Kyla, dobra den,
Did they say where in BG? That’s the place I was refering to in my post. I’ve been there on more than one occasion, all over. Feel free to email me for anything, I think my email is up there. Plus I know a few people there now, and a few that grew up there now living in Canada–they’d all be willing to answer anything you need.
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Cheese, nopers, no idea where in Bulgaria. In fact, I may not even know until I get there. Who know?! I’ll drop you a line, though, I looked up the Wikipedia article on Bulgaria, but I don’t really know anything, other than…oh fuck, I have to learn to read a new alphabet.
Zdraveyte, Kyla! That’s wonderful news! I guess Baba Marta really is smiling on you!
Bulgaria has a wonderful cultural life, the best-known aspect of which is probably the women’s open-throat vocal style. This was popularised worldwide by the Bulgarian State Ensemble “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares”, but here in the US the Oakland-based group Kitka produce the most beautiful vocal sounds that I’ve ever heard in person, singing most frequently in Bulgarian but also in several other Slavic and Balkan languages. Did you by any chance hear them back when you were in the Bay Area?
There’s also a major Roma (aka Rom or Rrom) population in Bulgaria, with their own amazing cultural traditions, although they’ve been heavily persecuted and forced to stay somewhat low-key (e.g. there’s a Rom musician now living in the Bay Area who was never allowed use his real name when performing in his native Bulgaria). Things are supposed to be getting better, however, as Bulgaria is getting ready to join the EU.
Anyway, congratulations! Chestito!
And, of course, Thank you! Blagodarya! for your service.
[I’m *sooo* jealous, however!]
Nope, but I’ve heard of them. Does that count?
Chicago has a very large Eastern European population, and my friend Ms. Eva Luna happens to be an expert on all things Eastern Europe, so I am going to bug her into giving me a crash course on…stuff.
Cyrillic. It’s not too bad though, but completely different. After a while I started figuring some of it out, and wasn’t really studying it. pechtophat = restaurant, govorite li angliski? Do you speak English. In Sofia and other spots, most under 25 speak some English.
Get used to cucumbers and white cheese(sort of like Feta), sometimes very salty white cheese–Shopska salad, being a vegetarian I had my fill of that. Good though.
You’ll love it, don’t worry. Lots to see there, the little towns are really nice. Good bus service to them, but have someone go with you to the bus station–it’s the definition of chaos.
Antonius, are you from there?
How totally exciting! I am thrilled for you!
I always thought it would be such an incredible thing to do, the Peace Corp. Not so much as a gift to humankind, but as a gift to yourself. To see what you are truly made of and to see just how fortunate we really are here.
Will you have internet? Are you taking a camera? Will you write to your poor doper family trapped in their sad pathetic lives longing to hear of your adventures and verbal faux paux’s? " Yes, I would like to eat your pussy."
We are going to be living through you, girly. You best live up to our lofty expectations! Cause our own expectations for ourselves is in the toilet.
Are you allowed to take stuff along to give to kids? ( toys, clothing, candy, books, writing implements…) Or can you receive it when you get there.
Cause you know dopers love to give.
I’m not thinking of humanity, I’m thinking of culling the stuffed animal herd here as Casa Ujest.
Oh yeah: YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!
No, from the UK originally. I have no Eastern European heritage that I’m aware of, and have not even been to Bulgaria yet!
[Bulgaria-related hijack]
I attended a couple of Kitka concerts, got chatting with some of the singers, and found myself invited to some Balkan events here in the Bay Area. I immediately felt kinship with the local Bulgarian community (they sure know how to have a good time, and welcome interested outsiders!), and learned some vocabulary and a few phrases, which I got to practise at the Oakland Baba Marta Festival back in 2003 – which is where I got the martenitsa that I wore on my wrist yesterday. I understood precisely two words of Bulgarian comedian Shkumbata’s act, but they got a huge laugh every time they were repeated:
George Bush! (sometimes a standup can be hilarious even if you don’t understand what he’s saying).
The First Annual Oakland Baba Marta Festival was also the last, unfortunately, and in any case I’m not currently in a position to join in with Bulgarian folk-dancing, but I can still remember a couple of words here and there, and attend performances (usually in Oakland or Berkeley) by local Bulgarian-influenced fusion groups such as The Toids and Trio Mopmu .
I’m very interested in the idea of living and working in Bulgaria some day; they’re joining the EU, so I’ll have automatic right to work there once they do, and Sofia’s going to be the next Prague, I tells ya!
[Sorry about the hijack, Kyla, but it is Bulgaria-related!]
Back on-topic; you ought to have good Internet acess while you’re there, certainly compared to many places that Peace Corps volunteers go, so you have no excuse not to post to the SDMB frequently!
Which reminds me. The “ok” sign of ours, with the thumb and forefinger touching…don’t do that over there. It means you want …ummm, a woman, or so I was told–and they used the word **Shirley **used.
There’s a fun, crazy band in Madison that plays Balkan music too, but not much of a BG community here. Reptile Palace OrchestraThey are playing in Minn., but not Chicago in the near future.
Hey, look! Google Ads for Slovakia Real Estate!
Images of Steve Martin and Dan Ackroyd instantly pop into my mind.
Far Out!
Kyla, you and me will definitely get together sometime, either in Bulgaria or Istanbul. Buses run between a number of Bulgarian cities and Istanbul, including Sofia, Plovdiv Haskovo, Kardzali, and others.
