My dance teacher saved my life

if I were superstitious, that is. Let me start from the beginning. I went to dance class where we practiced a really difficult horo. By the end of class I was pretty sweaty. I went to put on my sweater. There was a baba sitting there who started to yell at me. I had no idea what she was saying, but she was quite animated. I just turned around and ignored her. I then saw my teacher come in and told me to take off my shirt. I objected, but she insisted. Not wanting to make a bigger deal out of it, I did. She then took my shirt and proceeded to wipe my sweat off. Making sure she got it all, she raised my arms and turned me around, using my shirt as a sponge. All of this happened while standing shirtless in the middle of the room. She gave me a shirt which was waaaay too tight. The entire class was concerned that I would catch a cold while walking home and die.

I've noticed several superstitions while being in Bulgaria so far. The biggest one is the fear of the течение, or the Draft. There seems to be a very sincere concern for their life when the feel a draft. During my training in Rila, it was incredibly hot riding in buses because no one wanted to jeopardize their, or anyone else's life, by opening a window. I, in fact did this, and was severely scolded by an old man. However, when there is a draft, and it cannot be avoided, everyone covers their neck. I was riding in an ultra-hot bus when the A/C kicked in. People were frantically trying to turn their nozzle off. When that didn't work, they put on a scarf or popped their collar. I could only help but chuckle because for me, it was a welcome relief!

There are some other superstitions that I've heard about, but never seen practiced. Some of them are odd, like, if you don't finish your bread, you'll be attacked by "the Gypsies" or if you sing at the table, you'll marry a drunk. Some of them, however, I've heard but never seen practiced. For example, filling someone's unfinished cup with more alcohol is bad luck. We were told this during training if we politely didn't want to drink anymore. Not the case. Oh well. My family told me my Bulgarian gets better after I've had a little to drink.