Friends leaving, Marathon nears, eating tomatoes.

It has been almost a year of service. Many of my American friends here have begun to go back to the United States and readjust. Some are travelling, some are starting school, and some are out of money. These are really good people and I will miss seeing them here. That is life in foreign service/international volunteerism. People come and go quickly all the time. The positive side of this phenomenon is that some very strong friendships form through common problems and experiences. The negative side is that they are transitory, those involved moving to many different places continuously. Living through a year of this has made me write more because I'm afraid of forgetting important events, moments and people in the quagmire.

The Marathon is coming up. I'm not ready yet. I ran a 12-mile run today and felt strong, though I have blisters from running so far, daily. I'll buy new shoes soon so that they'll be broken in by November 5th, The Day of the Marathon. The group I'll be running for/with has started a sponsorship fund. We will give all donations to the Bulgarian Scouts to send a group of 10 scouts to the World Jamboree/100th annevarsary of Scouting in the UK next summer. This should be a magnificent moment in the children's lives, as they have not left Bulgaria before. They are good kids. Some of my friends work with them frequently (weekly or so). I'll include details on how to donate/sponsor in my next blog entry.

Winter is coming. It has started to get cold and the rain comes every afternoon. Tomatoes will soon be scarce, so I am savoring them while I can. I'm fortunate enough to be in a community where fresh produce is available year-round, but it will be expensive and poor quality starting in about 2 months. Walking through the city, one can smell stewing of all sorts and compote-preserves production. Peppers roasted on one corner, figs stewed on the next. Sometines, bonfires roar against the concrete wall of a block apartment with meat or peppers drying a short ways away. I have some that I didn't finish from last winter. Lots of neighbors gave the poor American a jar or two to sustain him. They're generally quite delicious, though I've opened one or two jars that have not matched my tastes.

I bought a jar of Blueberry preserves last fall in Bochkovo, near the monastary, that were absolutely delicious. I can't find anything like them anywhere in the city. I might have to go back that way simply for that product. Well, I'm off but I'll write more soon. Ciao Vsichko!