January 14, 2005: Bulgarian Pigs and American Stains by Ognyan Georgiev

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Bulgaria: Peace Corps Bulgaria: The Peace Corps in Bulgaria: February17, 2005: Special Report: The Peace Corps Calendar and Bulgaria: Tempest in a Teapot?: January 14, 2005: Bulgarian Pigs and American Stains by Ognyan Georgiev
Peace Corps Calendar:Tempest in a Teapot? Date: February 17 2005 No: 445 Peace Corps Calendar:Tempest in a Teapot?
Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments.


By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-21-200.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.21.200) on Thursday, February 17, 2005 - 3:42 pm: Edit Post

Bulgarian Pigs and American Stains by Ognyan Georgiev

Bulgarian Pigs and American Stains by Ognyan Georgiev

Bulgarian Pigs and American Stains by Ognyan Georgiev

Bulgarian Pigs and American Stains*

Comment of Ognyan Georgiev

English Translation by Plamen Petrov

We have nice pigs (see p.1). Sweet small suckling-pigs. So nice that they caught the eye of the American brothers from the Peace Corps. The domestic animals decorated the calendar of the former volunteers from the small town of Wisconsin-Madison. The people came to help. Especially those, who published the cult picture and after that published the luxury calendar, probably have never stepped in our country. This doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the whole World understood what Bulgaria was like. And who St. Dimitar was. And that we have trunks full of piglets.

Does anyone want to be black in the state of Alabama? I do not. Because there is no karvavitsa** there. Nor bahur**. Nor lukanka**.

Ruslan Maynov is not there to praise in song the characteristic of Bulgaria’s piggy image. Maybe that’s why the citizens of this country with the thunderous name The United States of America compete to become volunteers in our country. Each year about a hundred Yankees arrive in our homeland on the Peace Corps program. What’s interesting here is that only 10% of all applicants are approved. Some of those who have completed their 2-year helping of “lumpy” countries, what Bulgaria was also outlined to be, extend their stay for another 12 months.

Our country was a tourist paradise. At least that’s what our politicians say. This we know. But it’s difficult to lure a foreigner with a picture of a dozen of pigs in a trunk. Much more interesting are the houses in Togo or the fishermen in Bolivia and the Ivory Coast. Not to mention the unique faces of the people from Armenia or Mongolia.

What is the stain. That is a blot. It can exist only on some surface. According to Murphy’s Law usually the stain sticks on something clean. And then it’s hard wiping it off. It takes an enormous amount of effort. The stain itself usually is a result of carelessness. It is rarely on purpose.

What is the pig. That is an animal. Likeable at first sight if you don’t have to clean its pigsty. It is calm when it’s fed up. When it gets hungry it can eat a grownup man for about an hour (reference: the Guy Ritchie movie – “Snatch”). (Plamen: not sure about the spelling of the name of the director) Its existence is predetermined from the day it was born. At least it lives well. They feed it, it gets fat and builds up self-confidence. Until the time it finds out that some stain will butcher it. Then it leaps and jumps until it gets slaughtered in the end.

It has only one comfort left after it had been chopped in pieces. Its genitals (Plamen: the author means testicles but uses genitals) are considered as one of the best delicacies, cooked in the proper way. The gluttony of the stain prevails the humiliation and for the already slaughtered pig remains only the comfort that at least in one aspect it has a higher position than its butcher.


Notes:

* In Bulgarian for “stain” is used the word “leke”. Which means “stain” in Turkish. It is used also as a qualification for a bad person. Someone who is so useless, even a problem for the others like the stain.

**All are some pretending to be typical and considered not so American or European sausages.





When this story was posted in February 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

The Peace Corps Library Date: February 7 2005 No: 438 The Peace Corps Library
Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state.

WWII participants became RPCVs Date: February 13 2005 No: 442 WWII participants became RPCVs
Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service.

February 12, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Date: February 12 2005 No: 443 February 12, 2005: This Week's Top Stories
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Martha Ryan wins Award for pre-natal program 12 Feb
John Perkins reveals dark side of U.S. aid 10 Feb
Kathleen DeBold involved in lesbian activism 10 Feb
Jim Doyle to fix Wisconsin deficit without raising taxes 10 Feb
Chris Dodd proposes Class Action Fairness Act 10 Feb
RPCVs create Tsunami Assistance Project for India 9 Feb
Donna Shalala talks about her Peace Corps days 8 Feb
Senator Frist proposes Global Health Corps 8 Feb
Bush's budget to end Perkins loan forgiveness for PCVs 8 Feb
Tom Petri's Direct Loan Reward Act to save $18 billion 8 Feb
Izaak Edvalson helps educate a Doctor 7 Feb
Carol Bellamy condemns Female genital mutilation 7 Feb
Carl Pope criticizes Bush environmental priorities 7 Feb
Mike Tidwell defends wind farms 6 Feb
Kinky Friedman for real? Voters may not care 5 Feb
Bruce Anderson's Newspaper folds amid money woes 5 Feb

Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps Date: February 7 2005 No: 436 Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps
The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress.
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RPCV Groups mobilize to support their Countries of Service. Over 200 RPCVS have already applied to the Crisis Corps to provide Tsunami Recovery aid, RPCVs have written a letter urging President Bush and Congress to aid Democracy in Ukraine, and RPCVs are writing NBC about a recent episode of the "West Wing" and asking them to get their facts right about Turkey.
RPCVs contend for Academy Awards  Date: January 31 2005 No: 416 RPCVs contend for Academy Awards
Bolivia RPCV Taylor Hackford's film "Ray" is up for awards in six categories including best picture, best actor and best director. "Autism Is a World" co-produced by Sierra Leone RPCV Douglas Biklen and nominated for best Documentary Short Subject, seeks to increase awareness of developmental disabilities. Colombian film "El Rey," previously in the running for the foreign-language award, includes the urban legend that PCVs teamed up with El Rey to bring cocaine to U.S. soil.
Ask Not Date: January 18 2005 No: 388 Ask Not
As our country prepares for the inauguration of a President, we remember one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century and how his words inspired us. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Date: January 8 2005 No: 373 Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion
Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."
RPCVs active in new session of Congress Date: January 8 2005 No: 374 RPCVs active in new session of Congress
In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.
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Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

Read the stories and leave your comments.






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Story Source: Betsy Sergeant Snow's Web Page

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Bulgaria; Journalism; Criticism

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