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Halloween
31 October, 2006

Photos - Acknowledgements

OSI-Bulgaria liaison Jennifer Hee, along with fellow Peace Corps volunteers Ned Hawkins and Jessica Morrison, combined their efforts for a "multi-purpose" Halloween celebration for our kids, -the first ever in Dupnitza!  The celebration was initiated by Ned's English students from local Paisii Hilandarski High School who were interested in the history and traditions of Halloween.  More impressively, these outstanding young people have a desire to bridge the local ethnic tolerance gap, and devised the "Halloween Party" as a fun way to reach out to our local Roma children.

Preparing for a Halloween party in a country that does not celebrate Halloween was no easy task!  But with some paper plates and markers Jess helped the kids create masks the day before Halloween, and Ned and his students masterfully transformed our newly remodeled Day Center into a dimly lit haunted house.  The kids appropriately arrived just after sunset, and first enjoyed plenty of pizza and cookies, while fortunes were read by by our very own Madam Yulia, wearing a traditional Roma dancing scarf on her head, and looking into Jenn's magic 8 ball.  One of Ned's students then shared some carefully-researched facts and history of Halloween.  Next came pumpkin carving!  And then face-painting, bobbing for apples on strings, and a messy game involving looking for prizes submerged in a washing tub filled with spaghetti, flour paste, and peas.  From each activity the kids collected candy, our make-shift version of "trick-or-treat."  The evening ended with impromptu singing and dancing, -a heart-warming moment that not even Madam Yulia predicted.

Photos

Ned's Students and Our Kids

Madam Yulia

Gulian

Bobbing for Apples

Pumpkin Carving

Jenn's Messy Game

Face Painting (Viki and Jess)

OSI-Bulgaria Site Page - To see more photos of our Bulgaria children and their environs...

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Acknowledgements

Donors - All of the food, snacks, materials, and the kids' transportation for our Halloween extravaganza was provided primarily by the generosity of donor Doug Pratt, with our "candy budget" provided by Nazia Qidwai and pumpkins and decorations provided by Ned Hawkins.  Each child's sponsor also contributed.

Helpers - Thanks to OSI-Bulgaria liaison Jennifer Hee, as well as Peace Corps volunteers Jessica Morrison and Ned Hawkins for coordinating the entire event!  Thanks also to Emilia, Veska, and Ivan from our partner org. for all of their assistance.  And a special thank you to Ned's outstanding students from Paisii Hilendarski:  Rosi Tuncheva, Alexandria Zdravkova, Anna Yordanova, Victoria Dashova, Gabriela Todorova, Denis Gavrilov, Emilia Lazarova, Nikolay Petrov, Temenujka Pavlova, and Teodora Stoyanova.

Thanks to all of you for creating a wonderful memory for our children!

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