Stara Zagora, 02/11/2015
( https://f4tbgnl17.wordpress.com/2015/11/03/first-day-in-stara-zagora )
My first full day in Bulgaria (and with the host family) went very well: it was a quiet and calm day, which I could appreciate after the big amount of time we spent travelling here. However, even if it might have been a bit of a ”slow” day, it was still very interesting.
My day started at quarter past eight. My exchange partner, Téa, got up a bit earlier to be able to take a shower and she was waiting for me downstairs. Together with her little sister we ate breakfast: the traditional Bulgarian ‘banitsa’, a treat made out of puff pastry and cheese. After breakfast, we still had some free time before we had to go to school, as it was only a 15 minute walk.
At school, we were met by the Dutch teachers, who led us (the Dutch students) into an empty class room and asked about our first night in Bulgaria. Luckily, it went well for everyone (both the host families as the exchange partners were lovely), and soon after we went to the ”American Hall”, where we played a short game and received a lot of information about the Food for Thought project. Even though it was useful information, like ”what’s the best way to create your blog”, I quickly got bored and was counting the minutes until we were allowed to leave.
In the break, Téa and I joined a reasonably large group that went to a busy sandwich shop. According to the Bulgarians, it was the best sandwich shop in Stara Zagora. I went over to wait with the other Dutch students as we watched our exchange partners order for everyone in rapid Bulgarian. Shortly afterwards, we got the sandwiches and moved to a nearby park. The sandwiches were very strange: the bread looked like a big and pale piece of pita bread, which was cut horizontally and filled with things like lettuce, chicken, bacon, tomato, spices and salty fries. Even though the food looked questionable and was so big it almost became impossible to bite into, it tasted amazing.
At one o’clock, we had to go to the Roman ruins of Stara Zagora, where several different tour guides gave us a summarised account of the Bulgarian history. We were given an example of a regular day in ”ye olde” Bulgaria in the age of the Romans, and were offered an old Roman desert: a sweet date with an almond in the middle. The tour ended at the Museum of Religions and afterwards, we went home again.
We didn’t do anything too exciting or mindblowing at the house, and at five, we left for a volleyball game. Most of the people that participated in the exchange were there too, and the teams that were playing were the ”home” team (no idea which city that was, but they were yellow and blue), and the team from Sofia (blue and yellow). If you’re confused about how both teams have the same colours, don’t worry, so was I. The ”home” team ended up winning with 3 – 1. During the game, the cheerleaders from Sofia performed, which was fun to watch as we don’t really have cheerleaders at sport matches back home. The game lasted from six to eight o’clock and because everyone was quite hungry afterwards, we weren’t going somewhere else with the group, so Téa and I went home again.
Once we arrived there, Téa, her little sister and I ate dinner, which consisted of chicken with rice and a ”Shopska” salad (cucumber, tomota, onion, Bulgarian cheese and lettuce). I’ve never really been a very adventurous eater, but up until now, I liked everything that has been served. After dinner, I thought it was time for the Bulgarians to try some typically Dutch things: syrup waffles (stroopwafels), liquorice candy (drop), cinnamon sweets (kaneelkussentjes), and ginger nuts (pepernoten).
The family really seemed to enjoy the things I brought with me, which was a relief. Téa’s mother never heard of liquorice before, and described it as a very ”unique” taste. However, Téa mentioned later that she was just being nice, as pretty much all Bulgarians hate liquorice. A couple of Portuguese students tried it earlier that morning, and one of them almost threw up, so this information wasn’t too shocking 🙂
Her dad seemed to be quite happy with the stroopwafels, as they were his favourite candy and he usually imports them from Poland (which obviously isn’t as good as getting them straight from the source). The entire family, especially Téa’s sister, are now addicted to ginger nuts so, despite the liquorice mishap, I think it’s a job well done.
Even though Bulgaria’s very different from the Netherlands (for example: I share a room with someone else now, the habits and traditions are obviously different, etc.), I really enjoy being here. The Bulgarians are very hospitable people that seem to put family first. They’re constantly trying to make sure that you’re okay and that you feel included. It’s because of this that I’m really looking forward to the rest of my stay here.
Eating Is A Religion 