Pigging Out

Well, sort of, or at least not yet, though we are about to. See, my mom's uncle Krustew, who lives on a piece of property about a kilometer away from my parents house, has a whole bunch of animals including a swine and 5 little piggies. The piggies are not so little anymore and the idea is that he is going to sell 3 and we'll butcher the rest and eat them. I know that sounds a bit barbaric and it probably is in some deep psychological way, but over here is just another way to put some food on the table. So, yesterday we had a butcher come in and butcher the two unfortunate souls. One thing I have to say right of the bat is that the animals didn't feel a thing. I'm not kidding. This guy, Andrei, knew what he was doing. I won't go into detail but trust me when I say that it was impressive and as painless as possible. Anyway, to make the long story short, we now have 2 pigs in the refrigerator and mom is already cooking away as my dad is sharpening his teeth. If you ask me, I think that's just too much meat, but nobody is so I shut up and do as I'm told.
As you gather by now dad is doing very well and we are starting to think about more exercise. Mainly walking around the yard. Next week I have a neurologist coming to the house to take a look, but I think that everything is going to be okay. That's all for now. Love to all, G.

I've Got Wood

I've got more wood that I know what to do with. My parents had 10 cubic meters of wood that needed to be
1) cut into smaller pieces. So, I had to call on a couple of guys and a dude with a circular saw and between the 4 of us we took care of business in about 2 hours, 3 with the breaks.
2) all the cut up wood had to be chopped up on even smaller pieces with an axe and hauled behind the house. This took two days and I had another 3 people helping.
3) clean up the street and cover the newly chopped fire wood. This was the easy part.
I have never worked so hard in my entire life. Yesterday when we finished putting it all back behind the house, I was absolutely exhausted. It's a small miracle my body is not really all that sore. To top it all off, the last two hours rained and I was soaking wet, as was my nephew who, God bless him, was helping me out. I don't think that he new what he was getting into when he said yes. To be truthful, neither did I, the difference is I had no choice. I thought, maybe an hour or two, max. It just goes to show you how little I know about manual labor. One thing I loved was chopping wood. It's a great work out and there is a very distinct satisfaction when you split a piece of wood in two with one strike. It is so cool! It's all put away now and behind me and I'm proud of it because it did take a lot of work and I came through.
Dad is doing better still, though we had a bit of a set back. He is now walking around the yard, with my, or mom's help. The other day he wanted to see if we were putting the wood in a satisfactory manner and ventured out on his own. I was in the house when I heard him scream my name repeatedly at the top of his lungs. I bolted out and found him on the ground. He'd lost his balance and fell in a small space between a landing and the yard, it's hard to describe but it's about 4 feet wide and 3 deep. His ass was in the hole and he was holding himself with his legs on one edge and head on the other. He'd become a human bridge for the small gap. There was blood on the cement where he'd hit his head and he was really scared, as was I. I picked him up and took him to his room. Luckily, the head wound was only a scratch and I cleaned it up. He has a couple more scratches on his arm and his right knee hurts, but overall, he is fine. Scared the bejeezus out of me. He has now promised to stay put and only go down in the yard if my mom, or I are there to escort him.
I've been staying here in Podgumer for like 4 days in a row and find myself missing the city. I'm off to Sofia tonight and will be there tomorrow as well. I've been going to the dentist for some work, as you all already know. I love being here, away from the urban cacophony, but I must admit, I miss it. I was so tired of bartending and working at night with deafening music popping my eardrums every night that when I came here I thought, this is it. It's quiet and there are no people at all. It's heaven. Now however, I feel that this is a great place to come and decompress from all the madness in the city for some period of time, or you can come and retire here happily, but I'm still too young and too full of life and desire to be around other people to live here. My ass belongs in the city, still.

