We drove from the Panichiste resort 2 hours south of Sofia to a town about 2 hours north of Sofia. Coming down out of the mountains was very scenic. Spring is just beginning to show in the higher altitudes. The mountains are covered with evergreens and lots of deciduous trees which are still in winter stick form. I bet it’s spectacularly green in the summer and colorful in the autumn. The towns all have red roofs and there are varying degrees of well-kept homes and decrepit homes with roofs and/or walls falling apart. Most buildings are stone with tile roofs and two stories high.
Here are some images from this drive which have stuck in my mind….one man in his backyard garden with a rototiller on a Sunday afternoon; another in his back yard with a horse-drawn plow – the horse couldn’t take too many steps before needing to turn around; lots of goats and sheep in fields – with one or more shepherds. Some of the shepherds were taking advantage of a gorgeous afternoon by laying down and snoozing in the fields. As we got into the skyscape of Sofia, there were communist block-style of apartment buildings – many of them!
We stopped at a McDonalds in Sofia for a rest stop. The guys who got burgers and fries said they taste the same as in the US.
Another 2 hour drive through the country side and we arrive in the town that is our Hub center for the next 3 months. We pick up our extensive 1st aid kits and water distillers from one of the Peace Corps doctors. We meet our host family members. All I know about mine is that she is a retired woman who is 63. She lives in a 2 story house and has hens, a dog and a rooster. She loves to garden and to make the evening rounds to visit neighbors (na gosti). Her kids are grown and live elsewhere – one in another town not too far away, one in Italy and one in L.A.
I met my Baba and she doesn’t speak a word of English and she likes to talk. I get the sense she wants to be so helpful, but the only things I understand are what I get from context or demonstration.
Her brother lives in another town and he has a car. They picked me up at the Hub center and drove me to my new home. Behind the gate is a big garden area and a separately fenced area with a dog (Benji, I think) hens and a rooster. I’m pretty sure the dog lives out in the pen. My room is upstairs (stairs are outdoors). There is a porch and a door to an indoor hallway. There are 3 bedrooms off of the hall and I have a large one with a queen bed. Beds are simple - a 3” mattress on a board in a wood frame about 6 inches off of the floor. There is a thin, woven carpet covering the cement floor. I have a desk, dressing table armoire and two end tables.
Downstairs is a small sitting room off of the kitchen. The kitchen I haven’t figured out yet, although it was thoroughly explained to me in Bulgarian. The big stove might be a wood burning stove or electric. Then there is a smaller convection-type oven with two electric burners on top. It’s about the size of a microwave. Also in the kitchen is a small table (for two) and a sink. Plants –geraniums and others – line the window sills. In the sitting room is another table for two with a t.v. on it. While chatting we had Bulgarian singing and dancing on the t.v. There is a small love seat hide-a-bed, but what I understand is that a very large man broke the bed and now it no longer folds back into the couch.
Now for the fun stuff. Yes, there is an outhouse. However…..instead of just a hole or wood bench with a hole in it, there is a non-functional toilet to sit on and a light! When one has finished, you pour a cup of water down the toilet bowl hole. At least it’s comfortable. I’ll be trying to NOT make any midnight runs out back. But no worries, there is a pail for me in the bedroom in case I have a “need” but want to stay indoors for the night. By the way, my Baba did give me a full demonstration of how to use the toilet in the outhouse. Bulgarians are not shy or overly modest. And like a lot of Eastern European countries, one is not supposed to flush toilet paper. After wiping it goes into a little garbage can to be disposed of or burned later.
The shower is in the house down the hallway from the kitchen. It’s a small cement room (or large closet) with a shower head and drain. The boiler to make hot water is outside the room and it looks like it could hold about 20 gallons. Did I mention it’s wood burning? Until I know how to use it – it’s time for bucket baths….it’s o.k. to boil water on the stove, once I figure out how to. Hand-wash-able clothing is also washed and rinsed in this shower room. There is a washing machine, but I’m not sure what’s allowed in it yet.
Out back is another extensive garden. It looks like onions, chives, parsley and a green leafed veggie are already sprouting. There is plenty of earth to still be turned and planted. I’m looking forward to doing my share. Tulips and crocus are blooming as well as a plum (?) tree.
Now as I get ready for bed, I am feeling really challenged. This is going to be very interesting to say the least. I’m afraid in the beginning there is going to be chasm of not understanding my Baba and vice versa. It’s odd to hear chatter and not have a clue of what’s being said. And when I think I do have a clue, I’m not at all sure whether or not it’s accurate. I have written down 15 questions for this initial evening interaction to ask my language trainer who will be visiting this week to do a little interpretation for my Baba and me.
There are 5 of us PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) in this little hamlet. Monday is a day when we go into the larger nearby town to register ourselves with the police department and purchase Bulgarian cell phones. We can also do other shopping while there. The five of us will have language and culture, and community development technical skills classes M – F, 9 – 5 beginning on Wednesday. Tuesday we will have our first day off to settle in, rest, explore and orient ourselves to our new life for the next 3 months.
At the moment I am excited and slightly terrified to be here. I’m grateful that I packed my sense of humor and patience to bring along with me. I’m also happy to have met the other PCVs who are here with me. We will be really bonded by the time we move forward to our next step. In my group there is another woman about 10 years older than me, a man about 10 years older and 2 young men in their 20s. By the way, in our group of 40 Volunteers there are 2 married couples (one younger, one retired) and 3 wives who joined the Peace Corps without husbands who didn’t want to come. I find that remarkable.
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