4-27-06 Back from Istanbul

Originally posted April 27, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

My guidebook described Istanbul as “one of the great romantic cities of the world.” And truly, it is. It also must be one of the most bustling, lively, energetic, and exciting cities in the world. The Istanbul region is home to more than 16 million people (my last blog said 10. I was wrong), making it about the same size as Los Angeles/Southern California. Yet it is a densely packed city, and it sometimes felt like all 16 million people were out walking around, plus another million tourists. Despite the human crush, there are numerous parks and quiet winding cobblestone streets, allowing for escape and a breather. Where to begin describing a city like Istanbul? Maybe I’ll just let my pictures tell the story. I'll put up a few more pictures in the blog, and the rest I will put in a folder in the "photos," which I think you can access from the main front page of my website.

4-19-06 Istanbul is Constantinople Now

Originally posted April 19, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Tomorrow afternoon I will board a bus headed for Istanbul, Turkey, home to 10 million people and one of the true cross-roads of the world. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus, which divides Europe from Asia. You can actually walk from one continent to the other across a bridge, which I certainly plan on doing.

This will be my first trip out of Bulgaria since arriving in August, and I'm too excited to sleep - which isn't a bad thing, because the bus trip is actually overnight so hopefully I'll be able to nod off a bit during the travel. Though, we arrive at the border in the middle of the night, and have to exit the bus, have our passports stamped, and pay a $20 entry fee. One of the best parts about being in Bulgaria is that I'm pretty close to many interesting countries that I hope to visit over my time here. That is also kind of a dig at Bulgaria, because quite frankly, there's not enough here to keep me interested for two years.

The reason I am traveling this weekend is because Sunday is Eastern Orthodox Easter. Yes, the Orthodox Church has a different Easter than the Roman/Protestant church. This has to do with the usage of different calendars and different ways of interpreting lunar cycles (really). When is the moon completely full? This matters when setting the date of Easter, apparently. Anyway, I get two "free" vacation days out of the country because of the holiday. What better way to spend Easter than go to one of the world's largest Muslim countries?

I return on Tuesday morning, and will be sure to post lots of pictures and stories from my time in Istanbul.

4-11-06 Market Day

Originally posted April 11, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

One of my favorite things about living in Svishtov is the Sunday morning farmer’s market (and adjacent flea market/swap meet). Most every town and village in Bulgaria has a designated “market day,” and many people make a living traveling from market to market selling their goods and products. Svishtov, being the regional center, hosts the Sunday market. Now that it is spring, fruits and vegetables are coming into season. Thankfully, I can now buy lovely large heads of lettuce, fragrant green onions, and refreshing parsley. I have even seen the first baskets of strawberries, though they are still too expensive to buy this early in their growing season. Also on sale are flowers and plants for home gardens, which make for a vivid display of colors and fragrances.

At the market, I can also find home-made food products, like canned preserves, honey, and my favorite, “tomato sauce in a recycled beer bottle.” This consists of nothing more than pureed fresh tomatoes, a bit of parsley, and some salt. The old grandmas who sell this wonderful sauce bottle it in old beer bottles, labels usually worn off, but not always. I think they recap them with a hammer. It sells for around 60 cents a half-liter. I eat the sauce over pasta a few times a week, and it’s quite tasty.

Of course, you can also buy some more, ahem, exotic items at the market. A Bulgarian favorite is a big fat hunk of raw pig fat, skin still attached. Mmmm…not so tasty.

Adjacent to the food market is the flea market where you can buy all sorts of low-quality crap – shoes guaranteed to fall apart after one wearing, shirts that will unravel with a single washing, and bootlegged movies and music. Most unsettlingly at the flea market is the booth selling guns. Sure, they are generally only hunting rifles and smaller hunting pistols, but still, it doesn’t sit well with my liberal gun-control sensibilities to see such brazen displays of firearms. I have no doubt that if you wanted more “firepower,” so to speak, that the guy selling the rifles would know exactly where to find it. The farmer’s market and the flea market is in some ways also the black market.

4-11-06 The Donkey Cart

Originally posted April 11, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

One of my first images of Bulgaria after landing at the Sofia airport was having our bus stopping at a modern gas station/convenience store (like any 7-11 or AM/PM in America), and seeing a donkey cart rumbling down the street. To me, this is the symbol of the Bulgarian dichotomy – 21st century superimposed on the 17th century. For the small rural farmer, the donkey and cart are vital to their livelihood. This is how they get their crops to the city markets, and how they plow their fields. Yet to me, it makes me feel as if I’m living amongst the peasantry and witnessing almost a “living-museum” of how life used to be before the tractor. Realistically, the life of the Bulgarian small-time farmer using a donkey hasn’t changed much over time. The clip-clop of horse and donkey drawn carts can be heard throughout Svishtov, and this is a sizable city of 40,000. Heck, donkey carts roam the streets of Sofia, which likes to think of itself as a modern European Capital City.

Humorously, PCVs are explicitly forbidden from riding in donkey carts in the name of safety. If they wanted to really keep us safe they’d forbid us from riding in any motorized vehicle driven by a Bulgarian – Bulgarians would run over their own grandmother if she were in the road.

4-6-06 Marie Claire

Originally posted April 6, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

A small plug: The current issue of Marie Claire magazine, May, features a little blurb about my sitemate Denice. She has been using the magazine in a class she teaches to local teenage girls about life skills, leadership, decision making, and other good things. So if you are in line at the grocery store, flip through the mag and find the piece about Peace Corps Bulgaria and my friend Denice. I think it's near the front, meaning it comes after the 45 pages of ads for perfume and shampoo.

4-5-06 Soap

Originally posted April 5, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

A few months ago I did a blog on the disgusting condition of the bathroom in our office building (shared by a few other offices on the floor). There wasn't even any soap, so I and bought a little dispenser of liquid hand soap. My counterpart told me it would be stolen in a day. Well, it lasted almost a month, but someone finally stole the soap. The thing cost about 60 cents, but someone stole it. I'll bite my tongue about what I think of this country now, but you can probably guess.

4-3-06 Famous Bulgarians That You Might Have Heard Of

Originally posted March 31, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

In the interest of spreading information about Bulgaria and the Bulgarians, I think I will start a little feature about "famous Bulgarians that you might have heard of." There aren't too many of them, so I may have to do some digging. But you'd be surprised, Bulgarians have a way of popping up on the world scene in odd places. Here's the first "famous Bularian that you might have heard of." He's the artist Christo, who is known as the guy who wraps things in large and brightly colored fabric. He once wrapped an iceberg in Greenland. He once wrapped an entire series of South Pacific islands. He once put up lots of large umbrellas on a Southern California hillside. Most recently, he put up orange "gates" in New York's Central Park. Christo, the wrapping artist, is Bulgarian. Now you know.

In the above picture, Christo is standing with his wife (not Bulgarian!) and the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg.

3-31-06 Teaching English

Originally posted March 31, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

One of the most important things that I want to accomplish in my time here is to help my counterpart Emil improve his English. He knows and understands a little bit now, though my Bulgarian and his English are rapidly converging. Last week he asked if would “stop speaking Bulgarian,” because he wants to hear more English and work on his listening comprehension. And let’s be honest – after my time here, my knowledge of the Bulgarian language will be nothing more than a novelty – not exactly the world’s most useful language. But for Emil, knowing English is almost a requirement for him to advance professionally. At the Sofia headquarters of the BSPB, nearly everyone speaks fluent English, and they often work only in English. Most of our money and donors are from Western Europe or other International organizations, and their language is English.

This week Emil and I started formal language lessons with a workbook I picked up from the Peace Corps. Humorously, it is British English, so Emil will be learning phrases like “would you fancy a trip to the cinema?” and “we’ll be taking a coach to Piccadilly Circus and then seeing an exhibition at the Royal Academy.”

The funniest/saddest part of the workbook is that there is actually a situational dialogue about a British family that goes on vacation to Florida…and gets robbed. Is this what the English think about America? And do they have to teach this to people around the world? Maybe I should get an American workbook with all our stereotypes about the British – loud and obnoxious drunkards, crappy food, rainy weather, and way overpriced.

3-28-06 Whittier Connection

Originally posted March 28, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Second-hand clothing travels the world. I met this boy at the soccer tournament last weekend (see following blogs). This may have been my sweatshirt 20 years ago. When I told him in Bulgarian that I was from Whittier, the name on his shirt, he looked at me like I told him I was from Mars. And to this poor Roma boy, American is as far away as Mars.

Sadly, this boy was 13 years old. He looks 7. Roma children are often malnurished.

3-28-06 Tim's Raspberry

Originally posted March 28, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Fellow PCV and soccer teammate Tim shows off his raspberry. He may not be terribly happy that I posted this picture on the internet. This picture is from the award ceremony following our second place finish in the tournament (see next blog). Sarah is next to me. I have a sweet headband.

3-28-06 Soccer is King

Originally posted March 28, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Like much of the rest of the world, there is only one sport in Bulgaria – soccer. And like much of the rest of the world, soccer is so much more than just a game to Bulgarians. It is life. Last weekend I traveled to the southern town of Chirpan to play in a 4-on-4 soccer tournament organized by a fellow PCV. I learned a lot about Bulgarians at the tournament.

The quick set-up: there were eight teams involved, four consisting of PCVs and four of Bulgarians (one team was actually Roma, or Gypsies, which comes into play later). There was an American bracket, and a Bulgarian bracket, with the winners meeting in the International final. On my team was Sarah, the girl I am dating, who is a damn good soccer player (this is also important to the story).

