Kukeri Festival

Pernik (where I live in Bulgaria) is home to the International Kukeri Festival. This festival is dedicated to chasing away evil spirits and welcome good crops for the spring. People dress up in these huge elaborate masks designed to look as ugly as possible and jump around with huge bells on their waist. People come from different parts of Europe and partake in the festival as spectators or participants. It really was such a great thing to see. Here are some pics....

Men in there kukeri costumes.....

And randomly, the festival also included men dressed as women, or wearing black makeup or dressed in crazy costumes.....

Man wearing a wedding dress holding a plastic gun??? How is this scaring away the evil spirits?

You know I love the kids......

Sippin on some syzzurp

Ok, so those who know me know very well that I have a SWEET TOOTH. And I mean I would eat sugar out the damn bag if I could. So I was quite pleased when I got the hookup on some syrup. Especially since I love pancakes for breakfast (lunch or dinner too for that matter).


I was on the phone with Poppa, and he swears I cant cook. SO in yo face! And my pancakes came out light and fluffy, cuz thats how I do!


And just cause I love for yall to hate on me, I took pics of my french toast (above) and pancake (below) breakfast. Hope yall peeped that Aunt Jemima bottle in the background, how could you not.....

they kinda have a point tho....

Now from what I have heard, this Bill O'Reilly guy is indeed a racist/says racist comments pretty often. But I am not familiar with any of his rants or raves, and frankly dont watch this show at all (seeing as I am overseas). But thanks to the good people over at mediatakeout.com (sometimes they post straight BS, but its funny), I came across this video clip.

Now how this is news I do not know. But I suppose if people can say racist rants and comments against Barack Obama and the news reports that, than rants against Bush are fair game. For the record, I am agreeing partly with what they both said about the concert and the comments made by Jay-Z. I am totally against rappers and the like using the N word like its ok. That causes confusion for the people of Bulgaria (for example) who see poor volunteers like myself and think its cool to call me that. Frankly we need to banish this word from our vocabulary cuz its not cute to use, or to hear. And for someone like Jay-Z, altho the comments he made about Bush are his opinion and right to say, the N part is just ridiculous. But I suppose those Black folks who are from the hood and have been using the word practically all their lives, have no need or will to change how they use it (or educate themselves with better words). People actually listen to Jay-Z and yound Jeezy and try to be like them, so using this language is not a good look. Especially since they supported Obama up and down this election, and this really is not the message he would like to promote for our youth anywhere. And frankly there is a way to disagree with someone without being disrespectful (thanking the guy who threw shoes at Bush!) Come on Black folk, lets get it together!

Now, what I DISAGREE with, is the condescending tone in which Mr. O'Reilly uses to say these peoples names. His tone is one of outright disrespect for Jeezy and Jay-Z (whom he claims he met and thinks is a decent guy). But who the hell is Mr. O'Reilly to say Jay-Z should know better! And that what they said was "low class" when I believe he made a racist comment about Michelle Obama which could be also considered LOW CLASS. But of course he brushed that off his shoulders with some bullshit apology and explanation that his words were taken out of context!

And Dennis Miller, I was with you on the "hoes" bit! That was on point and the truth....im just sayin.....

Excuse my Language....

....But I FUCKIN HATE FLEAS! They are so disgusting and nasty. I honestly didnt even know that humans could get flea bites (I never had a dog). But in Bulgaria, there are so many stray dogs roaming the streets just chillin. And this is by no means anything new for current volunteers, but I HAD to blog about this.

Ive had some flea bites before. They itch so damn bad, that is just feels like heaven when I am scratching the irritated spot. Its a temporary moment of bliss. But then scratching causes the bite to inflame and get much bigger, and after a while it can scar and leave a mark. And for someone like me (who is black) the scars are clearly visible on my skin. My legs, once beautiful and sexy now look so disgusting cuz they are decorated with small scars everywhere. DID I MENTION HOW MUCH I HATE FLEAS?!?!

I woke up with 8, COUNT EM 8 flea bites this morning. On my thighs, foot, legs and hand. EEWWW So I am making my bed when I see the culprit just chillin like its on vacation. So I run and get the bug spray provided to me by trusty PC, and attempt to end that fuckers life by sprayin it like crazy in a fit of rage. Dont you know this lil mutha fucker was practically 2-steppin on my damn sheets, as if to say "its a celebration bitches (in that Chapelle voice)" or "hahaha Im still alive heifer" I was SOOOOOOOOO mad! So of course I start to spray even more, and it honestly slowed the flea down, but then it just kept on jumpin! I finally took my damn shoe off and hit the flea. IT DIED! HAHAHAHAHAHA Then I had to change my sheets.....

I bought some RAID after school. I went spray crazy, and got choked up a bit from the fumes. Thats a sign that thats the good stuff......

