Maxwell's New Blog

12-21-07 Employment

2007-12-21T13:05:00.000-08:00

My job search has ended relatively quickly. I've been offered and accepted a position with an environmental consulting firm called ENSR, and I'm excited to start working. I begin January 8th. Environmental consulting is an amorphous field, and I'll be working on a variety of projects. Environmental impact statements and assessments, pre-construction planning, pollution reduction, and various compliance and permitting work. The job is in Long Beach, CA, which is only about 45 minutes from my parents house in Whittier. Long Beach is the 35th biggest city in America, according to the Wikipedia. Now I just have to find a place to live and buy a car, and I'll be all set.

The job search process was tedious and a test of patience and self-confidence. I sent out plenty of resumes for jobs that I KNOW I was qualified for, and never heard a thing in reply. If there's anything I learned in the Peace Corps, though, it was to work hard, but relax and trust that things will work themselves out for the best. This seems to have come true, as it always does.

Christmas in California

2007-12-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

I took this picture the other day in the Orange County coastal city of Laguna Beach. Note the Christmas lights and wreath. This is how people decorate in this sunny, hot, and surreal corner of the world.

12-12-07 What it's like

2007-12-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Second only to "what are you going to do now?", the question I seem be asked most often is "what is it like being back in America?" After being home for about a month, a satisfactory answer still eludes me. What's it like being back, after two-plus years overseas? That's a difficult question for me to tackle. It's even harder to compare my former life in Svishtov or Dupnitsa, to my current life in suburban LA. I've moved from a small remote community at the fringe of Europe, to one of the biggest metropolitan regions in the world. These communities could hardly be more different, and finding a balance to my daily life, bridging my old life and my new, is challenging.

Maybe the hardest thing for me to adjust to is the scale of life in Southern California. Our closest grocery store is probably two kilometers away. I sat in my car for more than two hours last weekend to visit a friend who lives 30 or 40 km from me, which is of course still in LA county. Yet at other times, I've been driving at 80 miles per hour and still been passed by other cars on a 10 lane LA freeway. Our small suburban house seems huge, and the genuinely big houses make me gasp. It's an impressive feat, when you think about it, to design an entire urban region, home to 15 million people (or more) and completely eliminate the need to walk anywhere. Has there ever been a worse invention than the auto-dependent American suburb? And the prices seem sky-high, even though it's relatively cheap compared to Western Europe. There are still some nice places in Southern California (see picture of Laguna Beach above), yet I could never even dream of being able to afford to live there. These are the things that have not been easy to adjust to.

On the other side, one great part about returning to America is how genuinely nice and friendly everyone is. This is cliche, I know, but I never thought about it until I went to Bulgaria, where it's, um, not so common. People ask me how I'm doing, help me find what I need, wish me a good day, and genuinely mean it. And of course, the best part about being home is family and friends. This needs no explanation.

The strangest part of life right now is that I'm still in transition. I refuse to stay in Southern California, but I haven't yet decided where to go or what to do. It's like the readjustment hasn't even really begun, because I'm still moving. I can hardly start processing my Peace Corps experience, adjust to a new life in my suddenly-unfamiliar native land, because life for me is still temporary. There are a few places in America where you can replicate a European lifestyle - walkable cities, public transportation, liberal minded stylish people, minimal environmental impact. When I get there, then the readjustment process will begin in earnest. Until then, I'm going to hole up in the house and do Sudoku.

Plus, it's too damn sunny and hot in LA. It shouldn't be 20 C in mid-December.

Burned bus

2007-11-26T13:34:00.001-08:00

This is the back of a school bus that got caught in the fires in Green Valley Lake. I like the color of the license plate, a pale, dirty yellow, set against the blackened, bubbling paint of the bus.

Chimney and ash

2007-11-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

All that remains from this cabin is the chimney.

11-26-07 Fire season

2007-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

For the long Thanksgiving weekend, my parents and I went up to our family’s cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains, southeast of LA. Our cabin is in the tiny resort community of Green Valley Lake, in the forest between the larger towns of Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. Green Valley Lake has an idyllic name, and the place holds a lot of good memories for me. But during September and October, massive wildfires swept through the San Bernardino Mountains, including much of GVL. For a few weeks we didn’t know if our cabin survived, until my aunt went up to check. Fortunately, there was no damage to our cabin or any on our street. Many others, sadly, weren’t as lucky.

The fires essentially burned a ring around the community, and most of the cabins that burned were the ones on the edge of the forest, though a few further in-town also burned. Like all natural disasters, the damage seemed fairly random – some cabins were reduced to ashes, while neighboring places were left unscathed. Walking along our favorite hiking trails through the forest was a surreal and melancholy experience, as nearly all of the forest surrounding the community has been burned. Giant pine trees stand blackened, and the undergrowth is entirely gone. The forest floor is ash and dust.

Southern California is in the middle of one of the driest periods in recent history – it has rained four inches in the past year (the “rain year,” in local parlance), and not at all since early spring. The mountains and hills surrounding LA (and down near San Diego) burn nearly every year, and I know fires are a natural part of the ecosystem processes. But the scale and severity of the recent fires has been worse than ever before.

I have posted many pictures from the fire damage on my flickr site, linked from this page.

11-15-07 Stranger in a strange land

2007-11-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

Oddly enough, I find myself writing this from my parent’s living room in Whittier, California. I’ve cut the trip short (way short, considering the original scope) and returned home to the US, home of big cars, friendly people, and an incredible selection of cereal. I swear, just the cereal aisle in my local supermarket is bigger than the biggest store in all of Svishtov. But I digress.

I’m home for some personal reasons which I won’t get into on the public forum. All is well, but I just needed to be at home right now with my family. It was a quick decision, but not one I took lightly. Trevor, my former travel buddy, is valiantly continuing on the journey.

So, 27 months after the grand Peace Corps adventure began, I find myself starting over again. The readjustment has been going about as well as I could have hoped for (aside from coming down with a bad cold). The process has certainly been smoothed by having a loving and caring family to return to, who feed me well and at least pretend to listen to me when I drone on about life in the strange little corner of the world that is Bulgaria.

The wonderful American writer Bill Bryson once wrote a book about returning to life in the States after many years abroad, entitled “I’m a Stranger Here Myself.” This is how I feel. 27 months is a long time to be gone, and much has changed. I'm having to relearn how to live in my own country, just like I had to learn how to live in Bulgaria.

Social norms, customs, habits, well, I didn’t realize how much I’d changed until I came home. In every store I enter, I have this feeling that the female employees are hitting on me – but of course they’re not, it’s just called customer service, something I’d practically forgotten about in Bulgaria. It’s awkward for me to be in my house wearing shoes, but that’s just how it’s done here. Prices are shockingly high – today I paid $15 for a haircut! And I have to remember that that is a really cheap haircut from Supercuts. My last haircut in Dupnitsa cost me 2 leva, which seems appropriate for 10 minutes work. Most delightfully, I bought a new pair of running shoes, size 14 – a size which was in-stock, and the clerk didn’t even bat an eye bringing out to me. 14 in America is a normal size. In Bulgaria, I was once laughed – yes, laughed – out of a store for requesting a shoe that size.

Now I have to make some plans and some decisions about what to do with myself. It’s wonderful being at home with Mom and Dad, but Southern California is not where I want to be. It was 90 degrees today (32 C), and I can’t stand this heat. I need to be somewhere where I won’t sweat in mid-November. Though, we did go to the beach last Monday, no complaints about that.

11-3-07 The first spat of Anti-Americanism

2007-11-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to let two small incidents ruin my impression of this beautiful and complicated country, but we've had our first run-in with anti-Americanism. It started on our trip from Denizli (home of the textile engineers) to the town of Konya. The only reason we were stopping in Konya was to break up our long haul to Cappadocia, and we also found some couchsurfing hosts, so we decided to stop overnight. Konya is known as the most conservative town in Turkey, and is also the home of the "whirling dervishes," or Sufi, as they are properly called. Anyway, here's the two stories.

All the long haul buses in Turkey have one or two attendants, all young men, who bring you bottles of water, tea, coffee, and snacks. It's a lovely system. But on the bus to Konya, the attendant found out we were Americans, and immediately made a little gun with his thumb and finger and pointing to his head, said "Bush," I guess implying that he would like to shoot our President. He then leaned over to some high school kids, asked something, then turned back to us and said "Fuck Bush." The unsettling thing was that he did it with a smile and a laugh, as if we were all in on some big joke. He wasn't terribly menacing, and I never felt threatened, but what a way to meet a guest on your bus. He still brought us our tea, though.

The second incident was a bit more frustrating. In Konya, we were at a cafe having a tea, when another client sat down next to us and said in English, "are you Englishmen?" No, Americans, we replied. He then went on a tirade, again with the "fuck Bush," and after a minute told us to get out of the cafe, getting into the face of my buddy Ryan. Again, it wasn't terribly threatening, the guy was pretty old and frail, but really frustrating. The other people in the cafe didn't come to our rescue.

But those have been only two isolated incidents. In fact, immediately after getting kicked out of the cafe, we found another one down the street with backgammon. We sat down to play, and were soon joined with a dozen high school kids who played with us for an hour, practicing English, laughing and having fun playing us at the Turkish national pastime. It was a great experience, and easily overshadowed the annoyance of the other incidents.

In Konya, as in Denizli and Izmir, we had wonderful couchsurfing hosts - Konya is home to a very large university, and we were hosted by four beautiful communications and journalism students - a wonderful time. One of our hosts was the presenter on the local cable TV nightly news, and we got to go into the studio and watch her run through the day's happenings ("industrial trade show in Konya"), which was a lot of fun. We then went out for dinner and tea with the gang, 7 or 8 friendly, intelligent, and ambitious young students and professionals, and as in all our previous evenings with Turkish people, had fascinating and honest conversations about all the issues facing Turkey.

Two small negative incidents that I've nearly forgotten already, and a million positive ones, the memories of which will last my lifetime.

10-31-07 Mustache Politics

2007-10-31T01:58:00.000-07:00

On the road, and happy. Here's the quick logistical wrap-up. Traveling with Trevor, my friend from the PCBG, and his hometown buddy Ryan, who will be with us for another week. Last Thursday night Trevor and I left Bulgaria for good on the night train to Istanbul, which was promptly 4 hours late, and auspicious start to the journey. But it's all been golden since then. Spent two days in Istanbul, took a 10 hour bus ride to the 3rd biggest city in Turkey, Izmir, which is on the Aegean coast. Spent 3 nights there, then bussed it to Denizli, where I write this, which is a medium sized inland city.

The good stuff: Except for Istanbul, we have been doing what they call "couchsurfing," and it is fantastic. Through a website, we connect with local people who are willing to host travelers for a few days and show them around town to varying degrees. We have hit the jackpot, and have stayed with the most wonderful, caring, and open people I could have imagined. I'm learning so much about the fascinating and complex nation of Turkey, so much more than I would staying in hostels or hotels. I fee like we're experiencing the "real" Turkey, off the well-worn tourist track.

In Izmir, we were hosted by a terribly kind and welcoming woman named Gulchin, who made us tea and toast for breakfast every day, and showed us all around her home, known as the most liberal city in Turkey. Last Monday was the Turkish national holiday, like our 4th of July, and we got to see the parades and orchestras play around the city.

From there we have traveled inland to the university town of Denizli, where we are being hosted by Mustafa, a textile engineer. Last night we hung out with his friends, all textile engineers. All friendly and intelligent, and again, wonderfully welcoming.

Turkey is a country in transition. The people we have met have been open and honest with me about their views, and I've been able to get genuine insight into this country. The east/west divide in Turkey is strong, as is the liberal/conservative, secular/religious, and rural/urban. I need another long blog posting to go into detail about the importance of all these issues, and maybe another two blog postings to discuss the man who looms over everything in modern Turkey, the founder of the country who is simply called Ataturk. He's a revered leader, idolized in a deeply genuine and sincere fashion - a young woman I talked to last night told me she owed "everything in her life, every opportunity, every possibility" she has to Ataturk. But that's another story for another day.

Mustache politics. Well, I'll admit, we three boys are growing mustaches. It seems to be a bit of a national joke that all Turkish men of a certain age (that age being older than 40) sport a thick full mustache. So, in a feeble attempt at integration and irony, we're growing them too. But like the country itself, nothing is simple or straightforward. I learned last night that your style of mustache determines your political views. A curl down around the mouth, like a half-fu man chu, means you are a nationalist. A thin straight across the top lip 'stache, means you are an Islamist, or at least of a more-religious bent. We are treading tricky waters here with the hair on our faces. How fascinatingly interesting.

There is so much to tell, but time is short, and we have a bus to catch to our next destinations, Pamukkale and then the town of Konya. We're pushing towards Capadoccia.

10-23-07 The End

2007-10-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

They took back my Bulgarian residency card. They punched a hole in my Peace Corps ID. The doctor poked and prodded and ran tests (I’m healthy!). I emptied and closed my meager Bulgarian bank account. I filled out forms, collected signatures, and gave back my water distiller, my fire extinguisher, and my trusty Bulgarian-English dictionary.

My training job in Dupnitsa is finished, the trainees are now all volunteers. I’ve moved out of my apartment and now have my life packed in my backpack. And now, I’m finished with the “COS” (close of service) procedure. I’m still technically a PCV until Thursday, which is the date I selected a few months ago, but there is a staff retreat starting tomorrow and I needed to finish all my work today. So I did, and after I leave the PC office this evening, I might never return. That will be it. I’m finished, done, completed my service, survived two-plus years in the wilds of Bulgaria.

It’s been an incredible, life changing experience, in ways I don’t think I will fully realize until months or even years from now. They always say that leaving the PC is harder emotionally than entering – and I might just agree with that. When I left for Bulgaria in August of 2005, I knew that I could always return to America and be with my friends and family, and replicate to some extent my previous life. But leaving Bulgaria, I don’t know when I’ll be returning. Hopefully not too far in the future, but this country isn’t easy to get to, and the world is big with much to see. It’s been a teary goodbye.

And so, what’s next? I’ve been answering this question for months now. The answer is that I’ll be traveling for a while, as I’ve written about previously. The meta-theme for the trip is to go from here to Asia, though the details are purposefully vague. There are a lot of places I’d like to see along the way, and all I think I really need is an open mind and an open map. Thursday night my buddy Trevor and I leave Bulgaria on the night train to Istanbul, from where we’ll travel down the Turkish Mediterranean coast and then into the interior of the Anatolian peninsula. Wish me well, and if anyone sends me their mailing address, I promise to send you a postcard from somewhere on the road.

The other news: I’ve decided to switch to a new blog site. There are rumors that yahoo will be closing this service, and I didn’t want all my stories to be erased. So I’ve spent lots of time over the past month migrating to blogspot, which is owned by internet behemoth Google. This will be my last posting here, but I will definitely be blogging from the road. You can read my new stories, and all the old ones, at:

maxwellwoods.blogspot.com

And so this is it. I’m closing the Peace Corps Bulgaria chapter of my life, and beginning the chapter as an “RPCV” – Returned Peace Corps Volunteer. It’s time to move on, time to hit the road. Haide ciao, Bulgaria.

The newest volunteers

2007-10-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a group photo of the newest Peace Corps Bulgaria volunteers. Aren't they all so happy and good looking?

10-20-07 Swearing-in

2007-10-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday around noon in Sofia, my 36 trainees took the very official Peace Corps oath, and with that, they formally moved from “trainees” to “volunteers.” And so ends PST – I just have to finish up a final report and give a short overview presentation to the staff on Monday, and then I too will be done with PST.

Swearing-in day is probably the most surreal one in the Peace Corps – following the ceremony and a short reception, the trainees change out of their nice clothes, pick up their luggage, and go to the Sofia central bus station to travel to their permanent sites. Just like that, you go from being surrounded by the warm cushion of the Peace Corps training program, living with a loving (if not overbearing in some cases) host family and going to classes every day with three or four other trainees, to being dumped into your new home, sleeping alone in an unfamiliar apartment, relying on counterparts who may or may not speak English, and trying to sort out your new life. Stressful is too mild a word.

In a way I didn’t expect, I feel like a proud father watching his children go off into the big wide world of Peace Corps Bulgaria (or at least I assume it’s something like what I’m feeling). I miss them already.

