We're headed for Panichishte

It's now exactly one week before we leave for the Peace Corps. We're excited and ready to go. Well, almost ready to go. Our lists are all checked off and the packing has begun, well sort of.

Next Thursday we fly from Tucson to Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. A short taxi ride across the Potomac River will take us to Arlington, VA, and the Double Tree Hotel for two days of Peace Corps registration and orientation. Then Sunday evening we board Lufthansa Airlines for an overnight flight to Frankfurt, Germany, where a change of planes will send us on our way to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

Now we know where our first introduction to Bulgaria will be. From Sofia a bus will take us two hours south to the Rila Mountains. The ski resort of Panichiste (Паничище) will be our training site for four days of language training and an introduction to the country and culture of Bulgaria. As a person who has always found a spiritual home in the mountains, the Rilas will be the perfect place for me to begin a new adventure. I'm sure that the smell of pines and the brisk morning air will get me off to a great Bulgarian start.

The Panichishte resort is 1350 meters (4400 feet) above sea level and lies on the border of Rila National Park near the spa resort village of Separeva Banya and not far from the town of Dupnitsa on highway 1. This is not only a ski resort, but also a recreation center for various sports. Although these pictures show Panichishte in winter, we expect to see green meadows and full-leafed trees. I'll still hoping for cool mountain mornings though. The Peace Corps says bring a fleece jacket for these four nights.

After this quick introduction to Bulgarian language and culture we'll be off on the next phase of our Peace Corps life. On August 1st we'll each gain new Bulgarian relatives and move in with our host families. "Эдравейте. Каэвам се Ричард. Как се каэвате?" Hello. My name is Richard. What is your name?

Richard & Shirley


What a large volume of adventures
may be grasped within this little span of life
by him who interests his heart in everything.

Lawrence Sterne, A Sentimental Journey