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Greetings from Bulgaria,

I hope all is well back in the USA; I have been very busy in the last 5 weeks so I will try and give you all a brief update on my experience so far.
Washington DC was very hot and humid even at night, but it was great to see all the monuments, begin my adventure and to meet my new friends. When I arrived in Sofia we drove to Borovits which is a small ski resort town about an hour and a half outside of Sofia. We began classes the next morning at 8 am. It was difficult to study and learn with such horrible jet lag but I made it through. I began to develop great friendships right away and was very excited to meet people from all over the United States. After the initial orientation we were split up into groups of five for our training. I was placed in a small town called xxxxxxx. It has about 8,000 people and is located in central Bulgaria. I have training sessions Monday through Friday and have been spending my free time traveling around the country.
I have gone on some wonderful hikes around my city. There is a small monastery at the peak of the biggest hill in my town. It’s about a 4 mile hike to the top. I have also traveled to Sofia a few times to practice with the Sofia rugby team. They are about half Bulgarian and the other half a mixture between Kiwis, French and British players. They are traveling to Greece at the end of the month but I am not able to leave the country for my 1st six months of service (bummer). I have also traveled to Plovdiv and seen the Ruins of a roman amphitheatre. I am having the time of my life down here and am seeing some amazing sites. It is definitely a very different place, but overall a wonderful country.
Last week I received my permanent site placement and my job description. It was great to finally figure out what I will be doing the next 2 years. I will be working in a small town about 30 minutes outside of Plovdiv. I will be working for a small BIO NGO. I spent two days their last week and met my Counterpart Dimitar. He is a very intelligent, motivated and well connected man. In those two days I accomplished many things. I spent a few hours with a representative of the of the Roma community, we discussed project ideas and walked around the Roma neighborhood. I also had a meeting with the mayor which I feel went very well. Throughout my visit I met 4 council members, the owner of the local press as well as many other important members of the community. I am very excited about my new job and cannot wait to begin working at the end of October.
After My permanent site visit I took a bus to Sozopal which is a small town on the Black Sea. I met 11 other friends their and spent the weekend at the beach. It was truly incredible. But the fun and games are over for the time being, so its time to hit the books. It is hard to believe it has been 5 weeks since I left home but I just want you all to know that things are going great. And to all my friends and family; I think of you often and miss you all very much.