The Peace Corps Files: October 2, 2007

A post by "Blake the Megalomaniac" To see more posts click here

The School Year is Underway….

It is now the middle of my third week of teaching classes at Geo Milev ‘High School’ in Ruse, Bulgaria. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the classroom with my students, but the first few weeks of school have been anything but uneventful.

First of all, just like in America, the teachers of public schools are poorly underpaid. Although very few people (if any) are willing to justify this reality, it remains a fact of life; not only in the U.S. but in Bulgaria and – I would guess – the world over. Because of this, the teachers of Bulgaria have mobilized and have enacted a ’stachka’ (bulgarian for STRIKE) to protest these unjustifiably low wages. But since I am paid by Peace Corps Bulgaria and as an organization we do not take any political stances, I continue to have classes (along with all of the other PCVs at their respective schools around the country).

There are a few teachers still holding classes along with me at school but for the most part, the teachers have told their students not to come to school because they will not be teaching anything. In protest, the striking teachers simply show up to school at 8am and ’sit in’ until 4pm. This strike has now been underway for 12 days. That is 12 days worth of pay that the teachers will not receive. But most importantly, that is 12 days worth of school that the students have not received. Instead they will have to make up the lessons they have missed with extended days, on weekends, or worst of all, on holidays. So with all of this political turmoil…who wins? Well that remains to be seen if the Ministry of Education will increase the salaries of the teachers. But certainly, the losers are clearly the ones who have no control of the situation: the students.

So that is one thing that has made my fledgeling weeks very interesting. Other than that, I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the level of my students’ English. Although they have only been taking english lessons (in school) for a couple of years in primary school, I am able to explain things in simple English and they understand most of what I say. (Part of my instructions from my colleagues is to speak only in English during class. If the students really do not understand something when I explain it in English, they can ask me after class and I can try to explain it in Bulgarian)

As a whole the students are extremely enthusiastic about learning English in my class and are very curious about life in America? (i.e. Is everyone rich? Is high school like AMERICAN PIE? Do you like 50 cent?) by the way, Curtis Jackson did all of us teaching English a disservice by using that name. Students find it very confusing to say, The cookie costs 50 CENTS while also saying, I like to listen to 50 CENT. My mom and I are setting up a classroom exchange program where my 9th grade students in Bulgaria can communicate with her students at Woodbridge Middle. They are definitely excited about that. Although I hope they keep their curious minds somewhat censored when asking questions to her students.


For the most part, my life has been spent at school. After school, I go jogging (31 days until the Athens Marathon!!!) http://www.athensclassicmarathon.gr/default.1.asp And I try to cook different things using the amazingly delicious fruit and vegetables from the market that is just next to my apartment. I have cooked a couple of meals for friends and colleagues on the weekends and they seem to enjoy my cooking. For those of you all that are wondering…my cuisine has congealed into a somewhat more ordinary array of dishes. (I have yet to serve ramen/milk/mustard/chicken/chocolate sauce delight to anyone in Bulgaria like we used to do it at the PRC)

also….With the help of slingbox (and my brother despite the fact that he still hasn’t bought an audio splitter or had the cable guy come fix his DVR), I have been able watch the beginning of the VT and redskin seasons. (I think I woke my neighbors up due to my yelp similar to that of an 8 year old child being spanked when Betts was stopped at the 1)

This weekend I am going to take the bus back to Kyuestendil to visit my host family and hopefully see my old language teacher Anni. (see my first blog entry; I heart Anni)

Thats about all for now…although I do not get to talk to you often, it really makes me feel great when you shoot me an email and tell me something funny/nice/new/cool/interesting about what you are up to or about life in general.

God Bless! – EJC


udothedishes…