Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Spring Update

5-22-06

Its Monday afternoon in Bulgaria, the sun is shining, and my office is uncomfortably hot. I would guess it to be in the mid 80s today. Last weekend I traveled to Sofia and watched the Premiere of ‘The Davinci Code’. I personally don’t know what the hype is all about, the movie was entertaining, and creative, but far from something that can be looked at as plausible.
Saturday I played a rugby game against a Swiss team. They were a team from Switzerland, but most of them were French. They started off the game by lining up on the midfield and presenting us all with club ties and a bottle of French wine. After that the French ambassador did a ceremonial kick off to begin the game. The Swiss team did a lot of arguing and showed poor sportsmanship throughout the game, the game eventually ended prematurely by the Swiss team abandoning the game. The points however were in our favor, so it was without question that we had won the game. The Social we threw for them went well for the most part, we didn’t mingle together as much as we would normally, due to the language barrier. But our French players Olivier and Benoit felt right at home amongst the French.
Sunday was another beautiful day, I participated in an annual Peace Corps Softball game. The game was against the Japanese volunteers in Bulgaria. (Similar to Peace Corps) We only lost by one run which is great because apparently we usually get crushed by the Japanese. The game was followed by a barbecue and social event with the Japanese. The next game of the day was the US embassy vs. the Japanese embassy. It was funny to see how competitive some of the US embassy guys were playing. And to see the US ambassador in a full baseball uniform.
Well I am at work now trying to figure out my next plan of action. A couple of things I am working on seem to be falling apart, so it may be time to start brainstorming for other project ideas.

5-26-2006

Its Friday now and I am excited for another beautiful weekend. This week flew by because Wednesday was a national holiday so we had the day off. It was a day for Bulgarians to celebrate the creation of the Cyrillic Alphabet. The Bulgarians founded this alphabet and are very proud of this accomplishment. I met a couple friends in Plovdiv on Tuesday and enjoyed the local nightlife. On Wednesday I went into the mountains to a resort on the side of a small lake. We spent the day swimming in a pool and relaxing in the sun. Of course it was the first day I had my shirt off all year, so the next couple days I reaped the consequences.

5-29-2006

It’s another uncomfortably hot Monday in the office. It’s really starting to heat up in these parts, and my weekend excursions are getting better and better. This last weekend I went to a town called Kazanluk. It is known for its production of rose oil.( rose oil is the base of most perfumes). Saturday we played an exhibition rugby game for a crowd attending a festival. It was a ticketed event, and they even provided us with our own cheerleaders. It was ridiculously hot, and quite a rough game, but a very good time overall. Saturday evening my rugby team and I attended a private party at a secluded restaurant right outside of Kazanluk. There were many ex-pats in attendance, including the Irish ambassador. The dinner was great, and the whole night was filled with traditional music, and dancing. I consumed enough rakia to get out on the dance floor when everyone was dancing the ‘hora’. Later that evening there was a traditional fire walking demonstration. When the Bulgarian woman finished her show, I took the opportunity to throw caution to the wind and dart across the hot coals. I walked across about 4 times without even getting blisters. My friend Lincoln however was not quite as lucky. He awoke with a few souvenir blisters on the soles of his feet. Sunday we were taken to a rose oil factory, it was founded in 1909. In 1944 however the communists took the factory away from there family and did not return the land and factory until 1992. They say that Kazanluk at one point supplied 80% of the worlds rose oil.
I feel so lucky to be doing what I am doing right now, its hard for me to imagine how life would be if I were in America right now. This experience though rocky at times has been jam packed with once in a lifetime events and experiences. My schedule is always filled with exciting events weeks in advance. This next weekend I will go on a work retreat to a resort in the Balkan mountains. And the following weekend I have a trip planned to play a rugby game in Varna. I will be my first game with Varna RFC a semi-pro rugby team in Varna. In order to play with them I need to jump through a few hoops and get in some eligibility paperwork. I am excited to join this club and to play high level rugby. They will even pay all my travel expenses and give me a per diem on game weekends. Which is completely necessary because traveling to Varna takes about 7 hours and is not an easy thing to afford on a Peace Corps salary.
The only problems right now that I am having are my allergies. They seem to be getting worse and worse, and the Claritin I use is losing its effectiveness. It’s a bit frustrating when I have to blow my nose every 10 minutes, and can’t get to sleep at night because my eyes are burning. Everything else here is starting to come together, my language skills are improving slowly but surely, and my work situation has been getting better with time. I have a few soccer games this week, the first game is today at 5:30. I am a bit worn out from this last weekend, however I should be able to scrape together enough energy to play.
5-31-2006
My first soccer game of the tournament went well we won the game 2-1. My eyes were burning the whole time, and my nose was running uncontrollably. I think that I am allergic to the grass on the field. Yesterday I had a game as well, but we ended up losing 3-1. During the game I received an accidental elbow to the face from one of the opposing players. And I have the black eye to prove it, it was an accident, and I am used to pain in rugby so I didn’t make a fuss about it. I didn’t even draw a fowl, I just shrugged it off and kept playing. I still had a good time and after all its part of the game.

