well, not a whole lot has been happening lately. everyone else in my office is gone this week on a work trip to croatia to visit a national park there. im kinda bummed that i didnt get to go, but its because i have only been allowed to leave the country since last week due to my visa. hopefully i can go on the next trip.
as far a work for me, i have a language tutor now and i might be helping out with an english class pretty soon. ive been brainstorming other project ideas that i could do as well, but theres nothing else underway quite yet. the weather here is been kinda crappy, it usually rains most days and we had a lot of snow last saturday. today it was nice and warm but rained off and on in spurts all afternoon. then tonight there was a thunderstorm, which is unusual for so late in the year.
last week there was a jounalist in town that i had to take around and translate for. it really put my language skills to the test because she asked some pretty tough questions. it was good practice though because i probibly dont talk as much as i should. by the way, i put up a few more pics in the malko turnovo album from around town and such if you want to check them out. anyway, talk to you all later
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
more pics
hey, i got two new albums up. not sure how i can send a link to the main page where you can select which album you want to view, but here are the two links to the two albums. enjoy
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EbOGLZo3cMXKQ
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EbOGLZo3cMXOA
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EbOGLZo3cMXKQ
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EbOGLZo3cMXOA
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
cool adventure
things are going well and i am still getting used to my new setting. i got to go to borgas last weekend and had a great time hanging out with my friends. it was a nice break from the solidarity of living here in malko turnovo alone. i have a good group of people to do stuff with there and i always look forward to seeing them.
work yesterday was awesome. my counterpart took a photographer out to shoot some pictures of a cave in one of the park reserves. they are trying to get new pics for a park calander. anyway, i got to tag along and i convinced my counterpart to accompany them into the cave. it was a decent sized cave, nothing like the huge networks they have at mammoth or jewel caves, but it had several large rooms and connecting tunnels. the entrance was about the size of a large doorway and led in a ways before it dropped down a short way that we had to scramble down. we had helmets and headlamps and there were a few passages that we had to squeeze through on our hands and feet. once get got into the main room we kinda pissed off the bats that resided there, and they were flying around in the dark, illuminated occasionally by the wandering glare of a headlamp beam. the cave had lots of interesting rock features such as stalagtites/mites, columns and beautiful sparkling ribbons of formed rock. we were down there for about an hour and a half or so before we had to head back. it was a sweet trip though.
other than that, the weather is slowly getting colder and colder and winter will soon set in. i am hoping work picks up soon, so i have more to do. winter is a really slow time for the park because no one wants to be outside. anyway, thats all the news for now, i will talk to you all soon. later
work yesterday was awesome. my counterpart took a photographer out to shoot some pictures of a cave in one of the park reserves. they are trying to get new pics for a park calander. anyway, i got to tag along and i convinced my counterpart to accompany them into the cave. it was a decent sized cave, nothing like the huge networks they have at mammoth or jewel caves, but it had several large rooms and connecting tunnels. the entrance was about the size of a large doorway and led in a ways before it dropped down a short way that we had to scramble down. we had helmets and headlamps and there were a few passages that we had to squeeze through on our hands and feet. once get got into the main room we kinda pissed off the bats that resided there, and they were flying around in the dark, illuminated occasionally by the wandering glare of a headlamp beam. the cave had lots of interesting rock features such as stalagtites/mites, columns and beautiful sparkling ribbons of formed rock. we were down there for about an hour and a half or so before we had to head back. it was a sweet trip though.
other than that, the weather is slowly getting colder and colder and winter will soon set in. i am hoping work picks up soon, so i have more to do. winter is a really slow time for the park because no one wants to be outside. anyway, thats all the news for now, i will talk to you all soon. later
pics
i finally figured out a way to get pics up again. i will try to update them as i take them, and i still need to post some older ones, but posting them still takes a lot of time. enjoy. share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0EbOGLZo3cMXGg
Thursday, November 1, 2007
my new job
so i started work a day or two after i got into malko turnovo and so far things are going well. i work for the natural park strandja with eight other people in an office overlooking the center square of malko turnovo. i currently have my own office with a computer to work from, but i think i will share it with my counterpart once he get back in december from his project in germany.
we start the day off at 8 in the morning everyday with coffee and tea together in the breakroom and usually meet there again after lunch at 1 for coffee and tea. coffee and tea breaks are really popular here in bulgaria, i think my office is not out of the ordinary. for a couple of days i rode along with some of my colleagues running errands around the park so that i could get used to what all was there and where everything was.
since then i havent really had a whole lot going on. i am having a much harder time with the langauge here than i was in simitli because there is such a heavy dialect and everyone speaks quickly and slurs their words. so communication has been tough and its up to me to start my own projects but since im not quite yet familiar with the park and office that will still take time. most of my day at work is currently spent studying bulgarian, doing paperwork for the pc, and kinda hangin out. i feel like im not really accomplishing anything, but i think it will just take time. once i know people, have a better grasp of the language and a good feel for the park i should be able to get a lot done. one step at a time.
outside of work i have been kind of a loner. my colleagues all go home to their families and i just head back to my apartment to read and relax. i am excited to start going on hikes around here because the forest and mountain are so beautiful, but it gets dark now at about six and the weather has been real overcast and rainy almost everyday. last saturday i was lucky enough to get some clear weather and i got out for an afternoon hike. i walked a little way out of town and found a trail that led up through some pasture land up into the forested mountains. the trail was nice, and the forest was super tranquil. the leaves are all changing colors, making the canopy a blend of bright yellows and muted reds. the forest floor was a bed of leaves punctuated occasionally by pure white bolders with patches of vibrant green soft moss.
