Volunteer in Ruse (3)

здравей, my dears!

"[...] I have to run. [...] I keep my fingers crossed for you. I only slept 3 hours. I am awfully tired. But I can do it. I have beautiful people around to discover. Smiles and hugs."

"I eat... I finally eat salad... I only ate dry food until now."

"I am having a great time. I integrated very well. People are wonderful, lively. I feel so much disconnected from my real life. But you're with me."

"We have a formidable volunteer here, Vincent.
He danced like a ballerina this evening.
He is very unselfconscious.
I shall take him as a model and overcome my limits.
And he is so smart.
Anarchist, writer, a 2 feet standing encyclopedia, recusant."

(Discussion fragments).

For two days now I keep saying to myself I have to do jogging, but it doesn't become real for any reason. If I am not having Bulgarian lessons I go to lunch, If I have no project to work on I go for a walk, If I am not taking a shower I am correcting texts and answering e-mails, if I am not trying to handle Ubuntu software on my laptop I talk with my sister traveling Europe, if I am not talking with Erik, we are all in one room and talk about anything under the sky, if I am not sharing my life with someone, I am trying to add some sleep hours, if I am not writing, I am managing my photos. But it's so good!

I feel wonderful, I don't find my fears anymore. I have no towel and no slippers, not even a bathtub. We only have a tiled floor in the bathroom. I am the oldest one here. So what?

Yesterday we had our first Bulgarian lessons. There are a lot of similar to Romanian words like toaleta (toilet), ulita (street), sala (hall), slab (thin), sapca (hat). I like very much хубав (hubav)= pretty and "обичам те" (obiciam te) = I love you.

Local pizza is far from what I know, but I don't do whims. I already know moussaka and zacusca, but I don't eat them so I will eat my cherries, strawberries, pasta and salads, no worries.

I cried at our welcome party. Because of beauty. Because of the girls voices singing a Bulgarian song like an endearment. And I haven't been the only one feeling that magic moment in the same way. And their traditional dances are like novels, love ritual interpretation: he and she, flirt, shyness, invocation, happiness, caress, tenderness, colour. We ate and danced like Bulgarians. And like Romanians, and like any others. Zacusca, vegetables salad with mayonnaise, Bulgarian cheese, dried salami, cheese pie, sausages. Michael Jackson, salsa, Macarena, penguin dance, Zorba, You can leave your hat on, YMCA. We laughed and sweated together. Dance and music still bring people together. 

Today we talked about love while a beautiful light was coming inside through the window, about God, controlled dreams, Don Quijote, Congo, carnival, thrown from towers cats rituals and, of course, vampires.

It rained. It cools a little. I ate strawberries. There are many children here. I spent little money. How many curious people in this group! I am learning this with them. 

Ruse is fuller with children. We are overripe children.

 

(RO) "Zdravei", dragii mei!

"[...]Trebuie sa fug. [...] Tin pumnii. O zi frumoasa! Am dormit 3 ore. Sunt praf. Dar merge. Am oameni frumosi de intalnit. Zambete si imbratisari."

"Mananc... in sfarsit mananc salata... am mancat numai uscaturi pana acum."

"Ma distrez de minune. M-am integrat foarte bine. Oamenii sunt minunati, plini de viata. Ma simt foarte deconectata de viata mea obisnuita. Dar esti cu mine."

"Avem un tip formidabil aici, Vincent.
A dansat ca un balerin in seara asta.
E foarte dezinvolt.
Ar trebui sa mi-l pun model si sa imi depasesc limitele.
Si e super destept.
Anarhist, scriitor, enciclopedie, nonconformist."

(Fragmente de conversatie)

De doua zile ma tin sa alerg si nu reusesc. Daca nu invat bulgara merg la masa, daca nu am proiect ma plimb, daca nu fac dus corectez texte si raspund la e-mail-uri, daca nu incerc sa ma descurc cu Ubuntu, vorbesc cu sora mea plecata in Europa, daca nu ii povestesc lui Erik, suntem intr-o camera stransi si vorbim de toate, daca nu imparatasesc viata cu cineva incerc si eu sa rup cateva ore de somn, daca nu scriu, ma ocup de fotografii. Dar e asa bine!

Ma simt atat de bine, nu imi mai gasesc temerile! Nu am prosop si nici papuci, la baie nu avem nici cada.E doar gresie. Sunt cea mai mare de aici. Ei si ce?

Ieri am inceput primele lectii de bulgara. Sunt destul de multe cuvinte similare cu cele din limba romana, de exemplu: toaleta, ulita, sala, slab, sapca. Imi plac хубав (hubav) = "dragut" si "обичам те" (obiciam te) = "te iubesc".

Pizza de aici nu seamana nici pe departe cu ceea ce stiu eu, dar nu fac nazuri. Deja stiu de musaca si zacusca, dar nu mananc, asa ca ma voi descurca cu cirese, capsune, paste si salate, nicio grija!

La petrecerea de bun venit am plans. De frumusete. De glasurile fetelor care au cantat un cantec bulgar ca o mangaiere. Si nu am fost doar eu cea care a trait la fel momentul acela magic. Iar dansurile lor sunt ca romanele, interpretari ale ritualului iubirii: el si ea, flirt, timiditate, invocare, veselie, grija, tandrete, culoare. Am mancat si am dansat bulgareste. Si romaneste, si ca toti ceilalti. Zacusca, salata de cruditati cu maioneza, branza, salam uscat, placinta cu branza si mici-carnati. Michael Jackson, salsa, Macarena, dansul pinguinului, Zorba, You can leave your hat on, YMCA. Am ras si am transpirat laolalta. Dansul, muzica, inca unesc oamenii.

Azi am vorbit despre iubire cand o lumina frumoasa razbatea din fereastra, Dumnezeu, vise controlate, Don Quijote, Congo, carnaval, obiceiuri cu pisici aruncate din turnuri, vampiri.

A plouat. Se racoreste putin. Am mancat capsune. Sunt muti copii aici. Am cheltuit putini bani. Ce de oameni curiosi in grup! Cu ei invat si eu.

Ruse e si mai plin de copii. Suntem copii rascopti.