Once upon a time…
A boy from Wisconsin…
…came to study in Bulgaria.
The tuition was low, the university was new and progressive, and it was located in one of the most interesting, ethnically-diverse regions of the world. This type of thing appealed to this former Wisconsin Geography Bee champion.
Now Bulgaria was a beautiful country. A little on the dry side by Wisconsin standards, but still way, way greener than where I came from.
It had plenty of European charm…
And not a whole lot of snow. But heck of a lot more than I’d seen in my entire life.
Except in the mountains, which even in warmer seasons were topped with graceful snow caps…
…and were a home to picturesque Christian Orthodox monasteries/tourist traps.
Pretty much immediately upon arrival, he met a girl from Azerbaijan. He had a bit of a thing for people from obscure, exotic places. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I had a vision of life centered around rural America. After all, he had the same vision himself.
And then I met his mother (note the grandma on the background). Cultural exchange took place.
Dawn: Let’s buy flowers!
Sofya: Let’s buy irises! They are beautiful!!
Dawn: But they are not in season here, which means that these are not local. Whenever we travel, I always teach my kids to buy local!
Sofya: ???
Historical photographs were taken… Appropriate mutual assessments were conducted… “I hope we’ll see you again,” said his mom before leaving Bulgaria.
And sure enough.
And then they all lived happily ever after. And shot plenty of deers.
The End.
Thank you, Vince, for taking these photos nine years ago, and for sharing them with me today.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
What a fantastic post, sofya. I can’t believe I traveled all the way to Bulgaria but didn’t meet you until you were settled into my childhood bedroom.
Also, thank you for being such a wonderful writer. oh, and also for making my brother so happy.
You all make me so happy.
I love this post! That last picture just put a big smile on my face. So sweet.
You should have seen the one with Jacob crying!
This is awesome! Sofya.. so beautiful!!
Oh, look at you, you hot exotic young woman… no wonder he fell for you (of course your personality won him over!) I like how brave & open minded your husband must have been, to decide to study abroad and in Bulgaria.
Many Americans (and East Europeans) too have that reaction: “Why in Bulgaria?” But in fact it’s a really mellow and enjoyable place, 100 times safer than what I grew up with. It’s not a war zone or anything. Plus, he is passionate about history, geography, and anthropology and has an unusual amount of knowledge of those subjects, and he was also taken to Russia when he was 11 and was there during the time of the big coup, so this didn’t require any unusual amount of open-mindedness or bravery on his part. He was specifically looking for a place abroad.
The 5 minutes I spent talking to him when we first met sealed it – I told him I wanted to live in a small, rural town and he told me he grew up on a farm. I immediately saw our future on a farm clearly in my mind, and here we are. In turn, he was looking for someone who with a lot of sass, someone who would love living in a small town, be adverse to moving around once settled, tolerate winters well, and go with his desire to have an extra-large family, all of which describe me perfectly.
It sounds like the Universe conspired for you two to meet and begin your life together. Beautiful story.
I am pretty sure it did.