Christmas on the Slopes

I have officially made it through my first holiday season abroad. Christmas eve I took a bus to Plovdiv and met with a few PCVs for a late lunch. I really enjoy spending time with my Peace Corps friends, we are all scattered about the country so our meetings are few and far between. After the meal we did some quick grocery shopping and hopped on a bus to Chepelarie. Chepelarie is a small town in the Roedobes(mountain range in southern Bulgaria). The crew consisted of:
Mitch- From Michigan, a laid back surfer type guy from Central Michigan University.
Kristin-From Delaware, a very intelligent and fun girl from Harvard.
Greg-(aka The Senator) from California, a very confident and experienced business type guy from Georgetown.
We made it to Chepelarie around 5 and began to cook our Christmas turkey. Our turkey was 20 pounds and barely squeezed into the microwave size stove we had. After about 6 hours we ate dinner and enjoyed our mostly cooked turkey while we reminisced about pre service training, and our future plans at our permanent sites.
The next morning we hitch hiked to the slopes and enjoyed the fresh snow at the near by ski resort of Pamparrovo. I must say snowboarding on Christmas day really took the edge off things. Christmas really wasn’t the same away from my Family and friends in America. However Snowboarding was the perfect cure for my stress and homesickness. We ended up skiing the next day in Chepelarie, and spent the following two days about 50 km away in Smolyan. Its great to have PCV friends living in the Roedobes, it made our Christmas vacation affordable.
Its new years day right now around 6:45 pm, I am exhausted from last night, and am relieved and eager to have a good night sleep. New years in Sofia was nothing short of spectacular. I truly can’t imagine a place where I would have had more fun. My friends Andrea and Boudreaux hosted a PCV party at their place. We began the night with some home made chili, and followed it with some drinks and pleasant conversation. As more PCVs showed up, the night continued its enjoy ability. All the volunteers were excited to get away from there small towns and to cut loose with their new friends. There was a moment when I was sitting in a circle of volunteer’s Indian style smoking out of a hookah (tobacco), that I realized ‘this truly is the Peace Corps’. It made me laugh to think about how much my life has changed since I moved to Bulgaria. Everything is different, and my perspectives and outlooks on things have become distorted. Why is it that I now find it ridiculously expensive to pay more than $5 dollars for a meal in a restaurant? Beaudroux told me that he is able to flush toilet paper down his toilet, and I found this unbelievable. The truth is that I only get paid around $225 a month, and the plumbing is terrible in Bulgaria so toilet paper is placed in a small garbage can, not flushed. Bulgaria is such a poor country that the money I earn is more than adequate for a PCV lifestyle. And all the other small differences have become normal and routine.
Alright back to the festivities, after a few hours of loosening up with the PC posse, we made our way to Sofia’s city center. There were thousands of people in the center, partying and having a great time. There were loud speakers bumping traditional as well as popular Bulgarian music, as well as a stage showing traditional Bulgarian dancing. When the clock struck midnight, the crowed roared and fireworks began to light the cold Bulgarian sky. It felt great to be in such an inspiring atmosphere. After about an hour of dancing the ‘hora’ and taking pulls of home made wine with friendly Bulgarians, we headed back to Boudreaux’s to continue the party and eventually sleep. As I woke up in 2006 I felt slightly beat, but overwhelmingly optimistic about the following year. I began to think about where I am and why I am here. My pondering helped me put a lot of things in perspective and gave me motivation for the following year. I consider myself lucky to be living in Bulgaria, and am appreciative to have this opportunity to volunteer in such a beautiful and diverse country.
I don’t feel like I have accomplished much in the last couple months, I have focused more on integration and less on actual work. I am feeling more and more comfortable at my site, and have been meeting some great people. That’s all for now, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.
Thanks a lot for the care packages from:
Sam and Lori and Roy and Maize- I appreciate the warm cloths, the fleece and hat are wonderful and I have had many compliments on both.

Mom and Dad- Thanks for taking the time to get me those winter cloths, Thermal underwear is key. Ohh and that was the best peanut butter I have ever had!

Julie- Thanks again for the care package