Go ahead and check 'Earthquake' off the to-do list.

It's a 5.6 on the fun scale, too.

Last night Shoumen (along with the rest of Bulgaria and Romania) was tossed around by an earthquake that scored a solid 5.6 (lower in Shoumen) on the Richter scale - fairly respectable. [Article: Earthquake] I was already asleep when the coaster started rollin'. I woke up to my ninth floor doing its own, very special, version of Mr. Checker's 'Twist' - the building didn't really go back and forth as much as it rotated [like wringing out a towel]. And, like the far end of a towel whip, my ninth floor apartment picked up a little more speed than the rest.
Anyways, against all training and logic, when the show was over I went back to bed. I was tired. As far as I have heard there has been no damage or injuries. Guess you just never know what a day will bring.
-Mark

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Want to Help?

Helping when we can, with what we can.

[Updated: May 20th, 2005]
Here are some of the things I have been/am working on. If anything strikes your fancy or you think you can help in some way, I have information on all these projects and more - just let me know. And, as far away as April seems, we can setup tax deductable donations - and can even utilize your company's matching program (link). Email me if you are interested or if you have any other ideas - I am always up for suggestions.

Ongoing Projects:

• Book Project (link)
• Orphanage Renovation
• We are always looking for money to help the local orphanages with repairs. Everything from painting to tearing down walls is on the list.

Current Projects:

• A large grant from the US Rotary Orphan Train [link]
• The grant has paid for larger projects in three orphanages in Shoumen. The expected number of individuals effected or involved with the project is expected to exceed 450.
  
• Help for the Shoumen Blind
• The local organization for the Blind works to convert books [for students and leisure readers] into a computer program that can then read back the text. They serve dozens of younger students and six university level students. They currently have zero funding [they might have to close] and are in need of updated computer equipment. The main need here is month-to-month expenses: about $950.

Finished Projects:

• Jazz Concert (link)
• Orphanage/Retirement Home Coop.
  • Working to have local retired folks handmake clothes and gifts for orphans. The goal is to give both groups a something to work towards and to have contact with different groups.
• Retirement Home Heating
  • The largest retirement home in Shoumen still heats its rooms with wood burning stoves. The result in the winter is poorly heated, smoky room [obviously heath issues]. This project is completely unfunded and would cost about $2,500.
• Orphanage Safety and Security
• Installed security gates at the local orphanage to protect the children and staff from constant intruders on the property.
• Dolphins For Orphans (link)

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It's Falltime...

In the spirit of starting to teach at the University this week [that's right Prof. Jackson is not far off now], I would like to pose an awkward English question to you: You can say springtime, wintertime, summertime, why not falltime? [Try it in Word; you will be promptly scolded with a squiggly, red underline.] English can be a real pain some times and as cool as it sounds to teach English at a University, I have a feeling my experience will often boil down to the phrase '˜that is just how we do it, if there is a reason -€“ I don'€™t know it.' Brilliant. Me teach English good soon.

Grammar aside, it really is falltime here. Leaves are turning, nights are getting cold, and Peace Corps volunteers are preparing to shut themselves into one room of their apartments. Yup, in order to survive the winter it is a common practice to just pick one room to heat and stay there. This often means cooking with a ski coat on and crawling into a sleeping bag the second you get home only to get out of it in the morning [how is that possible you ask? One word: hopping]. O, Summer why do you leave me?

This past weekend I ended up staying in Shoumen. On Friday, another volunteer and I cooked up some Mexican for my colleagues. We took over the kitchen of a local bar and did our magic -€“ burritos, fresh salsa and tortillas for everyone. I guess I could delve into how this fits with the Peace Corps mission or how we are working hard to expose our Bulgarian friends to new things; but, that would give too much importance to our real intentions: we wanted burritos.

The gang at dinner.

On Saturday, a buddy from a town about three hours away came. And, as is becoming more and more common, I had a cocktail party to attend and drug him along. The party was for a conference of '˜Transatlantic Connections of Culture with...€™' I don'€™t really remember; but, it was probably one of those vague titles that lost even more meaning in translation. That being said, the buffet set up was nice [these things are important]. From the cocktail, we headed out on the town in Shoumen. Good times, as always.

Sunday consisted of a big lunch and watching a DVD. I think I was asleep by ten o'clock. Ahh, R&R.

My first class is Tuesday - wish me luck,

Mark

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Village Culture. Culture in Villages.

Village Culture.
It is a village of 200. One bar, one flour mill, two places to buy food, and a bunch of farms. The village of Stefan Stambolovo does not have a school - not surprising given the fact that there are no children to attend.

The Old Mill [machines are circa 1920's].

