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Sat, Feb 11 2012
Living Bulgaria: For better, for worse ...
These words from the marriage vows will ring bells with people who have been together long enough to know that everything in life has positives and negatives. But this week my focus is on freedom, not marriage. The grass seems often to be greener on the other side of the fence, and for Bulgaria that is part of the national psyche. As we give our new Government time to see if real change is on the way, let me say that as an outsider with a good inside track, there are a surprising number of things here that are better than most other places. But quite a lot of things are still awful, and need radical attention.
First the good things. The shopping malls are better than everywhere else except Dubai, and Bulgarians not only dress well to visit them but seem happy there – even if they are just window shopping! Fuel stations are bright, sociable places to park and waste some time, drink coffee and treat yourself to a naughty but nice banichka. The mobile networks have far superior coverage to anywhere in Western Europe, leap-frogging out-dated technology. Internet access is almost universal (children would go on strike if it wasn’t) and computer literacy is widely distributed. Cable TV with extensive international programme options is widely accessible at low cost, compared with an astonishing proportion of British families whose island mentality is content with just a few domestic channels. The café society is relaxing and good for planning or closing business deals. The ready-cooked take-home food culture has caught on with families from all income groups. Binge drinking is uncommon here.
A big proportion of Bulgarians own their own apartments or houses, without crippling indebtedness. We are more cautious about credit cards leading to bills we can’t afford to settle. Newly-built accommodation is left for you, not the developer, to choose and supervise the finishes you want. The mend-it (not scrap-it) culture here is healthy, practical and economical. The notary profession since it was privatised is excellent, bringing low-cost legal services to everyone including ordinary people. Supermarkets clone the best from the West without the awful pressure you get in many countries to buy more than you want or need with offers of two for the price of one or three for the price of two. Fresh fruit and vegetables are sold in markets by people as close as you can get to the producers, not as in other countries from chemically induced production lines and polluted with pesticides. Car washes are mostly done by nice customer-friendly guys, not monster revolving brushes that beat the lustre out of your paint-work; an added bonus is time for a coffee and to read the paper while you wait.
Lastly on the good things, the climate is very alluring, the Black Sea beaches beat anything you’ll find around the Mediterranean, and thanks to a reluctance to adopt fast-food as a national malaise there is far less obesity in Bulgaria than in America or other countries that follow its bad example. Hence the people (and especially the women!) look good.
Sorry to say it, but I can’t finish without short mention of the nasties! Roads especially in and around the capital, potholes all over the country, smoking everywhere all the time, corrupt politicians (till now), administrative bureaucracy to a bizarre extent, constant tea-breaks by customer-facing state employees, nightmare traffic jams and parking chaos, annual ‘MOT’ (technical checks on vehicles) of reckless and negligent superficiality, poorly maintained buses and trams, slow and dirty trains, unhealthy city pollution, inadequate discipline/systems/disposal of household and industrial waste, abuse of animals, unauthorised intrusion by developers into green space, and a meat-eating culture that works against the growing trend towards vegetarian diets. Finally, the on-going scandal of widespread maladministration and corruption in the criminal and civil courts.
The balance for me is definitely on the positive side. That’s why my inclination is to spend more, not less, of my future in Bulgaria.
First the good things. The shopping malls are better than everywhere else except Dubai, and Bulgarians not only dress well to visit them but seem happy there – even if they are just window shopping! Fuel stations are bright, sociable places to park and waste some time, drink coffee and treat yourself to a naughty but nice banichka. The mobile networks have far superior coverage to anywhere in Western Europe, leap-frogging out-dated technology. Internet access is almost universal (children would go on strike if it wasn’t) and computer literacy is widely distributed. Cable TV with extensive international programme options is widely accessible at low cost, compared with an astonishing proportion of British families whose island mentality is content with just a few domestic channels. The café society is relaxing and good for planning or closing business deals. The ready-cooked take-home food culture has caught on with families from all income groups. Binge drinking is uncommon here.
A big proportion of Bulgarians own their own apartments or houses, without crippling indebtedness. We are more cautious about credit cards leading to bills we can’t afford to settle. Newly-built accommodation is left for you, not the developer, to choose and supervise the finishes you want. The mend-it (not scrap-it) culture here is healthy, practical and economical. The notary profession since it was privatised is excellent, bringing low-cost legal services to everyone including ordinary people. Supermarkets clone the best from the West without the awful pressure you get in many countries to buy more than you want or need with offers of two for the price of one or three for the price of two. Fresh fruit and vegetables are sold in markets by people as close as you can get to the producers, not as in other countries from chemically induced production lines and polluted with pesticides. Car washes are mostly done by nice customer-friendly guys, not monster revolving brushes that beat the lustre out of your paint-work; an added bonus is time for a coffee and to read the paper while you wait.
Lastly on the good things, the climate is very alluring, the Black Sea beaches beat anything you’ll find around the Mediterranean, and thanks to a reluctance to adopt fast-food as a national malaise there is far less obesity in Bulgaria than in America or other countries that follow its bad example. Hence the people (and especially the women!) look good.
