The Worms That Turned To Bulgaria

When I first decided to move to Bulgaria it was never my intention to just have a home there as a holiday home. What is the point of having a farmhouse with land for crops and animals just for a couple of weeks a year - Totally impractical, many others people do though and it has brought about major headaches and inherent problems which I plan to talk about in another post.

In my case all that knew me in the UK thought this was a crazy idea and that I should carry on teaching, then retire like any other normal person. The thought of delaying this for another ten years was not something I felt that I could have managed. I knew within myself that reaching pension age and remaining sane and in good health was bigger risk than taking my chances moving now.

With this view there was only one or two close friends who knew that knew I had to do this. Everyone else, including most of my family thought differently the my closest allies. The idea of buying a home in the Bulgarian countryside was mad, even a ridiculously low prices and to actually move the permanently was even crazier.

The decision was made and I was effectively 'blacklisted' and labelled a 'madman' by many. Funnily enough though, all the strongest critics where those who knew nothing about Bulgaria let alone have been there.

'What the hell are you going there for? What happens if you're ill? How will you survive without money? You can't speak Bulgarian! You're be back in a few months, wait and see! These were some of the comments made to me before I left. Yet one of my brothers is an expatriate in Cyprus and that was considered a wise move. It wasn't the fact that I was moving abroad that was wrong to many, but moving to Bulgaria was wrong and that was judged purely on ignorance!

The worms that turned is the only way I can described what happened once I was here. Most people who have had the courtesy to come to Bulgaria to see me have now seen what I saw and dreamed of. Some of my most fierce family critics have now bought homes here both in neighbouring villages and in my home village of Skalitsa. Two of my brothers have bought houses in the same street, one is now a direct neighbour of mine and they both want to live the home growing village life next to me.

It is so strange that now I have family from the UK that want to live right next to me, this is how much they were impressed with the lifestyle and the people here. They have also seen a changer in me, less stressed not only from a good woman by my side but the slower lifestyle. Before I moved to Bulgaria, some of my family were hardly on speaking terms with me, now we may be living as a bigger family unit here in the near future. How strange it has come to this and Galia is part of that reason.

Apart from some of my family who are so narrow minded that they think that unless you have money you are no good, they all love Galia to bits. They often tell me how lucky I am to have her and how unlucky I was with money oriented and material based women in the UK in the past. My previous partner I realise now, didn't really care for me, but just the money I earn to maintain an unsustainable flamboyant lifestyle.

Well the die is cast and my thoughts turn to whether I want my family living next to me here. I didn't leave the UK to get away from family that's for sure, so I'm quite at ease with that. It's not as if Galia and I are going to be living with them after all. We will just have to see how it goes.

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Fishing for Nothing In the Cold

It was forecast a cold weekend in Bulgaria, but most of us had fogotten what cold was as winter was such a long time ago. We have had a hot or very warm six or seven months and it was with that in mind we decided to go fishing for a few hours.

The journey to the next village of Ovchi Kladinets, which means sheep well was our destination as we were told that there was good fishing in this village. It lies 7 km west of our farmhouse in Skalitsa, but as we were to find out that was only half the trip.

We had been given instructions on how to get to this reservoir which was meant to hold very large carp. Although the place is technically in Ovchi Kladinets there was a further 4 or 5 km to travel over rough ground to reach the fishing area.

After reaching the village we turned onto the initially stone track which is designed for horse and car not ladas and made out way, slowly and carefully. With pot holed and subsidence ridden tracks it was an exciting route to take in this wild area of Bulgaria.

3 or 4 km later we entered into a deeply wooded area and followed this through, it was magical ovoiding trees as we made out way to the sight of a little clearing about another kilometre on. As this was reached we could see this massive expanse of water and wandered how many people knew of this place. It would be hard if not impossible to reach after rain as the track to the reservoir would be a mud pit and the rises and fall of the tracks far too steep to negotiate for any motor driven vehicle; even tractors would find this hard to reach on this track with rain.

We had arrived as the car was parked right next to a sandy shore with much wildlife around from the floral and fauna kingdom. We still had to walk a little way beyond some rocks that sttod in the way of the 'beach' type shoreline. It was while waliing through swamped brush that most of the thistly seeds decided to come with us as we swept past! Removing these was a very painful process without gloves and we were without gloves!

The fishing postion setup and we cast our lines and waited. There was a strong wind coming off the water, often whipping up a little wave or two, so repositioning out lines was frequently done with the floats wandering quickly out of place. It was hard work as the first half and hour wnet by and no bites made. It was now cold as the wind was consistently blowing in this open position we had taken up. All the time in our heads were the thought of just one big fish for dinner tonight on the barbecue, the cold was a minor inconvenience with this in mind.

