Big Rock - Big Snake?

This was the second evening in a row that we were in a Yambol apartment with song, dance, food and drink, the hangover from the night before still hanging we started off at around 5:00 with today the 1st March being the Baba Marta Den (Grandmother Marta Day) and the name day of those whose name has attributes to the name Marta, so it was my name day today as well (Martin). The whole of Bulgaria celebrate this day with song, dance, food and drink, well actually just a bit more than normal working days.

There were Bulgarian friends here tonight who we hadn't met before - all men! Silva, the hostess could be called middle aged, single, free and remains a very attractive proposition to many men who cross her path. Even though she has to care for her Baba which is a full time job, she is living life to the full right now, and deservedly so as she has worked very hard abroad over the last few years. She has been married twice before, but the Bulgarian men never lived up to here expectations. She was the life and soul of the party yesterday night and kicked off again this evening with more of the same.

There was no Dimco and Poliya tonight, but instead local neighbours mainly from the same block apartment. Dimco had left his guitar behind and this was taken up and used this evening from another Bulgarian guitar playing talent in the room. Three hefty Bulgarian men took up most of the bed sofa space. Like typical Bulgarian men they were all short and stocky, built like weightlifters. All I kept thinking of was three Humpty Dumpties sat on the wall!

It is normal that Bulgarians look deadly serious when you first meet them, but as you get to know them they start melting and become very warm and friendly after a while. This was exactly what happened this evening. A slightly nervy start, which was based on taking these guys at face value - They would scare the s*** out of most people if you met them in a dark alley! In fact a great deal of the evening was spent talking about why they look like they do.

Their names were Yordan, Avram and Nikolai respectively, all gradually warmed up with rakia and great Bulgarian food they found out that I jog 4 km everyday. All three couldn't understand why I jog to lose weight. Explaining that it was good for your heart not to be 'fat' was laughed at as they stood up and compared stomachs with each other, then their philosophy came out. Being slight in build equates to being weak, it is the Bulgarian way to be large so people are scared of you when you walk the streets. Being large is being strong and confident so yo can hold you head up high and not be scared of anything that comes your way. They believe that fitness is important, but alongside the big build. They asked who would win if I picked a fight with any one of them - I was no contest for them I agree.

As I thought about what they were saying. I explained that I have a different build that their Bulgarian bodies and that if I was to work on being as large as they were I would be in an early grave. Their argument was to do fitness in the gym or which they all do based around lifting weights.

Well the argument whether a big or athletic build is better went on most of the evening. I suppose the past and fighting for you country has something to do with it, it wasn't that long ago, two or three generations that Bulgaria was a land of warriors fighting for their Independence, there was no need for athletically built Bulgarian in hand to hand combat. But then on the other hand coming from a health conscious background myself, it is an inbuilt goal of mine to be fit and not overweight.

The other argument they had, but wasn't proved this particular evening was that you find bigger snakes where there are bigger rocks!

14 comments:

  1. Ah men, always comparing their snakes. Haha! Chestita Baba Marta i Chestita Imen Den! Sounds like a great celebration. ;)

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  2. I found this Iranian proverb.
    "He who has been bitten by a snake fears a piece of string."
    And another from the same region adapted to suit.
    “A fat man is a blanket for winter”

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  3. Саманта Здравейте, благодаря ви много за тези добри желания. Тържеството беше страхотен вечер. Надяваме се, че се справяш добре, за да се установи във вас нов дом сега.

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  4. This is what I know about the Bulgarian language & I know it from studying Russian. When I hear it, I think it's Russian, but for some reason I can't understand most of what is said. Then it dawns on me, that it's not Russian, it's Bulgarian. For the longest time I ID'd Bulgarian because I thought it was Russian but finally realized I couldn't undertand it. Reading the cyrillic it seems similar - and I can almost follow it, I know what the letters mean, and many of the words, but it just isnt the same. Of course I've forgotten most of the Russian I knew.

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  5. "It is normal that Bulgarians look deadly serious when you first meet them, but as you get to know them they start melting and become very warm and friendly after a while."

    This is often how people describe the first time meeting me...we seem to have some commonalities.

    peace,
    mike
    livelife365
    Social Networking Blues

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  6. Very interesting read.

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  7. Hi Martin,
    Thanks for sharing that interesting and fun story! :0)

    I've given you the Life is Grand Award...please see my new blog, Life Over the Edge at http://livingwithchronicillness.today.com to pick up the award. I wrote a short review of your blog and included a link back.

    Have a great weekend!
    Sher :0)

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  8. Martin, When you said you had a great time .I really believe you , sounds like great bunch of guys you got to make friends with, and lest only hope this is not the last time you get together with them. good friends are hard to come by nowdays . great pics of the whole gang, by the way did anyone do a little Elvis ? Malcolm

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  9. Thanks for all the comments. It was another a great night but knackering!

    Malcolm: No Elvis in sight - All we sung all evening was Bulgarian folk and pop music, I know loads on them as we listen to it them day. I have to 'la la' with most of it though.

    Valdese: I hear Russian and I think I understand but don't, just the odd word. I know exactly what you mean. It looks the same on paper as well with the cyrillic text, but vaguely dyslexic, bueng dyslexic one would suppose I shuld understand Russian better than Bulgarian then!lol

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  10. Hey Martin,
    At a mere 5ft 7, I'm of relatively slight built. Looking at how my Dad turned out, I think I wouldn't be a rugby player anytime soon.

    Being slight has its advantages as well. For one, I'm able to get on the Tube easier. Hah, London is built for the petite!

    Cheers,
    C K

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  11. Хаха, знаеш повече Български от мен. Благодаря на Господ, че имам Методи!

    I thought I was going to write that myself but Metodi corrected almost all of my grammar... Anyway, our home is doing very well and will be doing much better when Metodi gets his SSN and can work, haha. He wants lunch now so I'd better get to work. Cheers!

    <3 Samantha

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  12. Reading your story make me remember the family of my friend when I visited. All the men looked like mean bodyguards. When you mentioned rakia, is that the liquar made from plums? My friends father cave me some and then a bottle to bring home. I thought "made from plums, plum wine" When it hit my throat I though I would die.

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  13. Let's hope they don't take "big is beautiful" to extremes.

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  14. Bulgaria certainly has some creative and different celebrations. Good story.

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