Alaskan Bulgarian

Bulgarian Hospitality

There isn’t that much to talk about in a busy week. Several new units are beginning and ending as the end of the semester approaches. Some classes are making it easy, some hard. Life, in short, has gone by as expected so far this week, but Dora, my tutor, has given me a short, decent story for today.

My lessons are on Monday and Wednesday and run from four to six. I arrived yesterday at four and Dora looking tired, yet glad to see me, opened the door and invited me in. Normally, she sets the table, has a kettle of coffee ready, and a plate of cookies on the table, the standard set-up for a Bulgarian na gosti, or gathering of guests. I’ve never asked for any of it, but I certainly don’t mind it at the end of long fays, and she seems more than ready to please. But yesterday, the table wasn’t set, the day’s lesson wasn’t laid out, and it didn’t look like she was expecting anybody. I briefly wondered if I had gotten the time wrong.

I held off asking about it as, within moments, she had already laid out the table and settled in for the lesson. We went through everything she had planned, and I asked if she might start gearing the lessons toward the history of Silistra, something I’ve gotten interested in recently. I noticed, a few times, that she looked a bit ill, as if she had a cold, but I always hate when people ask me if I’m sick so I again held off.

We ended the lesson shortly after six, she had eagerly shown me some old Roman coins she had found in town and seemed more the excited about the possibilities of teaching me the history of Silistra in Bulgarian.

I left satisfied, went to the internet club, and then home. Getting there and emptying my pockets, I realized that I hadn’t turned my cell phone on after finishing the morning’s classes. One of the calls I had missed was from Dora, at noon, to tell me that she wouldn’t be able to do lessons because she had the flu. She had apologized and told me she would see me Wednesday. I’m sure I didn’t miss a thing she said yesterday, and she never mentioned a thing during the lesson about being sick.

I don’t know if it all qualifies as heroism, but I’m duly impressed and will sure let her know about it tomorrow. I’ve never quite seen anything like that in America. Although the customer service in Bulgaria may not always be friendly and courteous, if you’re a friend, you’re taken care of here beyond all reasonable expectations. And something in that appeals to me.

Posted by Rob at January 20, 2004 05:10 PM