B-22 Interview of the Week - Hello Stacie
Saturday, May 17, 2008
I always knew that I wanted to go overseas and volunteer after graduating, but I just didn't know which organization. Right before Jason and I got married we started thinking more seriously about which organization to go with. After looking at a lot of stuff online- we decided to go with the Peace Corps. (It was free! Most other ones we looked at we'd have to pay our way...) So we turned in our applications about a month after our wedding and left for Bulgaria a year later!
What were your initial reactions to hearing you would be going to Bulgaria?
Well, I knew it was in Eastern Europe...that's about it. I was at work when I got the email and I hadn't told my boss yet.... so I was excited, but then again nervous trying to figure out how to tell my boss I was leaving. I went immediately to wikipedia to read about Bulgaria- I really didn't know anything about the country at all.
Have these desires been met? Do you feel that your Peace Corps experience is fulfilling the reasons you wished to join?
Yes, I think that my experience has been fulfilling so far. Our recruiter told us that our experience would really depend on how proactive we are- and it's so true. So, it is what you make it. I have found that my most fulfilling experiences have been working with kids that are underprivileged. It really reminds me why I came here and helps me keep going too. I was also looking forward to learning another language- and that has been a great experience. Yeah, it's hard and I make mistakes- but in reality I am having conversations in Bulgarian every day...still crazy to think about.
What exactly do you do?
I work at the "Youth House." It is a youth organization funded by the municipality. We work on lots of project and youth exchanges. Some of the recent themes have been the environment, integration, human trafficking, leadership, etc. I also tutor for English at the youth house and hang out with the kids. Outside of the youth house I have been helping out at a school for disabled kids and teaching English at an orphanage for 12-16 year olds.
With how many people?I work with 4 other women: the boss, the accountant and 2 project managers (one of which is my counterpart)
How long is your work day? Weekends? After hours work?
I typically work 9-5...although I have been known to sleep in and show up at 9:30 or 10 :) I do my language tutoring in the afternoons- so I don't know if that counts as working hours or not. A few times a month my organization has events at night- like a youth concert, holiday party, dinner, etc. We sometimes work on the weekends- but not too much. We actually just finished up our Earth Day project- which consisted of cleaning our river and planting flowers along it- that took place on multiple Sundays. Glad that project is over though- I missed relaxing on Sundays!!
What is a typical day like?
I typically show up to work and chat with my co-workers. We used to have coffee time in the morning, but then my boss stopped buying us 3-in-1 for some reason (not really sure why), so no more coffee time for us! Then a number of things happens- I hang out with kids in the youth house, have a meeting for an upcoming pro
Without telling us the name of the place you live, tell us about where you live :)
I live in a larger city close to some beautiful mountains. We have a nice square with lots of cafes. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there's lots of places to sit outside and have coffee or tea. Our most famous landmark is the Blue Rocks National Park and our town hero is Hadji Dimitar- who helped fight the Turkish invasion in the 1800's.
Is there a song that comes to mind when you think about where you live now? (Is it possible to describe your town in reference to any movies, songs, or other common pop-culture markers that would help us identify with where you are at?)
The only song I can think of is Bulgarska Rosa...it unfortunately gets stuck in my head sometimes out of the blue!
In contrast, is there a song that reminds you of home?
Of course- "Home Means Nevada"- my state song :) We had to learn it in music class as kids and I still remember all the words...
Where are you from? How is it different from where you are now?
Nevada is almost all desert- so Bulgaria is quite a change. We get about 4 inches of precipitation a year back home- so anything with greenery, trees, rain, etc is way different for me. I am also from a very small town- so I am actually living in a town now that's about 10 times bigger than my home town.
What animal are you most likely to see in your town? (wild dog, cat, sheep, pet cat/dog)? How often?
Since we live in a city, it's mostly stray dogs and cats. We do however have a man that takes his goats out for a walk daily- and I actually saw him today walking down the street, with his two goats on leashes!
What industry is common to your town/region? How do people make their living? Most common employer?
I have heard that our town is famous for textiles. However, it's not true so much anymore as most of the factories are closed down. We do still have one huge textile factory here, an Italian clothing maker. It is one of the biggest employers in town. What do you eat?We eat a lot of pasta for dinner- we aren't all that creative really. Jason makes pizza for dinner a few times a month and it's yummy! We also really love making guevech with lots of veggies- our host mom taught us how to make it. We have 2 other PCV's in ou
Do you have a common meal for dinner? Lunch? Breakfast? What is it?
Breakfast is always muesli with yogurt and a banana. Lunch is random- sometimes some crackers or pretzels, sometimes pizza or a sandwich.
Do you cook your meals, have someone else cook for you, eat out most of the time?