At this tournament, I learned just how important soccer is to these people. Words that generally do not describe Bulgaria – such as “efficient,” “organized,” “well-run,” or “honest” – would certainly describe their relationship with soccer. There are half-constructed buildings all across Bulgaria because no one bothered to finish them. Roads have holes as big as craters on the moon. People will stand you up for a meeting without batting an eye. Petty bureaucrats will demand bribes and shop keepers will rip you off at every opportunity. But DON’T MESS WITH SOCCER. Work, education, infrastructure, eh, that’s all secondary – soccer is king in this country.

Naively, we PCVs showed up at this tournament expecting a friendly Saturday afternoon kicking the ball around, enjoying the sunshine and green grass. No. My team played well, and we won the American bracket to advance to the International final. Where we had to face the Brazilian National squad. Well, maybe not, but these guys were GOOD. Had they not been born in Bulgaria, all of them could have easily been stars on American university and college teams. Needless to say, they stopped keeping score of the match after the first, oh, 10 goals the Bulgarians scored.

Two topics I want to touch on in this unorganized blog. First, women’s roles in this society. As far as I can tell, there are only two things young Bulgarian women do. They smoke cigarettes and they shop. The CERTAINLY do not play sports. Having Sarah on our team was like we had brought an uncovered woman into an Iranian mosque. People were shocked – shocked – that we men would willingly play soccer, the sport of the gods, with a woman. Sarah was jeered and leered at, but I guess she has gotten used to this treatment here, and reacted with dignity and class.

The best part: She scored our only goal. It was a clean, totally great play. The American crowd erupted in cheers; the Bulgarians cursed their country-mates for allowing such a sin to transgress on their sacred soccer field. We practically lifted her onto our shoulders.

Second topic: The Roma. The Roma, or as they are also known, Gypsies, are a distinct ethnic group here in Eastern Europe. They descend from India, but have been here for thousands of years, as far as anyone can really tell. They live a totally segregated life – different neighborhoods, different schools, different stores. Almost universally, they hate the white Bulgarians and the white Bulgarians hate the Roma. I have no reservations saying that this is a very racist society. The Roma live in poverty that would easily fit into the worst slums of Mumbai.

But the story of the Roma is for another blog. The point here, is that the soccer team that beat us was Roma. When the Roma squad defeated the ethnic Bulgarian squad in the “Bulgarian Bracket” semifinals, the Bulgarians actually left the park altogether instead of playing the third-place game. They were such poor sports, so denigrated by their loss to the Roma team, that they sulked off to pout. It was embarrassing for the town of Chirpan, and I was embarrassed for Bulgaria.

But in the end, goodwill carried the day. The Roma were gracious winners, and the children who had gathered to watch were in awe of the Americans – despite our bumbling on the soccer field. The sun was shining, the soccer was fun, and I learned a lot about Bulgaria. Hopefully the Bulgarians learned something about Americans, too. Building relations is one of the most important goals of the Peace Corps, and last Saturday, we certainly built good relations with the people of Chirpan, Bulgaria.

3-28-06 Bulgarians don't stand in line

Originally posted March 28, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

and it drives me crazy. You'll get elbowed out of the way by a grandma. If there is any space between you and the person in front of you, someone will move in front of you. You have to literally touch the back of the person in front of you to keep someone else out. I can't stand it.

3-22-06 The Day I Knocked Out Svishtov's Internet

Originally posted March 22, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last Thursday I unwittingly knocked out the Internet to the entire western half of Svishtov. Here’s the story.

There are two Internet service providers here in town. At my office, we have Svishtov One. Svishtov One recently approached Emil, and offered to give us free Internet service in exchange for hosting some hardware in our office. I’m not sure exactly what the hardware is for, probably a router of sorts. This is a pretty good deal for us; we do not have to do anything except allow a workman access to the office occasionally for maintenance.

Last Thursday, Emil left at midday to attend a meeting in another city, where he stayed overnight. I left around 2 to run a few errands, with instructions from Emil to physically unplug his computer at the connection. I returned to the office around 5 for a Bulgarian language lesson, and Tisho, a volunteer who works here most days, informed me that I had not only unplugged the computer, but also the Svishtov One hardware. Oops.

I’m not actually sure how many people lost their Internet, but if they were near our office and had Svishtov One, chances were pretty good that their net was down for a few hours. Internet service is frequently interrupted here (it’s out right now as I write this, actually), and I guess this little anecdote shows just how easy it is to knock out. Sometimes it seems like Bulgaria is held together with duct tape and bailing wire.

3-21-06 Spring

Originally posted March 21, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Well, I have officially survived the coldest winter I’ve ever faced. I think the coldest it got in Svishtov was –5 Fahrenheit, and last snowstorm was just two weeks ago. But today it’s in the high 60s and the sun is shining. Spring is definitely here, at least for now. With the warm weather, the coal smoke from home stoves has ceased, and the air is fairly clear. I can see quite far into Romania. It looks…just like Bulgaria.

I promise I’ll blog about something moderately more interesting than the weather soon.

3-14-06 Snow, Snow, Snow

Originally posted March 14, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I had some great ideas for this blog about the quirks of life in Bulgaria, or how my work has been going lately, or where I’m traveling next…but the one thing that is dominating life right now is the weather. Over the past 24 hours we’ve had perhaps the biggest snowfall of the season, I’d estimate around 8-10 inches. The streets are a mess, the roads are closed throughout much of the country, and the rivers are overflowing their banks. There is flooding in many cities, and reports of roofs and trees being blown over by high winds. Fortunately, here in Svishtov, we have had no damage that I am aware of, and no flooding. The city is situated on a hill sloping up from the Danube, so even when the river rises considerably, it never threatens the city.

A micro lesson in environmental sciences. One of the reasons the Danube never threatens Svishtov and our surrounding region is because it has been left in a mostly natural state through here; that is to say, it is not channelized or regulated with dams. Also, people have been smart enough to not build houses in the floodplain. When the river rises, it simply flows into the wetlands and marshes that line the banks, diffusing the water and avoiding any damage to man-made structures. The problems start when man tries to regulate rivers and streams, or when we build where we shouldn’t. Water rises too quickly, dams and levees cannot handle the increased flow, and human settlements are damaged.

3-10-06 Head Nodding and Shaking

Originally posted March 10, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I’ve been holding off on this blog topic for a while, maybe because it’s just such a staggeringly difficult and foreign part of life in Bulgaria. It may be the single most important thing you need to know about Bulgaria, no exaggeration.

Bulgarians shake and nod their heads opposite of the rest of the world.

A back and forth shake means yes.

A side-to-side head bobble, exactly like those silly bobble-head dolls popular as sporting event giveaways, also means yes.

An up and down nod means no.

A quick snap back or a quick snap down means no.

There is no place else in the world that does this.

Sometimes, when Bulgarians realize you’re a foreigner, they will switch to the “rest of the world” method of head shaking. Of course, you won’t be aware of their switch, so you really have no idea what they mean.

I’ve heard stories of people actually coming here specifically to see the head bobbles, to see for themselves if it is true. It’s one of the enduringly fascinating and simultaneously frustrating parts about life here, and something that I don’t think I will ever get totally comfortable with. What is more ingrained in our life habits than something as simple, basic, and elementary as our style of head nodding/shaking?

It would be a fascinating anthropological study to find the root of this. Cross the Danube river to Romania, go south to Turkey or Greece, head west to Bosnia or Serbia, and they will all shake/nod like the rest of the world. Only Macedonia and Albania also do this, and both of those countries are historically a part of the greater Bulgarian kingdom.

The first phrase I needed to learn in Bulgarian was “yes or no,” “da ili ne,” so I could try and figure out what people were telling me. After more than 6 months here, I still find it challenging to decipher. Ah, Bulgaria.

3-6-06 Village Life

Originally posted March 6, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Modern Bulgaria is full of contradictions. They have a cell phone network with far more extensive coverage than that of America – you can get reception in every village, on every mountain, in every forest. Yet, cell phone calls are so prohibitively expensive (around 60 cents/minute for a pre-paid plan, the most common), that no one would dare make a phone call, and cell phones have become nothing more than mobile text messaging devices. I have high-speed Internet in my apartment that costs around $12/month (compared to the $55 I was paying in Pullman, WA last year) – yet in a country with an average per capita income of less than $2000, who can afford a home computer?

These parables aside, one of the most obvious contradictions about Bulgarian life is the contrast between city life and village life. Even here in Svishtov, a small city of around 40,000 people, there is a hustle and bustle as people go about their daily business. Everyone walks, so the sidewalks are crowded from morning to evening. Mix in the students attending the University, and Svishtov is a lively and exciting place to live.

Bulgarian villages, however, tend to be dreary, sleepy, and much poorer than cities. The Bulgarian countryside has been emptied of young people, as everyone who is capable of leaving does (to work in Sofia or other big cities in Bulgaria, or if possible, Western Europe). Villages are populated almost entirely by old pensioners, farming families, and people who lack the ambition to leave – to put it harshly, but accurately, in my opinion. In villages without a high school (which is most under, say, 5000 people), students move to attend high school in the closest big city, living there full-time. Villages are not exciting places to be.

Yet villages have one distinct advantage over cities – they have much better holiday celebrations, and are keeping traditions alive. People in Bulgarian cities generally look down their noses at the villagers, and see nationalistic holidays and celebrations as something for the slow rural life. In an attempt to escape the stuffiness and “uppity-ness” of Svishtov, last Friday, Bulgarian Independence Day, I traveled to the near-by village of Tsenovo to watch their festivities.

Tsenovo is home to around 1500 people, and is about 20 miles from Svishtov. There are two PCVs there now, one of whom I have recently begun dating. So, I have been spending some time of late in the village. On Bulgarian Independence Day, while Svishtov had no organized events, Tsenovo had a full afternoon. It started in the morning with a wreath-laying ceremony and a small prayer/memorial service at a local monument commemorating the soldiers who died fighting for the liberation of the country (see previous blog). Then, there was a program put on by local school children. They sang patriotic songs (including the catchy and easy to understand “My Love, My Bulgaria”), and danced traditional dances in full costume. Afterwards everyone headed outside and danced in the street to the sounds of a local band (which consisted of five really old guys playing an accordion, a tin whistle-type instrument, a trumpet, and two drummers).

