now at 11pm. My train is from 12 noon - 730pm. Good gracious, it's going to be hot. And un-air conditioned. Delightful, yes?)

I love that over two years later this family still takes me on as their own and takes care of me. It's a good feeling. Gabi has even taken off work for the day I fly back into Sofia and the day I fly out of Sofia to Dallas at 540am! Good people, for sure!

To my fellow PC-BGers.... love yall. Catch yall on the flip side. I'll be in charge of our 5... 10... 7.5(?) year reunion. Don't worry.

To PC-DC... No big complaints. Thanks for letting me serve in Bulgaria for 27 months.

To Bachevo and Bulgaria... Much love. It's (mostly) been fantastic.

To America... thanks for the emails/facebook messages/love. Spending over two years away has made me realize how much I love my country (and my State if we're getting specific). We have a lot to be proud of and thankful for.

There'll be plenty of time for these. Any special requests?! I've got all sorts of colors with me and nothin' but time... :)

There is so much more to write and to say and be thankful for but now, this is it.

I'm tired and hot and need to sleep!

Can yall believe it's over?!

Peace,

VGG

RPCV Bulgaria 2009-2011

Turns out this is my 198th entry. What actually might be pathetic about this is that I've had this blog since June of 2006. Which means that I've averaged 40 entries per year. Maybe for my 200th I'll do something special! :)

I'm out of the village but I haven't gone too far yet. I'm teaching Journalism for one week at a camp at the American University in Bulgaria. It's the same camp I taught at last year. Although this year there's 170 teenagers from 14 different countries. It's an awesome camp and such a great opportunity for these students! We've got our own blog (that all classes are contributing to)... check it out HERE. Not one of the kids is a native English speaker, so check out their writing and be impressed!

When I'm not chasing around groups of teenagers, I'm putting the final touches on my 3 week backpacking adventure... it should go like this:Serbia (Beograd)Bosnia (Sarajevo & Mostar)Croatia (Dubrovnik or Split & Zagreb)Hungary (Budapest)Austria (Vienna)Slovakia (Bratislava)

It's going to be pretty awesome if I do say so myself... There were so many more places I wanted to go but there just isn't enough time. I guess I'll just have to come back to Central Europe and go to Prague, Krakow, Warsaw, etc...

There are about six more days of being an official Peace Corps Volunteer. Come next Tuesday, I will become an RPCV. (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer)

Then the trip begins... and before I know it, I'll be arriving on Texas soil for the first time since May 19, 2009 and eating at El Fenix with my parents.

Life is good, y'all.

I've pretty much packed up all of my things. I put two years of stuff into two backpacks. And that's it.

I'm leaving Bachevo... the village that's been my home for two years. It's crazy that this day is finally here and our B25 group has started heading back to America! It's a bittersweet feeling leaving here. I've said my goodbyes and given my well-wishes. I'll be at a camp for a week and in 12 days, I'll begin my backpacking trip for three weeks. It'll be time for Texas before we know it!

So to the village of Bachevo, thanks for two years.

You've done me well. (Except for the winters!) Наздраве!

Remember when I posted about the things I need to get done in five months back in February? (Click HERE for that post.)

I'm happy to say I've accomplished all of those things. I went to Varna. I've planned my after-PC trip and I finally hiked the Seven Rila Lakes!

The hike didn't work out exactly how we planned due to the weather on Saturday. But I knew I only had about two weeks left in country so it was a now or never opportunity. Thankfully on Sunday the weather cleared up (albeit windy) and I was able to go!

I can't believe it took me over two years to do this! It is so amazingly beautiful and the pictures can't even do it justice. But I'll try...

View from the lift.

Me & Stephanie

Still going... beautiful views

After many takes, this was our best shot. I love it.

Still going...

At the top!

We didn't stay at the top for too long... the weather up there was windy and the sun was disappearing. And Stephanie and I were wearing shorts. So we walked down. And it was spectacular.

Things you should know about the lakes:*The micro-buses that supposedly run every day from Sapareva Banya to the lift were not running when we got there. (Go figure. It was Sunday but the locals told us that it didn't matter.) So we had to pay a car to take us up.*It's 15 leva ($11) for a roundtrip lift ticket.*The lift doesn't actually take you to the lakes. I was under the impression they did. But there's still a 2ish hour hike for the lakes. *The weather changes very quickly in the mountains. Be like a Girl Scout (or Boy Scout) and be prepared.

(One day soon, I'll give y'all the scoop on my three week adventure.)

Countdown update:1.5 days left in the village (I leave FRIDAY!)14 days left in country36 days until Texas

For one of my final weekends in BG a huge group of us gathered in Varna on the Black Sea Coast. The 10 hour trip from the SW corner to the east coast of the country was totally worth it! I love my B25's!

A picture to prove I was actually at the beach (and one taken without my knowledge)! I realized that I didn't really take any pics at the beach. But that's okay because I'm pretty sure 9 out of 10 girls do not want a picture of them floating around the internet of them in their bathing suit.

I love Stephanie. She's one of my favorites. I'm sad she's not going back to Texas with me but instead going to Holland for grad school.

These two fabulous men will be reuniting with me in Dallas. I'm so excited thinking about Cory, James and I out on the town. Haha!

Seriously, this picture was not staged. Our usual dance party had started and I caught Raf in a moment. He's going to continue reppin' B25's for a third year! (Crazy.)

Then... then there was this lady. Let me tell you the story of why me and this lady will never be friends. This weekend was hot. Nothin' I couldn't handle though. But I was not excited about the heat that comes with a seven hour UNair conditioned train ride.

