Each fall I find myself thinking about my life in Bulgaria. The whole thing often strikes me as wonderful, wholly unlikely and a little magical--even four years into this adventure. I never imagined when I moved to Sofia on a Fulbright that I'd still be here let alone that I'd be teaching English, learning Bulgarian and traveling as much as I have.
<a title="Heart by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6970314530/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6970314530_1eb0dd5d58_z.jpg" alt="Heart" width="640" height="427" /></a>
The thing is Bulgarian hasn't been easy. When I moved here, I didn't know the Cyrillic alphabet. Well I knew the basics but I wasn't any good at it. So I took an intensive course and at the end of this course thought for the first time: maybe I'll be able to do this after all. Since then I've taken regular private lessons but Bulgarian is a difficult language.

Often people ask me why I even bother. Many Bulgarians see very little value in a foreigner learning their language.

But how can you live in a country and not try to learn the language?

You miss out on so much if you choose to live in an insular expat community speaking only English while living abroad.
<a title="In 10: Learning Bulgarian by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7032222419/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7032222419_34b3234532_z.jpg" alt="In 10: Learning Bulgarian" width="640" height="427" /></a>
Still it's not easy. Or it hasn't been easy for me but I wouldn't have it any other way--learning Bulgarian has challenged me to think in new ways, learning Bulgarian has forced me let down my guard and open myself up to making mistakes, learning Bulgarian has made me laugh and it's made me cry, and learning Bulgarian has introduced me to people I would have otherwise never met.

<a title="Mladost by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/5089470277/"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4151/5089470277_64e62a4493_z.jpg" alt="Mladost" width="640" height="427" /></a>

As strange and foreign Bulgaria and Bulgarian seem sometimes, this place has become home. I believe that my Mladost (младост), Mladost 1A is the best of the Mladost neighborhoods.There are a total of five Mladost 1, Mladost 1A, Mladost 2, Mladost 3 and Mladost 4. The neighborhoods are filled with huge crumbling block buildings, ground level shops and restaurants, bus stops and a smattering of fruit and vegetable stands.

In Mladost 1A, I have my shops and women who smile at me and greet me when I pop in. It hasn't always been like this. I am tall and blond and as such don't blend into the general population. In the beginning, these women would give me at best a weary smile suspecting that I didn't speak Bulgarian and knowing that they didn't speak English and at worst they'd sigh heavily and put down their plastic cup of espresso to help me.

They weren't looking forward to waiting on my and I hated the way they'd look at me. However, as soon as I spoke some Bulgarian (and in the beginning this was very, very bad Bulgarian) their drawn faces would loosen a little and over time, these women have become almost friendly. And you know what, I'll take it.

Recently I stopped by a shop to buy sparking water. I glanced in the case, nothing. I asked her in Bulgarian: Do you have any sparking water? She told me: No, not right now. There will be more later this afternoon. I said: Okay, thanks. Have a nice day. Her response: You too.

<em>You too! </em>Ha. She spoke to me and was polite verging on friendly.

I walked home sparkling water-less but happy. I had a normal exchange in Bulgarian. The kind of exchange that I could just as likely have had at home in the States. I couldn't help but smile. I also couldn't help but wonder if I smoked cigarettes and popped in more regularly if she'd like me more and if she'd have warmed up to me sooner. I guess I'll never know.

What I do know is that speaking the language makes you feel more confident and more at home in a place that's completely unlike anywhere else you've ever lived.
<a title="Bus Station by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/5146270929/"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4037/5146270929_2692074244_z.jpg" alt="Bus Station" width="640" height="427" /></a>

Four years in, I'm not as good at Bulgarian as I'd like to be. I work at an English language high school and spend my whole day teaching Bulgarian teenagers English literature. My colleagues speak excellent English and as a result I speak minimal amounts of Bulgarian. Still I've made a point of studying, keeping up with my homework and practicing my Bulgarian when I can.