Tropical Heat Wave

I can honestly say that I now know what cold feels like. A cold front came down from Russia and turned Eastern Europe into Antarctica. The temperatures plummeted over night, and my home became about as comfortable as a meat locker. The current temperature in my house is 35F. Yesterday it was 28F and before that it’s was around 24F. So things are definitely getting better. But since my house has turned into a giant ice cube, I have lost all use of my utilities. My toilet as well as the rest of the plumbing in my house are frozen solid. I have been sneaking into the local hotel to take care of business. I haven’t figured out where I will shower yet, I am just praying that my pipes will thaw out and things will go back to normal. The thing I hate the most about this experience is living without a toilet. There is another major problem I face when leaving my home to use other facilities. This problem is known as “the Turkish toilet”. A Turkish toilet is porcelain hole in the ground. Normally I refrain from using these toilets but when almost every public toilet in Bulgaria is Turkish, my options are limited. It’s like camping but you can’t really use your hand to balance yourself (three point squat). Oh I forgot to mention these toilets are usually about as clean as a honey bucket at a rock concert.
I recently spent a week in Bankya, a small town near Sofia. It was ‘in service training’, a week long conference full of business, safety and language classes. It was great to see the other volunteers in my group and to hear about all of their successes and failures up to this point. A few of the volunteers had rough times at there sites and had to be moved to different cities. Over all the conference was a good time, and relatively helpful.
Well temps this week are skyrocketing and my work situation is slowly improving. So my spirits are rising with the weather. I have a meeting with Chirpan’s athletic director tomorrow to discuss the details of the soccer tournament I am planning for this spring. Things are going well at the kindergarten as well. The kids are learning fast, and are having some fun as well. The smiles of my students really brighten my day. It’s amazing how easily those kids are entertained.
Well I haven’t been able to watch a Sea Hawk game yet this year, but I will however have the opportunity to watch the Super Bowl. I am traveling to Sofia Sunday to watch the big game at 1am. I will be watching the game at JJ Murphy’s the Irish bar that sponsors my rugby team. It won’t be a typical afternoon Super Bowl party, but I will be watching the Sea Hawks destroy the Steelers and that’s what counts.
GO SEA HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!