Bulgaria - Bread Over the Fence

 

April 2004 - 56 min

 

 

                    A loaf of bread.

                    - Here you are.

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                    And for you little girl? Three? O. K.,

                    you've got them. How much is here?

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                    You need two, don't you?

                    And now, for you.

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                    Two.

                    - Two only?

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                    You get up, get dressed

                    and take care of the bread.

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                    Everything else comes after that.

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                    How many loaves? Two? Three?

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                    That's it.

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                    Listen! My greatest treasure is that

                    I meet 300 people every morning.

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                    And everyone says: "Morning! Hi!

                    How are you! What's up?"

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                    The news spreads here -

                    who died, what happened.

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                    This gives you a sense of belonging.

                    For me that's it.

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                    My first job in the morning

                    is to go and buy bread.

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                    Everyone else in the village does

                    the same and then we start our chores.

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                    I go to work on my farm.

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                    We don't mind working.

                    We probably have it in our genes.

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                    I am fond of doing my job.

                    This gives me health, too.

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                    As old people round here say,

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                    I don't have time to get ill, I have

                    work to do. And that's the truth.

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                    We start a little before 7 a.m.

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                    It's two more loaves of bread,

                    isn't it?

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                    In summer, however,

                    we start earlier - about 6 a.m.

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                    That's because people have to go

                    to work. It's an agricultural region.

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                    Our village is in northwest Bulgaria.

                    99.9% of the population is Catholic.

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                    Only people who came

                    from other places are not Catholic.

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                    Some bought houses here.

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                    There are mixed marriages, too,

                    with East Orthodox.

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                    But, compared to the whole population

                    in Bulgaria or even the region,

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                    we, Catholics, are a minority.

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                    Do you want 3 loaves of bread, girl?

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                    Before our ancestors moved here,

                    they suffered a lot of floods.

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                    There was a river nearby.

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                    So, they came to settle

                    in this flat region.

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                    Whether you look left or right,

                    to the north, or to the south,

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                    all you can see is flat land.

                    No woods, no hills or valleys.

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                    When I come here in the morning

                    I check everything,

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                    I feed the animals, give them water,

                    then the sheep are let free to graze.

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                    My wife cleans the pen thoroughly.

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                    We collect the eggs

                    and let the birds out.

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                    In the evening water and food

                    are provided again

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                    and we count the birds,

                    because there are foxes.

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                    We close and lock everywhere

                    for the night and leave.

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                    It feels good

                    because we are our own bosses.

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                    I was born here. My Dad was born here.

                    My Grandpa came when he was 7.

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                    I've been a Catholic for a long time.

                    As a schoolboy I had to go to church.

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                    In church it is

                    40 minutes of absolute silence.

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                    We got used to

                    some sort of calmness and serenity.

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                    That's what impressed me.

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                    I've always worked in the village.

                    After the army service I married here.

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                    We raised our children and

                    grandchildren,

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                    we hope to see their kids

                    and then - whatever comes.

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                    There is a kind of joy

                    at this age too.

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                    My wife and I live to help

                    our daughters and grandchildren.

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                    We are satisfied.

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                    We've got clothes

                    for two more lifetimes.

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                    We've got a house,

                    we don't need a second one.

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                    It feels good to be able to help.

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                    My greatest anguish is

                    that our children leave the country.

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                    My younger daughter is in Italy,

                    my son-in-law is in Greece.

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                    They left their kids behind.

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                    But children need their Mum and Dad.

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                    My wife and me feel that

                    we start to lose control over kids.

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                    My daughter, as the Headmaster

                    of the school, can manage them

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                    but they don't listen to us.

                    So, that's my pain.

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                    I don't see any perspectives

                    for my daughter and her husband here

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                    and we want our children

                    and grandchildren to live here.

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                    We live here.

                    The children used to help.

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                    However, the children went away.

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                    The village is

                    lifeless and forlorn now.

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                    Just old people are left,

                    all of them retired.

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                    Money is not enough by far.

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                    So, we are barely managing.

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                    This is a mountainous country.

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                    It's not like the field, it's steep.

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                    It is not suitable for every crop

                    and work on the land is hard.

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                    Almost all the land

                    in the steep areas is barren now.

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                    When I get up at 6, my first job is

                    to manage the animals,

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                    to send the goats out  - I have 4

                    of them - to the woods to graze.

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                    Then I start working.

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                    So every day of mine passes -

                    in work. I like it.

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                    I never need a clock

                    to wake up at 5.30 every morning.

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                    And I jump to my feet straight away.

                    First I say my prayer:

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                    "God, let the day be like yesterday -

                    happy, joyous

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                    with no tears but laughter only.

