Weeks 4 & 5

The past two weeks...

It is not a lack of content that impels me to put two weeks into one post. There is so much that happens each day here in Blagoevgrad. Rather, it is a lack of time. Within these weeks marks one month of living in Bulgaria. I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've ever been away from home. It's tough to keep in touch with family and friends due to the eight hour time difference, and consistently calling is proving to take more of a conscience effort than I had anticipated. The past two weeks have been filled with good food, quality time with friends, and soccer.

I learned...

A group of the exchange students and I went on a short hike to the Blagoevgrad Cross last weekend. No matter where you are in Blagoevgrad, you can't miss this massive illuminated cross. It sits atop a hill that is visible from all corners of the city. 

Starting our hike from the university campus, you can barely see our destination
on the top of the hill just to the right of the flags.

After a 3.5 kilometer trek through the snow and mud, we made it to the Orthodox Memorial Cross of "Memory and Faith." Standing at 33 meters tall, the Cross overlooks the 29 square kilometer (18 square mile) city. It has become a symbol of Blagoevgrad.

The hilltop overlooking Blagoevgrad


The Orthodox Memorial Cross of "Memory and Faith"
 

I ate...

I had my second fish dinner of the semester. The first was a fancy plate of baked salmon. The second was more my style. I ordered the trout dinner with a side of green peas at the homestyle restaurant При Ники ("Pri Niki") we frequent. Because it was cooked to order, I received my meal last, which is a topic I will revisit in the last section of this post. Exactly what I expected came from the kitchen: local, grilled, whole, head-on trout, just as my dad taught me. Delicious. I suspect my side of peas was intended to be more of a soup meal because it was such a large portion. They were prepared in a flavorful tomato sauce with carrots and peppers.

Local grilled trout with rice and green peas
 
Not pictured is the fried cheese appetizer. On every visit, someone in our party orders the fried cheese, and it's different every time. I got the trout dinner with rice, an order of peas, a fried cheese appetizer, and a lemonade for a total of 14 leva ($8.20).

About the cheese, they call it feta. It is not feta; it's better. Bulgaria is known for this salty and sort of tangy white cheese. There are many traditional dishes made with it, including the shopska salad I eat nearly everyday. It's in the fried cheese, and it's also in banitsa. Banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian pastry most commonly filled with yogurt, eggs, and the white cheese. It can also be made with a sweet filling - like apple, pumpkin, or walnuts - or a savory filling - like onions or spinach. 

The best banitsa I've had is at a tiny restaurant called Топли Эакуски ("Topli Zakuski") which translates to "warm snacks." It is run by one tiny Bulgarian woman who spends all night making the warm snacks by hand. She sells you a massive portion of banitsa for only 1.30 leva ($0.75).

Топли Эакуски

I experienced...

In my last post I mentioned our first soccer match would be at the end of week 4. It got canceled. But in week 5, we played a game on Monday at 9:00 p.m. and on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., still without having had a true practice with the majority of the team. It started snowing on our walk to the first game, and it was pouring rain during the second game. We lost both matches, but it was so fun. The only spectators were fellow exchange students cheering us on. I can tell most of these European guys have never played against a girl. It's comical.

Our first match

I'll admit I get fairly annoyed when I'm walking down the sidewalk in a U.S. city and people that are taking up the whole sidewalk don't care to move over as I pass them. But it is a whole different level here. There is zero regard for anyone else's convenience. It almost seems like people move into your way as you're walking by them, even if you're as far to the right of the aisle or sidewalk as possible. And if you're about to cross paths with someone, and the situation implies you have the right of way, the other person makes zero effort to slow down or speed up even in the slightest to avoid collision. They would rather walk through you.

I'm not yet homesick, but upon reflection of one month in Bulgaria, I've taken note of some of the things in the U.S. I take for granted:
  • Constant access to free water.
    • The next time you go to a restaurant and the waiter/waitress is filling up the cups with a pitcher of water while asking, "Can I get y'all anything else to drink besides water?" be thankful.
  • Ice.
    • Literally just frozen water. I miss it.
  • Lack of cigarette smoke.
    • I still think it's so crazy you can smoke by the front door of the dorms and in restaurants and bars. 
  • Any indoor area with a temperature below 25° C (that's 77° F).
    • I've written in a previous post that Bulgarians like in warm inside. I finally caved and went on the search to buy a fan since the thermostat in my dorm has only a heat setting, no cool or off setting. After searching at both a supermarket and the local Technopolis, I found neither store sells a regular fan, much less would they dare to sell a cooling fan. All the fans are "heated fans." I now have a heated fan with a disabled heater. 
  • An early start to the day.
    • The Bulgarian lifestyle starts much later in the day than the American one. The earliest class starts at 9:00 a.m. rather than 8:00 or 7:30. The gym doesn't open until 9:00 a.m., whereas our gyms usually open around 5:00 a.m. to allow people to come in before work. Laundry services don't begin operating until 11:00 a.m. And the library doesn't open until noon on weekends. As someone who thrives off morning productivity, this has been a bit of an adjustment.
  • Entrées being served synchronously. 
    • It took a couple outings for us to realize that just because my friend's pizza just came out from the kitchen, it does not mean my pizza will follow shortly after. It will most likely be another 15 to 30 minutes before the final person's meal arrives. So after too many cold meals, we've stopped being polite and waiting on everyone's food to arrive to begin to eat.
  • People dressing comfortably for class.
    • When I wear leggings and a sweatshirt to class at home, you wouldn't be able to pick me out from my classmates. But here, and in much of Europe I've learned, if you dress down for class, it's noticeable. The majority of students wear pants, sweaters, or dresses everyday. While I can willingly hop on this bandwagon for a maximum of two days per week, I do miss the comfort of being surrounded by people wearing the same informal attire as I am. 
Although the culture takes some getting used to, I am having the time of my life. I've met some of the greatest people that share the same passion for traveling and experience that I have. I am thankful to be where I am. I can't believe we're already a month in.

Julia Dick

References

Nachev, Kristiyan. “Blagoevgrad: 10 Places You Shouldn't Miss.” AUBG, AUBG, https://today.aubg.edu/news/blagoevgrad-10-places-you-shouldn-t-miss/. 

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