Project update

It has been a while since we have updated everyone on our work activities, so that email will be coming in the next few days. But first we wanted to let you all know about an important opportunity to become involved in our work with the orphanage children here in Bulgaria.

We have recently been approved by the Peace Corps to start raising funds for our project "A Healthier Future for Children" through something called the "Peace Corps Partnership Project." The idea of the project is to raise 25% of the funds in our Bulgarian community and 75% of the funds from our family and friends back home. We have successfully raised the 25% here and are now looking to you to help up raise the rest of the funds needed for the project. Many of you have expressed the desire to support us in someway in our work here- and this is the best way! All funds can be donated online, are tax deductible and will be used to create a strategic project to improve the quality of life for the at-risk children we are working with.

Please check out our project description and online donation center at:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=313-122



If you have any questions about the project or advice for us as we begin our work, please don't hesitate to contact us!!

New Years

For NYE Stacie and I rented a cabin in Bansko with a few other PCVs. We all wanted to rent an apartment somewhere in the mountains and found a great little place right in the heart of the ski-town for $15/person/night (thanks to Jess!). It came fully equipped with sleeping arrangements for 6, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and entertainment center where we hooked up DDR for PS2. There was even a sauna and hot tub that we could use!

From New Years 2009

We relaxed quite a bit in the apartment and walked around the cute town. As we were walking around on the 1st we spotted bigfoot!

From New Years 2009

Actually this is a part of an old Bulgarian called "Kukeri" (See: Article).

Although we did not ski, we took the gondola up to the main area that the ski lifts started from and brought our sleds with us. The snow was pretty compacted, which meant for quite fast sledding! After we had spent $5 on hot cocoa and $6 on a hot dog we decided to head back the mountain. All around the town there were vendors selling all sorts of typical Bulgarian souvenirs including table cloths, socks, bags and rugs.

From New Years 2009

For the midnight celebration the city held a concert with a few famous Bulgarian singers. As you probably know by now, traditional Bulgarian concerts include the traditional Bulgarian dance the "horo". It is a fairly easy dance that includes holding hands in a circle and kicking your feet in unison with everyone else. There are easy dances and harder dances. For NYE they have a special dance and we were looking forward to learning it. But instead several Bulgarians dancing the horo, we found a bunch of drunk foreigners attempting to dance it. Their attempts were quite unsuccessful and at some points a little offensive because the alcohol had taken away a certain cultural tact. Oh well. We danced anyways.

On the way back from Bansko we rode on a train through the mountains. It was quite a beautiful ride, perhaps one of the most beautiful scenic routes in all of BG. A great trip overall and one that we won't soon forget!

Now for a few more cool pics!

From New Years 2009

How else to spend free time but with Settlers!

From New Years 2009

On the way up the mountain.

From New Years 2009

Footsteps in the snow.

From New Years 2009

Sledding!

From New Years 2009

Not a fair fight.

From New Years 2009

On the way home (thanks Jess for the pic!).

Christmas 2008

This year Stacie and I spent Christmas back in Kyustendil. When we got there to K-dill, it had just started snowing. They got an inch or so over the 3 days we spent there, and it even snowed a little on Christmas day! In Bulgaria, the traditionally more important day of Christmas is actually Christmas eve. On Christmas eve families usually celebrate by cooking a big dinner and spending time with each other. So we spend Christmas eve with my host family since we were with Stacie's host family last year.

From Christmas Eve Meal

It was a little tough navigating how much time we spent with each family since they both wanted us to be with them, but I think we all had a good time in the end. So now we are home for a few days and we'll be headed off to Bansko to do some skiing after the weekend for NYE. We'll be there with some other PCVs, so it'll be nice to be around some Americans for the next holiday.

The weather here has been quite cold, but we are not complaining too much. My family back in Seattle has had a much colder and more icky winter so far. It has snowed over 15 inches in many parts of Seattle which is not common at all. I am just hoping that we would get some of their luck and have an uncommonly snowy spell ourselves here in Sliven.