I HAVE enjoyed reading previous articles about foreigners living and working in Bulgaria in this newspaper. It is clear there is a rich diversity of people from many different backgrounds who have made their home and their business here, either for just a few years or for the long term.

I worked here in Sofia for almost four years as executive director of one of the big accounting and consulting companies (KPMG), and lived with my wife and dogs in Boyana on the lower slopes of Vitosha Mountain. I am from Scotland, a beautiful country with many similarities to Bulgaria and which, like Bulgaria, has had some troubles over the past 10 centuries with its large and sometimes aggressive neighbours. My posting before Bulgaria was to Poland. A sign of our mutual success in all three countries is that we are each now living peaceably with most of our former adversaries.

I retired from 'big business' and from Bulgaria in mid 2001 and returned to Scotland where we refurbished an old farmhouse and established three small businesses - in tourism, farming and hiring out cars from my 'old-timer' collection for weddings.

You can imagine my delight - and surprise - when I received an invitation late in 2002 to come back out of retirement and work in Sofia as an adviser in the office of the Prime Minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg. The story of the former king and his return to Bulgaria after 50 years in exile is well known and I do not need to repeat it here.

So yes, I am an 'expatriate' of a kind, but I really feel more like an honorary Bulgarian these days. I am the only foreigner in the Prime Minister's office, I am more exposed to the real issues of the country than I was in my previous incarnation, and my goals are to help solve problems. I am having to learn the language properly, something I stupidly failed to do in the earlier years when I was supported by many colleagues who insisted on always speaking English to me. I live now in a very small one-room apartment 10 minutes' walk from the Council of Ministers, and nearly all my business trips are conducted on foot - much healthier and more economical than adding to the existing pollution on the roads, especially in the city. My wife looks after the family businesses at home and has commissioned several of her friends in Bulgaria to keep an eye on me and ensure I behave myself!

I am lucky to be working for a most able and interesting man, who has brought back with him to Bulgaria a much needed culture of integrity and transparency. He has assembled around him a very capable group of Government ministers, some Bulgarian specialists who have returned from high profile jobs abroad and others seasoned politicians or business people. They all share the deep commitment of the Prime Minister to make Bulgaria a better place for everyone. Despite two recent attempts - one in November 2002 and one in May 2003 - to defeat the Government in 'no confidence' motions, the less than coherent opposition parties have demonstrably shown that for the present they do not offer a viable alternative to the incumbent administration.

My own job in the Council of Ministers is focused on increasing the business efficiency with which the operations of the administration are managed, and in doing my share of day-to-day duties alongside other colleagues to assist the Prime Minister in his demanding work to run the country successfully. The calibre of people working close to Saxe-Coburg is very high, and already I have learnt a great deal from my new colleagues. They in turn are kind enough to observe that coming as I do from a business (rather than from a political, diplomatic or civil service) background, there are times when I can add value, and can do so from a different angle than the predictable Bulgarian mind-set. The idea of bringing in advisers to the Prime Minister's Office from outside the government machine has worked well in the UK at No 10 Downing Street, and I much admire Saxe-Coburg for trying the same approach here. I probably have a better insight than most people into the vital need for a Government like this one to have a sustained four-year period (ie a full term) in office, and better still (for the country) if it can then secure election for a second term. I am an optimist and am deeply committed to the success of this country.

Lastly, I want to say a word or two about ordinary life here. I have been sad to read of the grumbles of some of the expatriates you have featured in your paper. For me Bulgaria is a magically beautiful country, the people are warm and friendly, the seasons change so noticeably that there is always something to look forward to, and in so many ways things have changed for the better since I first came here in early 1997. Most of my friends are local people, though of course I know many members of the international community.

I do all my own cooking and shopping, I love the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, and I don't eat out in restaurants any more than many Bulgarians do. I am continuing to indulge my passion for old cars, having recently bought a 38 year-old VW Beetle (Kostenurka in Bulgarian) and a 79 year-old BMW Dixie, both from a 93 year-old former Captain in the army of King Boris. These will in due course form treasured additions to my old-timer collection in Scotland, if I am granted permission to export them based on my determination to restore them to absolutely original condition.

Thank you for giving me the chance to tell your readers about my life and work in Bulgaria.

- Bill Drysdale, Adviser in the Prime Minister's Office