10-16-07 Peace Corps in action

2007-10-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

So what is Peace Corps “technical training” really like? What have the trainees been doing the past 11 weeks, aside from learning Bulgarian language? Well, they’ve been designing and implementing a small community development project. Each of our five satellite sites had to come up with an idea for a project – preferably, they had to use an idea generated by the community – and then adapt that idea to the very short time frame of PST and the Peace Corps provided budget of 100 leva (about $70). As you’d expect from Peace Corps volunteers, we’ve had some very creative and hopefully sustainable projects. Despite their small size and the short time frame, I think some of the projects will genuinely provide lasting benefits for the communities.

During the last few days our trainees have been busy implementing their projects, as Thursday is the last day of training. My counterpart Toni and myself have visited some of the sites to observe and trainees at work. Last Friday one of the groups gave a lesson to local children on environmentalism, and then created markers for a local hiking trail. The kids painted pictures on pieces of wood, and then posted the signs along the trail, imploring hikers to pick up their trash and help prevent forest fires. Last night I attended an event in another community, where the trainees had started a tourism-development campaign to promote the village and hopefully create a sustainable revenue stream by selling t-shirts and postcards to visitors. Another training group worked with their local police department to create a pocket Bulgarian/English phrase book that will help the policemen and other community members assist travelers who do not speak Bulgarian.

All of these small projects were accomplished in only a few weeks for less than $75, and have the potential to make a lasting positive impact on the communities after the trainees have finished PST and moved to their permanent sites. That’s the Peace Corps in action.

In the picture above trainees Kellen and Steve show off the t-shirts they made for their community to produce and sell. It says "Az [heart] Boboshevo," or I love Boboshevo (Boboshevo being the name of their host community).

Strikers

2007-10-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

These striking teachers paraded by the cafe where I was sitting in Sofia last week, carrying the Bulgarian and European Union flags.

10-13-07 Stachkata - The Strike

2007-10-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

One month after the supposed start of the school year (school here always starts on the 15th of September, even though that day fell on a Saturday this year, oddly), classes have yet to begin. But not everywhere. Some schools are open and functioning normally. Some are partially teaching. Some are closed. Some are open but not teaching. What am I talking about? There is a teachers strike in Bulgaria, but no one really understands what exactly is happening. Here’s what I’ve pieced together through various sources.

The majority of teachers in Bulgaria from all grade levels are striking for higher wages. Some schools, however, are not striking at all, and no one can tell me why. At the schools that are striking, some are being picketed and no students are being taught, period. Some, however, are having a “sit down in-class” strike, meaning the teachers are showing up to school as they normally would, but then just sitting at their desks without saying a word.

Then of course there are the Peace Corps volunteer English teachers – some of whom are teaching, some of whom are not. Officially, the Peace Corps takes no stance on the strike, and teachers are, I believe, expected to teach as they normally would. So bizarrely, in some cases, students are expected to show up for their English classes but have no other classes during the day. Not surprisingly, few students bother to show up for English class, leaving many PCVs with empty classrooms. Then there are other volunteers who have been instructed by their principals to not teach at all, which must make for a very boring life for the poor volunteers.

The striking teachers are demanding a 100% raise. The education system here is run by the national government, not local, so striking teachers have been coming into Sofia to march and picket. Bulgarian teachers are paid a pittance by Western standards – average pay is around $150-$200 per month (and that high end only after 20 years experience), which is not enough to live on even in this cheap country. But still, to demand a 100% raise at one step is asking a lot. The Prime Minister was quoted as saying recently something along the lines of, “do they think we have a giant vault of money to tap?”

One of the biggest challenges the European Union faces in Bulgaria is the disparity in standard of living across member states. It is exceedingly difficult for a Bulgarian teacher to look across the continent and see, for example, a Dutch or German teacher making perhaps 3,000 Euro a month (more than 20 times what a Bulgarian would make) – and yet officially, on paper, all are members of this same unwieldy association, the EU.

In the abstract and rarefied world of Brussels, the Bulgarians have the same voting power in European affairs (the rich don’t get more votes, obviously), have the same rights, and are subject to the same laws. Yet at a very real, tangible, personal level, the standard of living and quality of life is vastly divergent between the poor East and the rich West.

I took the picture above in Sofia last week. I was sitting at a sidewalk café, and down the street came this parade of striking teachers.

10-12-07 The ties that bind

2007-10-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

On August 14, 2005, 50 soon-to-be Peace Corps volunteers got on a plane in Washington DC, and landed a day later in Bulgaria. This group, my group, has slowly dwindled as people dropped out, returned home for various reasons, and finally now are finishing up service and traveling or reentering American life. I'm amongst the very last to leave from the "B18s," and it's been sad watching friends depart not knowing if or when we will see each other again.

In a strange way, the Peace Corps forces friendship upon the cohort of volunteers in a group. "These will be your friends for the next two years," is the implicit message. Obviously, volunteers have much in common, and friendship and camaraderie comes easily. I've bonded with my fellow volunteers in a way I haven't done with a group of friends since my college days. We can genuinely and sincerely relate to each other, empathize, sympathize, and understand each other. Our individual experiences are unique, but the travails, the challenges, and the success that arise from Peace Corps service and life in Bulgaria are common to us all. We share each other's high moments, and commiserate during the low points, and through it all become a very tight knit community. Then at the end, we scatter to our respective homes across America and the world, and try to hold on to the friendships through time and distance. But isn’t this always the case in life?

Communication technology certainly makes it easier to maintain relationships, at least to a certain degree, but I also know that time and distance strain and bend those ties despite the best efforts of Facebook and Instant Messaging. The experiences I’ve undergone through the past two years are not replicable, and the only people who can truly understand this time in my life are my fellow volunteers who have lived the PC Bulgaria life at the same time. There’s immense value in that, and it’s not something I ever want to lose.

The picture above is of myself and fellow PCV friend Boudreaux.

10-7-07 The culture of coolness

2007-10-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

Originally posted October 7, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Bulgarian youth culture revolves around one word - coolness. It is the single most important thing for a young Bulgarian to be cool, to appear cool, to act cool (according to local standards of "cool," of course). This plays out in many ways, some of them positive, some less so, some that are just boring. For example - almost never do I see young Bulgarians getting in fights or acting agressively towards anyone. To be agressive is very uncool. So they sit back, they drink and smoke, they flirt, but they never do it agressively or "in your face." Compare this to the American frat boy, or the college kid on spring break, or the drunk British soccer fan, and the laid-back cool Bulgarian is a very good thing.

In my opinion, it also leads to Bulgarian youth being very, um, boring. Here's my example. The PC trainees had to give presentations last week on Bulgarian culture. The girls above did popular music and dance - they started with the traditional Bulgarian dancing called "horo," (where everyone holds hands and does the hokey-pokey in a big circle), and moving on to a silly and hilarious 1980's dance-off, just having fun. The presentations were done in front of all the trainees, staff, and some other volunteers, maybe 70 people in all. This is something that would NEVER EVER EVER be done by young Bulgarians, because being silly in public is decidedly uncool. Laughing, being goofy, being creative, self-deprecating, having fun like this, would be the nadir of coolness for the overly serious young Bulgarian. How dull.

As you can imagine, the American audience loved the dancing, whooping and laughing the entire time. The Bulgarians (at least, those who weren't used to the outlandishness of Americans) just rolled their eyes. I could almost hear their embarrasement.

10-7-07 Still life with rakia

2007-10-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Originally posted October 7, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The barter system is alive and well in Bulgaria. Last week I returned from a run, and before I could get into my apartment my neighbor (and landlord, owner of the building I live in) asked me if I could help him with something. We were tasked with moving a giant wooden wine cask from the backyard into the basement, going through a window. The cask was empty, but held nearly 500 liters - that's a lot of wine. We managed to roll the barrel down into the basement, and as gratitude, my neighbor gave me these grapes, the jar of super-sugary preserved apricots, and that mason jar full of rakia (BG moonshine).

My neighbors are an interesting family - they just returned to Bulgaria after living for five years in Louisiana, of all places. The husband, with whom I helped move the cask, told me that these are the things he missed most about life in Bulgaria - making wine and rakia from grapes he grew himself, eating preserves canned by his wife from their own fruit. None of that was possible in Louisiana, he lamented. I'm sure there are other reasons why they returned, fruit doesn't seem like enough of a reason to come back to Bulgaria if you have the Golden Ticket to America (a work visa!), but at least on this night, my neighbors were satisfied with life in their homeland. Or maybe it was just the homemade booze.

10-3-07 The Found Generation

2007-10-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Originally posted October 3, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

In yesterday’s NYT, David Brooks (“The Democrats’ favorite Republican columnist”) wrote an interesting op-ed piece on the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” about how the book relates to today’s American youth culture. As Brooks describes it, when the book was originally released it was met with reviews praising it as a “burst of rollicking, joyous American energy,” that the book“ rejected the pessimism and cynicism of the Lost Generation…the heroes of the book savored everything, enjoyed everything, took pleasure in everything.

Now, 50 years on, literary critics are returning to the book with a much different mindset. Brooks quotes to reviewers who say that “above all else, the story is about loss,” and “it’s a book about death and the search for something to hold on to – the famous search for ‘IT,’ a truth larger than the self, which, of course, is never to be found.”

In Brooks’ analysis, he writes:

“If Sal Paradise were alive today, he’d be a product of the new rules. He’d be a grad student with an interest in power yoga, on the road to the M.L.A. convention with a documentary about a politically engaged Manitoban dance troupe that he hopes will win a MacArthur grant. He’d be driving a Prius, going a conscientious 55, wearing a seat belt and calling Mom from the Comfort Inns.

The only thing we know for sure is that this ethos won’t last. Someday some hypermanic kid will produce a moronically maxed-out adventure odyssey that will spark the overdue rebellion among all the over-pressured SAT grinds, and us grumpy midlife critics will get to witness a new Kerouac, and the greatest pent-up young-life crisis in the history of the world.”

What Brooks might not realize, though, is that this movement is already here, but in a different form, and he just needs to look in the right places. Join the Peace Corps, or AmeriCorps, or spend time on a college campus, or with young artists or technologists, or even just talk to the backpackers in any hostel across the world, and you’ll meet a generation of youth who still believe in the relevance, and really, the imperative, of undertaking that Search for Truth. And if we end up back in the US, driving a hybrid and hanging out with Manitoban dance troupes, so what? What’s wrong with striving for cultural consciousness, environmental sustainability, maintaining family ties, while leveraging information technology and connectivity? I believe that life today is richer and fuller than ever before, with more opportunity, more possibility, and yet more awareness – and this is something to be celebrated, not denigrated. If Sal Paradise were alive today, he’d have a PhD in anthropology, and would have documented the last remaining traditional dances, languages, and cultures of the Northern Plains Indians. And that, I think, is the spirit of the new American generation. Something for the world, and something for ourselves – it’s a very cool combination. The Search is alive and well today, and Kerouac would be proud of this generation.

10-3-07 Indiana Jones fantasies

2007-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Originally posted October 3, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

My new job has me in the unusual position of being technically a PCV, but also PC staff – and the difference between the two has significance. Being “staff,” I am subject to a different set of rules, mainly that I cannot drink alcohol with the trainees or, as they say in the jargon, “fraternize” with them either. Of course, I also get paid like the volunteers, or more accurately speaking, I don’t get paid.

The upside is that I frequenly get to sit in on staff meetings, and have an inside glimpse into the inner operations of the Peace Corps Bulgaria. I also often get to travel around in the PC vehicles (giant SUVs with diplomatic license plates), and last weekend, I got to attend the PST team retreat. The retreat was in a hotel in the middle of nowhere 10 km or so from the Greek border, which to get to we had to travel three hours over bad roads.

Bulgaria seems to have a penchant for placing hotels in the middle of nowhere, miles outside of the nearest town. I don’t think I can blame this on the communists, because Bulgarians genuinely seem to enjoy going to these places. All meals are provided by the hotel, meaning there is no food autonomy, so you're stuck eating mediocre Bulgarian food (also, the staff can be as mean and surly as they want because there is no other option). There are sometimes short trails through the forests and hills, but they generally don’t go very far. To a Bulgarian, sitting at a table on the hotel patio doing nothing but drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes for hours at a time is a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend a few days. It drives me crazy.

The only redeeming thing about these hotels is that they are generally in quite scenic locations. At the one last weekend, there was a small creek running next to the hotel spanned by this rickety old suspension bridge pictured above. The bridge was like something out of an Indiana Jones movie – it appeared on the verge of collapse, and I expected to step through a slat and have to hang on for my life, while being attacked by crazy local tribes shooting arrows and throwing spears. Well, except that the bridge was only 15 feet or so off the ground. I could have jumped off without so much as a scratch. Despite what I’d sometimes like to believe, I guess my life really isn’t very similar to that of Dr. Jones.

9-28-07 The propaganda machine

2007-10-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 28, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Every day this week I have been subjected to a relentless auditory onslaught of traditional patriotic Bulgarian songs. One CD, looping over and over, from when I get to the office to when I go home at night. If I have to hear “My Love, My Bulgaria” one more time, I’ll scream. Imagine listening to “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” or heaven forbid, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” half a dozen times a day. Insanity would come quickly.

During the communist era, the government installed a PA system of large speakers placed around the center of most Bulgarian cities and towns. I have been told that they were generally used for traditional propaganda – songs extolling the virtue of the state and the proletariat, party messages, announcements and the like. They were also supposedly in place as a warning system for, you know, when the Western Capitalist Pigs attacked the Socialist Workers Paradise of Bulgaria.

I noticed the speaker system in Svishtov, but never heard them used, and I assume they were broken. Here in Dupnitsa, for the first two months I was here, the speakers have been used occasionally – on September 6th, Bulgaria’s national holiday, for example, or when the Bulgarian nurses were freed from Libya (see postings from sometime in August). For reasons unknown, they have been blaring music from the speakers all this week. My office sits on the center square of town, directly above one of these speakers. Thank god it’s Friday, and I won’t be in the office the next two days.

For more than two years I’ve been in Bulgaria, and it still frequently feels like the bizarro world. Up is down, in is out, black is white.

9-25-07 One month to go...

2007-10-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 25, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Exactly one month from today, on October 25th, I will formally end my Peace Corps service. This training job ends October 18th, when the trainees are sworn-in as official volunteers, and then have one more week to finish up final reports, take care of PC paperwork, and pack my bags.

It will have been nearly 27 months since my arrival in Bulgaria in August of 2005. On one level, it’s hard to really fathom that my time has nearly concluded…and on another level, I’m good and ready to be finished. It’s been a long two years (two years plus!), and it’s time to move on to the next phase of my life.

I took the picture above during last weekend’s hiking trip, and I think it’s a good metaphor for finishing my service. Ok, so it’s a pretty blatant and obvious metaphor, but still. I like the picture.

9-25-07 Seven Rila Lakes

2007-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 25, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last weekend I co-led a hiking trip for trainees and some current volunteers into the beautiful Rila Mountains, to an area called the Seven Lakes. It was stunningly beautiful, and we had perfect weather – some clouds and fog on Saturday, but that only made for prettier pictures, and Sunday was sunny and cloudless skies. The Seven Lakes are, as you’d assume, a series of shallow high altitude alpine lakes all within a few kilometers of each other, way above the tree line. As on my previous hiking expeditions, we stayed at a “hija,” which is like a big hostel up in the mountains.

The group was large – 50 people, including nearly all the trainees, 10 or so current volunteers, and a few guests and friends. Not exactly the solitary wilderness experiences, but that wasn’t the point of the expedition. Instead, it was a chance for the trainees to experience some of Bulgaria’s natural beauty, to meet a few current PCVs, and to have a relaxing weekend in the mountains. Thankfully, we only had one slightly twisted ankle, and the trainee was able to get down the mountain just fine.

The trip was probably the last time I will get to hike in Bulgaria’s mountains, as my time here is rapidly coming to an end. It was a fitting way to end, as two years ago during my pre-service training I did the exact same hike (it was snowing then!). This time, I led the group. There’s a nice symmetry in that.

I have uploaded lots of pictures from the trip to my flickr account, at www.flickr.com/photos/maxwellwoods

9-25-07 Into the mountains

2007-10-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 25, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last weekend I led a group of 50 people (the trainees and various currently-serving PCVs) on an overnight hike into the local Rila Mountains, to a place called the Seven Lakes.

And yes, that's a BG track-suit jacket I'm wearing. Integration!

9-18-07 Physical scars of communism

2007-10-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 18, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The physical scars of communism are visible across Eastern Europe, Bulgaria being no exception. The most readily apparent are the hulking concrete apartment blocks that litter every town in this country with more than, say, 2,000 people. The blocks that ring the major cities are truly astounding in size, some of the ones in Sofia can rise to 20 stories with more than a dozen vertical rows of apartments - that's 240 individual units, and if four people live in each one, that would mean nearly 1,000 people in a single residential building. The majority of Bulgarians live in these buildings, as do nearly all Peace Corps volunteers (as I did in Svishtov).

