Moving, Milan, American Football and Vidin...

First things first, I am now in Shoumen. It has been a couple of days and all is well. Not really much to report, but the coworkers (yes, I have some) are great and I will have some time to explore the city this weekend.

Next up, Milan. I was there on a 10 hour lay over and decided to make the most of it. Those hours consisted of stuffing myself with pasta and gelato (umm…gelato). I wandered the old churches, gardens, and fort. After a bit of time, I realized I had to find a place to sleep. Being that I am on a ‘Peace Corps’ budget, I found a comfy bench and crashed. Not sure if that was a brilliant move, but all is well that ends well. There are some pictures attached.

Thirdly, football. This past weekend we had the Marines v. Peace Corps v. Embassy Staff football – American version – tournament. This was probably one of my top ten days in Bulgaria. It was hot, we were out of shape, and my team won the whole thing. Just a bunch of Americans outside and playing. I know that if I were home I would not be doing this all the time, but not being able to do it at all is no fun. Good, clean fun.

And lastly…Vidin. After the game, we hopped straight onto a bus. Four hours of leg cramps later, we were in Vidin. This town is on the Danube and you can see Romania from the restaurant boats docked there. The main attractions are an old fort called ‘Baba Vida’ and the ruins of an old synagogue.

As my body attempted to recover from the sudden flash of activity we wandered around and snapped some pictures.
Enjoy the holiday weekend,
Mark

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Book Project (updated)

Everything is the same in this journal, except I have changed the address. This will allow me to have the books delivered to my town.

Please send it to my Shoumen address:
Mark Jackson
Obstina Shoumen
blv. "Slavanski" 17
Shoumen, 9700
Bulgaria

Hello All,

I would like to preface this entry with the following: This is not a demand or some kind of guilt trip being pressed upon you by your crazy Peace Corps friend/family member. So, do not feel any pressure, it is just an idea.

To give you an idea of what I am talking about, here is an article written, in our monthly newsletter, by some previous volunteers about a successful project they put together. I think we can make it work also.


PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
Book Party
------------------------------

We were asked to get hold of some books in the English language for the local library. At that time they had 3 children’s books, all of which were written and published in Bulgaria. There is a growing interest in studying and reading English in this town.

We wrote to some of our friends in the US and suggested that they have a ‘book party,’ and that each guest bring a book and a dollar for postage. We requested recent reference books (no more than 5 years old), classic literature was very much wanted, as well as children’s and youth books. The person who had the party (or collected books some other way) was responsible for sorting through some of the books and mailing them in M-bags – which cost about 89 cents per pound.

The response was over whelming. One person in University gave a movie party, with admission being a book and a dollar. Others had parties, others talked to used book stores and received contributions, and others just ‘cleaned out’ their personal libraries. The advantage to this method is that the cost and burden was spread out over many people, and was not hard on any individual.

After we received the books, we sorted through them some, but almost all were really appreciated. We received a donation of 100 dollars and in Sofia bought over 30 paperback copies of classics we had not received. We also put a label in each book (in Bulgarian) stating that this book is a gift from friends in the USA.

Last week we donated 750 books to the local library. We still think there are four more M-bags that are on the way.

I really think this will work. My town is equally in need of English materials as the other volunteer’s town. As for my twist on the project, I will be sorting out the gifts and, in addition to the library, be donating them to the appropriate level of school. I have contacts in every school – from kindergarten to high school.

From talking to the teachers, the library, and my site-mate (a teacher volunteer) and I have come up with a kind of wish list. Now, the real purpose of this list is to show you that almost ANYTHING would make a difference.


**Activities for the Language classroom – rebuses, crosswords, magic squares, puzzles, jigsaw puzzles.
**Classroom decorations – chalkboard borders, posters, maps, those alphabet things with the goofy cartoons
**Flash card games
**Cards – Alphabet cards – Animal cards – Four season cards
**Games for learning a second language – word games, grammar games
**Warming up activities for Language Teaching
**Communicative Activities for Language Teaching
**Pair work Activities
**Role plays in Language Learning
**Quick Activities for Students
**Visual Aids
**Songs
**Poems
**Stories
**Plays
**Tongue Twisters and Rhymes
**Books – Tales – Fairy Tales
**Teenage Books – Think: Hardy boys, Goosebumps, Boxcar children, et cetera…
**Practice in Grammar, Spelling, Handwriting
**Composition
**Dictionaries – Picture Dictionaries
**Projects / Group Projects
**Practice Tests
**Magazines
**American Customs and Traditions
**American Holidays
**Traditional American Dishes
**American Education
**Popular Film Stars and Singers
**Menus
**And, of course just plain books. Any level. Almost any kind.


So, think you want to do this??? Ok. Here are some more logistics.

What is an ‘M’-Bag?
The M-bags are provided by the US post office. And they are defined as ‘direct sacks of printed matter to a single addressee.’ They can be sent via Airmail (7 to 10 days delivery time) or Surface Mail (6 to 8 weeks delivery time). Surface delivery will save the greatest amount of money.
The items to be shipped must be packaged securely in boxes that will fit into a mail sack. Each box must be properly addressed to the delivery address as well as having a return address. In the upper right hand corner where the postage normally would be affixed must be the words (Postage Paid By M-Bag). Properly filled in customs forms and M-bag labels must be affixed to each sack. Postage is calculated by weight and there is a minimum charge of 11 pounds per sack. A maximum weight of 66 pound applies for each sack.

Where do I send this M-Bag?

Please send it to my Shoumen address:
Mark Jackson
Obstina Shoumen
blv. "Slavanski" 17
Shoumen, 9700
Bulgaria


Well, I hope we can work something out. I know the schools and town will be very excited and thankful. And, obviously, do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions or need clarification.

Take care,
~~Mark

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Big Move...

Well, a long month has come to rest. I have found my new home in Bulgaria – Shumen. That’s right, we are going to the other side of the country for a change. I will be working in the EuroIntegration office and be helping the city to bring in project funding. These projects are usually funded by big organizations like: European Union, World Bank, USAID… But, they can also be smaller projects done with other partners. The reason these projects need to happen, in theory, is to help Bulgaria become a member of the European Union. The reason it has been such a long month has been trying to put this all together. I had a few options and was trying to find a good situation: including finding a job, apartment, and getting it approved. These things are not easy to do anyways, but doing it in Bulgarian makes it a touch more challenging. As for the situation in Samokov, my old town, things have pretty much ground to a halt. I am not sure when I will actually move to the new town, but I can tell you it is a big relief just to know where I will be going. Shumen is a big town – about 90,000 people. It has a university and is about an hour from a big beach city Varna. The coworkers I have met seem motivated and ready to help me get going with some projects. And, there is a giant western style food store within walking distance of my apartment. All in all, a good setup. Once I find out more, I will update you guys. Sorry for the lag in journal writing, but I wanted to have something concrete to say and everything has been up in the air for a while.

Take care and talk to you soon,

Mark

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