We endured another hour or so and still not one bite was made. The cold now was becoming unbearable as we shivered our way through each regular casting; time and time again we had the same result; Nothing!

Finally, the fanstastic views, the massive variety of waterfowl that shared our environment and our love of fishing was no match for the cold. We packed up and made out way back to the windcheating inners of the Lada. That was a lovely moment when we sat down out of the wind, but not before another rich picking of thistle type seeds off out trouser and socks (ouch!)

The journey across the open countriside track was enjoyed to the full in the warmth of the car as we all relaxed knowing that there was a wood burner and rakia waiting for us at home to warm us up even further, but no barbecued fish today.

I must add that this is the first time I have been fishing in Bulgaria where I ended up with absolutely nothing!

Leka Rabota; Leka Sichko

Hot, sticky but better than being cold, that’s how it is in Bulgaria right now in August. Everything slows down to a standstill in this weather and why not? What’s the rush?

That’s the attitude of every Bulgarian I know right now. They’ll go to work, slowly, and once there the pace remains slow, like I said it’s hot sticky and there is no sense in busting a gut under these conditions. The Bulgarian bosses and managers who employ all these slow paced workers are of the same opinion. “Leka rabota!” (easy work) they would say when the work force comes into work in the morning. Of course they have no other option other obey that greeting from their peers and do just that, work slowly.

I remember a quote from a worker when he asked me what I like about the Bulgarian weather. I gave him his answer saying that the long hot summers are great and the winters are sharp and short. His version of Bulgarian weather was “It’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter!” Well he had a point but I mentioned the fact that where would the rakia come from without this Bulgarian climate. He didn’t have an answer to that one and just grinned and shrugged his shoulders; he knew this was an important point.

So too hot in the summer it may be but that all depends where you are and what you are doing. In Yambol the temperature is raised by the fact it is a town and has a town climate. It is much closer and hotter in the town, there is never any breeze on really hot days and if it is going to thunderstorm or floods it will be in and around the town area.

In the villages that are more than 5-10 kilometres away from the town the weather during the summer is magical, the breeze that runs over the Thracian plain and the lack of pollution just make it so much fresher, less clammy and a joy to be in. The village folk still work very slowly all year round but that’s how it has always been. It’s not because of the weather but due to their culture and tradition. No rush whatever the job, even if you were bleeding to death, there would be no rush on!

So in Bulgarian, the Leka Rabota phrase is currently very popular; Leka Sichko (Everything easy) is even more popular, but not quite as popular as the all year round phrase “What are you doing?” (See Bulgarian Small Talk)




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Bulgarian Small Talk

Bulgarians use a certain phrase of greeting almost as common as the Bulgarian 'Hello' or 'Hi'. The phrase is a leading question and a sure sign the that the Bulgarian want to spend time talking. Certainly in Bulgarian villages where talking is the main pastime the 'greeting' is used more often than in towns and cities.

"What are you doing?"

This is the greeting and question put to me and many others and of course you have to answer the question, which is a natural tendency.

The most strange thing about this question is that when asked is used just as an introduction for extended talk. It is so obvious in most cases what you are doing at the time of asking that isn't the reason for asking. Even so you still feel inclined to explain what you are doing and the talking starts.

Many instances of this can be giving, such as I have just enter the village shop to buy bread and beer. A good neighbour is already there and knows full well I go there the same time on the same days buying the same things but asks, 'What are you doing?' I of course explain that I am here in the shop to buy bread and beer and the talking carries on from that.

Another example walking down the street with a wheelbarrow full of muck on the way to the local dumping area as I walk on past another villager the question will come forward and it does,'What are you doing? I explain that I am taking some muck to the local dump and another chunk of my time immersed in village life is squandered away with more talking about the obvious in the first instance but the talking doesn't end there.

Furthermore, unless the question is asked by someone when you are talking to someone else in the first place - this also is a high probability - you also stop what you were actually doing, usually farmyard chores!

As mentioned already, on from this initial question the small talk usually continues in the same vein, talking about what we already know. Talking about what they know already is a Bulgarian habit for example we will be eating some home made village banistsa (Skalitsa Banitsa) and ask how it is made even though they have been making the same banitsa in the same village to the same recipe it every other day for decades but still ask!

They will ask whether I have tomatoes being grown in the garden even though they had seen them and talked in depth about them only a few moments ago and even helped pick some for this evening's salad but still ask.

They will enquire when am I going back to Yambol when they know week in week out I leave Sunday afternoon at the same time and personally say goodbye to them at this time and have for over a year now but they still ask.