In the bigger and more prosperous cities, some blocks closer towards the city center are being renovated into fairly decent looking facilities. A good coat of paint can go a long ways to restoring respectability. The vast majority of the buildings, unfortunately, appear to be on the verge of collapse. The invisible scars of communism (existing in the minds of the people) are slowly being cleaned up, and everyone hopes that within a generation the horrors of the past will be reconciled...but these physical reminders will stand for years to come.

I took this picture on the outskirts of Dupnitsa, and to me, it's the classic dichotomy of the Bulgarian landscape - beautiful mountains juxtaposed against unsightly mounds of concrete, housing thousands of people, and a vacant junk-strewn field in the foreground.

9-14-07 The Pirin Collection

2007-10-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 14, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

American leftists who pass through the liberal arts education system tend to emerge post-college with nagging suspicions about the benefits of globalized capitalism. Ok, so that’s putting it mildly. Plenty of American liberals are staunchly anti-capitalism, anti-globalization, anti-corporation; even those of a more moderate viewpoint seem to at least have sympathies for the anti-everything crowd. And until I joined the Peace Corps, I was certainly in the latter category, and in college, probably in the former (pathetic admission: I voted for Nader in 2000).

But here’s what I’ve learned while living overseas, in a poor, developing country still struggling with the legacy of communism 17 years after its downfall – globalized capitalism is the only economic system that has significantly and irreversibly reduced poverty, period. And I’ve also learned that being pro-capitalism and pro-globalization is in no way mutually exclusive from being socially liberal. What is more Lefty than fighting global poverty, than wanting to bring the benefits that we in the West enjoy to the rest of the world? In my mind, not much. And has been proved over the past century, and especially over the past decade, pro-business, pro-capitalism is the best way to lift people out of poverty, to raise standards of living for all.

On this note, meet my good friend and fellow (well, former, as of last Monday) PCV Greg Kelly from San Francisco. Greg did not take the “typical” path into the Peace Corps – he gave up a job in private equity, where I’m sure he was well on his way to making partner (or VP, or however it works) and the millions in salary and bonuses that accompany it. In the Peace Corps, Greg partnered with an organization called http://www.kiva.org/ to bring micro-loans to the poorest and most disenfranchised people of his community, mainly Roma. With access to capital, Greg’s program has enabled dozens of people to start or expand small businesses, giving them a foothold on the ladder of financial independence and success.

And now, having finished his Peace Corps service, Greg has gone one step further and started his own business: http://www.pirincollection.com/ (The Pirins are a mountain range in SW Bulgaria). This business will export from Bulgaria (mainly to the UK, at this time) locally-made, traditional craftware. He is starting with pottery and blankets, all hand-made by individual Bulgarians from local materials. For now Greg is targeting retailers, not individuals, but if you happen to be reading this and you own or work for a store that sells these sorts of things, get in contact with him.

This is no charity, Greg is running a business. The success of this venture will provide more benefits for local artisans and community members than any USAID or EU handout ever could – it will provide jobs, income, self-reliance, and dignity to talented individuals in remote parts of this country, and will help keep alive craftwork and artisanship that otherwise might be lost in Bulgaria’s difficult times of transition.

So go to http://www.pirincollection.com/ and see a wonderful example of a young American helping bring people out of poverty through capitalism and business. This is globalization at its best. Capitalism, globalization, pro-business - these are not dirty words. These are the ideas and systems that have raised and will continue to raise living standards for millions and millions of people world-wide.

9-12-07 For the Birds

2007-10-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I guess Emil and the BSPB Svishtov were happy and satisfied with the work I did, and with the Peace Corps as an organization, because they reapplied for a new volunteer from the current group of trainees. Meet my replacement, the newest BSPB Svishtov Bird Girl, Beth from Colorado.

As I wrote in the previous post, the counterparts from the Bulgarian host organizations have been in Dupntisa this week to meet their new volunteers – meaning, I got to see and hang out with Emil one more time. It was great to see him, even though it’s only been two months since I left Svishtov. Emil, Beth, and I went out for dinner both nights, and also spent plenty of time during the meetings and sessions of the conference. Beth and Emil seemed to get along great, and I know they’ll be a successful new team in Svishtov.

One of the biggest challenges I face in this job as a trainer is where to draw the line between Peace Corps staff and fellow volunteer – because officially, I am both. I want to share my experiences with the new trainees, and help get them prepared for life and work in Bulgaria, but at the same time have to maintain a certain amount of professional distance from them. They need and deserve the opportunity to discover Peace Corps life and the country of Bulgaria on their own, in their own way, just as I did two years ago.

The last two days, with Beth and Emil, this challenge was even more magnified. I wanted to spend time with my friend Emil, I wanted to share with Beth everything I know about Svishtov and the BSPB – but they need the space to establish their own relationship, independent of me. And part of the fun of being a PCV in a small remote city is the feeling of being an explorer, of figuring things out, of making sense of the local situation.

To coin a seemingly contradictory phrase, “independent continuity” is perhaps the best I can strive for. Sharing enough information with Beth so that she can hit the ground running on ongoing BSPB project work, be informed of my role over the past two years, and learn from my various successes and failures – but not being overbearing, not mapping out every detail of how I did things or how the BSPB operates, in a way, not “spoiling the surprise.” Because life in the Peace Corps, in Bulgaria, with the Birds, is a constant stream of surprises.

9-12-07 A floor map of Bulgaria

2007-10-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last Monday was the most exciting day of Peace Corps training – the day our trainees found out where they will be going for their permanent service, and then met their new counterpart from the hosting organization. They are all now on a three day site visit, meeting their coworkers, wandering around their soon-to-be hometowns, and seeing a bit more of Bulgaria.

The actual site placement event is a lot of fun. Last week we created a map of Bulgaria out of masking tape on the floor of a local high school gym, and then placed markers at the various cities and towns where the volunteers will be living and working. On Monday morning, we gathered in the gym and called the trainee's names one by one, presented them with an information packet on their agency, and asked them to stand on their town. For some people, it can be a bit melancholy as they realize how far they will be from their friends, but for most it is one of the highlights of pre-service training.

On Monday afternoon the volunteers formally met their counterparts, all of whom were required to come to Dupnitsa. Tuesday was the “counterpart conference,” a full day of meetings and sessions to help prepare volunteers and Bulgarians to work together. And then this morning, they packed up their bags, and left for all corners of the country for the short site visit.

I remember my site visit from two years ago well – it rained heavily the entire time, and I mostly spent the days awkwardly sitting in the small BSPB Svishtov office trying to learn just what exactly a Bulgarian bird protection NGO does, and how I could help. Then at night we watched soccer and drank beer – which looking back on it, now seems like some sort of Balkan masculine initiation test – is this young American man enough to sit through hours of mediocre Bulgarian soccer and drink lukewarm tasteless Bulgarian beer? I guess I passed – they let me live and work with them for two years.

Another mountain picture

2007-10-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

It's been cloudy and rainy for the last few days, making for some beautiful photo opportunities off my back balcony. Here's a morning sunrise over the Rila mountains.

9-7-07 The Finish Line

2007-10-20T06:46:00.001-07:00

Originally posted September 7, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

We are officially within the window of time when PCVs from my group can formally finish as volunteers, or in the acronym soup of the Peace Corps, “COS,” which stands for Close of Service. There is a 30 day buffer on the front and back of our finish date – October 10th – but a series of events has pushed the front of that window into this week. September 10th is next Monday, but there is a rule which says we cannot finish on a Monday, so they are allowing volunteers to end this week. However, today and yesterday are Bulgarian holidays, and the PC office is closed – meaning, the first possible COS day was Wednesday of this week. To show how eager we all are to get out of here, four of my best buddies COS’d on that day. Saturday I will be going into Sofia to celebrate with them, and it will be sad to see their departure for various adventures while I’m still in Bulgaria for another six weeks. After two years, six weeks isn’t really much time at all – but after two looong years, six weeks seems like an eternity.

As a result of this new job, I will be one of the very last volunteers from my group to leave Bulgaria, aside from the two who are extending for a third year. I am very much enjoying working as a trainer, helping prepare the new trainees for their service. But I’m tired, tired of living in a difficult country, bored with Bulgaria and its never-changing ways, and a bit homesick for the first time in a while. The thoughts of finishing my service and starting a life back in America is beginning to weigh heavy on my mind (of course, after the grand around-the-world adventure).

A few years ago, I put together a three-year plan for myself that involved getting a Master’s degree, and then serving in the Peace Corps. In six weeks, that three year period will be over, and I find myself without a new 3-5 year plan. I think many of us come into the PC a bit confused about the direction of our lives, hoping for some clarity to come during our time overseas. Invariably, it never does. And after two years, we stand around on the tarmac of the airport and say to ourselves, “Well, that’s done. Now what do we do?”

These are my thoughts on a rainy Friday afternoon in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria.

View out the front

2007-10-20T06:45:00.001-07:00

Originally posted September 7, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Here's a view out my front window, in the new apartment (see previous post). Some places in Bulgaria are quite pretty. Visible between the houses is the golden basilica of the local Orthodox church.

9-7-07 Moving day, again

2007-10-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 7, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

First, a word about the weather. Now it may seem trivial, but in a country where “climate control” means nothing, the temperature actually means a great deal. Ever tried to work in an office when it’s 107 degrees in that office? Not easy to focus when you’re dripping sweat on the keyboard. But yesterday, fall arrived in Bulgaria, and life is MUCH improved. Dark clouds have rolled across the sky, dropping intermittent rain, and I am sleeping under a blanket for the first time since May. It’s wonderfully comfortable. Yes, I grew up in Southern California, where summers are also long and hot, but I still don’t like the heat.

Moving on…

To moving. I have moved apartments again, meaning I am on my fifth different apartment in Bulgaria – the host family in Hissar, two places in Svishtov, and now two places in Dupnitsa. It’s a long story as to why I had to move, but the new place is considerably better than the old one. I’m no longer living next to the train station. I’m also not on the first floor, meaning I can open my windows without fear of the neighbors watching my every move. Plus, as you can see from the picture above, this is my view off the back balcony. Not bad at all.

Cross and the sky

2007-10-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 2, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

In the afternoon at the Boboshevo town festival I took a walk with some friends a little ways outside. Passing through fields of grapes vines and orchards of apple trees, we arrived at a small chapel on a hill overlooking the village and the surrounding valley. This cross was on top of the chapel, and I like the way it's set against the darkening and cloudy sky. There are many little gems in Bulgaria, and one of the wonderful things about being a Peace Corps volunteer is that you have an insider's access and local knowledge to places and things a normal tourist might never see.

9-2-07 The village holiday

2007-10-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 2, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Late summer is the season for festivals in Bulgaria. Just about every city and village has an annual town holiday, and the events vary from local church carnival (like the glorious St Bruno's carnival in Whitter, California, where the Vietnamese nuns make the best egg rolls around), to major week long celebrations of culture and music. Last night I went to the town holiday in the tiny village of Boboshevo, which is one of our "satellite training sites," meaning four of my trainees live and study there. Despite some intermittent rain showers, it was a good time.

The town of Boboshevo has less than 1000 inhabitants, but for the town fair, all the people who were born there but now live in Sofia and the other big cities return - this, as I found out, is a lot of people. The city put on a concert featuring a unique Bulgarian music called "chalga," or pop-folk (which is impossible to explain without hearing it), and the newly renovated town square was packed with people dancing, drinking, and eating cotton candy (yes, just like in the States). After the concert, the young people moved to the local discotheque for more dancing, and that's when the night took a turn for the weird.

As I've tried to convey in many of these blog postings, Bulgaria is a very deceptive country - on the surface, it looks and feels familiar, almost Western. But the deeper I dig, the more I get to the know the people, and after going to the disco at the Boboshevo town festival, I realize that even after two years I don't really understand this country at all. In Bulgaria, drinking and smoking is "legal" if you can see over the bar, and beer, as I've been told many times, is considered a soft drink. Discos and clubs are actually seen as acceptable places for children to go and hang out, to socialize, to drink and to smoke and to dance. The majority of people at the Boboshevo disco couldn't have been over 15, and there were a handful children no more than 8 or 9 years old running around the place. In America, these parents would be arrested for child abuse for exposing these poor kids such an environment and the club owners might even be jailed. Here, totally normal.

And it just got weirder as the night went on. Around midnight, many of the 15 year old boys decided to take off their shirts and dance with each other. This was our signal to leave. Like most of the non-Western world (and sadly, many places in rural America), Bulgaria is a very homophobic country, and out gay people can face severe discrimination and harassment. But apparently it's also a country where young boys can take off their shirts in a sweaty disco and dance all over each other. Totally normal.Like I said, I understand very little about this country.

I took this picture in the afternoon, on a walk around the pretty little town of Boboshevo. Even the goats and the cows are coming into the village for the festival.

9-1-07 Responsibility!

2007-10-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Originally posted September 1, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

It's been one busy week here in the Dupe. I traveled four out of five days - first to visit our trainees in their "satellite sites," then to attend a community meeting we had them organize and facilitate, and yesterday to Sofia for a staff meeting. Toni, my Bulgarian counterpart, was on the road all five days. And of course in between traveling we have to prepare for the rest of the ongoing training events and sessions. I was warned that this job involved a lot of work, and that has turned out to be true.

It's a bit incongruous - Bulgaria (and Europe, really) takes the entire month of August off. Stores and restaurants around town are closed while the owners go on vacation. Many of my cohort of Peace Corps volunteers are getting ready to return home, which seems to mostly involve lying on the Black Sea beaches or hiking in the mountains. But not here, not while working for the Peace Corps - and I don't mind one bit. It's been wonderful to have responsibilities and duties, to have people rely on me to produce a quality product. Not to say that I didn't have responsibilities in Svishtov with the Birds, but if I wasn't there, things would have happened anyway. Here, in this job, I feel like the linchpin of the training program (along with my Bulgarian counterpart, of course). Responsibility: it's a great thing.

8-26-07 A dead body

2007-10-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 26, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I saw a dead body this morning.

I had just finished running, and was walking back down to my apartment. I looked through the fence of this big building pictured above, and laid out on a table of sorts, being attended to by two people, was a dead lady. I was maybe 50 meters away, but still, close enough to know a dead person. The attendants were wrapping the body, and either taking it out of a car or putting it into a car. I didn't wait around to find out which.

This huge building is just up my street, and I am uncertain what it is used for - maybe a convalescent home, or a retirement home, or a hospital of sorts, or a morgue. Maybe all of the above. There is never much activity, not much coming and going, and it's a huge building so it's probably not all being used. Or else it's used only by dead people. They don't come and go very much.

8-26-07 A house in the middle of the street

2007-10-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 26, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The title of a catchy 80s song. Also, what I found right outside my apartment building last Thursday evening coming home from work. This odd corrugated metal house, complete with Bulgarian lace curtains inside the windows, was sitting in the middle of the street. It wasn't there in the morning when I left for work. It was gone the next morning. No idea how it was moved there, where it was going, or if anyone was living in it.

For two years I have lived in this country, and I am still constantly confused and surprised by the things I see.

8-25-07 The heat

2007-10-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 25, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

There is a lot happening now – busy job, planning my around the world trip, thinking about life after the Peace Corps. Yet the only thing I can write about today is how terribly hot it is still in Bulgaria. This has truly been one of the most miserable summers I have ever lived through. The temperatures have been in the 90s F since May, and steadily above 100 F since the middle of June. Again today it was over 106 F.

What is it like when it’s this hot? Move to Phoenix or Palm Springs. Eliminate all air conditioners. Sweat and suffer. Bulgaria is woefully unprepared for these temperatures. Nothing is designed to deal with the heat, because it has never been this hot for this long (though, truthfully nothing here is really designed well, period). Try and sit at a computer and work while literally dripping sweat. Could you work in a sauna? Nope, but that’s just about what it’s like here. I haven’t slept well since April, it seems, because it never cools off. I’m writing this at 10:45 at night, and of course I’m sweating. All my windows are open. There is no breeze.

It’s affecting everybody’s mood. People are even more cranky and unhappy than usual. Life moves at an even slower pace. Construction workers are adapting a “desert” work schedule – starting work early and stopping around noon because it’s just too dangerous to be working outside, but unfortunately, the Peace Corps hasn’t implemented this schedule. Ice cream sales are way up (most of that might be from me personally).

