Soccer & Spring
3-26-2006
After it rained on Friday during the field set up, I began to get anxious and worried about my charity soccer tournament the following day. My charity tournament that had been months into the planning was only a day away. The overcast sky and the rain that was slowly saturating the field, made me nervous. The following morning however was bright and sunny. I was very relieved to have excellent weather for the tournament. It was my first community project, and had potential to be a disaster. The tournament however was a huge success. I think about it now, and can’t think of any ways it could have possibly gone better. We began the tournament with open registration, and then the teams warmed up for the exhibition game. I had to give a speech at this point which was a bit difficult, because I was nervous, and had my city’s mayor standing right next to me. The weather was so amazing, and the tournament had such a great turn out, that I could not help but smile ear to ear. The tournament started with a 40 minute exhibition game between Chirpan’s municipal team and a ‘sand lot mix’ of PCV’s and other visiting Bulgarians. We were outmatched by Chirpan’s team but held our own, and scored a goal in the second half. It was a lot of fun, and all the participants were able to get in a good warm up. The tournament went very smoothly, and everyone seemed to have had a great time. The final game was a match between a Roma team and a team of PCV’s. The Roma team absolutely destroyed the PCV team; it was very exciting to watch. The Roma team consisted of a player from Chirpan’s municipal team and his friends. The Roma team had quite a fan club cheering them on; it was quite encouraging to see the Roma get recognition and respect by other Bulgarians. The Roma players were wearing tennis shoes, one guy was wearing jeans, and two of them were wearing raggedy sweaters. To see a team like this with such skills and talent was very exciting to watch. At the end of the tournament I awarded the top three teams with medals, and shook the hands of the victorious Roma team. When it was all finished we enjoyed some beer on the field and embraced the cross cultural experience. A volunteer brought an American football and a Frisbee and taught other Bulgarians how to throw them. It was a beautiful day that was enjoyed by all. It was by far the best weather we have had so far this spring. After the beer ran out we all piled onto a chartered bus and drove to a near by village to see the oldest monastery in Europe (supposedly). It was founded in 334Ad, which makes it 16 years older than the number two monastery in France. There is a cave on the Cliffside that was inhabited by the founder of the monastery; apparently it is good luck to walk through the cave. So after we all blessed ourselves with good luck we piled back on the bus, and completed the day.
I feel very relieved that the tournament is over, and overjoyed that it was successful. There was a lot of time invested in the event by my colleagues and I, and I was relieved to see that everything went according to plan.
Well I had to skip my rugby game in Sofia on Sunday to plan an ‘anti-trafficking in persons’ class at the local high school set for today. I was supposed to have 2 classes today and one tomorrow and I only found out Thursday about the classes. So it was a rush to get things prepared and planned in time for the Monday morning classes. As things turned out there was a surprise inspector who showed up from Stara Zagora to assess the school, so the classes were canceled. I will find out later what the whole story is and, when I will be able to teach the classes.
I am heading over to Istanbul the third weekend of April, I am going with a group of five friends. It should be a good time. I have heard a lot of great things about Istanbul. And thanks to birthday donations, I have the finances to make this trip happen.
I am working hard, trying to get a hospital project in the motions. It is going to be a long road ahead, and hopefully I will be able to find a partnering organization in the states to help fund it. The goal is to fund the transport of a 40 foot storage container from the USA to Bulgaria. The transport will cost around $15,000, and will need to be paid before the tanker is transported. The Tanker will be filled with $400,000 worth of medical equipment and supplies courtesy of Project C.U.R.E. (an NGO in the USA). My hospital is in dire need of these supplies, so I will do what I can to make this happen. If anyone has any funding suggestions please don’t hesitate to email me at: Laketrev@hotmail.com I need all the help I can get.
Well that’s all for now, a big thanks to all of you who have been keeping in touch. I have just made it through the most challenging winter of my life, but the experiences that I have had make it all worthwhile.