since then i havent gotten to go out, but hopefully there will be more opportunities before it gets too cold. i know there are some old thracian tombs and a fortress nearby that i would like to get to, but we'll see.
the good news is that i finally have internet in my apartment (which is why i am able to write out this blog now). hopefully i can update this thing more often (assuming there are interesting things happening worth writing about) and respond to emails and such on a regular basis.
this friday i might have to go back out to borgas to finish up my registration and get my national identification card. if its not ready by then i will have to go up there sometime next week. well, thats about all for now. i have been trying to post some pics on here as well, but blogger seems to be having technical difficulties with it so i might have to post them later, sorry. until next time....
we start the day off at 8 in the morning everyday with coffee and tea together in the breakroom and usually meet there again after lunch at 1 for coffee and tea. coffee and tea breaks are really popular here in bulgaria, i think my office is not out of the ordinary. for a couple of days i rode along with some of my colleagues running errands around the park so that i could get used to what all was there and where everything was.
since then i havent really had a whole lot going on. i am having a much harder time with the langauge here than i was in simitli because there is such a heavy dialect and everyone speaks quickly and slurs their words. so communication has been tough and its up to me to start my own projects but since im not quite yet familiar with the park and office that will still take time. most of my day at work is currently spent studying bulgarian, doing paperwork for the pc, and kinda hangin out. i feel like im not really accomplishing anything, but i think it will just take time. once i know people, have a better grasp of the language and a good feel for the park i should be able to get a lot done. one step at a time.
outside of work i have been kind of a loner. my colleagues all go home to their families and i just head back to my apartment to read and relax. i am excited to start going on hikes around here because the forest and mountain are so beautiful, but it gets dark now at about six and the weather has been real overcast and rainy almost everyday. last saturday i was lucky enough to get some clear weather and i got out for an afternoon hike. i walked a little way out of town and found a trail that led up through some pasture land up into the forested mountains. the trail was nice, and the forest was super tranquil. the leaves are all changing colors, making the canopy a blend of bright yellows and muted reds. the forest floor was a bed of leaves punctuated occasionally by pure white bolders with patches of vibrant green soft moss.
since then i havent gotten to go out, but hopefully there will be more opportunities before it gets too cold. i know there are some old thracian tombs and a fortress nearby that i would like to get to, but we'll see.
the good news is that i finally have internet in my apartment (which is why i am able to write out this blog now). hopefully i can update this thing more often (assuming there are interesting things happening worth writing about) and respond to emails and such on a regular basis.
this friday i might have to go back out to borgas to finish up my registration and get my national identification card. if its not ready by then i will have to go up there sometime next week. well, thats about all for now. i have been trying to post some pics on here as well, but blogger seems to be having technical difficulties with it so i might have to post them later, sorry. until next time....
the big move
sorry for not updating this for a while, but i have been real busy moving, getting a new place to live and starting a new job. its been kinda hectic. things have finally slowed down now though and i now have internet at my apt.
anyway, we had our swearing in ceremony in Sofia that was attended by all the PC staff and several representatives from both the bulgarian and american governments. afterwards was a nice reception with pretty good food and gave all of us one last chance to say goodbye before we all left to go to our perminant sites. i however got to stay in sofia for the night because everyone in my host organization was out of town for the week and i was in no rush to get there.
had a great time checking out the sofia night life and the next day i headed off to borgas where i met another pcv that i stayed with. i spent the weekend there and got plenty of time to walk around and explore the city. it was a good chance to meet a lot of people that i will probibly be seeing a lot of over the next two years because borgas is only about an hour and twenty minutes away from malko turnovo.
on sunday i left for malko turnovo and started moving into my new apartment. i live in an old communist concrete housing block about a one minute walk from my office (which will be great on those cold winter days. the apartment is not bad at all, it has a nice living room, a bedroom with two beds, a small kitchen (only one burner on the stove works which makes cooking a little tough) a storage closet and a balcony. i have a wood burning stove for heat (still learning how to get it started quickly) and deep below the building is a 'crypt' where i have a small stockpile of wood to get me through the winter.
i spent the first couple of days getting random things that i needed for the apartment, but for the most part it came fully furnished.
anyway, we had our swearing in ceremony in Sofia that was attended by all the PC staff and several representatives from both the bulgarian and american governments. afterwards was a nice reception with pretty good food and gave all of us one last chance to say goodbye before we all left to go to our perminant sites. i however got to stay in sofia for the night because everyone in my host organization was out of town for the week and i was in no rush to get there.
had a great time checking out the sofia night life and the next day i headed off to borgas where i met another pcv that i stayed with. i spent the weekend there and got plenty of time to walk around and explore the city. it was a good chance to meet a lot of people that i will probibly be seeing a lot of over the next two years because borgas is only about an hour and twenty minutes away from malko turnovo.
on sunday i left for malko turnovo and started moving into my new apartment. i live in an old communist concrete housing block about a one minute walk from my office (which will be great on those cold winter days. the apartment is not bad at all, it has a nice living room, a bedroom with two beds, a small kitchen (only one burner on the stove works which makes cooking a little tough) a storage closet and a balcony. i have a wood burning stove for heat (still learning how to get it started quickly) and deep below the building is a 'crypt' where i have a small stockpile of wood to get me through the winter.
i spent the first couple of days getting random things that i needed for the apartment, but for the most part it came fully furnished.
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