I just saw the weather forecast on the nightly news, and they said it might actually rain tomorrow – and then on Monday or Tuesday, back up near 100 F

8-22-07 Nova pricheska - new haircut

2007-10-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 22, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I knew I should have turned around and walked out of the salon when I saw the haircut being given to the lady occupying the chair. But I didn’t. The lady with the huge Bulgarian-maroon afro was finished, apparently, and the hair cut woman whisked me into the awaiting chair. And look at me now. I have no hair. Here’s how it happened.

I’ve been here more than two years now, and getting a haircut is still one of the most challenging tasks I have to undertake. Back in Svishtov, it took me at least half a dozen trips to my lady Nina before she finally understood what I wanted – and actually gave it to me. Nina was awesome, even if her haircuts weren’t. And now in Dupnitsa, I have to start all over. Yesterday I trudged around town in the 100 degree heat looking for a place to get a cut. The first place was closed for the day. The second had the lady with the BG afro.

The hair cutting lady sat me down, tied on that plastic cape that is supposed to protect your clothes from hair, and fired up the clippers. And away she went, cutting out a huge chunk halfway up the side of my head. “Like that?” she asked. My hair was already on the floor before I could squeeze out in my broken Bulgarian “um, just a little bit shorter, please,” but it was way too late. She repeated it back to me, “ah, a little bit shorter,” but it was more as if to mock me, not to honor my request. This lady was giving me a buzz, and that was that. It was over in three minutes. It’s not even a good buzz cut, there are little clumps of long hair across my head and she didn’t even bother to square off the neck.

“Now you’ll be cool in this summer heat,” she told me when finished, smiling at her work. Yes, I meekly replied, I guess I will. “All the Bulgarian women will want the good looking American boy,” said one of the ladies sitting in the waiting area. “Sure they will,” I pitifully laughed. “You look like you have a defect,” said the other lady in the waiting area, “that’s the haircut we give to my grandpa.” My, aren’t Bulgarian’s blunt, I thought. I didn’t ask the obvious question, does your grandpa have a defect?

The hair cut lady told me to have a nice day, and I felt like she meant it. She seemed happy with the results. I paid her five leva, which is way too much, and wished I had brought a hat. At least I won’t have to worry about my hair for a few months.

8-21-07 Google it

2007-10-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

Originally posted August 21, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Just to see what I would find, today I googled "peace corps bulgaria blogs." And surprisingly, this blog appears on the first page, just seven down the list. If you try "peace corps blogs bulgaria," even more surprising, this blog comes up number three, on the first half of the first page. To see where this led me, I then tried just "peace corps blog," leaving out Bulgaria. I'm not on the first page, but page five. Still, considering that there are over two million google results, number 47 on the list seems pretty high. I don't understand google's algorithm for ranking search results, people must actually be reading what I write. Though, oddly, the link doesn't go directly to the front page, but takes you to a blog posting from a few weeks back.

Now that I know people are reading, I had better be sure to spell check carefully, and to keep listening to that "Grammar Girl" podcast for helpful writing tips. Of course, I also have my own personal Grammar Girl and editor - my mother.

8-19-07 These years have not flown by

2007-10-20T06:20:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 19, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

An important anniversary passed this last Wednesday – my two year mark in Bulgaria and the Peace Corps. It was on August 15, 2005 that I landed at landed at Sofia airport, along with 49 other volunteers. I tend to tell most people that the Peace Corps is a two-year commitment, but the reality is that it is 25-27 months. And believe me, these last few months aren’t easy. Yes, I certainly enjoy my new job as a trainer for the incoming volunteers, but two years is a looong time to live in Bulgaria.

There are times in life when the clichés of “times flies,” and “where does the time go,” and “it seemed like yesterday…” hold true. The Peace Corps, and Bulgaria, have not been these times. It really feels like two full, long, difficult years. Rewarding and satisfying, certainly, but not easy, and the time hasn’t “just zipped by.” Life in Bulgaria can be grindingly slow, and deathly boring – I think the locals spend so much time sitting in cafes drinking mediocre coffee and chain smoking cigarettes because they’re just trying to move the hours along.

Some volunteers have adapted to the slow lifestyle quite well, but I’m not one of them – and that’s ok with me. I don’t like lingering in a café forever, can’t stand the five hour dinner, am tired of the two hour lunch break, I don’t have an entire evening to just visit with neighbors, and you can’t take the ENTIRE month of August off work, because dammit, there are things to be done. Is this an “American” attitude? Absolutely, but it’s that attitude, spirit, and work-ethic that has made America wealthy and successful. And while it might sometimes be derided by Europeans who think we work too much and relax too little, no one moves to Bulgaria for the lifestyle (well, hardly anyone moves to Bulgaria, period).

The picture above was taken out of my new office window. The office I spend long hours in, working. Nice view, eh.

8-13-07 Featured in a magazine, again

2007-10-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 13, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

In early July I had to stay overnight in Sofia, which means I slept at my favorite hostel in the world – Be My Guest Hostel. I’ve stayed in a lot of hostels over the years, across many countries, and no place beats Be My Guest. It’s clean, funky, quiet, peaceful, and has great interior design. It’s like if Ikea had a hostel. Plus the owner is a great guy, and older gentleman who speaks little English, but fluent Spanish (a result of being stationed in Cuba during Communism). Joro is always happy and smiling, and often has a bottle of home-made rakia (Bulgarian moonshine) ready for the offering. I gladly oblige, because you can always get a good story from Joro over a glass of rakia.

Last time I stayed at the hostel, I was sitting in the kitchen having coffee with Joro on Saturday morning, and in came a journalist from one of the weekly “scene” magazines, Edna Sedmitsa vuv Sofia, or “One Week in Sofia.” In addition to listing the weekly events and happenings around the capital city, they profile a foreigner who I guess is staying at Be My Guest. It was just my lucky timing that I was the only foreigner around, so I got to be featured in the magazine.

The article is fairly straightforward – it talks about what I’m doing in Bulgaria (Peace Corps), what I like and don’t like about the country (like: the nature, the tomatoes; don’t like: the cigarette smoking), and my post-Peace Corps travel plans (heading east!). The author also complimented me on my Bulgarian, even though we conducted most of the interview in English, and I had to look up in the dictionary a lot of the Bulgarian words I supposedly said.

If you recall a month or so ago, I was also pictured in the “Sofia Clubbing” magazine with my friend Jess. I’m just racking up the publicity lately.

The headline of the article says “Max from Los Angeles.”

8-13-07 The Foreign Hordes!

2007-10-20T06:16:00.001-07:00

Originally posted August 13, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The big headline in today’s edition of Bulgaria’s most popular nationwide newspaper screamed “Foreigners Colonizing Bulgaria: Japanese in Shipka [a village in central BG], Romanians in Batak [a village in southwest BG].” The article went on to say that there were THREE Japanese families now living in Shipka. Gee, Bulgaria, the invasion is on. Watch out for the six retired Japanese people living in a small village in the middle of the nowhere. The article also included a large map of the country detailing exactly where the foreigners are living – the Scottish are moving to Veliko Turnovo! The Israelis to Vidin! The Russians to Svishtov (I never knew any up there)! The British all along the Black Sea! Bulgaria is not exactly a country that celebrates diversity.

From what I’ve been able to piece together, Bulgaria has always had a strong aversion to outsiders. Despite being in the European Union, being a free country for 17 years, and for centuries being a natural crossroads between the near-East and Western Europe, Bulgarians seem to maintain a deep suspicion of all things foreign. It’s hard to stereotype an entire nation, but "open-mindedness" isn't generally an adjective I use here.

As Peace Corps volunteers, we are taught from day one (and now, I’m teaching the new trainees), personal relationships are very very important here. Before you can do work with a Bulgaria, they have to know you and trust you as a person. Maybe this is why capitalism still struggles here, and why there are no successful international Bulgarian companies. Capitalism is based on the trust of systems, trust of institutions, trust of contracts – Bulgarians trust none of these things. It is also why we PCVs have a unique angle into the country – we speak the language, we live in the ugly concrete block apartment buildings, and we earn roughly the same amount of money (which is to say, almost nothing). This “in” gives us the space within which we can work.

Sadly, this mistrust, this closed-mindedness not only makes it generally maddening to live here, but it also is very successful at driving away all the young, talented, and ambitious youth who don’t share the same beliefs, who want to live in a tolerant and accepting society where hard work, creativity, and intelligence are rewarded, not feared. When I tried to discuss the “Foreigners Colonizing Bulgaria” article with some of my extremely bright, sophisticated, foreign-educated Bulgarian friends, they only replied “good, maybe they will take better care of the country than we have.”

To borrow from John Edwards, these are the two Bulgaria’s – one that is young, talented, and can’t wait to get out of the country, and one that is so nationalistic and fearful that they’re afraid of three Japanese families who love the country so much they have purchased homes and are living here full-time.

The joys of shopping in a foreign land

2007-10-20T06:14:00.001-07:00

Originally posted August 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I've written extensively about food on this blog over the past two years, and here is yet another one. Part of the fun of living abroad is shopping for food - because of both the interesting and unusual products available, and the odd translations on the packaging. "Teenage soup" is really alphabet soup, though the Bulgarian name in the upper right corner of the bag says "children's soup."

8-12-07 Orientation Week

2007-10-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I’m back now in Dupnitsa after spending three days last week in a sequestered mountain hotel with the new group of volunteers. The group has survived their first hectic and overwhelming initial orientation week, and on Friday they were matched up with their host families, where they will live for the next 11 weeks of PST (Pre-Service Training). So far, so good, it seems to me. The group is typical of what I’ve come to expect from Peace Corps volunteers – bright, ambitious, adventurous, friendly, thoughtful, overachieving, and dedicated to the Peace Corps values.

For me, it was a little like being on a stage – along with my colleague and co-trainer Anna, the two of us were the only currently-serving volunteers at the orientation. As expected, we were the “face” of Peace Corps Bulgaria, and were constantly answering questions from the new trainees. Additionally, I had to of course fulfill my work responsibilities – mainly, to introduce the technical training program (in conjunction with my counterpart, Toni), and to help conduct individual interviews with all the trainees in the COD group (Community and Organizational Development, my program).

I’m in a very interesting position now – I’m both a volunteer, and a PC staff member. I’m very much expected to contribute to higher-level decisions, such as placing volunteers in host families and eventually in their permanent job sites. My counterpart Toni and I have a free hand in designing and implementing the technical training program, with only minimal supervision and input from Sofia headquarters. Now, if only they would pay me like a real staff member.

8-6-07 The new group

2007-10-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

Originally posted August 6, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This afternoon the new group of Peace Corps Bulgaria volunteers landed in Sofia, where they were met at the airport by a bus and immediately whisked away to a secluded mountain hotel about 40 minutes from the training center here in Dupnitsa. Tomorrow morning at 8 we on the training team will go up to meet them, and we will be staying the rest of the week. The first week in the Peace Corps is without a doubt the most intense 5 day period I have experience in my service. As I wrote, volunteers are taken immediately from the airport to an isolated hotel deep in the mountains, it's not even in a town, there is literally just the hotel in the middle of the forest. Tomorrow morning at 9 am they start with meetings and sessions which last until 6 or 7 at night. Even the breaks aren't free - trainees have to sit through one-on-one meetings with program staff (me, actually) and also with medical for various shots and vaccinations. Like I said, it's an intense week.

I'm expecting it will be intense for me and the other trainers/staff, too. We are going to be putting in 14 hour days the next three days, conducting and facilitating all those meetings, sessions, and interviews. I'm excited to finally get to meet the trainees - for the past two weeks we've been busy planning and preparing for the training, and now we finally get to put our work into practice. My Bulgarian counterpart Toni and I only have to lead one hour and a half session on Wednesday afternoon, but it's taken us a few days to get ready. Time to get to work.

More importantly, I've spent the last two days devouring the new Harry Potter book. I just finished, which is why I finally have time to blog. It's been pouring rain since Saturday, giving me a good excuse to stay in a read (except for that pesky having-to-go-to- work thing). Anyway, HP7 is an awesome story, get it and read it. In fact, get all the books and read them again. There is no shame in being a 27 year old guy and being totally into HP. They're great books.

The picture is a church here in Dupnitsa. I needed to add a picture to this posting, and it's a pretty one.

8-1-07 Food in the EU

2007-10-20T05:56:00.001-07:00

Originally posted August 1, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The EU is a strange beast. One of the strangest provisions of becoming a member country is that Bulgarians are now required to eat only European food. As you can see from this package of cookies, all food items must be clearly labeled as such. It's quite unusual, really.

7-31-07 I have friends

2007-10-20T05:51:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 31, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

And here in Dupnitsa, a quick hour away from Sofia, and in the jumping-off point to two of Bulgaria's most beautiful mountain ranges, these friends come and visit. In Svishtov, in the nearly two years I lived there, I had exactly one friend from my group of PCVs visit me. Now, I'd like to think it's not because people dislike me that they never made it to Svishtov, but because Svishtov is one of the most remote and inaccessible cities in this country. It is not on the way to anywhere. There are no major roads that pass through, or even near the city - and the only roads that do lead up to the little Danube hamlet are some of the worst in Bulgaria, hardly more than pot-holed goat paths. Aside from my former sitemate Mike, there was only one other PCV who was less than an hour and a half bus ride away. There is also no tourism-related reason to visit Svishtov. There are no mountains to hike in, no can't-miss cultural or historical monuments, and no festivals or celebrations. Don't get me wrong, it was a great place to be a PCV, but there's just no compelling reason to go there.

Dupnitsa, and southwest Bulgaria, are considerably different. I feel like there is a much higher population density, despite the mountains. The cities, towns, and villages are much closer together. Plus, Sofia is only an hour away by creaky bus, less than that by car, and the capital city has about 20% of the total population of Bulgaria. The Rila and the Pirin mountain ranges are within spitting distance of this town, and like I wrote about in the previous posting, the most famous icon of Bulgaria, the Rila Monastery, is a short distance away. People also pass through Dupnitsa on their way to the main wine regions of Bulgaria, in the far southwest corner, and to the Greek border, as we're on the main highway.

Last weekend, two buddies from my group came through town. Friend Carey was in Sofia finishing up some "COS" activities (read: paperwork), and just cruised down to visit (we went to the Rila Monastery together, along with my co-trainer and PCV Anna). Friend Matt passed through Dupnitsa on his way into the mountains for a multi-day hiking trip, using my apartment as a base. Location, as they say, is everything.

In the picture above, Carey and Matt are sitting on the beautiful balcony of Anna's apartment. They don't look terribly happy in the picture - maybe that's because they're eating the dinner I made. While I live in a cave down by the train station, Anna hit the jackpot and has a beautiful set up. I'm quite jealous, but I understand. The Peace Corps does not let females live in first-floor apartments.

The face of God

2007-10-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 29, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I knew it, it really is an old white guy with a big beard.

This is painted on the ceiling of the covering that surrounds the church entrance at Rila Monastery.

7-29-07 Bulgaria's first hermit and his monastery

2007-10-20T05:49:00.001-07:00

Originally posted July 29, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

In 901 AD, at the age of 25, Saint Ivan Rilski decided to give up the life of a sheep herder and become a hermit, living in caves and in the forest. Bulgaria’s first hermit, in fact, as I learned yesterday during my trip up to the monastery that now bears his name, Rila Monastery. While it sounds pretty funny to refer to someone as Bulgaria’s first hermit, St. Ivan has become one of the most important figures in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and his eponymous monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site and perhaps Bulgaria’s most famous cultural and historical landmark. It is pictured on nearly every tourism poster, brochure, and guidebook to this country.

And yet, it took me two years to finally get myself up there. Well, it’s not an easy feat – exemplifying why tourism in Bulgaria is still in its very nascent stage, trying to get to the monastery without a car involves multiple horrifically hot and uncomfortable bus rides, which ultimately leave you with less than two hours to explore the site before having to catch the last bus out of the mountains at 3:00 in the afternoon. And people here wonder why more tourists don’t come to Bulgaria. Because Bulgaria isn’t ready for tourists.

But I digress. The monastery was incredible, it definitely lived up to my expectations. The compound consists of a square fort-like building, which contains the living quarters of the real-live monks who still live and pray there. Inside the fort is the church, which is painted with beautiful and moderately frightening cartoon-ish scenes of heaven and hell. Inside, the church is covered with icons and more frescoes, though without the grisly scenes of hell. I find most all Orthodox churches to be dark and dreary places where the weight of God is meant to intimidate and frighten – and this was no exception. The Orthodox God is a vengeful and angry God, I think. Still, the artwork was beautiful, and the architecture fantastic.