3-29-06
OK, well I have a few more things I could mention I suppose. First of all the gripe of the day would have to be my bed, it is a 4 inch thick patio furniture type mattress, which is sitting on a metal mesh base, so it caves in like a hammock. And also the foot board, blocks my feet from hanging off the edge, so I have to sleep with my feet to the left. So basically I am thinking that sleeping in a hole and slightly to the left may be the reason why my back has been really bad lately. I took the mattress off and slept on the floor last night, I am going to try this out for a while and see if it helps my back.
Yesterday was actually a pretty interesting day. I started out by teaching an ATIP (anti-trafficking in persons) class at the local high school. It went really well, and I think scared a few kids into being careful when accepting jobs abroad. After that I went to work and worked on the hospital project the rest of the day. I have a meeting Friday at the hospital to take some pictures to put in my PowerPoint presentation. And Monday I travel to Bourgas, for another meeting. It looks like I have the funding for the needs assessment, so now it’s on to figure out to come up with the shipping costs.
On Monday I found a Beethoven CD in my mailbox, which was slightly odd, and confusing. I thought to myself; were did that come from, and why is it in my mail box. On Tuesday during my lunch break, I was approached by a lady who told me the CD was a gift from her. She was in her thirties, thin, distraught looking and had a sad look of sincerity in her eyes. We spoke for a couple minutes and then I went back to my house for the rest of my break. About 15 minutes later, I hear someone in my house, and walking up the stairs to my apartment. I open the door, and it was the same lady. At this point I am a bit freaked out by the whole ordeal, she went through the front gate, the front door, then another door, and was walking up my stairs. She said she wanted to talk, so I took her outside and sat down with her on my doorstep. She began to talk about how she feels like a stranger in this town, and how she was sick, and then started talking really fast, so I pretty much did not understand what she was saying. She started to cry, and talk about how life was impossible, then she went off on a tangent that I did not understand, when she realized I couldn’t understand her, she became frustrated and took off. I was not sure what to do about this situation. I felt like I couldn’t really help her because I had no idea what she really wanted. Perhaps she just wanted someone to talk to, or listen to her problems.
After work, I grabbed my rugby ball, strapped on the tenni runners and made my way over to the stadium. The sun was shining, and a cool breeze made the weather very pleasant. I ran a couple miles around the track holding my rugby ball, and after that I ran a few sets of sprints. I have been trying to get in shape for rugby, we have an important game on Saturday against Serbia, and I want to make sure that I am prepared physically. As I was walking home from the stadium, I heard an old man calling for help. As I peered over the wall, I saw an old man lying by a pile of sticks in the middle of his garden. I went through the gate and into his yard, and asked the man if he was ok. He had fallen and was unable to get back up of the ground. I literally had to lift this old man upright, by putting one arm under his legs and one under his arms. I then guided him to a chair next to his front door. He told me that he was 90 years old, and that he was very thankful for my help. His hand shake was very strong, while his smile was very soft and kind. I am not sure how long he had been lying there, but by his enthusiastic thank you, and his very grateful eyes, I gather that he had been lying there helpless for a fair amount of time. After I shook his hand and wished him well, I headed back to the house for a bit of spring cleaning.
