Texas and regular sized drinks at the restaurant. Blue Hawaiian....uumm good!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Mom's Bday lunch
Went to luch with my mom, and big sis. I know my big sis looks so young. People think Im the older sis all the time cuz I am a bit more reserved and Im always so dressed up. Not to mention she is so thin and just has a baby face. Well we all pretty much look like my mom I guess. You be the judge......
I LUV NY
And so should you! Just snapped a few pics of how crowded Times Square was on a saturday night (the night we went to the arcade)
Plenty of artists sitting along the street harrassing people to sit in their lil chairs so they can sketch them. They do real skethces and caricatures.
Plenty of artists sitting along the street harrassing people to sit in their lil chairs so they can sketch them. They do real skethces and caricatures.
NYC Yellow Cab...miss those....
Look at all the people
Kickin it with the *Sisters*
Man, I love my sisters! As much as I make fun of how dumb my lil sis is (and she do be actin dumb as hell) I love my lil baby to death! And my older sis, cant imagine life without her.
With that being said, we had a great night out at the arcade. We hit up Dave and Busters and was actin a fool! Renee (older sis) met up with Tiff (lil sis) and I in Times Square. We went up to the arcade and racked up a whole bunch of tickets and got some candy and other small prizes. The pics speak for themselves.....
Tiff just hit ther jackpot and got 380 something tickets.....
Some jump game....we all lost at it!
Renee being a loser.....dont she look cute tho!
I just won a whole bunch of tickets....I love arcades!
Merry Berry's Bday
My Mere Bere had a birthday recently, and of course this awarded me the opportunity to get get all glitzy and glamorous, and of course drink plenty of alcohol. Well Mere looked great, cant deny that, BUT I looked smokin! I decided to pop the tags off of a dress I got in Bulgaria from my favortie store, MANGO. It was that sexy silvery number you see below.
After dinner at this place called Brother Jimmy's, we went to this cute bar around the corner. It 2 dance floors and a rooftop bar. It was so cozy and nice. The music was great, old school R&B. The drinks were good. Mere obviously had a great time, grindin up on Ben like that....
A few things every respectable chick needs: a sexy minidress, nice pumps, and a alcoholic beverage! I'd just like to mention that while I was at the bar, some chick walked up to me NO LIE and said "If Im the only person to tell you, I just wanted you to know that you are working that dress and those pumps!" Ha, thats how fabulous I am......
Kickin it with Emily and (throwback) Ben. Havent seen this dude in like forever.....
After dinner at this place called Brother Jimmy's, we went to this cute bar around the corner. It 2 dance floors and a rooftop bar. It was so cozy and nice. The music was great, old school R&B. The drinks were good. Mere obviously had a great time, grindin up on Ben like that....A few things every respectable chick needs: a sexy minidress, nice pumps, and a alcoholic beverage! I'd just like to mention that while I was at the bar, some chick walked up to me NO LIE and said "If Im the only person to tell you, I just wanted you to know that you are working that dress and those pumps!" Ha, thats how fabulous I am......Kickin it with Emily and (throwback) Ben. Havent seen this dude in like forever.....And of course, a pic of me and the bday girl. Man, this was such a great night. Mere is such a crazy girl. She kept sayin some funny ass shit too.
singing *oh what a night*
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Leaving Bulgaria
Well I know this is the post that most of you are interested in. And for good reason. I was supposed to be in Bulgaria til June 2010, then suddenly, within 3 days time I have to pack my bags and bounce. Well I have my reasons, and Ill quickly go over them.....
Ive been having this uneasy feeling within me for a while now. After the obscenity scratched on my door, I really started to go into a shell, and wonder if this was really for me. I didnt want to walk around the town, and felt uncomfy even walking down certain streets. I went to the Supermarket for obvious reasons, to eat and survive, but other than that, I went to work and came home. Since G lost her job, I stopped going to Sofia to hang out, and I started to really dislike the town. The fact that I had lived in this town for 16 months and people STILL looked at me in a funny manner, or stared at me, really upset me and made me uncomfy. Its not like I didnt try to connect with people, and I had. I knew a fe people in town, and I had lots of colleagues whom I adored. But the fact of the matter is, outside of work, I didnt hang out with those colleagues and the friends I had in town were all so much older. They were interested in hanging out and drinkin at the local restaurant in town every Fri, and nothing else. That gets boring after a while. I just got so frustrated with everything. I tried doing a project with the school and received no help, then tried to do something for the summer to no avail. I thought I was cool just doing nothing for the summer, but it honestly got so damn boring, and I was just at my wit's end.
