My Town

It’s difficult to believe, but we have been at our permanent sites for three months. During that time, we were essentially under “house arrest,” inasmuch as we were only permitted one overnight per month away from site. I’ve been itching to get out and explore Bulgaria, and I won’t take my newfound freedom for granted. But for now, I wanted to share some photos from my town (Peace Corps’ regulations prevent me from disclosing the name of my town, hence the reason I call it as such).

As you may recall, I’m living in a small town located less than 30 kilometers from Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia. The town has a rich and proud history – among other things, it was the site of a crucial battle in the Serbo-Bulgarian War ultimately won by Bulgaria – but is generally the type of place that people don’t go out of their way to visit. It’s a place where people live and work, not a place which draws tourists. It’s neither an aesthetically pleasing nor hideously ugly town, but it’s a pleasant enough place to live.

Unlike in Boychinovtsi, few people here get around via horse cart or donkey cart, but there are some who do. We also have a nightly parade of goats and sheep. This is a shot of a local man riding in a horse cart next to the town church.


A few shots of the town center.




Some shots of the town from a nearby hill on the outskirts of town.





A recent shot of the Sunday market.


Many Bulgarians live in old communist block apartments. This one, farm implements and hanging laundry included, is fairly typical.


Almost every Bulgarian town I have visited has several abandoned buildings. This is part of a large complex of abandoned buildings in my town.


I'm not entirely sure what this building is, but it's not unusual to find abandoned buildings such as this.


Nor is this an atypical scene.