I had two more ATIP classes today at the high school, both went very well. People are starting to stare at me even more these days. I think because I put on the soccer tournament, and have been working with the local high school. There are a lot more people in town who know me, or know of me these days. It actually makes me feel a bit uncomfortable at times, when I walk by a group of people and I hear them talking about me, while staring directly at me. I received a phone call today from the local press; they want to interview me for the paper on Friday. So maybe I will send home the article and the TV interview for all of you to check out. Well that’s all for now, I will try and write something else soon, I just have to wait until a few more interesting things happen. The weather is absolutely amazing right now, which makes life here 100 times better. Thanks for the birthday cards and emails, and thanks for the jam and pics Grandpa and Grandma. Take care
Trevor Lake
After it rained on Friday during the field set up, I began to get anxious and worried about my charity soccer tournament the following day. My charity tournament that had been months into the planning was only a day away. The overcast sky and the rain that was slowly saturating the field, made me nervous. The following morning however was bright and sunny. I was very relieved to have excellent weather for the tournament. It was my first community project, and had potential to be a disaster. The tournament however was a huge success. I think about it now, and can’t think of any ways it could have possibly gone better. We began the tournament with open registration, and then the teams warmed up for the exhibition game. I had to give a speech at this point which was a bit difficult, because I was nervous, and had my city’s mayor standing right next to me. The weather was so amazing, and the tournament had such a great turn out, that I could not help but smile ear to ear. The tournament started with a 40 minute exhibition game between Chirpan’s municipal team and a ‘sand lot mix’ of PCV’s and other visiting Bulgarians. We were outmatched by Chirpan’s team but held our own, and scored a goal in the second half. It was a lot of fun, and all the participants were able to get in a good warm up. The tournament went very smoothly, and everyone seemed to have had a great time. The final game was a match between a Roma team and a team of PCV’s. The Roma team absolutely destroyed the PCV team; it was very exciting to watch. The Roma team consisted of a player from Chirpan’s municipal team and his friends. The Roma team had quite a fan club cheering them on; it was quite encouraging to see the Roma get recognition and respect by other Bulgarians. The Roma players were wearing tennis shoes, one guy was wearing jeans, and two of them were wearing raggedy sweaters. To see a team like this with such skills and talent was very exciting to watch. At the end of the tournament I awarded the top three teams with medals, and shook the hands of the victorious Roma team. When it was all finished we enjoyed some beer on the field and embraced the cross cultural experience. A volunteer brought an American football and a Frisbee and taught other Bulgarians how to throw them. It was a beautiful day that was enjoyed by all. It was by far the best weather we have had so far this spring. After the beer ran out we all piled onto a chartered bus and drove to a near by village to see the oldest monastery in Europe (supposedly). It was founded in 334Ad, which makes it 16 years older than the number two monastery in France. There is a cave on the Cliffside that was inhabited by the founder of the monastery; apparently it is good luck to walk through the cave. So after we all blessed ourselves with good luck we piled back on the bus, and completed the day.
I feel very relieved that the tournament is over, and overjoyed that it was successful. There was a lot of time invested in the event by my colleagues and I, and I was relieved to see that everything went according to plan.
Well I had to skip my rugby game in Sofia on Sunday to plan an ‘anti-trafficking in persons’ class at the local high school set for today. I was supposed to have 2 classes today and one tomorrow and I only found out Thursday about the classes. So it was a rush to get things prepared and planned in time for the Monday morning classes. As things turned out there was a surprise inspector who showed up from Stara Zagora to assess the school, so the classes were canceled. I will find out later what the whole story is and, when I will be able to teach the classes.
I am heading over to Istanbul the third weekend of April, I am going with a group of five friends. It should be a good time. I have heard a lot of great things about Istanbul. And thanks to birthday donations, I have the finances to make this trip happen.
I am working hard, trying to get a hospital project in the motions. It is going to be a long road ahead, and hopefully I will be able to find a partnering organization in the states to help fund it. The goal is to fund the transport of a 40 foot storage container from the USA to Bulgaria. The transport will cost around $15,000, and will need to be paid before the tanker is transported. The Tanker will be filled with $400,000 worth of medical equipment and supplies courtesy of Project C.U.R.E. (an NGO in the USA). My hospital is in dire need of these supplies, so I will do what I can to make this happen. If anyone has any funding suggestions please don’t hesitate to email me at: Laketrev@hotmail.com I need all the help I can get.
Well that’s all for now, a big thanks to all of you who have been keeping in touch. I have just made it through the most challenging winter of my life, but the experiences that I have had make it all worthwhile.
