I found the photo on Brainpickings, and while the artist has a lot of other amusing takes on "European stereotypes," since he's a Bulgarian I thought this would be a good one to share. The comments on Flickr are almost as interesting as the artwork itself; some more self-critical Bulgarians added a slightly harsher slant to the typical Bulgarian outlook towards the rest of Europe (especially on the historical ties with Russia and Turkey). I like how his captions add some necessary humor to what might otherwise be negative perceptions of outsiders. Interestingly enough, his "The World According to Americans" map places Bulgaria in a corner of Southeast Europe simply labeled "Dracula," which is usually associated with Romania. So it's either a comment on how Bulgaria and Romania are almost always lumped together or the fact that most Americans probably don't know that Bulgaria exists. Which is a shame.
Today I am doing lots of overdue household chores: organizing all of my papers and lesson plans from last year, putting my summer clothes away for the winter, and figuring out how to use what's in my fridge before I go on a trip next week. The last one, clearly the most fun, presented me with the opportunity to continue my Bulgarian cooking project!
Here is my recipe for "Mish-Mash," a mixture of eggs, cheese, tomatoes and peppers. It was a perfect choice because I needed to use up most of those things, anyway:
- one tomato, diced
- two small peppers (I used the green ones, smaller than your average bell pepper)
- one yellow wax pepper (smaller and spicier than the green ones)
- three eggs
- 150 grams of cirene, soft white Bulgarian cheese (Feta is an ok substitute)
- sunflower oil
- chubritsa (a Balkan spice that grows in summer, also known as "savory")
Fry the tomato and peppers with sunflower oil in a large skillet. In a bowl, whisk the eggs together with crumbled cheese. Pour this mixture over the veggies after they're cooked, and continue stirring until firm (just like scrambled eggs). Before serving, sprinkle liberally with chubritsa. An easy-to-make meal, ready in less than 20 minutes! Other recipes included onions and parsley, neither of which I had. It was still just as good without them.
The weather here has been confusing lately. People say that it's normal for this time of year, with the changing seasons, for the temperature to change suddenly. But I don't remember it being this extreme last year. In 2010, the first time I saw snow was earlier- in fact, it was the first weekend in October- but that was also in the Troyan mountain pass, which gets snow much more frequently than other places because of the high altitude. Obviously. But this year in Sofia we had snowfall while the leaves were still green on all the trees! It was a bit of a strange sight to wake up to early on a Sunday morning:
Really? Snow in October? What's even funnier is that today it warmed up to what felt like at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit by the afternoon. Unfortunately, I dressed for the weather based on the temperature outside when I left the house (it was a brisk 34 degrees still at 9AM). This resulted in some uncomfortable hotness under my winter jacket, thermal top and knit scarf. And yes, I've learned my lesson and I'm going to layer much more strategically in the future... because just when I think I've finally gotten the hang of dressing sensibly for the weather, it goes and changes by at least 15 or 20 degrees!
The weather, combined with the fact that I spend most of my working day talking (or yelling, as need be- I'm only half kidding), means that I also need to be very cautious to avoid getting sick. A few of my friends have been experiencing flu-like symptoms and I've had a lingering sore throat for most of this week. My secret weapon for battling the cold? Lots and lots of tea. And vodka. I think I'm feeling better already.
Last night I had dinner with my neighbors, P and T, who showed me this video from the final competition on the TV show "Ukraine's Got Talent" in 2009.
I can't believe I hadn't seen it before. The visualization of the war and emotion of the faces and figures she draws are stunning. I really think that everyone should see this video!
Speaking of Ukraine, a couple of friends went there last year for spring break and it looks pretty awesome. Maybe I can find time this year to make a trip... Laura Y and I were discussing the possibility of a ferry from Varna to Odessa. It's unbelievable how close we actually are to so many other exciting destinations!
Being an English teaching assistant in Bulgaria has opened my eyes to a lot of the problems in the educational system here: underpaid teachers, a funding structure that seeks to increase the quantity of students rather than the quality of instruction, and curriculum standards that lack critical thinking skills, among many other things. A recent report (article here) published by the EU-funded Eurydice Network revealed that Bulgarian teachers' salaries are the lowest in the European Union, and the least likely to increase over the course of one's career. This is a sad statistic, and easy to point to when asked why the educational system seems so stagnant without many initiatives for reform. Most teachers I know work a second if not a third job, which leaves little time leftover to worry about how to change the bigger picture. Many of these problems could be attributed to Bulgaria's status as the poorest country in the European Union. However, any serious conversation on educational reform has to reflect on the fact that low salaries and falling standards are global phenomena, with the United States being no exception.
That being said, there are several programs and foundations addressing the challenges of American public education in the 21st century, including teacher training programs like Teach for America and after-school literacy centers like 826 Valencia in San Francisco (which also happens to be my favorite pirate-themed store). There is also a growing discourse on how to solve the problems within the public school system in the media and through local government channels. 826 co-founder and author Dave Eggers produced a documentary entitled "American Teacher" that seeks to further this discussion and stimulate a plan to attract excellent teachers and keep them with better incentives and higher salaries. It's screening this weekend in San Francisco and then going on a nation-wide tour. I really wish I could see it but I'll just have to wait for the DVD release.