The list of asking and talking about the obvious is endless which is another reason why Bulgarians talk so much.

So, let's recap on the phrase 'What are you doing?'
- it is a Bulgarian form of greeting
- it is not used to find out what you are doing, (they already know)
- it is used to get to spend more even more time talking
- it is verbal device to stop you and them doing whatever you were doing
- it is a Bulgarian trigger for everything to grind to a halt - again

And finally a Bulgarian equation of this can be made up as:

'What are you doing?'= (Obvious answer + More Small Talk) - Work.

Skalitsa Village -The Facts

The village of Skalitsa is located in Southeast Bulgaria. Its nearest towns are Yambol and Elhovo both around 30 minutes drive from the village. Both these towns are thriving and continue to be rejuvenated by popularity and investment from many foreigners and Bulgarians.

Skalitza is one of the larger and more important villages in the area and is an up and coming attraction with available investment from Europe into the infrastructure and facilities there. There has been a major clean up and fresh look in the village with the school having been renovated and money other public building having been given a face lift. There is also brand new theatre/concert hall that opened in the village centre last year that attracts National and International artists and performers from around the world.

It has everything you need in the village including two garages, post office, a doctor and dentist surgery, two veterinaries, a chemist, a variety of grocery/food stores, a clothing shop and a beautiful orthodox church which celebrated its 150 anniversary this year. During the summer months, (and there are many of them) there is local produce sold from stalls in the village centre park - yes it has a big public park in the village centre as well It also has a unisex hairdressing shop many bars scattered around in and around the village as where you can get snacks.

Skalitsa also has its own bakery, window double glazing factory, metalwork factory, wood-processing factory and around the village many new vineyards have been planted from private investment. Bus and taxi services run regularly from the village centre.

It is not widely known but Skalitsa is famed for its healing stones which are geographically positioned at a point where two magnetic fields cross. There is only one other place on earth where this happens! Research has been made on the site along with media attention all which presents evidence of the stones having healing properties for arthritis, rheumatism and various other related and unrelated ailments.

There haven been two sets of film makers in the village this year, one film crew from Hollywood USA, choosing Skalitsa for its magnificent setting on a raised rock base within the Thracian Plain. Skalitza actually mean little rock. This was chosen over other Balkan countries including Croatia, Romania and Former Republic of Czechoslovakia, the Skalitsian scenery could not be compared with!

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Sirni Zagovezni in Bulgaria

One of the favourite festivals in Bulgaria is called ‘Sirni Zagovezni’ meaning ‘Shrove Sunday’ or ‘The Great Lent’. This comes around each year falling on a Sunday some seven weeks before Easter.

I have experienced two seasons of these now. It is a time of celebrating the beginning of spring and a period of fasting, in fact the longest fasting period of the year in Orthodox tradition. This means abstaining from meat, dairy products, (fish once a week is allowed,) no traditional dancing and no marriages to take place until Easter. This fasting does still go on but the food is too good and too tempting here for me to even consider joining this part of the ritual.

Many villages and towns have the traditional ritual of building of large bonfires and this was no exception in Skalitsa. There is either a communal bonfire normally or individual groups made by neighbours on their own. The fires would be built in higher areas with the belief that this would prevent hailstorms striking in the areas they are lit. I live high up on the high ground of the village so just outside my house was a good place for this.

The preparations for this festival are made by hand carving wooden rockets and laying them out to dry for a week or two so they are tinder dry for the day. This was really tough on the hands and my efforts only managed to get three carved. One of these is pictured below. These rockets would be launched after being set alight from the bonfire once fixed onto launching sticks. They ‘take off’ by the rocket is fixed to one stick and beat against another projecting it up to 100 metres in the air and over neighbouring houses. Just as each is launched, a name is shouted out and that rocket subsequently dedicated to that person, family, friend or lover!

The rockets are collected by young Bulgarian maidens and whoever collects the most will be deemed to be the fairest in the town or village. The young male pilots of the rockets therefore usually aim their rockets at their favoured maiden’s home to make it easier for them to find. This is a tradition where both young and old gather. The bonfire is the place where in the main asking for forgiveness is given from the young to the old; a time to rid everyone of past quarrels. This is traditionally a time for the younger members of the community to respect the elders.

