When I decided to come to Bulgaria as a volunteer under the program European Solidarity Corps, what I heard the most from my family and friends was “why Bulgaria? Are you sure?”

 It is normal because is a country so far and so unknown for us as Spanish, especially for me that I come from the Canary Islands, next to Africa. But I decided it and I was really expectant to go. So two weeks ago I arrived in Sofia. I was very tired because of the trip, and my first impression when I left the airport was that all was so gray… The sky, the streets and the buildings. It shocked me because in my hometown we have a lot of colorful houses and we usually have sun and blue sky, even in winter. Fortunately, I felt relieved when I had the chance to check that at least Bulgarians are not gray. I asked some people about a place to eat and about how to go to the bus station, and they were very willing to help me. Then, once in Kanzalank, I could reaffirm that impression about Bulgarians. In general, they speak English and it was very relieving for me too, because at the beginning I was worried about the language barrier and those kinds of cultural differences, like the way they move the head to say “yes” or “not”. Actually, I have a funny anecdote about this that shows that it exists but it not suppose a big problem. On my first Sunday here, we decided to visit Stara Zagora and meet another volunteers that are staying there. We had lunch in a restaurant and when we asked the waitress for the bill, she moved her head to both sides, saying what for me means “not”. I looked surprised at my friend, thinking like “but she don’t want us to pay for the food?”, and then I realized that she was saying “yes”. Although Kazanlak still looks gray for me, I like the city because it’s a small one and it’s possible to go anywhere by walking. And, a very important thing for me, is that there are a lot of cats in the streets! I love these animals so, in this way, Kazanlak is a paradise for me.

Marta Valverde.