I can't believe I did that!

At the moment I am sitting in the living room of my apt. About an hour ago I was in new my office just next to my apartment building. This is a smaller and temporary office that does not have facilities. Since my apartment was only steps away, I decided to leave my things in the office and run upstairs to use my own facilities. When I closed the door of the office it locked on its own.......the keys are in the locked office and I am sadly not. Ehhh it could be worse. I got a hold of my counterpart and currently I'm waiting for her to find a locksmith who will come and unlock the door so that I can continue with my work. Not exactly how I imagined my first day but there isnt much that surprises me in this country anymore.
My new work placement is with the Tourism information center in Karlovo. I already find myself much happier in this placement then the last.......not only because I have a responsive director but also because they are excited to have a volunteer and ready with several projects and activities for me to work on with them. This will not only give me the opportunity to work with tourism activities in Karlovo, it will also allow me to provide assistance to the tourists who come from abroad. I explained to my director that I also want to be involved in environmental awareness activities with the local youth through the center. He was very excited about this. As far as work goes, things seem to be looking up......Right now I am only waiting on my apartment to be finished and a locked door :)
Soon I will be starting an informal English group with students from the local language school and also having a pen pal exchange between these students and several in the states. I have a cousin in Kentucky who is a teacher in middle school and her students are very excited to have pen pals in Bulgaria. This should be a great experience for both sides.
I spoke with my mom last night over SKYPE. She is doing very well. She explains that she is almost pain free and that her cancer markers are dropping fast. I cant ask for better news. My other family members are just now learning about the wonder that is SKYPE, so soon I hope to speak with them on a regular basis, not only through email.
The student I climb with on Tuesdays is training for his next competition. I have been communicating with my climbing friends in the states to see if they had any ideas of how to find him a sponsor for his competitions since he does not have the money himself and the municipality is not a reliable source of support. He and I will be working on his resume and several letters to send to European and American companies that design climbing gear and or support the sport itself. If anything it will show him how to find support within his own interests.
Yesterday was the day of remembering Vasil Levski, this was the memorial of his hanging. He is the hero of this country and known as their freedom fighter. He desired to have one united Republic of Bulgaria.....not sure if he would be happy with the present day situation. The schools let out early and parades and people flooded the streets all the way to the Levski monument in the old town. Red and yellow carnations were put at the foot of the monument as a memorial of his death and for his heroic efforts. On Monday I attended a play that illustrated the events that led up to Levski beginning the rebellion in Bulgaria. Not only was it a great play helping me to better understand how he played such an important role in creating a more united nation for his people but it also allowed me to feel like more of the community. After the play I talked with several municipality employees and their families.
Well I have been told my problem is solved and I can go back to work.