I should also tell you about a Bulgarian... myth... concern... whatever you want to call it. It's the течение.(Techenie)The течение is the draft. The concern with people of a certain age here is that if doors or windows are open you will get sick. Which means that you can sometimes get stuck in a train car with an elder who throws a fit if the window is open or the train car door is open.

At some point during the train ride, this woman got on and sat next to Caitlin. It was hot outside and inside but we had the window open. But I was still sweating. Eventually someone opened up the door to the outside and the door to the car. It gave us a beautiful (albeit strong) breeze. But it was good.

Then the lady shut the door into our car. Caitlin tried to convince her it would be a "beautiful breeze" but she wasn't having it.

Then our train broke down.

Eventually they got us up and running but by this time I'd already changed into my cotton shorts, took off my shoes and was draped across some seats. It was hot, yall. Someone opened up the outside door and the lady closed it. No ma'am, that wasn't going to fly.Caitlin and I looked at her, and Caitlin opened that door back up. We gave her the "just try to shut that door again" look.

She didn't. But the lady (who had been profusely sweating along with the rest of us) then draped a jacket and a scarf around her and mumbled to herself for quite some time. Dramatic, much?! It was probably about 95F/35C.It was not ideal. But the weekend was fantastic.And 9 hours later, we were in Sofia.

...or a Dallasite more specifically!

Remember my post from a week and a half ago about the Mavs?!Or should I say the 2011 NBA Championship team?!

I totally wish I was in Dallas celebrating with all the Mavs fans!

(Or with the Germans. They love Dirk. They know what's up!)

I was internet-less over the weekend and awoke early thinking about the Mavs. It was the confusing half awake/half asleep trying to decide if they had WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP. It inspired me to get out of bed (at the early hour of 10am) to check online. Maybe the word "inspired" is more of a loose term.

I still had NO internet! So I called GNet and the woman informed there was no problem with the internet... it was my lack of paying the bill. MY BAD. I got ready with a purpose, went to Razlog, paid the bill, returned to the village and was oh-so-very pleased to see they won. I'm so proud. MFFL, yo!

Enough about the Mavs. Let's have some Peace Corps updates.

This past weekend I returned to where it all started. The village of Kravoder! It was great to stay for the last time with Emi and Kiril, na gosti with friends and see the B27 group become official Peace Corps Volunteers.

I can't say enough good things about the Davidovi family and their extreme hospitality. I'm so thankful I lived with them for 11 weeks and have been able to keep that relationship over the past two years. That family has done so much for me... lots of love!

Emi, Kiril and I(I promise he was excited to have me there!)

My favorite people from Krav: Penka, Emi, Pile Prez, Kiril, Vinsi, Tsetska

On the way back from Vratsa, I had a layover in Sofia. What did I do? Go to the Mexican food place, then to Subway, then to the shop that sells American drinks in cans. How very American of me, right?! This is what I came home with.

Countdown update:17 days left in the village30 days left in country51 days until Texas

This weekend I've been on a craft kick. Or more of a craft search kick as I'm not actually doing anything. I'm planning projects for when I return.

Caitlin sent me a website: Craft Gawker and I have spent a lot of time going through that. It's fun. It makes me want to buy a sewing machine. And then learn how to sew.

Here's where I need help. I have some things from Bulgaria that I want to eventually showcase. But I'm not really sure what to do.

One of the things I have is old Bulgarian money from the Communist era. (And a lot of 1000 dinari bills from the former Yugoslavia.) It's pretty awesome. Too bad it's not real money.

I called my mom to ask her for some ideas. She was an Art major back in the day. We talked about a Mod Podge'd table top or TV trays. Right now I'm leaning towards the TV tray idea. I checked out Craigslist and found sets of 4 for about $20. (Or maybe my parents will give me theirs for free!)

Has anyone done one of those types of projects? I've found all sorts of how-to/DIY websites but I'm still scared. I have these crafty ideas but it seems like often they never turn out too cute...

My other non-existent project is with postcards. I've collected postcards from the places I've visited since I've lived in Bulgaria. And I have no idea what to do with them. Right now I have 12 but am planning on adding six more during my after Peace Corps travels.

I'd thought about doing some kind of framing but no doubt it would get ridiculously expensive for any kind of custom framing or matting. All the cards are different sizes. So my creative friends, what in the world should I do?! I'm kind of begging y'all to comment... all you Google Readers or people who stumble upon this... any ideas?!

::Change of Subject:::Yesterday, we finally had a non-rainy day with the sun out. So I finally did something I've been meaning to do for the past two years.... I walked to the edge of the village where the Bachevo welcome sign and had a little photo shoot. I thought I needed to have some pictures here before I leave the village in less than a month!

I'm a Mavs fan. Although I've been slacking living in Bulgaria.I would do the occasional NBA standings check and if DallasNews.com had a headliner about the Mavs, I'd check it out.

But I've kept up well enough to know they're in the NBA Finals right now! Go Mavs!

This is the second time they've made it all the way to the finals (against Miami both times no less!) and I can't help but notice that I'm once again far, far away from the action! Wish I was there!*I have spent five of the last seven summers abroad! Crazy!

Nonetheless, I love the Mavs. And in honor of last nights win, I am rocking my Dirk shirt in Bulgaria!

MFFL!

THIS IS AN ARTICLE of 20 reasons to pull for Big D! Check it out!

