Lots of Travel and Mousquito Bites
I'm back in Stara Zagora after Outward Bound leadership/Instructor Training in Maliovitza (Rila Mountains) and work in Varbitsa with kids. It will be good to step back in my own door and water my parched Tomato plant, not to mention clean my auromatic clothes. I bought new running shoes and some Teva-like sandals to replace the discolored and foul-smelling shoes I had in the wet mountains.
It was good to re-discover the lessons in leadership that I've studied throughout my life but haven't thought about in so long. My Outward Bound team was comprised of 9 people, full of different kinds of experience and style, who worked together well and shared generously. We played games and practiced blindfolded partner-leading (hard to explain) to build trust in the early sessions. We went on an expedition to the peak of Maliovitsa (~8,500 ft) and learned/practiced orienteering. In the last days, we rock-climbed and learned to set up ropes courses. I re-learned how to climb trees. How refreshing the whole experience was!
After that, it was off to Varbitsa, a small village in eastern-central Bulgaria to work at a children's day camp. I taught basic martial arts to the kids (Basically, how to make a fist, protect your face and head, maintain balance, and take small steps to move. Plus easy punches and kicks to maintain attention). The kids invited me on a walk into their mountains which are the eastern foothills of the Old Mountains (Balkans). Playing football with the kids, I skinned my knee up pretty badly. It started as a small problem but soon began to gush blood. The nurse insisted on treating it herself, so I was relegated to patient status (and I hate that). I took really good care of it and tried to keep it from the kids' view, but they really wanted to see my treatment. Se la vie. I have to go, but more later.
It was good to re-discover the lessons in leadership that I've studied throughout my life but haven't thought about in so long. My Outward Bound team was comprised of 9 people, full of different kinds of experience and style, who worked together well and shared generously. We played games and practiced blindfolded partner-leading (hard to explain) to build trust in the early sessions. We went on an expedition to the peak of Maliovitsa (~8,500 ft) and learned/practiced orienteering. In the last days, we rock-climbed and learned to set up ropes courses. I re-learned how to climb trees. How refreshing the whole experience was!
After that, it was off to Varbitsa, a small village in eastern-central Bulgaria to work at a children's day camp. I taught basic martial arts to the kids (Basically, how to make a fist, protect your face and head, maintain balance, and take small steps to move. Plus easy punches and kicks to maintain attention). The kids invited me on a walk into their mountains which are the eastern foothills of the Old Mountains (Balkans). Playing football with the kids, I skinned my knee up pretty badly. It started as a small problem but soon began to gush blood. The nurse insisted on treating it herself, so I was relegated to patient status (and I hate that). I took really good care of it and tried to keep it from the kids' view, but they really wanted to see my treatment. Se la vie. I have to go, but more later.
posted by AlexinBulgaria at 11:56 AM
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