Hey you

Well I hope you enjoy my blog. I really do try my best to keep it current, full of relevant posts and of course, keep it HILARIOUS! I have a feeling you will keep me on my toes in just about everything I do cuz I already admire your intellect. So if you are reading this, thank you for stoppin in and checkin me out. Best believe, Im already checkin for you......and just an FYI, Pink has never been my thing, but its growing on me already!

Test Today

Well I gave my students a test today. And honestly, I had the biggest smile on my face! Why you ask? Well simply put, it was one of those moments of sheer SATISFACTION that I felt being a teacher in Bulgaria.

Why you ask again? Well day in and day out I try my hardest to make my lessons fun and interesteing so that the students pay more attention. And before just a short while ago, I really felt some sort of way cuz the students weren't interested. EVEN IF we played games. They were into them for a while, but the same old behavior came shining through: heads rested on hands, heads on desks, sucking of teeth, talking, laughing extremely loud and nothing really THAT funny etc. Oh and my favorite, WRITING on the board very clearly only to turn around and see the student slookin at you like you have shit on your shirt. Oh wait I have another favorite, writing something on the board (for example the definition of candid) and when you do REVIEW the next day the students AGAIN are lookin at you liek you have shit on your shirt (ME: for REVIEW use candid in a sentence, STUDNTS: what's candid?)

So needless to say althought I did my very best to give my students the heads up about the test and what to study for it, many of them STILL sat there stuck on stupid. And as HORRIBLE as it sounds, I just wanted to LAUGH (like this guy but with more teeth)!

you know what they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink!

**Just a side note: who the hell is "they" (as in you know what they say.....)?

Oh really?!?!

Anybody wanna take a stab in the dark and guess what this is?

Give up?!?

Ok, it WAS my new gym ball. I decided to get off my lazy ass, and work out to the music videos I'm always watching instead of just sitting on my couch pretending I can sing. So I got all pumped up and bought this cute gym ball to get my ab exercises on. So on Mon I convinced myself to actually do some abs.

I did about 20. My stomach was hurtin so bad I thought I would die! Needless to say, I ate dinner, and continued on singing along to music videos. But I told myself tomorrow was a new day!

So this morning Im ironing my shirt for work and the gym ball was right near the iron. Dont you know that damn iron burned a hole in my gym ball and that shit started to deflate. Well me being MS. RESOURCEFUL, decided to just tape it up, you know, good as new. I got home after work, and this is what the gym ball looked like:


Yeah, its a wrap for that........Ill just starve myself to lose weight. That ALWAYS works......

Hello Mr. President

So I just couldnt help myself. I had to take pics of the TV because it was THAT serious. Besides the fact that the entire thing was kinda off schedule, and the judge messed up on the oath, it was spectacular. Mr. President and the first lady looked great and oh so classy. And those who know me know that I am not a big fan of green, let alone wearing it, but damn if Michelle didnt look on point in those green leather gloves (they was fire).

It really does feel good to see Mr. Obama become the president. And for those of you who dont really get it, ill try to break it down for you: Not only have Black people had to work as slaves to build this country, we had to deal with the ramifications of a racist environment after the fact. No rights, no respect, not even the acknowledgement of being human at one point. And although Barack Obama was raised way different than most Black people, went to Harvard, became a Senator and has money, when people look at that man, they see a Black person. His skin is dark, so anyone who chooses NOT to talk to him or get to know him could write him off as another nigger (dont act like there arent people out there who still think like this). And seriously, the make-up of America and what people see as American is White, lets keep it really real. Most big box office hits include white actors/actresses in lead roles (Oh hey Will Smith), a hand full of none white actors/actresses win Oscars, most big named super models are white (I see you Jourdann Dunn and Chanel Iman, Tyra and that chick that threw the phone at her housekeeper), most of the billionaires or more wealthy people are white (Im sure they worked hard for their money, but again Blacks needed things like "affirmative action" to even get a job let alone a damn college education). Oh, and Black history month? Are you serious (let me school you for a sec) What started as a week to honor African Americans by Carter G. Woodson (the author of the Miseducation of the Negro) in February was expanded to a month. But Blacks (like myself) shouldn't need just a month to be honored because I am American just like anyone else.