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. Though clear, the temperature was in the teens most of the day, and it was quite windy. After short while, the street dancing ceased being fun, and everyone retreated indoors.

Bulgaria is rapidly changing, and it is good to know that old customs are being kept alive – though just barely, it sometimes seems. If only the elderly know how to play the instruments, and if the young people reject their history as soon as they leave to work in the cities, then I am fearful that Bulgarian traditions will soon be relegated to museums – replaced by cell phones, the Internet, and the trappings of a modern Western lifestyle.

3-6-06 Bulgarian Independence Day

Originally posted March 6, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Ok, friends and family, sit down and relax. Today you’re getting a crash-course blog in Bulgarian History.

Last Friday, March 3rd, was Bulgarian Independence Day. Well, actually it was the most important Bulgarian Independence Day – they have been occupied and liberated so many times over the millennia that there is more than one “Independence Day” on the calendar. Still, March 3rd is the most important of all the Independence Days. It was on March 3rd, 1878, that the Treaty of San Stefano (a small town near Constantinople/Istanbul) was signed by the joint Bulgarian – Russian forces and the Ottoman Empire, thus creating the independent Bulgarian nation.

For more than 1000 years Bulgaria technically did not “exist.” It was a part of the Ottoman Empire, which stretched across a huge swath of Asia Minor, up through Anatolia, and into Southeastern Europe – where it bordered with the Russian Empire. In April 1876, Bulgarian rebels organized and staged the “April Uprising,” in an attempt to defeat the Turks. It was unsuccessful, and in reprisal, the Turks bloodily and brutally rampaged through the Bulgarian countryside, murdering Bulgarians in supposed “hotspots” of the uprising – in some cases, entire villages were annihilated. The world responded with strongly worded statements condemning the slaughter…but the Russians sensed an opportunity.

Quick aside – it is important to know that Russians and Bulgarians think of themselves as cousins. They have a common alphabet, speak almost mutually comprehensible languages, have a common religion, and are both Slavic peoples (well, at least Western Russians are Slavic).

Though, when the Bulgarians pleaded to the Russians to come to their aid, the Russians didn’t respond with complete selflessness. The Ottomans and the Russians had had low-level skirmishes along their border in the Caucuses for a while, and the opportunity to enter the Balkans, engage the Turks, and expand Russia’s sphere of influence under the aegis of Bulgarian liberation was a perfect opportunity.

In early spring 1877, the Russian Army moved through present-day Ukraine and Romania until they reached the Danube River. SPOTLIGHT ON SVISHTOV – it was here, in Svishtov, that the Russians crossed the Danube, making Svishtov the first city in Bulgaria to be liberated from the Ottomans. This is still a source of great pride to Svishtovians.

Ok, to get this blog moving…from Svishtov the Russian/Bulgarian forces moved south, fighting tooth and nail as they went. The most important battle was fought in the Stara Planina/Balkan Mountains, at a place called “Shipka Pass.” South of these mountains, it’s nothing but rolling plains all the way to Constantinople/Istanbul, so the Turks obviously wanted to hold their line. As the story goes, the brave Bulgarian troops fought a pitched battle in August 1877, during an extremely hot summer, and held off the Turks until more Russian reinforcements could arrive. Together, the joint armies defeated the Ottomans, liberated the rest of the Bulgarian territory, and signed the treaty of San Stefano on March 3, 1878. Modern Bulgaria was born.

Да Живее България!

3-2-06 Alf the cultural phenomenon

Originally posted March 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods
You can watch Alf on Bulgarian national television five days a week, dubbed into Bulgarian. Why? I don’t know. Alf lives strong in Bulgaria. His image is on children’s school notebooks, folders, calendars, and stickers. He’s on the martenitsa, as shown in the picture above (the blog entry below explains the martenitsa). I image Bulgarians young and old gather around their TV’s in the evening to laugh at the antics of their favorite cat-eating alien. Maybe this phenomenon is like the Germans and their appreciation for the musical and acting talent of David Hasselhoff – unexplainable. Brokeback Mountain, supposedly one of the best movies of the year, cannot find a distributor in Bulgaria (homophobia is strong here), yet, inexplicably, Alf is on five days a week. Ah, Bulgaria. At least we don’t have to listen to David Hasselhoff sing.

3-2-06 Chestita Baba Marta - Честита Баба Марта

Originally posted March 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This picture is significant for two reasons. First, it is the symbol of the traditional Bulgarian holiday Baba Marta (Баба Марта), one that has been celebrated for thousands of years. Second, it is the symbol of Bulgarians strange fascination with mediocre 1980s American entertainment. I’ll split this into two blogs. First, the holiday.

Baba Marta, which means “Grandmother March,” is celebrated on the first day of March. The day symbolizes the end of the harsh winter (though not this year, we had a blizzard of snow) and the beginning of spring. It is associated with good health, good luck, and fertility – as are most Bulgarian traditional holidays. In celebration of Baba Marta, Bulgarians wear a “martenitsa,” which is a red and white tassel or braided bracelet. They have now been commercialized to the point where they are selling martenitsas with Alf, embarrassingly. Though thankfully, most people wear the traditional bracelets and tassels pinned to their clothes, free from pictures of Alf or other 1980s TV characters.

The martenitsa is worn until you see a sign of spring – either a stork flying overhead, or the first budding of a fruit tree. Then, you take off the martenitsa and tie it to a tree, to hopefully bring a fruitful harvest.

I love these traditional Bulgarian holidays – they demarcate the seasons, and help tie people to the landscape and the natural world. As Bulgaria undergoes radical social and economic changes in their progression towards the EU and the West, it is important for their cultural heritage to continue celebrating such holidays as Baba Marta.

Despite Alf.

3-2-06 Boris and Mom

Originally posted March 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Boris the cutest baby in Southeastern Europe, and his mom, Emil's sister.

3-2-06 Baby Boris

Originally posted March 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The youngest member of the BSPB turned seven months last week. He’ll soon be identifying birds, no doubt. This is baby Boris, Emil’s nephew, and I don't mind saying, the cutest kid in Southeastern Europe.

3-2-06 It's still cold

Originally posted March 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods
There is a large mountain range running east to west across the middle of Bulgaria. The mountains are called the Stara Planina and also the Balkan mountains. These mountains split the country into two climatic zones. South of the mountains is warm, sunny, and has a mild Mediterranean climate. North of the mountains, where I live, is akin to Siberia. Yesterday I traveled from the south (more about why in a second blog) back up to Svishtov. When I left in the morning it was spring-like weather, warm, sunny, and blue skies. I arrived in Svishtov five hours later to a blizzard of snow, and temperatures in the teens, Fahrenheit. I received an email in the evening from friend in the south saying she was “sitting on her balcony, reading a book, soaking up the sun.” I imagine people in Minnesota probably hate hearing from their friends in Florida and Arizona during the winter. It’s the same in Bulgaria.

2-15-06 Wine with Lemon

Originally posted February 15, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I like my red wine with a slice of lemon.

2-15-06 St. Valentine verses Св. Трифон Зарезан

Originally posted February 11, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Bulgaria is undergoing rapid social changes as the country stumbles towards membership in the European Union, and embraces a Western consumer-centric culture. Old traditions frequently collide with new. Yesterday, February 14th, was a good example of the crashing and mixing of cultures.

Under communism, Valentine’s Day as we in the West know it was banned. Apparently celebrating love was too capitalistic for the hard-hearted communists. In the last 15 years, however, Valentine’s Day has crept into Bulgaria and been accepted in the same fashion as in America. Florists do a brisk sale of red roses, boxes of candy and little stuffed teddy bears are hawked from street corners, and people send Valentine’s cards and greetings to their loved ones.

Yet, February 14th has always been a holiday in Bulgaria – Св. Трифон Зарезан Ден (St. Trifon Zarezan Day), the patron saint of wine-makers and grape-growers. St. Trifon Zarezan was born around AD 200. According to the legend, he was a simple villager who grew a lot of wine grapes. One day while he was out pruning the vines, the Virgin Mary appeared to him, and somehow, he became associated with wine and grapes. Never mind that he was supposedly alive 200 years before the birth of Jesus and that he lived in Bulgaria, nowhere near Palestine. Perhaps I missed something when this story was told to me. No matter.

In celebration of this day, Bulgarians head out to their vineyards and ceremoniously prune the vines and pour last year’s wine on the plants. Nearly all Bulgarians who live in villages or in houses (not in block apartment buildings, like I do) have grapes growing along trellises in their front yards. If you look at the pictures from my time in Hissar, you can see that the house I lived in had grapevines in the front yard. Those who do not have grapes, often travel to relatives and friends houses in the countryside. They then take the pruned vines and fashion it into a wreath, which they wear on their head and dance around. Last night, people were walking the streets wearing grapevine wreaths, quite an odd sight.

And of course, all of the celebration is enjoyed with lots and lots of wine drinking. You can see from the picture above, after work I went to our local bar (“Irish Pub Bizarre”) and partook in the national festivities. Seated around the table is Tanya (a biology teacher in Svishtov and friend of the BSPB), Emil, Svilen (from Svishtov, now attends Sofia University, and known around here as “the best young birder in Bulgaria”), Sarah (fellow PCV), and me.

Judging from the spirited atmosphere in town last night, I don’t think Valentine’s Day will be overtaking St. Trifon Zarezen Day as the most prominent holiday on February 14 anytime soon.