                    Let there be no quarrels."

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                    I wash up and go to tend the animals.

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                    The animal can't speak for itself

                    and you have to think of it first.

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                    Then we send them to the square

                    and they go to graze.

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                    We keep them in turns. Today it's

                    me, tomorrow - someone else.

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                    Almost everyone in the village

                    is Catholic.

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                    There are a few younger families,

                    who are East Orthodox

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                    and also several Muslim families.

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                    And we all get along well.

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                    There are no sharp conflicts.

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                    Of course, there are some disputes,

                    it is inevitable among neighbours,

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                    but they are usually quickly solved.

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                    I came to the village of Pokrovan

                    in 1987 to work as a cattle breeder.

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                    They are mostly Catholics

                    and I am a Muslim.

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                    I come from the Smolyan region.

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                    We came here, the children grew up

                    and married and it is late to go back.

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                    I lost my job in 1992, when funds

                    for cattle breeding were cut.

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                    There are no job opportunities

                    in the village.

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                    I moved to the neighbouring hood.

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                    But it is hard to live on a monthly

                    pension of 42 leva (20 Euro).

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                    One day I decided

                    to make this forge here.

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                    I had no money but I finished it

                    with my own labour and tools.

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                    Since I had no compressor,

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                    I adapted

                    an old German vacuum cleaner.

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                    I reversed the movement of air

                    inwards to create vacuum.

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                    Thus, I started little by little,

                    repairing instruments and tools.

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                    At first I mended

                    my own pickaxes and hoes,

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                    then people brought their ploughs.

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                    Gradually companies learned

                    about my workshop

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                    and started

                    bringing their instruments.

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                    That helps us make it through.

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                    Nacho and Yanka are wonderful people.

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                    We've known them from the very first

                    day of our arrival - 4th May 1987.

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                    I led the flock past their house.

                    We didn't know each other.

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                    She noticed that my wife and kids

                    walked along with me.

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                    And the flock was of 270 sheep.

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                    In the late afternoon,

                    on our return,

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                    Yanka came out with fresh homemade

                    bread and gave it to my wife.

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                    When I brought the sheep back

                    we milked them.

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                    Then my wife said:

                    "A lady brought this bread."

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                    And it was really delicious.

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                    On the next evening we went

                    to meet those people.

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                    We saw that they were elderly and

                    without children,

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                    so we started helping each other.

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                    To have no children is a tragedy

                    of its own kind. It's not easy.

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                    I couldn't keep my babies till birth,

                    I had miscarriages.

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                    The doctor gave me injections

                    to help me carry them through.

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                    But I always lost them in 2-3 months.

                    The doctor himself cried.

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                    He said: "I can't do more than that,

                    you have to lie in bed."

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                    But how could I lie in bed?

                    Who was going to work on the land?

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                    It was a very hard time for us.

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                    I did a lot of jobs on their house:

                    replacing the electric installation,

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                    fixing plaster here and there,

                    putting doors.

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                    I helped them in any way I could.

                    And Nacho stood for me many times.

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                    There were cases I had to go

                    to a funeral to my native village.

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                    One has to be there for relations -

                    my grandfather, my uncle...

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                    And you can't find

                    a free sheep-keeper.

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                    But Nacho was always there for me,

                    and I was there for him.

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                    Boiko is a Muslim

                    and we are Catholics.

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                    But it does not

                    stop us helping each other.

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                    Faith is not an obstacle.

                    It all comes from the heart.

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                    An evil person can harm you,

                    even though he is Catholic.

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                    And if one is good, it doesn't matter

                    whether he is a Muslim.

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                    Even if they are not home,

                    I know where they keep the key.

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                    We trust each other completely.

                    I go in, leave what I have brought.

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                    I can just write a note

                    I've been there and that's it.

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                    I feel him as my son and his wife -

                    my daughter-in-law.

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                    When she comes home, she would

                    do the cooking and wash the dishes.

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                    She would not let us work,

                    as if she was one of our family.

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                    And we feel them close.

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                    We regard them as our parents

                    and they accept me as their son.

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                    I've never had to ask them,

                    but I know

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                    they would give me their last money

                    to help me in case of need.

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                    I am sister Margareta Babich.

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                    I come from Croatia and I've got

                    only two names,

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                    not three like Bulgarians do.

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                    I've been in Bulgaria

                    since October 1999.

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                    I guess the hardest thing for me

                    was the language.

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                    If you have to communicate

                    with people, with kids,

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                    especially for Theology lessons,

                    you need the language.

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                    Cleaning is not a problem.

                    I am a genius with garbage and dirt.

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                    It was hard to learn the language.

                    But it's wonderful to work with kids.

