We can't deny our roots....

So Pradeep and I true to our tradition were due for another meeting in a city of choice, as you can guess we decided to come to Sofia, I from Brussels and Deep's from Italy, I on Friday night and Deep's on Saturday morning. I get to my guesthouse after a few scares about the actual place when I got inside two Iraqi gentlemen and an older bulgarian lady were having dinner in the communal living area, not 5 mins later I was eating and drinking with them. You can imagine the conversation between a 60 year-old bulgarian lady who is fasting for the orthodox celebration of the Cyrillic alphabet, one 60 year-old Iraqi who barely speaks english and trying to open a business here, a 29 year-old Iraqi who has 4 different nationalities and 6 professions.....and head-strong " I am woman hear me roar" me! One can only imagine where the conversations took us.



The next day, they took me to a Syrian-romanian owned restaurant where we had the most incredible meal. The owners were very nice, a romanian lady married to a syrian who spoke perfect romanian.


The lady owner: (in romania) Oh you are romanian, beautiful girl, whatever you do don't go to bed with these men do you understand me?


Me: I'll have the kebab with humous and salad.


The lady: No matter how much money they offer you


Me: and some Chai please.....wait what did you say?


The lady: They don't treat romanian girls well, they'll have you then laugh at you! Don't go to bed with them!


Me: Um....ummm what?

So yes, she thought I was a prostitute, from the streets of Sofia, here pleasing my Iraqi friends.... I tried to explain the situation to her and tell her my 2 friends were from the same guest house and I was waiting for a friend to join me so we decided to have lunch together.  She said she understood but at the end she still told me not to go to bed with them..... made me wonder how bad the situation had to be for so many young women that my story of I'm an engineer here for the long weekend with a friend seemed almost impossible.