Dear Tori,

I have not written a blog in quite a while because I have been super busy. I have many things on my mind and not a lot of time to elaborate on all of them.

Christmas was fantastic. I stayed in Bregovo, got fat, ate a lot, drank a lot, and went on my usual 6+ Christmas nagostis, ending at my counterpart's house.

My actual birthday, I was at school. My colleagues surprised me with a cocktail in the teacher's lounge. I received a huge Bulgarian clock to help me get to school on time :) It was so nice, got lots of hugs, kisses, and presents from my little kids. They are so sweet. I definitely do not deserve any of this. I kind of just try not to think about it. I made cookies and printed out the recipe in Bulgarian and handed it out to all the colleagues and store owners here. I had an apartment party, where I cooked for everyone. I know I'm not the best cook....so my food MOST DEFINITELY got judged by my Bulgarian friends. My counterpart is so sassy. She admitted to me during the party that she didn't like the food I would bake 2.5 years ago....but then tried to make me feel better by telling me that I have gotten better at cooking and baking....but only a little bit. I love her anyways :)

After a month that started like S*#!, I was in need to see other volunteers. This past Saturday, I celebrated my birthday with other PCVs and several BG friends. It was the best weekend in a long time. I will be friends with these people FOREVER. I love the support that I got. Being snowed in for a little bit, it was great to get out of the village and according to Tom and Donna from Parks and Rec, sometimes you have to "treat yo self." And yes, I treated myself. I went to the gym for the first time in 32 months....still soar. I walked in there with a baba bag and snow boots, since I didn't bring any running shoes. No shame.

I love PCVs and all that we do for our sites, but what I love the most is the support system that we have for each other. We call each other all the time when things go bad, we treat each other when someone needs something, and we celebrate together once in a while. It makes seeing these people even better when you don't get together that often. My point is, I had a wonderful time and it definitely got my mind of the things that have been happening recently, personally. Also, I am glad that I had the Bulgarian skills to yell and scream at mtel. Babas have raised me for 3 years....i know I to yell in Bulgarian and get my way :)

Construction of the room is moving along. I believe all that is left is the ceiling, lights, and the cooling/heating system. For Bulgaria, work is surprisingly on time :)
Looking forward to planning a grand opening.