I battled with leaving early for a long time. I thought it would look horrible on my record, you know, making a committment then leaving early. I thought in the long run it would make a HUGE difference if I applied to a job or would just be plain embarrassing when I came home early, knowing people werent expecting me home for another 10 months. And obviously, I felt like I would be a disappointment to my mom and myself, embarking on a journey and quitting early for selfish reasons. But then I really started thinkin of how unhappy I was. Just how I dreaded leaving my apt to walk to Kaufland to buy groceries, or how I hated to travel on the train to Sofia. So many negative feelings. Then I felt like I didnt want to me unhappy for another 10 months cuz nothing was gonna get better. As far as teaching, my students were mediocre, and Im sorry to say this, but one bad apple really does spoil the bunch. Although there were a few students whom I reallly liked, and really worked hard, I flet like that wasnt enough. For evey one good kid in my class, there were 3 more who didnt do any work, were extremely lazy, had bad attitudes, and really made it hard for me to do my job. And I refuse to stay in a place where 1. Im not feelin the situation, but 2. someone is making it hard for me to do my job cuz they could give 2 shits that Im there or not.
So all this to say, that I felt it was time for me to go. No need to try to survive for another 10 months, or push myself to do my job cuz my heart really wasnt in it. And at the end of the day, I need to do what is best for me.
Now there was a bit of drama surrounding my Italy trip, and Ill clear that up right now. I know how the PC rumor mill gets going and Id like to be very clear on what happened. So I put in my leave request form to go to Italy. I listed the dates as 11th-16th, but that was wrong. I changed the dates and in an email to my program director, asked if I needed to fill out another leave request form, or if I could just let her know what the new dates were (I was going from the 14th-23rd). She said no problem, but failed to put the amended dates into the official PC system. So when the system reported that I had not contacted anyone, and folks called my phone and got no answer, they went into a frenzy. They called my school (and the people there said they didnt know where I was...lol). Then they called Jeng, another vol whom I do not hang out with AT ALL and and confused as to why they would call her of ALL people (they ALWAYS see me with Matt). They checked with the airline (which reported that I had left the country for Italy BUT HAD NOT RETURNED YET) and the border patrol (which reported that b4 I left for Italy, I went to Macedonia for 1 day without permission).
Now I dont know if this is just me (or Amanda/Matt) but if they checked with the airline and it showed that my passport was stamped when I entered Italy, but WAS NOT stamped for entering Bulgaria again, wouldnt one think that I was STILL IN ITALY?!?! Furthermore, wouldnt it have been so EASY to just email me ans ask where the hell I was?!?! Instead, they did all this BS to put on a show, and for what?!?!
But at the end of the day I DO understand that its all about safety and they didnt "know" where I was. But when I spoke with my Country Director, she did acknowledge the fact that I sent the email with the amended dates, and that the fault was on my Program manager cuz she didnt update their system. WHATEVER. So the next issue was of course, my leaving to go to Macedonia with no permission. Becuase of that, she sent me an email saying that she was considering me for adminstrative separation (like firing me). Which was cool with me, cuz altho I decided to leave Bulgaria (I had been packed since early July) I didnt tell PC cuz I was waiting to come back from Italy. So I spoek with her and told her I was plannin on leaving anyway, and it all worked out in the end. I think she recognized what a hard time Ive had here and altho I did break the rules in the end, she was pretty cool about it. I was expecting my Country Director to have a nasty attitude but she was actually pretty cordial and pleasant. Even offered me a recommendation if I needed it! (Take that Jordan!!!....hahaha)
Other than packin all my shit, it was hard saying goodbye I must admit. I had to give my keys to someone at the school, and instead of sneaking out the country I really wanted to say goodbye to Mama Vanya at least. I went early in the morning Mon and we sat and chatted. We laughed, we cried, and we said our goodbyes. I really felt like shit after that, but I suppose life goes on right?!?!!?
