Merry Christmas!

Wishing you Happy Holidays!

A Sad Day

Yesterday, Libya sentenced the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for the second time. The news spread like wildfire and caused outrage among politicians, the media, and ordinary people alike. It was the only thing I heard anyone talking about yesterday. Everyone I know condemns the sentence.

You can read more about what BBC News has to say here and here. Also, here are some reactions from various politicians and organizations, an article in Dnevnik, CNN's coverage, and an interesting interpretation of what could be done in the future to put more pressure on Libya from fellow blogger Metodi (not sure how true some of the things mentioned are, but thought it might be an interesting read anyway). (Just a note that the latter and the Dnevnik article are in Bulgarian; unfortunately, there are no English versions.)

My stand is that the sentence is unfair and that it is high time these people be freed. However, I am also appalled by how much hatred has gathered (and continues to gather) on part of Bulgarians vis-a-vis Arabs in general. I have heard people commenting about the "dirty Arabs" etc. (I will spare you the details); even some friends have projected what is happening in Libya on Arabs in general... That, I don't agree with.

The Amazing Beloslava

On Sunday--thanks to a colleague of mine who managed to get me a pass at the last minute--I saw Beloslava at her sold out concert in the National Theatre. She put on a really good show. Programata had described the upcoming event with much euphoria and defined it as an acoustic chill-out, and Beloslava (and her musicians) definitely lived up to those expectations. (Apologies to non-Bulgarian readers, as the English version of the description is not quite as colorful as the Bulgarian one.) The thing I like best about her, apart from her beautiful voice, is her down-to-earthedness and genuineness on the stage. She is like your best friend. And this time she was a really sexy best friend, dressed in an elegant black dress. I felt like the National Theatre really was the best place she could have held her concert, because although quite large, it still has that cozy, elegant, and ornate feel to it that Hall 1 in NDK (the National Palace of Culture) lacks and which is very fitting for her style. Switching between her English and Bulgarian repertoire, the second encore of the concert ended with a terrific cover of Mas Que Nada. I left the National Theatre feeling at peace with the world... and even the wait for the bus home could not ruin that for me. I really wish more artists or public figures like her existed.

Returnees Anonymous Synopsis

Some of you heard me talking about a "Returnees Anonymous" meeting. The point of it in short was to bring together (in an informal way) people who have returned to Bulgaria after a long stay abroad. Well, it took place on Saturday and it was absolutely terrific! I had a really good time and met some really cool people (formerly residing in the US or Japan). Thanks Petya, Kris, Vessela, Emma, Ani, Doriana, Sergei, Niki, Elena, Kyle for the great time! You can read more about the whole venture and view pictures here and here. (Read the postscript for link to more pics.)

Postal Space

I have put off writing about this "story" for a long time. But since the stories have now doubled, I have decided the pattern is way too "good" for me not to capture here. The stories don't really have anything to do with Bulgaria. Except perhaps to reassure me that the Bulgarian post is not the only one that can't be trusted.

Story #1: Before leaving the U.S. (on 10 Sept.), I shipped a box to my parents (who live in Belgium) thinking that it is safer and more secure to ship to Belgium than to Bulgaria. Well, what ensued, convinced me otherwise. I had shipped the box airmail; more that 2 weeks passed and nothing. The box had not arrived. We were wondering what was taking so long... after about a month, a friend actually had the brilliant idea that I could track the package online... I didn't know this, since I hadn't registered it or requested a return receipt or anything. But one could do it by the number of the customs form. After tracking it, it turned out that delivery of the package had already been attempted twice. HOWEVER, both times the post people had not felt it necessary to leave a slip notifying my parents of this fact (given that this happened during the day and they were both at work). So, we didn't even think delivery had been attempted given that previously they had always left a slip. Well, my dad goes to the post office in search of the package, only to be told that the package has already been sent back to the sender in the U.S. Thank god, I had written a friend's address as the sender's address... but as of today, I am still awaiting news of the package. So, how hopeful should I be? Could it have sunk somewhere in the Atlantic during the long journey home??

Story #2: A friend of mine is coming back to Bulgaria from the U.S. for the holidays and I conveniently decided to do some internet shopping, ship items to her and have her bring them to me. All worked well, until the last package arrived last week. Turned out that it was sent via registered mail, and not only that, the merchant had written my name on the package along with my friend's address (instead of her name, as I had requested). So, the postal people refused to release the package to her. I wrote letters of authorization, sent her a copy of my ID, called the post myself, had her fight with them several times.... In the end, they agreed to deliver the package this Saturday. I breathed a sigh of relief. HOWEVER, the day before yesterday my friend e-mails me and tells me that the post people called her and told her that somehow... inadvertently... a colleague of theirs had already mailed the package back to the sender (WTF???) How that is possible is beyond me, since normally in the U.S. the postal service has to attempt delivery 3 times before sending something back to the sender. But, those are the facts. Now "all" I have to do is request a refund from the merchant. Let's see how that goes.

Anyone starting to spot that pattern between story #1 and #2?

Как бе, маме?

I was in the bus on my way to work this morning when the woman sitting next to me asked me where street Shipchenski Prohod is and whether she can get there from Hotel Pliska. I am very familiar with the street so I explained to her how to get there. She wasn't convinced, however. I proceeded to name landmarks, bus and tram routes, anything that she might recognize. Seriously, I basically drew her a (mental) step-by-step map of how to get to the exact location she was aiming for. Still, she wasn't convinced. I felt like I was in some sort of movie. Here I am trying to help an old lady get to the place she wanted to go, and not only was she not showing gratitude, she was even telling me I was wrong! My last attempt was to tell her she can simply take Tram No. 20 and get off when she sees the place she was looking for. At which she responded, "Как бе, маме? Там не върви трамвай." (which is almost impossible to translate into English, but the gist of it is basically: "What are you talking about, dearie? No tram runs there.")