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                    Kids always help me. They correct

                    my use of words and mispronunciation.

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                    They say: "Sister, that's wrong!"

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                    And it has been much more efficient

                    than studies with a textbook.

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                    On my first Easter here we tried

                    to help the kids in the orphanage.

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                    I've been alone here for 2 years but

                    then there was another sister with me.

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                    She suggested taking painted eggs

                    to the orphanage.

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                    THE ORPHANAGE

                    IN BARDARSKI GERAN

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                    We also collected some money.

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                    Not everyone had money to give,

                    some gave less, some - more.

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                    And at my afternoon meeting

                    with the adults I asked people

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                    what to do with that money.

                    They suggested buying milk.

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                    The director of the orphanage said

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                    the kids had not seen milk

                    for a long time.

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                    So I decided to do that in our house

                    and during the break

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                    to give each child a glass of milk

                    and something to go with it.

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                    Stick to our arrangement -

                    stand in a nice queue.

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                    God bless you.

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                    Here you are, God bless you.

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                    Katherina comes.

                    She is usually the first to arrive.

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                    So, this week our job is

                    to listen to the voice of God.

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                    In order to hear God's voice,

                    we have to keep silence.

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                    Remember, the first Book of the Bible

                    is related to this - listen!

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                    Abraham does not know where

                    he must go, but he listens.

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                    And it is said - he set off.

                    It might safely be said - in darkness.

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                    He does not know where this land is

                    and how he is going to reach it,

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                    but he hears God's voice:

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                    "Abraham, you are to go to the land,

                    where I am sending you."

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                    And who has the strength to leave

                    his home, parents, his land

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                    and to go where God sends him?

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                    Not that I mean "I am Abraham".

                    I'm not. I am something small.

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                    But it was the same with me

                    when I had to leave to Bulgaria.

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                    I did not know about Bardarski Geran,

                    about Katherina, or Marishka,

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                    or Anka, Liutska,

                    Tereska, Drazhka or...

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                    We can name them all.

                    We are all brothers and sisters.

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                    Katherina, for instance, was born

                    in the same year as my mother.

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                    And don't be jealous but we have

                    an agreement with her

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                    to come every morning and pray

                    to the Virgin Mary for me,

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                    standing for my mother.

                    That was arranged from the beginning.

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                    Everyone was equally unfamiliar to me

                    but she said she was of the same age.

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                    So, when you go where God sends you,

                    you are at the right place.

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                    Good morning.

                    - Good morning.

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                    I was born in Pokrovan and I've spent

                    all my life in the kitchen.

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                    I have two children. My daughter

                    is married in the city of Haskovo.

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                    I have a son, too.

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                    When I was newly married,

                    we were forbidden to go to church.

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                    My husband and I went secretly

                    at night to be married before God.

@SHOW 00:30:37:03 00:30:47:11

                    We also

                    christened our children secretly.

@SHOW 00:30:51:03 00:30:54:22

                    Faith never dies.

                    We are both Catholic.

@SHOW 00:30:57:02 00:31:00:14

                    We believe in God.

@SHOW 00:31:00:20 00:31:04:08

                    My life turned out to be very sad.

@SHOW 00:31:09:08 00:31:16:02

                    I was widowed when I was 32.

@SHOW 00:31:18:16 00:31:22:16

                    I feel sorrow when I see my friends:

@SHOW 00:31:23:01 00:31:26:22

                    they have husbands

                    and help each other.

@SHOW 00:31:27:16 00:31:32:12

                    There are man's jobs

                    and I have no one to help me.

@SHOW 00:31:32:23 00:31:39:03

                    Moreover you have no one to talk to

                    when you come back home at night.

@SHOW 00:31:40:09 00:31:48:04

                    Yet, it is as it is.

@SHOW 00:31:53:13 00:31:56:08

                    I carried on for the sake

                    of my children. In loneliness.

@SHOW 00:31:56:11 00:32:04:00

                    What can you do? It's fate.

@SHOW 00:32:04:22 00:32:09:03

                    In the past there were many

                    young people in the village

@SHOW 00:32:10:02 00:32:16:08

                    and lots of marriages.

                    I cooked for all of them.

@SHOW 00:32:16:11 00:32:24:11

                    I enjoyed it, but in the end,

                    after I served my meals

@SHOW 00:32:27:05 00:32:32:01

                    and saw people celebrate

                    and being so merry,

@SHOW 00:32:32:04 00:32:37:01

                    I used to grow sad.

@SHOW 00:32:37:03 00:32:39:13

                    It was very hard for me

                    because I was still young.

@SHOW 00:32:39:15 00:32:46:00

                    This is heavier but more reliable.

                    There is no motor to burn up.