The process was fairly quick from start to finish. I spoke with my country director thursday and told her I wanted to leave and she said they coudl get me a flight tuesday morn. I spent the weekend cleaning, and packin and preparing for my LaGuardia arrival. Went in to the office Mon, filled out some paperwork, and kept it moving. Had an interesting evening with Amanda. We had dinner, drank and hung out, talked shit about PC and other stuff. It was a great "last night in BG" Got on my flight with all my shit the next day and was surprised I only had to pay 25 euro for my extra heavy (and overwight) luggage (thank the lord). Flight from Sofia to Amsterdam, to Detroit to NY.
And how to I feel now? GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT (in that Tony the Tiger voice). It is a lil daunting figuring out my next step, getting a job, applying for school, finding an apt. But man, there is jsut a certain freedom I feel. I calmness in me that feels so relaxing. I feel at home amidst the bright lights and hecticness of the city. I saw my sisters and we went to the movies and hung out, met up with Poppa, and just have been chillin. The wight of a thousand worlds has lifted off my shoulders. I dont regret my decision perse, I jsut wish under different circumstances I was able to stay.
Had an interesting convo with the Safety and security director. She told me she was pushing for me to move my site. she thought after the last incident that I should move to another town. But it was my program manager who was stalling. Which is funny cuz when I brought my concerns to her about leaving early, she kinda brushed me off. Didnt even take me seriously....hahahaha I bet her ass know Im serious now.....
There you have it folks.....questions, comments, concerns?!?!
Ive been having this uneasy feeling within me for a while now. After the obscenity scratched on my door, I really started to go into a shell, and wonder if this was really for me. I didnt want to walk around the town, and felt uncomfy even walking down certain streets. I went to the Supermarket for obvious reasons, to eat and survive, but other than that, I went to work and came home. Since G lost her job, I stopped going to Sofia to hang out, and I started to really dislike the town. The fact that I had lived in this town for 16 months and people STILL looked at me in a funny manner, or stared at me, really upset me and made me uncomfy. Its not like I didnt try to connect with people, and I had. I knew a fe people in town, and I had lots of colleagues whom I adored. But the fact of the matter is, outside of work, I didnt hang out with those colleagues and the friends I had in town were all so much older. They were interested in hanging out and drinkin at the local restaurant in town every Fri, and nothing else. That gets boring after a while. I just got so frustrated with everything. I tried doing a project with the school and received no help, then tried to do something for the summer to no avail. I thought I was cool just doing nothing for the summer, but it honestly got so damn boring, and I was just at my wit's end.
I battled with leaving early for a long time. I thought it would look horrible on my record, you know, making a committment then leaving early. I thought in the long run it would make a HUGE difference if I applied to a job or would just be plain embarrassing when I came home early, knowing people werent expecting me home for another 10 months. And obviously, I felt like I would be a disappointment to my mom and myself, embarking on a journey and quitting early for selfish reasons. But then I really started thinkin of how unhappy I was. Just how I dreaded leaving my apt to walk to Kaufland to buy groceries, or how I hated to travel on the train to Sofia. So many negative feelings. Then I felt like I didnt want to me unhappy for another 10 months cuz nothing was gonna get better. As far as teaching, my students were mediocre, and Im sorry to say this, but one bad apple really does spoil the bunch. Although there were a few students whom I reallly liked, and really worked hard, I flet like that wasnt enough. For evey one good kid in my class, there were 3 more who didnt do any work, were extremely lazy, had bad attitudes, and really made it hard for me to do my job. And I refuse to stay in a place where 1. Im not feelin the situation, but 2. someone is making it hard for me to do my job cuz they could give 2 shits that Im there or not.
So all this to say, that I felt it was time for me to go. No need to try to survive for another 10 months, or push myself to do my job cuz my heart really wasnt in it. And at the end of the day, I need to do what is best for me.