A couple of my favorite reasons are:"Pull for Dallas because when you ask Nowitzki why he didn't bolt the way everybody else does, he simply says, "Because this is where my heart is.""Pull for Dallas because it has the best locker room in the NBA, not a whiner among them. There are more good guys in that room than in some divisions.""Pull for these Dallas Mavericks because the way things are going, the Dallas Cowboys may never win a title again."

Today begins the last month in the village.CRAZY.

I leave Bachevo on 01 July 2011 for good. In honor of my two years spent here, I went back through some pictures to remember the good times I've had here. Although I'm currently super bored, I'm thankful that I lived here, in the mountains and surrounded by some fantastic people.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Bachevo over the last two years...

First visit to Bachevo :: June 2009

Moved in :: July 2009

A view from the Mountains :: August 2009

Early morning view from my house :: August 2009

Babin Den - Grandmother's Day :: January 2010

Snowy village :: February 2010

St. George's Cliff above the village :: March 2010

Valentine's Day at the Kindergarten :: February 2011

Todorov Den :: March 2011

Наздраве, Бачево!Cheers, Bachevo!

I have too much free time to think about my ever-nearing future in the States.

And it makes me cry. Seriously. I just cried.

Over two years ago, before I actually arrived in Bulgaria, I was just sure that I would figure out what I wanted to do with life while in the Peace Corps. Much to my dismay, that hasn't happened.

Here I am, six weeks away from leaving Bulgaria... Peace Corps over with... and I still have no idea. It's frustrating. When will I ever figure it out?

I have ideas of what I could do but those keep changing. My current thought is taking me back to ideas I had awhile ago. But that involves going back to school and I don't get excited about taking out loans.

I'm just bored. Too much time to sit alone thinking about it. Surely it'll all work out in the end.

On a completely different note - earlier this week there were some crazy storms in the Dallas area. The tornado sirens were going off by my parents house so my brother and the dogs took cover. (Thankfully there wasn't much action there besides a little hail, thunder and lightening.) My brother emailed me this picture and it makes me smile.

Philip's dog is the one on the left. My poor pup is the old one on the right. (I use the term "my" loosely, my mom has really been taking care of her.) She's 16 and mostly deaf. She had tried to jump out of the tub but couldn't do it so decided to lay down and chill instead. I'm kinda surprised she didn't sleep through the storm because that's really all she does. But my brother assured me she could hear the hail and did not like it one bit.

Lifestyle Change 2K11 started today. I think I convinced a couple of my other friends to join in on the (not so much) fun.

I went to Razlog today and hit up the veggie market so food today was a success. Exercise. Not so much. But that's a whole other story. Tomorrow. I hope.

More importantly, this was a real conversation that happened today with my mom. It might be one of those stories that only my siblings and I think is funny but I was laughing so hard, I had to share with the world. Sorry dad. (But I'm pretty sure he never looks at this.)

I should preface with saying that my mom makes sugar free/fat free pudding on a regular basis as dessert.

Mom: I'm on way to the store because I have to buy soy milk, sprinkles and cinnamon.V: What are you making?M: Nothing. Philip wants soy milk and your dad wants sprinkles for his pudding.V: When did dad start putting sprinkles on his pudding?M: As soon as he discovered the 8 to 10 year old sprinkles in the pantry and decided he liked it. V: (Laughing.) He's so olddddddd.M: Yes, and the cinnamon is to flavor his morning oatmeal. Remember all this for when you put him in the home...

End of PC countdown: 7 weeks

Okay, friends.

I have an announcement.

No matter what you think or what stereotypes you've heard, not all Peace Corps Volunteers lose weight when they move to country. Maybe in some parts of the world but I'll tell you what... in Bulgaria... there is no shortage of bread (that's amazing) or pasta or rice or anything carb related. Or shortages of baba's making you eat and eat even if you tell them you can't. And also various foods fried in sunflower oil. In fact, when we got to country I remember one of the PC Directors telling us that in BG, men usually lose weight and women gain weight. Not me, I said. I ain't gonna let that happen.

And has that backfired on me! Goodness gracious, I went in for my COS (Close of Service) physical. I stepped on that scale... not feeling confident, mind you... but then... then Dr. Toni said ###. So I asked her to tell me what I weighed two years (!!!) ago.

Dr. Toni told me what I weighed in at in May 2009. Let's just say it was not a pleasant feeling. And I'm announcing to y'all - all over the world - that it was not a single digit weight gain.

I refuse to get back to America, get off the plane and have people immediately think, "Valerie's back! Yay! And she got fat." Eleven weeks until I make my Texas debut. So back to the grind. The winter blues and inflammation of popping hip syndrome (it's real - google it) put a downer on things. But the veggies and fruits have returned (some even in the village) and I am going to try an experiment.

I am going to attempt a week without carbs and exercise everyday. And I will report it to y'all.

You'd think with my vast free time this wouldn't be an issue... but you'd be amazed at how easy it is for me to do nothing. Seriously, it's embarrassing how okay I am with spending hours alternating between tv, reading a book, talking to my mom and not going outside. (I'm in Sofia right now and visiting a friend this weekend so on Monday I'll give it a go.)

Hopefully this public declaration will give me some motivation which is definitely lacking. Feel free to leave your support! :)

Or maybe I'll delete this post and never bring up the issue again. We'll see.

And on a final note, I learned today that if you plan on traveling to Bosnia, you need a Typhoid shot. So along with a depressing stand on the scale, growing an inch (???), I also had blood drawn, a Typhoid vaccine and some other unpleasantries.

And one day, I'll also post pictures which makes all posts way better.

