Holiday of the Week

If you've been following my blog for a while you have realize by now that Bulgaria has a lot of celebrations. We celebrated bread day today. As well as the graduation of 22 students at the highschool, and the 60th anniversary of the high school in town.

Since it was bread day I decided to go around asking everybody when we were gonna eat bread. LOL! It turns out they did that yesterday. They mayor told me she would show me the pictures. From what I understand this is a gypsy holiday that Bulgaria is promoting for the first time this year. Today in Bratsigovo they held a contest between the elementary students where they drew pictures representing this holiday on the asphalt. See the pictures in the right hand column.

After that I wanderd down to the the graduation ceremony. They don't wear gowns like we do for high school graduations, but they dress up really nice and get a new hair dew. Now I know why I couldn't get a hair cut yesterday or today. They'll be heading off to Turkey for a little vacations. Coincidentally, so will I.

For the 60th anniversary of the high school they presented a concert at the cultural dome. The students put on little skits, danced, and sang. After that a select few, including myself, went up to have drinks and eat hourdevours in the dining hall. One item was particularly interesting. A small piece of bread topped with a lemon slice (rind and all) topped with three little fish. I wasn't sure how to eat with the rind an' all, but I just stuck the whole thing in my mouth. It wasn't too bad. After that my counterpart invited me over to his house for a visit where we ate dinner sometime around 9:30pm. It worked out great because I wasn't in the mood for cooking today.

Next week they have yet another holiday. They celebrate the 24th of May. It's a day of appreciation for two saints, Cyril and Mothodius, the two Bulgarians who created the Cyrillic alphabet which is used by many baltic nations, Russia, Poland and others. I won't get to see how this holiday is celebrated because I will be in Istanbul, Turkey to celebrate my birthday. I'll let you know how it went when I get back.

Musaka

Below is a great recipe that can be made in one of those little guvech clay pots. It also works great in a nice baking dish. Don't be affraid of the yogurt and egg mixture that you place on top. It doesn't add much flavor but does have a nice texture. Let me know how you like it!

5-6 medium to large potatoes
1 container (1 1/2 cups) yogurt
5 medium tomatoes or 1 1/2 cups peeled, canned tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 cups ground meat
1 tablespoon oregano/savory
2 small to medium onions
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 eggs
3/4 cup water or tomato juice


Brown the meat and onions. Don’t drain. Peel and dice potatoes and place in a baking dish (large rectangular or round pan). Grate fresh tomatoes (or chop canned) and add to potatoes. Add browned meat and pieces and then pour water or tomato juice over all. Mix and bake at 200 C until potatoes are tender (about 45-60 minutes). While it’s baking, mix eggs and yogurt. At the end of the baking, pour yogurt mixture over the top and bake another 10 minutes or until top is set or very lightly browned.

Nahsdrave!

Like a Sore Thumb

Since I've lived in Bratsigovo everytime I enter my apartment this cat tries to follow me in. I figured that this cat must belong to the person who lived there before me. The other day when I stepped out of the door to go for a walk, I discovered that this cat is a girl. She layed cuddled with her kittens up against my door. I shut the door carefully, not wanting to disturb them.

I take these walks all around town just about everday in the hopes that the locals will get use to me and not stare everytime I walk by. After seven months of being here, I'm still waiting. It's usually the old men that stare the most. Then, after I say hello to them, they call me a "goteen peech." I'm still not exactly sure what that means, but I think it's a compliment. Eventhough I know it has nothing to do with the fruit, I still feel uncomfortable being called a "peech" by an old man.

I know I stand out like a sore thumb in this small town. Especially when the cows stop to stare at me when I pass them by on the street. I'm not making this up. They let the Bulgarians walk by, but when I pass they stop and stare. At the same time I'm trying to find a a fence to hop or a tree to run up in case it decides to charge me. Nothing like a crazed fanatic cow coming after you.

Now I better understand what life as a celebrity is like in a small town setting.

Some Introductions

To get you better aquanted with the town I live in, I thought I would introduce you to some of the locals in Bratsigovo today. I see these people just about everyday and they certainly make my stay in Bulgaria more comfortable and hospitable.

Meet Chicho Colo, Mariana, Nasco, Cici, and Vasca below!

Chicho Colo

Chicho (or Uncle) Colo is the owner and bar tender at Tiffani bar in Bratsigovo. This is the bar I most often frequent. Whenever I go in, he always gives me a quick lesson in Bulgarian slang. He also knows a lot of Turkish phrases. He tells me that he is my "kahdem." That means good luck charm in Turkish.

I've made most of my friends at this bar. In fact, I went there last night and met about a dozen more people. I always know that there will be someone I can hangout with at Chicho Colo's bar. On the rare occasions when there isn't, Chicho Colo pours himself a drink and we toast each other.

Mariana

We affectionately refer to Mariana as Marianka sometimes. She works at a desk right across from mine. I love to joke with her and test out the new slang I've learned on her. I often bring in food for her to try. Like when I made enchiladas the other night. Or sometimes even American snacks. She was caught off guard when I had her try a listerine strip. She didn't expect such power from a little piece of paper. Her reaction was better than most though. Some people think it's a narcotic. She is always ready to help me when I need some information.

Cici

This is Cici. She has hosted a volunteer everytime there has been training in Bratsigovo. She is a great contact to have in town. She knows everyone and everyone knows her. I often go to her house for an un-announced visit and she is always ready for me with food and a glass of rakiya (Bulgarian homemade whiskey).

