There have been two realities during August that seem to oppose one another: ease of travel, lack of routine, guests, exploring, and festivals. Contrasted with: the month of Ramazan, diligent data entry for library inventory, 6 weekly English classes, a new library worker, and preparing for the fitness room. It’s been an exhilarating month!
Tourism has been a fun aspect to the summer. My counterparts Ramadan and Rufie have a registered guest house for the first time and it has been exciting to watch them transition from hosting the occasional accidental visitor, to running a professional business and marketing what they have to offer. We have had international guests from Germany, Austria, Russia, France, England, and Poland, and more routinely, guests from all over Bulgaria. I have enjoyed translating and getting to share about my experiences here as well as learning a lot about their cultures. It’s also been refreshing to see that the trails we marked between Yagodina and Trigrad (where there are famous caves) have been used by the tourists who stay in Gyovren.
On weekends when I’m in town I generally get to help harvest, process, and put up in jars whatever vegetable Zeynep is working on at the moment. There have been days of peas, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, beans, and most importantly, potatoes.
Turkish style slippers made by my next door neighbor, a wool blanket spun and woven by Zeynep for her hope chest, 4 types of wild teas, honey made from a villager’s bee houses, lutenitsa (roasted pepper and tomato sauce), couscous (which we rolled back and forth in long pans until it formed into tiny beads of pasta), and sirene (a sharp feta-like cheese from sheep milk that my landlord canned). I’ve also collected a couple of horo songs that I may bring to the two wedding receptions that I’ll be attending. We’ll see if people join the circle!