Zdrasti! Did you catch that? It means "hello" in Bulgarian. Here is something else: "potuni ili pluvai". This is what my mom said to me when she announced that we would be moving to Los Angeles. It means "We will sink or swim". I was fourteen years old.
On my first day at middle school, I understood exactly what she meant. With no English and no friends, I felt as if I had jumped into a river without arms or legs. I will never forget the look one girl gave me as she left me alone at my corner lunch table. It made me feel alienated, almost invisible. That was when I realized how tough fitting in was going to be. Most of the time, I felt as if I was in some stupid teenage movie in which people would ask to me to repeat meaningless phrases because they thought I sounded funny. I was so alone. There was even a rumor going around that, because I was European, I was hairy all over. How I missed my friends
. . .
They are very supportive of me, and this is how I give to them. I needed our neighbors back in Sofia, who were an extended family, just like the one in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - big, loud, warm, and always around. I embrace this new life and because of it, I have developed independence, a strong moral character and sense of responsibility. But the economic chaos in Bulgaria during the last fourteen years forced people to focus on their own financial problems and neglect the misery of the less fortunate. I appreciate unique traits of the Balkan region, such as striving for excellence and ethnic tolerance, and I will never lose my identity, language, and culture. I now believe that I can rise through anything. At home, I am the translator of the house. Here it was simply my parents and me. Many times I would stay after class, telling my peers about Bulgaria and the life I had had there.
Mastering the challenges of my young life has made me a strong person. ! And my grandma! I wanted to sit with her and listen to her stories. Long hours were spent reading "Teen People" and "Cosmo Girl".
Adaptation was not a choice, it was a matter of survival.
Approximate Word count =
611
Approximate Pages =
2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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