@SHOW 00:33:05:07 00:33:10:13

                    We are a great team with my wife.

                    I can only work with her properly.

@SHOW 00:33:15:16 00:33:20:00

                    Maybe the fault is with me.

@SHOW 00:33:20:02 00:33:22:04

                    However, I can't work

                    with my daughters and sons-in-law.

@SHOW 00:33:22:06 00:33:25:24

                    My granddaughter

                    is a great assistant.

@SHOW 00:33:26:01 00:33:28:14

                    My grandson is a bit of a dodger.

@SHOW 00:33:28:16 00:33:30:24

                    Granddaughter,

                    go and collect the eggs.

@SHOW 00:33:31:02 00:33:33:22

                    She enjoys collecting the eggs

                    and feeding the animals.

@SHOW 00:33:34:00 00:33:38:01

                    I'm very pleased with her.

@SHOW 00:33:38:03 00:33:40:08

                    I'm pleased with him too,

                    but he tries to get too clever.

@SHOW 00:33:40:10 00:33:44:02

                    This younger one

                    takes after his Grandma.

@SHOW 00:33:44:05 00:33:46:22

                    Well, it was a long time ago.

                    How many years back?

@SHOW 00:33:47:01 00:33:51:18

                    When I finished my army service

                    I had to get married.

@SHOW 00:33:52:01 00:33:56:13

                    I met her once at the dentist.

@SHOW 00:33:57:04 00:33:59:13

                    I liked her

                    and started dancing with her only.

@SHOW 00:33:59:17 00:34:04:16

                    And these things

                    can't be kept secret.

@SHOW 00:34:05:03 00:34:10:18

                    If I was single now,

                    I'd take her again.

@SHOW 00:34:13:00 00:34:15:24

                    I don't know about her.

                    She says - no.

@SHOW 00:34:16:03 00:34:19:17

                    We've been together

                    for many years...

@SHOW 00:34:21:01 00:34:23:19

                    How many?

                    - Almost 50.

@SHOW 00:34:23:20 00:34:26:03

                    It means we are both very good.

@SHOW 00:34:26:04 00:34:28:23

                    You know why? Because

                    we got patience with each other.

@SHOW 00:34:28:24 00:34:32:12

                    So on the 20th...

                    - November.

@SHOW 00:34:32:13 00:34:34:16

                    On the 20th November

                    we made the wedding.

@SHOW 00:34:34:18 00:34:37:09

                    1955. I left the army in 1954.

                    That's how it was then.

@SHOW 00:34:37:12 00:34:41:21

                    One year and a man

                    should start a family.

@SHOW 00:34:41:23 00:34:44:24

                    So, we went to the Municipal Office

                    with pictures and everything.

@SHOW 00:34:45:02 00:34:49:20

                    We took a note

                    and signed in the register.

@SHOW 00:34:49:21 00:34:53:16

                    Then we went to the priest with

                    the note and were married in church.

@SHOW 00:34:53:18 00:34:58:06

                    That was the accepted order

                    and I approve of it.

@SHOW 00:34:58:07 00:35:01:12

                    Then comes the wedding.

@SHOW 00:35:01:13 00:35:03:17

                    Tradition here is to help the young

                    couple morally and financially.

@SHOW 00:35:03:20 00:35:09:15

                    Parents cover the expenses

                    and the profit goes to the newlyweds.

@SHOW 00:35:09:18 00:35:14:06

                    That's how it was in the past.

@SHOW 00:35:14:07 00:35:16:23

                    That's how it was.

                    Now they do it in restaurants.

@SHOW 00:35:17:04 00:35:20:21

                    But back then the big wedding

                    was obligatory.

@SHOW 00:35:21:00 00:35:24:13

                    Till I was married I was not aware

                    that Catholics existed

@SHOW 00:35:38:18 00:35:43:00

                    and did not know the difference

                    in religion.

@SHOW 00:35:43:04 00:35:47:09

                    Only when I got married I learned

                    that my wife was Catholic.

@SHOW 00:35:47:13 00:35:53:15

                    I did not know that when I met her.

@SHOW 00:35:53:19 00:35:57:14

                    I realized

                    this was a Catholic village.

@SHOW 00:35:57:20 00:36:01:02

                    It is the only one in the region.

@SHOW 00:36:01:05 00:36:06:12

                    In all the rest

                    East Orthodox and Muslims live.

@SHOW 00:36:07:14 00:36:12:11

                    We got married on 27th February,

                    42 years ago.

@SHOW 00:36:13:04 00:36:19:18

                    Then I called my parents

                    that I got married.

@SHOW 00:36:19:24 00:36:28:03

                    I told them he was East Orthodox.

