Kate in Bulgaria

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Another happy wedding

Matt and I attended our friend Steve’s wedding this past weekend. It was held in nearby Lovech, the town Steve was a volunteer in. Steve has been here for about 3.5 years (all PC time) and is actually from Havelock (military family). Seems we were neighbors in NC and now neighbors here in Bulgaria.

He married a Bulgarian, a girl named Venetta who is also from Lovech. They are absolutely perfect for one another, and too very cute. The wedding was held at a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Lovech, they had a very traditional ceremony with crowns, bread and walking in circles. There was absolutely no heat though and it was a very cold evening (you could see your breath the entire time.) After the ceremony we headed to the restaurant where we were all staying. There were about 40 people there; it was a nice little reception, good food, good wine, lots of dancing and a lot of fun. Bulgarians do love to party and this reception was no exception.

Below are some pics that Brett took with his new super duper camera.

My two favorite men in Bulgaria

Matthew and Brett

Brett and his friend Shea, a fellow Volunteer

Being subjected to Brett's fascination with his new camera

Steve and Venetta at the Church with the priest that married them. The traditional color for the weddign dress is white, but Venetta is not exactly a traditional Bulgarian girl and she wanted RED

posted by: ksension at November 29, 2005 17:59 | link | comments |

A News Blip about Bulgaria

An article I found about Bulgaria. I wish I could say it was exagerating things, or that I myself dont' see these people all over the place.

In hurdle to EU hopes, Chicago-style turf wars shake Bulgaria

VELIKO TARNOVO, Bulgaria (AFP) - A rich banker assassinated in broad daylight on a central boulevard. Witnesses refusing to testify. Hotels used as laundering machines for dirty money. It's business as usual in Bulgaria.

But a slap in the face of the European Union the eastern European country wants to join in 2007.

The European Commission warned in a report in October that "a considerably more pro-active approach towards tackling organised crime networks is urgently required" if Bulgaria is to join the bloc on time in 2007.

However as the clock ticks towards Bulgaria's EU target entry date, crime and corruption are still widespread, experts say.

"A number of hotels and many wholesale businesses are just ways to legalize dirty money," said Angel Tihonov, a 50-year-old former colonel, who owns a chain of supermarkets in Veliko Tarnovo, in central Bulgaria.

At Arbanasi, a charming mountain village nearby, he points out a bulky white "Palace" -- an ugly monument once built to accommodate the friends of communist dictator Todor Zhivkov and later sold and transformed into a hotel by the post-communist newly rich.

The tourist business on the Black Sea coast is riddled with the mafia, observers say, and famous resorts have become scenes of spectacular killings.

Some 155 contract killings linked to organised crime have been recorded by police since 2000.

"Bulgaria is a sick country," said new Interior Minister Rumen Petkov after the mysterious murder of banker Emil Kyulev on October 26, an assassination that broke the patience of the police and shook the country.

Kyulev, a 49-year-old former police officer, had gained riches and was struggling for respect as the owner of the biggest banking and insurance group in Bulgaria, DZI Group, and was a financial counsellor of President Georgy Parvanov.

"The ever increasing contract killings are a Bulgarian phenomenon, whose only model can be found in Russia," Tihomir Bezlov, at the Sofia-based Center for the Study of Democracy, told AFP.

The general crime rate in Bulgaria has stayed relatively low due to the "export" of young criminals such as identity card counterfeiters, drug dealers and pimps.

The mafia-linked assassinations are for Bezlov "a cheap way to get rid of the competition" in certain sectors.

After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, there was an "accumulation of red capital" by former high-ranking officials and secret service agents, political analyst Boriana Dimitrova said.

These acquired formerly state-owned enterprises and banks that were artificially driven bankrupt with the falling apart of communism, she added.

Gangs boomed when 17,000 police were sacked after the fall of the regime, as many former officers threw away their badges and took up crime.

Trafficking blossomed during the period of UN sanctions on neighbouring Serbia from 1992-1994, injecting billions of dollars into the black market.

Sofia Mayor and former police lieutenant general Boiko Borissov defended the police, saying they had scored significant successes especially against the drug trafficking route between Turkey and the EU.

During his five years as general secretary of the interior, Borissov gained popularity for his denunciations of corruption in the judiciary which has often failed to condemn notorious criminals.

CIA and Scotland Yard chiefs or his "friend Nikolas Sarkozy", France's interior minister, Borissov praised the successes of his former colleagues and the help they have received from the West.

The increasing number of killings was a result of a ferocious battle for "a shrinking market", he said.

Under increasing pressure from Brussels, the Bulgarian parliament urgently adopted in October a new penal procedure code to remedy a judiciary system that has been criticised for failing to jail well-known criminals.