2-11-06 Picture from World Wetlands Day

Originally posted February 11, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Friends and fellow PCVs Sarah and Ryan birdwatching on the shores of the Danube in Svishtov on World Wetlands Day.

2-11-06 World Wetlands Day

Originally posted February 11, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

A week ago, on the 2nd of February, was World Wetlands Day. This marks the day when something called the “Ramsar Convention” was signed by a majority of countries in the world. Ramsar signaled a commitment on behalf of the signatories to protect and restore their wetlands (Ramsar is a city in Iran where the convention took place in 1971, not an acronym as I had first thought). Under the convention, countries have an obligation to identify and protect “wetlands of international significance,” which like so much in the world of international treaties and environmental protection, is an amorphous definition open to interpretation. Still, in Bulgaria, we have quite a few Ramsar sites along the Danube river and out on the Black Sea coast.

In celebration of World Wetlands Day, the BSPB (where I work) organized a bird watching fieldtrip for some local school children down on the banks of the Danube here in Svishtov. It was a lot of fun, and we had a good turnout – probably 30 kids. We brought every pair of binoculars we could round up, plus our two nice telescopes. The birds held up their end of the bargain, and we saw a good assortment of ducks, cormorants, grebes, geese, pelicans, and a great blue heron, which are truly beautiful birds to behold even if you’re not a dedicated “birder.” I brought along two other PCVs from the region, my friends Ryan and Sarah. Ryan lives in Svishtov, and Sarah in a village just outside of town. I think the three of us were as interesting to the kids as the birds, kids are always amazed that we can speak decent Bulgarian, and hopefully we were able to connect a bit with them as to the importance of environmental conservation and protection.

Taking kids outside is definitely the best part of my job, though during the wintertime we do not do it nearly often enough - it’s just too cold. I’m hoping that come spring and summer, I will get to spend many long, warm days on the banks of the Danube hanging out with kids and watching birds. Not a bad life, the Peace Corps.

2-6-06 Emil's Birthday

Originally posted February 6, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Saturday was my counterpart Emil's 25th birthday. In celebration, we went to our favorite bar, which is called "Bizarre Irish Pub." It's not terribly Irish, aside from the Jameson Whiskey posters on the wall it could be any other bar in Bulgaria. And I have no idea what the "Bizarre" refers to. The name is spelled in English.

It was a fun, low-key night. Bulgarians have an interesting attitude towards alcohol. They drink quite frequently, but you almost never see a Bulgarian drunk in a public place - whether it be a bar, restaurant, and especially not on the streets. When they get drunk, they almost always do it in their own homes at private parties. I think Americans and Western Europeans would do good to adopt this style.

The picture above is of Emil and me on his birthday. I haven't cut my hair since September.

2-6-03 Snow

Originally posted February 6, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Sunday we were hit with a big snowstorm, dumping around four to five inches during the day. The forecast is for more snow throughout the week. The temperature is in the single digits, Fahrenheit. I can literally see my breath as I type this inside my office. Sheesh.

2-3-06 The Mighty Danube

Originally posted February 3, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Here's a good picture of the Danube and off to Romania, taken from my balcony this morning. Romania is the landmass across the river on the upper left side of the photo. If you look closely, you can see two river barges just coming around the bend in the river. The Danube is a major transportation route in Eastern and Central Europe, hauling mostly commodities like coal and grain. It starts in Southern Germany, passes through the cities of Vienna, Bratislava (capital of Slovakia), and Budapest before winding through the Balkans. It forms about 4/5 of the border between Bulgaria and Romania, before turning north into Romania proper and finally emptying into the Black Sea. It is as wide as the Mississippi, and as important both economically, environmentally, and symbolically to this region of the world as the Mississippi is to America.

2-2-06 Another new apartment photo

Originally posted February 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This is taken off my new back balcony in the morning. I love the perfect little red tile roofs of Bulgarian houses, dusted with snow. It really is a beautiful country.

2-2-06 Apartments

Originally posted February 2, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

There is big news. Last Monday, I moved to a new apartment, and my life has been significantly improved.

Svishtov is a university town – there are around 40,000 people living here, but 10,000 of them are students at the university and college (colleges are two year trade schools in Bulgaria). This creates a serious rental housing shortage, and rents are as high as anywhere in the country outside of Sofia. When my organization learned they were getting a volunteer (me, of course), they had less than a month to find me an apartment – not an easy task in Svishtov, and especially not in September when all the Bulgarian students are returning for school. The place they found was a cave. It was on the first floor of a large communist-style block apartment building. It was very dark inside, and I had to turn the lights on at all times, even the middle of sunny afternoons. The bedroom was painted baby blue and had a ceiling with strange molding that can best be described as frosting on a cake. A friend said it was like living inside a “Tiffany’s jewelry box with a wedding cake ceiling.” The bathroom was mildewed, and the hallway was covered with a strange dark brown wall covering. There were about a dozen plants of various sizes, like living in a jungle. It was also about a 25-minute walk from work – not fun when it’s zero degrees out. I have posted some pictures in the “apartments” folder.

Though I wasn’t happy with the apartment at all, there was hot water, the electricity generally worked, and the pipes never froze (many other PCVs have had problems with these issues). The only reason the Peace Corps let me move was because of safety and security. In general, the PC does not let volunteers live on the first floor. As Americans, we are obviously fairly high targets for theft and robbery. They let this requirement slide because of the difficulty in finding apartments here, but I did not feel at ease. People walked outside at all hours, shady characters loitered at the row of garages behind my back terrace, and anyone could easily see right inside my apartment.

I started looking for a new place before Christmas. I saw a few that were not what I was looking for, and it was a frustrating experience. Finally, a Bulgarian friend of mine was able to help me. His girlfriend’s grandmother was moving out of her apartment, and it was going to come up for rent. I visited, and it was perfect. It’s on the 6th floor of a large block building, and has a view of the Danube River and Romania. The walls are freshly painted white, there are fairly new hardwoods floors, and a brand new full-size refrigerator (my old place only had a college dorm-style beer fridge). It is light, airy, warm, and comfortable. It is a 10-minute walk from my office. The only small downside is that the elevator is broken, and I doubt if it will be fixed anytime soon. The reason grandma moved out was because she couldn’t climb six flights of stairs anymore. So in a way, I was able to move in because of the broken elevator. I’ll be in great shape after hopping up those stairs a couple times a day.

The picture above is of the hallway in the old place, looking at the front door. Note the brown wall coverings.

1-31-06 Avian Flu

Originally posted January 31, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

My counterpart Emil was just called by the city to inspect a pair of dead birds. With recent reports of a multiple deaths in Turkey, Bulgaria’s southern neighbor, from the avian flu, this country has gone into a mild panic. We at the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, naturally, have been called in as experts. Much of our work now revolves around disseminating information to the media, the government, and the public in general. Mostly this involves Emil giving a weekly TV, radio, or newspaper interview about the current status of the avian flu in Bulgaria.

The Peace Corps is rightly concerned with this, but may be a bit overdoing it. We have in place a “contingency plan” in case of person-to-person transmission of the disease. This involves taking Tamiflu (which I have) and getting the hell out of Bulgaria. I’m glad people are taking it seriously, but right now, the only people who have died have had prolonged and direct contact with chickens, dead chickens, and their feces. Two of the children who died in Turkey, according to the New York Times, were literally playing catch with the severed head of a dead chicken. So as long as you aren’t using chicken heads to play catch, you should be ok.

And the two dead birds in Svishtov? Froze to death.

1-31-06 In-Service Training

Originally posted January 31, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

It has been a busy seven days here in Bulgaria. Last Tuesday to Friday was the annual Peace Corps “In-Service Training” (IST). This conference was held in a resort town called Bankya, just outside of Sofia, and was designed for volunteers from my group (“B18,” the 18th PC group in Bulgaria) along with our official counterparts.

It was a strange experience. This was the first time since the end of training that all the PCVs had been together at one time. To put it diplomatically, it was a lot of Peace Corps togetherness. Nice to catch up with friends, to hear how work and life is going for other volunteers, but it was also kind of overwhelming and hectic. No down time – we were in meetings from 9 to 5, and in the evenings it was dinner and drinks with volunteers, PC staff, and Bulgarian counterparts.

During the day we were subjected to thrilling lectures on such topics as grant writing, fundraising, and improving the investment climate in Bulgaria. Not exactly riveting material. They also threw in sessions on safety and security (I am not allowed to operate a vehicle powered by a steam engine. Seriously.), and medical (covering all things related to the avian flu). By far the best part of the conference was the bonding time I had with Emil, my counterpart and coworker. We roomed together, and had really good conversations – between his English and my Bulgarian we can get along quite well. We have fast become friends as well as coworkers.

By Friday afternoon I was ready to leave, and cut out a bit early on the optional sessions later in the day. I caught a late bus back to Svishtov, and it was best decision I made all week. IST was an exhausting experience, and sleeping in my own bed Friday night was fantastic.

The picture above is a sunrise from the balcony of my hotel room. Smoke, smog, and pollution can often make the air in Bulgaria choking, but it sure makes for pretty pictures.

1-23-06 The Cold

Originally posted January 23, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Winter in Bulgaria is cold. Really cold. Today we hit the record low for the year, -1 Fahrenheit (yes, negative one). In weather this cold, your nose hairs actually freeze when you step outside. It’s a funny feeling, and not exactly unpleasant. The problem here is that despite the annual freeze that hits this part of the world, Bulgaria has just not constructed buildings that are insulated and warm. I’m writing this in my office now, where I am wearing four layers of clothing, my scarf, and my hat. We have our two small heaters cranked up, but with two doors and two large windows, the heat goes right outside. There is no central heating in office buildings or apartments, so the temperatures in the hallways, bathrooms, and stairwells are the same as outside.