The point of that tangent I just went on was to say that this moment is so "historic" because it really is a phenomenon that a Black person (amidst on-going racist logic/policies/thoughts/attitudes) can be elected president. And although we come from 2 different places, his skin looks like mine. Im sure that man can tell you some stories about how he was disrespected or mistreated because of the color of his skin (just as I can). People like to think that this is no big deal, and that Blacks are mistaken if they think they will get special treatment because Mr. Obama is Black. The fact of the matter is just like Sidney Poitier opened the doors and made it ok for Black actors to be recognized for their talent, Barack Obama is making it ok for all Blacks or ANYONE for that matter to aspire to the highest position in the world (just like Hilary Clinton did for women). I just wanted to get that out the way. Most folks kinda dance around that fact that racism still exists. But my philosophy is once people realize it does and can openly admit it, then maybe, just MAYBE we can actually get past it. The above was to explain the sentiment of Blacks and why this is so very important. With that being said, lets pay close attention to what the new Pres SAID HE WOULD DO and HOLD IT TO HIM(cuz when I get back in 2010 Im ready to get this paper). We shouldn't be lookin at his color, but what his policies and plans are for gettin the economy back together, or the Gaza conflict, or looming terrorism, or anti-American sentiment, or diminishing natural resources, or the current gas problem, education, health care and the list goes on and on and on. Hopefully this really is a new day......

**DISCLAIMER** Now Black people, dont be holdin on to the new Pres like he owe you something. He worked hard to get where he is. Let him be an example and nothing more. Do not depend on him to pay your bills or give you special treatment because you deserve none.

Oh, and can we please stop talkin about Michelle Obama's fashion sense. I gave her props earlier for them gloves, cuz yall know I aint no hater (but the oufit was eehh). But isn't she a lawyer? Doesn't she have a brain? Can we start talkin about what we want to see her do as a first Lady instead of what fashion designer she gon put on the map......

Ok Im done......

Oh wait, if there was even a MINUTE chance that the Pres or someone he knows read MY BLOG, and is planning to come to Bulgaria (Im not sure why you would do that) but can you please do so BEFORE I leave here (by June 2010). I'm just sayin......

Ok, im really done......

Australian Open

Good Luck Serena! She is my fav tennis player and I hope she does well in the Australian Open. Her pic to the right is when she beat the World #1 Jankovic in 2008. You can do it again!

Happy King Day!

Today I taught my students who Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was. I was kinda appalled that only one student out of 26 knew who he was. It seemed odd. But then again when I was talkin to them about racism, barely a handful of them knew what the Holocaust was (that shocked me too). Anyway, it felt so good to explain to them why Dr. King was so important to AMERICAN history. So here is the speech just in case you missed it, never heard it before or just wanted to refresh your memory. Enjoy it folks......



I was tryna post the vid here, but just follow the link:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMXaTktUfA

Hot Damn

So in the "I may potentially have a life" news of the day just wanted to run down my weekend for all you losers who had nothing to do.

Fri started off chill. I made a lovely dinner and watched tv and musice videos all night. Sat is when the real MAGIC began. Ofcourse becuz I live in Bulgaria, something out of the ordinary had to occur, and low and behold my lights went out TWICE. Last sun the power in my entire apt building went out. Before that I tried to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner with Jojo when all of a sudden as I was FRYING CHICKEN (the chicken was literally in the oil frying) and all the power goes out. I mean we were in my apt boggled cuz I had no flashlight, no candles, no heat and we were both so hungry we could eat 2 cows, some goats, feta cheese AND drink some sour cherry juice (ok maybe that was just me).

So anway, I call this lady from my school and she calls the maintenance guy to come fix the power. She said he would come in an hour, and I just kept thinkin that I could die in that time. Fortunately for the world, I didnt. he came and fixed it and all was right with the world. BUT WAIT, the power shut off again a few hours later. Jojo was at my house then, and we both were sittin in the house just in the dark. Chillin. I called and the maintenance guy came again and fixed the power.

So, we got all dolled up and headed out. I had on this bangin dress, showing the girls and the booty. Black pumps, makeup in check, lookin like a grown up. Someting I dont do often in Bulgaria (ok NEVER). So we head to my peeps house, get our drink on, then go to the club. Now as usual, all the dudes was eyein me, but no one said anything. Jojo and I danced and partied in our own lil bubble and had such a good time.

Soon enough we will be in Turkey belly dancin....hahahaha Oh let the good times roll!

That's ME

So I've been thinkin lately about this song. I just love it and I feel like Beyonce wrote this for me. *Hand claps for that*

This my line right here: Ego so big you must admit I got every reason to feel like im that B*tch!

This had been on my mind for a lil minute but I kept forgettin to blog about it until recently when I rolled up in the bathroom and somethin hit my damn nose so HARD!

The pic to your left is of the "Turkish" style toilets we have at the schools. As you can see, this shit is DISGUSTING. Now lets back track so you can fully understand the severity of the situation. In most places in Bulgaria, they dont flush the tissue down the toilet. There is usually a small waste basket near the toilet for you to throw the tissue. With that being said, imagine (actually just look at the pic) the used tissue just pilin up. It smell like coochy, ass and a whole bunch of other stuff. and its JUST PILIN UP! That cant be good right? HELL NO.