Now there was a bit of drama surrounding my Italy trip, and Ill clear that up right now. I know how the PC rumor mill gets going and Id like to be very clear on what happened. So I put in my leave request form to go to Italy. I listed the dates as 11th-16th, but that was wrong. I changed the dates and in an email to my program director, asked if I needed to fill out another leave request form, or if I could just let her know what the new dates were (I was going from the 14th-23rd). She said no problem, but failed to put the amended dates into the official PC system. So when the system reported that I had not contacted anyone, and folks called my phone and got no answer, they went into a frenzy. They called my school (and the people there said they didnt know where I was...lol). Then they called Jeng, another vol whom I do not hang out with AT ALL and and confused as to why they would call her of ALL people (they ALWAYS see me with Matt). They checked with the airline (which reported that I had left the country for Italy BUT HAD NOT RETURNED YET) and the border patrol (which reported that b4 I left for Italy, I went to Macedonia for 1 day without permission).
Now I dont know if this is just me (or Amanda/Matt) but if they checked with the airline and it showed that my passport was stamped when I entered Italy, but WAS NOT stamped for entering Bulgaria again, wouldnt one think that I was STILL IN ITALY?!?! Furthermore, wouldnt it have been so EASY to just email me ans ask where the hell I was?!?! Instead, they did all this BS to put on a show, and for what?!?!
But at the end of the day I DO understand that its all about safety and they didnt "know" where I was. But when I spoke with my Country Director, she did acknowledge the fact that I sent the email with the amended dates, and that the fault was on my Program manager cuz she didnt update their system. WHATEVER. So the next issue was of course, my leaving to go to Macedonia with no permission. Becuase of that, she sent me an email saying that she was considering me for adminstrative separation (like firing me). Which was cool with me, cuz altho I decided to leave Bulgaria (I had been packed since early July) I didnt tell PC cuz I was waiting to come back from Italy. So I spoek with her and told her I was plannin on leaving anyway, and it all worked out in the end. I think she recognized what a hard time Ive had here and altho I did break the rules in the end, she was pretty cool about it. I was expecting my Country Director to have a nasty attitude but she was actually pretty cordial and pleasant. Even offered me a recommendation if I needed it! (Take that Jordan!!!....hahaha)
Other than packin all my shit, it was hard saying goodbye I must admit. I had to give my keys to someone at the school, and instead of sneaking out the country I really wanted to say goodbye to Mama Vanya at least. I went early in the morning Mon and we sat and chatted. We laughed, we cried, and we said our goodbyes. I really felt like shit after that, but I suppose life goes on right?!?!!?
The process was fairly quick from start to finish. I spoke with my country director thursday and told her I wanted to leave and she said they coudl get me a flight tuesday morn. I spent the weekend cleaning, and packin and preparing for my LaGuardia arrival. Went in to the office Mon, filled out some paperwork, and kept it moving. Had an interesting evening with Amanda. We had dinner, drank and hung out, talked shit about PC and other stuff. It was a great "last night in BG" Got on my flight with all my shit the next day and was surprised I only had to pay 25 euro for my extra heavy (and overwight) luggage (thank the lord). Flight from Sofia to Amsterdam, to Detroit to NY.
And how to I feel now? GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT (in that Tony the Tiger voice). It is a lil daunting figuring out my next step, getting a job, applying for school, finding an apt. But man, there is jsut a certain freedom I feel. I calmness in me that feels so relaxing. I feel at home amidst the bright lights and hecticness of the city. I saw my sisters and we went to the movies and hung out, met up with Poppa, and just have been chillin. The wight of a thousand worlds has lifted off my shoulders. I dont regret my decision perse, I jsut wish under different circumstances I was able to stay.
Had an interesting convo with the Safety and security director. She told me she was pushing for me to move my site. she thought after the last incident that I should move to another town. But it was my program manager who was stalling. Which is funny cuz when I brought my concerns to her about leaving early, she kinda brushed me off. Didnt even take me seriously....hahahaha I bet her ass know Im serious now.....
There you have it folks.....questions, comments, concerns?!?!
Milan
And in the random pics of the trip:
I was walkin around the city with one of the models and this random Italian offered to take pics of us. Cool, no biggie. But then he wanted to get our numbers, and take us for cafe and meet with us the next day. Look how old he looks....
