You wrote in a recent blog post, "It's actually that very inspiration I derive from being a "foreigner" that makes me hold on to my Bulgarianness as tightly as I do." Did you feel Bulgarian when you lived in Bulgaria?
Thank you for asking the first question!
I don't remember reflecting upon my Bulgarianness while I lived in Bulgaria. I wasn't embarrassed, I never minded being Bulgarian. I just never thought about it.
The only time when I did feel especially Bulgarian while IN Bulgaria was when Kyle moved to Sofia back in 2006. Being around him made me hyper-aware of silly Bulgarian things: our relationship to public space, eating fruit off random trees on the street, traveling in groups, taking forever to make simple points, never smiling in pictures...
