Update on PC stuff

Whilst I have been spinning yarns of everyday life in rural Bulgaria, the process of my training and SITE SELECTION have been in the works. So, in addition to language training, we also have technical training, which is on the job type stuff. We've been learning about the culture of NGO's, the local government and people in general. It seems that a big source of misunderstanding in Bulgaria is the transition from the traditionally very hierarchical government and compliant populace to the new transparent and egalitarian EU member government with an actively participating populace. We have also been brushing up on community based project management and implementation with trainings, and the design of a project at our training site. We are still designing our project; I will post more on it when we have it nailed down.

Last week, I had an interview with the Community and Organizational Development (COD) staff, as the environmental education program is small here and housed in the COD department. Even though it initially seemed weird, it makes sense that the environment program be housed in COD, as many economic opportunities in Bulgaria are linked to sustainable ecotourism. Also, the COD staff are ROCKSTARS, and I feel fortunate to have them as bosses. In my interview, they indicated that I will likely be working in either a national park or a bird conservation NGO. I am quite happy with either prospect as they will involve being getting to learn about local natural history, field work, environmental education in its myriad forms (guided hikes, classroom presentations, fielding questions, etc.), work on building partnerships, publicity and more. Basically, I will never be bored!

I find out my placement on Monday, get to meet my counterpart (Peace Corps lingo for the Bulgarian person I will be working with) shortly thereafter, and then on Wednesday will be traveling to my permanent site for a few day visit. YOWSERS, am I pumped!