Jumping over the fire is another part of the ritual usually performed by the younger members of the community, although many older members have been known to have a go and some of them did this cold Sunday evening! It is said that the farthest jump would give that young man a wife in the autumn, but all attempts will give good health to participants for their efforts. I had a go but let others beat me in distance as I didn't want to get married again! When the rockets and jumping have finished, and probably the wine and rakia almost finished having been passed around while in progress, it doesn’t stop there. This after all, is the last day of feasting and dancing prior to the fasting period so it is back home for Bulgarian apple bobbing, wining, dining and dancing until the early hours, for in the morning brings about a focus of the body and mind until Easter. Well to be quite honest it was a good start as I didn't fancy anything to eat in the morning!

Christmas Eve in a Bulgarian Village

It is my first Christmas now living in the village of Skalitsa in Bulgaria and Shopping is something I used to hate in the UK - at Christmas it was even worse. This year I was on my own in Skalitsa and it was Christmas Eve, I had to force myself at this point to get the job done!

Arriving by foot to the Skaltisa village centre it was whisky and chocolates for presents for my village friends. On my way there I saw the old man who helped me get my cart fixed a while ago, I appreciated this very much at the time. He warmly greeted me and warned me to go and get some bread now as they will be sold out soon. He also asked why am I staying here in Skalitsa, I replied in my broken Bulgarian, 'I live here,' He didn’t seem to believe me. He was unshaved, scruffy and if you’d have seen him in England you would have considered him a tramp and walked past ignoring his beckoning to chat. In Skalitsa many older people have features like tramps but they would look out of place if they didn't!

Now as I said it was Christmas Eve and a panic to get stuff in for the big day tomorrow. Expect the worst in the village as people scramble and get trampled on in the rush for last minutes gifts and food. Well there was a rush in the village, two in the queue, now that is serious in Skaltisa, usually there’s no one. After a few minutes I bought a bottle of whisky, 5 balloons, six ping pong balls and some glitter streams, my Christmas shopping completed in precisely 15 minutes, 10 of these minutes were talking!

Let me explain the reasoning behind the shop:

1. Bottle of whisky for the Rakiaman (my alcoholic neighbour)

2. Balloons to take to Sancho’s house where I was due to be a guest tonight

3. Ping pong balls to put in Anka, my donkey’s drinking water to stop it freezing, hoping she won’t eat them

4. Glitter streams because they just happened to be there in the shop and it would be nice to put them around the whisky bottles

No food bought, they just don't buy food in the village other than beer for the adults and and sweets for the kids all else is home produced!

I entered another shop and would you believe it another queue this time there was one person being served!! The delays in the village because of panic buying is too hard to take, I had to wait a minute!!! Bought two boxes of chocolates, again for presents for Rosa and whoever may need it as a present…………… I just heard some kids singing outside hang on!!....................... Well these kids were okay, I liked their singing with the banging staff so there goes the box of chocolates!

The gypsy kids came round singing earlier and I gave them one leva each; if Sancho found out he’d tell me off!! Hang on another knock at the door…………… It was Sancho, telling me to give the gypsies nothing when they come round, ooooops! Daren’t say anything, too late now anyway.

Sancho was with a woman with red hair, quite young and attractive called Ivanova, probably find out who she is later this evening, but I’m tired, I have been cut off with water, again, I was going to have a shower or bath, a complete change of clothes and get rid of this stink on me, not now!!

What stink I hear you ask? Well, pig stink; I just returned from another pig slaughtering from the next village along, this time two pigs at Maria’s parents place. Her mother collected me and took me back She rang me up this morning and asked if I wanted to go I couldn’t really refuse as she has done so much for me over the last few months, anyway, I need to socialise, it’s what they do over here, more to the point, so do I.

Before got home from the village shops, I met my neighbour Miko the milkman coming towards me saying something. Now he said something earlier as I passed his house on the way to the shops, I thought he was referring to the camera I had lent to his son, but I said, it’s okay I have another one at home. Anyway, he asked me to follow him to a house across the road and I did, only for a woman to come out and hand me back my digital camera. He suggested, well I think he did, that some phone calls had been made and the camera came back from his son in Veliko Turnovo. As I surveyed the pictures, none were of the mountains and it was that jolly, happy girl taking pictures in the snow when I saw here the next day from my kitchen window.

Maria’s place was now on the cards but I wanted to be back so I could rest and get ready for the evening with Sancho and family. Again, these people were wonderful as I mucked in with the breaking down and butchering the pig. I really enjoyed every aspect along with the company, the food, (which was out of this world!) and drink. She has a lovely family and I envy the lifestyle they lead which is very much family based.

