Small talk

I went to my favorite grocery store a few days ago and was overwhelmed at all of the things I could buy, especially things that were hard to find in Bulgaria, such as hummus, granola, energy bars, guacamole, tortillas, bagels, unsalted chunky peanut butter... the list goes on. I didn't even look at the frozen foods section- I'll leave that for another day. And when I got to the checkout, the cashier was very, very friendly (no surprise there, but it took me a little while to respond to his cheerfulness). I'm so used to going to the grocery store, picking out what I need without thinking too hard about what's available, then paying for my items without so much as a head nod from the salesperson. Of course, the smaller "Mom and Pop" stores in Bulgaria are a different story; I had my regular places in Pleven where I was familiar with the staff and would occasionally have simple conversations in my (extremely limited) Bulgarian. But the feeling just isn't the same when it's not a language you feel comfortable with- I can't make a joke about the ridiculous weather we've been having or the fact that yes, I am purchasing two bottles of wine and no, I'm not going to a dinner party. Maybe I shouldn't make silly jokes anyway, but it lightens up the routine and reminds you that the other person also might be having a crappy day, or has a good sense of humor. Maybe it's a habit from working in customer service for so many years, and I know it's definitely a product of our culture of consumerism, but I have to admit that I enjoy the chit-chat that comes with good customer service. And it isn't nonexistent in Bulgaria, it's just an imported concept so you don't find it everywhere. Especially when you don't understand the language! So here's to friendly cashiers, Trader Joe's and two-buck Chuck. Nazdrave. 

Cool Summer in the Pacific Northwest

I love summertime in Seattle. The weather, which is awful for most of the year, gets very pleasant and sunny and it's never too hot. Usually by the end of July we're enjoying the warm, dry weather with the occasional cool breeze off of Puget Sound. But this year there haven't been more than a handful of days over 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 Celsius). Across the United States this month, nearly every state has been experiencing a record-breaking heat wave. But not here. It rained the first few days I was home, which was disheartening, but there have been a few promising sunbreaks in the cloudy skies to give me hope that things may improve. 

One good thing about milder summer weather is that you can go hiking in the middle of the day without much difficulty. And that's exactly what I did with my Dad and brother this weekend. We drove out to a random trailhead off of the interstate and took the first marked path we saw. It was a more strenuous hike than we were expecting up to the peak of the hill, and the view was quite underwhelming (it was actually a power station) but we still had a good time. Hiking in the woods is something that reminds me of my childhood and the countless summers I spent either away at camp, sleeping in a tent or working on a volunteer trail maintenance crew. I love the smell of the pine trees, being able to identify plants (I used to remember more of them!) and the calm that comes from being outside of the congested city. The Northwest is one of the best places in the US to find trails and other outdoor activities right outside your doorstep. Although I've chosen to spend the last several years away from here (and have no plans to move back permanently) it does feel good to come back and appreciate this beautiful place. Best of all, I get to spend lots of time with my wonderful family and friends who make it so hard to stay away. 

Here's me and my brother, sweating on our two-hour hike. 

Polish breakfasts will be the end of me…

This was my sixth trip to Poland in the last five years, which sounds like a lot! I definitely feel a lot more familiar now there and I am trying to make a plan to find work or study for a couple of years in Warsaw. Having family there helps a lot, and I’ve slowly been learning a little bit of Polish. Apparently, my pronunciation is good- my aunt keeps telling me I have a natural ear for the language. I’m not so sure, but I can read with relative accuracy, count to ten, and I know the names for every meal (very important). My aunt always prepares a lot of delicious food when I visit, and it’s hard to turn down, but I worry about all the pork, potatoes and sweets that are the staples of my diet here. Luckily their apartment is right by Lazienki Park, the biggest one in the city and a beautiful place to go jogging.   

When my cousin Andrzej found out I would be visiting for a longer time he started planning a trip for us to the Baltic coast, which was great because I’d wanted to see Gdansk for years. We took the long train ride to the sea and spent two nights there, also visiting the seaside resort town of Sopot. Gdansk (Danzig in German) has a very interesting history, as it functioned as an independent city up until the Second World War. The architecture is striking, and reminded me of both Amsterdam and Prague. Its position on the Baltic Sea made it into an important center for trade and shipbuilding, and before the war the majority of its residents were German-speaking merchants. On September 1, 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, an event which officially started the war. The first shots were fired at Westerplatte, the Polish naval base next to Gdansk. On a ferry trip to Sopot we passed by the memorial dedicated to the lives lost that day which stands on the small peninsula there. Gdansk was also where the Solidarity labor movement was born in the 1980s at the Lenin Shipyards. Solidarity leaders organized a mass strike there against the totalitarian government and formed the first independent labor union in the Soviet bloc. It was instrumental in the downfall of the communist system; one leader, Lech Walesa, became Poland’s first democratically elected president in over fifty years in 1990. Today you can visit the shipyards (which have been renamed) on a tour to learn more about their history and role in the Polish economy and political consciousness. Unfortunately, the English interpreter on our tour didn’t translate everything the guide said, so you’re better off if you speak Polish. There is another exhibition located outside the shipyards called “Roads to Freedom,” which is more of a museum to life under communism and martial law in Poland. Because the Solidarity movement was the subject of a major paper for me in college, it was very satisfying to see these places in real life.