This is definitely something I'm going to miss:

My director had asked me to be at the Culture Center to take pictures but (like usual) didn't tell me why. When I got there, the Women's Group and the small Men's Group were in traditional dress and a guy with video cameras was setting up. My thought was, "Huh, this is interesting." The groups performed, I took some pictures and never asked what the filming was for.

And it is JAMES GOODE for the WIN!

Thank you to all who sent voted or sent up the positives vibes. The people of C-FB ISD will continue to be well served by my dad and Nancy Cline (who was also re-elected to the School Board).

Otherwise:Today I went on a walk and the weather was finally amazing! Hopefully it stays at 75 degrees and sunny. But Accuweather tells me it will start raining. Again. Tomorrow.

Ohhh, will yall believe that I'm actually excited to arrive in Dallas during the hottest part of the year?! I can't wait to get to stay all day in tank tops and sandals. I am over always having to carry a jacket.

This week I'll be traveling to Sofia to begin some final things... final paperwork, final medical check-ups etc. (That includes my final weight. Yikes.) And so it all begins.... or maybe I should say "ends" instead.

Seeing as I will be home in less than three short months, I can't stop thinking about food... restaurants, really.

Let's get started listing in no particular order except for the first one of all the not-so-healthy places I want to go:El Fenix, Taco Bueno, Blue Mesa, Gloria's, Mi Cocina, Manny's, Chipotle, Sonic (for a Route 44 Diet Coke), Burger House, Marshall's BBQ, Ancient China, Paradise Bakery, Corner Bakery, Jason's Deli, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-Fil-A, Pei Wei, Texadelphia and Saltgrass Steakhouse.

Then we can top it off at Braums for ice cream... and somewhere in there I need some cupcakes. Maybe I'll wait until NYC for that one!

No doubt there are more. But I should probably go ahead and stop here.

Wow, I should also be embarrassed by this...

(I can see my mom shaking her head by this list... especially since I'll probably be dragging her to a lot of these places with me. Unless I have other takers. Do I have any other takers?!)

Full Disclosure: I plan on rejoining the Rec Center gym as soon as I get back. My favorite exercise class is still going on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I must start up again. Especially since I plan on eating so much when I first return. :)

I guess we all know where my Peace Corps money is going once I get back. :)

Seeing as I will be home in less than three short months, I can't stop thinking about food... restaurants, really.

Let's get started listing in no particular order except for the first one of all the not-so-healthy places I want to go:El Fenix, Taco Bueno, Blue Mesa, Gloria's, Mi Cocina, Manny's, Chipotle, Sonic (for a Route 44 Diet Coke), Burger House, Marshall's BBQ, Ancient China, Paradise Bakery, Corner Bakery, Jason's Deli, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-Fil-A, Pei Wei, Texadelphia and Saltgrass Steakhouse.

Then we can top it off at Braums for ice cream... and somewhere in there I need some cupcakes. Maybe I'll wait until NYC for that one!

No doubt there are more. But I should probably go ahead and stop here.

Wow, I should also be embarrassed by this...

(I can see my mom shaking her head by this list... especially since I'll probably be dragging her to a lot of these places with me. Unless I have other takers. Do I have any other takers?!)

Full Disclosure: I plan on rejoining the Rec Center gym as soon as I get back. Especially since I plan on eating so much when I first return. :)

I guess we all know where my Peace Corps money is going once I get back. :)

Oh. My. Gracious.

The past week was a whirlwind! We had our COS (Close of Service) conference in Central Bulgaria with all of our 52 PC Volunteers! It was a bittersweet conference knowing that it was the last time all of would ever be together. The conference was pretty intense with lots of logistical information about how we will close out our service. (Duh.)

I'm pretty sure we had one of the best groups in Peace Corps history! We have such an amazing group of people ranging from those who came straight out of university to people who had recently retired after years of working in the professional world. There's so much more I could say about the B25 group but pictures will have to work for now...

We went from 62 in May 2009...

To 52 in May 2011....Inside picture because it rained the whole time. Bummer.

Another contrast/compare picture! Kravoder Training Group circa 2009

Kravoder Training Group circa 2011This one might be a framer...

Our COS included a talent show which was hilarious and awesome all in one. We have some seriously talented people in our group who sing and play guitar. (Two skills I definitely do not have.)

After the Conference a group of us went to another PCVs place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. And celebrate we did! We made mexican food and had ridiculous amounts of chips and dip. 'Twas delicious. We totally PC'd out - cooking, drinking, sitting in a circle and having group sing-a-longs. Love.

Now I have LESS THAN TWO MONTHS to do everything I want to do before I leave. Also getting my after PC travels in order. I'm starting to get it all worked out and I'm pretty sure it'll be epic!

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY.... I have an official plane ticket home. I will have my feet on AMERICAN soil on August 4th!

This past week we had our COS (Close of Service) Conference... it was pretty intense. I'll give you the DL later... but right now I want to show off one of my friends.

My good friend, Matt, is a fantastic writer. We worked the AUBG camp last summer where he taught Creative Writing and seriously inspired some kids. At our B25 Talent Show Matt showed off his own Creative Writing skills.

This will be four minutes of your life well spent...

I'm frustrated.

I have lived in Bulgaria for 23 months. And nearly every day I attempt to speak Bulgarian. I am fully aware that my Bulgarian language is not top notch. I wish it were. But that's not my point.

Being a Peace Corps Volunteer gives us a lot of opportunity to view things from a different perspective than we often would in America. One of those ideas that I've spent a lot more time thinking about are the people in America who are trying to learn and speak English, yet we become frustrated and irritated with them due to the lack of understanding. Living and speaking in Bulgaria has given me a whole new perspective. Because now the tables are turned... I am the person who people can't understand.