7-26-07 Freedom for the nurses!

2007-10-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 26, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Tuesday was the perhaps the second-most important day in recent Bulgarian history, and that’s not exaggeration. And in the minds of many people, it was maybe even the most important. Ascension to the European Union last January 1 must surely be a the most momentous single day, but on Tuesday a group of five Bulgarian nurses (and a Palestinian doctor) were set free from death row in the monomaniacal desert dictatorship of Libya.

I’ve blogged about this before, but it’s hard to understate what this case has meant to the Bulgarian people and nation. Eight and a half years ago, the five nurses who were living and working in Libya, were falsely accused of infecting nearly 500 children with HIV. The children were infected shortly before the nurses arrived as guest workers, due to unhygienic and unsanitary practices at the hospital, but that closed dictatorship of a country they needed a scapegoat. The Bulgarians and the Palestinian doctor were a terribly sad case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kangaroo court after kangaroo court repeatedly convicted the women and Palestinian man, and “confessions” were extracted by torture. For more than eight years these people who went to work and help the Libyans were beaten, tortured, and jailed.

And then, in recent weeks, the situation rapidly changed. A lot of the credit for their release has been given to the new French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, and his wife Cecilia, who personally led negotiations for the Bulgarians’ freedom over the past few weeks. An agreement of sorts was finally agreed upon, including the invocation of a provision in Islamic law that allows for “blood money” to be paid to a victim’s family in exchange for freedom. In this case the families of the infected children dropped their push for the death penalty, each family received $1 million USD, and the nurses’ sentence was commuted to life in prison. Under a long-standing agreement between Libya and Bulgaria, citizens who are convicted while abroad are allowed to serve out their prison terms in their home country. So, the nurses were immediately transferred to Bulgaria, whereupon they were immediately pardoned by the Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov. They flew from Libya to Sofia aboard the plane of the French President (their Air Force One, I suppose).

And so after almost nine years in prison for a crime they didn’t commit, the women have arrived home. Everyone in Bulgaria who couldn’t get to the Sofia airport to welcome them home gathered around their TVs to watch the arrival, including all of us here in Dupnitsa. The city turned on their public address system, broadcasting the arrival on radio for all to hear (the public radio system is a holdover from communist times – gotta spread the propaganda, and of course be prepared should the Americans ever attack. I’ve never heard it used before Tuesday). Flags were waving, people were dancing, and Bulgaria’s most pressing international saga has come to a happy conclusion.

Incidentally, the Palestinian doctor was given Bulgarian citizenship to facilitate the transfer and the pardon. I am unsure if he will remain here, or return to Palestine.

This story was on the front page of all major news outlets that I looked at, including the New York Times and the BBC. It’s a rare occurrence when Bulgaria makes the headlines. For more information on the story, you’ll get a million hits if you google “Bulgarian nurses in Libya.”

I stole the above picture from the New York Times, it is the nurses upon their arrival in Sofia.

7-24-07 Yeah, I live down by the train station

2007-10-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 24, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Well, yesterday was my first day at the new job, and I’ve been in Dupnitsa now for four full days. Time for some description of my new life.

The job is going to be quite hectic and busy, as I expected. I am responsible for a good portion of the training program and deliverables, perhaps more so than I initially thought – though, I am not alone. I have a co-trainer, Toni, a very qualified and competent Bulgarian woman who was educated in the US and speaks better English than I do, grammatically speaking. Yet together, we are removed from the Sofia headquarters, and it seems that my bosses in the program are taking a more hands-off approach and letting Toni and I take charge. We are certainly up for it, and I have no doubt that we will produce a quality training program, but it will take much work and long hours. Quite a big shift from life at the BSPB in Svishtov, with the two hour lunch/coffee breaks and the minimal responsibility. The new trainees arrive August 6th, in less than two weeks. We have much to do by then.

My new living situation, well, there’s no view of the Danube river and Romania. The optimist would say that if I ever had to travel anywhere, I am right next to the train station. Not near the station, adjacent to the station. The picture above was taken out my back window. The apartment is also on the first floor, meaning everyone walking by outside can just take a peek through my windows and see what I’m doing – and if I close the window shades, it’s like living in a dark cave. The walls are covered in this strange wood paneling material (not unusual in Bulgaria), and it gives it the feel of a 1970s low-rent ski lodge without the coziness factor. It’s not a terrible apartment – brand new washing machine and stove, a very good shower, it’s quite clean, and the landlady is the sweetest old woman (she may be 5 feet tall, but I don’t think so). But the trains roll by all day long, including the daily 4:30 AM express, and I hope to move out of here within a week or so.

The town of Dupnitsa is a fine place, most of its charm comes from the surrounding mountains and the pleasant central walking area. It’s perhaps not quite as nice as Svishtov, a bit dirtier and run-down, but there are fewer giant concrete block apartments, which is wonderful. It is about the same size as Svishtov, 40,000 or so, but there is no university so the population is stable year-round, and older. Dupnitsa is a typical Bulgarian town in that its population has decreased by about 20,000 in the post-communist years. I know it’s anecdotal, but I feel like I’ve already met more people who have sons, daughters, and other relatives abroad than I did in Svishtov.

So this is my new life, here in Southwest Bulgaria. I hope to have enough free time on the weekends to explore my new surroundings, to get up into the mountains, and to travel to some of the monasteries and wineries of this region. But right now, it’s time to go to work.

7-21-07 Moving Day

2007-10-20T05:42:00.001-07:00

Originally posted July 21, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

And so it goes. I am no longer a resident of Svishtov, Bulgaria, the pearl-of-the-Danube. I am also no longer an employee of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. As of last Thursday, I now live in the southwestern city of Dupnitsa ("Dupe-neat-sa") and work for the Peace Corps. As I’ve explained in previous postings, I’ll be a trainer for the upcoming pre-service training (PST) program for the incoming group of volunteers. The group arrives Monday August 6, and the next two weeks will be very busy for me and all the PC training staff as we prepare for their arrival.

It’s been a strange week. I was originally supposed to move from Svishtov on Friday, but on Monday the PC informed me that if I wanted a chauffeured car (uh, yeah I do) I would have to move on Thursday. The last few days in Svishtov were as hectic and stressful as could be. I had to finish as much of my work with the BSPB as possible, pack and clean my apartment, and say goodbye to everyone I could. My final night, last Wednesday, I was able to round up most of my good friends for one last going-away beer. Even though I’m still in Bulgaria, Svishtov is a good 5+ hours away from my new home and I doubt if I’ll have the time to go back and visit. It was of course sad to say my goodbyes, but I’m ready to get on with my life and undertake the next challenge.

On Thursday, the big move, I had a little taste of the good life. The Peace Corps has a fleet of luxury Toyota Land Cruisers, and the sent one up to move me. The driver carried my bags down the six flights of stairs while I finished up cleaning the apartment, and then we cruised in style and air conditioned comfort across the north Bulgarian plains, through the central mountains, navigated Sofia traffic, and arrived in Dupnitsa in late afternoon.

So begins my final leg of Peace Corps service. I will be working here until the end of October, trying to help prepare the new volunteers to live and work in Bulgaria. I expect it to be a challenging, exciting, and rewarding experience. Time to get to work.

The picture above is Svishtov's main street.

The stylings of the Soviets

2007-10-20T05:40:00.001-07:00

Originally posted July 16, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

On my recent walks around town I've taken lots of pictures, and now the two I'm sharing having really nothing to do with Svishtov specifically. But I like these two the best, so here they are.

This is directly in front of my block apartment building. "Dueling Ladas." The Lada being the automobile built by Soviet Russian, and quite possibly the worst "car" ever created - yes, worse than the Yugo (a side note, despite being next to the former Yugoslavia, there are no Yugos in Bulgaria. Not sure why). The Soviet Union, amazingly and astoundingly, had the engineering might to put a satellite into space before us - yet, the only car they could come up with was the Lada. You couldn't get a Lada above 50 mph if you drove it off a cliff. And those models you see in that picture - they're not from the 1950s or 60s. Nope, these finely styled machines are from the mid-80s. And here in Bulgaria, I bet you could buy the pair of these red beasts for about $100.

7-16-07 The final lap

2007-10-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 16, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Thursday morning the Peace Corps is sending a car up to Svishtov, I will load up my bags, and be departing from my little home on the Danube river. It's an emotional, and extremely busy week for me. I have to pack, clean up the apartment, finish as much work as possible with the BSPB, say all my goodbyes, and I already have work and new responsibilities for my next job as the trainer for the new group of volunteers. This public blog isn't a personal journal, so I'll skimp on the details about my thoughts and feelings, but it's been quite the roller coaster of emotion the last few days. As you'd expect - I'm very excited to start the new job and to explore a new part of Bulgaria, but it's difficult to leave my Svishtov friends and the familiar and comfortable life I've developed here over the past two years.

I was walking around town the other day taking lots of pictures, and came across this old campaign poster for elections that were held a few months back. It says "Vizh Napred," which means "look forward" or "look ahead." I think that's a good motto for this country, and for me right now.

7-16-07 EU Confusion

2007-10-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 16, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods
I just had to share this: am currently going through my old papers and documents, getting ready for my move out of Svishtov, and came across a booklet I had picked up somewhere called "How the European Union Works." Flipped it open, and got to a page on the "three councils." In ultimate EU confusion, here's what it says:

1. The European Council: This means the heads of state and government of all EU countries.
2. The Council of the European Union: This institution consists of government ministers from all the EU countries.
3. The Council of Europe: This is not an EU institution at all.

And people wonder why Bulgarians aren't excited by the EU - maybe because no one can understand it or what it does!

7-14-07 COS conference, and time to move on

2007-10-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 14, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

After the wedding and the Bucharest swing (previous postings), I next had to attend my “Close of Service” (COS) conference, which was held at a spa resort hotel in the foothills of the mountains outside of Sofia. “Spa resort hotel” sounds a lot more luxurious than it really was – it was basically an average hotel with a very nice pool, and they also offered various massages and “treatments” of which I did not partake. But the swimming was great.

Various training events and conferences have been held throughout my two years of PC service, bringing together all the volunteers from my group. The COS conference was the final time we will all be together, and for most of us, the final time we will see each other in Bulgaria. We had three days of meetings, most of which consisted of figuring out the details behind leaving the Peace Corps (more paperwork than it took to get in, it seems), preparing for reentry into American life, providing feedback to the PC staff on their work in supporting us, and hammering out the logistics of our final few months (or weeks in some cases). There was of course plenty of time for lounging by the pool and for sitting around in the evenings talking with friends about our future plans.

As expected, the COS conference was bittersweet for me. The Peace Corps, my fellow PCVs, and Bulgaria have been my life for the past two years, and now it’s rapidly coming to a close. Yet at the same time, I’m certainly ready to move on to my next challenge. Some people claim that it has all gone by so quickly, but I tend to disagree – it’s been a long two years, a long two years of my life given to Bulgaria, and the people (and birds) of this strange and beautiful little country.

But for me, it’s not yet time for reflection. This upcoming Friday (six days!), I will be moving from Svishtov to start my new job as a trainer for the next group of incoming volunteers. In this short week I have a million things to do; packing up and cleaning, finishing my work at the BSPB, and saying my goodbyes. Time to get to work.

The picture above was taken at our final dinner, a formal ceremony honoring our service. Don't we all look so nice and happy? The smiles are big when you are almost finished!

Good times at the wedding

2007-10-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 14, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I took this classic picture of life in Bulgaria at the wedding. These women just happened to all be holding their cigarettes in the exact same fashion at the same time. The number one thing that I will not miss about Bulgaria is the cigarette culture and acceptance.

7-14-07 A Bulgarian Wedding

2007-10-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 14, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The second of these three blogs from the past 10 days is about my first Bulgarian wedding. After Bucharest (previous posting), Jess and I went directly to her town of Stara Zagora, a major city in south-central Bulgaria. The wedding was for Jess’s counterpart, a fellow English teacher named Borislav and his wife Neli (who also used to be an English teacher). They are extremely nice people, and it was a fun and interesting event for me. Overall, Bulgarian weddings, at least in larger cities (I can’t speak of village weddings, which might be fairly different and more traditional), are pretty similar to American weddings.

The biggest difference between Bulgarian and American weddings is that people can only be officially wed by the city government – not a church. So the day-long event began at 10 am at the Stara Zagoria municipal wedding office (this office really exists in every single city and village in Bulgaria). Some official woman from the city said a few words, and then the bride, groom, best man, and maid of honor all had to sign some a few documents. After 20 minutes, the couple was technically wed.

After the signing ceremony, the wedding party walked down the street to a nice old Orthodox church, were a more traditional church service was held. It was interesting to observe the simultaneous formality of the priest and the actual ceremony, and the informality of the guests. Orthodox churches in Bulgaria do not have seats or pews, so during the service everyone was just standing around wherever there was room. They had a few folding chairs for the elderly guests. Kids were running around in the back of the church, and uninvited people seemed to just walk in and watch a few minutes of the ceremony before turning around and leaving. And apparently it’s not required to dress nicely for a wedding here – many people were in jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts. My tie and slacks were totally unnecessary; only one other man wore a tie. But the Orthodox priest in heavy dark robes went through a 45 minute ceremony, complete with chanting, the bible, wine and the Eucharist (here, it’s an actual chunk of bread, not a weird cellophane disk like in the Catholic Church), and interestingly, crowns. What an odd mix.

After the church service, the reception party started. From noon until 6pm, I ate, drank, and danced with a bunch of teachers. Good times had by all. We were cleared out of the reception hall at 6 to make room for another party, and the younger guests headed out on the town for more eating, drinking, and dancing. By midnight we were so exhausted that we went to bed, a full 14 hours after the beginning of the wedding. Quite an event.

In the picture above you can see the bride and groom wearing their crowns, the best man in his short-sleeve shirt, and the priest swinging an incense thingy.

7-14-07 Boo on Bucharest

2007-10-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 14, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I’m just back from nine days on the road, and there is much to blog about. I’ve traveled to Romania (finally), attended my first Bulgarian wedding, had my Peace Corps “Close of Service” conference (hard to believe), and now I have less than one week left in Svishtov before I move to the southwestern city of Dupnitsa to start my new job as a technical trainer for the new group of volunteers. First, Romania.

For the last 20 months I’ve been staring across the Danube River at Romania, and yet before last week I had never gone across. Also, the capital Bucharest is very close to here, only a little more than three hours by bus – closer than Sofia, actually. Romania has never been a terribly exciting country to me, probably because I envision it to be so much like Bulgaria – surprisingly poor, agrarian, ex-communist, with beautiful mountains and an undeveloped rural countryside where life has changed little over the millennia. I have chosen to spend my vacation days and dollars elsewhere. So finally, with some prodding from my friend Jess, the two of us took two days and went to Bucharest.

It was two days too many.

Bucharest is definitely one of my least favorite cities. It has little charm or character, and very few redeeming qualities of any kind. There are very few tourist sites, it is not walk-able, and there is no real city center. It is surprisingly expensive, and poor value-for-money. Jess and I were so bored and fed up with Bucharest that on our second day we went to see a movie instead of spending more time in the city. It was well over 100 degrees F (40 C), dirty, dusty, and we saw a sad number of homeless street kids huffing gas or sniffing glue (something you rarely see in Bulgaria).

I am sure that for those who live there, there are plenty of hidden gems that improve life. And to be fair, we had very good food at a few hip restaurants. My first impressions of Sofia were not positive either, a city I’ve now come around to liking. But at least Sofia is surrounded by mountains – Bucharest is in the middle of the completely flat Walachia plain. The only thing worth seeing in Bucharest is the “Palace of the People,” the second largest building in the world (honestly, only the Pentagon is bigger). Originally started as a pet project of the notorious communist-era dictator Ceausescu, it now houses the Romanian national parliament.

The single positive thing about the two days was the friendliness and helpfulness of the people. Everybody we met was very eager and enthusiastic to help us – a young man went completely out of his way to lead us to a hard to find bus stop, a hotel receptionist where we were not even staying made a phone call and got out her map to help us get directions to our hostel. And most people seemed to speak quite good English, which is generally not the case in Sofia.

The rest of Romania is supposed to be beautiful – the Carpathian mountains, Transylvania region, the Danube River delta (the river heads north before emptying into the Black Sea, forming the border between Romania and Ukraine, not Romania and Bulgaria), and a handful of cities in the northern part of the country are said to be highlights. I may go some day, but I’ll never return to Bucharest if I can help it.

