Learning to Read

Knowing how to read is GREAT! I highly recommend it to everyone. My 7 year old sister is super at reading - she can read like a real-life 13 year old. For real. They should be testing that kid for using brain steroids. She could be a drug cheat. But like they say, if you ain't cheatin'; you ain't tryin' (i think they are southerns, like my friend Spencer Lucker, because they say words like ain't). Kuddos to her.

In fact, kuddos to you! Obviously, you have mastered the art of reading too. I can tell because you are making sense of all these crazy symbols that are crammed together. Or sorry. . .maybe you are that poor sucker that is stuck having someone read this to you because you haven't learned the fine art of reading yet. . .but don't worry there is still plenty of time! I know. I have been learning how to read this week.

Everything here is written in Cyrillic. A wonderful lady in the Peace Corps Office gave me a book with the Cyrillic symbols listed next to how they would sound in the Roman Alphabet. like H symbol sounds like Na. I tore that page out of the book and now I aimlessly walk through town trying to decode every signs' meaning. I can spend several minutes staring at a sign, slowly, painfully, sounding out the word. Every once in a while the word will be the same as in English. Then I lose it. I jump up and down and scream to the frightened pedestrians, "HA HA HA. It says C-O-FF-EE! I think they sell C-O-FF-EE here!!!" And since must people don't speak English, they think I'm crazy. And the people who do speak English also think I'm crazy. But it doesn't matter because I'm very proud of myself. And that is what learning to read is like - feeling incredibly dumb for 10 minutes and then feeling incredibly smart for 30 seconds - and then starting all over again. It is totally worth it.

Bulgaria

Ok. Listen. This stuff is big news. I moved. . . . to BULGARIA!!!

Let's get down to business: I had to change the fish background of the blog (in case you are new to the scene - there use to be fish where those crazy lasers are (also i think laser should be spelled lazers...cause it's cooler that way) because now that i'm in Bulgaria I don't expect to see fancy-tropical-coral fish. Leaving them up would be false advertising. Do I expect to see lasers?! You betcha! well, maybe. well, i doubt it.

Before moving here I knew as much about Bulgaria as I do/did about Herman James Linstell. Which is nothing - especially since I made-up Mr. H.J. Linstell. Anywho, I'm learning fast. There is sooo much to see and learn. Like the Cyrillic alphabet! The following is a quick list of the things I have learned that I love so far:

-there are sunflowers everywhere.
-when people talk about something they like they raise their voice and use their arms a lot. if you love something you shout about it. DID I TELL YOU ABOUT HOW MANY SUNFLOWERS THERE ARE?????
-a bottle of wine can be bought for approximately $1.25 USD. WOW, WINE!!!
-coffee and espresso can be purchased from vending machines on the street for a few cents. it comes out fresh, hot, and with a little stir stick. (i just have to learn Cyrillic and Bulgarian to know what exactly i'm ordering, when i'm pushing those buttons)
-fancy cars drive past my house. so do horses pulling carts.
-there is a public pool by my house - that plays rap music on load speakers, sells beer, and has a soccer field.
-there is a place that has bears. and you can feed them!(i guess you can always feed bears, but at this place you give them fruit - not your kidney)

who knew? i certainly didn't. but I do now. and so do you. tell a friend. and come visit.

Supermodel Documentary Hour

Now that I am in the States, I thought I would sum up my trip with some pics. . . and add illustration to some of my blog posts. I will be leaving for Bulgaria in the middle of August so perhaps I will pick back-up blogging then. Anywho, enjoy.

Eating in a Village

Leaving a Village Health Outreach. We like boats.

I taught my co-workers the emotion game - the person holding the camera yells out an emotion, situation, or animal, just before snapping the pic and the "models" have to quickly act out what was said. This is "monkey" -

Guns and Coffee on the Prime Minister's Boat -

Figuring out the results of the "Baby Show" in my Fijian dress. Who says I don't know how to get "dolled" up?? Nobody!

Ice is good at climbing trees -

DOUBLE RAINBOW!!! WHAT DOES IT MEAN??!!

Drinking grog -

Grog Drinking -

Doing a village cleanup. Everything is mowed with a weed-eater. I am a pro.

Relaxing with a fresh drink -

Cleanin' fish for dinner (we caught all these fish in about 5 minutes with a net just off shore) -

Dhalhole! -

My students from 2004-2006. They are soccer refs now! World Cup prepare.