16/08/2026
While everyone is having a hot girl summer, I am having a not-hot-Balkan-contractor-gates-of-hell summer. Pulled up with my movers with the idea to move in just to find an ongoing construction site and piles of trash. My contractor served me a hand written paper “invoice” and dumped my project with zero notice as he was on his way to the beach. Finding contractors in Bulgaria is always a mission impossible but finding them in the middle of August as a “single woman from America” is an extra peculiar situation. (Kinda curious what the difference would have been if I showed up with a black, brown or Latin boyfriend). Fast forward through multiple encounters with money vultures, Neanderthals, male primadona “artisans” for whom deadline is a strange and unfamiliar concept, considerate amounts of mansplaining, man-whining and people who viewed me as a living and breathing ATM machine. Karma proved itself right and a few good men did step forward, while the neighbors fed me. Indirect added benefit are my enriched Bulgarian curse words vocabulary, insight into inter marital affairs of the region and increased tolerance to conspiracy theorists. Didn’t miss out on my gym routine either. Farmers carry are nothing compared to sacks-full-of-bricks, cement bags and broken tile up-the-hill-carry. Instead of pull-ups, I ripped the 50 year old baseboard with my grandpa’s axe. My wife-beater/contractor pants tan is kinda sexy by now. Saved up on mani pedi as well since scrubbing cement off wood frames and peeling paint off of ceramic tiles doesn’t require aesthetics. Mountain house won’t happen this summer as planned, and regardless of all the absurdity, this is where my roots are and I am not giving up on continuing my grandparents legacy. No matter what the locals think of a woman on her own, I have more balls than all of them put together and there is hope for the house to be done next summer! With all the adrenaline roller coaster and averaging 2 hours of sleep nights, one thing is for sure! This house better be full of people, music, food and wine because I surely and literally worked my “hot and spicy” Bulgarian a$$ off for it! 🌈🤪🍾 🏠 🇧🇬