The New Season

The new season is here! Fall is in the air and the falling rain and gray sky are the best reminder of that. I welcome the end of this year - it has been very challenging and not very kind to me, or my friends and family. My love and prayers go out to my friend Kosio and his family. We buried his father yesterday and it was a grim reminder how fragile life can be. His father was the same age as my dad and they both lived in the same culture during the same time. Kosio is also in the States now and I feel his pain.
That's why I'm a bit reluctant to say that my father is doing better and better every day. Today he got up and with some help from mom, went down the stairs and walked around the yard. That included steps, people! Both ways - up and down. He is now tired and asleep, safely in his bed. I think he is doing great but the battle is just beginning. We are about to start dealing with all of the other shit that has decayed over the years, mainly kidneys, heart and blood pressure and diabetes. It's a lot and it will be difficult, but not unattainable, to live a long and prosperous life. It's going to be hard work and he is not going to like it but when you are faced with a grim reality there really aren't that many choices. You either get with the program or you die.
I'm still running around doing errands and today even went to the dentist. He is pretty good, I think, but he lacks the technology that American dentists work with. The price is good, compare to what you get charged in the US and I think the work can hold its own, so I've decided to get my teeth all fixed up. It's the new craze, by the way, medical outsourcing. A lot of people these days go to different countries for some of the most costly procedures. There was even an article I read somewhere about that. Different countries specialize in different surgeries and procedures. Comparative advantage theory in reality. I figure that for all the work I've got to do on my teeth it will probably cost me a tenth of what would cost in the US. I guess if you all got any dental work to do that is going to cost you over couple of grand you might as well buy a plane ticket to BG and take advantage of the cheap labor and materials (a white-gold plated crown is around $150). Maybe I should bring some of the hip-hop and rap kids from the Midwest for inexpensive grill jobs. For a small fee of course.
I've gone to a couple more bars and clubs and I have to say that the night scene here is alive and vibrant. People usually go out late and stay even later. Out by 11:30pm and home by 5-6? Something like that. The best place I've been so far is called By The Way, I think the name is a bit silly but it's probably just me. It's an American style bar and they even make good Mojitos (take that Mister Mojito), I think it's because they use Dark Havana Club rum which is simply delicious. I liked the vibe, the crowd and the bar itself was well made and with taste. The only thing I have not seen in a bar so far here is good music. Not that I can see music, but heard it. Mostly, it's some cheesy, top 40s, Euro disco that is always mixed - hip-hop, disco, oldies, techno, funk and even some folk music. It sounds ok, I guess, but if you like a particular style music and hate another, it's very hard to avoid the shit you don't want to listen to. However, people here seem to have a great time and let me tell you - so did I. No doubt!
I've started to look for work and I'm checking mostly foreign companies (they pay better and have better work ethic), so if you know of a firm, or a company that does business abroad let me know. It doesn't even have to be in BG, it's preferable that it's in Europe, but I'm pretty open. Anyway, that's it from me for now. Stay healthy and happy, G.