Many people rely on wood or coal burning stoves, or like I do, on electric heaters. Electricity is expensive here, slightly more per kilowatt-hour than in America (American median annual income: more than $40,000. Bulgarian median annual income: about $2,200). In my apartment, I have one large and old electric radiator-style heater. It works well in heating my bedroom (though the rest of the apartment is freezing), but at a high cost. I am fortunate that the PC pays my electric bill. Last month my bill was twice what I generally paid for a winter’s monthly bill when I was living in Washington State (where it’s also quite cold in winter) – and yet only heated one room here, instead of my entire apartment like in Pullman.

Bulgarians struggle in the winter because of the cold, and many people have to make very hard financial choices to simply stay warm. Coal and firewood are popular because they are much cheaper than electricity, but they require frequent attention and work – many people collect wood from the nearby forests, and of course fuel needs to be added to the stoves throughout the night. Let it never be said that the PC “doesn’t need to be in Bulgaria.” There is plenty of work to be done, and while the challenges of life here differ from the challenges of life in, say, PC Africa, they are no less trying or difficult. Last week I slipped on the ice and bruised my hip pretty bad, and right now I’m so damn cold I can’t feel my toes. And my nose hairs are frozen.

1-23-06 Basketball

Originally posted January 23, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Life in the Peace Corp isn’t all hard work and long hours at the office. Sometimes we get to have fun, too. Last weekend was the annual PC 3-on-3 Basketball tournament in Sofia. The “competitive” bracket featured eight teams, half of which were made up of Bulgarians, the other half Peace Corps Volunteers, PC staff, and a few random Americans who live here for other reasons. It was a great time, even though my team didn’t win. I have posted a few pictures from the game in the “New Photos” album. Interestingly, the tournament was won by a team of Bulgarians. Bulgarians play a little bit of basketball, and it is rising in popularity (note that the former Yugoslavia, home of Vlade Divac and many other NBA players, is the western neighbor of Bulgaria). The three men on the winning team were quick and athletic, with a short point guard who was hitting shots from way beyond the three-point line. We played on an “international rules” court, which if you’ve watched the Olympics, means the key is pyramid-shaped with the larger end under the basket. They say that this is the reason many European big men are frequently very good shooters – the wide key means centers cannot camp out under the basket as easily as in America.

The picture above is of me putting up a fade-away jumper. Yup, I'm wearing a sweat band and glasses, like a modern day Kurt Rambis.

1-14-06 River Expedition Part II

Originally posted January 14, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Friday morning we woke early, hustled down to the boat dock, and got ready to go. I was wearing: 4 layers of clothing on my legs, 6 layers on my upper body, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 socks, 2 hats, and a scarf. We hopped in the boat, and the Hristos tried to start her up…and nothing. Turned out, something in the engine had frozen. So, after two hours of defrosting and repairs, we finally departed Kozlodui. It was sunny for about an hour, then we hit fog. Thick fog, fog so heavy we had to slow down to 5 km/hr and hug the bank. The Danube is used as a shipping passage by large freight barges, much like the Mississippi river. We would have been a fly on the bow of one of these barges. We almost were.

Three or four times during the voyage, the engine simply crapped out for reasons the Hristos couldn’t explain or I didn’t understand. During one of these stoppages, while we drifted down the river without power, a barge parted out of the fog. We got out the oars, and rowed frantically towards the shore, where we promptly were swept right into a large tree that was growing out of the shallows. Being stuck in a tree was not exactly what I expected to happen during a trip down the Danube River, but it was certainly better than being smacked by a Hungarian coal barge. After jostling ourselves free, we continued on our float trip. Eventually, the engine returned to life.

The fog turned out to be a blessing. At full clip, we were probably doing close to 40 km/hr (25 mph or so), and thus generating an icy wind that froze all exposed skin. Slowing down for the fog, though, was a time to escape the wind and moderately warm up. Our ample stash of booze and wine also helped with some internal heating.

Outside of the stretches of fog, we counted probably close to 500 birds, mostly ducks, cormorants, pelicans, geese, and gulls. The highlight, though, was seeing two sea eagles. Sea eagles are an endangered species, and the largest bird in Europe. They are a relative of the bald eagle, but are entirely brown in color. It’s an awesome sight to see one of these majestic birds soaring effortlessly right above our heads.

Close to nightfall we arrived in Svishtov, battered and frozen, but alive. I’ve got a seriously windburned face, but no lasting injuries. We gathered all the data, and best of all, we have an entire year until the next Mid-Winter Bird Count.

1-14-06 The River Expedition Part I

Originally posted January 14, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Студено ми е (“studeno mi eh”) means “I am cold” in Bulgarian.

Много студено ми е (“mnogo studeno mi eh”) means “I am very cold” in Bulgarian.

Аз мисля че имам измръзване (“Az mislia che imam izmruzvane”) means “I think I have frostbite.”

Yes, it was that cold last Friday (the 13th), when I embarked on a day-long expedition down the Danube River with my counterpart Emil and two men named Hristo. The reason we put ourselves through such suffering was in the name of science. We counted every bird that we saw along a 150 km stretch of the river for the annual Mid-Winter Bird Count, an event that took place this weekend across Europe. The goal is to gather data for use in scientific research, for example, to compare the effects of global warming/global climate change on bird populations.

The temperatures were well below freezing (as they have been in Bulgaria for a while now). At the end of the day, my water bottle was an icicle and so were my hands, toes, and face. We were on the river for nearly five hours. But the cold was only part of the story.

In true Bulgarian fashion, just about everything that could have gone wrong with our plans did (aside from the boat sinking!), and yet, we still managed to complete our job and gather all our necessary data. The story starts on the day before, Thursday. Our team was to travel to the small town of Kozlodui, up river from Svishtov (Kolzlodui is also home to Bulgaria’s only nuclear power plant, which Emil humorously described to me that “It was built in the ‘Russian-style,’ by which he meant like Chernobyl). Emil and I went by bus in the afternoon, while the Hristos and another friend Georgi took a car and towed the boat. After a long and uncomfortable bus ride (there really isn’t any other kind here), Emil and I arrived. We then got a phone call from the other men saying that the car had broken down 50 km from Kozlodui. In the States, we’d call AAA. That doesn’t exist here, and towing services would have been prohibitively expensive. So, Emil made a dozen phone calls until he finally found someone who had a car and could drive out and pick up the others. I picture this guy’s beat up car, towing an old Russian-built jeep-type car towing a boat. What a sight they must have been.

It happens that Emil’s girlfriend lives in Kozlodui, so he spent the night with her, and I was relegated to sleeping on the couch of what is perhaps the only openly gay couple in Bulgaria that does not live in a big city. As it turned out, one of the guys is a PhD student in ornithology and the “best young birder in Bulgaria,” according to people who know such things. This is perhaps true – I read some of his published papers, and they're quite good. He’s only 28 and already has 10 or so articles published in leading scientific journals. Being gay in Bulgaria must be very difficult, as it is a quite traditional and fairly conservative society – even more so outside of Sofia and the other large cities. Much like in rural America, homophobia is still quite rampant and socially acceptable. Still, it is men like these – intelligent, educated, and professional – that give me high hopes for the future of Bulgaria.

I'll continue in the next blog.

1-14-06 Another Picture from Presentation

Originally posted January 14, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

You can see the first slide in my presentation in this picture.

1-14-06 Presentation

Originally posted January 14, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I’ve just completed one of the busiest and exciting weeks I’ve had in Bulgaria. Last Wednesday, I traveled to Pleven, a large city about an hour from Svishtov, and delivered a presentation on the birds and environment in Southern California to two groups of school kids – in Bulgarian, of course. Not an easy task. I created a Power Point slide show, and in front of 30 or so children and a handful of adults, gave my spiel. It went well, I stumbled over the longer words (“restore and protect wetlands” is not an easy phrase in Bulgarian), but the people seemed genuinely interested. May have been more fascinated with me than my material, but that’s ok. If I can arouse some interest in the Bulgarian children in environmental protection and conservation, by whatever means, then I’ll be happy. I’ve uploaded a few pictures from the event in the “new pictures” folder. If you look behind me in some of the pictures, you’ll see display cases featuring…rocks. The presentation took place in the Pleven natural history museum. And by museum, I mean they had a room for rocks, a room for stuffed animals, and a room for preserved fish and amphibians. The stuffed wild boar was impressive.

I had a tough act to follow, as prior to my presentation were two others. The first was by my co-volunteer at the BSPB Svishtov, a Bulgarian named Tisho (a picture of Tisho is in the “cast of characters” album), and the second by a young man from the Bulgarian EPA equivalent (Ministry of Water and Environment, technically). I say it was a tough act to follow, because just about everyone in the room was asleep. Tisho’s presentation was fine, but the second one was painfully long – and must have been torturous for the poor 10 year olds in the audience. One general trait of Bulgarians is that they haven’t quite learned how to give good presentations with Power Point. They don’t understand that bullets and slides are for talking points, not to print entire pages of information in big text blocks. They guy also proceeded to show pictures of what must have been every single bird in Bulgaria. I hope I was able to deliver a more entertaining show, as mine was a scant eight slides with minimal text.

Now that I think about it, maybe the kids were clapping because I was done in less than 10 minutes, not nearly an hour like the one before me, and they finally got to leave.

I also had two interviews with local newspaper reporters. In addition to my previous television, radio, and other newspaper interviews, I'm getting to be kind of a local minor celebrity. Still doesn't stop the taxi drivers from overcharging me, though.

1-8-06 A Dip in the Danube

Originally posted January 8, 2006 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last Friday was a holiday across the Orthodox Christian world, of which Bulgaria is a proud member. On January 6th, John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. Some Bulgarians celebrate this day by following in the footsteps of Jesus, so to speak, and jumping in the nearest river, in our case, the Danube.