Let me acknowledge the fact that most Bulgarians have been patient and understanding with me. The majority of people in my village are fantastic. Many thanks.

But there are those chosen few who as soon as I open my mouth give me a look of frustration and annoyance. That look or tone makes me feel like an idiot.

I am so over feeling like an idiot. I am 26 years old. I have a university degree. I know that I'm not dumb. Yet every once in awhile there are people who do a stellar job of making me feel like just that. I think it might be the fact that they've never really interacted with people whose first language is not Bulgarian. I try to not take it personal, but being spoken in such a belittling way is beyond discouraging.

Which got me thinking... how often do "we" do this in America? America is a hodge-podge of cultures and languages. (Which I think is awesome and one of the best things about the USA!) Places in America provide English language lessons and sincerely want to help the people who are new to the States and want to learn English. But those of us who don't deal with this on a regular basis, how compassionate are we towards those who are struggling to learn and get by? Or how often do we just think, "These people are in America. Learn English."?

I can't imagine how hard it is to learn English since it's my native language. But I now understand the struggle of being in an environment where you are forced to learn and speak a completely new language. It's hard. No doubt about it. It's daunting and often makes you not want to speak with people. (Or maybe that's just me... ha!)

I think about those times that I was less than understanding with those people in America. Now I know what it feels like. And it's not a good feeling. It's frustrating when people are short with you. Or automatically give up trying to converse because it's a little more difficult.

We should be lifting these people up, encouraging them to speak. Engaging them in conversation in order to improve their language. Listening to their words and what they have to say.

We need to be more compassionate and understanding of others. This goes to every single person, everywhere. Just because someone stumbles over their words doesn't mean that they are dumb, that they are not trying. No one should treat them that way.

So let's make it about compassion. It'll make the world (and us) better. Promise.

Okay, if you're a Google Reader, click to come to the real blog.

Please.

I do realize that Google Reader is a great way to blog-stalk people which I totally do. So no judging.

Now that we're on the real blog page, look to the right. Do you see where it says "Support and Vote" and then there's a facebook button for James Goode? Yes? Sweet, so let's talk about James Goode.

Right off the bat, James Goode is my dad. And a super one at that. So maybe I'm biased. But whatever. He's running for reelection for Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District School Board. (That's a mouthful!) He has spent the past 12 years dedicating an incredible amount of time to support C-FB students, staff and administrators. Not to count the years he spent in PTA starting in 1984 with Lyndsey. (Sister, the oldest.)

He has worked so hard to make C-FB ISD a successful place for students to be. Our (I say "our" because even though I'm in Bulgaria, I still am officially an FB resident!). So, our school district is an incredibly diverse one. And he, along with his other board members, continue to work to promote a high education for all students no matter their background.

There is a definite need for experienced leadership on the board. He provides that. As no doubt everyone knows, the public education system in Texas (and everywhere else) is going through some serious budget cuts and shortfalls. He is ready to help guide the district in the most successful way possible with the funds that are received. The board has known this was coming and prepared the best way they could. You all should know that there are not being any teaching jobs cut for this next school year unlike many other districts.

Here's the point: James Goode knows what's up. Be a fan on facebook. You don't have to live in the C-FB area to be a fan. Go back to the top and "Like" him run for school board.

Most importantly, VOTE. Support. Spread the word.

Also, check out WWW.JAMESGOODE.COM. And definitely make sure to check the "Have You Heard" section which clears up statements and comments that have been made.

And since pictures make every post better... here's a couple of pictures from when my pops came to visit me in Bulgaria! <3

GO FOR GOODE!

Well, the Peace Corps vacation days are officially at an end. We had to use our 48 days of vacation by the end of April or lose them. Obviously I didn't let them go to waste!

I was able to spend about six days in Munich, Germany. This was my second time to Germany (the first time being Berlin in January) and I loved it just as much! And thankfully this time was snow/ice free. Although there was a run-in with some rain and hail. But just like in Berlin, that was not going to stop me! And neither were the stomach or nasty blister issues. So much so, I'm not even going to give you the details.

My friend Kali, who is originally from the village I live in now, has been living in Munich for nearly a year. She met me at the airport and whisked me off to downtown Munich. We walked and walked and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was fantastic to spend some time with her on her days off of work!

Marienplatz

Kali and I at Marienplatz

First meal: Currywurst

View of the city from St. Peters Tower

OlympiaPark

This is my picture to prove I went to Nymphenburg Palace. I left after this picture because of hail and rain. I decided I've seen enough palaces in my time rather than be pelted by hail.

Beer and strudel at Hofbrauhaus

Entrance at Dachau Concentration Camp

I spent one of my days at Dachau. It was a powerful experience and one that I believe deserves its own post. I was traveling by myself that day and was thankful that I had the time to wander around by myself and think about the past horrors of that place. After the five hours I spent there, I went to a restaurant and wrote. Someday soon I'll post what I wrote in my journal that day.

It was such a fabulous vacation and a great way to end my PC vacation days. No doubt I'll go back to Germany again... any suggestions for the next cities?!

Over the past few weeks some cool things have happened....

Peace Corps recently celebrated its 50th year of existence while Peace Corps Bulgaria celebrated its 20th year in country. In honor of this, PCBG put up an exhibition in the center of Sofia representing 20 years of volunteerism. There are many posters set up representing current (and past) volunteers and our service in Bulgaria. I'm excited to say I have a featured poster!

