Umbrella, ella, ella, ay, ay, ay.

Dear Tori,

I was talking to a fellow 3rd year extendee b-25 about the emotional rhythms and cycles we go through in our service. Although we have had different experiences in the 2.5 years that we have been here, we both agreed that "it constantly rains." Smisel, we volunteers deal with unpleasant things everyday. But whenever something good happens, "you just have an umbrella over your head." Whether or not you agree with our volunteer life philosophy, we both agreed that the emotional cycle is at an 'umbrella' phase for both of us at this point of our service. We don't know when that 'umbrella' will be pulled from our hands, but it is such a rare occasion that we are just enjoying the moment. It was just last week where I was laying in bed, feeling like death, babas knocking on my door forcing boiled rice water down my throat, getting baba socks, and eating some Bulgarian remedy for the 5 sicknesses I had at once. And this weekend, I learned some rules to rugby (which in fact are easier and a lot less complicated that American footbal), discovered that apricot rakia is probably my favorite domashna, had dinner at a fancy restaurant with famous Bulgarians, get my project funded, and got a job offers for next year. You never know what you get with Bulgaria.

Can I please talk about last night? Yes. I took public transportation to the restaurant where Iva invited me to meet the head of the organization who wants to help fund my project in Bregovo. I walked halfway there, in the rain, in clothes that haven't been washed in god know how many weeks, and some pretty muddy boots. Mind you, I have completely forgot about standards since I've been a volunteer in Bulgaria. Standards for a fancy dinner. What is that? Anyways, I take the elevator to the 12th floor to the restaurant. The elevator opens and I ask for Ms. Ekimova. There in the corner of the rooftop I see the most gorgeously clothed, tall, blonde, woman. The server takes me there. She turns around and the first thing she says is "SO MUCH BAGGAGE!" Here is a famous Bulgarian in a fur wrap with perfect hair and makeup....and there I was, a troll in a wet leather jacket. I felt so embarrassed in regards to my appearance. Anyways, we start chatting and in comes Mr. Angelov....yes the same Dimitar Angelov, 2 time world champion in kickboxing and holds 2 guiness world records. We talked about how much, what to do, when to do, 'all that stuff.' 'All that stuff' ended being just a tangent on a colorful night with colorful conversations, which was a pleasant surprise. He just really wanted to meet me and to help me out, and most importantly according to him, to get to know me, since I apparently made him cry with my performance. A fancy dinner, new famous friends, and people willing to help me with my project? I ain't lettin go of this umbrella any time soon...:)