I had a dream...and it kinda came true so far.

So, on December 18th (you can reference below or just start here) I decided to accept the invitation to work as a primary teacher in Eastern Europe leaving at the beginning of May, but had yet to receive the official invitation in the mail letting me know what country it was in. Sometime around the beginning of January 2010, I received my official invitation packet and discovered, "OH MY JESUS! MY DREAM CAME TRUE! I AM GOING TO BULGARIA!!" Alright, I'm pretty sure not all the dream is going to come true, like the part about water sanitation, shuffle board, and the fact that Bulgaria was geographically located right next to Germany, BUT the fact that I wasn't going to Thailand but really going to Bulgaria absolutely came true and I think that was the main point. However, Germany was mentioned in my dream and I will have a lay-over in Munich on my way to Bulgaria...weird...maybe water sanitation and shuffle board will also come up once I get there....You never know. I'll try to keep you updated on their reoccurrence in my life during my time in Bulgaria.

January 2010-March 2010

For the first time since graduating in December 2008, I had to write an essay (oops...except for those other ones for the Peace Corps when I first applied) and it was the most difficult thing EVER. Seriously I had to write like 5 short essays (titled My Aspiration Statements) about what I hope to accomplish and such with the Peace Corps and my strategies for getting along with a new culture and with new colleagues. It took me forever to write these just because it had been so long since I wrote a proper essay. Anyways, I definitely looked up what other people had written to get a general idea of what they were looking for and tried not copy the good things that they wrote too closely (that's not cheating right? I figure it was ok because I really didn't write close to anything they had written, just the style-I think my attempt to save my dignity here is failing). Then I updated my resume and made myself look awesome! That was that and I didn't have to do much else until like April.

End of March-Now (April 24)

At some point I decided to start learning Bulgarian, and by that I mean I downloaded two apps for my IPod Touch and copied the alphabet from wikipedia. One of the apps is a full bulgarian/english dictionary-which is wonderful and going to be really helpful. The other is a Rosetta Stone-esque app that pronounces the words and breaks things up into different categories, each of which has several different quizes-it is really great as well. I have also gotten personal property insurance for all my things, and figured out how to defer my student loans.

Ok, now Logistics/All That I Know For Right Now:

a. My Assignment: Primary School Teacher (English and More?)

It looks like I will be working with a Bulgarian teacher and be team-teaching and/or splitting up the days Mornings and Afternoons. I think my primary duties will be teaching English and then some other subjects according to their needs.

b. Secondary Assignment: This will be decided by me when I see the needs of the community and what programs I can start. To be honest I think I will end up doing something with theatre but I'll find out once I get my placement

c. Living: First 3 Months (Training)- I will be staying with a host family somewhere near my training site (maybe close to Sofia?)

After Training (3 Months) I will be given my placement and then will move into my own apartment close to where I will be working.

d. Dates:

May 9th- Fly out of San Jose 2:20pm and arrive in Philadelphia (after lay-over) near 1am.

May 10th-Pre-departure training in Philadelphia all day (after 12pm)

May 11th-Fly out of JFK (how we get there is a mystery-probably hovercraft) to Munich and then fly from Munich to Sofia

May 12th-16th -Arrival Retreat (we get orientated --real word just fyi) and stay at a retreat style place BUT WILL HAVE NO INTERNET ACCESS-so don't fret if you don't hear from me. I'm probably safe. probably.

May 16th-Aug. 16thish- Live with Bulgarian family

Aug. 16thish 2010-Aug. 16thish 2012- Peace Corps Service, Meet Bulgarian Husband, Get Married to Bulgarian Husband, Have many Bulgarian Babies, Become Bulgarian Queen, etc...

Besides Peace Corps stuff, I have to admit I think that it was really great that I stayed around another few months. First of all, I got to hang out with all the wonderful people in my community group more and really just get to know them all more wonderfully. Second of all, I got to save up more money, plus my job was pretty great...most of the time. Third, more family time!!! (not sarcastic) Fourth, I got to throw a Lady Gaga lawn party. Fifth, I got more time with my friends in sc and also got to sneak in two trips to Portland and Seattle. Sixth, I got to be around family and friends when I needed them, and got to go and be a part of my grandma, Nannie's memorial services (which really meant a lot because I think it would have been really difficult to not be around when she died). Seventh, I got to prepare myself more for the language, culture, emotional, physical (not that I got fit but I got to eat more ethnic food before leaving), and spiritual challenges that I will be faced with.

Lastly, I am getting really anxious about going but am trying to turn to God as much as possible during this time and allow Him to lead me and carry me when needed. I'm excited that I am close to leaving and starting a new chapter (corny, but quite literal when I turn this all into a book one day). Keep praying for me, I will need a lot of prayer during my time there. Hopefully, it won't be another 5 months before I write on here again.