I Don't Always Drink, but When I do... I Drink Bulgarian.

Marti, my new new best friend.

I'm drinking Bulgarian beer. I know that I'm drinking Bulgarian beer, because whenever I travel I want to consume as many things from the country as possible, this goes hand and hand with a natural inclination to consume beer. Whilst ordering, I narrow my eyes to slits as if considering with the tastes of a true Connoisseur... "What ever is the most... Bulgarian." Upon being presented a bottle I nod at the selection and thank them, in loud slow English with a slavic accent.

Before I bellied up to the bar however, my new friend Marti, grabbed me by the elbow and asked in a gentle yet assertive voice, "Do you like to drink vodka?" It was much in the same way that I have been asked in the past, "yes" for very different reasons.

Marti was overjoyed that I had heard about this libation, "Vodka" I explained that we had such a thing in America as well, and had consumed it on one or two occasions. He got a cup and a bottle of vodka from the fridge. he ever so delicately unscrewed the cap, seemingly shuddering with an inward giggle.

"This is the best vodka in Bulgaria. It's the most Bulgarian!"

Click. Boom. Marti and I. Just became friends. He then proceeded to pour me a half glass of vodka and his inward giggle jumped out.

"This is how we drink in Bulgaria."
"That's great!" I exclaimed. "We drink like that in America too!"(using cups)

I found myself giggling as well. Me and my new best friend were jumping up and down in the kitchen of the hostel. He handed me my cup of vodka which he had sprinkled with a dash of apple juice. I'm told this is a traditional Bulgarian cocktail*.

"You should stay another day!" Marti said**.
"I want to!"
"You should!"
"I love Sofia!"
"It is great place!"
"But, I can't!"
"Why?"
"I'm getting on a 19 hour bus to Czech Republic tomorrow."

There was a pause in our new found rapture. It was as if I had called my mom and she said that I could not pull a double sleep over with Marti, because I had a doctor's appointment in the Czech Republic.

"But we can make Facebook friends!" Exclaimed Marti.
"Yeah!" I exclaimed back.

We then drank to our mutual friendship



*By Bulgarian I mean Sophomore year of college.

**It should be mentioned at this point I am sober as a judge, just very very very tired and overwhelmed. Imagine locking a cat in a box made of mirrors and turning a strobe light on inside of it. I kind of felt like that.