Back in the Day

I have really enjoyed spending more time with my grandparents since I have been back in Bulgaria. Not only because I love the Sunday lunches that one of my grandmothers always prepares but also because I have learned a lot more about each of them as people. And interestingly enough I also learned how they each met their spouse. For some reason, I hadn't known this until now, or even been curious to ask. I have no idea why. Seems like something I would have loved to learn even when I was 17 or 18.

The stories of both my sets of grandparents really touched me... actually, they almost made me cry (yes, I can be sentimental like that). So, as something that has had an impact, I thought I would share them here.

The first story: My grandfather met my grandmother after he first moved to Sofia from his village. He rented a room in a big house not far from the city center; he had 3 or 4 other housemates. The stairs to the upper floors passed right outside his bedroom window. One evening as it was pouring out he noticed a young woman with an elderly man walk up the stairs. They were both drenched from the rain. My grandfather claims that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It turns out that the young woman knew one of the other housemates and was hoping to find a room to rent in the same house. Her father was accompanying her. The landlord turned them away saying there were no more rooms available. But my grandfather intervened, offering to share a room with one of the other housemates and make his available for her. And that was that. The woman moved in; somehow they all fit in the house. And, of course, it's probably not too hard to guess that the young woman in the story is my grandmother. So here we have it: love at first sight. Only a couple of months later they each visited their respective families to introduce the other person and were married a month later.

The second story: My grandmother was on the train on the way to visit her cousins. And this is where she met a young man with whom she talked most of the way. Before getting off the train, the man asked for her address and whether he could write to her. My grandmother agreed. They kept up their letter correspondence for at least a year while he was stationed with the army and saw each other perhaps once or twice. They were married soon after his second visit to her village.

What struck me about both these stories is not only the almost fairy-tale way in which they start... but also how simple, quick, and based on little information the decision to marry was. Nowadays, it seems that we ask ourselves too many questions, analyze way too much, and view every relationship under a magnifying glass to figure out whether it is the right one. And we do this not only with relationships. Obviously, things are very different now from the way they were when my grandparents were in their late teens and early 20s, but sometimes I can't help but wish that I wouldn't think through things so much (and I am not talking only about relationships here) and would just take the plunge.

Anyway, I would be curious to hear your thoughts on analyzing too much nowadays vs. having it all be much simpler back then. Why can't things just be simple?

Eight Ways to Tell That Its Spring

1) Suddenly Sofia seems at least twice as crowded: people have taken to the streets en masse.

2) Bars and restaurants have opened up their outdoor seating areas.

3) Teenagers are drinking beer and playing hacky sack in the park.

4) Баба Яга has been inhabited again. (For non-Bulgarians, Баба Яга (Baba Yaga) is a part of a small park in the centre of Sofia best known for its potsmokers. There is a small outdoors bar/pub with wooden tables, but most people just sit and drink elsewhere in that area of the park--the children's playground, the monument of the Soviet Army, on the benches, on the grass, etc.)

5) More color, sounds and smells--from birds singing to more lively conversations to flowers and trees in bloom to more colorful clothes being worn, spring definitely has more to offer the senses (especially after they have been somewhat dulled by winter).

6) Women are wearing short skirts again. A sidenote: 80s fashion is back--leggings with skirts on top, huge sunglasses, the whole gaudy deal... (yes, i'm not a big fan of 80s fashion).

7) Women have started talking about experiencing пролетна умора (literal translation: spring tiredness). (Never heard anyone complain about "spring tiredness" in the US, hmmm.)

8) The swallows are back in the nest outside my bedroom window. (In addition, I saw two storks last weekend while outside Sofia.)

All this feels like a breath of fresh air somehow.

Returnees Anonymous, The Return

So, to prove some people wrong that we met for the first and last time back in December, our Returnees Anonymous group congregated again last night. (Mind you there was also a sushi party hosted by Kris in between.) The discussion included, among others:

1) Kyle's upcoming baptism (including many questions from the soon-to-be godmother and advice on how to keep a straight face while Kyle renounces the devil in Bulgarian (?!?))

2) Kyle's and Petya's summer wedding (including a discussion of potential music choices and DJs, significant pressure not to include the song Бяла роза (White Rose) in the mix or at least include it in a remixed version, and how to video-conference in friends who won't be able to attend)

3) Wedding planners in Bulgaria--who have started experimenting with themes, e.g., you can have a wedding with a Japanese theme (now why you would need that if you are not Japanese is beyond me... but anyhow)

3) The new accountant at the Japanese Embassy in Sofia and his "mission" to make the pine trees in the garden of the embassy more Japanese-like by chopping off their tops and side branches (turning them into trapezium-like vegetation)

4) The Japanese Embassy's pregnant cat (and how that has nothing to do with the funny smell stemming from the basement)

5) How Bulgarian administration mostly sucks (you can refer to the previous post for an example or read up on petya's and kyle's adventures)

Anyhow, as you can see, it was a fun evening. Next scheduled meeting: Kyle's baptism, sometime mid-end of May, at a monastery near Botevgrad.