The picture above is me in front of the gargantuan "Palace of the People," the current Romanian parliament, and all-around monstrosity of a building.

Sunrise on July 1

2007-10-20T05:27:00.001-07:00

Originally posted July 3, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I made it, here's the sunrise on July 1. Ok, so I cheated and took a little nap from 3 to 5 am, but still.

By the campfire

2007-10-20T05:26:00.001-07:00

Originally posted July 3, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Here I am at the July Morning party, waiting for the sun to rise so I can go to bed.

7-3-07 There I was, on a July morning

2007-10-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 3, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last Saturday was the last day in June – and here in Bulgaria, that means it was time for the annual “July Morning” party. Across the country people stayed up all night to greet the sunrise on July 1, partying, drinking, dancing, and generally having a good time. The tradition is said to date from pagan times, before Christianity, when tribal people in this region worshiped the mid-summer sun. Alternatively, other people say that it dates from the 1970s, as a rebellion against communism. Either way, it’s become an excuse to party it up – like Bulgarians ever need an excuse to party.

Here in Svishtov some friends of mine organized a party down on the banks of the Danube (perhaps ironically, at the exact same place where three days before the Bulgarian President came to visit). They had a surprisingly good turnout, the bonfire was fun, the music was way too loud, and the beer and rakia (Bulgarian moonshine) flowed. I’ll admit, I snuck away for a little nap between 3 and 5 am in the backseat of our organization’s car, but woke in time to watch the sunrise. It was an interesting event, but the definite highlight was the beauty of the sunset and the sunrise over the Danube River.

To me, the strangest part of the entire thing is that Bulgarians call it “July Morning” in English, not in Bulgarian. No one I asked had a good answer why this is; some said because it’s an international event (though as far as I could learn from Google, it’s not); others said it’s in reference to the awful 1970s hard rock song of the same name. Ultimately, the best answer was the one that is used for so many questions I have about this country: “Because this is Bulgaria.” I’ve come to accept this as adequate. This is Bulgaria.

The picture above is the sunset on June 30. That's a factory in Romania, across the Danube.

The concert in the park

2007-10-20T05:23:00.001-07:00

Originally posted July 1, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The concert in the park in celebration of Svishtov's 130th anniversary as a free city. That giant concrete phallic statute is of course a monument to dead soldiers, as are pretty much all Bulgarian monuments.

7-1-07 Another day, another presidential meeting

2007-10-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

Originally posted July 1, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Another day, another meeting with another president. This is starting to become a bit “Forest Gump-esque.” This time, I got to meet the president of Bulgaria, Georgi Purvanov, here in Svishtov. The occasion was the 130th anniversary of Svishtov’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire by the Russian-led forces. One of Svishtov’s claim to fame is that it was the first free city in Bulgaria – it was here on June 27th, 1877 that the Russian army crossed the Danube in the war against the Ottoman Empire. The war would last nearly another year and lead to thousands of deaths on both sides, but eventually Bulgaria, with considerable help from Russia, won her freedom.

To celebrate, the city held an impressively well organized event. In addition to President Purvanov’s appearance, and the usual pomp and circumstance that seems to accompany any Bulgarian celebration (slightly creepy Orthodox rituals, Bulgarian army drills, 30 minute procession of laying flowers at the big concrete monument to the liberators, etc), there was a very good concert by the national philharmonic orchestra, followed by a fireworks show. It seemed like the entire city of Svishtov showed up for the event, which was held in a park along the river a few kilometers outside of town. I imagine the city spent the entire municipal budget on the evening, but it’s not every day the president comes to town. Plus, it’s an election year.

The thing that stuck in my mind most, though, was the contrast in security between President Bush’s recent visit to Bulgaria, and President Purvanov’s trip to Svishtov. For Bush, literally the entire city center of Sofia was shut off to pedestrians and cars. When I met him, I had to pass through multiple security checks, and wasn’t allowed to bring anything in except my camera. For the Bulgarian President, there was no security. At all. Just a handful of secret service-type guys with sunglasses and earpieces, and the usual rumpled crew of Svishtov city police officers. No metal detectors, no pat-downs, no restrictions on what we could or could not bring into the park. Purvanov gave his speech, and then just walked through the crowd shaking hands and kissing babies (which is where I shook his hand). Now, I understand the differences between George Bush and Georgi Purvanov, the latter isn’t quite as vilified around the world, but even still, the lack of security measures seemed a bit careless. Maybe that’s just me thinking like an American, but I would have felt a bit safer had there been at least some cursory security measures. Ah well, maybe Georgi Purvanov is a true man of the people, and wants no limitations on contact between himself and the electorate.

I know that's not a great picture, but it shows how the president just waded right through the crowd.

6-29-07 The Bulgarian Socialite

2007-10-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 29, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The work of some volunteers has been written up in national newspapers, covered on television, and in one case, even included in a BBC News piece. I, however, am going for the socialite party scene coverage. Yup, the June edition of "Sofia Clubbing" magazine (tagline: "Happy and Beautiful People") has a little picture of myself and my friend Jessie taken at a Sofia disco. Probably not exactly the media source the Peace Corps wants its volunteers to be featured in, but hey, it was all in good fun. The picture is in the lower right corner, with our names written in Bulgarian below (Макс и Джесика). I fully expect Bulgarian People or US Weekly to be sending the paparazzi after me soon.

To the top!

2007-10-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 28, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The sign is pointing the way up to Botev Peak, our destination, the highest mountain in the Balkan range. The peak is in the background of the photo - you can see the weather station and transmission towers if you look closely. The hija where we stayed the night is on the left. Beautiful wild Bulgaria!

6-28-07 The Bulgarian Mountain Man

2007-10-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 28, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

For nearly three weeks now Bulgaria has been setting record high temperatures; it’s been above 105 here in Svishtov for an entire week now. When faced with this torture, in a land of no air conditioning, the nature is your only refuge. So last weekend, with my friend Jessie, we escaped the blast furnace of the Bulgarian lowlands and traveled to the forests and mountains of the Central Balkan National Park. The park is the biggest protected area in the country, encompassing nearly the entire Balkan mountain range (also known as the Stara Planina mountains in Bulgarian, though the name “Balkan peninsula” comes from the mountain range), which run across the width of Bulgaria. The main goal of our expedition: to climb the highest mountain in the range, Botev peak, about 7700 feet (the third highest mountain in Bulgaria). We succeeded, and it was an awesome and memorable experience, one of the highlights of my Bulgarian experience.

Starting from Svishtov on Friday morning, Jess and made our way by a series of buses to the entrance to the park. We caught a ride with a friendly local to the trailhead, and hiked a good four to five hours through the forest up to “hija Pleven,” at 5500 feet. A hija is variously translated from Bulgarian as a “chalet” and a “hut,” but a much more accurate word would be mountain hostel. It’s a great network – all across the mountains of Bulgaria there are these hostels, which offer running water, showers, decent beds, and sometimes even hot food and cold beer, all in the middle of nowhere on the side of a mountain. No need to bring a tent, a sleeping bag, or a camp stove, because the hija system provides all this for about $7 or less per night.

On Saturday morning we started out early for our assault on Botev Peak. The trail is well-marked and maintained, but the hike was really strenuous and in many sections practically straight uphill. We made it to the top in five long hours, but the view made every burning quad muscle and toe blister worthwhile. At the top, we decided to be adventurous and hike down the southern side of the mountain, instead of retracing our steps back down the north face. We were targeting a hija on the south side, but upon arrival the place was full up with all the other smart Bulgarians escaping the heat.

We ran into a young Bulgarian couple and told them of our plight. As it turned out, they were friends with another Peace Corps volunteer and both spoke fluent English. They were hiking off the mountain, and offered us a ride in their car from the trailhead to the nearest town if we wanted to accompany them. Having no other choice, we joined them for the rest of the hike, a good four hours from the southern hija. They gave us a ride into the town of Kalofer, at the southern edge of the park, and we all stayed in a little guesthouse that night. In the morning, we said goodbye to our new Bulgarian friends, and Jessie and I traveled by train back to her town of Stara Zagora.

All told, we hiked for 12 full hours on Saturday. Not the best planning, but hey, that’s what an adventure is all about. I saw some of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria, met some wonderfully friendly and helpful people (it seemed like everyone on the mountain was in a good mood), and most importantly, escaped the heat for two days.

6-19-07 Sticking around for a bit longer

2007-10-20T05:00:00.001-07:00

Originally posted June 19, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Hang on now, I have to retract a previous posting – I will not, in fact, be leaving Peace Corps Bulgaria in early September, as I had written. I’ve been offered a short-term “job” (I’ll still be a volunteer technically and financially speaking) with the Peace Corps, which will require me to stay in-country until the end of October.

The PC has asked me to stay on as the technical trainer for the upcoming “Pre-Service Training” (PST in the PC acronym soup) of the new group of volunteers who will arrive in early August. It’s an honor to be selected, because I take it to mean that the PC staff respects my work and thinks I have the skills necessary to do the job. I wavered a bit before accepting, because there are a few drawbacks, but now that I’ve accepted the position I’m confident that it was the right choice and am excited to start working. The details are thin right now (I have a meeting on Thursday with PC staff that will answer my questions, hopefully), but in general I will be responsible for delivering the training module on the broadly defined work aspects of being a PCV. I anticipate I will mostly spend my time sharing experiences, discussing some strategies for success (and talking about my failures!), and helping to prepare the trainees for living and working as a PCV in Bulgaria. I have been ensured that I will be terribly busy and have lots of work to do – both good things.

The main downside is that I have to leave Svishtov (“The Pearl of the Danube”) at the end of July – only five weeks from now – and move to the training site, a city called Dupnitsa about an hour south of Sofia. This is a full six weeks earlier than I had previously planned. In that short period of time I have to finish my business with the BSPB, wrap up my other affairs in town, say my goodbyes, and pack my belongings.

Ultimately, the perceived benefits outweighed the costs. Aside from getting to take on a new and unique challenge, I’ll also get to explore a new region in Bulgaria (the mountainous southwest), a place I have not spent much time. Perhaps most excitingly, I will have the opportunity to help shape and prepare the new volunteers to carry on the mission of the Peace Corps, assisting the people of Bulgaria.

Make your own fun

2007-10-20T04:58:00.001-07:00

Originally posted June 18, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This is how Mike and I entertain ourselves on some of the slower days around here.

6-18-07 Under the orange umbrella

2007-10-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 18, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

No real story behind this picture, just wanted to share it. The picture hasn't been altered, it really was that sickly glowing-orange color underneath the umbrellas at this cafe. To my right is my site-mate and fellow PCV Mike. We find that the best way to beat the Svishtov heat is to spend plenty of time sitting in the orange glow of the cafe umbrellas drinking cold Burger beer.

6-16-07 Bike riding and island hopping for Danube Day

2007-10-20T04:54:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 16, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Today was without a doubt one of the most fun days I've had in Bulgaria in recent months. I participated in a bike ride from Svishtov to a nearby village, from where we took a little barge-like contraption out to an island in the middle of the Danube river, hiked around for a while, then rode our bikes back home. Aside from the ungodly heat, it was just about a perfect day in Peace Corps Bulgaria.

The event was organized by an environmental NGO here in town, run by some friends of mine, in celebration of "Danube Day," which is celebrated in communities all along the length of the mighty Danube. There was a great turnout, around 35 kids and another 15 adults (parents, organizers, teachers, and the odd American). We started early from Svishtov on the leisurely 10 km ride to the village of Vardim, along a pretty road that follows the contours of the Danube. It's a road I often run along. For the ride, we even had an escort from the boys in blue of the Svishtov police department, they stopped traffic all along the route just for us.

Vardim is a quiet and scenic little village, with red-roofed houses sloping down to the river's edge. From there, we took the aforementioned barge-like contraption out to Vardim island, which sits in the Danube river, where we hiked around for a few hours. The islands in the Danube have very unique ecosystems - most every spring when the water level in the river rises, the islands are completely inundated and submerged. This only occurs for a short period of time, and didn't happen this year at all because of the severe drought. Still, the flooding affects the habitat of the islands to create in essence a "dry swamp," where the trees are tall and the underbrush is minimal. The highlight of today's excursion to Vardim island was seeing endemic island oak trees - a rare sight in northern Bulgaria, as most of the oaks were clear-cut many years ago and replaced with monoculture, fast growing poplars to feed the local paper milling industry.

After our romp through the island, we took the barge back to the mainland, got back on our bikes, and peddled home to Svishtov. Despite the sweltering temperatures (well above 90 F), none of the kids suffered anything worse than a sunburn (though just about everyone got burned - sunblock is not a popular item here). All in all, it was a wonderful day. The kind of day I will greatly miss when I leave Bulgaria in a few short months.

Check out my new summer hat! Only 2.50 Bulgarian leva, quite the bargain for such a stylish and practical item. Made of genuine Chinese plastic.

6-13-07 Me and Mr. President

2007-10-20T04:52:00.001-07:00

Originally posted June 13, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I’m a staunch and vocal “Bill Clintonian” Democrat, and I have a strong dislike for nearly all the policies of the Bush administration. Yet it’s not every day that I get the opportunity to meet with the sitting President – and so regardless of my personal feelings and opinions of the man, last Monday I traveled to Sofia to attending a “meet and greet” with President Bush. Me and Bush! The Peace Corps and Bush! GW Bush, the arch-enemy of all liberaldom, the most vilified and spited man in the world!

Yet, here’s my dirty little secret – I actually kind of liked the man, as a person. All of us good little liberal PCVs came away from the event feeling conflicted and confused. Because the truth as I saw it is that George Bush is a damn charismatic and even charming man. No, I would never vote for him, but now I feel like I have an understanding and insight into the world of Bushie Republicans. I think I know how he was elected twice. And I think I know why that even now, after 6 and a half years of disaster after disaster, 7 out of 10 Republicans still say they support the President. The man is captivating on a personal level, and if you believe in his policies (e.g. God, guns, and big government), then I can understand the passion his supporters must feel for him.

Bulgaria was Bush’s last stop on a weeklong European tour that included the G8 summit in Germany. After his formal meetings and press conferences with the Bulgarian President and Prime Minister, Bush had a small reception just for the “American Mission” here, which included the Embassy staff, military personnel, USAID, and the Peace Corps. Though all PCVs were invited, only around 30 attended (there are 170 of us in country). After a long security procedure, and waiting around in the hot sun in the Embassy courtyard, the President arrived. He looked tired but enthusiastic – maybe because there were no reporters, and it was a closed, private affair. He spoke for no more than five minutes, then peeled off his suit jacket and dove into the crowd, shaking hands and literally kissing babies. When he arrived at the PCV crowd, he stopped and talked with us all for a good 10-15 minutes, being sure to shake every hand, make eye contact, and asked us questions about what we do. A bold PCV even pinned a little “Peace Corps” pin on the President’s shirt pocket – Bush seemed pretty happy to be sporting it.

We all know that the President is a terrible public speaker: earlier in the day he actually said “the Bulgarians should be proud of all the achievements that they’ve…achieved,” a la Austin Powers saying “allow myself to introduce…myself.” But when he was in the crowd, working the line, he seemed to be in his element. He was natural, relaxed, comfortable, at ease. And it’s this ease of interaction, that “common man” touch, one-of-us personality that I think wins Bush so many supporters. Now, I’d never ever vote for a President based on “who I’d rather have a beer with,” but I’ll admit, I bet it would be interesting to have a beer with Bush.

And meanwhile, we Democrats trotted out John Kerry in 2004 (a man I’d rather not have a beer with). While we were voting “not for Bush,” the Republicans were voting strongly for Bush – and that made all the difference. No one, no one, was passionately for John Kerry (or Al Gore in 2000, for that matter).

We Dems are still waiting for our savior. I personally think we may have found him in Barack Obama, yet he still trails the politician’s politician Hillary. Come on, America, take a chance and fall in love with Barack. He’ll deliver us the White House. Because if there’s one thing we can learn from Bush, it’s that when picking a President, personality matters. We underestimate that fact at our own peril.

I took the picture above - that's how close I was to the podium. Behind the President is Laura and John Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State.

6-10-07 Thinking about the future

2007-10-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 10, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I have formally requested my “Close of Service” (COS, in the Peace Corps acronym soup jumble) date, and baring any unforeseen changes, I will be finishing my service and leaving Bulgaria in exactly three months from today – September 10. The PC gives volunteers a 60 day window around the pre-determined COS day, and I am opting for the early out. More than two years is enough of my life to give to Bulgaria and the Peace Corps. Time to move on to my next adventure.