So may I ask when have you been in Bulgaria? 
Really, Eastern Europe is a great place for living in my opinion. I’m part of this land and I love with whole my heart in spite of all negative things here. I’ve travelled to some countries but I didn’t meet such warm and sensitive people like these borned here…I also have many russian friends but there is a big difference b/n us. Though we are both slavs…And really the fact that many people don’t understand cyrillic amuses me. This alphabet is our national wealth, our heritage and all bulgarians must respect and save it. I’m at the age of 17 so I can mention what we study. Our educational system is extremely unknown in Weatern Europe. I had the opportunity to be in Belguim and to explore their education…so in BG we study much more than in Belgium - that’s my conclusion. But anyway.
Eastern Europeans have different mentality. But I think to explore and find new things will enrich you. Be happy you got this opportunity!
P.S - sorry if I have too many mistakes but it’s hard to maintain the level of the lang. here…
w00t! I’d love to visit Istanbul. What’re you going to be doing there, if you don’t mind me asking?
I_Dare_For_More, are you Bulgarian?
I’m going to be working as a nanny in Bahcesihir, on the European side of Istanbul. I’ll be arriving in early May, so we should definitely get together for a weekend and I’ll show you the sights.
Cool. I’m going to be in training until July 1, at which point I will be…somewhere. I don’t know. I got a little handbook that says that on weekends and holidays I am expected to travel around my host country and neighboring nations. (I like the phrasing. I wish more people expected me to travel and offered to foot the bill!) I’d say this qualifies!
Cyrillic IS HARD!
Well, the fact that Bulgarians open their bananas from the bottom end amuses us. 
(We open from the pointed end) And you guys do have your yes/shake and no/head nod opposite ours. Merci, and I heard ‘merci’ more than I heard ‘blagodarya’ by the way.
I was there in December 2001, and spring 2004(?). Just like any country–some good, some bad. You just have to open your mind, and accept things as they are and get to know the people. Cyril and ? invented cyrillic if I recall, and they have 2 huge statues of them outside…the library(?). It isn’t easy for someone who’s never used it to pick up, but I never had a class in it. But can be done, obviously.
Who knows, maybe **Kyla **will be your teacher soon. Now that would be weird.
My cousin lives in Bosnia, and she loves going to Istanbul. I never made it there, but will one day. I think Americans need a visa though?? You’ve got a great opportunity Kyla. I wish I had done this when I was younger. Rila Monastery is pretty cool in the mountains. Do an overnight there, sleep in your own spartan room in the Monastery and do some hiking, go find Ivan Rilski’s cave he lived in. And shaking their heads yes actually means no, and vice versa. It’s real weird to get used to. Maybe a Dopefest in Istanbul or Sofia is in order.
Americans need a visa, but it’s just a stamp on your passport that you get when you arrive. $26 cash, and it’s good for three months. Visa requirements vary depending on nationality.
Kyla, that’s so cool! Did you know I spent a summer on an archaeological dig in Bulgaria? This was 1996 or so – I had a blast! I wish I could show you some pictures. Are you training in DC? if so you MUST swing by before you leave.
We actually had some Peace Corps ladies who joined us for a week on their “vacation”. (me thinking: if carrying buckets of dirt is their vacation, what’s their real job like!?")
Anyway, I was near Blagoevgrad, which is where the American University of Bulgaria is located. You must check out the Rila monastary and the town of Melnik, where there is a wine region (well, you could always skip Melnik town and just check out the wine!). Ah, soon you will learn the glories of chopska (chopped salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with feta… I mean, native Bulargian cheese.) Oh! and fries “c cirineh” (with cheese) and Fanta Limon. Oh Fanta Limon, how I miss thee. Oh! and the local pottery. So pretty!
Cyrillic isn’t hard at all. It’s just a supersecret code I spoke my first complete, voluntary and grammatically correct sentence in Russian to a non-English speaker in Bulgaria:
nam ne noojnah pochistit kartofi
“it is not necessary (for us) to peel the potatoes”
That’s the Dative case, yo! My finest hour, linguistically speaking. 
Dang, I’m so excited for you!!!
Cyril’s partner in invention was Methodius. Here is a photo of the statue. The picture is one of 40 Sofia views available as a slideshow by clicking a link on the right side of the page.
Kyla, you can add me to the list of Dopers who’ll be looking for you to post from Bulgaria. Since my paternal ancestors hailed from what’s now the Czech Republic, I’m half-Slavic. Of course, the Bohemians and Moravians (along with the Poles) are among the Slavs who found the Roman alphabet adequate for their needs, so none of my family’s heirloom books or documents employ the Cyrillic alphabet. However, I do own some Bulgarian stamps. This specimen is not in my collection, but does allow you to see how the country’s name is written in the native tongue.
I_Dare_For_More, are you Bulgarian?
[/QUOTE]
I’m Pure Bulgarian 
The Big Cheese
I’m definitely impressed.
Yeah, bulgarians have their strange habbits but I think such habbits aren’t so confusing as charming.
I think when you come for a first time here you should see Veliko Turnovo and of course the thracian tomb near Kazanluk. There even is a valey of the thracian kings…There’s sooo much to see if you have free time and money.
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6374/p043101b3vf.th.jpg
So Big Cheese, do you want to come back here?