Nestinarki

Back Home

This is my parent’s house in Podgumer. It's small but quiet and beautiful and the yard is full of trees heavy with fruit - apples mostly, but there is a pear and a plum tree as well, and I don't even know what else.
My dad is getting better, but the process is very slow. He is still confined to a bed, only he is now able to get up and walk to the bathroom, and he still needs help doing that. His balance is greatly affected and his legs have lost much of the muscle. He gets tired very fast and to top it all off, he's twisted his ankle somehow (he does not remember when or how), which prevents him from doing much physiotherapy. Other than that he seems quite well and his mental capacity is all there. We talk quite a bit and it's always fun and he loves to crack jokes and tell stories about this and that (I wonder who that reminds me off)? Mom is always here and cooks every day something different for him, which he loves, though I must say it has been very satisfying for me as well, if not even more. There's nothing like mom's cooking.
My sister is working hard and we spend a lot of time together, mostly running errands. She is super cool and I know that you'll all going to like her very much if you get the chance to meet her, (hands off guys!!!) We get along famously and I wouldn't be able to do shit without her. The real perk of course is just hanging out and cracking up all the time. I come from a fun family and we all laugh a lot, but only when appropriate.
I spent 2-3 days on the Black Sea with some friends of mine and I have to say that it was absolutely fantastic! The weather was perfect and we managed to get some serious beach time. I even got a little tan.
The Black Sea is located on the Eastern part of the country and during the months of May-Sept the weather is warm and balmy, very much like Hawaii only it may get a bit cooler at night, but not much. The coastline is breathtaking and the water is warm and clear (take that SF.) Old Mountain comes down to an end there, so there are some areas, like Varvara where I was, where on one side the sea spreads out as far as you can see and on the other, the mountain is as green and beautiful as anything I've ever seen. It is truly majestic.
Another perk for me was the time of the year. The busy season is between Jun-Aug, September on the other hand is much less crowded and thus, if you know anything about me, much, much better. Varvara is a small, sleepy village, I'd say about a 100 houses, 200 at best, it's down south, close to the Turkish border and it's not as developed as the rest of the coast line for the simple reason that there aren't really any sand beaches, which are plentiful all along the coast. I had some reservations about that too, but they all evaporated as soon as I saw the place. Not only was it beautiful, but also it was much more fun. There were plenty of little pools where we jumped from the rocks and swam under water looking at the coral and some really cool little fish, I think you get the idea.
Another thing that's cool about the place is that it is very sparse and secluded and, apparently, a lot of people there love to sunbathe nude. Not that I was watching. Not even a peek. I swear, it's true, ask anyone you want.
The real fun however, began after the beach when we got to the restaurants. I can't remember if I have ever consumed such quantities of food and mastika - mastika is an Ouzo-like alcohol and very popular during the summer season. The restaurants are built for summer and most of them are all outside, just a roof, a bar, some tables and chairs. Some of them are done in a traditional style - a lot of wood and BG paraphernalia, which I find beautiful, some are done in more of a Jamaica style which, though a little surprising, worked just fine for me.
Other than Mastika I have been indulging in a real fine, Cuban rum, dark and light alike. Unfortunately there's no mint so I couldn't get a Mojito, but I sure loved the real Cuba Libra.
Another interesting find was Fernet Branca. That's right kids, now you really have no excuse to come visit. I told the story about SF bartenders and Fernet and they all loved it until they tasted the Fernet. I thought it was really funny, but I guess you had to be there.
Finally, the highlight of the trip was the Fire Dance. On our last night, there was a big fair with lots of BG dancing, belly dancing and Fire dancing. I did get some pictures and will try to post them. The problem is that my Internet server is so slow it takes about 10 min to upload a freaking photo and often just quits for no apparent reason, but I'll try anyway. Here, there is an old tradition of people dancing on top of searing hot ambers, barefoot. The men are called Nestinari and the women are Nestinarki. After the pros are done the spectators are encouraged to try and dance on the hot ambers as well. Given the amount of Mastika we had all consumed by that time, it didn’t even feel like that big of a challenge. We all ran over the fire and I’m happy to say that no one burnt his or her feet, at least no one would admit to it. It was a blast!
This is it for now, if you have any questions you can either post them here or just email me. Love, G.

Off to the Coast!

Hi guys and girls, in a couple of hours I'll be leaving for the Black Sea. My friend Juro has a little spot right on the coast and we'll be going for some fun in the sun. I'll be back on Sunday and I promise to let you know how it all went. I also bought a camera and as soon as I figure out how to download some pics I'll post them right here on this blog.
My father is doing really well and is now not only feeding himself, but is also able to get to the bathroom with a little bit of help from mom, me or my sister. There is always someone here to be with him. His head still hurts once in a while, but overall he is getting well and fast.
I'm almost settled in, for now, and things are really looking up. I love the place and the people and the fun just never stops. That's all I've got for now. Next time more and some pictures too.