Now, keep in mind, that we woke up Friday morning to more than a foot of snow and below freezing temperatures. Perhaps someone should tell the Bulgarians that the River Jordan is in the middle of the desert, and is probably quite refreshing even in January. No matter to the true believers. At noon, I joined a crowd down on the riverbanks to watch the spectacle. An Orthodox priest delivered a sermon, and then ceremoniously threw a cross into the river. Five hearty souls stripped to their speedos, and dove into the river in a race to get the cross. The Bulgarian Polar Bear Club for God, I suppose. Afterwards, there was wine and fresh hot bread (blood and body of Christ, as they say), and of course, hot coffee. The swimmers were interviewed by the local TV channel, and I’m sure were reassured to see ambulance and police on hand, just in case. Everyone survived.

1-8-06 Chopping Wood

Originally posted January 8, 2006 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

There are a lot of sources of air pollution in Bulgaria. Smokestacks from decrepit old factories, tailpipes of communist-era diesel cars and trucks, and furnaces from apartments and houses that burn wood and coal to keep warm in the winter. As choking as this smog can get, this blog isn’t a rant about the dirty air of Bulgaria – it’s a rant about the incessant and unrelenting noise of wood chopping, wood used to fuel the personal furnaces in my apartment block.

I live on the first floor of a large concrete communist-era apartment building (the picture above is in front of my building, my apartment is on the right). Directly below me is the basement, where residents who have wood-burning stoves are free to chop and store wood. Since the weather turned chilly around November, most every single day that I have been at home has been filled with a consistent chopping, hacking, pounding, banging noise that reverberates and echoes throughout my apartment as the men of “Apartment Complex Dunav, Building 102” split firewood into kindling for the winter. It woke me up this morning at 8:30. It woke me up yesterday at 8. It’s still going on now, at nearly 7 in the evening.

There is a running joke amongst Peace Corps Bulgaria Volunteers, that no matter how annoying and frustrating things can be in this country, well, we don’t have to face the myriad diseases and other physical challenges of the PC in tropical location such as in Africa, Latin America, or Asia – “At least we don’t have malaria.”

Today has been an “at least I don’t have malaria” day.

1-04-06 New Year's

Originally posted January 4, 2006 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

New Year’s is a big holiday in Bulgaria, due to the ban on Christmas during communism, as I wrote about in the last entry. As they say now, Christmas is a family holiday, but New Year’s is a party holiday. For the New Year’s weekend, I traveled to the capital Sofia, to enjoy the Bulgarian equivalent of Time’s Square. Having been in Manhattan during last year’s celebration, I can safely say that Sofia is no Manhattan. But, I had a great time nonetheless. Some pictures have been posted in the folder “Sofia and New Year’s.”

Many Peace Corps volunteers from my group, B18 (we are the 18th group of volunteers in Bulgaria), also traveled to Sofia for the weekend, and it was nice to see friends. On Saturday, we met up at the apartment of a PCV married couple that lives in Sofia, and then around 11 headed to one of the central squares in the city where the main party was being held. The city had constructed a large stage where they held concerts throughout the night, and there was a good-sized crowd.

Bulgarians have a traditional dance called the “horo” that they perform at celebrations of all kinds – weddings, birthdays, New Year’s, Tuesday nights, before breakfast, etc. It essentially involves people holding hands, and dancing in a circle. That’s about all there is to it. You’re supposed to take two steps forward, then kick with the right and kick with the left foot, but it often just descends into a congo-type line, but holding hands instead of holding waists. I think it’s kind of like the hokey-pokey. The Bulgarians love it, and were highly amused at our earnest attempts to join in.

At midnight, there was a fireworks show, and plenty of hugging, kissing, and handshaking. All in all, it was a good time.

12-27-05 God shines on Bulgaria

Originally posted December 27, 2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Taken on Christmas, in the hills north of Hissar.

12-27-05 Over the hills

Originally posted December 27, 2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Bulgaria is split almost exactly in half by the Stara Planina (literally, Old Mountains) mountain range that runs from west to east across the country. The range is also known as the Balkans, from which the entire region gets its name (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, the former Yugoslavia, and Greece occupy the Balkan Peninsula and are collectively called the Balkan region – though the Greeks and Hungarians would voraciously dispute being lumped with this group). As I live in the far north, any travel to the south requires a trip up and over the Stara Planinas, along twisting and turning mountain roads. This time of year, heavy snow and ice make the trip even more of an adventure.

Last week I departed for a trip over the mountains, where I spent two days in the city of Sliven for a Peace Corps language refresher course, and then traveled on to Hissar for Christmas (I have posted new pictures in the "Friends in Bulgaria" folder of Sliven and Hissar). Hissar was my home in Bulgaria for the first 12 weeks in-country. The language lessons went well, but Christmas turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. My four-year old host brother, Toshko, had been relegated to his maternal grandparents house in a city two hours away for the holidays. My host parents, Gandi and Lazi, both had to work Christmas eve and Christmas day, so I only saw them for a few hours between shifts.

Still, it was a worthwhile time. Christmas eve is a big celebratory day for Bulgarians, and interestingly, a day when everyone eats strictly vegan food. I was quite surprised to learn of this tradition, it seems like a big sacrifice for such a heavy meat-consuming society as this one. Plus, as I posted last time, another Bulgarian tradition is to slaughter a pig for Christmas dinner. My host grandmother (or aunt, as she prefers me to call her. “I’m only 56, you know, not old enough to be your grandmother,” she told me), cooked for days to prepare the evening feast. A picture of the food and my host grandparents (“aunt and uncle,” I guess) is included in this blog.

On Christmas day, Courtney and I, along with Amy and Jerramy, two other PCV friends who had returned for the holidays, went on a nice long hike in the hills behind Hissar. I have posted pictures from the hike in the “Beautiful Bulgaria” photos folder. High clouds, with pockets of blue sky, relatively warm weather, and a light dusting of snow made for a lovely and scenic day.

12-20-05 Merry Pig Slaughter

Originally posted December 20, 2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Christmas in Bulgaria is a fairly “new-again” holiday. During communist times, the holiday was banned as part of the general crackdown on organized religion. Now, the Bulgarians have taken to a more western variety of celebration, complete with trees, presents, and Christmas lights.

But the real story of Bulgarian Christmas is in the ritual killing of the holiday pig. The word for Christmas in Bulgarian is “Koleda,” which literally means “slaughter.” Nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, or any other religious symbology, this is a time for feasting on freshly killed meat. Many families who have houses and yard space, generally in villages and smaller towns, purchase a piglet in the spring and fatten it up during the year. In December, they kill it, butcher it, and serve it up at Christmas. The picture attached to this blog is of the pig in my Hissar host family’s backyard. It may already be dead as I write this, poor guy.

I am fortunate to live in a city, because I do not have to hear or witness the pig slaughter. When I was in Topolovgrad two weeks ago, we accidentally witnessed from afar the killing of a pig. Disgustingly, pig blood was literally running down the streets. Courtney says she has since then frequently heard pigs squealing as they are killed and had to jump over streamlets of pig blood in the streets. Too much for this vegetarian, I am quite thankful to not have to see this here in Svishtov.

For Christmas, I will be heading back to Hissar to stay with Gandi, Lazi, and Toshko. It will be good to see them, and having a small kid around on Christmas is always fun. Courtney will be joining us, too, so it will be a nice gathering. I’m quite excited about it. The carnivores can enjoy their dead pig, but Courtney and I, the vegetarians, will be passing. We’ll enjoy our potatoes and cabbage, and be quite content.

12-18-05 Trip to Topolovgrad

Originally posted 12-18-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last weekend I traveled to visit my girlfriend Courtney at her site in southern Bulgaria, the small town of Topolovgrad. This was the journey I mentioned in the blog about bus travel. I have posted some new pictures in the “Beautiful Bulgaria” album from a hike we took to the Sakal Mountains, where Topolovgrad is located.

Topolovgrad has 6,000 residents, and is quite close to the Bulgarian borders with both Turkey and Greece. I had a little “Peace Corps Moment” when I passed a sign announcing “To Istanbul.” Topolovgrad is a very cute little town, and Courtney really likes it. It is in a beautiful setting, nestled into the foothills of the Sakal Mountains. Last Saturday, myself, Courtney, her PCV site-mate John, and two teenage Bulgarians whom Courtney works went on a hike into the mountains. Our destination was the rocky outcroppings that you can see in the photos. Despite the fog and drizzle, it was a great hike into a beautiful area.

The first people to populate southern Bulgaria and the European portion of Turkey were called the Thracians, and the region is still called Thrace today. The Thracians were pagans, and the rocky outcroppings where we hiked were used by the Thracians as a sun-worshipping temple of sorts. They left engravings in the rocks of this holy site, and these markings are still visible today. There is a picture of one of these in the photo album.

12-18-05 The Geese of Bulgaria

Originally posted 12-18-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last weekend I saw a flock of geese that my counterpart Emil estimated at 12,000. 12,000 geese is one heck of a big flock, and the noise they make is stupendous.

Most of my work week is spent in the office. I generally translate news from Bulgarian to English for our English-edition website. This isn’t terribly exciting, but I realize that it’s a good way to make myself useful immediately, while I learn about the organization and gain the trust and respect of my boss/counterpart. But about once a week, we head out into the field to look for birds. Now, in the winter, our biggest project is monitoring geese.

The greater white-fronted goose migrates to Bulgaria and Romania in the winter, from its summer home in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. The Danube River region is one of the most important wintering feeding and roosting areas for the species. On the Romanian side of the border is a series of lakes and wetlands, creatively named the “Romanian Lakes.” The birds roost in and around these wetlands. Every day, the birds then fly from their sleeping grounds in Romania across the Danube to Bulgaria, where they feed in harvested cornfields. Then, every evening around dusk, the birds fly back to Romania to spend the night.