"Urgent efforts are needed here as nobody should be above the law," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said recently in Sofia.

Borissov does not believe that the new legislature will change things as "there never was a political will on the part of different governments to act and punish", he said.

"It is good, though, that Bulgaria will join the EU so that it presses on us its discipline and rule of law," Borissov added.

US ambassador to Bulgaria John Beyrle has recently said that though "the EU and the US are willing to help you root out the cancer of crime and corruption, they cannot supply the political will to do that".

posted by: ksension at November 29, 2005 08:52 | link | comments (2) |

Monday, November 07, 2005

Fall really is my favorite time of year, and in Bulgaria, it’s absolutely amazing. I spent this past weekend in Letnitsa and had an absolutely wonderful time. I have not spent a whole lot of time in Letnitsa this year. For the most part there is little to nothing to do here, but this time of year, the scenery is so beautiful it doesn’t really matter.

After spending the night in Sofia, and enjoying a wonderful meal of Sushi with Matt at a great little restaurant in the National Library in Sofia, we headed back to Letnitsa. We had originally planed to go down to the Winery town of Melnik for the weekend. It is in a region famous around Europe for its amazing wines and stunning rock formations. Unfortunately we had to postpone the trip down because of a meeting I had on Friday. My country director was making his rounds in my region visiting volunteers. Seeing as how he and I have not been able to schedule my visit, this time around he really wanted to come to Letnitsa. So Friday he came, for about an hour, and we chatted over coffee and orange juice. He was impressed with how “Eastern European” Letnitsa is. I guess the majority of volunteers in Bulgaria live in towns and cities that are less and less traditional. The Western world is closing in quickly and the towns are changing rapidly. Letnitsa however is as traditional as it ever was. He could not get over the poorness of the town, the empty and half demolished buildings. Things that are normal to me now, that I don’t even notice anymore truth be told. He really wants me to invite lots of volunteers here so they can “experience” a real eastern European town. He acknowledged that there is no where for people to stay or much for them to do, but frankly, I think that was part of the “experience” he was talking about. He asked if I thought Letnitsa could use another volunteer after I leave. Was a bit surprised by the question, especially considering he knows all the problems I’ve had here. But he was really impressed I guess by the poorness and utter oppression of this town that I guess he wants another lucky soul to have a shot at living here. I admitted that a Youth Volunteer might be able to make a difference here. Help to give the town’s young people more to do than just sit in front of the apartment building and smoke cigarettes. We will see.

Well after Carl’s departure, Matt and I packed a picnic and caught a ride down to the town of Krushuna. Matt has never seen the waterfall there and seeing as how it was a beautiful fall day, we decided to go. Everything was perfect, the water was a gorgeous bluish-green, the leaves were all golden and reds, the air was crisp and the cascades were awesome. This waterfall has lots of falls and pools. It sort of cascades down in levels; there are about 4 different falls, they collect in a pool, then more falls. We climbed up to the second highest of the waterfalls, found a rock sitting right at the base and had lunch. After that we climbed up to the very top and explored the cave that feeds the waterfall. There is a dirt road that goes from the top of the falls all the way back down to the road at the entrance of the little park. It is lined on both sides by Aspens, Oaks, and all sorts of

gorgeous Bulgarian trees that produce amazing leaves in all sorts of Fall colors. All in all it was a wonderful afternoon. Below are pics that we took at the Falls

Friday night Matt and I made Sushi. Yes, Sushi. Compliments of Mama and Daddy I have Sushi rice, seaweed and sushi rollers. We managed to find some imitation crab at the big grocery store in Sofia, doctored up some of the packaged salmon I have from home, and had thinly sliced cucumbers. We even had Wasabi and soy sauce; Wasabi also from home. Saturday we headed into Pleven for lunch and people watching. Bought some fresh veggies, its spinach and lettuce season again!!!!!! All in all a great weekend in Letnitsa and a great surprise that it was possible to have a great weekend in Letnitsa. Not to say that I will have many here, but I may just occasionally stay home. And to show i'm telling the truth about the Sushi, here is the evidence

posted by: ksension at November 07, 2005 09:36 | link | comments |

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Halloween and Happy Times

Just thought I would post some pictures from the Halloween Party. It was a great party, great people, great dancing. It was held in this gorgous old traditional house in Veliko Turnovo. The place is absolutely huge, sleeps about 30. We even had waffles for breakfast one day, what more could you ask for???

the cowgirl and the sort of Muskateer, the cape and sword got to be too muchMe and my friend Don, I think he was suppose to be a touristmatt and meme and my Brettthe two cowgirls, my new friend Stephanie

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