I think that what these initiatives, like so many others, can teach us is that nobody has the "magical solution" to problems in public education. But with collaboration and a lot of creativity, anything is possible.
Living in Sofia is fun. I love exploring all the different neighborhoods (especially some very old and windy streets in the center) and parks (there are a lot of them, but there are probably even more malls). My social life has expanded dramatically over last year, and I'm finding myself constantly meeting friends for coffee/lunch/drinks/etc. I've met all of the American Fulbrighters living in Sofia and some new Bulgarian friends though them, as well. I have two couples in my neighborhood who I can hang out with, which is very convenient (and I always have someone around the corner if I'm feeling lonely). One of my friends took me with her to a yoga studio last week across the street from the synagogue. This was the view from the window:
Amazing, right? That column is coming up from the Moorish-influenced synagogue, the golden dome is sitting on top of a Bulgarian Orthodox church nearby, and the tall bell tower in the distance belongs to the Roman Catholic cathedral. Not visible, but very close to the synagogue, is the only functioning mosque in Sofia. All of these places of worship represent the thriving cultural mix present throughout Bulgaria's long history, even if recent events seem to obscure that.
I think that I'm really starting to appreciate and put more thoughtful effort into my role here. I feel great working at both of my schools (I started teaching at the First English Language School, as well as at Dimcho Debelyanov) and I'm actually having fun teaching. Last week in my literature classes we discussed oral histories and folk traditions, comparing Beowulf with one of the Raven stories from the indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest coast. We also watched a video about the dances and songs that often tell these stories, which prompted a discussion about similar local traditions, such as fire dancing and kukeri. It was interesting for me to learn my students' perspectives on folk customs in Bulgaria and to see them make connections between the importance of memory and culture in collective identity.
I definitely feel more organized and that I'm in a position to deepen my involvement through side projects, which are much easier to coordinate in Sofia with all of the NGOs based here. I'm helping some friends to organize a charity music festival this January for an LGBT activist group; it's exciting to meet young people who are so passionate and optimistic about making a change, especially on issues that seem so deep-rooted in ignorance and stubborn attitudes. As a friend of mine said, the NGO community here is small and not as experienced as in the United States, which leaves a lot of room for creativity and innovation. I'm looking forward to collaborating with some other organizations here on new projects, especially related to educational reform.
I don't own a television set. I haven't even lived somewhere with a working television in at least two years. It's just not something I think about. Okay, I do watch television online. Back in the States I used Netflix instant for just about everything. At one point, my two roommates and I were using the same account (which actually belonged to another friend) and this resulted in the four of us accumulating close to 18 hours of TV per day. This average was probably significantly higher during finals week. Oh, college days...
My point is that because I never watch Bulgarian TV, I am usually unaware of the shows available and popular at any given moment unless I go to a friend's house, like last week when I was eating dinner with some friends and the television was switched on to the comedy channel. And I noticed something funny: the program, being shown at prime-time dinner hour, was Taxi. This was an American show that ran in the late 1970s. If you do the math, this was about ten years before I was born, so I didn't grow up with the show, however, I knew about it because it was the most famous role for the iconic late Andy Kaufman. His character was an Eastern European immigrant and car mechanic named Latka Gravas who wanted to live out the American dream. My impression is that he represented a stereotype of people from the socialist bloc that was popular in the American imagination during the Cold War years. My grandfather, who was a Polish immigrant, certainly experienced prejudice because of his background and heavily-accented English.
Here's one scene (although not the one that I watched):
The scene that really got my attention was a "flashback" from Latka's past with his mother in his fictional home country. Because American TV shows are usually dubbed in Bulgarian, this scene was the only one where I was able to understand the dialogue with English subtitles (the Gravas family were speaking in their made-up native language, dubbed over in Bulgarian). In a tearful farewell, Latka explains to his mother that he wants to go to America to live out his dreams. She worries that he won't find a woman there who can plow the fields and bear children, based on the images of thin supermodels she sees in a magazine. Of course, this plays into the same stereotype of the uncultured and agricultural lifestyles supposedly led by people under communist regimes, which begs the question: how does this really translate to a Bulgarian audience today?
Is Latka's character funny because it's vaguely nostalgic? Or is it because his aspirations to leave his home country for better opportunities in America are portrayed as naive and misguided? I would really like to know the reason why certain shows now off the air in the States, such as Taxi and Cheers, are being re-run in Bulgaria today while other comedies, namely Seinfeld, aren't. Obviously not every script can be translated well, especially when many jokes are very dated or culture-specific. But it is interesting how some of the most popular American shows that were broadcast during the socialist era are now becoming popular here. Maybe there is no reason. But it is something I think about whenever I find myself watching TV in Bulgaria, apart from the ridiculousness of reality television and Slavi's Show...
