Old Peace Corps Bulgaria Memories

It's been almost six years since I arrived in Bulgaria as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I was going through some old files and found old stories I posted on my now defunct website. It's interesting to look at how I saw Bulgaria back then. I thought posting them here on this blog might be interesting to future PCVs or those who are interested in Bulgaria. I realize that some of these observations are inaccurate. In some cases they are flat-out wrong and I cringed reading through them! But they are valuable because they reveal some of the biases and misunderstandings many Americans (like me) might have when trying to understand Bulgarians and their culture. I hope if any Bulgarians read this they will laugh at my initial perceptions rather than become angry. So, enjoy!


May 3, 2004 (I arrived in Bulgaria in the middle of April, 2004)

FOR THE TEACHERS
I have taught two micro-sessions. I call them micro because the teachers only let us teach for about 10-15 minutes. They are very controlling. I should take that back. One is great, but you have to do everything by the book. Nothing is done outside of it. Very old style. If I were a kid, I would be bored to tears. The other teacher we are working with is difficult to deal with. I tried to meet with her before class to get some sort of idea of the lesson plan. She said, "Don't worry." So we go to the classroom and she decides to start class 10 minutes early. I guess that was my time. She hands me a book and says to have the class read outloud and maybe ask them about some of the vocab. That's it. Nothing else. These are third graders, so I try to act out some of the stuff and make them laugh, but they are shy. She tells them (in broken English) to "be courageous" and "act natural". It was weird. She was very controlling. Also, the teacher sat at the desk and never moved around. She hardly even looked up. Today, this girl was in the back of the class and had no book. She also had a vision problem, yet she was all by herself and the teacher didn't do anything. So, we got her a book. It's just weird. This is one of the many obstacles we'll be facing the next two years. Oh, and never, ever complain about supplies and facilities. They are awful and in some cases, nonexistent. And this town isn't really, really poor. It's like walking back to the 1950s when you go through the halls. The other day the classroom door wouldn't open because the siding had busted. I thought we were going to be trapped.

ROMA SITUATION
One thing you notice here is the division between the Bulgarians and the Roma, or gypsies. They used to be in separate schools and the kids don't interact all that much. On many occasions Bulgarians have told me, "I'm not racist, but the gypsies are no good. They steal and are lazy." This has come from city and village people. Peroushtitsa didn't used to have a gypsy population, but now it's pretty big. They all live on one side of town. Things aren't violent. I would liken it more to the American South during the 1950s between whites and blacks. The Bulgarians also don't care much for Turks either. Especially here. In 1876, Bulgaria was still under Turkish rule. A lot of local rebels began fighting for independence. The Turks killed about 200 men, women and children in this church in town. It's a very famous event here. This guy, Kosho, is seen as the town martyr. He killed his children, wife and himself right before the Turks burned the town. What a hero?? Anyway, there's some Bulgarians that still remember that and don't care for Turks. There aren't any Turks here, but there is a Turkish village about 2 kilometers down the road.

YES AND NO
I really didn't believe it until I saw it, but Bulgarians shake their head for yes and nod their head for no. It can be confusing when learning the language. If you're trying to explain something and they agree, they'll shake their head (like no in 99 percent of the world). They'll shake their head and go "Da, da, da, da, da". I've gotten used to it, but some times I'm caught off guard.
Also, people walk very slow here. And you can't talk and walk at the same time. If you say something, you must stop, look at each other and then continue. It takes forever to get places some times.

WINE
Sorry to make Bulgaria seem like a big drinking fest, but it seems like the thing to do. There are vineyards everywhere here. Lots of people make their own wine and rakiya (plum brandy that is very strong). The wine industry used to be bigger, but is hurting -- just like all the agriculture here in Bulgaria. My neighbor, Vlad (yes, that's his name and he looks like a Vlad with his big barrel chest, huge Russian mustache and thick accent), he used to be head operator at the local winery. He got laid off seven years ago and has been unemployed since. Unemployment is a big problem. I think this town has about 38 percent unemployment. Lots of guys just sitting around in cafes sipping on beer or coffee. This town has a little more than 5,000 people, yet I know of at least eight cafes and 10 mini markets. That seems like a lot for a small town like this. I have no idea how they are stay in business. Anyway, for you wine lovers, the merlot and cab are very good.

OTHER STUFF
Every person who speaks a little English wants to talk with me. I tell them I need to learn Bulgarian, but they really don't care. Then they tell me how terrible it was under Communist rule. It was interesting at first, but now I know what to expect when they talk with me. Kind of irritating.

I've learned that you don't talk to Bulgarians you don't know. Even if you make eye contact with them on a the street, they don't say hi. And women, they don't even look at you. I'm not sure where are the girls are. Probably in Sofia and Plovdiv. I was told that bad girls go to cafes and hang out. That's probably why when I go to the cafe with my three female volunteers all the guys look at us weird. Seriously, the ratio will be 29 guys smoking, two Bulgarian girls and then us. Spooky.

Bulgarian food makes you fat. I was served pizza for breakfast and i get ice cream or some type of cake every day. I'm running each day as a result.

Fish net stalkings seem to be the rage for city girls here. Also, really tight pants and tacky, bright orange tops. I'd say about 60 percent of the women have their hair dyed that noticable reddish/purple color. That's young and old females. It's awful looking.

Also, I have become inspired to take care of my teeth. Dental care seems to be a real issue. I've never seen so many bad teeth. I don't know why this is, other than they don't brush their teeth.