We are writing this email at the close of a long and eventful summer. We hope that you are all doing well and have enjoyed your summer. Happy Labor Day, by the way. :) Summer in Bulgaria is wonderful…it means trips to the seaside, fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables and sunny days.
Our summer started off with a trip to the states. Stacie was a bridesmaid in a good friends’ wedding and we were also able to visit family and friends during our week-long stay. It was nice to be home- but of course way too short!
Two days after arriving back in Bulgaria from the states, we started our summer camp for teens in the mountains near Sliven. With the help of 5 other volunteers, we led 22 teenagers on a 5-day wilderness camp. For most of the time, the campers were divided into a boys group and a girls group. The boys’ camp was called “Camp Survivor” and focused on wilderness survival training. The girls’ camp was called “Camp Blue Rocks” and focused on leadership, peer pressure, and women’s empowerment. All in all, the camp was a success. Summer camp is a rare concept in Bulgaria. Many of the teens had never slept in a tent before. I am proud to say that everyone survived and felt more self-confident afterwards!
After the camp, we took a much needed break on the seaside. We stayed for 4 days and were able to celebrate our 2 year anniversary.
Next, we were off to another summer camp. This camp was by the seaside and was for the teenage orphanage we’ve been helping out with. Our group consisted of 11 kids and 2 Bulgarian teachers. It was quite the experience for us! The orphanage itself is Bulgaria’s version of juvenile hall and the kids have all committed some sort of petty crime to be placed there. Needless to say, the kids kept us busy….between fighting, stealing and running out of our sight. It was, however, a very special time for us. We had many deep conversations with the kids. Our eyes were opened to their desperate lives- abusive parents, addictions, lack of opportunities, and discrimination. It was a gift to get to spend 7 days with these kids and hopefully speak hope into their lives.
After the camp, we dove into project writing. We each completed a grant application for the “Small Project Assistance” program through the Peace Corps. One project is for the sensory room for autistic children and the other is for the prevention of human trafficking. We find out soon if our projects will be funded- we’ll let you know how things go!
At the beginning of August we took a trip to Veliko Turnovo to celebrate Jason’s birthday. The city is the ancient capital of Bulgaria. While there we explored ruins from a fort and church. We also went to the movies, as the city has a movie theater and a mall!
In mid-August Stacie attended a week-long seminar on HIV/AIDS education. The seminar was based on the concept of peer education, so each Peace Corps volunteer brought a teen with us to the training. Together we learned how to make presentations to high school students and made a plan for starting this work in the fall.
Our last event of the summer was a camp last week for disabled children. The camp was very unique because it gave the children the opportunity to have horse therapy sessions daily for 5 days. The children learned basic horse riding techniques as well as how to balance and do different physical therapy exercises while riding. The most amazing thing about this camp was that for many of the kids, this was their first time away from home ever. They did great!
We are now back in Sliven and getting ready for fall to start. Here in Bulgaria, many people take vacation time in August to go to the seaside. In the next week or two, everyone will come back home and school will start again. We are looking forward to a few new things starting this fall. One will be an English class in the Roma neighborhood, another will be writing a project to connect local teens in Sliven with kids in orphanages in the villages.
We hope you are all doing well and would love to hear from you. Thank you so much for your love and prayers, they are always needed.
Love,
Stacie and Jason
