It has already been said that Sofia, like any capital city, provides focal points for foreigners to get together, English pubs, Irish bars, cultural events and business seminars. However it is interesting to consider the basic difference between foreigners in the capital and expats in other towns.

My view is that the important difference is that foreigners living in and around Sofia are there mainly because they have to be. They're employees of foreign businesses, or businessmen themselves trying to start up a new company in the financial powerhouse of Bulgaria. They may be diplomats, ambassadors, envoys, clerks. The common thread is that they are in Bulgaria, because they HAVE to be in Bulgaria, but what of those foreigners who choose to set up home away from Big City life, who move to Bulgaria because they want to be there, who choose villages where there are more goats than cars and boast about the tranquillity and isolation of their chosen location?

For the basis of this discussion let's refer to these two groups as the Havetobees (based mainly in Sofia) and the Wannabees (those choosing to live in villages and towns throughout the rest of the country). It might be reasonable to assume that the Havetobees would be more desirous of communication and contact with their fellow countrymen than the Wannabees, as they find themselves thrust into a foreign culture for a variety of reasons not always of their own choosing. Does this argument hold water? Strangely enough I don't think it does, as my own experience of living near Veliko Turnovo goes to the contrary.

I am a Wannabee; I chose to buy a home in one of the smaller villages near the former capital of Bulgaria. I am delighted that I am one of only two British families living in the village. The last thing I want is to live in an English "ghetto".

However, the need to have some degree of familiarity in our life can be surprisingly strong. Despite the fact that I am one of those people who will cross the street to avoid traditional English pubs located in foreign cities, when I first came to Veliko Turnovo, I found myself strangely drawn to what the locals referred to as the "only English cafe" in Veliko Turnovo. Perhaps it was the sign in the window of the cafe, proudly boasting "Toast with HEINZ baked beans" that drew me in.

You see, Heinz is one of those products with which we Brits can readily identify. It smacks of home, and thus is a magnet for those poor souls yearning for a connection, however tenuous with "good ole blighty". I became a regular at the cafe, usually chatting with its extroverted owner, Andrew, an exiled Welshman and quite a character, as well as a great source of gossip and information.

It became obvious that the cafe was the hub of British expat life in the town. We'd meet over a cup of Typhoo tea or a beer and tell stories regarding our travels, trials and tribulations. We'd swap advice on where to buy British goods, or where to find English-speaking tradesmen, and invariably at some point in the conversation we'd mention how glad we were to get out from the stresses associated with living in the UK.

So, why the need, after travelling all the way to Bulgaria, to seek out fellow Brits? Undoubtedly it's the tribe mentality. However, I also think that there is a small, politically incorrect element of believing that we Brits are superior to Johnny Foreigner. This is probably a hangover from the days of the Empire, when stout English peasantry were scattered across the globe, bringing "civilisation" to the lowly natives.

If you don't believe me I can only quote you what one customer of Andrews' cafe said to me as we ate our Heinz baked beans washed down with Typhoo tea: "The Bulgarians are quite nice, but let's face it, they're not Brits, are they?".

Or, perhaps the simplest explanation for the need to be with your own kind is that no one likes to be a stranger in a strange land. If you hear an English voice be it British, American, Canadian or Australian, you automatically reach out for the familiar.

Sadly, Andrews' cafe closed, and I've taken to wandering the streets, ears attuned to the conversations of other in the hope of discovering fellow Brits so that we can discuss the weather, English football or the disgusting cost of housing in the UK!
So, it would appear that the need for communication with our own kind is universal, and applies to Havetobees and Wannabees alike, while I like to think that I'm fairly cosmopolitan and that wherever I hang my hat I call home.

If anyone does know where I can buy proper cheddar cheese or salted butter, get in touch, please!