A Chronicle of my Changing Times.

Pit Stop along the long Road...

Yesterday I mailed in my acceptance 'letter of intent' with a check to The George Washington University.  I'll be heading there in sometime in late August.  I'm excited about going there, about moving into this stage of my life (and study) that I've considered so long and worked so hard.  In many ways it doesn't seem real yet as I sit here in Haskovo this cool morning getting ready to go to work.  DC seems like such a far off place - almost foreign, strangely enough.

My enthusiasm is also tempered a bit since I feel this enormous weight to get things set up between now and then.  I'm still looking to go to Spain for a time to learn Spanish after my end date of June 22nd.  I'm not sure how much time I'll have since I've begun my active job search in DC.  I've received no grants or scholarships to study so I have to at least come up with money to live on while I'm in there - assuming I take out Student Loans.  So the amount of time I spend in Spain is partly dependent on if I find a job.  I have a great lead on one in particular working with Peace Corps office in DC (only six blocks away from my building at GW!) and I'm trying to work through a couple of avenues to get more info and advice regarding it. 

There's also the whole issue of moving from BG to Spain to NC to DC.  Ok, in all fairness, the two in the middle will only be stop overs, but I still have to arrange the movement of my life from on country to another while being busy elsewhere.  It's a bit of a tall order.  There's things to do with PC to wrap up my time here (there's a printed checklist a full page long) plus finish teaching and all my projects.  And of course, me being a social animal, I have friends to see and people to say goodbye to all over Haskovo and Bulgaria in general.  And for good measure, there are other entanglements to consider.

So it's weird for my friends and family.  More than one person has commented that they thought I would be happier about everything going on in my life right now, especially with the decision about Geo. Washington.  But to be honest, I'm so overwhelmed with the work I have to do between now and August, I'm just trying to concentrate on that so I can get all that I feel I need to done.  Enjoyment, satisfaction, and general exuberant feelings are here and they show themselves at times, I'm just focused on what comes next. 

Posted by: mjmarble at April 26, 2007 09:07 | link | comments
work, plan, future, grad school

Remembering VT - BG style

I, just like much of the world, was shocked last week by what occurred at Virginia Tech.  I admit that I ended up a bit fatigued by all the coverage it received even internationally.  I have CNN International here in my apartment and the coverage went on without pause or break for days.  Since I'm a news junkie, I pretty much have CNN on as background noise whenever I'm home.  On normal days hearing the same thing over and over can get tiresome, but when only one story is covered incessantly it really begins to grate after the first day or so of the talking heads repeating the same thing.

In all fairness, there was an international aspect of this story.  A number of the victims were not Americans and a large number of students who attend the university come from abroad.  Of course, there's also the fact that Cho was South Korean.  This is not an indication of how all South Koreans are, just how poorly some Americans can react to a seemingly unimportant fact.  Regardless, there was a fair amount to cover from the international angle.  (Pictured: the candle holder in St. Archangel Michael Church where I usually place a few candles when I go to pray)

This past Thursday I went to my local  Bulgarian Orthodox Church to pray.  I should attend regular services, but I found that religious portion of Bulgarian Language is a bit much for me.  Luckily for me, Bulgarian churches are open for people to come in and pray or light candles not unlike Catholic churches are around the world.  So during my weekly sojourn I always buy a few 20 stotinki candles, say a few prayers and then light them before taking some Holy Water (there are no baptismal fonts like in Latin tradition churches, but rather a silvery metal container where people can donate for some Water) on my way out.

This past Thursday whilst saying my prayers I noticed a man and woman come into the church with fistfuls of candles.  There are rings of candle holders for people place and light their candles in front of the alter door, below icons, and at various other places throughout the church.  The most popular place, however, is in front of the alter door (Bulgarian Orthodox churches have a wall between the common area and the alter - only priests can go into the area with the alter).  At the base of the candle holder is a box full of sand where people can place and light candles for the deceased.  My understanding is that you burn candles there in remembrance of family members who have passed on.  Normally there are no more than 4 or 5 candles in this sandbox - even in a culture that is adamant about remember the deceased. (Pictured: St. Archangel Michael - notice the wall which hides the alter behind.  Also the candles on the ground next to the candle holder where people place them to remember the dead)

Curiously, I watched in amazement as the couple prayed and then knelt in front of the sandbox and individually placing candles with a prayer.  After about 5 minutes, they rose and left.  After a bit, I took my turn to light my own candles and without counting exactly took an estimation of how many they had left - just over 30.  I never asked the couple who they were placing candles for - that would have been rude.  But I can only think of those killed in Virginia as the cause.  I was deeply moved to see people pay their private respect with money and time for victims thousands of kilometers away.  I guess it just goes to show how small this world is becoming. 

Posted by: mjmarble at April 25, 2007 18:28 | link | comments (1)
faith, daily life

From Dahab with Love...

News and notes from day 5 of my Egyptian vacation.  As many of you may have guessed from my previous post, I'm not currently in Central America at some Mayan ruins, but rather in Egypt fighting the dust and general chaos of the country.  Seriously my deepest impression of the country is that it's just plain dirty - not due as it is in Bulgaria by endless litter but rather by incessant dust that seems to permeate every aspect of life.  As James and Mandy say, there's an entire industry dedicated to fighting the losing battle.

So far, as the picture indicated, I've spent time seeing some pyramids - albeit not the famous ones at Giza but rather their lesser known, but older counterparts to the south at Dashur.  We've also toured around Cairo a bit and taken a boat ride on the Nile.  Presently we're at the coastal town of Dahab in the Siani where we spent the day snorkeling on a wonderous coral reef.  Tonight we head up Mt. Siani where Moses received the 10 Commandments and will hike to the top to watch the sunrise at 5am before trekking back down to St. Cathrine's Monastery. Thursday we make the 7 hour drive back to Cairo and will take in sights like 'Old Cairo', 'Coptic Cairo' and the Pyramids at Giza before I head back to Bulgaria late Sunday night.  Overall, it's been a great trip already and I'm looking forward to the rest of it.  Seeing James again after 2 years is great as well.

In other news, I've heard from American and Johns Hopkins - both in a negative way.  So I now have to choose between Syracuse and George Washington.  I'm leaning one way, definitely - but will refrain from declaring my intentions until a later date.  There's a lot to work out regardless of where I go.  But it's good to finally have things settled in that I now simply have to make MY choice. 

The next few months look to be insanely busy, but I hope not to get ahead of myself before I need to.  So in the next few days I'll begin making my infamous 'To Do' lists.  Hopefully I'll make a post or two before I head back to BG.  I'm taking lots of pictures which I'll share when I return home and can upload them on my computer.  Keep checking...

Posted by: mjmarble at April 04, 2007 21:56 | link | comments
travel, friends, grad school

Any guesses where I am?

(Photo courtesy the venerable James since I can't upload pictures yet)

Posted by: mjmarble at April 03, 2007 01:16 | link | comments (3)
travel