Excavation

I am torn.  There is a yogurt drink here that is very popular and highly cultural. Americans like their food too sweet or too salty or fatty or too anything else. And I don’t have the most sophisticated pallet. But Ayryan is just too harsh.  It is plain, slightly tart yogurt mixed with cold water. Also cold, like hot in Europe is not really what it is in the States. Yes, we sue restaurants for making coffee too hot but still, I am a fan of extremes. This drink is not very good.  It is not refreshing. The yogurt is diluted and so it is not creamy. It is not milk and so it is not rich. I don’t like it. I wish I did because it would mean something to me. Every day I compare every moment with some other time in another Europe country and most times, Bulgaria fails. I’m trying really hard.  I have been invited to spend the summer on a dig at one of my emporia.  I am going to pretend to be an archaeologist for a few months.  I want to go but I am exhausted from trying so much.  My best friend has become Doug Benson from the podcast Doug Loves Movies.  It is hilarious.  And I almost feel like because I can listen anywhere I want and my best friend goes everywhere I go, I can play archaeologist and stay here a bit longer.  And my plan is to get Doug Benson to mention my blog on his podcast. I don’t have a great deal of time but this is totally going to happen.

And Freedom (Свода) for me!

Today was my final day of Russian for the year.  I am more than relieved.  The lessons are pleasant enough and I feel incredibly grateful to be learning Russian, while in Bulgaria.  But I’m exhausted. The trolley is often crowded.  I don’t know when school here is in session, but leaving my apartment at 11am to go to my lesson and then leaving at 3:30 and riding the trolley back to ARCS, the trolley is always inundated with rude kinetic boys and sullen slow moving girls. The young steal seats from the old. Two heads are fused together as if one, sharing headphones.  Legs and arms akimbo, these brats are rushing off the trolley because they didn’t realize their stop was up.  It is all very obnoxious.

Riding to the lesson is actually tolerable. I have had a cappuccino, a leek banitza, and a massive grapefruit. I am listening to Doug Loves Movies podcast or reading English translations of Russian short stories. My sunglasses are on and it’s all good.  But the trip back is just insufferable.  I have a headache; I am very thirsty; I am cold, having forgotten some scarf or glove or hat. Borianka has given me tons of homework. And I want to have a seat.

This morning I left extra early to pick up a gift for Borianka.  In front of the University of Sofia in the center of the city is a WEIHNACHTSMARKT (Christmas Market). I don’t know why it is in German.  In a small, Christian way it reminded me of the Union Square Christmas market in New York.  Mostly, the various huts here sold glitzy holiday decorations, cookies and coffee. But, I saw this very sweet puppet set of the Frog Prince. It was wooden and the clothes were rich.  The frog’s wooden face turned and then was a handsome human male. There was a cardboard set that accompanied the 3 puppet set (Frog-Prince, Princess, and King-father). You have to assemble the well and princess’ bedroom.  And with it all is a small wooden gold-painted ball. I want this toy very badly. It was so sweet and lovely. I would make my child retell the story over and over. But it was too expensive and I don’t have a child. I buy enough frogs; I have enough.

I got Borianka an ornamental Christmas tree ball. It was red with silk and crystal embellishments. She loved it.  We had a lesson all in Russian and we talked about my old neighborhood in the Bronx.  I was working on gender agreement of nouns and adjectives. It was good. I recalled Arthur Avenue and the Fordham University students.  We talked about “hot, delicious pizza”; “crowded, dirty streets”; “loud, noisy Italians”.  I learned a lot of adjectives!