It’s an incredible spectacle to witness thousands of geese in the air, or to see thousands of geese feeding in the fields. The sky is literally black, and the trail of geese seems to stretch for miles. Seeing these birds has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of my experience so far. The picture I’ve included in this blog gives a sense of the enormity of the flock, but replicating the sound is impossible.

12-16-05 Smoking Bulgarians

Originally posted 12-16-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

It is impossible to describe Bulgaria and my experience here without thoroughly discussing one very important issue: smoking. Please understand that when I say everyone smokes, I am being literal. Bulgaria has the highest rate in the world of cigarettes smoked per capita. Yes, the highest rate in the world (according to the Economist magazine). Because everyone smokes, there are almost no places in the country where smoking not only is forbidden, but actually doesn’t occur. They are listed here:

1. My apartment
2. Food and clothing stores

That’s about it. Smoking is technically banned in public buildings, in offices (public and private), and on buses. But this is not enforced nor even nominally complied with. There “no smoking” sections, but they are not enforced, and don't do much anyway. Thankfully, my counterpart goes outside our office to smoke.

An interesting twist to the story is that cigarette production is controlled by a monopoly – and this monopoly is the Bulgarian government. It is called Bulgartabac, and though there have been attempts to sell it, it is still currently owned by the state. Since the Bulgarian government has a vested interest in making money off cigarette sales, why would they ever try to regulate or discourage smoking? They don’t. Bulgartabac brings in a lot of money to the government, and is also one of the largest employers in the country.

There are changes slowly occurring because of pressure from the European Union. The EU required Bulgaria to place warning labels on packs of cigarettes this year, and on January 1 there will be an increase in the tax on cigarettes. Though, the price will still be very low – the current price is less than $1, and it will go up to $1.30 or so.

Children start smoking young, as you would expect in a world where all the adults smoke without reservation or hesitation. Quite shockingly to me, I have seen young children lighting their parents cigarettes. A few weeks ago, I witnessed a boy of not more than six, standing outside a clothing store holding a cigarette. He wasn’t smoking it, but he was holding it for his mother, who was shopping inside the store (see number 2 on the list of places smoking is forbidden). This behavior is all too common.

Bulgaria has a “café culture,” and people spend hours daily sitting in cafes, drinking coffee, and smoking. I enjoyed this when it was warm, because I could sit outside, or the cafes would open their windows. Winter in Bulgaria could be called the “asphyxiation season,” because the cafes close their windows, creating suffocating rooms full of smoke.

There is good news, though. My counterpart Emil has proclaimed his intention to quit smoking after the New Year. This is more a matter of economics, but that’s ok. My challenge – helping him quit. Not going to be easy, as we will be fighting a very ingrained aspect of Bulgarian culture. Wish us luck.

12-14-05 Christmas Lights

Originally posted 12-14-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The city strung Christmas lights up in a large park in the center of town recently. Festive, eh?

12-13-05 Turkish Toilets in Bulgaria

Originally posted 12-13-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I cannot think of a single good reason to ever install a “Turkish” toilet in a building, aside from saving $20 or so. Turkish toilets, or the squat-down, no throne, hole in the ground type, are still fairly common in Bulgaria, especially in public places. In my office building, the toilet is of the Turkish variety. This means I hold it all day. I’ve included a lovely picture of the facility, which you can almost smell (don’t worry, the brown stains are actually rust). My office building is large – it has five floors, and there are probably seven or eight offices on each floor, and three bigger workshops on the ground floor. The building is fairly old, but must have cost at least a couple hundred thousands dollars to build whenever it was constructed (I’d guess the 50s or 60s, definitely during communism). Out of all that money, how much could they have saved by skimping on the toilets? $100? This is astounding to me. And they never really clean public bathrooms in this country, they only dump a bucket of water across the floor and leave it soaking wet. This only dilutes the filth.

The worst place to have to go to the bathroom in Bulgaria, no doubt, is at a bus station. You’re better off in the forest with a handful of leaves. Bus station bathrooms are disgusting in most countries, developed or not, but here they are just unbearable. And the ultimate insult – they charge you for the privilege of peeing in their stinking holes in the ground. But when you’re about to board a bus for a three-hour trip, you pay the 15 cents, hold your nose, and be quick. I can only imagine the horrors that females must endure.

12-12-05 My Lichna Carta

Originally posted 12-12-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

After another long ride to the regional administrative capital city Veliko Turnovo, last Wednesday I formally received my “lichna carta,” (which translates as personal card), and is the equivalent of an American green card. Here is a nice picture of it, edited for security reasons. There are a few humorous things worth pointing out.

1. “Card of foreigner residing for long time in the Republic of Bulgaria.” I like the indefinite date that is implied in “for long time.” As if, well, I’ll be sticking around for a while, and no one is really sure when I’ll be leaving. In fact, the card expires in one year, so I will have to do the entire procedure again. Also humorous to note that the Bulgarian language does not have a particle of speech that corresponds to our “a,” (as in, “a foreigner”) and this is evident in the wording of the sentence. Could use a few “a’s”, I think.

2. You can see how my name is spelled in Bulgarian. They have no sound for our letter “w,” and the Bulgarian “y’ that they use to replace it actually makes an “oo” sound. My name comes out sounding like “Maxooel Oooods.” Not sure why they insist on the double “y” in “woods,” because one would be closer to the correct pronunciation.

3. Note the mug shot for a photo. Bulgarians do not smile for formal pictures (including wedding photos, which is unsettling when the wedding pictures are nicely framed on the living room wall, looking like the bride and groom are being arrested). Here, I am trying to give my best “non-smile,” because I was surrounded by a group of other PCVs trying to make me laugh. If you smile, you have to take the picture over again. Lichna carta’s are very serious business, apparently, and there is no reason to be smiling and happy.

12-12-05 Uncomfortable Buses

Originally posted 12-12-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This past Friday I voluntarily rode in a Bulgarian bus on Bulgarian roads for a total of 7 hours, then this morning took the same ride back for another 7 hours. I crossed almost the entirety of the country, from my home in Svishtov on the banks of the Danube river (and Romania border), south to the small town of Topolovgrad, just a few miles from the Turkish border. Why would I subject myself to such an uncomfortable journey? A girl, of course. The story of the girl would be more interesting, no doubt, but the subject of this blog is public transportation.

Gas is very expensive in Bulgaria, costing almost exactly twice as much as in the States, in a country where the average income is about 1/20 of Americans. Cars are surprisingly common, but because it is so expensive to operate them, they tend to only be used on short trips to inconvenient places, like visiting Grandma in the village on Sunday. Most long distance travel is on buses. Bulgaria has a vast network of buses, covering just about every city, town, and village in every corner of the country. Efficient, perhaps, but expedient, never. Bus travel from any place with less than 100,000 people to another place with less than 100,000 people invariably involves multiple stops and transfers. My saga began last Friday morning, when I was finally able to verify that yes, buses do run late enough to ensure that I would be able to actually arrive in Topolovgrad by that evening. In convenient list form are the buses I had to catch:

1. From Svishtov to just about anywhere in the south or far east of the country I have to first travel to Veliko Turnovo, the administrative capital of the region. This trip can take anywhere from an hour and a half to two and a half hours, depending on the number of stops we make. We made a lot of stops.

2. From Veliko Turnovo, up and over the Stara Planina (literally “old mountains”) mountain range that divides the country in half, to the city of Stara Zagora (“old Zagora,” there is also a “new Zagora”). One hour into the three-hour trip the bus driver felt the need to take a 15-minute break. I think he just wanted to bring some business to the owner of the café where we stopped.

3. From Stara Zagora to my final destination, Topolovgrad, stopping again in every village along the way. I knew I had come a long way after passing a road sign announcing “To Istanbul.”

Bulgarian bus travel is never comfortable. Why? Again, I’ll present this in convenient list form:

1. The buses are never actually full – they just keep packing people in down the aisle. I’ve stood on a bus for 2 hours. This is not a fun activity.

2. The buses have a problem maintaining a comfortable temperature. They often feel like Florida in the summer, complete with mosquitoes, despite the freezing temperatures outside right now. Despite the heat, Bulgarians refuse to open windows, as they have an unhealthy and unexplainable phobia of drafts and breezes (this could be the subject of another blog, Bulgarian superstitions, of which there are many). They would much rather sweat and suffer than let in fresh air.

3. The roads are generally very bad, and every pothole and bump seems to be magnified in an aging bus that was too old and worn out for Germany or Italy (where many of the buses here began their lives).

4. Bus drivers like to play very loud, very bad pop music (or an incredibly atrocious, but uniquely Bulgarian music called “chalga.” This also requires a separate blog entry) for the entire trip. After riding three hours on a Bulgarian bus listening to the latest from Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys, deafness would be a comforting and welcome reprieve.

5. Technically, smoking is prohibited in all public buses. Passengers observe this rule. Bus drivers, however, do not. It only takes one cigarette to fill a bus with smoke, especially with all the windows closed (because of the fear of drafts and breezes).

6. The paint dividing opposing traffic is merely a suggestion. Buses will careen around hairpin curves cannonballing down a mountainside to pass a Turkish long-distance big rig if it will allow them to drive an unimpeded 60 km/hour, instead of 55. The best rule? Never look out the front window. It’s better not to see the oncoming logging truck.

Take some Dramamine, don’t look ahead, bring earplugs or headphones, drink nothing 3 hours before traveling, and get mentally prepared to be uncomfortable and sullen. This is what it takes to survive the Bulgarian buses.

