Friday night I went to the "final" football (soccer game) for local teams in this area and my village came in 2nd. This village has a really nice dirt field at the school – including night time lighting. The teams were tied at the end of the second (and last) period so they went to a tie-breaker phase where several members from each team lined up and alternately kicked the ball toward the goal – like a foul shot. When one scored they broke the tie. The goalies had their hands full and ultimately the “other” team scored, not the team from my village. Usually I go to bed around 10:00 or 10:30. Friday the game wasn’t over until after 11:00. But I enjoyed being outdoors in the cooler evening hours at this enthusiastically cheered game.
I slept in later in the morning – then went for a walk heading uphill to a field where there were cows and a husband/wife team “cowherding” them in the field. (It can’t be shepherding if they are cows, can it?) I enjoyed seeing my village from a different perspective (higher). I explored small streets - more like tracks really and trails at the foot of the hills. And wonderfully, I passed several mulberry trees rich in juicy ripe fruit which I thoroughly enjoyed eating. My left hand looked like it was tattooed with purple ink.
Feeling invigorated from my walk, I started some household chores. I washed my sheets and duvet cover for the first time and of course, by hand. I don't mind my clothes by hand so much, but I found myself wrestling with big, wet, heavy sheets more than I enjoy. Many small loads (1 sheet is 1 load), soaking time, many rinses (in different buckets) – 3 for everything, and pretty soon 4 or 5 hours have passed!
Then I moved on to the dysfunctional heater - it used to burn wood or coal or pellets - not sure what. It's no longer connected to the vent or the floor and has a doily on top as a decorative accessory. On really hot days, I thought there was the smell of old cigarette smoke oozing from the walls, but I think it was the heater - it was pretty dirty. Not being a smoker, I’m sensitive to the odor. So I hauled the heater into the shower room with me and gave it a good cleaning. Now it lives on the balcony instead of in my bedroom. Today is hot and I still smell old smoke – but it is better than before. I'm very happy with the fan I purchased a few weeks ago on days like today. It is hot but the breeze is great and I'm comfortable while I plunk away at the keyboard. It was worth every penny….uh….Bulgarian lev.
Later in the day there was a knock on the door – my neighbor asking me if I wanted to go with her. The words I understood were – we go, chickens, rabbits and house up on the hill. I thought we were going "na gosti" to someone’s house, maybe for dinner. She said we’d go in 10 minutes. I put the salad I was eating in the fridge and put on some “visiting” clothes. It turns out that it's her family’s second house (an elderly parent used to live there) and we went to pick some onions and parsley and feed the chickens, rabbits, a dog and a cat. Then she wanted to show me a cool path that goes through a small “forest.” It turns out that it was the same one I discovered in the morning. I love the synchronicity. We ended up at her second garden (she spends hours in her gardens in addition to working a job, cooking, canning and taking care of her family) and picked up some tomatoes and peppers.
I've been having variations of cucumber salads for 2 meals a day and loving it. The cucumbers and tomatoes are cooling on these hot summer days. Variations include adding chicken, lentils, walnuts, green leaf lettuce (just found it in a larger town bazaar the other day - Bulgarians don't like it much), and occasionally salami (yikes).
It was a full day and I was feeling very happy as I returned to my home to call it a night. About 8 minutes later my language tutor knocked on the door and I went to the cafe with her, her mom and the same neighbor. I rushed around looking for keys and wallet and headed out the door. When I got downstairs, my tutor looked at me and asked why I was wearing those shoes. Hmmm. Check out the photos - I had one white plastic croc-style slip on on my left foot and one black sandal on the right. I didn't feel the difference until she said something. It was a hearty laugh for both of us. We were at the cafe until 11:00 sipping beverages and chatting (or listening as the case may be). Another nice way to spend cooler evening hours – and the outdoor café tables were full.
Most of my sharings here are about the village I live in. I also visit two other villages one day a week each. While I may not have as much time there I’m happy to have the diversity. Each village has a little different personality and I think I will get a broader perspective of Bulgarian life by being a part of all three villages. More about them later.
No comments:
Post a Comment