First Impressions from Ljubljana

At the end of my first week as an exchange student in Slovenia, I finally decided to devote a quarter of an hour of my most precious free time to share some impressions. Something old, something new, something borrowed, like in American weddings :)

Something old

In fact, several things. The first one is that Ljubljana seems to me as charming as it seemed to me in July this year, when I visited it for the first time. A pretty, ordered and clean city center without any pomposity, but with a certain touch of precision and some Central-European coolness, which makes you feel warm and cozy instead. With all due respect to a certain Mediterranean country, which I am simply in love with, for me Ljubljana personifies more the European spirit....but in the end all roads lead to Rome, you know ;)

Back to my microcosmos...living with three guys and sharing a bathroom...the toilet seat is always up when it needs not be...the hair of one of my flatmates is waay too long, which leaves the issue with the falling 50-cm- long hairs still unresolved. Anyways, I'll try to remain positive here.

Third, a great remnant from good old Italy. I thought that since this is a capital of a Balkan (or OK, Central European country), every single shop and restaurant must be open at least 24/7. Surprise, surprise- they work less that Italians- they remain closed also on Saturday, or work only till 1! 

Something new

First and foremost, talking about new-the apartment I live in. Somehow, by pure luck, I am living in one of the most VIP quarters of the city, just five minutes far from all the key places in the center. The building was built in 2004, I have 3 different keys and I need to unlock four different dours, in order to enter my apartment. Good beginning of a long friendship with this city (Just for comparison- in Italy I live in centro storico, for those who don't know what this means- anything that's at least 100 years old :))

Maybe the next thing is new just for me, but Ljubljana is the cleanest city I've been to so far. Cleanliness struck my blurred Bulgarian eyes, who are used to hearing that WE ARE REALLY TRYING HARD BUT SEEMS THAT THERE'S NO PLACE TO HOST SOFIA'S GARBAGE...and believe me, there's a lot of trash in Sofia. I guess we should ask the people in Ljubljana where they put theirs...or wait a second, I guess I know- in the containers for separate trash disposal which can be found anywhere. Slovenians really do recycle! And if they don't throw garbage separately, they at least throw it in the containers, not around the containers!

Now my personal best- the importance of living in a welfare state. Great news for all international students coming to Ljubljana. Guys, know that against your student card and a one-hour line in the student organization office you can buy meal coupons priced 0.50- 4 euro, to eat a full-course meal in a great number of good restaurants around the city. I just really love that, I am going to lose all my cooking habits! Still gathering info about which the best restaurants are, but already have a personal favorite- La Cantina Mexicana in the center. I don't know if it's genuinely Mexican, but it really IS delicious!(OK, I know I care too much about food, but blame it on the Italians, I wasn't like that before, or maybe I was, but in Italy I learned it's not wrong, just the opposite- it's a matter of good taste:)))

And my recent discovery- public transport. Yesterday me and Svetlana were trying to enter the number 11 but they didn't allow us because it seems that here you only can get on from the front door, next to the driver! And obviously nobody even tries to get on from any other door...now try this in Sofia! 

Something borrowed

Not a lot really. OK, I wouldn't agree that "burek" is a national dish, but let's call it Balkan. Ajvar?mmm...isn't that lyutenica?...and I talk about food again...I'd better stop here.

Or OK, not yet. Slovenians did borrow Austrian order in the way they organize their cities. But in terms of the organization of their university faculties, they couldn't get any closer to Italy. So until they let me know how I am to organize and schedule my courses here, and how to get permission to enroll in postgraduate courses even though I am a postgraduate student, I am just going to enjoy cheap and good food and breathe clean air from the balcony of my room...I've seen worse than that after all.

More impressions to follow as they come along. 

Hvala najlepjsha!

Celebrity Skin

If somebody wondered today why today in the afternoon the central street of Varna around the University of Economics was blocked by the police and two men were sitting on the pavement in front of two identical black jeep cars with handcuffs, here is why! Great things happened also today- the police managed to catch a criminal group, connected to an illegal prostitution canal. The boss is the second-mandate member of the City Council of Varna Vesselin Danov, son of the famous lawyer and former chief of the Constitutional Court Hristo Danov(!?), and last but not least- a participant in the second Bulgarian VIP Brother. So, as from today, he is also an inhabitant of Varna's jail, at least for the next couple of hours. Let's see for how long. Not easy to be a celebrity at all...

For those who read Bulgarian, here's the info: http://btv.bg/news/news_details.pcgi?cont_id=118233

летно-есенни настроения

През последните 2-3 седмици чета книгата на Ноам Чомски, "Провалени Държави", и си мисля няколко неща...не много, защото чета само вечер, преди да заспя, затова и имам малко време за мислене в периода между изгасянето на лампата и пренасянето в страната на сънищата.

Засега всъщност единственият пример за провалена държава, която той дава, са САЩ, или добре, заедно с държавите, които САЩ са успели да провалят в желанието си да покорят света и да станат абсолютната супер мощ. Да, всички сме гледали филмите на Майкъл Мур и сме се смели на лепенките по американските коли "We support our troops", смели сме се на Буш-измите и на американците, които си избраха такъв президент, че и два пъти. И злорадстваме "Е, заслужиха си го американците 9/11З! Така им се падаше, да видят те!"

Всъщност за книгата няма да правя коментар, случаите не са съпоставими, просто ми хареса заглавието, стори ми се подходящо.

Да, много е лесно да се смееш на другите и да не погледнеш себе си. Ние пък с какво право се смеем тук в България? Остана ли за какво да се смеем, освен на собствената си трагедия? Даже Слави Трифонов и "Комиците" вече се изтъркаха.

Защо някой тук не вземе да каже, че и ние сме си една провалена държава? Хайде стига предизборен оптимизъм, софийски боклук, Бате Бойко и приятелско потупване по рамото от някой западноевропейски лидер!

Провалихме се във всичко- вътрешна и външна политика, членство в Европейския Съюз, изгонихме малкото млади и талантливи хора да си търсят щастието и реална оценка за таланта си навън, а тук останаха малко свестни и много чалгаджии. И майките и бащите ни да ни чакат да се приберем за по 2 седмици. То всъщност и много от чалгаджиите избягаха, но си занесоха домашната ракийка и дисковете с чалгичка и в чужбина, плюят тъпите американци/германци, отвращават се от дебелите им жени и си викат "Ех, какъв кеф е в България, там е животът"...ами върнете се, де! Ама не се връщат...

Това са размислите ми в края на лятото...не съм първата, която казва тези неща, няма и да съм последната, която и на края на септември ще си стегне куфарчето и ще замине в Италия. Този път и сестра ми идва с мен и смята дълго да стои. Аз също. И се надявам да е и по-дълго, отколкото го мисля. И ми е мъчно. И не искам да се опитвам да превърна живота си в чужбина в български микрокосмос, а да се нагодя аз. Така е по-лесно. Не е казано, че всичко винаги трябва да става по трудния начин. Затова и гледам да не размишлявам много много, че иначе ми става криво- въпреки всичко.