Quite often I have to hang around and wait well beyond the five o’clock finish time. There is no rush ever to clock out dead on time. Many of the workers there just hang around chatting for another thirty minutes before most of them travelling home on rattling bicycles of all shapes and sizes.
Today, Galia only kept me waiting for twenty minutes, this is normal beside I love walking around the factory grounds, which is basically a farm with all the animals and crops growing alongside the industrial side of things. "We are going to Katiya's house!” Galia announced. She never says please, it's not rude, just their ways. Although from my end is does feel quite aggressive no matter how many times it is explained that 'please' isn't normally added after a request for something.
The reason we were going to Katiya's house was to pick her up and go to the Gypsy camp where there was a wallpaper shop that was cheaper than the town centre prices. Katiya was redecorating one of here apartment rooms and Galia offered to take her there. It's quite often we find ourselves in the Gypsy areas as the shops there are in fact much cheaper, no tourists in this neck of the woods! In fact I quite like it there, if feels much more authentic Bulgaria and everything that goes on there is done for the local community. No Global based companies here.
Katiya’s home was arrived at and we fond here son was still asleep there so we had to wait a further ten minutes for him to be woken before setting of. We all went in the apartment together, as Katiya wanted Galia and I to be there when he woke as a surprise. Radoslav is his name. He is only six and he loves going for rides in my Lada, we do it quite often, he has a thing about driving and makes engine noises most of the time he is with us.
We all stood by his bed as Galia woke him up by speaking gently into his ear telling him he was going for a ride in the Lada with Martin. After his eyes got used to the light, he was now on his imaginary car steering himself up and down with the familiar raspberry sounds. He was very excited, which is more than can be said for me, I hate shopping and shopping for wallpaper with two women isn't on my top ten party games, What's more, these are Bulgarian women on a crusade for a bargain, which makes it even worse.
I asked Galia whether Katiya knew which wallpaper she wanted. Galia confirmed that she knew exactly what she wanted and we knew I had to get back soon as I had work commitments. But somehow I knew this wouldn't make any difference to the time spent in the shop surveying wallpaper, these are after all Bulgarian women in their element and I knew exactly what to expect.
We got to the shop with both women insisting I could park the Lada on a busy dual carriageway, I knew it was illegal but what the hell, it was less distance to walk being right outside the shop and we were in Gypsy territory and I have a Lada. This is a no go area for the police so no worries, they’d think it was a Gypsy Lada!
Fifty, yes fifty minutes later, Katiya bought the wallpaper that she had decided on in the first place! There was also fifty minutes of Radoslav making car engine noises around the shop. Galia was right, she knew exactly which style of wallpaper to buy, but every other one was surveyed again and Galia was asked for a second opinion on every one just to make sure!
We dropped Katiya back home and Galia told me that Katiya had spoken serious words with her. I found out that Galia had been told off for not providing me new footwear and that she should care more about her man's appearance! The whole thing started when we went into Katiya’s house and in the tradition of entering Bulgarian homes and my footwear off. She caught sight of a pair of tatty old sandals; apparently this was not the proper footwear for going shopping, even in Gypsy territory. Katiya had commented that we’re Bulgarian not Gypsy and why hadn't she bought some decent shoes for me to go out in. To be quite honest, I have know for ages that if I we were going to visit a friend's home or go shopping, I would have normally worn the appropriate footwear, but I didn't know we were going until I had picked up Galia from work!
At the end of the day it was just not knowing what was going to happen after work, Perhaps I should now always keep a pair of shopping shoes in the car, just in case - Galia agreed!
I always keep some shoes in the car whenever I leave the house barefoot...just in case.
ReplyDeletepeace,
mike
livelife365
That is funny. People in Kazakhstan are also crazy about shoes. I used to have an old pair of reliable and comfortable boots. They were getting scuffed up and the sole was starting to come off, but they were still waterproof and extremely comfortable. I resisted all the stares and comments about my ugly boots. Then one day I went to the movie theater and found a ten year boy looking at my boots and then clucking with disapproval. The next day I bought a new pair. Must be something in the Slavic blood.
ReplyDeleteMartin I do enjoy these posts. I think we Brits are just too polite because here it is the same from MTF.
