The Next Bulgarian

I never thought not knowing exactly where Bulgaria is would put me at any kind of disadvantage.  I had a vague idea Bulgaria was near Hungary and Romania, which is somewhat close to where Russia looms over Europe.

I consulted some maps today and discovered Bulgaria as a mountainous land bordered by Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania and the Black Sea. 

That’s a troublesome spot, really.

I read a little.  Put in easily digestible terms, Bulgaria is where the Middle East meets Europe.  A large Syrian population exists in Bulgaria.  The present nature of conflict in the region has left Bulgaria uneasy.  More immediately, a severe winter storm impulse has been bullying through Bulgaria this week.

I wish I had known that yesterday.

Before leaving Gardiner yesterday, that girl and I ate breakfast at the Yellowstone Grill.  Noting an accent when our young waitress spoke to us, I asked her where she was from.

“Bulgaria,” she said.

That girl and I had just trudged through six inches of fresh snow to reach the grill.  “How are you liking the snow?” I asked.

She said she liked the snow.  We talked a bit about the snow.  Not much of that where she came from.  She had been a student here originally and is now here working full time.  She loved the clear air of Montana and actually experienced respiratory problems when home in Bulgaria.

Had I known more about Bulgaria, I would have asked more.  What about the Black Sea?  Did she swim there?  Did she need mountains at her back as I do?  Did she have any ancestral connections to Syria?  Had she been to Greece?  Any connection to Greece?

Sadly, I did not know enough to get there.

Thankfully, am better prepared for the next Bulgarian.

--Mitchell Hegman