And that next adventure is shaping up to be an awesome trip around the world. I will be embarking on a 4-6 month journey with a fellow PCV Trevor, on a bold plan to cover as much territory as possible until the money runs out. Our itinerary in its current incarnation has us starting with a swing through Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro (the newest country in the world), heading down through Anatolian Turkey, stopping over in the Caucasus countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. We’ll return to Istanbul, and hop a ferry to Odessa, Ukraine, from there we will push back into eastern Europe and head north through Poland, Belarus, and the Baltic countries before entering Russia. The keystone of the trip will be a journey on the trans-Siberian railroad from Moscow to Beijing, with some stopovers in central Russia and Mongolia. From Beijing, we will tour China and drop into tropical Southeast Asia – Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are all probably destinations. From there, we will conclude the trip with visits to the Philippines, perhaps Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan – flying out of East Asia back to the American West Coast.

It’s an audacious plan, but as they say, with time and money you can do anything – and after I COS, I’ll have plenty of time. Very little money, but lots of time. This won’t be a Four Seasons resort vacation, but a bare-bones street-food and hostel adventure. I am confident we can pull it off, and am anxious and excited to hit the road and start exploring.

In the meantime, there is a lot to do in trip preparation, and for formally finishing my PC service. Mostly, that involves filling out forms and filing reports. Seems like there is just as much paperwork involved in getting out of the Peace Corps as there was getting in.

I found above down by the Svishtov port. I think “Swischtow” is the German transliteration of my town’s name (w=v in German), but I’ve never seen it spelled like this in any other place.

The beauty and complexity of Bosnia and Hercegovina

2007-10-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 4, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Bosnia was an endlessly fascinating place. I loved every minute in this little gem of a country. The evidence of the recent wars is still very visible – there are bombed-out and bullet-strafed buildings on every corner, and the tempting jagged mountains are off-limits due to landmines (truly one of mankind’s worst inventions). Despite the scars, Bosnia is endearing, interesting, and strikingly beautiful.

The little city of Mostar sits in a deep valley, straddling the Neretva River. It is a divided town, split between Bosniaks (Muslims) and Bosnian-Croats (Catholics). It saw fierce and violent fighting during the war years of the early 90s, as neighbors and friends turned on each other overnight. There is an iconic bridge that spans the Neretva – nearly 500 years old, it was blown apart by Croat shelling in minutes. Fortunately, they have reconstructed the bridge, and it looks beautiful. A fitting symbol for a multicultural country and city struggling to overcome the very recent terrors and sorrows of war. The highlight of Mostar was spending an hour in conversation with the 26-year-old Imam of a mosque, an incredibly friendly, welcoming, and intelligent man. He was open and willing to share his stories from the war years – how his father was killed in the fighting, how he lived in a refugee camp as a young boy in Germany, and how he returned after the fighting and is now raising his own family and working to reunite and reconstruct his community through faith and dialogue.

From Mostar, the final leg of the trip was up to the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, where I stayed with my friend Ben and his fiancée Ivana. Ben was a PCV in Bulgaria before quitting last winter to move to Sarajevo for a job with USAID and to be with his Bosnian fiancée. Much like Mostar, Sarajevo sits in a valley surrounded by sharp mountain peaks, where dark clouds clung like a blanket over the city.

In 1984, Sarajevo hosted the Winter Olympics. Nine years later began the siege of Sarajevo, where Bosnian-Serbian, Serbian, and the ex-Yugoslavian army systematically attempted to destroy the city and its people. The siege lasted nearly three years, and an estimated 12,000 people died. Today, 12 years after the siege ended, the city is making a spirited revival. There is a lively Old Town quarter, construction and reconstruction is advancing apace, and there seemed to be a genuine and authentic belief that the future will be prosperous and stable.

The most fascinating part of Sarajevo was the conversations I had with Ivana, a wonderful, courageous, and passionate woman. Like most people I met on the trip, Ivana was very open to discussing the war years, and wasn’t shy about sharing her well-reasoned thoughts about the future of the country. I asked her, “what exactly was the ‘siege’ like?” She quickly and sharply answered: "There was nothing. There was no food, no water, no electricity, no gas, no money, no jobs. We were targeted by shelling and snipers. Every time we left our apartment to look for food or water we were risking our lives. People ate grass; they cut down the trees in the parks to heat their apartments in the snowy and harsh winters. There was no way out of the city, and no way for food or supplies to get in. It was hell."

But people survive, people find a way. The resilience and endurance of the people of Sarajevo is inspiring – in a scant decade they have faced unimaginable horrors, and yet are rapidly and enthusiastically putting together their city once again. There are many unanswered questions about the future viability of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a unified country, but at least in Sarajevo and Mostar, judging by the character and passion of the young people, the future seemed bright to me.

And so my trip closed. From Sarajevo I took an eight-hour bus ride to Belgrade, killed four hours in the Serbian capital, and boarded the night train back to Sofia. Four more hours on a bus and I was back in Svishtov in time for lunch. A wonderful trip through a spirited, charming, and immensely complex land. I can't wait to return.

The picture above is of the reconstructed bridge in Mostar.

The happy coast of Dalmatia

2007-10-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 4, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I started from Sofia two Wednesday’s ago, taking an overnight train to the Serbian capital of Belgrade. I spent a few hours there before boarding another train to Zagreb, the Croatian capital, where I spent the night. Zagreb was a pleasant surprise, felt like a Central European city, not an Eastern European one – stately architecture, clean and orderly streets, broad and well-manicured parks, and a café culture combined with the hustle of a self-assured national capital. It’s quite an appealing mix. I think many tourists bypass the city on their way to the coast, but I was glad to have stopped there.

From Zagreb, I continued on to Split on the Croatian coast, also known the Dalmatia region. In ancient times, Split was home to the retirement palace of the Roman emperor Diocletian, and most of the palace is still standing or has been restored. The modern city has grown around the palace. There is also a new waterfront boardwalk, with swaying palm trees and little sidewalk cafes; it’s a wonderful place to sit and people-watch as the sun sinks into the Adriatic Sea.

Early morning on Saturday, we caught the ferryboat from Split to Dubrovnik, a town in southern Dalmatia. The ferry was one of the highlights of the trip. Six blissful hours I spent sitting on the upper deck, watching the happy little islands slip past, as the sun sparkled and danced on the royal blue waters. We arrived in Dubrovnik, and immediately set out to explore the Old City.

Dubrovnik has been called “heaven on earth” by playwright George Bernard Shaw, and only slightly less enthusiastically, the “pearl of the Adriatic” by English poet Lord Byron. It’s pretty touristy now, but certainly is still a stunningly beautiful city, perched on a peninsula jutting into the sea. The Old City is surrounded by water on two sides and stone walls on the other two, and thankfully, there are no cars in center. It is constructed mostly of white stones, and under the strong afternoon sun the city comes alive with color. The only downside was that during our stay in the city there were THREE full-size cruise ships that had docked in the port, disgorging their portly tourists in khaki shorts, white socks, and tennis shoes to scour the city for ice cream and photographs. Ah, I shouldn’t judge – I also scoured the city for good photographs, and certainly had some ice cream. Plus, I generally wear khaki shorts, white socks, and tennis shoes.

After a day in Dubrovnik, we caught another ferryboat out to the small island of Mljet. 1/3 of Mljet is a national park, and we stayed in a small village just outside the park boundaries. A highlight of the trip: we rented bicycles, and spent the day peddling through the forest and along the shoreline, taking a little dip in a lake, and visiting an ancient monastery. Unfortunately, the weather turned, and rain followed us for the remainder of the trip.

Because of the bad weather, the decision was made to cut short the stay on Mljet, and catch the early boat back to Dubrovnik, and then a bus to the city of Mostar. Mostar is in the "Hercegovina" region of the country of Bosnia and Hercegovina. From Croatia to Bosnia, we passed back through the invisible barrier separating "East" from "West."

The picture above is of the Dubrovnik Old City, taken from a turret in the city wall.

6-4-07 Through the heart of the Balkans

2007-10-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 4, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

As the previous little posting said, I’m just back from a hectic eight day swing through the Western Balkans, stopping in Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In those eight days I stopped in seven different places, and only stayed more than one night in a single location once (Sarajevo). It certainly wasn’t the most relaxing vacation considering the frantic pace of travel, but with the minimal amount of vacation days I had, I covered a lot of territory and saw most everything I wanted to see – at least cursorily. And what I saw was a beautiful and war-scared landscape – vibrant cities, deep blue ocean waters, ancient history, forebodingly dark forests, and a warm and welcoming people rapidly recovering from the devastation of the Yugoslavian wars little more than a decade ago.

The politics and the history of the former Yugoslavia is so complicated and complex that only now do I feel like I have even the most superficial level of understanding – and this is after spending nearly two years in the Balkans, a full week traveling in former Yugoslavia, and diving into some heavy literature on the subject. For an outsider, it’s sometimes hard to even keep the names of all the participants and the regions straight. The running tally so far: ex-Yugoslavia has broken into six independent countries – Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Kosovo, currently a quasi-autonomous province in southern Serbia, will be the next to break away, possibly as soon as this summer. I would be surprised if that is the end, though, because Bosnia and Herzegovina is a fragile and precarious State.

The people are further divided into three religions – Eastern Orthodox (most Serbians, Montenegrins, and Macedonians), Catholics (most Croatians and Slovenians), and Muslims (Bosniaks and Kosovars, who are ethnic-Albanian, and a further smattering of ethnic Albanians throughout the region). All three religions are represented in Bosnia. The connections between religion, ethnicity, nationalism, history and identity are so intertwined and convoluted in the region that I won’t even try to get into it here.

Well, on with my travel story...

6-3-07 Western Balkans trip

2007-10-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

Originally posted June 3, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Just back from a swing through the Western Balkans: Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia. More to come soon.

5-22-07 Sofi-YA, the capital city

2007-10-20T04:32:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 22, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I can’t recall ever writing a blog about our fair nation’s capital, Sofia (properly pronounced “sof-i-YA”). So here it is. Sofia is the first window on Bulgaria for most visitors here – but not for us Peace Corps volunteers. When I arrived nearly two years ago, we were picked up at the airport in a chartered bus and whisked away to a mountain resort, bypassing the capital entirely. My first real visit to Sofia was not until a month or so after I had been in-country. That first trip came after having been living with my host family in a small dusty village, and I was excited to be a big city, a European capital. After the first night’s enthusiasm wore off, though, I turned on Sofia. It’s boring, I thought. The architecture is dull. The streets are dirty. The bars close early. It’s no Prague.

But lately, I’ve come around on Sofia. I’m starting to like it, and I even look forward to my visits there. Sure, Sofia is no Prague – but that’s ok, I don’t want it to be Prague. It’s not overrun with tourists, either. Sofia is small, manageable, affordable, and very walkable. About the only time I ever take public transportation in the city is going out to the Peace Corps office, which is in the suburbs on the edge of town. And it’s not that it’s dull – you just have to know where to go to have a good time. To have fun in Sofia, all you need is some insider knowledge.

I travel to Sofia a lot, for various reasons – work, Peace Corps affairs, or flying out of the airport. It seems like every time I go, I discover a new restaurant, a new bar, a new café, or a new historical site. I was there last week for work – and on Friday night we ate dinner at a great Lebanese restaurant, had a beer at a German-style beer hall, had sangria at a swanky up-scale lounge, and then danced the night away at a salsa-Latin club. You can’t do that in Svishtov. And in Prague, you’d pay through the nose for a night out on the town like that. My total cost for the night was no more than $20 (a recent Economist magazine study ranked Sofia the 112 cheapest city in the world, out of 120 surveyed). Sofia – dare I say it, can be a very charming and lively city, you just have to know where to look. And after nearly two years in Bulgaria and maybe two-dozen or so trips to the city, I finally know where to look.

The picture above is Nevski Cathedral, the landmark of Sofia. It was built as a memorial to the Russian troops who liberated Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire.

5-20-07 The peanut butter situation

2007-10-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 20, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

My life in Svishtov has recently been much improved. The “big” local grocery store (big is a relative term. It’s hardy bigger than a large AM/PM out by the interstate, really) has consistently been stocking peanut butter for a while now. For the past two years here, peanut butter was a rare and infrequently carried item, as Bulgarians don’t really eat it, and it’s quite expensive. Maybe the store realized that if they stock it, I’ll buy all of it. I was purchasing a jar last week, and the cashier who always works there asked me if “this American butter you buy is any good, I’ve never had it.” Yes, the American butter is quite good.

Here are the two brands that are now available at the Svishtov Citi Market. Two things of note: one, the word “smoothy.” Well, the other variety is called crunchy, so why not smoothy? And two, to my great mystery, is the name “American Maid,” m-a-i-d. But here’s the rub – right above that phrase is written on the label “Made in America,” m-a-d-e. Obviously, whoever is producing this peanut butter knows the difference between the two spellings of the word. Is the m-a-i-d phrasing purposeful? I would think so. Is it a marketing gimmick? Maybe I just don’t get it. That wouldn’t be the first time I was confused by something in this country.

And that’s my little blog about the peanut butter situation in Svishtov.

The damage

2007-10-20T04:27:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 20, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

And here's another picture of the broken glass door. I've since taken all the shards out, of course. These are the battles you have to fight in the Peace Corps Bulgaria.

Oh, and note the lace curtain on the door. Adds a touch of class to the apartment.

5-20-07 A most spectacular crash

2007-10-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 20, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Last week Svishtov was suffering under an oppressive heat wave, with temps above 90. Fortunately, my apartment has windows and doors on both the southern and northern sides of the building, allowing for good airflow. However, this picture is the result of a particularly strong gust of wind that blew through here. The door is from my hallway to the living room, and it was entirely plate-glass. The wind was so strong, that the door slammed shut and entirely shattered the glass, the results of which you see above. I was in my bedroom at the time, folding laundry, and was as shocked as could be. I put on my shoes, got out my winter gloves to protect my hands, and cleaned up the glass.

I told Emil this story, and he only responded with a shrug. "Yes, that happens here," he said. Bulgaria might want to re-think the plate-glass door thing. Or I should just start acting like a Bulgarian and never ever opening up my doors or windows to fresh outside air.

5-13-07 Local multiculturalism

2007-10-20T04:20:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 13, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

About 10 percent of Bulgaria's total population is of "claimed" Turkish decent. I say "claimed," because for more than 500 years (1300s to 1800s), the country was a territory of the Ottoman empire - and let's be honest, that's too much time for any sort of perverse "ethnic purity" to survive. Unofficially and unadmittedly, everyone here has at least a drop of Turkish blood. There is no visible physical distinction between Slavic Bulgarians and Turkish Bulgarians.

Svishtov has an official rate of Turkish population that is somewhat less than the national one, I've seen the number at around 7-8 percent. This is typical - most Turkish-Bulgarians live in de facto segregated cities and towns in the northeast and southern parts of the country, where they are the majority population. This is also different from the Roma-Bulgarians, who tend to live in segregated ghettos on the edge of big cities.

Yesterday, while on my hike with Mike through the hills and to the far western end of town, we stumbled upon a site I had never seen before - a small mosque. It was adjacent to a Muslim cemetery, which had no more than 100 plots. The mosque appears to be just a normal Bulgarian cement house, and it looks like the minaret was added on some time after the house was build. There was no signage, or any indication that it was in regular use. The majority of Bulgarians, of any faith, do not attend religious services, so I would not be surprised if the mosque was no longer operational. Still, the grounds were clean and the plants trimmed, so maybe someone does care for the facility.

Svishtov - diversity on the Danube.

5-13-07 Walk in the hills

2007-10-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 13, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Here's another picture to share from around Svishtov. Yesterday my sitemate Mike and I went for a walk up the hill behind Svishtov. The town is perched on a little shelf of land, hemmed between the Danube to the north and this large and steep hill to the south. This picture is looking through the brush across the red-roofed houses of Svishtov, to the river and Romania.

5-12-07 Only thing happening is the heat

2007-10-13T02:18:00.001-07:00

Originally posted May 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

It's been a quiet week in Svishtov and Bulgaria, with the only news worth reporting is the oppressive heat and lack of rain. It's been above 90 for a few days now (32 or so Celsius), and the forecast is for more of the same all this coming week. I don't remember the last time it rained, maybe two months or more. Anyway, enough complaining about the weather. I thought I'd share a few photos I've taken around town lately.