@SHOW 00:36:28:12 00:36:33:00

                    My father wrote to me: "Couldn't you

                    choose a Catholic. Why an Orthodox?"

@SHOW 00:36:33:03 00:36:39:21

                    I didn't reply anything

                    but I thought:

@SHOW 00:36:39:24 00:36:42:22

                    where should I've looked for

                    a Catholic?

@SHOW 00:36:43:00 00:36:46:08

                    Should I've written it on a board?

@SHOW 00:36:46:13 00:36:49:14

                    So, we found one another

                    and got married.

@SHOW 00:36:49:17 00:36:53:22

                    We sent telegrams,

                    asking them to come.

@SHOW 00:36:54:01 00:36:58:02

                    We invited them to the wedding

                    but they wouldn't arrive,

@SHOW 00:36:58:05 00:37:01:19

                    since I was of the East Orthodox.

                    So, they promptly refused.

@SHOW 00:37:01:22 00:37:06:01

                    Only my wife's sister

                    was present on her side,

@SHOW 00:37:06:04 00:37:11:03

                    since they both worked here.

                    I felt bad for her, but...

@SHOW 00:37:11:10 00:37:17:18

                    Mum cried a lot that Father did not

                    let anybody come to my wedding.

@SHOW 00:37:18:10 00:37:25:11

                    Anyway, it was done and over.

@SHOW 00:37:25:13 00:37:27:23

                    On the National Day we decided

                    to visit my parents.

@SHOW 00:37:28:01 00:37:35:07

                    We were a little reserved about it,

                    thinking they wouldn't want us.

@SHOW 00:37:36:09 00:37:41:20

                    But they welcomed us.

@SHOW 00:37:41:22 00:37:44:09

                    We started visiting them

                    but I always felt somehow neglected.

@SHOW 00:37:44:11 00:37:52:05

                    Very much neglected.

@SHOW 00:37:52:14 00:37:55:01

                    I always stood aside,

@SHOW 00:37:55:05 00:37:58:13

                    because my father-in-law

                    didn't like talking to me.

@SHOW 00:37:58:22 00:38:05:00

                    Then my sister-in-law got married.

                    My father-in-law was very pleased,

@SHOW 00:38:24:04 00:38:28:18

                    because she married a Catholic.

@SHOW 00:38:28:19 00:38:31:06

                    He was absolutely delighted

                    with his new son-in-law.

@SHOW 00:38:31:09 00:38:38:00

                    A year passed.

                    We went again to visit them.

@SHOW 00:38:38:14 00:38:43:06

                    My father-in-law said:

                    "Let's pray to God and eat."

@SHOW 00:38:43:08 00:38:48:21

                    I had never argued with

                    him about his beliefs.

@SHOW 00:38:48:23 00:38:54:07

                    Here my brother-in-law, the Catholic,

                    stood out.

@SHOW 00:38:55:03 00:38:59:12

                    "That's enough, Dad", he said.

                    "People went to the open space

@SHOW 00:38:59:15 00:39:04:11

                    and did not find him

                    and you are only looking for God."

@SHOW 00:39:04:13 00:39:08:12

                    So, they both quarreled

                    rather seriously.

@SHOW 00:39:08:15 00:39:12:01

                    I decided to interfere

                    and said to the younger man:

@SHOW 00:39:12:04 00:39:18:13

                    "Why do you argue now?

                    Everyone believes in something."

@SHOW 00:39:18:18 00:39:25:17

                    "Why do you care

                    if he believes in God?"

@SHOW 00:39:25:18 00:39:31:06

                    My father changed his attitude,

                    seeing my husband was not a bad man.

@SHOW 00:39:31:19 00:39:41:19

                    I never regarded him

                    as an evil person.

@SHOW 00:39:42:22 00:39:47:22

                    It was a bit hard till I convinced

                    him that I was not bad either.

@SHOW 00:39:47:24 00:39:53:20

                    My wife is East Orthodox.

                    She does not come from that village.

@SHOW 00:39:55:18 00:40:01:11

                    My daughter's husband is also

                    East Orthodox. They do not live here.

@SHOW 00:40:02:05 00:40:07:08

                    My son is Catholic and his wife

                    is East Orthodox too.

@SHOW 00:40:07:11 00:40:12:01

                    They, too, live in another city.

@SHOW 00:40:12:05 00:40:15:00

                    But there are no problems,

                    due to their different religion.

@SHOW 00:40:15:03 00:40:21:23

                    Bread does not divide people

                    into Catholics and East Orthodox.

@SHOW 00:40:22:24 00:40:27:05

                    We cannot deny bread

                    to anybody, who comes to the village.

