Quarantine in Bulgaria:
smile more against all odds


It turns out that quarantine is when you drink rakija online with your friends and walk... a sheep! Photojournalist Georgi Kozhuharov shared hilarious stories of self-isolation and told about the projects he is working on staying at home.
Project
Interview
— How has social distancing affected your daily life?
— My job as a full-time photojournalist involves a lot of traveling and working outside my home. At the moment I do not go to the office every morning. Frankly, I like this a lot. In recent years, I have spent very little time at home, and now I spend most of my day cooking and watching movies. So far, this change makes me feel pretty well. In fact, I finally found the time to write my undergraduate thesis to graduate university.
Georgi's work space during
self-isolation period
I called the accounting department of the university and told them that I am finally ready with my graduate work. I told them it would be great to be right at this moment, because once the state of emergency falls, it is possible for me to leave to cover what is happening in Libya or Yemen or Ethiopia and again not have time for years, so now it is the perfect moment. Of course, contacts with my loved ones are kept to a minimum.
Before the coronavirus pandemic Georgi has been working as a photo correspondent in conflict zones
— How are your compatriots adapting to the new conditions in Bulgaria?
— I observe that everyone on the streets obey the distance instructions. Many of my friends have lost their jobs, but have found some way to survive in this difficult time. In Bulgaria, almost everyone has access to the traditional Bulgarian alcoholic beverage brandy called rakia. Many people produce it at home. Together with friends, we sometimes spend our evenings chattingwhile drinking homemade rakia. This cheers us up and makes the situation quite absurd but funny.
We started cooking more traditional dishes, which come out cheaper, like: moussaka, sausages with beans, and sarmi. Honestly, everyone around me was fascinatedby eating fancyburgers and gourmet things at restaurants that are unreasonably expensive and not so tasty.
— How has coronavirus influenced your work?
— Atthemoment, Iamtryingtostandasmuchaspossibleinisolationtominimizetheriskofinfection. In recent weeks, I've been working on stories I've found in the neighborhood where I live. Last week, I shot a short video report of a neighbor of me watching a sheep in front of the block of flats where he lives. I take pictures of what's going on in the neighborhood park and grocery.
WALKING A SHEEP
Recently I'd noticed a funny story, that I made a video coverage about later. My neighbour was walking in front of the block of flats where we live... a sheep! He had even put on a protective mask on that sheep. He did it for a joke. Currently in Bulgaria it is forbidden for a person to walk unless they are walking their pet. My neighbor regularly walks his sheep just like a dog.
« Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect»
– Richard Powell in his book «Wabi-Sabi Simple»
The series of photos I present is related to Japanese Wabi-Sabi philosophy. The name Wabi-Sabi does not have an exact translation, but I understand this philosophy as finding a way to discover beauty in things that are not otherwise considered beautiful. One may not throw away the broken vase, but stick it and traces of the broken make it unique and even tell a story that only that vase can tell. To discover the beauty in their transience.
My balcony flowers fade and rot, but I saw them through Wabi-Sabi's. It is the same with isolation and the current situation. The situation calls for measures that are serious and will have a huge impact on everyone. But the situation has already happened and luckily it is reversible. Today, people can help one another more because the danger is the same for everyone. We can all make the consequences smaller. Also, I think now is a good time to consider whether continually throwing things away and consuming because of the consuming itself, is a good idea at all.
The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi encourages us to focus on the blessings hiding in our daily lives, and celebrating the way things are rather than how they should be.
Statistics | COVID-19 in Bulgaria
est. April 23, 2020 (morning)
1 081
People infected
50
People died
190
People recovered