This one I shot off my front balcony a few days ago. The huge thunderclouds gathered right at sunset, resulting in a blaze of pinks and oranges. I cropped it a bit to edit out the huge concrete block apartment building across the way that was in the original picture. The clouds were threatening rain, but it never came in Svishtov. Maybe Romania got the precipitation.

Old man in the window

2007-10-13T02:17:00.001-07:00

Originally posted May 9, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This is one of my favorite pictures from Rome, the old man leaning out the window of the red-orange building, watching the street scene below. I took this in the old city, near the Pantheon.

5-9-07 There's no romance in Rome

2007-10-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 9, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I like the concept of Rome much more than I like the real city itself. The idea of Rome is so romantic – ancient art, classical architecture, leisurely meals with plenty of wine, frothy cappuccinos, cold gelato, and beautiful Italians zipping around on bright red Vespa motor-scooters.

The reality is that Rome, despite being the national capital and having a metropolitan area population of more than five million, is essentially “European-Disney.” The symbol of the city should be the tour guide holding aloft a flag to signify to their group “come along, then.” After being crushed by the tourists in Rome, I can understand why people now take vacations to extreme destinations at the remote corners of the world – Antarctica, Patagonia, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, or the central Amazon – it’s to get away from the Polish tour groups. And the German tour groups, and the Japanese, and the American, Russian, Spanish, Brazilian, Australian, British, Irish, and even Italian from other parts of Italy.

Last week I spent a few days in Rome, and if our flight hadn’t left on that final day I would have found another flight that did. It is an overwhelmingly crowded city. Yes, the architecture is beautiful and the art is some of the best ever created by humankind, but I didn’t really appreciate any of it – I was too busy yelling at the pushy Russians “STOP BUMPING INTO ME. STOP POKING ME WITH YOUR UMBRELLA.”

The food was grand, and the wine was top-notch, no complaints there. The Sistine Chapel is captivating (after a two hour wait in the pouring rain to get in), and the ancient Colosseum is memorable. But the city is frighteningly expensive. It’s dirty, trash litters the streets and graffiti covers the walls. For my money, it’s not worth the hassle. Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad I went, the trip was still enjoyable, mostly because I traveled with good friends from the Peace Corps. But check Rome off the list of places to go, and I’ll not be returning anytime soon. Of my recent western European destinations, I would return to Amsterdam and Hamburg ten times over before going back to Rome.

5-7-07 Travel stories - Black Sea coast

2007-10-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 7, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

The last 10 days have been quite busy, as I’ve been on the road almost continuously. First, last weekend, I went to visit friends in the Black Sea city of Varna. Varna is either the second or third biggest city in Bulgaria, depending on who’s counting, and it is the jumping-off point for the beach towns and major resorts along the northern Black Sea coast. Varna is also the unofficial “summer capital” of the country. That is, come the end of the school year in June, just about everyone who can afford it flees the stifling heat of the Bulgarian interior and moves out to the Black Sea coast. The economy takes off in the summer, with young Bulgarians coming to work the seasonal tourist jobs in the restaurants, hotels, and bars. Varna also has a small yet growing airport, bringing tourists directly to the beach from north Europe and Russia. Varna and the adjacent beach resorts in the summer are probably the only place in Bulgaria you can realistically say gets “overrun” with tourists, foreign as well as Bulgarian.

But two weekends ago, the last weekend of April, was a wonderful time to be on the coast. Warm weather and sunny skies, a nice offshore breeze. Not quite hot enough to lie on the sand, which meant the tacky sea-front bars and discos had not yet opened for business – a good thing. Perfect for strolling along the sand, out on the piers to watch the fishermen, and in the grand park that sits on a cliff overlooking the Black Sea. As soon as the weather is hot enough (which could be any day now), Varna and the Black Sea beaches will be trampled with Russians, Germans, British, and Bulgarians staking out a spot in the sun. But in April, before the crowds, life was relaxing and serene. And to think, there are two PCVs actually living and working in Varna. Peace Corps beach resort, a pretty good way to spend PC service.

The picture above is a jetty used by fishermen in Varna bay.

5-5-07 On the road

2007-10-13T02:11:00.000-07:00

Originally posted May 5, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I'm just back from a week of traveling - first to the Black Sea coast last weekend, and then to Rome, Italy, this week.

Path into the fields

2007-10-13T02:10:00.001-07:00

Originally posted April 23, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

This is my "artsy" shot of the donkey-cart path winding back into the yellow hills.

Fun with the nature

2007-10-13T02:08:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 23, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I agree, sometimes playing around with the reeds is a lot more fun than watching birds.

4-23-07 Birdwatching photos

2007-10-13T02:06:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 23, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I went out birdwatching with a group of kids on Sunday, and wanted to share some of the better pictures I took of the excursion. This first one is of a student, on the right, and the class teacher. The beautiful yellow field is blooming rapeseed, which is blanketing northern Bulgaria right now. Quite scenic.

4-21-07 Yordan's gym, my sanctuary

2007-10-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 21, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Truly one of my favorite parts of life in Svishtov, and one of the few things I’ll genuinely miss about this place when I leave is my gym. Run by a great man, the wonderfully named Yordan Yordanov, the gym is a place of serious weightlifters and good friends. It has served as my sanctuary from life with the birdmen, a place that is entirely separate and distinct from my working life as a PCV. Through the cold and dark winter months, it helped me battle off minor bouts of seasonal depression. Now in the springtime, the windows and doors are flung open, and neighborhood kids pop in and out to watch and laugh as the men lift weights. Yordan’s gym is a community center as much as a fitness center, with friend’s of the owner frequently stopping by just to chat, not even to work out.

Yordan, though in his mid-50s (we discovered he’s exactly twice as old as me), has become a good friend of mine. He has become my window into life in Bulgaria. Yordan willing shares stories about the horrors and oppression of life under communism, not something all Bulgarians will do. We laugh and talk about the absurdities of modern life – sometimes serious subjects, like the recent Virginia shootings, or the thuggishness of Bulgarian members of national parliament (some of whom were recently arrested for assault and drunk driving). Yordan is a great listener, and people enjoy being in his company. I can talk to him in my broken Bulgarian about missing home, and the difficulties of living in Bulgaria, and he always has a sympathetic ear and genuine concern.

Yordan also leads a pretty good life. During the summer months, he is a full time lifeguard at a Black Sea resort (starting May 1, which unfortunately means I might not see him again unless I go to his beach). In the fall, he typically spends one or two months in Austria as a skilled welder, working on new buildings and large construction projects. He is able to make so much money during the time in Austria, that in the winter and spring he spends all his time running the gym and working on his house in Svishtov (of which there always seems to be something that needs to be done). The gym is in his garage, his house above. His 20-year-old son is also a lifeguard with him, and in the gym he is surrounded by friends. Yordan Yordanov, an optimistic, friendly, caring and genuinely good man, living a good life. I'll miss him, and his gym, when it comes time for me to leave Svishtov.

And amazingly, every piece of equipment in the gym was actually handmade by Yordan himself in his workshop. He’s a welder by trade, and with some Bulgarian ingenuity and scrap metal, he has fashioned very high quality equipment. In the picture above, everything you see – the bench we’re sitting on, the incline and decline bench presses behind us, and the free weights at our feet, were all made by Yordan.

After spending time at Yordan’s gym, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to face the impersonal disco/club atmosphere of a modern American gym.

4-18-07 Tragedy in the Peace Corps Family

2007-10-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 18, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Lost in the mourning over the tragic events at Virginia Tech University, was this terrible news from the Philippines. This is hitting all of us PCVs hard, even though we’re a world away. We all know that as the saying goes, “there but for the grace of God go I.”

As PCVs, we tend to think we have some sort of intimate knowledge of our host country, we think that our language skills and cultural awareness makes us different from the average tourist – and perhaps in some way, gives us more courage to take risks, to go further into the bush, to see things and walk in places no American has perhaps ever been. And dangerously, we sometimes see ourselves as above the horrors that can befall even the savviest of explorer, let alone a typical hapless backpacker.

I’ve personally experienced this myself, I’ll admit. I feel very safe in Bulgaria – I speak decent Bulgarian, I’m generally aware of my surroundings, I’m a tall male, and Bulgarians are not very aggressive people. But we all take risks, risks we may not take in other circumstances. We go into neighborhoods or mountains or jungles we wouldn’t go into if we were not Peace Corps volunteers, and expect that our “exceptionalism” as PCVs will not only deliver fantastic adventures, but will get us safely out of any jam.

There are 7,000 PCVs around the world – and in all reality, this could have been any one of us. It’s the risk I accept, that all PCVs accept, in exchange for living our dreams.

This article is copied from the New York Times.

Manila Says Peace Corps Worker Is Dead

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: April 18, 2007

MANILA, Philippines, Wednesday, April 18 (AP) — Philippine authorities found the body of a missing American Peace Corps volunteer on Wednesday in a northern mountain town where she disappeared during a hike more than a week ago, an army general said.

Maj. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang said the body of Julia Campbell, 40, from Fairfax, Va., was found buried with one foot protruding from the ground near the village of Batad.

She disappeared April 8 in the area about 160 miles north of Manila. The police had said earlier that she may have fallen off a cliff.

The provincial police chief, Senior Superintendent Pedro Ganir, said by telephone that Ms. Campbell, wearing denim jeans, a black shirt and a shawl, was last seen buying soda from a local store.

She had only sandals as footwear and had bought a bus ticket to return to Manila by April 9, indicating she did not plan to extend her stay or make a hike to view the area’s famed mountainside rice terraces, he said.

She was one of 137 Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines and taught English at the Divine Word College in the city of Legazpi in Albay Province, southeast of Manila, since October 2006. In the 1990s she worked as a journalist in New York, where she was at times a freelance reporter for The New York Times.

4-16-07 And the days go on and on

2007-10-13T01:55:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 16, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

On sunny days, when there's not much going on, and it's still too early to respectfully leave the office, and Whitney Houston (yes, Whitney Houston) is singing I Will Always Love You on the radio for the 3rd time today, and Emil is wholeheartedly singing along...these days never seem to end. It's like being in a poorly written sitcom, like The Office but not as funny.

When I look back on my experiences in Bulgaria, I'm sure I'll say that the time just flew by. But not today. I will never love you, Whitney Houston.

4-16-07 Nest boxes

2007-10-13T01:52:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 16, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Nest boxes, of course, being the technical ornithological term for "birdhouses." As part of an ongoing project we are running to protect an endangered falcon species (the Red-footed Falcon), last Saturday myself and the birdboys went out into the country to hang next boxes in hopes of assisting the falcon. It was a beautiful spring day, great to be outside in the sun and fresh air.

The Red-footed Falcon is small for a falcon, hardly bigger than a crow, and the male is a blue-gray color with the ubiquitous red legs and feet. Sounds like a pretty bird, but I've never seen one in the wild, because they are practically extinct in Bulgaria. Hanging the nest boxes is an admitted long shot at protecting the species, because we're not even sure if there are any left in the region to protect. Still, if there are, and they can find the boxes, they will help. The Red-footed Falcon is a "nest parasitic" bird, meaning it doesn't make it's own nests - it reuses old ones, mainly from rooks. However, rooks are a pest species to farmers, and in an attempt to eradicate the rooks (a common and unprotected bird), farmers have unwittingly driven the Falcons to the brink of extinction in Bulgaria.

In the picture above, Emil is in the tree hanging the box, while Tisho steadies the ladder. We hoisted the box up to the man in the tree with a rope and pulley system, and the boxes were then secured to the trees with screws and nails. The trees are a planted break between agricultural fields. They are fast-growing poplars, just about the only thing that's not yet blooming in the Bulgarian spring.

I asked Emil if he had contacted the landowner prior to the installation - "Um, no," was his answer "but maybe I'll call him next week." Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, as the saying goes.

4-12-07 Canals of Hamburg

2007-10-13T01:51:00.001-07:00

Originally posted April 12, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Hamburg is home to the second largest port facility in Europe, and in the top ten in the world. It has been a major source of international commerce for centuries, and trade has brought prosperity and an international flair and diversity to the city. In this picture I'm standing in front of the old warehouse district; ships would dock directly to the warehouses and were then able to unload their goods and have them immediately ready for transportation. This area is in the process of being redeveloped into a live/work environment, with trendy restaurants and cafes popping up, along with some continued usage of the warehouses. It would be fantastic to have a loft apartment overlooking these canals, I think.

The wedding itself was also an international affair - Andy and Anne have friends from all over the world. In addition to Germany and the US, I counted nationals of France, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, and England...and of course, the odd Bulgarian.

4-10-07 Wedding Week

2007-10-13T01:48:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 10, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

For the last week, I’ve been enjoying the good life in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany, where I was attending the wedding and celebration of good friend Andy Sallee and his German wife, Anne. Andy was a baseball coach of mine in college, and has lived in Europe since 2001. He is also somewhat of a “life mentor” of mine, a man I look up to and greatly respect. It was an honor to be invited to his wedding. Andy’s new wife Anne is a great person, kind, elegant, and beautiful – Andy did well for himself.

The week began last weekend in Hanover, where Andy currently lives and works (Hanover is a two hour train ride south of Hamburg on the slow train). There, I met up with Andy’s new friends and some old buddies I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was a “man” weekend, full of beer and sports – watching and playing. Indoor floor hockey was dominated by Andy’s buddy and Canadian ex-pat Kent, while Andy certainly ruled in the basketball. We all had a good time watching the local soccer match from our prime seats in the beer garden.

On Monday we traveled to Hamburg, hometown of Anne. There, all the out-of-town guests were housed with friends’ of the bride. The week was full of sightseeing during the day, and dinners and parties at night. On Tuesday we had the traditional German plate-smashing ceremony called “Poltem.” This was variously described as a way to “scare away the evil spirits,” and also to “ensure that nothing every gets broken in the marriage,” by I guess breaking all the plates beforehand. Either way, it was a lot of fun, and the best part that everyone agreed upon was that Andy had to personally clean up the mess – as a way of proving his devotion and worth to Anne. He cut his finger a bit, but bravely carried on. The sidewalk was cleaner than before the plate smashing.

The wedding ceremony itself was on Thursday, in a Lutheran church. It was similar to a traditional American ceremony, except there were not official “groomsmen” or “bridesmaids” standing up in front with the couple, and Andy and Anne got to sit in chairs at the alter. Throughout the ceremony various guests gave little speeches or prayers they had prepared, and the deacon had a long, but quite thoughtful and touching speech. It was mostly in German, with English translations provided.

The reception was held at a beautiful hall on a large lake in the middle of the city, the clubhouse of the local rowing squad. The reception carried on into the early hours of Friday morning. We spent Friday day collecting our wits, and packing our bags. I returned to grungy Bulgaria on Saturday, while the newlyweds are currently on their honeymoon in the Caribbean.

Hamburg is a wonderful city; it sits on the banks of the Elbe River, and also encircles a large lake in the city center. The people were as friendly as could be, everyone spoke fluent English, and all our hosts showed us such a great time. And, I must say, the people are stunningly good looking. It was not easy to get back on the plane to return to my “real” life in the Bulgaria, the land dental hygiene forgot.

4-8-07 They have beer in Germany

2007-10-13T01:46:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 8, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

I've yet to write up a good blog about the wedding trip to Hamburg, but here's a photo of me at the touristy German franchised beer hall "Hofbrauhaus." It is apparently a Munich October-fest institution, but they've since built them across the country, including this one in Hamburg. The only locals at the place were with our group, and none of them had ever been there before.

The beer is good, though I couldn't even finish my first liter. A liter of beer is a bad idea. The dregs at the bottom of the glass are warm, flat, and pretty gross. Best to have two half-liters. But what fun is it to hoist up a half-liter stein and give a hearty German "prost?" Not nearly as much fun as with a heavy full liter mug.

4-8-07 So it's nothing new, apparently

2007-10-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

Originally posted April 8, 2007 on my other blog, http://360.yahoo.com/maxwell_woods

Just back from a trip to Hamburg, Germany, where I attended a good friend's wedding. Updates and pictures to come this week, but first, here's a gem I pulled from an English-language ex-pat magazine here in Bulgaria, called Vagabond. This quote comes from their article on the history of Bulgaria, it is in reference to a tribal people who lived in southern Bulgaria 2000 years ago:

"When a child is born all its kindred sit round in a circle and weep for the woes it will have to undergo now that it is come into the world, making mention of every ill that befalls mankind; when, on the other hand, a man dies, they bury him with laughter and rejoicing, and say that now he is free from a host of suffering, and enjoys complete happiness."

Insert your Bulgaria joke here.