mark jackson. serving time in bulgaria. letting you know about it.
"Not all those who wander are lost." [J.R. Tolkien]

Friday, August 13, 2004

The State of Mark Jackson – One Year Later.

Well, it is officially been more than a year since I started my tour in Bulgaria. Here is the quick break down of what has happened so far:
A few days in a cushy hotel room in DC;
A week in a cot in central Bulgaria;
3 months living with a family in a town of 5,000;
7 months sitting around in Samokov;
2 months working in Shoumen.

The State of the Language…

Those three months when I lived with the family were spent attending language classes. After studying language all day, the real class began – conducted by my host family. I lived with two host ‘parents’ and a host ‘brother' (we also had a host ‘sister’ that came on the weekends). They were the people that taught me the important things of life here. Such as, rakiya (Bulgarian moonshine) must be drunk with salad; or, the intricacies of raising, killing and preparing a lovely chicken dinner. They are really wonderful people and I do my best to go back and visit them.

As for my language skills, they are acceptable. In the beginning (read: first six months) anytime I left my apartment was what I liked to call ‘anxiety time.’ In the beginning, I just plain had no idea what was going on. Then, routine situations became manageable – but, all too often, someone would diverge from the script and I would be in the dark again. Currently, I am at the point where if I don’t understand what someone is saying, I just ask them to explain it using different words. I now rarely am completely lost.

There is an interesting thing that sometimes happens now. When I remember some fact (a date, name, place, time, or even story) I sometimes cannot remember what language I first heard it in. I usually have to think back to the person I heard it from and then remember what language they speak. It is creepy to think about these little tid bits of information just floating around with no concrete connection to language. I had never thought/heard of that happening.

Do I dream in Bulgarian? Sometimes and rarely for the entire dream.
Do I sometimes have nightmares about not having a tongue? Yes. Still happens.

The State of Work…

In Shoumen, everything is going very smoothly. I am respectably busy and have projects that are honestly satisfying. This is a high contrast to my former situation.

Some projects I have going on or in the works are:
- Playing with orphans once a week
- Building security gates on the orphanage
- Working to set up a small business to help self-fund projects for a retirement home
- Continuing a pen pal program between two retirement homes (one here, one in the US)
- Setting up and running a exhibit on the life of Duke Ellington
- Helping to organize a ‘Jazz Ambassadors’ show in Shoumen (with the Embassy)
- Working with the students of the other two Volunteers in my town (they are English teachers)

Those are the big ones anyways. In short, it has the draw back of being a 9-5er (I have to wear shoes and everthing) and the plus of being busy and productive. I think I have one of the better setups in Peace Corps Bulgaria.

The State of Play…

I am kinda getting into techno and house music. We call our clubs ‘discos’. We can get a half liter of beer for 60 cents and a shot for 30. The beach side is a few cents pricier but the discos include fireworks shows, piles of people my age, and all the things that go with that. It is good times for all. The best part is, in the summer, you can spend the days at a tiki bar and playing in the black sea.

The State of Security…

As for medical stuff, we are set. We have doctors on 24 hour call and the take care of even the mildest thing with ridiculous thoroughness.

As for crime, we are fine. I am confident that this town is safer than any part of Chicago I would be living in otherwise.

As for anti-Americanism, we are OK too. I do spent a lot of time tackling questions about the war in Iraq, globalization, the elections, and pop culture. Sometimes those conversations get heated, but I have one saving grace – we are almost always speaking Bulgarian. It is hard for people to make blanket statements about ‘American Ignorance’ or just Americans in general when I am sitting in their country, speaking their language, and helping their comrades.

The State of Friends…

While I was doing my time in Samokov, I made a big deal about not having people to hang out with. That was true. But now, in Shoumen, things are very different. I have the other Volunteers, coworkers, Bulgarians, and other foreigners who are all around to meet up with. That is on top of my friends from Peace Corps who are spread out around the country.

The State of what I am going to do when I leave the Bulgarian state…

Barring significant, unknown circumstances I will be heading to Chicago. The general consensus is that I need to get a 'real' job. I am hoping to have some informal meeting with some consulting companies when I am home next (this Christmas, hopefully). Then with those contacts, I will try and put something together next fall. I still have over a year left to work that tiny loose-end.

That is all I can think of now. It has been great hearing from you guys this past year. Hope all is going well,

Mark

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