Some of the Things I Miss

The things I miss the most, other than my friends: Crest toothpaste, it's not sold in BG. I am currently using Colgate, but it's not the same. It's like wearing boxers if you are a briefs man, or listening to the Beattles if you are an Elvis fan.
Old Spice clear gel deodorant. I hear that there is Old Spice here but only red and I haven't even seen that. I'm okay for now because I brought two sticks with me but I'm very, very weary.
Tide with bleach alternative. There is actually Tide but it appears to be different from the one we use in the States. They have one for colors and one for whites. I don't remember that in the US, though I'm sure it exists.
Sushi. I crave it so much and it sucks because there's no light at the end of the tunnel. I would have to leave the country to find good sushi. It just does not exist here. Same goes for Mexican food. I saw something resembling a taco and a burrito in a place reminiscent of a Taco Bell and if you've ever lived in the city of SF you know that Taco Bell is not even food and much less so, Mexican food. I think that Mexico should sue the chain for giving their food a bad name, but that's just me.
TV. Yes we have television here but it's pretty cheesy. Not that the TV in the States is any better, but there are a couple of channels that I miss. Namely, Sundance, IFC, some of HBO, Pride FC, The Daily Show with John Stewart (I get some of that on youtube.com) and I think that's about it. Here, there are about a 100 or so channels and a third of them are music and not all that good at that. You'll find all the second hand TV shows like Two Guys and a Girl with Charley Sheen (I'm sorry to all the fans of this show and bad boy Charley), the Hallmark channel is here as are all the movies that went straight to video. I think you get the picture. On the bright side, I'm not watching any TV and that's a good thing, I guess.
Yet another thing I miss terribly is the American style gym (yes, I know it sounds improbable). I checked out a couple of gyms here in Sofia but they were so small and crowded that I couldn't wait to get out. Very expensive as well - 6 leva a day, that's about $4 US cash money. There is still one more gym I have to go to, it's called The Gym, everyone says it's what I'm looking for but at $4 a day I'm not sure I can afford it.
I guess I can go on and on, but instead I'm going to stop and maybe some day, (soon) I'll tell you all the things I love about this place. They are getting to be more and more every day. For now, Dovijdane, Georgi.

I'm Back!

At last! It has taken me a week to get internet at my parents' house in Podgumer, which is where I'm staying. Podgumer is a very small village about 8 miles away from the capital Sofia, which is where I'm from. The village is tucked at the base of the longest mountain in BG, called Old Mountain. The view here is breath-taking and every time I drive to my parents house I can't help but admire the majestic hills. The weather has been nice, too. It's warm during the day but it really cools off after 6-7 pm. Everything is green right now but fall is already here and I can see the leafs starting to change ever so slightly.
My father is now at the house, in his own bed. He is recovering nicely and is able to feed himself. He still can not get up on his own and when someone helps him he can only stand for about a minute, or two, then his legs start to shake and he gets tired and has to lie down. I predict that he will be able to walk on his own within a week or two. The scary part is over, thank God, now comes the hard part. A strict diet, exercise, no smoking and no drinking--a hard bargain for someone who has lived a pretty sedated life with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other, but we'll do, somehow.
Bulgaria has shown me its true colors and I'm falling in love again with the people and the culture. I've gotten used to the traffic and the driving. (I want to take a second and thank Katia and Kosio who have generously given me their car for the time being. Free of charge, so far. It has made all the difference in the world. Thank you guys, you ROCK! While I'm at it, let me thank all the people who's generosity since my dad's illness has really touched me. I won't name names for the fear of leaving someone out, but you know who you are. Thank you very much!) I've gotten used to the smog and the horrible potholes that have overtaken the streets, I've even gotten used to the silence that envelopes my house and it is so utter that at times I think it's the loudest thing I've ever heard. There's no sound at all when I go to bed, or when I wake up. It's a little trippy but I like it, after the noise at 732 Broadway this shit is like balm for my bleeding ears. But enough about that.
The things that are still very hard for me are the hospitals. The situation is dire, to say the least. Most of all, the smoking has got to stop. It's really hard for me to believe that almost all of the medical workers smoke, especially inside the hospital and when it's done in the ICU, I am completely flabbergasted and at a loss for words.
Smoking is the national past time in BG. I'm not even kidding. Everyone smokes. All the time. Non stop. Anywhere you go there are people smoking around you. I've been to two bars, a piano bar with my sister and a club with Rudo and Bojo (hi guys). People here know how to have fun. There are a lot of young kids who love to party and smoke, obviously. The women are absolutely phenomenal. I swear to God, I have never seen so many beautiful girls in such high frequency. Everywhere you look there are hot girls dressed in short skirts, high heels and tight tops, big boobs, long legs and they are all smoking like trees in the forest after a massive wild fire. Nothing but a charred stump. Smoking!
The men however are the opposite. They seem to be meek and not all that good looking. It kind of sucks because after all, I am a BG boy and this is not a good description. There are some cool dudes who break the stereotype, but in general, you see a lot of really hot, smoking girls with not so hot, smoking guys. What can I say, we are a bunch of lucky bastards.