Lord of The Rings in Bulgarski

Forrest Gump once said, "Stupid is as stupid does." That quote rang so very true last night at my bulgarian language tutoring session. My tutor is trying a new learning strategy with me and, well, needless to say, it is really tough.

Together we are reading Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring. Now...I have read this book and watched the movies several times during famous Lord of The Rings marathons. Throw all that previous knowledge and understanding out the window when trying to read novels in bulgarian.

Bilbo 'Torbins' (not Baggins) is the main character of the first part of the book. Don't ask me why Baggins is not a direct translation. Must be because the word for "bag" in bulgarian is "torbichka", therefore Torbins. Haha I got a laugh when I actually figured that out too. Either way, we all how the story goes and so did I when I read it...back in high school...in english. Yesterday however, it was like I had amnesia and just forgot the entire plot. Or maybe because it is such a familiar text to me that when I saw it distorted in bulgarian, I became confused about what I was reading. Maybe I am not as good at bulgarian as I thought. Or maybe, because I haven't had a tutoring session in 3 weeks, eeeeekkk.

However, this humbling experience is teaching me way more words than a silly grammar or vocab lesson. The prose of the book uses words that are really useful...and then again some not so useful, for example НЕИЗЧЕРПАЕМА (inexhaustible) and ГРАФСТВОТО (shire). I will probably never use either of these words again, but hey it is actually kinda fun learning things indirectly like this. After only 4 paragraphs we stopped. Tired from one hour of reading, translating and re-reading we called it quits.

Bilbo Torbins hasn't even had his birthday party yet. Gandalf hasn't been introduced. And I await to see how may days it takes us to actually set out on our journey to Mordor! I am not sure two years will be enough time to even finish the first half of the first book in the trilogy. Ugh, but if there are more unuseful words like неизчерранамфнаосдгиагкнг;ахг, then it may take even longer.

Last night I never felt more stupid in my life. But I think that will be a one time event ;)

I'm saying goodbye and leaving it behind.

Is he leaving Bulgaria? Is he quitting Peace Corps? Is he depressed? After reading the title of this post I am sure that you are a bit interested in what it is I am talking about. Well, I will tell you.

There are some things in my life that are beneficial, useful, fun, and even necessary. No, I have not decided to leave PC or Bulgaria or Life. I just have decided to disconnect my TV. I really see it as a hinderance and distraction to my life hear in Bulgaria. Sure, it has it perks. I can watch CNN in English. I can watch discovery channel in Bulgarian or catch every soccer match...EVER. I can even catch up on the lastest Romanian Lifetime channel, which is in English surprisingly.

However, the upside of a TV does not outweigh the downside of it. I find myself glued to it when it is sunny and beautiful outside because there is some great episode about sharks coming on in 30 minutes. Don't wanna miss that! No, really, the TV is taking away from my experience here. The everpresent ability to turn it on and watch something is a real distraction, not only from Bulgarian life but from my life in general.

The worst part about it is the "late night programming". I am not gonna go into it because I know we all know what I am talking about. This distraction has hurt most of all and therefore it is time for the TV to go. It will now sit in the part of the house that I rarely access. Out of site out of mind!

For all of those PC volunteers that don't have a TV...please don't ever want one during your service! Forgive me for you not being able to relate to the reality that TV, is a major distraction and hinderance.

Due to all my free time now I will devote more of my time to learning my guitar, reading my library, and becoming the next chef-boyardee! I will probably write more on my blog too.

I know I won't regret this decision. I promise. I just regret that I didn't do this about 3 months ago.

I am saying goodbye and leaving it behind!!!

Any EVERYDAY Activity

Listening to music (Shout out to "Mumford and Sons"), playing a guitar, singing, facebooking, and writing. My ADD has struck once again!!! And it will most likely take 3 hours to write this entry when it easily could be written in 20 minutes. I like it this way because it has become my stereotypical "ADD wanna ride bikes" scapegoat. 6 activities at once, if you include thinking as one. Some would call this multi-tasking yet others just scoff at the unproductiveness of my activities. I call it being thankful!

As some of you may know, I spent last week on vacation with a friend from my beautiful hometown. We traveled through Bulgaria and had a blast finding adventure every second of the day. Whether it be hitch-hiking, swim-suit optional mineral baths, hiking in the mountains in the dark, exploring old communist monuments, or sleeping in a cave, I am extremely thankful for the time that we got to spend traveling.

