• Contacts in Ruse Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 12:34 pm [1]

Bulgaria Peace Corps Volunteer Mark Jackson writes: With a tentative COS (Peace Corps lingo for ‘finishing’) date of September 20th, I am looking at about 3 months left of service. What am I expecting for those three months?



"As expected, work is starting to slow down. Projects that I have won this past winter and fall are starting to finish and I am not here long enough to apply for new ones [besides some easy smaller ones]. My most productive days are spent trying to track down receipts, document project conclusions and teaching English. All-in-all, work is still satifying."

Bulgaria Peace Corps Volunteer Mark Jackson writes: With a tentative COS (Peace Corps lingo for ‘finishing’) date of September 20th, I am looking at about 3 months left of service. What am I expecting for those three months?

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Winding Up. Winding Down. Grinding to a halt?.

Caption: Some kids from the orphanage for older children. Photo: Mark Jackson

With a tentative COS (Peace Corps lingo for ‘finishing’) date of September 20th, I am looking at about 3 months left of service. What am I expecting for those three months?

Winding Up.

There will be increasingly more time spent trying to secure a job in the states [by the way, here is a link to my resume, feel free to pass it on to prospective consulting opportunities – any help in that department would be amazing]. I also will have to do other annoying things - like find a place to live. In short, lots of logistical brew-ha-ha that no one is really interested in reading about.

Also, the bone-chilling frost has given away to blissful, shirt-soaking heat. This means that the beach season is stirring itself into a frenzy, which is great fun.
Winding Down.

As expected, work is starting to slow down. Projects that I have won this past winter and fall are starting to finish and I am not here long enough to apply for new ones [besides some easy smaller ones]. My most productive days are spent trying to track down receipts, document project conclusions and teaching English. All-in-all, work is still satifying.

Grinding to a halt?

One interesting situation that has come up for the second time in my two years is elections. If you remember, my first few months as a volunteer were spent dealing with a new mayor. This finally led to me being moved to Shoumen.

This year, the mayor of Shoumen is running for national office [a good thing because he is a really sharp, motivated guy]. If he is elected, we will have new elections for his old job…oh boy. This means that work around here will drop to a near standstill while people wait to see who the new mayor is – and if that new mayor will let them keep their jobs. But, for me, this is just borrowing trouble because I have finished most of the work that needed support of the mayor and other higher-ups. I can easily spend the end of my time here doing other small projects. Nevertheless, it will be interesting.

Hope all is well,

Mark

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



Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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