I can't remember the last time I wrote but since the school year began in September, things have been downhill. I've had more "I hate Bulgaria" days than I can count. I knew after the first day of school, the honeymoon was over.
My teachers haven't been too helpful but I guess it's mostly because I can't communicate with them and even when I can, I don't know what to ask. My kids don't listen, they're constantly talking all over me, don't want to read or write, or do anything really but horse around and eat their cold pizzas and plastic juice cups that they stuff into their filthy desks when I tell them to put them away. My counterpart, the one teacher (for English) that's supposed to be guiding me through this whole process is MIA, but recently because my director has a heart condition and cannot come into school, my counterpart, Kamelia is taking the reigns. I find this quite hilarious because I think she's pretty incompetant but that's just my opinion.
It's 3-4 weeks into the school year and most schools have been on strike for weeks now, but because my school started out late, we're not beginning until Thursday because they had to fill out some sort of paperwork 7 days beforehand. I'm not quite sure what that means for me, but most of my fellow PCVs haven't been working. I do agree with the whole thing although as American volunteers we're not allowed to participate. The teachers here make an average of 2-400 leva a month, a measley $150-300. Not enough to live on. But the strike is straining everyone from the teachers, to the parents and the students. I'm not sure how much longer it will go on. The only up-side is that if I do indeed have no students coming in, I will have a few days of respite, which I am looking forward to after these past few weeks.
It's been a challenge to say the least. The combination of the rowdy students to the uncommunicative staff, to just the sheer fact that I have no idea what's going on on a daily basis at my school. Also, the bubble I've been living in hasn't made things easier. I'm not sure if it's been happening all along or if the situation has just been magnified, but I've been noticing more people just staring at me. I know this is because most people here have never seen an Asian person before in their lives. People just stare for much longer than is comfortable though, and if I stare back, they just keep staring, it's incredible. And it normally wouldn't bother me but day-in and day-out of this, with every person I pass or come across, it starts to grate on your nerves. After living here for 6 months I've started to think of Bulgaria as the norm but then I find so many people staring that I realize how sheltered these people are, or maybe that's not the correct word, but just unexposed to the rest of the world. It's pretty homogenous here.
At the moment, I have a cold, so that hasn't been helping, the second in a month, compounded by the rainy Fall weather. And the thing is, Fall is usually my favorite. I find myself missing Autumn in New York City, it seemed so much easier then to enjoy it all. When there's Central Park and jazz bands and brunch around, I guess the changing of the seasons seems less painful.
So yes, this is my rant post. Finally, after 6 months. I must say though, not everything is terrible. Besides my newly coined phrase (After Blood Diamond- This is Africa- TIA), This is Bulgaria- TIB, said when things are unexplicably strange (which is quite often), I have managed to find myself a great guy in the midst of all this. Yes, a Bulgarian, which surprises me as much as it probably does you. We've been dating for about a month now and things are great. But that's all I will say about that. You'll have to message me for more informaiton. HAha!
No comments:
Post a Comment