The review of my presentation that I gave to the local Rotary club.

My daddy & I

*NOTE*
I have no idea why the following article looks funny on here.. I suppose it has something to do with cutting and pasting it onto here. 



 Our program was given by former outbound exchange student to Germany Malea Martin. She credits Bremerton Rotary with giving her a bigger world view, a passion for international travel that she never had before, and now anticipates will be the focus of her life.  Because of this she went looking for a new adventure, and decided after much research, that she wanted to spend a year at the American University in Bulgaria.  While she was there, she also worked with a non-governmental organization called One Heart Bulgaria, an organization that works with  children in orphanages across Bulgaria.

Her presentation was fascinating and augmented by pictures she took of the city, local countryside, and the orphanages in which she volunteered.  Much of the presentation was given to a wide range of revelations she had throughout her experience:  Bulgaria's greatest need at present is doctors and nurses, the shortages are critical.  If you have money, though, you can pay for just about anything, including votes.  Unemployment is crippling and many workers sneak into Germany to get illegal jobs at US equivalent $4.35 an hour to keep their families fed.

Human trafficking is an enormous issue.  Prejudice against the Roma minority is a big social problem; France deported the Roma to Bulgaria where they live in vast camps.  Stray starving animals are everywhere, there is no infrastructure to care for them.  One of their biggest issues is their abandoned children in facilities that have insufficient employees to provide even the most basic stimulation for the children.  Her work with One Heart Bulgaria brought her into contact with this population, and her pictures were heartbreaking.  She recommends you have a look at the BBC documentary , "Bulgaria's Abandoned Children".  It is available on youtube, try this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCCZgYNvXTQ
 Malea also spoke about the good side of Bulgaria, mostly about their good food: real vegetables with flavor,local yogurts and cheese, and good cheap wine.