And....Recently, Meg had a grand opening with her village of the tire playground they constructed together. It looks great, the celebration had a big turn out and the kids all loved it! The playground was made with recycled tires, donated materials and village residents hard work!

Otherwise - My Munich trip begins on Saturday! It's my last vacation before I'm completed with my Peace Corps service! (And it might seem that I go on vacation a lot ... but know that PCV's get an allotted amount of vacation days and I don't believe in letting those go to waste!) Only a few more months left... I can't believe it!

Meg and I randomly decided one weekend we should go to Romania. We both had vacation days available to use so off to Romania we went!

Romania is a beautiful country! We started our trip in Bucharest with pretty great weather. One this I learned is that in no way is the Romanian language related to the Bulgarian language. I could not understand any of it. But for the most part, people spoke English so no problem.

We were also able to check out the nearby town of Brasov. From Brasov we headed to Bran to see "Bran Castle" (or better known as Dracula's Castle). While we realize this castle isn't the "real" castle, it was still fun to pretend to be on the lookout for Dracula. The weather was not too great - dark, gray, rainy and foggy - but it made for some great pictures!

Meg and I in Bucharest

Palace of Parliament (the 2nd biggest building in the world!)

Bran Castle

Meg and I in the castle

It was a great trip and we met some pretty awesome people along the way.

Romania was the 10th country I've visited while being here. The list goes: Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey (x2), England, Spain, Germany and Romania! Not a bad gig! :)

Next up (and next week!): Munich, Germany!

It's a good feeling to say that the past couple of weeks have been good. I'm 98.6% sure that the "Bulgarian Winter Blues" are finished.

Spring has been in full effect the past few days. A week ago today was a low of 5°F and today's low is 50°F. I'm definitely over the winter business.

This past Saturday was Todorov Den in Bulgaria. Toodorov Den is one of the biggest celebrations in my village. People from all over the region come to the village to watch the horse races.

The events began in the square around 1030 in the morning and lasted all day! I had five guests come to stay with me and we had a great time. Last year I missed the races because of a Peace Corps function and was so happy to be there this year.

After the introduction at the square, everyone made their way up a hill to where the races would be held. A group of us staked out and I had my friends with fancy cameras around to take the good pictures!

There was definitely a party going on at the races. There were trucks loaded with food, snacks and beer. Groups of people were grilling meat and had food stands set up. The sun was out, the weather was great and it was seriously one of the best days I’ve had in the nearly two years I’ve lived here! The only downside was the toilets. Or lack of. But don't worry, we were at the edge of the forest...

View of the square from the Culture Center

Babas on a bench

Nadia in traditional dress

Babas dancing

My friends dad - we like taking pictures of him without him knowing!

Horse racing - the horses feet aren't even on the ground!

Horse racing

Horse Racing

We had an apple core and a stick. Here I am destroying the apple mid-air!

Happy Women's Day!In honor of this holiday my counterpart gave me some panties. Very lacy panties. It was just about as weird as it sounds. I thanked her (with a laughing smile on my face) and went down stairs with the underwear in one hand and a plate of baklava in the other.

I'd been having an incredibly unproductive time in the village the past couple of weeks. The weather has been depressing and then my internet went out for a week. I read a lot and watched a lot of TV. I finally started watching "The Office." No joke, until last week, I'd never watched it. I might have seen an episode here or there but I'm now three episodes away from finishing Season 02 and moving onto Season 03.

(During this time of unproductivity, I did throw in some trips to the Chitalishte and the Kindergarten.)

March 1st is a holiday in BG known as Baba Marta Day / Grandmother March. She's supposed to bring the end of winter and the beginning of spring. So far, she's not doing so well in bringing on spring. But I did go to the KG and give all the five and six year olds martenitsis. (Red and white bracelets that symbolize health and happiness.) No pictures though.

March 3rd is another holiday. Bulgaria's Liberation Day. (From the Turks.) I'm pretty sure I didn't leave my house that day.

March 4th was my village's holiday! There was a concert with the Men and Women folklore groups and the Men's group from Sandanski came to perform as well. Afterwards there was a banquet for the folklore groups and the people who work with the Chitalishte. It... was... awesome.

The Men and Women's folklore group.

Vili, Krum and me.

March 6th was another Kukeri festival in Karlovo and a group from Bachevo went. No one actually informed there was anyone going but ya know... whatever. Some really strange events happened and some girls I know from PC/EVS ended up jumping on the bus with the group from my village and hitching a ride here to spend some quality time with me! I was so happy!

(The next four pictures are from Meg. A PCV who found my village at the Kukeri festival!)

Raminta and Meg with two of the performers.

Needless to say, Maria wanted us to come to the Chitalishte. We went. We were immediately told to change into traditional Bulgarian dresses and had an impromptu photo shoot. It was hilarious and awkward all at once. We were getting bossed all over the place, being told to pose all the while they took my camera and were snapping away.

(Pictures are of me, Meg, Raminta from Lithuania and Katia from Austria)

And to keep the holiday theme going Saturday is Todorov Den. Let the horse races begin. (Seriously, Saturday there are horse races in my village. It's going to be great.) The 17th is Saint Patrick's Day. Then my birthday. Then April. Whoa.

Happy Valentine's Day from Bulgaria <3Честит Ден на Свети Валентин от България!

The pictures are from our V-Day craft time at the Kindergarten. I was happy with how they turned out and the kids were so excited when they saw the pictures of themselves. Presh.