She is very sympathetic listener. Meaning she listens to me closely so that she will understand my Bulgarian and she speaks slowly so I can understand her. Whenever I feel down about my Bulgarian language skills, I go to her house and we can talk for hours understanding each other perfectly.

She is always full of project ideas for Bratsigovo and willing to help. This summer she said she would show me how to make rakiya and take me into the mountains in Bratsigovo and find herbs for tea. Cici's sister is married to Chicho Colo.

Nasco

Here Nasco is posing with a couple of his employees who work at his grocery shop. His store is my favorite in Bratsigovo. The employees are always understanding and helpful when I am trying to explain what I am looking for. This store is one of the cleanest in Bratsigovo and less crowded. I usually start my day by picking up either a bananna or some pastry for breakfast before going to work.

Nasco loves to tell his stories of when he was in the army and all the countries he travelled to. He recently told me of a drink that was very popular in Bulgaria about a decade ago called "American and Russian friendship." It's Russian vodka mixed with Coca cola. I told Chicho Colo about this drink last night and he mixed one for me and himself.

Nasco's wife is the director of the museum in Bratsigovo. They have a little boy together who knows a little English. Megan and I had him over for a visit one time and cooked him dinner. I am planning on going over to Nasco's house soon for a visit.

Vasca

Vasca is the director of the youth center in Bratsigovo. She was a host mom for the first time last year when Bratsigovo had five trainiees. Megan, the volunteer who stayed with Vasca and her family during training, often comes back to visit.

Vasca's family is not the traditional Bulgarian family. The volunteers who know this family, affectionately refer to them as the hippies because of their different style and attitude not typical of most Bulgarian families. Vasca doesn't usually do the cooking in the house. Her husband Nasco does, but because she wanted to be a really good host mom for Megan, she did all the cooking and planned out each meal a month in advance so that no meal was ever repeated.

Vasca makes the best french fries I've ever had. When I came back from new years with my jacket stained with red champaigne, Vasca made it look new again. When my parents came to visit, I had to take them over to Vasca's house so they could experience her hospitality. She and her family are always a lot of fun.

Local Holiday in Bratsigovo

(Monkey Business)

The 11th and 12th of May in Bratsigovo is a local holiday. The reason for celebration has something to do with the Bulgarian April revolution in 1876 which freed them from Turkish rule after close to 500 years. They place flowers at a monument of, Vasil Petleshkov, a local and national hero.

The festivities also include a huge flea market, rides, fireworks, military ceremony, and a concert by a famous traditional Bulgarian music singer. Just check out the pictures for a better idea.

I think most cities have a celebration of this sort sometime during the year. I was surprised how nice it was. I didn't plan on going on any of the rides, but one of the local kids dragged me on them. Most of the rides were the kind that go round and round. They seem to keep them going for a longer period of time, which makes them dizzying. The festivities continue today as well. I'll try and stay clear of any more rides.

Lots of Birds

I woke up this morning at the crack of with the loud chorus of birds singing out my window. They were so loud, they even drowned out the noise of the roosters crowing. When I looked out my window, I could see tons of these little birds flying over the city. It looks like every bird has returned back from the south now.

This weekend I planned on going camping with some friends, but the weather turned bad and I ended up just staying around town. Today I decided to take a walk over to one of the orphanages. Since all the really little kids napped at the moment, I played and talked with the older ones. We played a little soccer, but I never liked that sport much so when I fell and skinned my hands on the asphalt the game ended for me.

I like to go to the orphanages as much as I can to give the kids attention. They get so excited when I come, they don't know what to do with themselves. After an hour or so, I have to leave because they become to overwhelming for me to handle. I found out recently that one of the orphanages is getting a few French volunteers for the summer. That should take the load off me for a while.

By the way, I've added some new photos to my album. Check 'em out!

Good Album Fix

I found a new place to host my photo's. It looks really cool so far. I'll test it out and see how it works. If you look on the left hand column under the "Photo Album" heading, you will see a little icon there that will take you to the most recent photo's I have posted if you click it.

Better than that, click here to see a Flickr slide show of my latest photo's. Tell me what you think.

A Temporary Fustration

Unfortunately my photo albums are down. I will get that back up ASAP. Swing back here tomorrow. Till then, the following is a great website with lots of pictures of Bulgaria. If you look close enough in some of the albums you might even be able to spot me. http://brettnet.net/other.asp

Bratsigovo Art

I've posted a couple new albums in the last few days. Here's another one with interesting graffiti I've found in Bratsigovo.

All my photo albums are in the top right hand column of this site under the heading "Photo Albums." Check them all out and feel free to let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Happy Easter!

No, I'm not late. Easter in Bulgaria is today this year. Normally Bulgarians use the same calendar that we do in the states, but to calculate the occurence of this holiday they use the greogorian calandar. The logic being that that was the calendar used when Christians first celebrated this holiday.

In Bratsigovo a lot of people go to church around 11pm and stayed there until after 12am. After this a lot of people go to a cafe. Usually cafe's in Bratsigovo close around 11pm, but this day they will stay open till around 2am. I feel like it's New Year's. Unfortunately I have gotten use to turning in early at night and am ready to tuck myself into bed now. Next year I'll make sure I'm awake to see the traditions carried out on this day.