WTF is this?!?!
Oh great, there are earrings to match. These joints were damn near 1000 euros.....
and so yall know im ballin, pics of them euro euro bills yall...didnt wanna make yall feel bad with the 500...hahahaha
I was walkin around the city with one of the models and this random Italian offered to take pics of us. Cool, no biggie. But then he wanted to get our numbers, and take us for cafe and meet with us the next day. Look how old he looks....WTF is this?!?!
Oh great, there are earrings to match. These joints were damn near 1000 euros.....Ha "Bling H2o"....for 89 euro...am I payin for really good water, or for the 10 rhinestones glued onto the bottle....
and so yall know im ballin, pics of them euro euro bills yall...didnt wanna make yall feel bad with the 500...hahahaha
Milan
Just randomlyu walkin and decided to take this pic. The building was so nice....LOVE the architecture
The remains of a house owned by Napoleon (did you know he was Italian?!?!)
The Galleria.....
D'uomo Square/opening to the Galleria
Statue of Leonardo
Really old church in D'oumo Square
Walking and saw these ruins. A lot of people were sitting beneath the arches, just talkin and laughin, not a care in the world
Really big statue in D'uomo Square
Every respectable alchoholic MUST have a pic with the bartender...any bartender will do!
Ferg and I...It's Been a While!
Well, I know this blog post is longgggggggggggg overdue. It seems like Ive just fallen off the face of the Earth. Which in a way is partly true. After that 4th of July post, things got really crazy. Ill try to be brief and catch you all up to speed. So here we go.....
First there was MST (Mid Service Training), yet ANOTHER training offered by PC to help volunteers..um, refocus?!!? I used it as a small get away from my damn site, and a chance to reconnect with Matt, Amanda and some other volunteers to 1. make fun of other volunteers, 2. talk shit about our sites, 3. drink my ass off, and 5. relax and eat on PC's dime, and last but not least, 5. get juicy blog material. And as I suspected, all of the above was completed to a T.
Matt and I hung out as usual and made fun of the usal suspects. But time has turned most of the vols in my group into great candidates for mock and I was actually excited. I took notes to ensure I wouldnt forget anything, but just to move this process along, Ill keep those to myself.
Next was the Diversity session for the new group of vols. I had to talk about being a Black vol in my site and in Bulgaria. I tried to be as honest as possible, and told the new vols about my negative experiences. Other than one black girl who for obvious reasons was very interested in what the hell I was saying, the other vols kinda just listened and kept it moving. I suppose I cant really blame them, at no point in their service will anyone scratch the word nigga down their door, I can guarantee that. But they all just seemed so unphased by what we had to say. Well anyway, Crystal was there and she spoke about her experiences as a Black vol too and after we got to hang out.
Oh that reminds me, another one of the vols in my group spoke. Now Im not gonna say any names or tell who this particular vol is, but I will say homeboy is greatly disallusioned. He had the NERVE to say that while here, he has NEVER felt any type of racism or anything negative due to his physical appearance. BULLSHIT. thats all I kept thinkin while he was talking. He felt that his "positive" experience as a minority here was useful for the new vols to hear. He uses his experiences as a teaching tool to Bulgarians who look at him differently or inquire aloud in Bulgarian what race he is. PURE FOOLISHNESS. I think he is bullshitting himself and choosing not to see that people can be rude or mean to him due to his race. Now thats not to say that because he is a minority that this WILL DEFINATELY happen, but I happen to know for a fact that he had problems with his host family, and it was partly due to the fact that he did not "look like the stereotypical American white male" (his words) and because he closely resembled Roma people (a PC staff members words). Anyway, someone needs to slap some sense into him...ASAP
After that, came Milan, again. Mom was there again and needed me to help with something so I went to chill for a couple days. It was really nice. I LOVE Milan and had such a good time. The food was awesome, we went to this one bar that had the best Vanilla Cosmopolitans EVER, and there were a whole bnunch of sales. I spent way more money than I wanted to, Snapped some nice pics of the city, and even went to a photo shoot with one of the models and conducted a open casting call for a future show in NY. Friggin Amazing....(pics to come soon)
Then I got back Milan and a whole bunch of drama happened with PC. Then I decided to leave Bulgaria for good. YES I know, this may come as a shock to a lot of you, but I am actually writing this blog post from New York. (Ill blog about leaving lata). Now Im lookin for a job, a place to live and wondering how to fit in to a place that is so damn big and has so much goin on. Uuuhhh, my f*ckin crazy life......