Again my appreciation overflows. This time however for the hospitality that all the awesome PC volunteers showed us as we traveled. A huge hug and thanks goes out to these people for letting us stay with them:
Lexi
Meg
Aaron
Semah
Aaron & Sara
Greg

(Guitar break)

If I forgot anyone I am sorry, but you know who you are, so give yourselves a super-sized pat on the back. ;0

Another thing that spurred me to write was the phone call that I had with my dad today. Among much of the struggle of life and the trials that we all go through I am so thankful that I have two amazing parents that still love each other and are TOGETHER.

Parent Glamour Shot

Divorce, death, arguments, betrayal, anything that seperates people, permeates this world. This devisiveness is "together" with the world. All of these things are present in my life. Not "with" me, but among people I know and people that are good. It makes me ask, well before Thanksgiving day, what am I thankful for?

(Singing break)

Here are some things. My family and wonderful parents. My friends that put up with my quirky and sometimes "brattiness". A loving God. Internet and all the amenities I have that bring my world together haha. Music that lifts my soul and writing that expresses it. And my soul itself.

Being together is a not just being with one another in person. It is connecting with the people and souls around you. I don't want to sound to much like "Avatar" but it is really the truth. I may not be 9 feet tall, blue, and have a pony-tail with a squid on the end of it, but I do know what it means to be together.

Again with so much seperation and loss in my life recently, I find it comforting to know that I am still together with what I love most. And for that I am thankful everyday, not just the last Thursday of November.

Now after writing this at the same time as facebooking, listening to music, playing guitar, singing, and thinking, I have freed myself to go be together with much more important aspects of life...reading and humbling ;)

I am thankful everyday. Let someone you know, know how thankful you are. Make it an everyday activity...

The Stuttering Writer

Stuttering Writer

I-I-I-I am telling you some truth, about a pers-s-son with great uniqueness. Whenever there happens to b-b-b-be something important worth writing, literary awesomenessssssss occurs. Off his uncontrolable lips comes faaascinaaating sounds from this man empowered with quirky skills. When he t-taaaaa-talks attention attracts towards him. Wh-wha-why? Repetition does not take place, just express-sh-sh-sions created deep inside. Nothing odd, nooooor strange. The infamous stt-stut-stutter-stutteriiiiiing writer never said more than one word twice in life.

Halloween Hike Tradition

Halloween is a time for get-togethers, costumes, zombies, pumpkin carving, and other traditions. My new tradition is the Halloween Hike. I initiated it last year when I was in Washington D.C. On Halloween, instead of partying in D.C. I high-tailed it out to the Applachian trail at 6 in the morning. I had done my trail research and hiked 13 miles up through Shenandoah National Park and to Blue Ridge Highway. I only lost the trail, which was covered in leaves, once. I saw an Appalachian black bear, plenty of deer, and other wildlife. I excruciatingly hiked the 13 miles back to my car with a bruised foot (I stubbed it on a rock hidden under the fallen leaves), aching joints and a fatigue that had made me so tired that I teared up when I got back to my car. Haha

~26 miles and 9 hours later I had completed the first annual Halloween Hike. The Appalachian trail is one of the most beautiful areas to hike and I would recommend it to anyone. However, this year I didn't want to make it a solo trip, but needed to expand the great experience to my fellow volunteers and Bulgarian friends. No Bulgarians were too keen on joining in on planned 20+ mile hike but me and my fellow adventurous volunteers were more than up to the challenge. However mother nature didn't cooperate and made the mountains impassable with 2 feet of snow.

But you can't stop a tradition once you start it and so PLAN B was inacted. A less grueling and more "passable" hike from the town of Gotse Delchev to the village of Delchevo and then to the monastery on top of the mountain. The pictures that follow are enough to explain the experience:










In total there were 7 adventurers who tackled the winding and steep road/trail to Delchevo and then on to the top of the mountain.
The views = amazing
The people = troopers
The feet = sore from walking on a road in hiking boots.

Next year we are going to keep the tradition going. I am hoping to have more people involved. I want suggestions on an awesome place to hike, in or outside of Bulgaria. This doesn't mean we can only hike on Halloween, but it does mean that this tradition will live on wherever I am.