Some people can be pretty stubborn, don't you think? Judging by the conversation that played out, I guess she didn't really want to reach the place anyway.

Christmas, Christmas

Chrismas decorations have been put up in most places, and Sofia is taking on a pretty festive look. One thing I noticed about a month ago is that at the entrance to the building where my grandmother lives (in the city center) the municipality had posted a notice urging people to put up as many decorations, lights, etc. as possible to make our entry into the EU really light-filled and festive! A good idea, except I don't think most people will be concerned about how decorated their apartments, buildings, streets are... still, find it interesting that somebody thought to suggest this, put it down on paper, and even distributed it to various locations.

Aside from this, I really do like the city center at night, as I have mentioned on previous occasions. I have promised myself that I will take my camera one day and take pictures of Sofia By Night :)

Oh, one other funny thing concerning decorations... I have noticed the trend of decorations for marketing/advertising purposes. For example, the lamp posts on one of the main streets in the center are adorned with decorative lights in the shape of the Johnnie Walker logo (what happened to stars and snowflakes??). I also saw a Christmas tree with the logo of Husqvarna hanging in the middle as decoration. Moreso than anywhere else I have realized that these things cost a lot of money, and there is a need for sponsors, and of course, sponsors want to make themselves known somehow. Anyway, just a casual observation, as far as decorations go.

Speaking of Christmas, tonight is our work Christmas party at Бар на Края на Вселената (Bar at the End of the Universe). Should be good. I have actually never been there. Will be sure to report my observations/impressions as always.

Scammed

I always considered myself to be one of those people who is careful about things and could never get scammed. But, oh well, the joke was on me last Friday. The scam wasn't that bad in the end, but it was a scam nevertheless, which made me feel somewhat like an idiot. The short of it is that inadvertently after an evening out with a friend, I got into a cab that actually charged double the rate of other cabs. No, I wasn't drunk. I had had nothing to drink all evening. Just some theatre, dinner, and a lot of good conversation. I guess I could blame it on the fog and the fact that there were few cabs around to take me home. The truth is that I only gave the cab a cursory look-over before jumping in. But, here is the deal. These more expensive cab companies do everything possible to disguise themselves as other "normal" cab companies. One of the biggest cab companies in Sofia is OK Supertrans; well, I had gotten into the cab thinking I was getting into an OK Supertrans cab (after my cursory glance). It turned out to be CK something or rather, but the logo looked strangely similar to the OK cab one. The rate list was also formatted in a way as to confuse someone who doesn't scrutinize these things normally...

So, lessons learned: 1) Always look twice before jumping into a cab, 2) Be especially careful when you are in an area with few cabs, and 3) Don't let an evening out get to your head.

Hooray!

THE FOG HAS LIFTED!!!
Unbelievable... after 8-9 foggy days straight (I live in Drujba, mind you). I woke up and I could actually see things... lights from the other apartment buildings, buildings in the distance. I don't mind fog in general, but it's nice to have clarity every once in a while.

Quote of the Day II

Този път ще си го споделя на български, защото не бих могла да го преведа (и да е все още смешно) на английски. Отидохме на обяд с една колежка, поръчахме си на бармана тъй като сервитьора беше зачезнал някъде. След малко като се появи и си пое пак сервитьорските задължения, дойде при нас с един чифт прибори (въпреки че и двете си бяхме поръчали ядене) и попита с огромна усмивка на лице:
"Коя от двете ще папка?"

Шок, а?

Quote of the Day

From a neighbor whom I often meet at the bus stop, with regards to riding in marshrutka vans in the morning:

"You get squished, stepped on, swung roughly from side to side, suffocated by the driver's cigarette smoke, sweaty from the heat of so many people in an enclosed space, and finally spat out at your stop. You shake yourself off and proceed to work."

Americanisms in Bulgaria

So, what here reminds me of the US?
Some American phenomena have started making their way into Bulgaria and here are some examples (not an all inclusive list, I am sure):

1. Credit cards--Although not quite as widespread as in the US yet, and although most have a very low limit, credit cards are slowly gaining an "in"; at this point, mostly among businesspeople. (I can just picture the debt that most Bulgarians will go into, once credit cards do become more easily obtainable to regular folks... given how set most people are on showing off with the latest and greatest.)

Linked to this: 2. Paying online--You can now purchase concert tickets, do regular shopping, and pay your bills online (with your debit or credit card). I wasn't quite aware that this had gained such momentum since the last time I was here.

3. Onda Coffee Break--Starbucks-style coffee shop chain (there are about 5-6 locations in Sofia) offering about 15 different coffee drinks, brownies, cheese cake, sandwiches, salads, etc. I must say Onda is much more spacious and inviting than Starbucks... although very similar in terms of decor (with a mixture of tables and couches) and background music (although Onda seems to play exclusively Putumayo CDs). I've been only once; it was kind of nice, although I think I still prefer regular BG cafes. Oh, and one last thing--the coffee at Onda is 100 times better than Starbucks' :).

4. Food To Go (and getting it packed)--The concept of ordering food "to go" has also materialized since last I knew... and you can also get it packed at a lot of places, although portions here are usually much smaller than in the US, so most of the time... there is nothing left to pack.