MORE SMILES?
Nora Obando from Nicaragua is a psychology graduate but after she arrived in Bulgaria with her Bulgarian husband in 2008, she has started teaching Spanish in Sofia's Instituto Cervantes.
Have you noticed special treatment because you are a foreigner?
Bulgarians are friendly and are impressed by my Bulgarian, although I still make mistakes. Whatever bad experiences I've had have been linked not with Bulgarians but with Bulgarian bureaucracy. Each year I have to go to Migration Direction of the Interior Ministry and people there are just not nice.
Have you been discriminated against as a woman?
No. But here, as in other countries, people believe that women do not make good drivers. Or that certain jobs are for men only.
Can you single out a characteristic Bulgarian trait?
Hospitality. People are very open, they accept me and respect that I speak Bulgarian.
Has Bulgaria surprised you?
With the food. I fell in love with tripe soup. We have something similar, Sopa de Mondongo, but it has lots of vegetables.
Do you have Bulgarian friends?
I do, but I don't have many close friends.
Do you celebrate Bulgarian holidays?
I personally don't celebrate a lot, but I have learnt to in Bulgaria. For example Baba Marta, St George's Day when the families get together and have lamb, and 24 May, the day of the Cyrilic alphabet, because I work with children. Nicaragua is a Catholic state and the way we celebrate feasts like Easter is different. Here I learnt about the egg colouring.
Describe Bulgaria in three words?
Clean. Sad. Resilient.
Why sad?
I think, that Bulgarians could smile more. They have precious things and they don't appreciate them. In Nicaragua, the country is very poor, but people know that they cannot change anything and just enjoy life.
Do you plan to stay in Bulgaria?
Yes, I do.
Do you feel a part of Bulgaria?
Definitely. But not all the time because it is clear to me that I am not a Bulgarian.