So I rolled up in the bathroom one day, and damn if that EENY MEENY MINEY MOE shit dont work cuz I walked in this stall, and got hit with the most awful smell ever. I mean I looked in the waste basket and saw fuckin nasty ass (you should see my face as im typin this) used maxi pads,tissue with shit stains, and random garbage. I was like DAYYUM! So my pants were half way off by this point so I proceed with using the restroom and HOLDIN MY BREATHE. You HAVE to SQUAT to use it, and damn if its not a fuckin day job tryna aim your pee in the hole! Have these mofo's never seen modern day toilets with seats? And can we say LIGHTS? Its so bleak in there, the only light there is comes from the windows facing the bathrooms. But when you close the door there is no light......UUGGHHHHH!

This made me think of Japan actually, and just how ASS-BACKWARDS Bulgarians can be. In Japan in some places they still have bathrooms like the one above where you have to squat to pee. But honestly those are much nicer, you can flush the tissue dwon the toilet, and THEY ARE MUCH NICER! Speakin of the Japanese, they have those smart toilets with the buttons on them. You can have warm wter spray your booty, touch a button to make the seat go up or down, or touch a button to flush the toilet. FUCKIN AMAZIN!

And just a lil fun fact for ya, Will and Jada Smith got a Japanese toilet personally made for them and shipped from Japan to the states (dont ask me how I know that!)

Bestest weekend EVER!

So on the real, yall gots to keep this shit on the low......

So I went to Sofia to hang out with this Black guy that I know. I wanted to talk to him about all the shit that was going on, and ask how his experience in Bulgaria was. He has a good job, and is older so I figured he would have some stories to tell. Well when we met up, he was like get comfy cuz we gon hang out all day together. We had lunch, he let me use his phone to call my mom inthe states, and we laughed and joked around. A friend of his was leaving Bulgaria, to there was a going away party and he invited me. There was free booz, so you know I was down.

After the party we went to dinner. We went to this really nice upscale place. He must go there often, cuz the waiters and waitresses were askin how his new years was and talkin to him like they knew him. Then someone came over with a gift for him. It was a bottle of champagne. Then a waitress brought over a new dish she wanted us to try that they were considering putting on the menu. For dinner I had the biggest piece of fish Ive ever eatten, with potatoes. They cooked the fish in a funny way too. It was inside of what looked like a huge piece of bread. When they brought it to the table it was flaming (literally the bread thing was on fire). I was so surprised that I actually took a pic. He probably was thinkin this damn idiot takin a pic of this shit, but whatevs!

So after dinner we hit up this place called the Piano bar. It was a private party but he knew someone inside who let us crash. We were singing and drinkin while some guy played the piano and this bulgarian chick sang bulgarian and english songs. Another black dude I know came later with this really cute Bulgarian chick. She was the cutest Bulgarian Ive ever seen and she spoke english very well. We clicked instantly and she asked for my number and said we could chill another. So at this point im on cloud nine. Not only was I having a good time with other black people, I had a great dinner (did I mention homeboy dropped 260 for the bill?) and free booz. BUT IT GETS BETTER!

So the chick (G) asked if I wanted to go to a hip-hop club. You know me, Im down for whatever, im like sure. I need to find out with the goos spots are anyway. So we roll to this one bar, where this dude swore he was down with me and Harlem just cuz he knew 2 Biggie Smalls songs. He kept playin them shits back to back to, and im like damn homey, can we get somethin else poppin off? But he was really nice. We left the bar and went to the club. I saw some african dudes in there and one other blakc dude who was stuntin. Actin all stank like they didnt notice the ONLY FINE black sista up in there. We all partied hard, and again FREE BOOZ!

We stayed there for a while. The music was actually good, and I met the DJ, some Nigerian dude. Well the ppl I was wit was talkin bout goin to the strip club from earlier, so after the hip-hop club, they was like whats up? yall down for the strip club or what? Again, let me REITERATE: Im down for whatever, so I was the first one wit my damn coat! lol We walked across the street to some ole bootleg club. They had dudes "strippin" and I use that term loosely. We rolled up in there and this one dude with these lil thong undies under a pair of white pants was dancin all OFFBEAT to some house song. He was tryna grin up on some girl who jumped on stage and they might as well had gone in the damn bathroom and got it poppin they was on each other so damn hard (but her ass couldnt dance either!).

