tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825516930488582601.post-79194825761160421382008-04-06T11:53:00.000-07:002008-04-07T04:09:12.475-07:00We met up with a gal from our Peace Corps group who decided to stay on for a third year. <a href="http://aprylsbulgaria.blogspot.com/">Apryl</a> was one of only two volunteers in our group to extend, and she's doing a might fine job in her cozy little mountain town!<br /><br />Rakitovo is home to about 5000-ish residents, and it's cold in the winter! For example, if one was to say, spend the winter in Northern Africa and the Middle East, and then happen upon a town in the mountains of Bulgaria called Rakitovo, one might say it feels colder than winter! Even in the spring! I can personally verify this claim.<br /><br />Apryl is a volunteer for Future Foundation, but seemed to better fulfill her roll as a Peace Corps Volunteer much more by all the extra activities she's taken on. We were only there for a few days, though, she probably does loads more when she's not hosting Supercros08! She's a pretty impressive gal! <br /><br />Apryl organized a couple discussion groups with quite a diverse range of community members. Our youngest participants were in 7th grade, and our oldest were... old enough. =) Different minorities and social classes were represented and everyone had come together to talk to the likes of us! Our first group met in the evening at a local cafe and our second and third groups were classrooms full of students!<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/R_nwofDZz0I/AAAAAAAAAfY/KlpPeh3YtDg/s1600-h/Rakitovo.JPG.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/R_nwofDZz0I/AAAAAAAAAfY/KlpPeh3YtDg/s400/Rakitovo.JPG.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186441024215043906" /></a>We kicked off our meetings and quickly became deeply immersed in a discussion about the implications of Bulgaria's accession into the European Union. We presented a few starter questions: "Is the EU a good thing for Bulgaria's development?" and "Is the EU a good thing for opportunities for Bulgaria's youth?". We then played a trick on them and crossed the questions: "If all the educated youth take advantage of the EU and leave Bulgaria for work or study opportunities abroad, how can Bulgaria reach it's development potential?" I thought for sure we had stumped them! But to my surprise and delight, we received some very nice and enlightening responses.<br /><br />Aside from a few of the older participants, who are forever faithful to the days of communism when "everyone had a job, and everyone had money", the general attitude was that people were glad to have been accepted into the EU. They believed that through European funds, they can develop their country to a point that it can be established and sound on it's own. Sustainable. That is, as soon as they can get hold of, and end, all the corruption and scandals that plague this nation. They talked about one agricultural program that had been devastating to other programs. Millions of dollars of EU money was being stolen under the guise of this program so the EU froze all funds for these types of programs, affecting many more people. I think the idea is: hopefully someone will learn something soon. <a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/R_nxEfDZz1I/AAAAAAAAAfg/kGV29mpPC7U/s1600-h/DSC_1392.JPG.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Ibvc3ESiZO4/R_nxEfDZz1I/AAAAAAAAAfg/kGV29mpPC7U/s400/DSC_1392.JPG.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186441505251381074" /></a>As to the second question we had for them, we found that most, if not all, youth wanted to leave Bulgaria in search of opportunities for either work or school. The EU obviously makes this easier for them because there are less visa restrictions. In fact, they don't even need a passport to enter other EU countries! <br /><br />When we asked our paradoxical question, they didn't hesitate too long in responding. It seemed the general consensus was that their idea was to go to a foreign country to learn something via university or work, and to bring that knowledge back with them to Bulgaria. Ironically similar to what <a href="http://www.timwikoff.blogspot.com">Tim</a> and I are doing with Supercross08! They couldn't give an estimation for how long they would like to be in a foreign country for, for work or higher education, but it was clear that they wanted to return to Bulgaria for their love of their country. Exclaimed one participant, "And Bulgarian men are the most beautiful in all the world!" Slight pause. "Oh... Sorry." =)<br /><br />It was really nice to see Apryl again, and to do a project in her community! It was also nice to see a bit of her life: we "helped" with English classes (sorry Apryl), we sat and talked with her friends from the community, we watched her teach Spanish, and we attended a student vs. teacher volleyball fundraiser for a kid with cancer from the community! We stayed long enough in the community and get a nice idea for what life must be like in Rakitovo. In this cold, cold mountain town, I found it very gratifying to encounter the warm hearts of it's inhabitants!Andrew!http://www.blogger.com/profile/02170615547522584268noreply@blogger.com