Into the Thick of It

Working with government has its advantages and pitfalls. While a small city like Stara Zagora is an ideal place to get to know municipal and federal officials, it is also large enough with enough work to avoid an annoying American with an agenda. Perhaps the language barrier makes a meeting more ominous than usual.

I have been very busy for the last long while, but I've earned a break tomorrow during which I will elaborate on the past few weeks and the quagmire into which I've knowingly jumped. As for now, I'm bus-lagged (20,000 times worse than jet-lagged) and looking forward to a night's rest.

On a quick note, I met a socially-conscious honey merchant from Stara Zagora on this trip to Sofia. I expect to meet him this week to talk about operations, bee-product sales, how his business (like a kind of NGO ) contributes to the community, and how I can become involved. Some of my buddies in other places have communities that produce honey but don't have markets. And I can bee-keep again! Copascetic!