You Gotta Love Municipal Administration

At my local municipality this morning:

Me: "Do I have to fill out this part of the form with Latin or Cyrillic letters?"
Municipal rep: "You have to fill it out with a typewriter."
Me: ???
(thinking: "Ah, yes, that perfectly answers my question.")

The joys of dealing with any type of administration in BG...

The Lilacs Are Here

One of the things I realized I missed a lot while I was in the States are the lilacs. I am so happy to see so many lilacs in bloom this week. Their fragrance is heavenly. Funny how such a seemingly insignificant detail can make a big difference. Every time I see/smell lilacs, my mood improves. Seriously.

I am sure there are lots of lilacs in the States as well... I just rarely seemed to come across any.

A Good Day

Today is a good day. Not that anything in particular has happened. But somehow I am at peace and feel... happy. I think it's good to note those moments; makes it much easier to get through the tougher times when they come around.

(I think I can "blame" the arrival of spring for my good mood.)

Where Does All the Change Go?

I have refrained from bitching here (because I don't do it all that often "live" either), but I can't hold back about this any longer. How come it so often happens that when you are in a store, pharmacy, taxi, even cafe or bar in Bulgaria, purchase something, and hand over a bill of 20 leva or larger, the sales person's, cashier's, waiter's, etc. first reaction is "Don't you have anything smaller than that?" I mean, come on! (Btw, this initial question is usually followed by a retort of the sort, "Well, I don't have enough change to give you" or if not, then by a mighty HUFF and PUFF making it known full well that that person is doing you a HUGE favor by breaking up your large bill.)

First of all, you are the entity that is selling something and in so doing is supposed to have enough change on hand. If you don't, then go break up your large bills somewhere. That's not my job. Second of all, I am not some change hoarder, so if I have "anything smaller than a 20" I would gladly give it to you (as I always do), but I DON'T!

This BG practice has driven me crazy since I got here... and not only me. I had to walk out of a pharmacy once, leaving my potential purchase at the counter, after the pharmacist explained that she couldn't give me change for a 20 because she needed to save it for the following day (which was a Saturday) as the bank would be closed and she wouldn't be able to get change. Seriously!

So can someone please PLEASE explain to me--where the f*$% does all the change go?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!
Enjoy all the food, chocolate, and egg "fights" (for Bulgarians only)!


PS I am betting on the dark blue one at the bottom as my winner :)

My First Time

Yesterday, I rode on the Sofia metro for the first time. It may sound kinda silly given the fact that the metro opened up in January 1998. But once you know that the Sofia metro currently has only 1 line, with 8 stations (started out as 5 in 1998), and none of the stations is close to where I live or need to commute to, you'll understand why this was my first time. There was no particular reason for it either. A friend I had met up with was going home and I decided to walk her to the station. Once we got there, I was like "Hmm, I have never been on the metro and I have time to kill before my next rendezvous, why don't I try it now." As you can see for me it was more of a tourist attraction :) So I rode till my friend's stop, got off and then waited for the train back.

It was an interesting experience. A few things worth noting:
1) The metro stations are probably the cleanest places in Sofia; they are extremely EXTREMELY clean. I actually hadn't expected that for some reason given how dirty Sofia can be.
2) The Sofia metro is no worse than any other Western European or U.S. metro I have been on... might even be better than some. Wish they would complete the next phases of its expansion faster.

PS There are pictures documenting my "trip", but it will be a few days before I can post them.
PPS Pics posted below (don't mind my weird expressions) :)

Ostava and People-Watching

One of the great things about being back in Bulgaria is the opportunity to see for the first time some of my favorite Bulgarian bands perform live and stand literally only a couple of feet away from them. After Beloslava and Te, last night I got the chance to see Ostava live. The music and their performance in and of itself was great, but in addition the concert proved to be a terrific people-watching opportunity (which, as some of you know, is one of my favorite pastimes). The first rows in front of the stage were occupied mostly by teenage girls jumping around and dancing. This in and of itself was fun to observe... and I almost felt a tinge of envy at how free-spirited and energetic they seemed to be. There were "the best friends"--two girls who kept hugging each other, holding hands, and jumping in unison to the music but not in unison to its rhythm, and I couldn't quite tell whether this was due to intoxication or just general shared lack of rhythm. Then there was the "woman vamp"--a woman in her early 20s who looked like she had desperately been trying to copy Cruella De Vil's look (from 101 Dalmatians): straight black hair, black elbow-length gloves, red scarf around her neck, dragging slowly and sexily from a cigarette in a long cigarette holder. She was probably my favorite from the crowd, and I had spotted her right away even before the concert had started while she had still been sitting at the bar. Then there was that one crazy male fan who felt the need to stand right up front and gesticulate wildly to the music surrounded by female fans only.

Of course, I also ended up seeing some people I hadn't seen in years, but that almost seems like something mundane and ordinary in Sofia now.

Anyhow, back to Ostava. You can hear their latest single, Sex in the Morning, on myspace here. It's pretty good! I can't wait for their new album.