Wednesday, April 6, 2011

svekvam- "used to"

(I'm trying to make up for this weeks blogs by posting 2 times today).  It's funny how people get used to things.  Forever after I first got to my home away from home here at site people would ask me (and thank goodness my counterpart was with me because I didn't know what they were asking) if I was used to B yet.  I can't tell you the exact word for "used to" or "accustomed to" and have never looked that word up but after hearing it a number of times I know it.  Anyway, I have been away from "home" since the 29th of March for a )in the process of traveling back to my site, and blogging about it, one time I said I was "headed home."  At the time I thought nothing of it but looking back at it after she poined it out to me it did seem like something a little out of the ordinary.  Back to now.  The last portion of my time away from home this past week + has been with other volunteers for a little spring break trip.  As I was headed for home yesterday I realized how much I missed my site home (here).  I boarded the bus and heard a song that is always played at parties here.  One of the seniors here has a character he plays, along with 1 or 2 other boys, when we have parties and is super funny!  (Probably kinda like the Marx Brothers but I don't know enough about the Marx Brothers to compare them)  They do silly skits and just plain act silly.  I was reminded of him when I heard one of the songs in his "act."   I missed here and just wanted to be back.  Here I'm primarily with Turkish Bulgarians; the last part of my trip I wasn't.  I was with Americans and ethnic Bulgarians.  In America, well anywhere i guess, I'm a WASP, or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, and have a way of life and basically hang out with other WASPs.  I'm used to that life.  Put me in, say, a Hispanic or any other ethnic atmosphere for a little whie and I would miss my WASP way of life.  I've been here at site for 8 months now and this is home; I'm "used to" it.   The little things I missed, or maybe had to remind myself weren't the same as home.  Here almost everyone knows Turkish and some of the older people don't speak B very well, they rely mostly on Turkish.  Taking that into consideration I have learned how to say hello in Turkish (much to the dismay of my students I want to go no further in that language right now).  I had to remind myself that I couldn't just say "salam" to an older person while traveling and assume they would know what I meant.  When I got on the bus back to site one of the students from the other school, Hristo Botev, came passed me and said hi (and in English to boot!)  It's just so very interesting how someones mind gets used to one way or place and misses it when it's not there.  Love and hugs and GREAT RUN BUTLER!!!

1 comment:

  1. Hi Lisa. I still am reading your blogs most of the time. Thanks for letting everyone know how things are going. We haven't chatted in a while on Skype. Let's do it some time. Take care!

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