So after about 4 and 1/2 minuted of that foolishness (and 2 other FULLY DRESSED "strippers' gettin on stage to try to "DANCE") we left and went to a chick strip club. And here is where I experienced the MAGIC! When we first got there, the girls looked kinda wack. No one was really dancin, and one of the guys we were with got a girl to sit with us, but she was just sittin there lookin stupid. She wasnt talkin, nor was she fuckin strippin. Im thinkin this bitch dont wanna get that paper, cuz had that been me, ida been on someones table shakin my motha fuck toes if it meant gettin some money (IF THAT WERE MY JOB). So I was kinda disappointed with the whole thing until one of the guys explained to me that its not like clubs in the states. The girls only make money off lap dances, and if you buy them drinks (LEARN SOMETHIN NEW EVERYDAY!) so you know what that means......I HAD to get ME a LAPDANCE. So me and the girl I met earlier (she still wit us) pickin out girls like nah, she too ugly, nah her booty aint big enough, oh she look aight, but her stomach kinda big. We was clownin for real. So I finally pick out some chick who looked decent, when her ass disappeared! So we got some other girls to come over and they gave US lapdances. The one girl who was on me what actin kinda shy, but then she started to loosen up. She even said I was cute (it was dark as hell so she could have been lyin, but we know she wasnt) So im mad STUCK. What the FUCK you do when someone giving you a lapdance? Her tits was jigglin all in my face and she was just ALL ON ME. So everybody lookin at me laughing. My arms was just kinda hangin mid-air cuz I didnt know what to do. So they all in the background like you can touch her.....so I DID. hahahahaha but she only stayed on me for like 2 more minutes before she took her money and left.

BUT WAIT, I got another lapdance, COURTESY of one of the guys we were with. This TIME I was on it. I was rubbing on SHORTY, dancin with her, SMACKIN HER ASS, all that good stuff. She kept takin my hands and was rubbin them on her body and she was havin a good ole time. After that, it was about 5 AM, so we decided to call it a DAY (lol) Later I met up with Jojo and we went to see a movie.

That by far was one of THE BEST times Ive had in Bulgaria. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLE. Its 09 bitches, lets DO IT BIG!

Just in case anybody needs a hook-up, HOLLA AT A PLAYA! lol (and no, none of the girls at the club looked like this chick on the card......)

Who Loves Jojo????

I do I do I do!!!! So who would ever have thought that I would find such an awesome friend in Bulgaria? Not me to be honest. But I am glad I did, cuz really, those are the ones at the end of the day that really help you get through all the bullshit. WhenI think of all of the bad situations I have been in Jojo was either with me, or the first one I told it to. When I think of all the good situations Ive been in, trips to the movies, laughing at Bulgarians, cursing Bulgarians, making fun of Bulgarians, taking pics, laughing at other volunteers, laughing at staff members, sharing funny stories from home, I THINK OF JOJO! She really is the epitome of a good friend (she got me an OBAMA oen when she went to the states even tho she is republican...hahahaha)!

So becuz her selflessness knows no boundaries, she got me such great gifts from London. And 2 of them were awesome, but the 3rd one was FUCKIN GREAT and I just had to share.

Jojo got me this fantastic salt and pepper shaker. But its 2 people hugging. She said when she saw it, she said "thats me and Shantay" isnt this the cutest thing you've ever seen. When she gave it to me I was laughin so hard.

So it is on my kitchen table, and it just looks right at home. isnt it adorable?!

Thanks Jojo!!

My trip to Greece

Overall, Greece was really nice. The first day we got there, we put our bags down at the hotel and went sightseeing. We went to Syntagma Square which is just in front of the Parliament building. Its like a 34th Street with no cars. It was full of shoe and clothing stores aligned on each side of a long narrow street. We saw like 4 Zara's along the street, Bath and Body Works, a McDonalds, and mad stores. I felt like a fat kid in a candy store. So many clothes and tight sexy dresses to buy. But since I was with other people, I took notes of where the place was and kept it moving.

Next was the Acropolis. Tht was really nice. There were mad people there from everywhere, Japan, other parts of Europe, Americans. They were all takin pics. I was excited to see the ruins and take pics. We ate lunch at this cute place and then split up. The boys walked around and Em and I walked where the market was. Africans selling fake Louis and Gucci bags, people selling old stuff along the street, sneaker stores, clothing stores, and gift shops. It was like China town shrunk to fit this paticular area just around the Acropolis.

Oh, I went to buy some gloves. So one dude sellinthe gloves asked where I was from. I said NY and proceeded to pay for the gloves. So then he says, no really where you from, are you Senegalese. Again, I say no, I from NY. So obviously this was not the correct answer, cuz homeboy started to ask again. No, but where are you from, your African right or from the Carribbean? Listen bitch, I don told yo ass I from NY and thats that. I was born there, have always lived there and thats it. Then he asked where my parents were from. At this point Im gettin annoyed. I say AGAIN, they are ALSO from NEW YORK just LIKE ME. WE ARE ALL FROM NY. Not Senegal, no where in Africa, and damn sure not from the Carribbean. Please stop asking me the same question, cuz I dont want to repeat myself further. I walked away and heard him say to another guy standing there "she cant be from AMERICA!" And I mean he really was confused as to why I kept saying that. Boy was I fuckin annoyed..........