@SHOW 00:40:27:08 00:40:31:22

                    Bread is sacred. Even the traveler

                    should get it, anybody at all.

@SHOW 00:40:31:24 00:40:37:09

                    This year both Easters are

                    one month away.

@SHOW 00:40:38:03 00:40:42:13

                    We will celebrate both -

                    the Catholic and the East Orthodox.

@SHOW 00:40:42:18 00:40:47:20

                    Two celebrations. It is best

                    when they happen on the same date.

@SHOW 00:40:48:00 00:40:54:07

                    My wife never said we had our Easter,

                    why should we celebrate yours?

@SHOW 00:40:56:08 00:41:01:19

                    She always prepared

                    both celebrations.

@SHOW 00:41:01:24 00:41:06:10

                    The biggest pain is the lack of jobs.

@SHOW 00:41:31:02 00:41:34:04

                    If these days something happens

@SHOW 00:41:34:06 00:41:36:24

                    and I am not on this job,

                    I'll have to stay at home.

@SHOW 00:41:37:01 00:41:41:17

                    And it will be hard, because

                    I'm used to being with people.

@SHOW 00:41:41:21 00:41:46:14

                    I'll be 60 this year.

                    And I'll miss being among people.

@SHOW 00:41:46:17 00:41:53:01

                    Three breads?

                    Choose crisper if you like.

@SHOW 00:41:54:16 00:41:58:15

                    It is an old tradition in this region

@SHOW 00:42:04:05 00:42:08:04

                    that every village should have

                    its own brass band.

@SHOW 00:42:08:06 00:42:12:23

                    This tradition was strongest

                    in the 60-ies and 70-ies.

@SHOW 00:42:13:04 00:42:18:23

                    Then it gradually faded away.

@SHOW 00:42:19:01 00:42:22:15

                    When I came here I met

                    some younger guys who love music.

@SHOW 00:42:22:20 00:42:28:06

                    I love music too.

@SHOW 00:42:28:13 00:42:30:13

                    And we decided to form a band.

                    Not so big as they used to be.

@SHOW 00:42:30:17 00:42:37:11

                    We are only 6 or 7 people.

                    But I very much enjoy it.

@SHOW 00:42:37:16 00:42:46:14

                    When someone is feeling low and sad,

@SHOW 00:42:49:07 00:42:54:09

                    it helps a lot to play and sing,

                    to gather with mates. One forgets.

@SHOW 00:42:56:09 00:43:04:14

                    You can't play and sing

                    and be unhappy at the same time.

@SHOW 00:43:04:17 00:43:09:14

                    So, that's my consolation.

@SHOW 00:43:09:19 00:43:13:22

                    We have a lot of solitary old people,

                    disabled persons.

@SHOW 00:44:56:23 00:45:05:02

                    We take food to their homes.

@SHOW 00:45:05:18 00:45:10:00

                    Those who can walk,

                    come here to the canteen.

@SHOW 00:45:10:07 00:45:17:19

                    It was created by "Caritas" -

                    a beneficiary Catholic organization,

@SHOW 00:45:19:03 00:45:23:23

                    whose aim is to help

                    old and sick people in the village.

@SHOW 00:45:23:24 00:45:30:12

                    Our canteen

                    is an act of charity and mercy.

@SHOW 00:45:31:08 00:45:38:06

                    It doesn't divide people

                    according to their faith.

@SHOW 00:45:39:18 00:45:44:17

                    Everybody who is poor and lonely

                    has the right to eat here.

@SHOW 00:45:44:21 00:45:52:10

                    Loneliness is the worst thing.

                    I feel for lonely people,

@SHOW 00:46:09:05 00:46:14:12

                    because I know what it is like.

@SHOW 00:46:14:15 00:46:17:14

                    I was left a widow

                    when I was too young.

@SHOW 00:46:17:17 00:46:23:21

                    And I was the only widow

                    in the village.

@SHOW 00:46:23:23 00:46:29:16

                    If only there was another woman

                    in my position,

@SHOW 00:46:29:20 00:46:33:08

                    so we could comfort each other.

                    But no, I was the only one here.

@SHOW 00:46:33:11 00:46:37:23

                    I understand

                    it is hard for lonely people.

@SHOW 00:46:38:01 00:46:40:24

                    But they are grateful

                    that their food is provided

@SHOW 00:46:41:02 00:46:46:15

                    and they have someone

                    to exchange a few words with.

@SHOW 00:46:46:18 00:46:51:10

                    When they come to the canteen,

                    they smile.

@SHOW 00:46:51:14 00:46:54:17

                    If we tell a joke,

                    they laugh with us.

@SHOW 00:46:54:20 00:46:58:15

                    I guess they are glad to have us.

