If you are wondering what in fact is "Foreigners in the Motherland", we are happy to say that this is the first book in Bulgarian written especially for people learning Bulgarian as a second language. It is not a textbook, it does not test you, it just provides the right level of difficulty together with an enticing story and some really interesting facts and legends about Bulgarian culture and life for your enjoyment.
The reason we created this book was that there are very few decent reading resources available for people who are learning the language. What we usually hear from students is that they are trying to find a children's book to practice their reading but since children are already natives usually that doesn't work too well. It seems that the only books suitable for people learning the language are toddler's books and it takes a certain type of personality to be continuously coming back to toddlers books without actually being a toddler. Thus we decided as experienced teachers and people who enjoy a good story, to create a book for the needs of Bulgarian language learners.
The story manages to cover a lot of the topics discussed in an A2 level and expands a bit to a B1 level. It is told entirely in present tense, because after people cross into the A2 realm and beyond the instances in which you get to see the continuous forms of the verbs become less and less, and many students comment that they would like to have more practice and context with this. The story is split in two - the journey of Plamen and Jo's life in Bulgaria. There is a mix between longer texts and comic book parts that work with dialogues and stranger contexts. There are also picture dictionaries as well as a real one at the back of the book, where the reader can easily find unknown words.
I'd like to share with you (as one of the authors) what is my favorite part of the book. What I love most about it is that it is completely based on true experiences and life. That is the reason why even Bulgarian people seem to enjoy it, there is something true and culture specific that is accessible to everyone.
We hope you enjoy this book and find it useful! If you still don't have it and want to order one you can do it from here.
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