Byala Slatina

Today was my first full day in the town of Byala Slatina...I think I misspelled it in my last post, I apologize for that. It's a town of about 15,000 people and it's about an hour away from Vratsa (our hub site) by bus. My host family is an adorable older couple, named Nadka and Hristo Nikolovo. They were both teachers for special needs kids and Hristo still teaches at a village nearby. They have a garden in the front and back of their house with hens, rabbits and one dog. They have hosted a Peace Corps volunteer before, which is good. They also don't speak a word of English. Contrary to popular belief, I'm a bit hesitant to make friends with the dog (koocheh). He barks and growls a lot.

Leaving our orientation site yesterday was bittersweet. It was exciting because this is when everything starts getting real. We're finally going to be in a town or village, surrounded by Bulgarians and having to live the Bulgarian lifestyle. How exciting is that?! It's also more than slightly terrifying. We left orientation having the language skills of a two-year-old. The first two hours of the bus ride from the orientation site to Vratsa was spent in a coma because everyone was so tired and still jetlagged. The last two hours were spent trying to get as much Bulgarian in our brains as possible. We were armed with our dictionaries and our curiosity. It didn't get us (or, at least, me) very far. We got to Vratsa and were let off the bus to go find our host families armed only with a sheet of paper that was cut like a puzzle piece so we could find the one that matched. As soon as I saw Nadka and Hristo, every single Bulgarian word I had learned left my head. Including how to say "hello" (zdravete) so all I could do was smile. They greeted me with hugs and kisses and cookies. What more could I ask for?

We stood there for a little while full of awkwardness until they asked me if I was ready. I actually have no idea what they asked me but they motioned toward the exit, so I'm assuming they were ready to get this show on the road. I was lucky enough to have my Language Trainer, Tanya with me. She is supposed to come to all of our housed and find out the ground rules for the next three months and it just so happened that it was my turn first. I'm so glad she was there because she and Nadka talked the whole ride to Byala Slatina and I didn't have to say much. They did ask me a few things through Tanya, so I was lucky I got to answer in English instead of whatever language would've come out of my mouth had she not been there. Nadka told me that she loved my hair (thanks Mom!) so that was nice.

For dinner we had cucmber soup, sausage, fish, potatoes, salad, bread, banitza, and creme caramel (which is really just European flaun). It was pretty good. I avoided the fish because it was literally a fish that had been caught and fried. I could still see his face (R.I.P. Fredrick) so I just couldn't do it. But I did suck it up and eat the sausage, which was alright. The cucumber soup is served cold, so it's very refreshing in the summer. The salad was good even though there was no Ranch and the bread and potatoes were delicious. The creme caramel was probably the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. I was prepared for a three hour long, awkward dinner, but with Tanya there, and everyone being hungry, it didn't feel long at all. After Tanya left, things did get a little more awkward. We were told to just spend time with them, so that's what I did. We shared pictures of family and friends, I gave them their gifts (a deck of UNC playing cards for Hristo and a promise to play with him, and Bath & Body Works for Nadka), and we watched "Bulgaria's Looking for Talent". It was kind of amazing. It wasn't long before I went to bed, though, because that jetlag is still hanging on strong.

Today, I had breakfast with Nadka. We had leftover banitza (which is some kind of pastry with a filling that can be either sweet, or not), coffee, and yogurt. Now, this yogurt is not like American yogurt. The literal translation of the Bulgarian name (keecelo mlyako) means sour milk...and that is exactly what it tastes like. You have to add either sugar (zahar) or honey (met) to make it good. It's also strange because you have to drink it, not eat it with a spoon. After breakfast, Nadka walked with me to the Police Station so we could register in the town. That didn't take long. Then our host families left us with Tanya and we went to buy cell phones. By the time we had gotten our cell phones and gotten into our room at the Community Center (where we'll be having our Bulgarian language lessons) we were all hungry and desperate for coffee. We went to a cafe and had a nice, English-speaking lunch. This was something that we all needed. After lunch we did some more errands and met the teacher who would be helping Vinny, Kevin and myself when we go to the Technical School to observe and teach.

After all of that, we headed back to the Community Center and our host families were there to pick us up. There was also some sort of semi-famous artist there with a bunch of his work, so we walked around that exhibit for a little while. Then we went home and I thought I would be able to find my way back but two things hindered me. One: we drove back to the house and stopped at a store (magazine) and at a friend's house so that she could meet me. Two: there are no street names. By the time I realized where we were, we were pulling up at the house. Once we got inside, it was time for dinner and I got to help! I made the salad! Now, this is not like the salad in a bag that you can get in America, no, no. You have to cut up all the stuff, including the lettuce. Some of the stuff was actually from their very own garden. I was proud of myself for being domestic AND for recognizing when they said something about a cucumber (kraztovitzeh). I got excited and they laughed at me. I'm OK with that, though.

Dinner went well and I learned more vocabulary. After dinner, I got to talk to one of their daughters on Skype. She lives in Germany and knows English. I also talked to her children who both know more English than I do Bulgarian. I was a bit shocked. Then the volunteer who stayed with them last time called on Skype and I got to talk to her too. She was not so uplifting about the whole situation, but whatever. I won't take anything she said to heart. This experience is different for everybody.

Tomorrow is our day off and we are planning to meet at the Community Center to go over our schedule for the rest of the week and probably study some Bulgarian. Then we're going to have coffee with a volunteer (Rob) who's permanent site is here in Byala Slatina. I feel like that will be a good thing. I also want to try and do a video tour of the house and garden. So keep an eye out for that. I'll probably post it on here and on Facebook. Lekeh nosht!