@SHOW 00:46:58:24 00:47:01:07

                    I am glad too,

                    because I want to help those people.

@SHOW 00:47:01:10 00:47:06:10

                    We, Muslims, are obliged to give

                    someone a present on Friday morning.

@SHOW 00:47:46:12 00:47:55:07

                    Because God gave us good health

                    and the week passed well.

@SHOW 00:47:55:21 00:48:02:04

                    Whether this would be a pack of salt

                    or a chocolate bar, is not important.

@SHOW 00:48:02:06 00:48:10:23

                    But you have to give something

                    and preferably to someone poor.

@SHOW 00:48:11:04 00:48:19:11

                    Anyway, in the villages now

                    well-to-do people are very few.

@SHOW 00:48:20:05 00:48:27:05

                    The population is mostly poor

                    and there are no jobs to keep them.

@SHOW 00:48:27:08 00:48:33:08

                    So we try to help out neighbours,

                    they help us and that's how it is.

@SHOW 00:48:33:10 00:48:37:24

                    When one gets up in the morning

                    has one's meal and feels good,

@SHOW 00:48:38:02 00:48:43:04

                    he will do his best

                    as long as he's not lazy.

@SHOW 00:48:43:07 00:48:47:21

                    I was hurt by a colleague of mine,

                    a Catholic; he cut me with a knife.

@SHOW 00:48:48:00 00:48:54:23

                    I went through

                    a lot of operations and suffering.

@SHOW 00:48:55:01 00:49:00:05

                    And even though it was 10 years,

                    I still feel some pain in my lung.

@SHOW 00:49:00:09 00:49:08:11

                    He pierced my left lung,

                    less than an inch from my heart.

@SHOW 00:49:08:14 00:49:15:06

                    And many people discussed

                    the case with me and told me

@SHOW 00:49:16:11 00:49:22:18

                    that I was a fool

                    for not taking my revenge on him.

@SHOW 00:49:22:19 00:49:28:18

                    But for me revenge is evil.

@SHOW 00:49:28:20 00:49:32:15

                    A man has no right to take revenge

                    on another man, only God has it.

@SHOW 00:49:32:21 00:49:38:20

                    Because

                    if I had started revenge on him,

@SHOW 00:49:38:23 00:49:42:14

                    his children

                    would revenge against mine

@SHOW 00:49:42:16 00:49:45:11

                    and things would never be cleared.

@SHOW 00:49:45:14 00:49:48:05

                    Therefore I put it behind.

                    What's done can't be undone.

@SHOW 00:49:48:09 00:49:53:19

                    I thank God that

                    my children were not left orphans.

@SHOW 00:49:53:21 00:49:57:18

                    5-6 years ago I was going to

                    the town in winter, in a snow storm.

@SHOW 00:49:57:20 00:50:02:23

                    In the middle of the road

                    I saw a man walking

@SHOW 00:50:03:02 00:50:07:09

                    and I saw that this was

                    the colleague who cut me.

@SHOW 00:50:07:12 00:50:12:15

                    I passed him with my car and stopped.

                    He ran towards the car.

@SHOW 00:50:12:19 00:50:17:24

                    When he saw it was me,

                    he gasped in distress.

@SHOW 00:50:18:02 00:50:22:08

                    "You are welcome in", I said.

                    "Where to in that blizzard?"

@SHOW 00:50:22:09 00:50:26:15

                    As soon as he sat by me,

                    tears streamed down his cheeks.

@SHOW 00:50:26:18 00:50:31:08

                    He realized that he made

                    a terrible mistake back then.

@SHOW 00:50:31:11 00:50:37:23

                    But I told him that I did not want

                    the incident mentioned any more.

@SHOW 00:50:38:00 00:50:42:16

                    So, I asked him about himself and

                    he started telling me of his affairs.

@SHOW 00:50:42:19 00:50:47:17

                    When we arrived in the town,

@SHOW 00:50:47:19 00:50:50:03

                    he stepped out of the car

                    and shook my hand.

@SHOW 00:50:50:05 00:50:54:03

                    Some days later

                    Yana, Nacho's wife, told me

@SHOW 00:50:54:07 00:50:58:14

                    the man was saying round the village

                    that he was sorry for what he did

@SHOW 00:50:58:18 00:51:05:01

                    and that Boiko, the Muslim,

                    proved to be a nice person indeed.

@SHOW 00:51:05:02 00:51:11:12

                    When I was in the hospital only

                    Yana and Nacho

@SHOW 00:54:05:19 00:54:11:02

                    went home to comfort my wife.

