Standard

In Europe, it is the standard:

-to see guys in Speedos on the beach;

-to pay $8 a gallon for petrol;

-to use plugs with two circular pins;

-to know at least one more language in addition to your mother tongue;

-to be exposed to a lot of nudity in the media;

-to smoke a packet of cigarettes a day;

-to pour wine into the glasses of your little kids;

-to own the place you live in;

-to go to church on a less than regular basis;

-to spend more time and money in convenient stores than in big supermarkets;

 

Fresh

Wonder how to survive in the summer heat? Make a fresh!

 

-Despite the rays of the scorching sun, make a trip down to the fruit market. Scour it stubbornly to find the fleshiest oranges and grapefruits.

-Panting, go back home with a bag full of orange and yellow aromatic balls. Cut them gently in halves and squeeze them in a jar.

-Put the heavenly drink in the fridge to cool down.

-Pour some of it in a tall, thin glass. Decorate the rim with a slice of orange and dip a straw in the juice.

-Suck this liquid pleasure. Relax!

Punctuality

In the United States, if you are not on time for class, the professor might lower your grade but he/she will never forbid you to enter the classroom. You just go in as inconspicuously as possible and find yourself a seat somewhere at the back. In Bulgaria, however, you’d better be punctual. If you happen to be late, you have to politely ask the professor for permission to stay. He/she might welcome you to the classroom, tell you to leave or require you to stand throughout the lecture. Some professors even lock the door after the start of the class.

Squash

During summer times, juicy squash discs abundantly covered in vinegar, parsley and garlic would cuddle next to pork or potatoes on my plate. There was something in this squash-garlic yummy combination that really sharpened my appetite, making me eat more bread, more of the main course, more of everything. Back then, I never minded the extra food that went down my esophagus but as puberty hit me, I drastically reduced my squash salad intake. Having turned into an extremely self-conscious person, I was worried that the excess fat and pungent breath that came with the salad would thwart me socially.

Lighthouse

I have blurry memories of seeing soaring lighthouses perched atop the sunny shores of the Black Sea. With a dry, tanned hand serving as a sun-shield above my eyes, I would stare intensely at the stately towers in the distance, marveling their endurance and timelessness. However, I have never had a close look at them, nor have I ever been in any one of them. Is their surface rough and crumbly as you touch it? Once you are inside, is the roaring sound of the splashing waves intensified or is it muffled, lulling you to sleep? Do you feel alone?