I'm gonna have a real romantic V-Day in the village by not doing anything and packing a bag to head to Sofia for the International Tourism Expo. (Feel free to read into the sarcasm.)

A couple of random things:

- Check out the new header I made in Adobe Photoshop.

- I spent a good bit of time looking at Perez Hilton and watching clips from last nights Grammys. I'm actually starting to feel bad for Christina Aguilera. Forgetting the words of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl one week and tripping on stage at the Grammys the next week... I can see where that could be a blow to the ego. But Mumford & Sons performance? Wow. I love them. And Gaga.

There are five(ish) months left for me in the Bulg.

I need to write down the things I want to accomplish before I leave here:* Hike to the 7 Rila LakesFrom Novinite.com

* Go back to the coast. I went to Varna this past summer but didn't get to spend too much quality time at the beach and the water was freezing! Maybe Nesebar or Sozopol. Hm.From Brian Steger - Nesebar Coast(Click his name to check out his blog. Good writer. Good photographer.)

* Plan my after-PC trip! Here's the thought so far. If you all have any thoughts/recommendations/advice, leave a comment!- Sofia to Bucharest- Bucharest to Belgrade- Belgrade to Budapest- Budapest to Bratislava- Bratislava to Vienna- Vienna to Prague- Prague to Krakow- Krakow to Sofia(Gather all of my belongings, hang for a day or two... then...)- Sofia to DALLAS, TEXAS

My current idea (which changes pretty often) is to spend two, two and a half weeks doing this. So I wouldn't be staying in any place more than a few days. All travel would be with bus or train except I would fly back to Sofia from Krakow. I'm still debating whether to visit both Bucharest and Belgrade. How does that sound? Thoughts or opinions...?

First off: Sad news. When my brother and I were in Berlin we decided to send some of our souvenirs home so we wouldn't have to carry them. The box finally arrived in Dallas this past Saturday and my brother immediately knew something was up. Turns out during transit someone somewhere opened up the box and stole nearly everything out of it. Out of everything only two items were left in the box and everything else replaced with packing paper. (Stolen items include my brothers used clothes he wasn't wearing on the trip. Weird.) I'm bummed, but have to remember it's just stuff. Rest assured, we aren't going down without a fight against DHL. (If anyone is heading to Berlin and stops at Brauhaus Mitte, I'd greatly appreciate you picking up a few steins for me!!!!)

(Annoying news: the number "one" / "exclamation" button on my laptop stopped working the other day. Ihave to copy and paste the ! or the 1.)

Awesome news: My friend Shannon is opening up a new furniture design boutique called "4Love" in the Bishop Arts district of Dallas. Her and the co-owner Ashley are incredibly talented and everyone needs to check it out. Check it out HERE and then like it on FACEBOOK.

And a picture of Shannon and I from her wedding because I love it.

And if you like books, my mom writes a super blog reviewing books. And she reads a lot. Ch-ch-check it out HERE.

Last Thursday was Бабинден or Grandmother's Day. And in my village, it's a big deal.

This is a day honoring all the 2010 Grandmothers. Meaning if they were blessed with a grand-baby in 2010 they get to participate in the 2011 celebration. Make sense?

And to celebrate, the grandmothers (and mothers) dress in traditional Bulgarian garb, strap the baby to their back and dance horo around the square. (Can you imagine a new mom in America strapping a baby to her back in this way?!) The Cultural Center presented the women with socks (for good luck, health, etc) and pinned them on to the baby carrier.

In my village of 1500 there were about 15 new babies to celebrate. Welcome to the world little Bachevo-ites. (Bachevans? Bachevoer? Bachevka? Obviously I have no idea what the proper term is.)

Baby on back

Locals dancing in traditional Bulgarian clothes

Baba Lena (She's so cute!)

He was putting on his own show in the middle of the square!

Two girls from the Kindergarten. So sweet.

Another baby strapped on!

On the 15th of January the city of Razlog hosted the 4th International Kukeri Festival!

"Kukeri" is an ancient Bulgarian tradition dating back to ancient pagan times, when it was believed the masks and costumes had the power to protect their wearers against evil.

It doesn't seem like a tradition that would be so wide spread in Bulgarian culture but it is and a sight to see. Towns and villages gather people to perform in the parade and in the square where they dance. The village I live in performed with horo dancers and men in costume.

Myself and some other PCVs from the region met in Razlog to watch the parade/event which lasted about four or five hours. (We took a lunch break in the middle.) This was my first Kukeri Festival to attend (no idea where I was last year!) and a lot of fun! There were hundreds of people gathered in the square to watch which made it hard to take good pictures. But with a little bit of pushing and shoving... well, here you are.

The following pictures are the groups from Bansko and my village....

Alright, last part of the trip. Berlin, Germany!

Quick overview: Philip and I arrived in Berlin on the 1st of January to lots of snow on the ground and some serious cold. We headed to the hostel, put my bags up and then headed to Philip's hotel to put his bags away. His hotel recommended a local German restaurant called "Dicke Wirtin." Oh goodness, it was delicious! German food is fantastic!

The next morning the adventures began! I headed to Checkpoint Charlie, learned a lot about the Berlin Wall (and the fall of), then to the Topographies des Terrors Museum. It was intense. I also checked out the Jewish Museum. There are so many museums and so much history there. I loved it!

Every day was spent wandering around, going to museums, eating delicious food and hanging out. Berlin was my favorite part of the Western Euro vacay!