3-29-06
OK, well I have a few more things I could mention I suppose. First of all the gripe of the day would have to be my bed, it is a 4 inch thick patio furniture type mattress, which is sitting on a metal mesh base, so it caves in like a hammock. And also the foot board, blocks my feet from hanging off the edge, so I have to sleep with my feet to the left. So basically I am thinking that sleeping in a hole and slightly to the left may be the reason why my back has been really bad lately. I took the mattress off and slept on the floor last night, I am going to try this out for a while and see if it helps my back.
Yesterday was actually a pretty interesting day. I started out by teaching an ATIP (anti-trafficking in persons) class at the local high school. It went really well, and I think scared a few kids into being careful when accepting jobs abroad. After that I went to work and worked on the hospital project the rest of the day. I have a meeting Friday at the hospital to take some pictures to put in my PowerPoint presentation. And Monday I travel to Bourgas, for another meeting. It looks like I have the funding for the needs assessment, so now it’s on to figure out to come up with the shipping costs.
On Monday I found a Beethoven CD in my mailbox, which was slightly odd, and confusing. I thought to myself; were did that come from, and why is it in my mail box. On Tuesday during my lunch break, I was approached by a lady who told me the CD was a gift from her. She was in her thirties, thin, distraught looking and had a sad look of sincerity in her eyes. We spoke for a couple minutes and then I went back to my house for the rest of my break. About 15 minutes later, I hear someone in my house, and walking up the stairs to my apartment. I open the door, and it was the same lady. At this point I am a bit freaked out by the whole ordeal, she went through the front gate, the front door, then another door, and was walking up my stairs. She said she wanted to talk, so I took her outside and sat down with her on my doorstep. She began to talk about how she feels like a stranger in this town, and how she was sick, and then started talking really fast, so I pretty much did not understand what she was saying. She started to cry, and talk about how life was impossible, then she went off on a tangent that I did not understand, when she realized I couldn’t understand her, she became frustrated and took off. I was not sure what to do about this situation. I felt like I couldn’t really help her because I had no idea what she really wanted. Perhaps she just wanted someone to talk to, or listen to her problems.
After work, I grabbed my rugby ball, strapped on the tenni runners and made my way over to the stadium. The sun was shining, and a cool breeze made the weather very pleasant. I ran a couple miles around the track holding my rugby ball, and after that I ran a few sets of sprints. I have been trying to get in shape for rugby, we have an important game on Saturday against Serbia, and I want to make sure that I am prepared physically. As I was walking home from the stadium, I heard an old man calling for help. As I peered over the wall, I saw an old man lying by a pile of sticks in the middle of his garden. I went through the gate and into his yard, and asked the man if he was ok. He had fallen and was unable to get back up of the ground. I literally had to lift this old man upright, by putting one arm under his legs and one under his arms. I then guided him to a chair next to his front door. He told me that he was 90 years old, and that he was very thankful for my help. His hand shake was very strong, while his smile was very soft and kind. I am not sure how long he had been lying there, but by his enthusiastic thank you, and his very grateful eyes, I gather that he had been lying there helpless for a fair amount of time. After I shook his hand and wished him well, I headed back to the house for a bit of spring cleaning.
I had two more ATIP classes today at the high school, both went very well. People are starting to stare at me even more these days. I think because I put on the soccer tournament, and have been working with the local high school. There are a lot more people in town who know me, or know of me these days. It actually makes me feel a bit uncomfortable at times, when I walk by a group of people and I hear them talking about me, while staring directly at me. I received a phone call today from the local press; they want to interview me for the paper on Friday. So maybe I will send home the article and the TV interview for all of you to check out. Well that’s all for now, I will try and write something else soon, I just have to wait until a few more interesting things happen. The weather is absolutely amazing right now, which makes life here 100 times better. Thanks for the birthday cards and emails, and thanks for the jam and pics Grandpa and Grandma. Take care
Trevor Lake
posted by Travelling Trevor @ 8:57 AM
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