NEW ADVENTURES

Well a lot has happened since I wrote my last blog, so I will try and fill in the gaps as much as possible. Well I got over my first little hint of depression a couple of weeks ago. I had about a two week period where I was pretty much mad at the world and had no idea why. But things have been great since then. I went on a training visit to Sofia to visit the Peace Corps headquarters. It was not at all what I expected. It was a fortified building, with 4 inch steel doors at each entrance. And a guard at the fence who only allows entrance to official guests and PC employees. It was what I would expect from an embassy, but I guess better safe than sorry. Sometimes I forget I am actually working for the US government. I suppose in this day in age, precautions are necessary. Sofia is a great city full of beautiful buildings and churches. It has a bit of a Mafia presence however. They are easy to spot because they drive black luxury cars typically the box like Mercedes SUV.
The last few weeks have been jam packed and a bit stressful at times. I studied very hard for my final language examination. In order to swear in as a volunteer you are required to pass. I passed with a “Novice High”. I think I could have done better, but it was recorded, and I was really nervous and felt a lot of pressure to do well. After that test a weight was lifted off my shoulders. That following weekend we completed our final community project at my training site. My training group (5 people whom I train with and share my small town with) and I developed an outline for educating the youth of Bulgaria about the problems of littering. We laminated these outlines and distributed them to the teachers in Krichim. Bulgaria is full of litter, because people don’t seem to bother throwing things away in trash cans. As a result most towns and rivers are littered with trash. We also did an activity with the youth of Krichim as a part of our project. We tried to develop a sense of pride in their town, and led a clean up of the city. We had around 75 youth show up and participate. About a 1/5 were Roma and they all seamed to get along great. After the clean up we went to the stadium and played games with the kids and later had refreshments. I lead a soccer game; it was a lot of fun and a great way to end the day. This was not much of a project but when taking in consideration the time we had, and the mere 50 leva grant we were issued, we did alright. The next day I had my final evaluation interview with one of the head PC directors. And then went to my final training day in Pazarjik. After the last hub session, we all dressed up in our finest, and took a bus to Sofia for the big event.
So as of Thursday the 27th of October I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer. After the country director gave a speech and introduced us all by name and where we were from. The US ambassador gave a speech and swore us all in officially. It was a great event with some great speeches from: our CD, US ambassador, and Bulgarian head of economic development and a representative of our group. It felt great to finally finish training. After a hellish experience of moving all my belongings from Sofia to my permanent site, I could rest. I had 4 bags and had to take 2 busses and a train to get to my site. But I now have a place to my self and couldn’t be happier. I am living in an attic apartment very close to the center of my town. I have the whole upstairs, and the downstairs is only occupied during the summer. So I have plenty of privacy which is great. I do not however have a stove or a refrigerator, which I believe will be a problem. I guess its time for me to learn how to wash my cloths by hand. I am very excited to start my new job next week. After I get my Lichna Carta, I will be all set and able to concentrate on my work. I will be working two jobs in my City. I will be working for the Bulgarian Bio Association and for the local municipality. My Language skills definitely need a lot of work, so I think that my integration will be slow until I can get a grasp on the language.
I hope all is well back in the states, I have no idea what is happening over there, but the PC does provide Newsweek subscriptions to all PCVs. So that will give me an idea of what is happening. Thanks a lot for the emails, it’s been great to hear from you guys. Winter is fastly approaching so it looks like I will definitely have a challenge ahead of me. And to the religious clan within my American contacts, please pray for my friend Tony Atler who is currently hunting out insurgents in Iraq. He is an infantry Marine Corps Officer and is under fire everyday so just pray that he will make it home safe. Take care everyone,
Trevor

11-1-05
Well I have been two busy to actually post this blog so I figured I would add a bit more before I send it off into the information super highway. It is now Tuesday and possibly the most frustrating week of my life so far. I traveled to Starza Gora yesterday to begin the process of getting a lichna carta (Bulgarian ID). Basically the last two days have been like going on a field trip to the DMV while wearing ear plugs and having to deal with people who lack any type of patience. Wow I can actually see my English skills diminish before my very eyes. Too much Bulgarski! Anyways back to my griping; I found some larvae on my sheet last night and pulled it up to realize that my whole mattress is infested with maggot like worms. Well my room was finally at a comfortable temperature so I pulled the sheet back over and went to sleep. And also the lack of appliances may become an issue when it comes to my living situation. My kitchen is a 4x6 room with a stone sink and a table.
OK enough complaining, I am in fact doing quite well at my permanent site, I already met two guys in town. And things are definitely looking up. Tomorrow I will spend the day developing project ideas and hopefully writing a small $5,000 grant to the World Bank. After this week I believe that things will flow much smoother. And too all you family and friends, Bulgaria is definitely a country worth checking out. So feel free to come visit sometime within the next couple years. That’s all for now(for real this time)

Trevor Lake

11-4-05

It is now Friday morning and the week is finally winding down. Things have definitely been getting better as the week progressed. I have a small fridge and stove now which is great. I am still trying to find my role within my workplace, but that will take time I am sure. I have continued to study Bulgarian, and have had a lot of help from my counterpart. I will begin tutoring next week with an English teacher in my town. I have 3 friends in town already. I hung out with 2 of them last night, we watched a soccer game and had a nagosti(Bulgarian small dinner party) Their team won by scoring a goal literally in the last 5 seconds. I have been brainstorming project ideas, but it has become apparent that Bulgarians in general think differently then most Americans. So I feel that I will have many challenges at work. Also there is so much hatred and resentment toward the roma population within my town, that it will be difficult to get the community to support me on any ethnic tolerance projects. I have made friends with two young roma boys in town. They are always begging for money and food outside the grocery store. They are 10,11, one of them lives at the local orphanage but stays with his grandmother from time to time in my town. Its hard for me to say no to the kids, they get so excited when I give them a half a bag of chips. I think I will try and do some things with the nearby orphanage while I am here. Anyways, things are going very well here, I am finally beginning to get my feet wet. I miss you all and thanks again for the emails,

Trevor Lake

NEW ADRESS:

TREVOR LAKE
STR. VASIL KALCHEV 4
CHIRPAN 6200
BULGARIA