"We went there briefly today to visit the police station and get some documents in order. I think I'm really going to like living so close to a city worth exploring."
Peace Corps Volunteer Apryl Gibson in Bulgaria: I will live in "Trood" for the next three months
Monday, August 22, 2005
I will live in "Trood" for the next three months.
Okay, so it's pronounced "Trood," but I wish I could turn on the cyrillic option here on this keyboard so you could see how unlike this phonetic spelling it truly is. Anyway, I will refer to it as "Trood." Trood is about 5 km from Plovdiv, which is the second-largest city in Bulgaria. We went there briefly today to visit the police station and get some documents in order. I think I'm really going to like living so close to a city worth exploring.
My family is really sweet. My "mom" started crying when she met me. It actually helped me relax. I felt kinda like that runt-like puppy at the pound and I thought, "They really want me!" The dad thinks it's funny that I have the same family name as "Mel Gibson," but that's usually amusing to people who don't speak English. A light turns on and they love having a way to identify me.
Their niece, Nellie, is staying with them. She's about my age, and she's a real sweetheart. She speaks a little more English than I do Bulgarian, and she's great to repeat words for me over and over again. "Grape, peach, pig, chicken, yellow, dog, cat." Could you imagine wanting to be friends with someone who just said these words to you over and over again? Like I said, she's a sweetheart. We have our laughs.
The family has already put me on a scale and weighed me. I think they're going to try and fatten me up. Nellie is slightly taller than I and even more svelte. I hope they're pulling the "Hansel and Gretel" routine on her as well.
The house is fairly nice. It's a two-story space and Kostadin's (my "dad") parents live on the bottom floor. I have my own room. It's pretty spacious and it has two beds and a T.V. Is this "Peace Corps" you say? Yes, I was wondering that myself, but I'm not complaining. The bathroom across the way is kind of a novelty. It's designed for squatting. There's basically two footrests and a hole in the floor where you do your business. I don't mind this so much except for the fact that the shower is located in the very same space. They have shower shoes, and they keep the area clean, but I'm psychologically still having issues with it. There's a more conventional lavatory (toilet, shower and tub separate) downstairs, but I'd like to get used to this way in case my apartments sets the facilities up as such. I don't know if I'll ever truly get used to it though. As a side-note, we have a garden and domestic animals.
