Member-only story
QUEEN ELIZABETH
I Was Very Confused the Night the Queen Died
All because of the language barrier here in Bulgaria.
When Chris and I first came to Bulgaria in 2015, the hostel we stayed at provided a small pamphlet to us that spoke about a few unique Bulgarian things that us visitors should know about.
One of the main things it pointed out is that when Bulgarians nod their head, it means no. Similarly, when they shake it side to side, they mean yes.
You can imagine the confusion that arises when we are trying to communicate with people. Our immediate reaction is that they are saying no when they shake their heads side to side, and it takes us a moment to tell ourselves, “I think that means yes.”
It truly goes against all instincts that we have. Especially when we are trying to communicate in a foreign language and are focusing on trying to figure out just what is being said to begin with.
Upon arriving back here almost 2 weeks ago, we had forgotten this important communication detail!