Now I could go on for ages about what goes on during the pig slaughtering day, but it is very much like Miko the Milkman’s day only I enjoyed this one even more than before because firstly, I knew roughly what to do with the pig and secondly, I knew some of the people here, and of course Maria, very well. Maria’s grandfather played the accordion and sang right next to where I was sitting, He was atmospheric and had total attention and focus from the family enraptured in a trance of his rendering of Bulgarian traditional song; this totally sent a shiver down my spine and brought about a tear, a tear for these things that never happen in England!. The heartwarming ambiance of the whole occasion just came together during these moments and the thoughts about what I had come to experience in Bulgaria all seemed worth all the chaos and pain I had gone through to get to this point in my life.

I had to leave before dark but wanted to stay. Maria’s mother gave me some pork steaks, pig skin and eggs and took me back. I was stuffed something stupid with the food and drink and had just finished a bowl of the traditional cabbage and pork. I hope Sancho doesn’t try and force feed me! All in all this was another absolutely amazing thing to go through. The warmth, generosity and friendship these people ooze can not be described but just experienced. This is a taste of the good life for real. I also got to see and speak to Anka’s previous owner to reassure her that Anka is a very well and happy donkey.

Back to this evening, it’s twenty past six and I am due at Sancho’s in 40 minutes, no water, stink like a skunk with blood stains all over my clothes, but, that’s Bulgaria!!! I’m off to another village 10 km away for Christmas Dinner tomorrow, walking there, I’ll need to do something about all this food I’ve consumed so this will do me good! Sancho called on me again at dead on 7:00, he was going to personally take me to his house but I was on the toilet and he had to wait a few minutes. Got there in the end. (Yes! Yes! I washed my hands!).

Ivanova was his daughter and the evening started with getting rid of evil spirits in the room which was warm cosy and a picture with the TV running all evening. I saw two pictures in the house and two Christmas cards on of each of those was what I gave them respectfully. This was a family occasion and I was very privileged to be there.

We talked and talked and talked and the food kept coming and coming. There was a lovely bowl of bean type soup and I just about managed to squeeze that in my stomach when near the end Rosa asked me something. I thought she asked whether I liked it. I of course said, ‘Yes lovely!’ She took my plate away and returned with another massively filled bowl full of bean soup again. She had asked if I wanted another bowl full! I explained that I was full and that I wasn’t used to having big meals as I live on my own and don’t bother. The bowl sat there full in front of me for a full two hours, their answer was to eat it slowly. This was in conjunction with other foods already laid out and being prompted at me and more arrived every half an hour or so. So much preparation went behind this that I was humbled by their generosity.

The original table layout with the specially cooked bread in the foreground with twigs on each section on which was placed a curled paper with your fortune for the next year written on it. The cake is turned round by hand and whoever the piece stops at takes the piece nearest them and read their fortune and eats the bread. Mine was, good sight, good smell, (nose that is) and good taste. But we didn’t do this before the evil spirits had been expelled.

Now the Bulgarians are meant to fast prior to Christmas day but that now is diluted down to not eating meat. So, apart from white fish that was also on the table, all the food had no meat content. The evening was a fantastic calm family evening with warmth and friendship. Sancho’s daughter turned up at about 10:00 and stayed just until before midnight. I was asked if I wanted coffee and I said yes, then, asked if I wanted another cup and I took this as a message that it was time to go. But no, they expected me to stay up to and beyond midnight as that is what they do then a fresh source of special food and drink comes out. I said I had to ring my son and would be about 15 minutes, this was at about 10:30 and Sancho accompanied me to my house and back again. When I tried ringing all my sons they were all engaged or the number not recognised, will have to try on Boxing Day I fear!

On my return it was very much the same thing and an absolutely wonderful evening.

Again the secret is the art of talking about anything and everything and having some respect to who you are talking to that was the mode this evening. Sancho said he would teach me to fish and take me to the hill we see in the distance to take a picture from the top, but I asked him about the wolves and he went to the cupboard and brought down a hand gun full of live ammunition, his words ‘No problem’. He let me handle it and it was quite a shock, or maybe not that this was where I lived and this is what goes on. Everyone took it as normal including the whole evening, but still special, but even more special for me with such good neighbours and now friends for life.

At midnight everyone was given an alcoholic drink and toasted a Merry Christmas, then the special chocolates and salami, (now we can eat meat after the fasting period) came out and we ate AGAIN! Finally got home in the early hours of the morning after being given a present and Sancho armed with a torch guiding the way back. Got in, or rolled in with the food I’d eaten today and still no water! Seems unlikely to be here tomorrow either I would think, BUGGER! No water on Christmas Day! Welcome to Bulgaria yet again! Not bothered really though, just very happy and thankful to be living here in Skalitsa.

(This is a typical content and extract from 365 daily diaries made in my first year in Bulgaria; this particular diary extract was from 24.12.05)

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