Traditional food at Dicke Wirtin

Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie

A sidewalk sign signaling where the original Berlin Wall stood

Remains of The Berlin Wall

At Brauhaus Mitte

The Holocaust Memorial

The Berlin Cathedral with the TV Tower

And special shout out to "Geist" who became the 50th follower! :)

I am bored. And I miss Texas.

When I got back from vacation I was feeling excited about the last 6.5 months of service. I've been back for over a week and that little taste of the Western world got to me.

I want to be in Texas. Don't get me wrong, I'll be finishing my service with flying colors and know that once the time gets here, I'll cry my eyes out for leaving behind my village and my friends.

But right now... right this second... I want to be laying in my Queen size TempurPedic bed in Dallas, not sitting in my 10x10 room/apartment.

I have been spending so much time online looking at places to live in Dallas. Houses, apartments, condos. Why? No idea. It's not good for my psyche. (Not too mention I'll no doubt be living at my parents house when I get back.)

In October 2008 (@ Catherine's wedding) there was a friend of Brian's from UW who had been in PC-Africa. He told me I'd have a lot of free time. I didn't doubt it. And he was exactly right. I have a lot of free time. I work some but more often than not I'm sitting at home. Rotating between my desk and table and my not-so-comfortable twin size bed.

It's really not even the winter blues.... today was beautiful and not too cold. The problem is that the roads are still muddy messes and it'll probably be awhile before they dry out. So going for a walk is out of the question.

It's not just me. My friends here understand the antsy feeling of Peace Corps completion. I think I'm just excited to step foot on American soil. Eat at El Fenix and Taco Bueno. Get a Route 44 Diet Coke from Sonic.

But for now, I'm going to make dinner and be proud of myself for accomplishing my three goals of the day.

- 45 minutes cardio/Zumba video

- Read 100 pages of my book, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"

- Find an online tutorial to learn something new. (I picked a Photoshop one. I have the program but don't remember at all how to use it since last time I really used it was sophomore year at ACU.)

The good news is that Razlog is hosting an International Kukeri Festival in the morning that I'll be attending with the Men's Folklore Group. (And meeting up with other PCV's.)

I'll write about what Kukeri is later... with pictures.

PS. I have 49 followers. Come on, somebody be the 50th!

After our unexpected London/St. Albans adventure we boarded a plane and headed to Madrid. It was quite a relief to get there and be in 50 degree weather, with the sun shining and no snow on the ground!

Philip and I stayed at a hostel (terrible experience) that was near Gran Via/Puerta del Sol. A great location to be at. The Metro system in Madrid is by far the best I've seen in my Euro/USA travels. Incredibly clean, and efficient with trains that run every 2-3 minutes.

We spent a lot of time wandering the city and using our "Eyewitness Travel: Top 10 Madrid" which is my favorite travel guide book I've come across. It's great - highly recommended. Through the book we found lots of great museums, cafes, statues, parks, etc.

Palacio Real (Royal Palace)

At the entrance to Parque de Madrid (Their version of Central Park)

At the Parque

In front of Casa Labra - one of the top rated Tapas bars in Madrid

First picture of 2011 in Puerta del Sol

As a whole, I really did enjoy Spain. But... New Years was kind of lame. There were thousands of people in Puerta del Sol but there was no music, no food or drink stands, no fireworks, no COUNTDOWN. There was a big clock and once it struck 12 people started cheering (and spraying champagne) but I found it to be anticlimactic. (Plus, Zurich's public square NYE celebration last year was awesome and I had high expectations.)

Also, it was not as English friendly as I was expecting. Obviously living in Bulgaria, that's not a "make it or break it" deal for me and people in restaurants were helpful when they could be but I just expected more people to speak English. It wasn't a problem, just an observation.

Spain is a beautiful, beautiful place (with very beautiful people!) and I would 100% go back. Maybe Barcelona next time...

Next (and last)... Berlin!

I recently finished an epic vacation with my brother that involved London, Madrid and Berlin. And knowing that a post that involves the entire two week trip would be way too long, I'm going to break it up into three.

To start with, London was never on the agenda. Philip would have a layover at Heathrow but that was it. Until the snow storms hit London and British Airways canceled all flights out of Heathrow. He missed his connecting flight in Germany and there was no easy way he would make it to Bulgaria. We decided I would try to head to London and spend Christmas there with Sydne - our sister in law of sorts. Luckily, I was able to fly from Sofia - London Luton (no closures) a few days later.

London Bridge

London Bridge

221B Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes!)

Day trip to Oxford where I studied abroad in 2005. The Eagle and Child is a famous pub where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to hang.

ACU@Oxford (One of the ACU houses)

Obviously, that's a quick overview. We hung out in London, Oxford and St. Albans where Sydne lives. 'Twas super. Cold and lots of canceled trains due to weather, etc. But I'm so thankful we had Sydne there to host us and hang out with us.

Coming soon: Madrid, Spain.

Some days in the Peace Corps are not so good. Today, on the other hand, was a good one.

Last week I found a Christmas Tree Mural printout that I wanted to do and was determined to get done. So, I recruited some kids (only six showed but I think that might've worked out better) to come to the Cultural Center to put it together!

If I do say so myself, I think it turned out great!

After I finished this project - which should be hanging in the window of the Cultural Center tomorrow - I headed to a cafe to have my last English Club of 2010. I had an awesome group of dedicated adults this 'semester' that I really enjoyed working with. We'll be starting up again in January! Tomorrow is my last day in the Kindergarten and I have a fun paint project planned. My fingers are crossed that green paint does not end up over the entire school tomorrow. :)

(PS. If anyone wants the PDF for this project, let me know!)