Scenes from the Fall

We’re on the doorsteps of winter here in Bulgaria. The warm air left long ago and the “big grey weather” has arrived in my small town. The sun will return in about six months, so I might as well get used to it.

   I know I haven’t written for some time now. Maybe the longer you are in country the less things are interesting. Sorry for my laziness. At times I’m feeling more like an old, pessimistic veteran about the situation in Bulgaria. So many things are difficult to deal with on a daily basis – at least when you are actively trying to change things. But there have been some successes the past month. So here are some snapshots (small stories) about what is happening in Bulgaria.

Autumn

   My favorite time of year is fall. Especially here. The air is crisp and the trees change colors – just like home, I guess. What’s more interesting is seeing how this town prepares for the cold months ahead. Every day the roads are filled with old men and women sitting on large piles of corn stalks while driving their donkey carts. The other day I saw this type of cart and a gypsy boy was sleeping on it like it was a bed.

   Larges piles of wood are all over the place. Young boys, old men, even grandmas cut the wood. They pile it together, then haul it into storage. People are constantly burning their trash on the side of the streets as a way to get rid of the leaves and other garbage. It’s always nice to be walking peacefully down a road and then be greeted by heavy clouds of smoke.

Every Town Has Them

   My town is full of characters – as in people who are a bit odd. One is the “crazy man” who lives down the street from me. He has long straggly black hair and beard. He closely resembles Charles Manson. He limps when he walks. There are a lot of rumors about him – that he’s been seen in the street naked, that he is a convicted rapist. I don’t know what is true. But apparently he still lives with his mother and doesn’t work.

   Every time I see him he yells “Merhaba, brahchet!” (Hello, cousin! – actually the first word is Turkish yet he is Bulgarian). He always wants to shake my hand. He asks how I am. I usually say I’m fine, then I ask how he is. He always says, “I’m not fine. I’m not fine. There will be rain.” (Although now that it’s cold he’s substituted snow for rain.) Then he points to the sky and says “There’s a god. There’s a god.” All the while he’s smirking, so it doesn’t come off creepy, just plain weird. I then nod in agreement and leave making sure he doesn’t follow me.

   Another interesting person in my town is the local Orthodox priest. He wears thick, dark glasses and has a bushy beard. Often he can be seen wearing his long black gown that goes down to his feet. From what I hear he likes to drink and from the many times I’ve seen him drinking beer in the café, I’d say that’s true.

   What I didn’t know what that he’s quite the hunter… of dogs. Last week he was parked on the side of the road with his rifle, taking aim at stray dogs who roam around our town. I’m not sure if he shot any, but it was a bit alarming, yet entertaining to see him hunting from his car window.

Roadblocks

   In case you’re not up on current events in Bulgaria, the country’s richest and most prominent banker Emil Kyulev was gunned down three weeks ago in Sofia. He was driving to work when he was pulled over and shot 10 times. His driver was shot as well, but lived. This came 24 hours after the European Commission criticized Bulgaria for not effectively fighting organized crime. That makes nine murders now since the new Bulgarian administration came to power this summer.

   This year many rich Bulgarians have been murdered, but most were businessmen with mafia ties who were involved in ongoing turf wars. Although Kyulev might have had ties with Russia and former Communist party members, his murder is assumed to be politically motivated – an attempt to destabilize Bulgaria and its efforts to join the EU.

   Throughout the country the Bulgarian police force put up roadblocks in almost every town. Even in our tiny town on the other end of Bulgaria a police check was set up. According to local sources they were only stopping “expensive cars”.

   Just one last note, since changing to democracy, the Bulgarian courts have yet to convict any businessman with mafia connections. There have been many arrests, but no major person involved in organized crime has ever been sent to prison.

Halloween party

   Halloween was a big event this year. After almost forgetting about the holiday last year, I was much more prepared this fall. All my classes participated in Halloween activities and learned new vocabulary. To end the week we had a Halloween party Friday night. Zavet has a history of having a Hallowen party going back to the first volunteer four years ago. They had been small, and last year only my seventh graders were invited. This year, I opened it up to all students who study English. Well, many of their friends wanted to come too. I gave in and let them come under one condition – you must have a costume and one lev.

   To my surprise more than 80 kids showed up. Even students from the villages came. About 80 percent of them had costumes. We had a costume contest with prizes, bobbing for apples, a guess-how-many-candies-are-in-the-jar contest, face painting, and a pumpkin carving contest. Four other teachers helped. Nothing horrible happened and nobody got hurt, which is all you can ask for I guess. The kids had a memorable night. I celebrated the next night by going to the infamous PCV Halloween party in Veliko Turnover, which turned out to be fun too.

White boards

   Things happen so terribly slow here in Bulgaria. Yet, sometimes you can get surprised. Two other volunteers started the “White Board Project” here in Bulgaria. They find white board material in the U.S., get it shipped here, then write a grant to subsidize the cost for schools. I had given this information to my director a month in advance. She didn’t seem too interested. A week later I gave her a copy of the information in Bulgarian. Still no interest. On the day before the deadline, I mentioned to the assistant director how important it would be to have these boards since the ones at the school are at least 25 years old and you can barely write on them. A half-hour later the assistant director came to me and asked if we could order 40 boards. Twenty minutes after that my director asked if we could order 67 boards – for all of Zavet and the surrounding villages! I guess it took one call to the mayor to get it done. It doesn’t hurt that the mayor’s wife is the director of a school in a neighboring village. Funny how things get done, huh.

Bayram

I’m somewhat lucky to be living in Zavet, that is if you look at the holiday schedule. Living in a Christian and Muslim community provides one the opportunity to miss work for twice as many holidays. Last week was Bayram, which is the three-day celebration of the end of Ramadan. Children (and young adults) visit their elders and kiss their hands. The elders offer gifts (either money or sweets). It’s a time when families get together – kind of like Christmas. There’s another Bayram in January, but it’s called Korban. Muslims celebrate by killing and eating a goat and again, getting together with family.

   So, last week I taught only two days. I celebrated my Muslim holiday by traveling all day through the soupy fog to Sofia, which I received my flu vaccination. All PCVs are required to get them since the recent breakout of Avian Flu, which has surrounded Bulgaria. If you haven’t heard, Avian Flu has been found in Turkey, the Greek Islands and Romania – which is a short 60-mile drive from my town. Avian flu can be transmitted by touch and there isn’t a cure. I read that Bulgaria is still safe, but it’s advised not to eat chicken unless you know where it came from. A few weeks ago many birds near the Danube River were found dead. They’re still doing tests to figure out why (my money is on pollution).

   After my shot I went to eat some Chinese food, then watched “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. It’s so strange to visit Sofia because it’s like being transported into a different world. Most Western products can be found there. People speak English. There’s a subway. It’s always strange to make that 6-hour bus trip across rolling fields and mountains, where you see shepherds and shacks and tiny villages that haven’t changed for 100 years. To flip-flop back and forth between Sofia and the “other Bulgaria” is a unique experience.