FLOPPING

(well......... i was bored and decided to write about something other than PC udates)
One thing that I really can’t stand in sports these days is the ‘flopping’ or pretending to be fouled, or exaggerating your foul just to draw a penalty. This is most commonly seen in Basketball and Soccer. Games are often decided in both of these sports by a slim point’s margin. Every point counts in these sports, and people are finding new ways to squeeze out that extra point. Flopping I am sure has been around for quite some time, but the recent rise in popularity, and acceptability is something to be concerned about. It’s not much of a mystery why people do it, nor is it a David Copperfield act when it is executed. People know exactly when and where it happens, thanks to technology showing different camera angels and speeds. People watch professional sports to be entertained by skilled athletes. So why are athletes willing to throw away their honor and dignity for the W. Is this really what people are willing to pay to see? If I wanted to watch actors I would go to a movie. Can you imagine a hockey, football or rugby player squealing in pain every time they were touched. In those sports being tough is part of the game. As a player you will definitely not earn any respect or recognition by being a ‘Sally’. I once had my hand stepped on during a rugby game, it fractured my index finger in 2 places and made the top of my hand throb with pain. Being a freshman in college and not knowing any better I approached my coach and asked him for a replacement. He looked at me deep in the eyes and yelled: “ your hand is so God damn far away from your heart. Get your ass back out there.!” Well that stuck with me all of these years, and truly taught me to toughen up and play to my full ability. I guess that’s why I cringe every time I see a professional athlete curl up in the fetal position with supposed excruciating pain. When you see a real athlete do this, you know they are not going to be walking off the field. This obviously is not the same for the athletes who have mastered the art of flopping.

I can’t say I really like basketball anyways, but it makes me absolutely despise it when I see Flopping. I find it quite pathetic when a 240 lb 6-7 beast of a man falls to the ground from a slap on the wrist, or a light bump from an opponent.
The most obvious flopping occurs when a soccer player gets touched by a defensive opponent anywhere near shooting range. He then falls down to the ground, and puts on a 5 second; one act play about how much it hurts. I don’t really understand why this became acceptable. Technology allows these plays to be analyzed and it usually shows that there was little or no contact between players. Professional soccer players are among the fittest athletes in the world, with ridiculously strong legs. I find it hard to believe that it is necessary for them to fall to the ground every time another player comes in contact with there legs. And also if it hurts so badly, I don’t understand why they are fine and dandy as soon as the penalty is given. A perfect example is during the recent FC Barcelona and Arsenal game. Arsenals only goal of the game came from an actors ability to fake a foul near Barcelona’s goal box. Perhaps these players should quit soccer and move to Hollywood. That way they would no longer have to feel excruciating pain 10 times a match.
I am not sure what the solution is to this problem except for the obvious; severe penalties for being a wuss. If you are out on the field or court as an actor and not as a professional athlete you should be taken out of the game immediately. I am sure that most referees know that flopping is ruining the integrity of once pure and honest sports. Its time for officials to get on the horn and discuss the problems so that we can weed out all of the soft players and leave the strong honest ones to play the game.
With the World Cup rapidly approaching it makes me wonder how the games will be played this time around. With the high level of athletes, and games often won and lost by a narrow one point margin, it will be interesting to see what teams will progress to the championship. Will it be the most skilled team, or the team that has actors who are willing to shamefully flop in order to draw the foul at just the right spot on the field . I personally hope the referees have their eyes open for this sort of thing. I sincerely hope that the better teams win and the teams with the flopping strategy take a long slow train back to their homeland with a disgraceful face full of tears.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

The Day After Yesterday

4-28-2006
It’s Thursday afternoon and I am almost recovered from my trip to Istanbul. I probably only had about 12 hours of sleep total during my trip. Just because you take the sleeper train does not necessarily mean you will actually get any sleep. I enjoyed many things while I was in Istanbul, everywhere I looked in Istanbul, I saw a giant historical Mosque. The city is so rich with history and culture it was difficult to only stay there for such a short amount of time. I think I will definitely go back within the next two years.

5-3-2006

I am at work right now, trying to think of things to write about. It’s been a few weeks since I have updated my blog, and I am starting to feel like my blog is becoming less and less interesting. Perhaps it’s because I am no longer an emotional wreck, and I am no longer suffering through an agonizingly cold winter. The sun is shining, I have become a familiar face in my community, and I play sports almost every day. So what is there really to write about? I guess I can change my mood to happy, and go from there.
Today I will begin writing a small project to repair a medical clinic in a nearby village. It will be a small $5,000 grant, and will give me a boost of confidence if I can pull it off. I now play soccer at the stadium twice a week with a group of local guys. I don’t know them very well, and I don’t think they realize that I can speak Bulgarian, because I only spoke about 15 words during a two hour game I played yesterday. Rugby is going great; this weekend will be my first game back since my concussion. It’s an international 7’s tournament in Sofia. The following week we will play another international game, this time against a Swiss men’s club. It feels great to have the kinks worked out, I feel like I have things figured out here, and for the most part am very happy. I now know my role in my community, as well as in my workplace. I feel that my second year will be much more productive than my first. It takes a long time to adjust, learn the language, and integrate enough to feel comfortable in Bulgaria. My house now feels like my home, and I feel so accustomed to the Bulgarian way of life, that part of me is a bit frightened to return to America.
Last Friday I was invited to a ‘meet and greet’ at the US embassy. I was able to meet Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It was very exciting to shake the hand of such an important political figure. There were 3,000 police guarding the streets that day, due to some anti-American protests that were planned by a radical Bulgarian political party.
The old lady that lives below me moved back into the house. So now I am not feeling quite as alone. She is a very kind old woman and seems to like me quite a bit. Her son died recently, and she told me that I was like her son, and if I ever needed anything to come to her. So it looks like I have another grandma to look after me. There is also another old woman who lives in my house, but she won’t move back for another week or so. She came back for two days last week, and we worked together to get the garden ready for the spring. She had quite a bit of energy for an old lady, and could definitely hold her own in the garden.
Well that’s just about all I can think of to write about at this time. I will try and find some interesting things to do, so I will have more to write about. When I first arrived in this country everything was fascinating, but now its just everyday life. It’s been great trading emails with you all. I feel very connected to everyone, thanks to the internet. Well take care, and I look forward to seeing you all in September.
Trevor Lake