Yeah we hired a chef- it's really nice to not have to cook for ourselves anymore.... j/k :)
Do you eat alone? With friends? A baba? With the television?
Jason and the laptop with downloaded TV shows from back home.
What is your favorite desert?
Raffy ice cream, of course!
What is your favorite food now that you had never eaten before you came to Bulgaria?
Definitely would have to be the guevech- it is such a simple idea but I had never thought of it before. I also love tikvinik.
What food do you miss the most that you cannot get here? (for example, i daydream about asiago-cheese bagels and starbucks mocha frappacinnos)
Well, I too miss frappacinnos- carmel for me though.
Is there an american food that is not common to your town that you have, nevertheless, found a way to prepare? (For example, I combine a mlako sus karamel with obeeknoveno kafay and make a pretty good caramel mach
One day Jason and I ordered 2 cafes and 2 mlyarko s kakao and combined them- everyone was giving us the craziest looks- I thought the server was going to have a heart-attack.
How do you feel you have been most useful to your community?
I think the times I have felt most useful is when my English skills have been needed. We just got done planning an international use exchange with participants from 3 other countries- so my organization relied on me quite a bit to communicate with all the teams about logistics, etc.
How do you feel your community has been most useful to you?
I really had a lot of community help for our river project. When it came time to plant flowers along the river bank, lots of people donated flowers and encouraged us along the way.
At this point in your service, what do you look forward to bringing back with you to the States. (i look forward to making shopskas and showing off my baba socks)
I agree about the shopskas! For sure I am bringing my Bulgarian kitty back to the states too :) She already has her "passport"
Are there any projects you are working on at the moment? Tell us about it.
Right now I am starting a new project on recycling. Our goal is to get a recycle bin in every classroom in town. We're also going to have an education campaign- teaching the basics or recycling and it's importance.Over the summer I am going to have a camp for teen girls. The camp was started last year by the previous volunteer and so I am carrying on the tradition.I will also be starting a art and music summer program for the kids at an orphanage for the disabled. I actually want to buy recorders (you know, those little plastic flutes we had to play in music class in Elementary school??) and teach the kids to play some songs.
What one thing do you wish you had now that you do not have?
Carpet, dryer, dish washer, shower curtain, bath tub, oops- that's more than one thing... :)
If you watch TV, what is your favorite show? Would you recommen
My favorite show is the office- of course I recommend it! We have been downloading and watching new shows over here now- we were introduced to the world of torrents since being in Bulgaria...still don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet...
Are there any hobbies that a Bulgarian has introduced you to? Tell us about it.
Yes! I like to call it "extreme indoor gardening" I don't know if Bulgaria necessarily introduced me to it though, but I got inspired one day walking through the pazar. A guy was selling tomato plants in little yogurt cups- the plants were about 6 inches tall. So I bought that and a pot and some dirt and started growing it indoors (We don't really have a place to put it outdoors- it would get stolen unfortunately) So from there, we started buying other plants and we now have: some strawberry plants, hot pepper plants, another tomato plant, and various flowers. We did have an herb garden and a raspberry bush as well- but the cat kinda ruined those! Our neighbors and Bulgarian friends are really doubting that anything will come from our gardening efforts. I told my neighbor that I would give her some strawberries as soon as they're ripe! We'll see what happens... We also worked with our neighbors to plant a little flower garden in front of our block. It was fun working together- I didn't realize how big a deal gardening is here! While we were working, we were congratulated numerous times by other neighbors and just people passing by- they were saying that we were hoobavi detsta, chudesno, etc. pretty cool!
Are there any hobbies you sought out here that you didn't do in the states?
In addition to the gardening, I also started doing yoga. It is really helpful for stress and relaxation.
What did you use to do in the states during your free-time that you cannot do now but wish you could? (go to the movies, go to the gym, speak in my native tongue)
Yeah- all those 3 things for sure. I also miss being able to talk on my cell phone for more than 2 minutes and not have to worry about how much it costs!
Is there any advice you wish you knew, would like to give, to a pcv going through training now?
My best advice is to just hang in there- those 2 1/2 months felt like the longest time ever. Now that I am at my site, time is flying by. So- just hang in there and don't be nervous about the future. Things get much easier over time.
What posters/decorations do you have where you live?
We just acquired two little wooden wall hangings- one says "Happy Spring" and the other says "Home Sweet Home" They gave them to us for free the other day at the one lev store...not really sure why. So I hung them up.
What do you most hope to accomplish by the time you go home?
The one thing I really want to accomplish is to create a city wide anti-trafficking campaign. It is a huge issue facing youth in Bulgaria- and if I can prevent the spread of it in any way, that would be the biggest accomplishment for me.
Posted byWil Dalton at 10:46 PM