@SHOW 00:54:11:05 00:54:16:09

                    On the 3rd day

                    they called the hospital

@SHOW 00:54:16:13 00:54:21:19

                    to ask about my condition.

@SHOW 00:54:21:22 00:54:25:04

                    I was in the glass room

                    where they put hopeless cases.

@SHOW 00:54:25:11 00:54:33:14

                    There were three of us

@SHOW 00:54:35:08 00:54:37:18

                    and the person next to me

                    died the same night.

@SHOW 00:54:37:20 00:54:43:06

                    When they called from my village

                    to ask about me

@SHOW 00:54:43:10 00:54:46:24

                    some nurse told them:

                    "He died last night."

@SHOW 00:54:47:00 00:54:52:18

                    The mayor was shocked

                    and did not know how to tell my wife.

@SHOW 00:54:52:22 00:55:01:20

                    It is very hard to say:

                    "Your husband died."

@SHOW 00:55:01:23 00:55:06:11

                    He went to Yana and Nacho,

                    knowing that our families were close.

@SHOW 00:55:06:14 00:55:12:11

                    He told Yana: "What are we

                    going to go? Boiko died."

@SHOW 00:55:12:15 00:55:16:11

                    "But how is it possible?"

                    "Well, that's what they told me."

@SHOW 00:55:16:14 00:55:20:21

                    They decided to call her brother,

                    who lives in the nearby town.

@SHOW 00:55:20:24 00:55:28:03

                    He came to the hospital in Haskovo.

@SHOW 00:55:29:19 00:55:32:20

                    We had met only once before.

                    So, he stood at the door.

@SHOW 00:55:32:22 00:55:39:10

                    "Boiko, how are you?", he asked.

                    "I'm O.K.", I said.

@SHOW 00:55:39:18 00:55:44:06

                    "Do you know me?"

                    "No."

@SHOW 00:55:44:09 00:55:46:12

                    "I'm Yana's brother", he said.

@SHOW 00:55:46:15 00:55:49:09

                    Then he cried

                    and I started crying too.

@SHOW 00:55:49:12 00:55:52:09

                    "Did my folks call you?", I asked.

@SHOW 00:55:52:12 00:55:54:22

                    He replied they asked him to check

                    if I needed anything.

@SHOW 00:55:55:00 00:55:58:24

                    So, I told him I needed

                    my shaving kit.

@SHOW 00:55:59:03 00:56:01:22

                    When he got back home

                    he called Yana.

@SHOW 00:56:01:23 00:56:04:16

                    Yana went to my wife

                    to tell her I was all right.

@SHOW 00:56:04:17 00:56:09:22

                    Later she also told her about

                    the false announcement of my death.

@SHOW 00:56:10:01 00:56:16:05

                    That's for you because

                    you were so good today.

@SHOW 00:59:00:08 00:59:05:00

                    Grandpa will give you a treat.

                    Here you are.

@SHOW 00:59:05:01 00:59:10:20

                    If you were like that every day

                    I might be a millionaire.

@SHOW 00:59:16:00 00:59:20:24

                    Grandpa will award you.

@SHOW 00:59:24:07 00:59:27:05

                    In the name of the Father,

                    the Son and the Holy Spirit.

@SHOW 00:59:55:21 00:59:59:14

                    Our Father in heaven.

                    Hallowed be Your name.

@SHOW 00:59:59:17 01:00:02:19

                    Your kingdom come.

                    Your will be done.

@SHOW 01:00:02:21 01:00:05:12

                    On earth as it is in heaven.

                    Give us this day our daily bread...

@SHOW 01:00:05:15 01:00:11:00

@DEFSTYLES

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%  30 100  2  0  0  5  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  2  0  0  5  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   3  25  25  25   0 2  15

%Normal Style                                      H bar 36

%  30 100  2  0  0  5  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  2  0  0  5  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   3  25  25  25   0 2  15

%Normal Style                                      H bar 36 Italic

%  30 100  2  0  0  5  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  2  0  0  5  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   3  25  25  25   0 2  15

%* Style 3                                         T mok 36 Italic

%  30 100  1  0  0  3  80 100 100 100  54 100  50  23  75  30 100  1  0  0  3  90  90  72  40  72  94  19  40  57 0   0   3   0   0   0   0 2  30

%* Style 4                                         C urier 36 Ital

%  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   3   0   0   0   0 2  30

%* Style 5                                         O al 36 Italic

%  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   0   0   0   0   0 2  30

%* Style 6                                         A anti 30

%  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0

%* Style 7                                         H bar 24

%  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0

%* Style 8                                         H bar 24

%  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0

%* Style 9                                         H bar 24

%  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0  30 100  0  0  0  0  90  90  90   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0   0   0   0   0   0 0   0

 

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