The rest of my time in Greece was spent shopping, and sighseeing. There were some churches there, and some other small spots that we hit up. The food was much like the food here in Bulgaria. Gyros were everywhere, there were meatballs, spaghetti and various salads. I was hoping to eat some traditional Greek food. I did have pastichio (I think thats spelled wrong), and tsatziki, but everything else was either like Bulgarian food, or like food I could get in the states. I was quite disappointed.

The shopping was excellent. Athens is the capital of Greece, so of course it was totally developed there. There were a whole bunch of Africans and other people from different cultures walking around which made me excited. Athens is so much more cosmopolitan that Sofia even (where I have seen like 3 black people as opposed to like 100 per day in Athens). And the people were quite fashionable. Knee high boots, Louis bags (real and fake) nice coats, cute hair styles, cute accessories, and banging shoes.

And thats pretty much it. I wont bore you with any personal stories cuz its too much to write. But the people I went with did piss me off several times. We had problems with tipping CORRECTLY, people being downright cheap as hell with everything (even with table bread), annoying the shit out of me, and talking to fill the silence. No one wanted to go to any bars or clubs and for new years we managed to go to one bar for like a half hour. There was a fire works show, but someone ordered fucking french fries and delayed of from seeing it. We just walked back to the hotel and that was my new years. Well anyway, WILL however leave you with some inspiring quotes/saying:

"Crotch Cookie" (you figure that one out yourself)
"I aint gettin up for no damn egg"

oh, and we actually saw hookers!

Greece: the Funny Stuff

Before retiring to bed, we played several card games a few nights and drank wine and alcohol. Thats when all the shenanigans ensued.....


Uummmm I dont know that they were doing.....

Dave humping the wall

Good times

How cute........

Funny Story: We went to this small musuem near the Acropolis where there were several statues outside and other stuff inside. So we saw a headless body with the guys penis out for all to see. So I wanted to take a pic with the guy. So Im takin the pic, and thought it would be funny to put my hand under the guys penis as if I were cuppin it. So this lady who was security I can only assume comes from no where and starts screamin at me. This is not a game, thats disrepectful. Let me see that picture. So she takes my camera and checks to see the pic. It was even taken yet, but needless to say she followed us around to keep us in check. Well I went inside cuz it was mad cold, and found this guy with his penis out. And look, he even has a face which is so much better.........

Greece: the National Garden

We visited Greece's National Garden located right next to the Parliament building. It was freezing that day as well, but it was nice. There were several small stations set up for kids to do various activities. There was a lil book where you got stamps after visiting each station. Altho Im big as hell, and didnt actually do the required activities, I still got my book stamped.

Em and I got all our stamps!

The bunny is sooooooooo cute!

That gingerbread man had no chance......

Greece: the Acropolis

Now Im sure there are a few of you who are wondering how Greece was. Ill keep the bad comments and funny stuff to myself, and just show some pics......lol

It was raining and really cold the day we went to the Acropolis, but it was worth it. The structures looked so well maintained. I kept wondering what they looked like during that time. We saw the Parthenon, the stage and there was various statues at a small museum on the Acropolis.

Na Gosti...

So in Bulgarian culture there is what is called na gosti, which simply means guest. You go to someones house as their guest. There is also what is called a name day in Bulgaria. On a given day, people who have the same name as someone famous/historical in Bulgarian culture celebrate. And usually they bring in chocolates to work or have a dinner or small get together depending on the person. So for example, lets use Abraham Lincoln (so random). Lets say January 9th is the day of Abraham Lincoln. All of the people in the US who have a name stemming from Abraham (Abraham, or Abrahama, I just made that up) would all celebrate.

Ok. There is a lady at my job who celebrated her name day yesterday and invited me na gosti (as her guest) at her house. Now these usually last for hours (no exaggeration). There is food, booze, dancing, laughing, talking and this lasts for hours. So I went to her house about 6:30. And the food was awesome. There was something like appetizers there which was some salad, wine, bread, salami and cheese. Then came dish #1, cabbage and lamb. Then dish #2, potatoes and meatballs, then to finish up, was desert, more wine, and whatever was left in the table from the appetizers.

Her family of about 7-8 people were there, plus me. We ate and of course they asked me various questions about myself, my family, NY, my life in Bulgaria, and if I like it here. All was pretty ok, til the lady's husband decided to give me a history lesson on Bulgaria. And I mean from like when the fuckin folks from China and the Bulgars first got to the land now considered Bulgaria is what he was tryna explain to me. After I while, I not only stopped trying to listen and understand, I tried everything in my power to appear like I was intrigued. And you all know the drill, the occasional un huh, yeah yeah, oh really, I didn't know that, or my favorite, the head nod. Then I had to mix in some (in bulgarian of course) get out of here! what?! shut yo mouth, and no kiddin'

What I thought was absolutely hilarious was how this dude really was givin Bulgaria major props. And I understand patriotism, but this was a lil bit much. Talkin about the wonders of Bulgaria, and how once upon a time they ruled all the lands from the Black Sea to England. How current day Macedonia is really Bulgaria, and how the Turks are fooling themselves cuz they owe everything to Bulgaria, and how you can find small towns within Russia and Germany that speak Bulgarian and basically are Bulgarian. And there might be some truth to all these assertions, but homeboy was going hard. Like Bulgaria was the pinnacle of life in the whole of Europe once upon a time (and THAT I dont believe).