Whether you're a long-time resident, new to the city or just passing through, you'll learn something fascinating about Sofia on this free walking tour. I've taken it twice and I can promise that while most of the highlights were the same, both guides added something different through sharing their own little tidbits of local culture. All of the tour guides are young, speak excellent English and are passionate about showing you the "real side" of Sofia that you won't find in every travel guide. As a non-profit organization, the tour operates on donations and its members also coordinate cultural events, such as a recent photographic exhibition of antique photos.
Walking tours are one of the best ways to get "more bang for your buck" and get a feel for a new place, especially if you're limited on time. I'm not, but I love learning more about this city and the best way to do that is by talking to locals. If you go on the tour, rest assured that your guide will be more than capable of suggesting further sightseeing options, a restaurant, the nearest post office, or whatever you need. They might even join you for a late lunch or a drink!
The Free Sofia Tour leaves twice daily at 11a.m. and 6p.m. in front of the Palace of Justice on Vitosha Blvd. It lasts about two hours and finishes in front of the National Assembly.
As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things to do here is meet new people and discover more about the city. Of course, there are a lot of things that I haven't seen here yet, one of which was the new Museum of Socialist Art. I first read about it this summer on a (new) friend's blog and have been longing to go since then. I finally got my wish on Sunday when I visited the museum with another Fulbright friend, and although it was small compared to similar ones I've been to, such as the Statue Park in Budapest, I thought it was very well presented and interesting.
For those unfamiliar with the legacy of these objects, socialist realist art, whether in sculpture, painting or another form, were the only kind of artistic expression permitted under communism throughout the former socialist bloc. The style is characterized by larger-than-life forms portraying the values of hard work and sacrifice, or memorializing a particular leader or event. Big names at the museum include Vladimir Lenin, Che Guevara, Georgi Dimitrov and Todor Zhivkov. The red star you see here used to sit atop the so-called "Party House," or communist party headquarters in Sofia. Its current location at the museum is a major improvement from its previous one, sitting behind a chain link fence in an abandoned corner of the now-closed Sofia Bath House. Unfortunately, many of these historical artifacts were lost or destroyed during the early transition period (most people can recall scenes of joyous protesters toppling gargantuan statues of former dictators in 1989) and efforts to preserve them have been more concentrated in some places than in others.
Of course, this park isn't the only place you'll find these statues in Bulgaria. Just walk down the main street in any town and you'll see plenty of examples which have been left to defacement and decay (which is not necessarily a bad thing, according to some). What I like about the museum is that it clearly recognizes the need to include this part of history in the overall narrative of the past. Because art in many ways speaks for itself, these statues are a quiet reminder of the symbols of that bygone era.
Another section of the museum is a "multimedia gallery" which features film footage of young pioneer parades, propaganda films, May Day celebrations and the like. It didn't have any explanations or English subtitles, for that matter, but maybe it's still a work-in-progress. The third and final gallery displays works on loan from the National Gallery, some of which were shockingly grotesque, dark and bloody. Others showed the brighter side of things, such as women carrying bouquets of flowers and cheerful soldiers returning home. There was a cafe overlooking the park which hadn't opened yet, so I plan to go back for a coffee and enjoy the unique view.
The Museum of Socialist Art (Muzei na Sotsialisticheskoto Izkustvo) is located at number 7 "Lachezar Stanchev" street, near the G.M. Dimitrov metro station.
Last week there were a crazy amount of Americans in town, most of whom I had the pleasure to meet at several big events organized by the Fulbright Commission and the American Embassy. It's definitely an advantage to live in Sofia for reasons such as networking and attending events because I don't have to travel like I did last year. It's also fun to show new people around and introduce them to some of my favorite things to do here (although I'm still getting to know the city, myself). Meeting embassy staff is always great because they have a lot of wonderful programs (like youth empowerment initiatives) and are very well-connected to donor networks. I hope to work more closely on some projects I'm learning about through the many different people I've met since arriving here; right now the options seem pretty wide open so I look forward to gaining some practical experience in non-profit organizing and grant projects.
Probably the best part of the weekend was meeting fellow English Teaching Assistants who have been teaching in several different towns across the country. I think we have all had similar experiences so far, but it is inspiring to hear about the others' challenges and perspectives on teaching. Some collaboration and group lesson planning will be made possible through the Dropbox folder we have now set up, and I think that things will be much easier with all the extra input. Teaching this year for me is far easier than last year because I have a better idea of what to expect, which makes every other aspect of living here that much more enjoyable.
Oh, and did I mention that I am surprisingly exhausted from this weekend? Maybe it's due to the fact that I went out late with friends nearly every night and then had organized activities during the day, but I think I'm just not used to being around so many people at one time. It was so exciting to meet new people but also extremely overwhelming. It's nice to have some down-time now and just catch up on house and school work. How very boring, no?
