No, I haven’t found a Bulgarian chicken lady. The chicken is me. Yesterday evening, I walked down to the village square with the intent of checking out the small shop in the hope that it carries beer and bread and… I chickened out. It’s a combination café and there were people outside and it was just too much. I came home resolute to learn how to say “good day” and “I don’t speak Bulgarian” in the next couple of days. “Good day” is problematic because there are so many ways and they depend on the time of day and who you’re speaking with because, like French and Spanish, Bulgarian has a polite form and I haven’t yet figured out the most generic and least offensive thing I could say to absolutely everyone.

On the way home, I ran into the owner of the guesthouse at the bottom of the hill, to whom I was introduced at the market on Friday. He speaks basic English and asked me where I’m from and how long I’m staying. When he learned that I came all the way from Canada to Bulgaria for the first time and am committed to three months, his eyes went wide and he said, “Good for you!”

I really should start thinking about getting back to work, even without a decent work station, so I can have a pay cheque on Friday. But I’m more focused on my Bulgarian studies now that I have good internet access now and can easily watch YouTube videos and interact with apps that require an internet connection.

I cannot believe what a difference it makes to be able to read Cyrillic! I am going to do a post about that later because it really wasn’t hard and helps so much. For example, when I got to the village square yesterday and looked to where the store was, I noticed a sign that said магазин — mah-gah-zin. Sounds almost exactly like the French magasin, which is a store. So I knew I was at the right place. When in Teteven the other day, I knew where the food store was before we went in because of a sign that said супермаркет, which literally sounds like supermarket. I’m discovering that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of written Bulgarian words I already understand that is making the language less intimidating.

I’m off to hang my laundry. I suspect I’ll be doing that a lot since I don’t have many clothes… I’m trying to fall into a routine before I get to work in earnest. I’ve been getting up, taking the dogs for their walk, and then coming back to have coffee and breakfast. I’d like to keep that up and then quit work around five to do the afternoon walk. I do have to get back into an earlier routine, though, as I’ve been getting up past nine!