Sorry to say it, but I can’t finish without short mention of the nasties! Roads especially in and around the capital, potholes all over the country, smoking everywhere all the time, corrupt politicians (till now), administrative bureaucracy to a bizarre extent, constant tea-breaks by customer-facing state employees, nightmare traffic jams and parking chaos, annual ‘MOT’ (technical checks on vehicles) of reckless and negligent superficiality, poorly maintained buses and trams, slow and dirty trains, unhealthy city pollution, inadequate discipline/systems/disposal of household and industrial waste, abuse of animals, unauthorised intrusion by developers into green space, and a meat-eating culture that works against the growing trend towards vegetarian diets. Finally, the on-going scandal of widespread maladministration and corruption in the criminal and civil courts.
The balance for me is definitely on the positive side. That’s why my inclination is to spend more, not less, of my future in Bulgaria.
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i do not want to visit bulgaria until the problem of indifference to the suffering of animals, especially vagrant dogs, is fixed
One thing i still don't understand is this, why the change of government in Bulgaria, for fun? I haven't seen any changes since GERB party came to power, except that the number of Bulgarians migrating to the west has increased to uncountable level. I think Bulgaria need to be re-ruled again and thought what independence and democracy means. I only pitied the under privileged who have no voice.
What I really dont understand is why doesnt Bulgaria care about protecting its children?? It is a fact that in Varna is a Polish School connected to the Polish government but the director's own son was convicted of child abuse, abandonned his own family for a prostitute, and is wanted on a warrant for not paying 10's of thousand in child support. What kind of people do we have exposed to our children and as director of school for children no less!!This director who Bulgarian citizens trust their children to in a school abused her own son and grandchildren and [...]
Read the full comment even invited her son's prostitute to stay in their home!! Most countries would not allow such a person as director of a school. So look who is teaching our children!
I agree with a previous comment regarding service; they are indeed rude. It seems like smiling does not come natural to some Bulgarians and I am not sure why. I hope this changes soon for the sake of the tourism industry.
Bulgaria is indeed a nice place to live and enjoy, the only problem one always have when you are a foreigner living among Bulgarians is the jealousy, enviness which most Bulgarians especially wicked ones with comunist ideas are having. The gypsies will go at a risky lenght to try and still from you. I hope the new Bulgaria government will help educate and teach them civilization.
The author misses one of the biggest negatives which is rude service, not just as a result of poor CS training but purely as a result of the general rudeness of a fairly large proportion of the Bulgarian population.
I am an UK expat editorial and public affairs consultant in the UK and a BG expat in London, the latter has become my primary home since 1994.
I like the author's thoughts, as they also reflect what he has missing in the UK. As a double ex-pat I believe that I share the author's need for change, the only difficulty is that if one belongs to a younger generation than himself and is a parent, one needs to define which is one's homeland using a mix of value expectations.
What I miss in [...]
Read the full comment Bulgaria is meeting outside my closest circle more open-minded people. The encounter with a high level of suspicion and disbelief is difficult to deal with on short trips to the country, I wish Bulgarian people overcome the trap of a high moral uncertaintly, which they do not demonstrate abroad. Happy holidays!
I would love for this to be true and in my heart Sofia has all this and more! Yet, don't forget something important - Sofia is NOT Bulgaria! People from small towns not to mention villages hardly are literate many have not seen a computer not to mention Internet. They own their ruins calling them a sweet home because there is never enough money to pay bread and restorations in one month. Mobile networks are everywhere but ppl are scared of the bills so they use their phones as an agenda and an alarm. Malls are unspeakable luxury which they [...]
Read the full comment can't afford since they are drown in debt even without credit cards but at the mercy of the local grossary shop. And mending rather then disposing things would mean that you will wear the shirt of your grandpa's wedding for any occation.
One thing is true though - the asphalt of the streets is not destroyed as in Sofia but that is just because there is hardly an asphalt street in villages.
I love my country and my city Sofia, but sofia is NOT bulgaria and whoever travels around long enough knows it
I agree with many of your comments but my experiences are a little different than yours. Probably because I try to stay out of Sofia. In other Bulgarian towns, the city buses are sometimes old, but not usually dirty. The buses between the towns are fast, efficient, and reasonably cheap. The trains aren’t as bad as you indicate. To me, Bulgaria is the most beautiful place in the world.
The only thing nicer than the nation of Bulgaria is the people of Bulgaria.
I agree with many of your comments but my experiences are a little different than yours. Probably because I try to stay out of Sofia. In other Bulgarian towns, the city buses are sometimes old, but not usually dirty. The buses between the towns are fast, efficient, and reasonably cheap. The trains aren’t as bad as you indicate. To me, Bulgaria is the most beautiful place in the world.
The only thing nicer than the nation of Bulgaria is the people of Bulgaria.
"a meat-eating culture that works against the growing trend towards vegetarian diets."
??
I have found Bulgaria to be one of the countries in Europe to be the most friendly towards non-meat eaters, thanks to the tradition of church fasts (which are basically vegan), which ensures vegetarian and vegan dishes available year-round.
Indeed a very good, interesting and thought-provoking article. My only criticism would be that each of the positives is given a detailed description ("fruit... market... as close as one can get..."), but your negatives are all run together. It would have been interesting to read your comments on e.g. public transport.
It is good to read something so positive about living in Bulgaria even if your article is a trifle unbalanced.
The sweeping, and inaccurate, cultural generalisations in this piece indicate the writer to be of a rather poor journalistic standard.
Completely agree!
Looking forward myself.
Very good article outlining the pros and cons of being in BG. I would agree with him though, the pluses definitely outweigh the minuses.