March 1, 2003: Headlines: COS - Bulgaria: Older Volunteers: The Daily Journal: 64-year old PCV Bonnie Getsinger finds her calling in Bulgaria
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March 1, 2003: Headlines: COS - Bulgaria: Older Volunteers: The Daily Journal: 64-year old PCV Bonnie Getsinger finds her calling in Bulgaria
64-year old PCV Bonnie Getsinger finds her calling in Bulgaria
64-year old PCV Bonnie Getsinger finds her calling in Bulgaria
THE BULGARIAN CONNECTION
Students chat with member of Peace Corps
By DEBORAH M. MARKO
Staff Writer; dmarko@gannett.com
VINELAND -- Sacred Heart Grammar School sixth-graders sat in a tight, cross-legged cluster on the school's main office floor.
They listened to a faint voice -- at times barely audible -- through a speaker phone.
The call linked two continents.
It also connected the two places Bonnie Getsinger calls home.
Getsinger taught at Sacred Heart Grammar School during the 1960s.
Now 64, she has found her calling as a member of the Peace Corps. She's about to wrap up a three-year teaching assignment in a rural Bulgarian village.
During her stay, Getsinger has forwarded her journals to friend Theresa Smith, a Sacred Heart sixth-grade teacher.
Smith uses Getsinger's personal dispatches as a teaching tool.
The lessons got more personal Friday morning when Sacred Heart arranged a one-hour telephone call to let students talk directly to Getsinger.
The interview began promptly at 9 a.m. One at a time, the students spoke their questions into the phone. After a few seconds of static, Getsinger responded in a warm, cheery voice.
The students were curious about the Peace Corps.
Getsinger advised them it's never too early to prepare for public service. Volunteering their time to worthy causes is a good first step, she said.
Asked about the dangers she faces, Getsinger teased the students about sharing the streets with donkeys and ponies, noting pedestrians have to watch where they walk.
There are serious environmental issues, too.
At times, brown water flows from the taps.
Air pollution also is a concern, she said.
Getsinger spoke fondly about the Bulgarian people she's met.
They have welcomed her so much, she said, she rarely misses her American home.
"I feel fulfilled," she said.
Christa Fanelle, 11, asked if there were any McDonald's in Bulgaria.
Getsinger laughed.
"Two," she said.
The fast food menu is too expensive for the average Bulgarian family. But Getsinger disclosed she had recently sampled her first McFlurry.
"I never had one until I got here," she said.
The operator interrupted to say the call would be disconnected in five minutes.
There was a quick exchange of well wishes.
And Smith noted she was eager to welcome Getsinger when she returns to the United States in July.
When this story was prepared, here was the front page of PCOL magazine:
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Story Source: The Daily Journal
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Bulgaria; Older Volunteers
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