After months of uncertainty, my future has finally been determined.  About a month ago, I received the letter I had been waiting for from the School of Social Work at the University of Washington.  They decided that, for lack of better options, they would allow me to sit in on their classes and try to [...]

The three greatest crossover actors of our generation.  Period.  I never had an appreciation for how difficult it is to first memorize your script in a foreign language, perfectly time your punch lines, perform stunts, and bring the audience to tears or laughter all at once.  Our new Latvian volunteer, Daina, wanted to make a [...]

I found a super cheap flight from Sofia to Istanbul.  It cost us about the same as a bus would, and we shaved off nearly 8 hours of travel time.  Our plan was to get as far south as we could, as fast as we could, then work our way back to Istanbul. We immediately [...]

This young lady, gazing into my eyes as I snap her photo, is Stephanie.  We were planning a trip to Greece for weeks.  We looked around at all sorts of different locations to visit, we sent out couchsurfing requests, we bought sexy new swimsuits.  Then, I found a book at a friend’s apartment that highlights amazing [...]

Before moving to Bulgaria, I lived in Honduras for a while as a volunteer in a small coastal village.  My fellow volunteers and roommates there were constantly rotating in and out, from all parts of the world.  I keep in touch with many of them although we have each moved on to new chapters of our lives.  [...]

At first, when I started going to all of the 5 kindergartens that I work at…I was pretty concerned with coming up with exciting English lesson plans that would effectively teach them, while allowing them to have fun.  Then, each of the schools hired an English teacher that worked specifically with kindergarten aged children.  These [...]

Early March is holiday season in Bulgaria.  They celebrate the first day of March by giving red and white bracelets to almost every person they know.  The 3rd of March is their National Day of Liberation from the Ottoman Empire.  Women’s Day falls on March 8th, and you are supposed to throw compliments around and [...]

I took a trip to Bansko with about 15 volunteers in late January.  To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. 

     I decided to venture out to a fellow volunteer’s village last weekend.  This particular village has no train or bus station.  The plan was to take a train to another town about 15 kilometers down the road and hitchhike from there.  The only issue was that I am a large guy, by himself, with [...]

A couple of months ago, I took my English conversation group from the high school and asked if they might be interested in doing a few volunteer activities around town.  They were intrigued and confused about what to expect.  After a bit of planning, we decided to organize a blood collection for our first project…so that’s [...]

This winter has a different feel about it.  Last year, I remember being cold and lonely more than anything else.  This year in Bulgaria, the weather seems to be significantly warmer and I have taken the time to travel around and visit friends whenever I get an opportunity.  I spent my Christmas and New Years in Thailand [...]

    As many of you know, I have begun teaching at a handful of kindergartens in my town.  I have spent quite a bit of time working with young kids over the past few years and think that I am pretty darn good at it.  A handful of these Bulgarian kids are terrified of my giant-sized body [...]

My brain has been scattered as of late.  Forgive me if my thoughts are nonsensical and hard to follow.  I’ve been in a strange funk over the past month.  As the time winds down, the stakes are getting higher.  A concrete decision is imminent.  I’ve never been good with this kind of thing.  The more [...]

Bus from Dimitrovgrad to Veliko Tarnovo.  Bus to Pavlikeni.  Bus to Veliko Tarnovo.  Taxi.  Bus to Dryanovo.  Train to Gorna.  Train to Levski.  Train to Svishtov.  Taxi to Belene.  Bus to Pleven.  Train to Gorna.  Train to Stara Zagora.  Train to Dimitrovgrad.  It is as exhausting as it sounds. The Bulgarian transportation system has its [...]

These past few summer months have left me with much more free time than I had expected.  I will often go to work, be told that there is nothing for me to do that day, and turn right back around to my apartment.  Some people might say “oh how great! I bet you accomplish all [...]

It was the perfect afternoon for my first fishing excursion in Bulgaria.   The sun was high.  There were a few clouds dotting the bright, blue sky.  The Maritza river wandered by lazily in front of us.    The mayor of a nearby village had invited me to join him for a relaxing Saturday afternoon on the riverbank.  We were [...]

    Unfortunately, my summer has officially come to an end.  School starts again this Wednesday and I will have significantly less free time, more responsibility, and hopefully a little structure to my life.  Instead of going on about how bummed I am that the weather is about to turn sour or how I may have to [...]

This summer has been incredible.   Two weeks ago I was given the honor of being the best man for my homeboy, Mike Meland as he married a lovely, young woman, Erin Rathbun.  My wonderful aunt, Cindy Dreher, provided me with a plane ticket that she had offered me as a graduation gift a few [...]

This is Jake, I have returned safely to Bulgaria and am back to work…ugh.  My trip back was terrible.  It took me about 30 hours or so with a couple long flights,  a 7 hour layover in Qatar without the assistance of alcohol or TV, a late bus ride from Istanbul to a nearby town, and a [...]

It’s amazing how much the weather can improve a person’s mood.  It has been somewhere between 60 and 85 degrees everyday for the last few weeks.  Spring is in full force and Dimitrovgrad is on its game.  My town recently received a “Greenest City” Award from the EU, we are pretty proud of that.  Check [...]

Hello People.  I’ve been told it is time to update you all, once again.  This latest phase has been full of changes and ups and downs, but I’ll try to stick to the good stuff.   I am still playing soccer here.  Our team had a good start and strung a few wins together, but [...]