ReplyDeleteShoes always come off before we enter another persons home and even in some shops as well!
Shoes are considered dirty so they stay outside, doesn't matter too much what they look like however.
There are shoes for every occasion just like there are clothes for evey occasion. It's just getting use to remembering and taking yout time to change them. I'm always in too much of a rush being British.
ReplyDeleteMike F - I have two different paris in my car on for the garden the other for wearing in other people's homes
KZBlog - Clicking iwth disapproval at 10? I suppose he would have woooed at American baseball boots!
Mike - Funny, Mike, it's so close to waht happens here. no outdoor shoes inside and in my local shop in the village, often customers take their boots off, they have just come from the farm and are caked in mud. In the summer no problem though.
Thanks for a very interesting and entertaining blog post - I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteI wonder why us Brits are so obsessed with saying 'please' and 'thank you,' when it is not rude to miss those words out in so many other cultures?
Roz
mARTIN , THAKS FOR THE POST LOVED IT , LET ME SAY THAT HERE IS THE LAND OF SMILES THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL WORDS THAT YOU WILL HARDLY EVER HERE A THAI SAY (UNLESS THEY HAVE INTERACTED WITH A WESTERNER),opps caps were on and it's late so not going to start over . a couple of them are Please,I'm sorry, Thank you ,and I made a mistake. now thats just my opinion and some may not agree, but it's how I see it . also Ciejay is forever on me about the proper shoes to wear one for the yard work , one for the market , one for shopping , and of course the HOLY shoes for church .I guess it's the same all over . Malcolm
ReplyDeleteHi Roz, thanks for the comment, yer, Brits over use these words, it actually loses it's affect as well, becomen insincere.
ReplyDeleteand Malcolm/CieYay thank you.
You are funny, with the CAPS! Shoes eh, I only ever used to had two paris before I came here, posh for work and trainers for leisure and home, no slipper sin sight!
Holy shoes or holey shoes for the church!
I am especially curious to know which european countries doesnt wear shoes indoor ? It has always bugged me that the dutch does tracked dirt into their homes n mine :-/ !! The first thing I did when I live here was to tell hubby to leave his outdoor shoes by the entrance n slipped into home slippers. Pity we dont hv heated floors like my Thai neighbour - there they walked on socks ! Our ground level r tiled floors, so we need thick slippers to ward off the cold. 2 floors above r all carpetted n we wear softer slippers to avoid wearing out the carpet :-P.
ReplyDeleteI once suggested to my in-laws that they bring their home slippers bec the dirt irks me no end but they always conveniently forgot to bring them n I ended up hoovering n mopping the floors after each weekend visit. After a while, I just told hubby to visit them instead bec I will not put up with it any longer.
That is an example of the clash of cultures. I wouldnt dream of ever imposing myself on others whereas people here simply ignores ur remarks n carry on as if they didnt hear u. I think it does boil to how far one is prepared to accord the other love n respect.
Even though hubby sees my family in Singapore once every few years, he has acquired the manners to interact with them. Chinese folks show their affection thru deeds. We do litte things to show the other that they hv a special place in our hearts. For eg. at meals, hubby knows to always offer Mom the choicest piece of meat (yes, he's well adept with chopsticks), even tho he is the guest n Mom is supposed to do that. Mom will gently stroke his arm to indicate she appreciates his filial piety n in turn fill his bowl with more food. He will be filling my bowl as well, as a mark of spousal respect.
Meals here r divided onto plates, even when I served chinese dishes, which is a pity bec a shared meal is much cozier than just focussing on one's own plate !
Like the Bulgarian not saying "please", I hv learned from hubby to be more expressive in words bec he needs to hear them. It certainly is nice hearing him say those 3 little words at least twice a day *grin* Same goes for the hugs a few times a day *blushing now* ... Ok, time to pen off b4 I sound overtly mushy *more blushings*
And Martin, no wholes in your socks?..)
ReplyDeleteHere in Turkey the same with shoes, but as a foreigner they don't expect to take your shoes off...
But at dentists, some hospitals, when you want to rent or buy a house, you get plastic sacks around your shoes.
So proper the Turks are indoor so terrible they are with the nature; littering everywhere.
kindest