Will it blend?

I never wanted to be one of those teachers who slams textbooks on desks in front of kids and makes them copy dictations for entire classes, but here we are. I have run out of ways to get these kids to shut up for two seconds and care about the present perfect tense.

When I signed up for Peace Corps I didn't exactly envision myself in a room full of 11th grade boys at an auto mechanic school, listening to their mp3 players and yelling at each other while I was teaching. Hell, I didn't even envision teaching. And I'm not sure how to make them care, when quite frankly, I don't care.

It's not that I don't care about them, I just don't care wither or not they learn English. Honestly, these kids can have a fine, productive, and meaningful life in Bulgaria without it. Most of my students want to be bus drivers, mechanics, ect. which are not things you need English for, and in lots of ways knowing English hinders that "sustainable development" we heard so much about. When someone here can speak English, they usually do one of two things, they leave their town for a big city, or they leave their country all together. It's hard to feel like I'm not encouraging the brain drain. But then again, it's not like these kids are learning anything from me anyway.

But we got a blender.
It's making everything ok.

The other night, because I actually found lettuce, and the heirloom tomatoes are still in season. I made some golden sandwich bread and my own mayonnaise to go along with some creamy cauliflower soup.

Blender

Making Mayo

Soup and Sandwich

I forgot just how much I love sandwiches. This is going to be a regular occurrence from here on out.

Revenge

Yesterday, while taking attendance in class, some of the students were laughing at my pronunciation of names such as "Svetsislava" or "Blagoegigiv" ect. I needed to get back at them.

So I decided that because the Bulgarian language has no 'soft G' sound, no 'W' and no "Th" diphthong I promptly wrote the name "Gweneth" on the board and asked them to say it. The result was something along the lines of "GENET." Now it was my turn to laugh.

Saturday in the Park

Yesterday Liz and were walking in the park in Botevgrad, talking about our lives in Bulgaria, our lives back at home, working situations, general feelings of uselessness, you know the usual. But when we turned to the topic of our students I came to a hard realization.

The students Liz had last year in Jackson need so much more help than the ones in Botevgrad. And for that matter, my home city needs so much more help than here. When I walk around Botevgrad I don't see an eviction notice every five house, I don't see bums outside liquor stores, I don't see furniture lining the street, (ok, I do see boarded up windows but most of those are former communist buildings that no one wants anymore.)

Liz's students last year had issues like parents in prison, not enough food on the weekends, no beds to sleep on, and being raised more by pit-bulls than their dads. Our students now have ridiculously expensive cell phones, go shopping in the capital on the weekends, and mostly just act like a bunch of spoiled brats.

It's just hard to justify acting like some great humanitarian when I know that I left somewhere that needs more help. And I have tried just looking at this as "working and living overseas" rather than the expectations I had for Peace Corps, but I didn't come here for that.

But then again, at home I was working in a call center. I guess at least this is something.

Conversations with my counterpart pt. 1

I realized that I really need to start documenting these.

Me: What is the name of the textbook we will be using this year?
Her: There aren't.
Me: Yes, I know. I will go get my own book, but what is the name?
Her: I don't know...Only this.
Me: So there are no books that I can get?
Her: Yes, in the store.
Me: What book can I use?
Her: Tomorrow.

It's been comin down

Today I learned that the weather is controlled not by God, but by Bulgarian school children. They informed the skies that the first day of school is today and asked to please stretch out summer as long as possible. Saturday was sunny and in the mid 90's. Then, Sunday evening, the first school night of the year, the clouds rolled in, the rain started, and the temperature dropped thirty degrees. Summer ended in all senses.

First day of school and I was lucky enough to receive my schedule and find out what classes I will be teaching. Other volunteers have not been so lucky. I will be teaching all in the morning and only earlier than nine once a week. I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect.

I also have something to go on for a secondary project. A teacher at my school took me to a 3 day seminar/training for Junior Achievement which is a program where students create their own company, are given start-up money, provide an actual product or service, create business plans, administration, give themselves salaries, pay taxes, and buy shares in their company. At the end they can enter their product and business plan in national and international competitions. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but honestly, anything that will get these kids thinking about something other than their cellphones and hair can't hurt.


Also, if you are ever in the Balkins, I highly recommend Plovdiv

1st of September/Първи Септември

More than the language barrier, more than the cultural differenceс, and more than the general lack of organization, the thing that distracts me most during meetings with my school director is the stereo in his office. It's big. And while I love Rick James, Abba, and that song from Dirty Dancing it makes it a bit difficult to concentrate to anything he is telling me.

I don't feel like I accomplished much on my first day at school, but I did get a free pen. And even though all the teachers were only there for about an hour, and no one seemed to do much of anything, we are all coming back every day for the next two weeks to do it again.