A Classic Bulgarian Misunderstanding

A Classic Bulgarian MisunderstandingCases of classic misunderstandings Bulgarians has caused all sorts of problems over the years and it still happens. There was one prime classic misunderstanding that wasn't realised until this week and reminded me that these misunderstandings will probably never end here in Bulgaria.

Just to give some background here, the previous owners of Skalitsa farmhouse and smallholding off where an elderly couple called Marina and Mitko. They moved in with their son to the town of Stara Zagora. Marina couldn’t wait for town life, but Mitko didn’t want to move, he loved village life and was in tears when we signed the contract. This is the case for many couple here, women want the town and the men want the country life.

Last year we were at the Skalitsa Farmhouse sitting out in the garden. We heard the iron garden gate creak as it always does to warn us of visitors. We waited a moment for the visitors to walk a short distance and peer around the corner as we all watched. It turned out that the visitors was Marina, the woman who used to live here with here son. They were in Skalitsa and though they’d pay us a visit out of courtesy as they were here.

And so the talking started. I wondered where Mitko her husband was and naturally asked. The answer given was that, ‘He is above us’ with a finger pointing to the sky. I was quite shocked with the though that he had passed away and gave my condolences.

The message that Mitko had died so much was passed on to my nearest neighbour the next day with mention that it must have been the heartbreak of having to move away from the village life he loved. No more was thought about it at the time.

A Classic Bulgarian MisunderstandingA year on and my neighbour Sacho told me that he was sure he had seen a ghost a couple of days before. It was evening and he was putting his goats in for the night and he saw Mitko wondering around his old home. There are many ghost stories in the village and this was another one that he though he saw. He told his wife Rosa what he had seen and again, they put it down to Mitko paying a ghostly visit to his old loved smallholding.

Sacho went on to say that Rosa went to work in the school the next day and told others of the story of Mitko’s ghostly figure wandering around the previous evening. She was duly informed that there was no ghost of Mitko around, but Mitko in real life who had come this year to see old friends in the village and went to see his old home!

Sacho said that he spoke to Mitko yesterday and he was very much alive. He then asked me who said that he had died. I explained that his son said that he was above us and pointed his finger to the sky. Sacho then burst out laughing saying that Mitko was up above us in the apartment block he was living in Stara Zagora. He didn’t come to Skalitsa last year but stayed at home – That’s where he was!

Well the misunderstanding lasted a year and I’m glad Mitko is still alive and kicking albeit still not very happy with town life. As for ghosts, well no recent additions recently, but lot so stories from neighbours of existing ones to be told on a cold and still winter night – That’s a long way off right now.


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13 comments:

  1. American in Britain30 April 2009 at 18:47

    Funny story. It is a little embarrasing when you misinterpret another person's euphemisms, even if they do speak the same language as yourself. It can be hard to tell if someone is speaking directly when they are using body language that suggests they are not.

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  2. Martin , good story , I thought for a min he was living in your attic as I read a story in a paper not to long ago that a couple had found a man living in hteir attic and had been for a year, That old saying is true you can try to take the man out of the country , but you can't take the country out of the man. Glad he's alive and kicking , and I bet he is amazed at all the improvements you have made on the place and your great garden , and probably a little jealous to . Hello's from me and Ciejay to Galia too
    this is the worlds largest butterfly ,it's actually a moth, hope you like the picture Malcolm

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  3. Martin in Bulgaria30 April 2009 at 21:57

    I agree some words just dont' traslate to their exact meaning and body language is completely 'tit over arse!' LOL

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  4. Martin in Bulgaria30 April 2009 at 22:17

    Hi Maloolm Hi CieJay,
    Good gracious me, what a whopper of a butterfly the worlds biggest no kidding! Appreciate the picture here.
    Good analogy given there Malcolm.
    Mitko was a smallholder and much better than I could ever be. This was his life and vocation. I didn't do much to the house other than put a bathroom exptension, put in aluminium windows and doors on and soup up the kitchen. Everything else is more or less as the house was when he lived there it retains its Bulgarian style throughout. the land and outbuilding would have been completly filled wsith crops and livestock when he was here. It was truely a perefect example of a smallholding that 90% self-sufficient. It had to be on a pension of less than $60 a month!

    I don't think jealousy comes into it Malcolm, just curiousity as to why I wanted to leave 'rich' England and live in relative poverty and hardship here.

    Sorry I'm going on here, but I wanted to explain.

    Take care, Gal sends her best regards (
    с най-добри пожелания)

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  5. I've heard of burying the hatchet and that's very appropriate, but after that gaffe you may have to come up with a new saying. A very understandable misinterpretation and one that has enabled you to write an excellent post. Thanks for the laugh. Any prizes for guessing who's under the spooky bedsheet.

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  6. Hi Martin-great story. I fancy there are a few misunderstandings here too between MTF and I especially when she tries to explain Thai soaps on the TV!

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  7. *lynne* @ amalaysianabroad.today.com1 May 2009 at 07:55

    Like Malcom, I too wondered if he was somehow living in your attic, LoL! Glad to know he had not passed away from the unhappiness of living the town life. Did he know that he had been assumed to be dead?

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  8. Ha ha ha Martin....look what you started. I see you make a really good neighbor :-D

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  9. Martin in Bulgaria1 May 2009 at 21:58

    Many stories to be told from both ends Mike as you well know.

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  10. Martin in Bulgaria1 May 2009 at 22:00

    Hi Lynne,
    Yes he did find out and laughed about it.

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  11. Martin in Bulgaria1 May 2009 at 22:01

    Thanks Bev,
    I'm really a neighbour from hell (the UK!) lol

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  12. nice and good articles in here, im glad to be read in ur blog my friends, can we make a friends

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  13. Martin, this was too funny! I am happy that Mitko did not expire from sadness. You are a good storyteller :-)

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