12-6-05 The Saga of my Bulgarian Green Card

Originally posted 12-6-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Underdeveloped countries in general, I think, tend to have stifling layers of bureaucracy and red tape. Bulgaria is no different. Outright corruption aside, simply taking care of any business with a government agency is a real headache. This is the story of my Bulgarian “lichna carta,” the equivalent of a green card, the official document declaring my legal residency.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, I was granted a 90-day “special business” visa before entry into the country. This visa expired the week after I arrived in Svishtov, and so I had to immediately start the process of procuring my lichna carta. This involved many steps. First, I had to go the police station and register myself as living in the city (actually, all non-citizens must register with the police, including everyone who comes as a tourist. Generally, the hotel where you are staying does it for you, but if you are visiting a friend, you must literally go the police station and sign a form declaring where you will be staying during your visit. The communist need to track all movements by all people dies hard, apparently). I then had to get an original copy of my apartment lease officially notarized. After this, I had to fill out a staggeringly complicated form, which asked, among many questions, for the names, places of birth, and occupation of my parents and sister. Not sure why this was necessary. After filling the form, I had to go to the bank to pay a fee. The police station “doesn’t process the money,” they said. With my receipt from the bank, I went back to the police station and presented:

· The completed application form,
· The receipt from the bank,
· My notarized apartment lease,
· My registration,
· A photocopy of my passport and original visa,
· An official letter from the Peace Corps director,
· A copy of the official agreement between the American government and the Bulgarian government explaining about the Peace Corps and their role in the country.
· Plus, I had to have my counterpart Emil and my landlord Georgi accompany me

After getting all of these papers together, signed, stamped, notarized, and everything else, the immigration officer in the police station accepted my completed application, and said I would have to then wait about a month.

Last Monday (November 28) I got word that my lichna carta was ready. But, to make this process even more cumbersome, I was required to travel to the administrative capital of my district, Veliko Turnovo, about two hours away by bus. Last Wednesday, I made the trip. After finding the police station in the city, waiting in a long line, finding out it was the wrong line, waiting in another line, I was finally told…that, yes, my card was ready, but that no, I couldn’t actually have it then. Why? Because the director of immigration must personally sign my passport, and he was on vacation. Frustrated and angry, I had no choice but to return to Svishtov.

Back in Svishtov, I went with Emil to the police station to explain what happened. The immigration official here was apologetic, and said he was going to Veliko Turnovo anyway last weekend, and offered to personally try to get my card. This was quite nice of him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it. The lichna carta can only be given directly to its owner, and not even to the Svishtov regional immigration official.

And so, tomorrow, I will once again take a slow, crowded, and stinky minibus to Veliko Turnovo and hopefully, hopefully get my lichna carta. There are two other PCVs in town, Denise and Ryan, who have already been here one year, and they will be going with me…because these cards are only good for one year, and they had to do the entire process over again this year. Next year, so will I.

12-5-05 About the Bulgarian Language

Originally posted 12-5-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

About the language – Bulgarian is not a Latin/romance language, like English, French, Spanish, German, etc. It’s a Slavic language, like Russian. They use the Cyrillic alphabet, which makes it all the more difficult. Sentence structure is often “backward” to English, such as they add “the” to the end of words (кучето literally means “dog the”). Plus, like some Latin languages, nouns have gender (masculine, feminine, or neutral), and all other words in a sentence must match the gender of the subject (добро куче – good dog, but добра котка – good cat). Even pronouns and adverbs have to match. They also match plural (добри котки – good cats). All of this adds up to one big headache. In Svishtov, I have two language tutors, and we have 3-4 hours a week of lessons. It’s coming along, slowly. I am encouraged by meeting PCVs who have already been here for one year, as most of them have a pretty good grasp on the language. Patience and practice, patience and practice.

Many Bulgarians know a little bit of English, especially the younger generations. Though, without knowing some Bulgarian and the Cyrillic alphabet, it would be very difficult to even travel in this country alone. There are so few native English speakers working or living here, that the Bulgarians get very little practice speaking and hearing English. It is quite rare for me to be able to have a conversation at my normal speaking pace with a Bulgarian, even people who “speak” English. All this adds up to me really having to learn the language in order to effectively work and communicate here. I am off to a good start - was graded "intermediate-mid" on my end-of-training language exam. But have a long, long way to go. Interestingly, most everyone over the age of 30 can speak Russian fluently – and practically no one under 35 can speak a word.

I have a program on my computer that allows me to type in Bulgarian. Here’s a bit of why the Cyrillic alphabet is so confusing – it’s not so much the “new” letters, but the ones that are also in English but have a different sound in Bulgarian:

Р – Bulgarian “R”
Н – Bulgarian “N”
С – Bulgarian “S”
В – Bulgarian “V”
Г – Bulgarian “G”
X – Bulgarian “H”
У – Bulgarian “Oo”
These are the “new” letters, Ж, П, Ц, Ш, Щ, Ч, Я, И, Й, Б, Ъ, Ф, З, Л, Д, and Ю.

Ugh.

12-5-05 Life in Svishtov

Originally posted 12-5-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

After the swearing-in ceremony on October 27th, I moved to my permanent site, Svishtov, and began working with my organization, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). The BSPB is a nation-wide NGO, headquartered in the capital, Sofia. They have professionally staffed offices across the country, and I am in one of these offices here in Svishtov. By “staffed,” I mean there is one employee, my counterpart and boss, Emil. There is also a group of committed Bulgarian volunteers (pictures of whom can be seen in the “Svishtov” and “cast of characters” albums), one, Tisho, works with us in the office most days. Emil is a great guy, and has turned into my good friend, not just a coworker. He’s 24, and very passionate about birds and wildlife. He’s exciting to be around, his enthusiasm for conservation is contagious. These are pretty rare traits, I’d say, in Bulgarians – enthusiastic and passionate. They tend to be a fairly pessimistic and “defeatist” peoples, but I can write more about this later. Emil speaks some English, we tend to converse in a mixture of the two languages. I hope to start formal English lessons with Emil soon, as it is quite important for his work and for the future of the BSPB-Svishtov that he be able to converse fluently in English.

Right now, during the winter, work is mostly in the office writing grants and getting prepared for the spring and summer, when more work will be done outside. We work a normal schedule by Bulgarian standards – work starts at 9:30, we have a two-hour lunch/coffee break, and are done at 5:30. I’ve been busying myself with translating news articles for the BSPB website, mostly. By translating, I mean I have a dictionary, look up just about every work, and try to piece together the articles. You can see our website and my work at http://www.bspb.org/ and click on the small British flag in the upper left corner for the English edition. I’m also trying to edit the already-existing English information on the website, you can see that it’s not terribly well written. English is as difficult for Bulgarians as Bulgarian is for me. I’ve been able to help with a grant we are currently working on, as it must be in English. Most of our funding comes from international donors, and grants/communication generally must be in English. It’s nice to be able to help and feel useful so quickly – the PC warned us that during the first three months we should be prepared to do nothing except learn the language and become familiar with our organizations and coworkers.

We have also gone out bird watching a few times (some pictures from these expeditions are in the photo albums). About 20 mile from Svishtov is a protected area that consists of a series of islands in the Danube River. It’s a beautiful site, and very important to birds and other wildlife in the region. This is where we mostly go to watch birds, and a lot of our work consists of projects in the park, in partnership with the park service. Winters are brutally cold in Bulgaria (think Minnesota), but that hasn’t stopped us from trudging outside in the below-freezing temperatures. These birds must be seen and counted.

I’ve never officially “birdwatched” before coming here, and I must say, it’s not terribly exciting. We get to our spot, set up the telescopes, and wait. And wait. And wait. In the cold, in the rainy drizzle, in the fog. I like being outside, and the river/park is beautiful, but standing around can be dull. I will learn to like it, though, because I’ll be doing it for the next two years.

12-5-05 The quick wrap-up of the story so far

Originally posted 12-5-2005 on my other blog, 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I landed in Bulgaria on August 15, 2005, and was immediately whisked away to the site of our initial orientation week, a mountain resort town called Borovets. After a stressful and overwhelming few days, we were transported to the mid-sized city of Pazardjik, where we were to meet our host families for the first time. I was very lucky, and was placed with a great host family. It’s funny to call them my “family,” because my host dad was 33, mom was 26 (like me), and they had a young son, age 4. Dad, named Gandi (Gancho, shortened to Gandi) spoke a bit of English, enough to really help me get by until I could learn Bulgarian. Gandi and Lazi (host mom) are both waiters. They were very welcoming, generous, friendly, and helpful, and my transition to life in Bulgaria was immeasurably easier and smoother than had I not had such a great family. Plus, Toshko (host brother), was about the cutest kid in the whole country (pictures of the family are in the “Hissar” photo album). I plan on visiting them for Christmas.

The set-up for Peace Corps is that the first 11 weeks are “training,” and the PCVs live in small villages surrounding a central larger city (Pazardjik), which acts as the hub site. Every two weeks we traveled from Hissar to Pazardjik for group training sessions. Surprisingly, there were 50 PCVs in my group, B18 – we are the 18th Peace Corps group to come to Bulgaria. In Hissar there were six of us, all living with different families. Team Hissar, as we dubbed ourselves, became a tight knit group, and we will certainly be friends throughout our service. You can see pictures of the group in the “Cast of Characters” photo album. During training in Hissar, we generally spent half our days in language lessons with an amazing language teacher, Iskra Stephanova. Iskra was equal parts caring and sympathetic, and a hard-pushing butt-kicker. The language is incredibly hard, but I’m able to communicate now and am learning more every day, thanks to Iskra.

On October 27, I officially became a Peace Corps Volunteer, no longer a trainee. We had a nice ceremony with the American ambassador (pictures of which are in the “friends” photo album). On that day, I also moved up to Svishtov, my permanent site for the next two years.

My other blog

Is at 360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Testing the New Blog

This is the first test post in my New Blog. I'm considering migrating over here from Yahoo.