Em and I got all our stamps!
The bunny is sooooooooo cute!
That gingerbread man had no chance......
Thursday, January 8, 2009
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......
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!
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.......
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......
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......
Saturday, January 3, 2009
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!
Glyposti!
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.
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.
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