Permanent Site Placement

This past weekend all 87 met in Vratsa to get our permanent site placements. We would spend 4 days in Vratsa, then travel with our Bulgarian Counterpart to our new sites for a 2 day visit. In Vratsa, the Peace Corps drew a huge map of Bulgaria, layed out colored pieces of paper with village names on them (color coded for each program), and called each person's name and announced where they would be placed. Each person was given a carnation and a packet of information about their new site.
My site is about 7 miles from where I currently am now. Everyone laughed because we were told to bring piece of our luggage to take to our new site so it would be easier traveling later. I had to drag my heavy piece of luggage for 20 minutes on a rocky dirt road from my baba's house to the bus stop. Lug it on a bus to the next town, load it on another bus to Vratsa, then walk 2 miles (about) with it to the hotel. Then I found out that I was basically going back to my village. So then I had to reverse the whole process. Everyone laughed.

I will be living in a house (more like an apartment) in B__ S___, the town close to where I will teach. A fellow teacher at my new school and her family live downstairs. I live on the second floor with a bedroom, living room (and small balcony), and posssibly the smallest kitchen ever. It has a sink, small stove/oven (think oversized toaster oven with a hot plate on top) and through another door in the kitchen is the bathroom (water heater, toilet :) and shower).

For these days I have eaten with my new family. They are very nice and helpful. The mother is a wonderful cook. I haven't had "home cooking" since I've been here. My baba is a reheater of frozen food. I think I may just gain back the weight I've lost here in the next few days. It will be a big shock when I have to buy and cook for myself.

Today I am visiting my new school, meeting the director and teachers, and looking over the texts I will use in the fall. Later we will walk around the village and go back to Byala Slatina to go to the weekly Bazar. I can't wait to see what it is like.

I will post pictures soon. My camera battery is dead, so I have to get a new one and get some pictures from a friend's camera.

Love to all!