In the mornings, there is a shuffling group of grandmas (babas) heading to the store to pick up bread. By the afternoon, the bar regulars have put down more than their fair share of brew. And, the dust from the flour mill seems to filter out whatever color might have made it to this little place. Roaming around the washed out, dusty scene are various livestock: cows, goats, geese, and ducks mainly. [side note: a flock of geese now rates top on my list of ‘most annoying sounds to wake up to.’ Seriously, it is horrible.]

The abondoned school.

Sadly, there are tons of places like this all over Bulgaria. With no children around, the median age only drops when yet another death notice is posted. One of the babas had to stop planting her garden (which for decades had been her main source of food) because at 90 years old, her back just couldn’t take it. She still sends her children and grandchildren (who have moved to bigger towns) fresh jam, canned veggies, and fresh butter as often as she can. She, with a few others all over the world, is living out the conclusion of an era. The tools they use, their houses, their daily lives have already made it into Museums [i.e. Naper Settlement]. And, when you stand in the center of this place, you get the feeling everyone is waiting for the inevitable. The end.


Culture in Villages.

But, it is not all gloom and doom. Some Bulgarians [Rossen Donev - photographer and Milko Bojkov - painter] put on a cultural exhibit in the town this past weekend. Paintings, film, and photography were on display – all for free.

The painter owns a house in the village and has converted a building into a gallery. This year, he focused on the village itself - from the old pictures they dug up, to paintings and photographs they made.

"Village Movie
Peace Corps /USA/
Presented
Today, 16.X.2004 at 17 o'clock
in Village Hall
Italian Film
ROME
entrance free"

The film was the Fellini classic – Rome.

The turnout was pretty good considering there are only 200 people and it was raining. Again, this project is not going to cure cancer or stop the village from fading out – but, the ‘something is better than nothing’ rule applies. Do what you can, and hope it helps someone.

The Kids.

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It’s a Carnival…

The weekend after the wedding, Shoumen hosted a Carnival - the Carnival of Fertility, to be exact. It was the storybook combination of parade and rain. No joke.

Your classic burly nurse, fortune teller
and blues brother gathering.

Like any 4^th of July or Memorial Day parade, it was different groups from the town who picked a theme and walked with it. I woke up in just enough time to grab my camera and something to eat before it all started. Here are some quick snapshots of the festivities.

These guys had bell belts and would jump around to make music/noise.

The kids from the orphanage [left] and general wetness [right].

Fun Mask.

Bulgaria's Finest. [Both]

No, this is not a picture of me.

The famous EU chicken. They have indian costumes too.

Um. Not really sure what is going on here.

Kids v. Goats

Your typical five headed ram.

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Dolphins for Orphans…

It’s 04.30.I have just walked off a night train sleeper cabin – I am still tired. Luckily, there is a cab waiting outside the station and I didn’t have to haul my week’s worth of vulture tagging/wedding wear through the streets of Shoumen.
It’s 08.05. I am late, but within the 20 minute lateness window that Bulgarians seem to deem ok. We are waiting for the kids to finish eating and get their jackets – we are going to see Dolphins.

It’s 08.30. The general stillness and calm of the home’s lobby is broken by nine little singing voices and eighteen little stomping feet. They are excited.

By 09.30 we are in Varna [the city with the dolphin show]. Outside the Dolphinarium we wait for the staff to pick up the tickets, and then we are off.

Up the stairs and into the hall we go.

The show was half an hour of ball tosses, fish catching, and flipper flapping.

The show was typical, but considering it would be have been exciting even for an over-stimulated American four year old; you can be sure that these kids who are usually regulated to the Orphanage home complex were wowed.

After the show, we had lunchtime in a park. I spent most of lunch thinking of little trips I had taken in my youth. Plays, museums, parks, etc… I can’t really put my finger on why those things were educational – why they were worth all the trouble. I can’t pin down any specific reason – except the general exposure to new things. And, I guess if I were forced to say why this little day trip was a success, I would not talk about their exposure to animals or creating awe for Mother Nature. No, I would point to the fact that most of them had never been on a highway or seen farmland. They got a little taste of the world outside the home and hopefully it will help them out someday. True or not, I don't know; but, you have to try something.

Ok, back to the itinerary.

From lunch, we headed to the Zoo. Like any group of four year olds, they loved it.

Lastly, we went to the aquarium. You would not confuse this with the Shedd, but it was nice. And, to hear the kids little songs about ‘the fishes’ made it worth it.

By this time, the little guys were tuckered out. Some crying, but surprisingly minimal. They just started to quiet down and got still. One kid just decided it was time to nap - on the sidewalk. It was time to go home.

This trip happened because of a very generous American who had adopted a child from this home and wanted to do something for the other children. The next day a second group of nine children went of the same trips. Thanks!

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