GERMAN expat Rudi Schramme, aged 54, has lived in Bulgaria since 1998; the reason being his Bulgarian wife Spaska. Rudi's life began in 1951 in Germany, in the beautiful and scenic land of Sauerland near the city of Dortmund. He studied quality management in Germany and proceeded into a career, where he stayed for 10 years, after which he changed his attention to a future in plastic material processing. He had a 15-year spell at a plastic-processing plant in Germany, together with 120 other men, where he was promoted to head of his department. It was there that he had a tragic accident with a saw in which he lost his left hand. 

Later, he started work as a salesman for window-decorations, including curtains, curtain-rails, window art etc. As a salesman he travelled throughout Eastern Europe, and in the meantime opened his own store. He visited the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria. In 1995, on one of his sales-trips to Bulgaria he met his future wife. The couple married in 1998 and was faced with the problem most dual-nationality marriages encounter: which country to live in. The newlyweds decided to make Bulgaria their new home. Rudi explains his decision to come to Bulgaria: "Here we have more possibilities than in other European countries, life here is simpler and more flexible."

As a child, Rudi says he had never considered coming to live in Bulgaria, but now he has absolutely no regrets about the decision. "Many people moan wholeheartedly about living in Bulgaria, but I have no problem with it. Indeed, it does have its bad sides, but for me Bulgaria is a wonderful country, and I am happy here." He is currently living in Sofia with his wife. This is not his first marriage and each spouse has two children from previous marriages. Both of Rudi's offspring now reside in their motherland, Germany.

In Sofia he owns two curtain stores. He has continued with his profession of a salesman. After all, one of the reasons he decided to stay was the business possibilities. He explains how his business has thrived throughout the seven years he's been here: "The first four years, from 1998 to 2002 were great, the shop really became popular, and visitors started coming in from all over. But later, with the arrival of mega stores, such as Mr. Bricolage and Praktiker, our little business lost most of its clients. The latter two years weren't really that successful, but recently, since the beginning of 2005 we've come back into the big game."

In his free time he likes to relax and he also really loves travelling. After crossing Eastern Europe in the 80s, Rudi has now turned his attention to Bulgaria; mostly places in or around Sofia. On weekends you can find him and his wife in some quiet and cosy restaurant in the city. "We go out to eat two or three times a month. I don't really like going anywhere else in the city."  On the other hand, he relishes every possibility to go somewhere outside of Sofia, into `Nature'. The German adores the Bulgarian countryside. Every weekend the family goes out to places like Vitosha, Rila, Borovets and Bansko. He also likes seeing new places. Rudi owns a villa at the Bulgarian seaside, in the historical town of Sozopol, where he spends most of his summer. Even though he often goes for walks and strolls in the mountains, he claims he likes the seaside better. "The Bulgarian seaside is lovely, the beaches, the old towns, everything is truly magnificent. I especially like the sand here. Comparing it to world-renowned holiday resorts in Spain and the Mediterranean, it's significantly better for a peaceful vacation than the monstrously huge and expensive five-star hotels and complexes there. I admire the subtlety of the small seaside towns here."

Living in Sofia, Rudi has seemingly lost that quiet life he likes, but says, "I would have it no other way. I live in Sofia, and I like it. I grew up in the countryside, and yes, it was nice and peaceful, but now I've just become too adapted to the city lifestyle to go back into the country life."   

However, Rudi has also experienced the negative sides of everyday Bulgarian life. "I was shocked when I first came here, to see how dirty the streets were. It really made an impression on me, to see how everyone would just chuck their rubbish on the street, and no one would be bothered about it. And another thing that I dislike is the driving mentality here. The intolerance of the drivers is just awful. They won't even let a mother with her pram cross the street. It really is a problem."

He also commented on the Bulgarian EU acceptance, saying that even if the country does get accepted into the union, life here will not change instantly, that it would take five to eight years for the Bulgarian people to get the standard of living they wish for. Prices will undoubtedly rise, but so will the Bulgarian wages, according to the German salesman. As to his opinion on the Bulgarian mentality, Rudi says, "Almost every Bulgarian citizen complains about life being difficult and that they cannot cope with it. The thing is, that no one does anything to make it better. Nothing else can help them: not the EU, not extra funds, or higher wages. It's them that have to make the difference for themselves, not wait for someone to help them."

Rudi has never complained about his life in Bulgaria. Of his future in 10 or 15 years' time he says: "I'm expecting to live here. I don't want to leave, and I have no reason to. I've got a job and a good life. Bulgaria really did improve my life."