From Plovdiv to Veliko Turnovo

Plovdiv is a really neat city in Bulgaria. Maybe neat isn’t the right word, it sounds a little 60's cliche, but I enjoyed my stay. There are a lot of remnants from the time of the Roman emperor in the city, and it was beautiful to see these remains next to the modern buildings. Plovdiv is the second biggest city in Bulgaria, and it is another city I could see myself living in; it is big, but not too overwhelming; cosmopolitan, yet ancient. All in all, an exciting city. It is also a college town, so there are a lot of young people in the city. I also like that there are less people that know English. I was able to practice my Bulgarian with the Plovdivians, and at one point, had a two hour period in which I did not use any English whatsoever.

Of course, at the hostel, English is once again the language of choice. There were people from all over the world, but once again the default was English. Our receptionist had an amazing grasp on the language, and working at a hostel must be great for language acquisition. I really like hostels, and am considering working at one in Prague. I’m not sure if I could balance school with the long hours, but it is a great way to meet people from all around the world.
I’m beginning to realize that Bulgarians are not very serious about their education. My friend Marjan said that when she went abroad, she enrolled in some classes but didn’t attend. Regardless, she was able to get a 5.5 out of 6 and pass the class. I’ve talked to Bulgarians who don’t take their education as seriously as it is taken in the US or Western Europe. For example, the hostel manager said that she skipped all of her classes that she wasn’t interested in, but it didn’t matter and she was still able to pass the classes. The style is quite different and a lot less effective. However, it is possible that they learn more about the subjects they enjoy... I’m not sure.
Yesterday, I took a bus, with my new Australian friends who are traveling Eastern Europe, from Plovdiv back to Veliko Tarnovo. The ride was gorgeous; we passed through the Balkan Mountains and the ride was very calming, though a bit bumpy. It took 6 hours, but when we finally arrived in VT, it felt like I was returning home. The town is still kind of weird since the departure of all the students at the seminar, but it is nice to be in a familiar location.

Eight Easy Steps

In Prague, I could blend. People would address me in Czech and it was only when I responded in a thick accent would they start talking to me in English. In Bulgaria, it is completely different. I'm addressed in English, people hardly give me the chance to try Bulgarian, and I have been even asked for directions in English. I've been trying to figure out how they know so quickly that my native tongue is English, and I think I have figured it out. There are both physical traits, and mannerisms which set me apart.
1) Blonde hair. It is ridiculous how little people have blonde hair in Bulgaria. I've gotten a lot of stares, and I've realized it is because of my hair. The only blondes here are bottled blondes.
2) My face. Most Bulgarians have very round faces. I have too many angles to try and be a Bulgarian.
3) Height. I'm a little too tall to be in this country. And I'm not really that tall.
4) Blue eyes and white skin. Not really noticeable at first, but I haven't met any Bulgarians with blue eyes. Not surprising. I'm also the whitest kid here. My skin is like porcelain, but not in a good way.
5) Polos. No one here wears polos. It was more common in Prague, but polo style shirts are not Bulgarian at all. However, polos are my favorite, so I continue to stick out. I tried to wear a tank top to try and blend in, but the only thing that happened is I burned my shoulders and my neck...
6) My back-pack. I can't lie, I wear my little red back-pack out and about a lot. I need to carry my water bottle and some small books in case I need to look up a Bulgarian word. You can't imagine how silly I look...
7) My iPod. It is a reflection of the wealthy country that I was lucky enough to be born in. Although it is just a shuffle, I have it a lot when I go on walks, and it sets me apart. Same goes for my camera or my computer.
8) Finally, my flip-flops are also a dead give away that I'm not a Bulgarian. Europeans don't really wear "Yapansky" as they are called, but I find they are the most comfortable shoes to wear.
Now, these traits could be considered an isolating force. However, I have used the "steps" to identify other English speakers. For example, on a tour of Tsaravets, I saw a girl with a back-pack, flip-flops, and a mini-skirt. The way she held herself and her nice digital camera, which had a full digital display of the pictures she took, pointed to the Western World. I guessed that she was from the States, and I was quite close. She was actually from Canada, so I need to do some tweaking of the steps, but they can definitely be useful...
Tsaravets is a huge hill in the middle of Veliko Turnivo. It is actually the ruins of an old fortress that was the seat of the Bulgarian kingdom, and it was quite interesting. My favorite part was the church at the top, which had modern recreations of earlier frescoes. I was worried that they would have been poor replicas, but they were very nice. They had recreated the frescoes in a modern art style that made them seem more accessible to people of today. Tsaravets also had a great view of the city, and it was great to see the city from such heights.
Sunday night, we went to a Slavi concert. If you don't know who Slavi is, I reccommend Youtubing him, because it is quite hard to explain. He was a great example of the differences in culture. The show was more than just a concert, it seemed to be a variety show. In the beggining, there was a slide-show of famous Bulgarian places, Slavi is quite the nationalist, and later there were comedians between songs. It was nice to have these breaks between songs and artists. The contestants in Bulgarian Idol were also at the concert, and it was great to see there idea of an idol. If anyone is trying to broaden their musical tastes, I would recommend Slavi.
It is raining a lot in Bulgaria right now. It is a great contrast with last week, which was bright and sunny everyday. But variety is good, and hopefully the rain will stop by tomorrow.