Then I was tellin them about Jonathan, and he basically was saying that Johnathan is the equivalent of Ivan, so Jonathan should have a name day too. Then that segued into Catholicism and Christianity and the history if both in Bulgaria, and I mean this dude just kept talking.

So we started dancing, and I noticed a CD case. It was titled "Black Hits" and had a picture of some guy that plays for the Celtics on the front.....hilarious.

But overall, the food was great and it felt good to do something other than go home after work and watch music videos. And the lady form my job really is a sweetheart so I figured I could just keep pretending I understood what they said for just a lil bit longer. And she gave me some baklava (dessert) to take home, so all was not lost!

Damn You

So today I had to scream on this one kid. Let me back track and say that as far as discipline, I thought I had that in the bag. I came with my list of rules on the first day and really have not had any real problems from my students. The rules for my class are:

1. Eating or drinking of any kind is not permitted in class including but not limited to gum, candy, food, water (after each class the entire school gets a 10 min break they can do all that during that time)

2. Remain in your seat unless given permission to get up

3. Silence cell phones in class. Do not send texts, make or receive calls. If your phone rings it WILL be confiscated and returned at the end of the day

4. Use polite speech and body language in class

5. DO NOT CHEAT! (I obviously had to provide the definition cuz these bulgarians consider cheating simply "helping")

With that being said, some kid in my class decides to hide in the corner like I cant see him, and eat. I asked him are you eating, and he says no. So I finish taking the attendance and tell homeboy to step outside. Then I proceeded to rip him another fuckin asshole. And thank goodness he was one of the students who could actually understand ENG cuz if not it would have all been for naught. So after screamin on him for like 5 min, we went back inside and he decides he dont want to do the work. So Im goin bout my business with the class, and he finally starts to do his work.

Then some other kids' phone rang in my class and I took it. They know that rules. But of course he had the nerve to cop a damn attitude cuz his phone rang and fucked up my train of thought. Excuse me. So he asked when the bell rang could he get his phone, and I said no, you know the rules. You have to wait til the end of the day (which was after 1 more period cuz I was done with all my classes then). You wanna knwo what this fucker says to me? "Well I'm leaving after the next period and I dont have time to be looking all over the school for you..." And of course what I was thinkin was you rude bastard if you were my son I would fuck you up talkin to a teacher like that or if no one would find out, I would surely beat the shit out of you right now cuz you deserve it. But I kept my compsure and simple reiterated that after the next period I would be in the teachers room, and would return his phone at that time. It was all I could do not to say what I was thinking, cuz yall know "Shaun lov the kids....."

I know this is not the biggest discipline problem ever. There are volunteers in other places who have worse problem: students coming extremely late or not at all, students who dont work at all, cant understand ENG at all, who talk back, or worse. But it really bothers me that 1. you broke the rules, and 2. you lied when I asked you what you were doing. Slowly but surely the kids are startin to test me. And please believe, Im up for the challenge cuz above all else, I WILL NOT be disrepected!

Again, the lack of ways to discipline these kids is the problem. Teachers ask me all the time how kids are dealt with in the states cuz there really is nothing they can do when students act up. And I wasnt the best student ever, but I listened. I had manners, I was courteous, and damn sure didnt want teachers callin my home cuz my mom would have kicked my ass. These students act so barbaric, have no manners or humility. Above all the things they need is a good ass whoopin or my foot in they ass! Im just sayin.......

I wanna make love in this.....

Classroom? Yes you read correctly. Apparently the rules of conduct for American students and Bulgarian students are just very different. This would probably stem from the fact that Bulgarian schools really don't have any type of discipline system in place to deal with students' disruptive or bad behavior. There really is no dean, or suspension for a few days, or detention for that matter. So teachers have the tough job of letting shit slide that normally wouldn't in the states. For example, in my 9th g, yes my 9th grade class, a boy and a girl are dating. Every now and then I give my students free time. So of course free time have become a code word for freak off time. What once was a touch of the cheek or something small has escalated into full on caressing, kissing of the neck and gazing into each others eyes. As funny as this may sound, I'm just waiting for the days when this shit turns into petting, or a straight strip tease/freak show. And lets not forget about the 10th graders. This one girl in my class (who honestly needs to focus on being able to say a complete sentence such as I have a cat) was straight touching all over this one kid, rubbing his head. As if yall mofos in yall bedroom alone. I mean this is just ridiculous. And lets not mention the way these kids dress. I got some 9th graders who look double their age cuz they wear heels, makeup, short skirts, low cut tops.

