THE VILLAGE

April 11, 2020.

Day 29 of the declared emergency. After being rigorously isolated for almost a month, we have to go to a nearby village to bring food supplies to our relatives. Their car is damaged and there is only one small shop in the village, which is rather sparse. We fill out the declarations and leave. Sammy is most excited about seeing his cousins.

I have prepared two crocus and hyacinth bulbs that have already bloomed to be planted in the garden. As I watch Sammy enjoy the watering of flowers and play in the yard, I secretly begin to envy the people who currently live outside the city. At least their kids can go out outside without their parents running after them screaming “Don’t touch anywhere.”

As I watch the carefree kids having fun, memories of my childhood years pop up in my mind. There was no vacation I would not be in the countryside with my grandparents. My childhood was filled with incredible experiences that I still remember with love today. Some of my most wonderful years …

There is no way to forget the aroma of freshly sliced ​​tomatoes, the wet streets after the summer rain, the grandma’s homemade chutney. Midnight games of guards and apaches and hide and seek in the neighboring yards. Our grandmothers, who are sitting in front of the house and telling stories, and we are listening to them, huddled together on the sidewalk. The first love thrill …

In the morning, I woke up to the crowing of the rooster and the smell of my grandmother’s mecca, and still, without a bite, someone was already calling me to play from the street. My grandfather and I went to grazing with the goats, we went around the fairgrounds, and at lunch we sat down under the shade of a tree to rest. These are my childhood memories. It is a pity that my child will not be so lucky to have those.

On the other hand, we are used to the city and have already become familiar with it. Dirty air will no longer be a problem because we all have masks.

If I had a camera on hand at that time, I would surely shoot everything and now I don`t have a single sealed moment of paper from those moments. Now I realize the value of photography – it brings us back to that nostalgic feeling of times gone by, revives our memory and remains a lifelong trace. I promise myself when the pandemic goes to go to my grandparents’ village and show Sammy where I spent my childhood.

After a long afternoon’s play, it’s time to rest, the little heroes are tired and immediately surrender to sleep.

Even the view of the sealed playgrounds after returning to Sofia later in the day, could not drive away from my thoughts the fond memories of my days spent in the countryside.

#Stayhome awaiting the next dose of visual “Pandemic Stories”.

Love,
Tsveti