An End to Frustration

When I first arrived in Veliko Turnovo, I was very frustrated. I had just taken a 27 hour bus ride, only to face a test in Bulgarian, having forgotten all of my vocabulary since I started studying Czech, which I failed miserably. The other students at Boston College were leaving for the Black Sea, but they left before I had settled in, and I couldn’t leave with them. So here I was, stranded at the student dorms, while most of the students were staying at Motel Sveta Gora. I also was in a single room, so I had no roommate to rely on. I was completely alone. I wanted to return home to Prague, but I knew I couldn’t. Luckily, this mood didn’t last very long.
As soon as I had taken a shower and eaten some food, I headed out to the city. The walk was somewhat long to get into the centrum, but I immediately felt better. I think my negative attitude had sprung from the fact that I hadn’t slept very well on the bus, I hadn’t exercised in that entire time at all, and I had not eaten any protein since Wednesday. Luckily, these were physical problems that were fixed quite easily. After a 12 hour nap, and meeting some of the other members of the program, I am now able to recreate a family in Bulgaria.

Made It!

I finally made it to Bulgaria, but it has been a long trip, and if it wasn’t for a couple of people I wouldn’t have made it at all. I kind of set out later than expected, and when I was almost to the bus stop, I realized that I had forgotten my passport in the luggage I was leaving in storage. Luckily, Kevin had given me all of his change. If he would not have, I would not have been able to afford calling Jerome House and getting through to Stephanie. Stephanie was able to relay my message to Liza, and Liza and Max ran to the bus station with my passport. I was five minutes away from being left behind, which would have been horrible. Thanks to these people, I made it to Bulgaria. The bus ride, though 27 hours, was somewhat pleasant, and I had a great discussion with my neighbor about Czech politics, in English, which helped the time fly by. Of course, I had horrible cramps from trying to sleep while sitting up, but it was worth the money.
One thing that bugged me about the bus ride was the movies played. Although they were entertaining, all four films were gruesome and it seems plausible that Czechs would look at these films and believe it reflected the culture of the United States. Petr, the man sitting next to me, said that in Islamic states, films from the US are the only form of our culture that they see. It seems a poor way to represent what we believe.
After I was dropped off in Sofia, I had to find a train to Veliko Turnivo. During this time, I though I had lost my luggage, but it was luckily not lost and I made it to this small Bulgarian city with all my limbs. It is weird being out of Prague. I’m not used to the life here, and people already have made friends since the program started on Tuesday. I’m sure I will find people, but right now I feel quite alone. I thought I would have friends from BC, but they have left for the coast for the weekend. I might try to meet them there, but it could be difficult…