My Bulgarian Fairytale-Bulgaria

My Bulgarian Fairytale

Bulgaria Maria Bonova

My story begins in the village of Ouzinkie, on Spuce Island in the State of Alaska, United States. Our only means of getting to the town of Kodiak is either by plane or boat.

Our games varied with the seasons:playing games with neighbors, climbing trees, hiking, going to the beach, and exploring tidal pools were our main entertainment during the summer months.

During the winter months, sledding, skating and playing in the snow was enough to keep us entertained.

Climbing trees was another form of entertainment. I spent a lot of time on top of the trees looking into the distance and wondering what was there.

What was beyond those hills? And those mountains, what was on the other side?

I remember the winter months very well. Shoveling snow to clear houses, fishing on frozen lakes by digging a hole in them with an ax to access water to fish for trout-like fish, and best of all, skating on lakes and frozen swamps.

Often, in groups, we raced and played hockey. I think everyone knew how to skate and it was as common as riding a bike.

I started commercial salmon fishing in the summer of 1984. We fished with nets. The fish were stored in containers and covered with ice to keep them cool. Later, a boat came to weigh the fish and then transported them to Kodiak to be processed into canned or frozen salmon.

In 2005, I decided to see what was happening in the world. So I planned a trip to Europe. Bulgaria to be exact. Why Bulgaria? Because, with the appearance of the Internet, I had communicated with Milena, a Bulgarian with whom I had exchanged many things.

Over time, my curiosity and interest intensified and I was determined to meet her in person.

After receiving my passport, I planned my trip: Ouzinkie → Kodiak → Anchorage → Seattle → London → Sofia, Bulgaria.

Milena had arranged to meet me in Sofia at the airport. During this first stay, I got to know the culture and important places of Bulgaria like Sofia, and monasteries.I also got to know Milena’s parents.

In the months following my return to Alaska, I decided to return to Bulgaria. This time I spent Christmas and New Year holidays in Pazardzhik.

I would be arriving in December and staying over Christmas and New Years, about 2 weeks in all.

My journey was identical to the first time. The language barrier between Milena’s parents and me was both fun and a bit frustrating.

I went back to Bulgaria a third time with a ninety-day visa to spend the 2006 end-of-year holidays there.

Milena had found a language school where I could take Bulgarian lessons. At the end of this stay, I was afraid of never seeing again this marvelous person whom I had met.

On January 2, 2007, I again had to leave Bulgaria. This separation was more difficult than the previous two. I had come to love Milena very much.

The summer of 2007 was a very good year for salmon fishing. Of course, I kept in touch with Milena and had requested another visa valid from September to November.

This time, my intentions were a little different. I bought an engagement ring and brought it with me to Bulgaria.

I had thought a lot about this decision to buy the ring. I didn’t want to spend my life without Milena in it, and I hoped the ring would be a step in the right direction.

Around mid-September, Milena and I took a drive up to Troyan Pass. On the way back down from the mountain I stopped at a small area where you can stop and take pictures of the valley below.

The time had come. When Milena got out of the car, I got down on my knees, opened the engagement ring box and asked for her hand.

She accepted the ring. We got married on November 16, 2007 in Pazardzhik. After a small celebration with Milena’s parents and her friends, we left for the Black Sea for the honeymoon.

After the birth of our first child, Violeta, in July 2008, our little family visited my parents in October 2009.

Since then we normally go to Alaska during the summer months where I fish commercially for salmon. We all stay in Bulgaria the rest of the year.

I write and maintain Android phone apps during the winter months, and help my father-in-law with various «village» tasks, including pruning fruit trees, vines in the vineyard, and harvesting in fall.