Weather and Laundry

Here it is….the end of week 3 in Bulgaria. This time of our pre-service training is intense. There is so much to adjust to and learn. I’ll give you an overview of my past week or so.

Today is a sunny and warm day – probably about 70 degrees out. It’s the first day in a long time it’s been this warm. We’ve had chilly days in the 50’s and chillier nights. I mention it mostly because I’ve had to adjust to how to keep myself warm without central heating. Z, the woman who is my host mom, rarely uses heat of any kind. Twice this week she has cranked up the wood-burning stove/oven in the kitchen, which was a treat! It warms the small kitchen and adjacent sitting area where she watches t.v. and sleeps. It’s also a good time to crank up the wood-burning boiler for warm water for warm water to come out of a single shower head. It takes about 90 min to 2 hours for enough water to get hot for a shower. This week I washed my hair the same night she had a fire in the kitchen, so it could dry in the warmth of the fire. Z has borrowed a hand held hair-dryer for me to speed up the process.

We were both sick in the last week. I had a cold which went around the Americans in my group. I’m sure for me it also had to do with adjusting to colder temperatures and more dairy, wheat (and quantity of food) in my diet. I skipped a meal or two to give my body a rest. It felt great to do so. After two and a half weeks with Z, we’ve worked out individual preferences. She understands I like to eat “malko” littler amounts than she’s used to guests eating and honors my “no thank you.” She had a bout of bronchitis but I thinks she’s just about over it.

It’s interesting to observe belief systems…..I mentioned why I think I got a cold. She thinks it was because of the wind (a common belief in Bulgaria). People here run to close a door if there is any kind of cross wind or draft because that is what makes people sick. Z thinks she got sick because of the wind, and yes this could be true because one evening she was planting potatoes in the garden until 8:15 on a cold evening and a few days later she spent several hours outside washing and hanging laundry on the line. It was one of our chillier days. Then she comes inside where it’s nice and warm – maybe 62 degrees or so. (Just kidding about it being warm!).

I also wanted to eat less dairy and bread while not feeling well. I think she thinks bread and warm milk are soothing when she’s sick. Of course, this is what I interpret through actions since our communication is still in baby words. ;)

More on the laundry – Z borrowed a portable, electric washing tub from a friend. She heats a bucket of water with an wand that is plugged into a socket. Laundry is divided into groups – whites get the hot water, then lighter colors are washed, then darks. For both of us there are about 8 loads. Each one “agitates” for about 5 – 10 min. then it’s put in a tub to hand rinse with cold water and hang on the laundry line. She has me sit nearby so I can see the process but she does the laundry. She seems happy.

Since the nights have been cold, this is how I go to bed……I put my long underwear on, socks and my fleece jacket. The I crawl into my sleeping bag on the bed, zip it up and put 4 blankets over me. I warm up in a few minutes and am warm all night long. The first night I washed my hair, Z gave me a space heater to use in my room. I’ve been sparse in using it because the Peace Corps has to volunteers that electricity is very expensive in Bulgaria. Through my language teacher/interpreter I have told Z that I need to use it for a little while in the evenings and morning, to get warm. She said that is fine. So this is one major hurdle I have overcome, to be happy here…..staying warm “enough.” Other PCVs seem to be in homes where at least one room is warm most of the time. I’m having a little more rustic experience, which is an adventure!