After trying out multiple apps and sites for learning Bulgarian, I finally settled on Mondly. It’s taken several days and lessons for me to feel that I am making progress with the language and that the app’s methodology works for me. I’m pleased enough with Mondly that I paid the $28 to get lifetime access to all language lessons on the site, not just Bulgarian. I don’t think I’ll regret that…

Today was a breakthrough lesson for me, where I started to feel that previous lessons were sticking and that I was building on previous knowledge. One of the most important phrases I learned today is “Аз Учa” (Az oocha — I am learning). Add in български (bulgarski — Bulgarian) and instead of saying to people “No Bulgarian,” I’ll be able to say something much more positive — I’m making an effort to learn what I can. I’m now pretty sure I can greet someone and say, “Hello, how are you?” and “My name is,” quite a step up from just a few days ago!

It might seem a waste that I didn’t learn Bulgarian over the winter, but with my being nowhere near fluent in Spanish, Mexico was not the place do so. Being in such an isolated spot, I have time and focus to cram in the basics before I go out into the big old world (I suspect I may be in Sofia this weekend…).

Mondly is also helping me with pronunciation and oral comprehension. One of my favourite types of lessons is something of a spelling bee where the app will rattle off a phrase at normal speed in two different voices (male and female) and have me transcribe it in Bulgarian. I sometimes have to get it to repeat itself, but even so, my results are very close to 100%. This tells me that I’m getting an ear for the language and that the gibberish might not yet be coalescing into individual words, but it’s at least starting to become sounds I can visually represent and remember.

The more languages I am exposed to, the easier it is to grasp basic words and phrases in another, but it can get very confusing if I try to get any in depth knowledge. For example, my instinct is to say “oocho” rather than “oocha” because the O ending in Spanish is for the first person while A is for third person. And I keep wanting to say Yo rather than Az and Si instead of Da!

I’m only going to be in Bulgaria for three months, so I’m not expecting to make huge strides with the language. But it would be nice if by the end of the first month I can at least exchange pleasantries with the neighbours and ask for things at the deli counter. When I get to Yablanitsa (tomorrow?) just being able to point and say, “Butter, please” will feel like huge progress over my first shopping trip. I also need to make more of an effort with the numbers, if only for when I shop at the Friday market.

I still cannot believe that I am in Bulgaria of all places. But this feels like exactly where I need to be right now.