The rest of the trip was spent lazing about by the Baltic Sea, drinking Polish beer and sampling delicacies such as pickled herring with cream and white kielbasa. We also met a German man at our bed-and-breakfast who was on a cycling trip across Poland, and had some very interesting conversations with him (imagine a Pole, a German and an American discussing the legacy of WWII or the future of social welfare in Europe and the United States).  I also appreciated having more time to talk with my cousin over the course of the trip, and I’m sure that we know each other much better having spent a few days together. I feel very lucky to have my family here, and to have had so many opportunities to see them over the years. As I learn more about my grandparents’ life during and after the war I am increasingly aware of all the risks they took, and I wonder at all the ways things could have turned out differently for them (and, by extension, me). And learning more about my family here makes me proud to be a part of their life and very happy to have them in mine.

As I pack up to leave Poland (I know it won’t be the last time) I can’t believe how much has happened this year. The first day I arrived in Sofia seems like such a long time ago but it was less than a year before now. Adjusting to life on my own wasn’t always easy, but it was a very rewarding experience and I feel that I’ve grown a lot personally. I’m looking forward to going home, seeing my family and friends, and catching up on all that I’ve missed since I’ve been away. And hopefully new adventures await me next year!

Summertime break at the Black Sea

School has been out for the past two weeks and I’ve been very, very busy! The weekend after the summer break started I took a bus to Bourgas, on the Black Sea coast, with a friend and her daughter. We stayed in a small town called Pomorie and had a wonderful, relaxing few days there. Because the towns along the coast are so well-connected with public transport, we were also able to visit the UNESCO World Heritage town of Nessebar and the tourist-ridden resort at Sunny Beach (Slunchen Bryag in Bulgarian). The old town of Nessebar is full of historical sites, beautiful beaches and many more tourist-oriented restaurants and shops than I’ve seen in most of the country. The resort towns are full of foreigners this time of year- I met a couple from Israel in line at an ATM, and was frequently assumed to be a Russian tourist, something I found puzzling. Sunny Beach was a little too much to handle for us. It was really overcrowded, not very clean and it felt like it could have been any beach anywhere in the world because of how mass-oriented the place was. If you’re into enormous hotel complexes, overpriced beach bars and sharing close quarters with your fellow sunbathers, then Sunny Beach is where it’s at. I preferred the smaller towns like Pomorie where you could at least feel a little isolated from other people. 

I hate to report that the food on the coast was overwhelmingly disappointing. Seafood restaurants served shrimp and calamari that were either undercooked or very strangely prepared. We did have some nice fried fish and mussels on the last day, so that redeemed most of the rest. One thing that didn’t disappoint was the drinking selection: we drank beer shandies on the beach, sipped local white wine and very much enjoyed the happy hour cocktails at a bar close to our hotel. 

I had originally planned to spend two nights in Pomorie but quickly decided to bump my flight back a few days- a good thing, since it rained the first week I was in Warsaw. The trip went amazingly well- as things often do when spending time in good company. I returned to Poland (for the third time this year) with great memories, a little bit of a tan and feeling very relaxed. I then spent ten days in Warsaw and traveling around Poland with my great-aunts and second cousin before my long-awaited return back to the States. 

Guerrilla Street Art in Sofia

You may have heard about the now infamous graffiti that graced Sofia's imposing Soviet Army monument for a couple of days recently. It was done by an anonymous artist (who people have been calling the "Bulgarian Banksy") and featured characters such as Superman, Ronald McDonald, the Joker, Captain America and Santa Claus painted over bas-relief statues of the victorious liberators. It caused such a stir that it was removed quietly one night with pressure washers. Lucky for me I was there to take a photo before it disappeared.

The graffiti, which included the tagline "in step with the times," was offensive to some who saw it as an affront to the sacrifice made by Russian soldiers and Bulgaria's shared history with the former Soviet state. For others it was a satirical gesture to show that although the ideology may have changed, these figures also represent a kind of liberation that many people are disappointed with. I think that it should have been left as a cultural landmark and something to attract people and encourage more public debate. By the way, the monument in question was being considered for removal last year and its main attraction now is a makeshift skate park. 

Unlike many other former communist countries, Bulgaria currently has no museum or educational exhibits related to that period in its history. Most of those statues and monuments that remain are in poor condition and covered in graffiti (although nobody makes as much of a fuss over it as they did with the "Banksy" piece). Maybe this act will inspire people to be more protective of these monuments, or push for their removal, or at least create more interest in their purpose and history.   

What do you think of the graffiti? Should it have been removed?