-Ticking Clock-

5-22-2007

The clock is ticking and my time here is winding down; only about 3.5 months left in the Bulg. My site mate Melody will be leaving in about a week; and my kindergarten classes will be coming to a close very soon. Things have definitely slowed down at the municipality as well. I am struggling to find enough work to keep me busy; I feel that my productivity peaked a while back, and now my work is in a slow stagnant mode. To be completely honest…..I do not feel that I will be able to accomplish anything major for the rest of my time here. I will spend my days doing the simple day to day tasks; translating, teasing my colleagues, sipping rakia, and enjoying everyday Bulgarian life.
-This is one of my Kindergarten Classes

My day to day experiences here have been priceless, and I am not looking forward to the end of this journey. In many ways I am ready to move on and leave Bulgaria; but at the end of the day I know I will miss this place dearly. Well what can I write that I have not written 10 times already……..Bulgaria is changing. I can literally see the changes take place in this country. Bulgaria is in a state of drastic change and progression; it has definitely been a fascinating time to live in Bulgaria. The government to the surprise of many has taken drastic steps to try and clean out the organized crime and corruption throughout the Country. I personally feel that one of Bulgaria’s biggest problems is the organized crime ring, and how it has infiltrated all aspects of Bulgarian society and life. The corruption in this country is prevalent even in the small towns. I have avoided writing about this topic for the most part; because it is a bit to controversial. I have to edit this blog heavily in order to keep my writings low profile and stay out of the PC admin office. PC Bulgaria actually reads our blogs and will contact you if they feel that you have written anything that damages the PC program, US government, or our relationship with Bulgaria. I understand this of course; but am looking forward to the day that I will be able to write freely without editing my thoughts and opinions.
Anyways……back to the issue! So Bulgaria is being pumped full of EU money; and in my opinion will someday be as respected and visited as Prague, or Athens. Anyone who has visited Bulgaria will tell you that it is beautiful, full of history, and has endless potential. Beautiful Mountains, the Black Sea, Roman and Thracian ruins, Old monasteries ect ect ect. On the other hand we have a long way to go……Bulgaria is nowhere near where it needs to be in order to attract mass amounts of tourists from places outside of Europe. In hind site; you can look at the progression since communism ended in 1989, and be encouraged by the direction the country is taking. Privatization was a curse for all former soviet countries……..the ease of corruption was too high to resist. But now I see hope in the eyes of many Bulgarians; and optimist about the future of this incredible country.

The weather here was unbelievable for about a week, but has currently turned sour. It is actually flooding now in Bulgaria; which could prove to be disastrous for many Bulgarian communities. Only time will tell how much damage the rains will bring; but if it becomes anything like the rains of 2005 we are in trouble.
The Cyrill and Methodius holiday is this week; it is a holiday that celebrates the two men who created the Cyrillic alphabet. They created the alphabet in Salonika(modern day Thessoloniki, Greece). The nationality of these two men has been heavily debated, but since they are from a city that was formerly a part of Bulgaria; the Bulgars claim them to be their own(I am on the side of the Bulgars). I will be traveling to Romania for the holiday; it will be a quick trip to Brasov and Bucharest. I am sure I will have plenty to write about upon my return.
Chow
Trevor