I remember when I was in high school. I wore a uniform and yea I tried to be cute. I rolled up my skirt so it was short sometimes. But kissing or touching on someone while in class? Hell no. and I do remember there were some bold kids, kissing in the stair case but again, in class? Hell to the naw.....

Do I say anything? Honestly this type of behavior has just popped up from no where. The kids were very well behaved in the beginning, but now it appears these little fuckers are lettin their true colors shine thru. And I dont like it.....I'll be reporting to you all lata if there indeed is any love in the classroom......

Oh really?!?!

Ok, so everyone who knows me pretty much knows that I dont like small kids. Besides the fact that they are disgusting, loud, obnoxious, and annoying noise-makers (did I mention disgusting), they can be so misbehaved. No this is not true of all children. There are some of you out there who are just as cute as buttons, have manners, and are such darling children. Most MOST of you are just bastards. So anyways there is nothing more that I hate, than a child that acts out in public. And if I were to ever stumble and bump my head, and decide to have a child, best believe, that mutha fucka is gon be on their best behavior. Cuz if not, Im cuttin ass whenever and wherever!

So, while waiting in the hotel I noticed this kid named Nicolas actin a fool. And how do I know his name is Nicolas you aks? Cuz in a very poor attempt to chastise this boy, his mother, who is on the computer keeps saying his name. She was speakin spanish so I couldnt understand anything but Nicoals. But Im pretty sure she was saying things like stop, or sit down, or dont be so noisy. But what homegirl should have been saying is if you dont stop crawling around on these people furniture ima fuck you up, cuz if you break something I cant pay for it and then Ima break that ass! And I just had to snap a pic and blog this shit, cuz this is ridiculous.

Here is Nicolas laying on the computer desk like its his couch.

Here is Nicolas playing with a toy on the computer desk. Oh hey Matt!

Glyposti!

Holiday Banquet

I forgot about this banquet I went to with some colleagues from work. There was good food, dancing, alcohol, and my spectacular outfit. I looked like a million bucks.....lol

Yall see how thin I look? Eat your hearts out Bitches!!!!

Rollin wit the homies...

Jojo called me and asked what I was doing for X-mas. I didnt have anything planned until I left for Greece, so I decided to go hang with her. I met up with her X-mas Eve and we got some chicken, pizzas, and she had some wine. We watched "The Holiday" which was so damn awesome and bugged out for the rest of the night. I did get Jojo some small gifts for X-mas and I was so delighted when she opened them and was happy (maybe she was fakin...hahaha).

On X-mas day, we just chilled. We went to have lunch with her vice director and that was great. We had salad, soup and a delicious turkey with rice. The food was amazing and her vice director was so nice. We stayed there for about 4 hours just eating, talking, and poppin champagne (yeah we ballin).

In an attempt to dodge my host family, I tried to keep a very low profile. I convinced Jojo we should walk in the back alley ways, and I had my hood so far over my face. I went to the dance class I used to go to while I was in Kyustendil for training. My old friends were there, and there was a nice set up of food and wine and cookies off to the side. I danced and hung out for a while before Jojo and I decided to call it a night. We met up wit Alex and headed to her place for another movie and some pizza.

Chrsitmas Pics

Christmas Stuff

I been gone for a minute now im back with the jumpoff.... (thanks lil kim)! This is just some holiday stuff so you folks back in the states and my loyal readers (all 5 of you) know that im not being a loser festering on the couch in front of the tv for Christmas.

So I decided to do a Secret Santa with my students for X-mas. We all decided to have a X-mas PARTY. I would bake a cake, a girl would bake a traditional Bulgarian pastry and we would have drinks and other snacks. I got so worked up about baking this damn cake. I had to buy all the ingredients, find a cake recipe simple enough for me to understand, then bake the damn thing. The only problem I came across was frosting. THERE WAS NONE. They dont have nice little betty crocker canisters of chocolate frosting, or anything remotely close to that. So unfortunately my cake would be dry, but please believe there was enough sugar to feed all the homeless ppl. in Bulgaria in that damn cake. I cut them up into lil squares and was excited that the cake tasted good.

I had created a cute lil beard out of cotton, and bought a hat and decided this would be so cute. I go to school for the party, and bust in the door with my best Ho Ho Ho to see my students sitting down patiently waiting. I hand out there gifts and am all excited for this party when I take out my cake. I look around, and see about 3 students pull out some juice boxes. And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, that was the party. My cake, and some damn juice boxes. I kept thinking to myself how uncreative and boring these fuckin kids are, cuz that "PARTY' was lame as hell. I did however take a whole bunch of pics of my class and I received a gift from 2 students, and from some teachers.