First there was MST (Mid Service Training), yet ANOTHER training offered by PC to help volunteers..um, refocus?!!? I used it as a small get away from my damn site, and a chance to reconnect with Matt, Amanda and some other volunteers to 1. make fun of other volunteers, 2. talk shit about our sites, 3. drink my ass off, and 5. relax and eat on PC's dime, and last but not least, 5. get juicy blog material. And as I suspected, all of the above was completed to a T.
Matt and I hung out as usual and made fun of the usal suspects. But time has turned most of the vols in my group into great candidates for mock and I was actually excited. I took notes to ensure I wouldnt forget anything, but just to move this process along, Ill keep those to myself.
Next was the Diversity session for the new group of vols. I had to talk about being a Black vol in my site and in Bulgaria. I tried to be as honest as possible, and told the new vols about my negative experiences. Other than one black girl who for obvious reasons was very interested in what the hell I was saying, the other vols kinda just listened and kept it moving. I suppose I cant really blame them, at no point in their service will anyone scratch the word nigga down their door, I can guarantee that. But they all just seemed so unphased by what we had to say. Well anyway, Crystal was there and she spoke about her experiences as a Black vol too and after we got to hang out.
Oh that reminds me, another one of the vols in my group spoke. Now Im not gonna say any names or tell who this particular vol is, but I will say homeboy is greatly disallusioned. He had the NERVE to say that while here, he has NEVER felt any type of racism or anything negative due to his physical appearance. BULLSHIT. thats all I kept thinkin while he was talking. He felt that his "positive" experience as a minority here was useful for the new vols to hear. He uses his experiences as a teaching tool to Bulgarians who look at him differently or inquire aloud in Bulgarian what race he is. PURE FOOLISHNESS. I think he is bullshitting himself and choosing not to see that people can be rude or mean to him due to his race. Now thats not to say that because he is a minority that this WILL DEFINATELY happen, but I happen to know for a fact that he had problems with his host family, and it was partly due to the fact that he did not "look like the stereotypical American white male" (his words) and because he closely resembled Roma people (a PC staff members words). Anyway, someone needs to slap some sense into him...ASAP
After that, came Milan, again. Mom was there again and needed me to help with something so I went to chill for a couple days. It was really nice. I LOVE Milan and had such a good time. The food was awesome, we went to this one bar that had the best Vanilla Cosmopolitans EVER, and there were a whole bnunch of sales. I spent way more money than I wanted to, Snapped some nice pics of the city, and even went to a photo shoot with one of the models and conducted a open casting call for a future show in NY. Friggin Amazing....(pics to come soon)
Then I got back Milan and a whole bunch of drama happened with PC. Then I decided to leave Bulgaria for good. YES I know, this may come as a shock to a lot of you, but I am actually writing this blog post from New York. (Ill blog about leaving lata). Now Im lookin for a job, a place to live and wondering how to fit in to a place that is so damn big and has so much goin on. Uuuhhh, my f*ckin crazy life......
Saturday, July 4, 2009
4h of July
Happy Independence Day guys!!!! If I've never been more proud than I am now to be AMERICAN, I must have been crazy before....
I can remember having cook-outs in the park near my house when I was younger. My mom and some friends would set up the BBQ thing and we would just play games, eat and chill. It was so fun. Another 4th of July my friend invited me to the United Nations to see fireworks. Her dad worked there and I was so amazed cuz the fireworks looked so damn close to us.
Since Ive gotten older, I havent really payed attention to these holidays much. But I remember goin to the pier in NY one 4th and watched the fireworks. They were really exciting. I do wish I were home now tho, so I could take Tiff to the pier and we could watch the fireworks or do something together.
Well anyway folks, Have a safe and happy holiday!!!!!
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