WHEN Christopher Ignaciuk enrolled in a class about the Balkans to fulfill his Cultural Diversity requirement at Boston College, he never imagined that five years later he would be living in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ignaciuk, a New York City native, had previously travelled to Greece, but hadn’t anticipated becoming a Balkan resident.

Ignaciuk’s Balkan Studies professor was Bulgarian and offered one of the few Bulgarian language classes available at an American university. Since Ignaciuk enjoyed his Balkan Studies class, he decided to try out his professor’s language class.

After taking the language class for one year, Ignaciuk and two classmates journeyed to Bulgaria. The summer trip was part of a reciprocal arrangement between his professor and his professor’s former colleagues at Sofia University.

The first week of the exchange was spent at the Black Sea, in the town of Nessebar. Ignaciuk then spent the next three weeks on a language programme in Bankya, held by Sofia University. Participants in the language programme came from all the world, including France, Germany, Britain, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, and Japan.

At night Ignaciuk would ride the metro into Sofia and explore the city. He visited all the major tourist sights  – Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the National Theatre, NDK – never expecting to move to Sofia in the future.

“I thought the city of Sofia was really beautiful; the architecture, the golden streets. It has it’s own little attractions,” Ignaciuk said. “The seaside is definitely a beautiful place to have fun. It’s everything it’s advertised to be. Bulgaria impressed me.”

When Ignaciuk returned to Boston College after his visit to Bulgaria, he decided to continue his Bulgarian language education. He graduated in May 2005 with a degree in Political Science and minors in East European Studies and Mathematics.

Ignaciuk’s decision to move to Sofia was inspired by his wife, whom he met on the Bulgarian summer programme. When she decided to move to Bulgaria as a Fulbright scholar to research what happens to Bulgarian orphans when they age out of the system, Ignaciuk chose to move with her.

Since his first visit, Ignaciuk has noticed some changes in Bulgarian life. “Prices have definitely gone up, but I think things have become more reliable,” Ignaciuk said. “People are also more fair to foreigners.”

Ignaciuk is teaching English at the Britanica English Language Centre. This is his first experience teaching but he has thoroughly enjoyed his job so far. He appreciates it when his students are willing to participate in class and at least pretend to be excited about the material.

“Teaching is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. It’s more difficult in terms of the energy you have to put into it,” Ignaciuk said. “But when you have a good day, it’s definitely a rewarding experience.”

Ignaciuk may even consider pursuing a teaching career in the future. “To be honest, it’s probably the only skill I have right now. But besides that, I’m learning that teaching is fun and something I might want to do in the future.”
Intrigued by Sofia during his initial visit, Ignaciuk continues to enjoy exploring the city now that he lives here. “There’s always something to do, and it’s really easy to get to wherever you want to go,” Ignaciuk said. Although he “absolutely did not” anticipate moving to Bulgaria, he is very thankful to for the opportunity to be here with his wife.

In particular, the couple enjoy meeting new and interesting people everywhere in Sofia. “You find some many different kinds of people here,” Ignaciuk reflected. “Each person is here for a different reason, each has such an interesting story.”

Despite his excitement, there are few things Ignaciuk finds lacking in his life in Bulgaria. Watching American sports on television is one of the things Ignaciuk misses most. Although he has managed to listen to a few Boston College football games on the internet, he feels it isn’t quite the same as being able to watch the action.

Ignaciuk also misses American cold-cuts, because according to his wife, he really likes deli sandwiches.

Having witnessed changes in Bulgaria over the past three years, Ignaciuk expects even more after accession to the European Union. “Bulgaria’s progress is obviously positive, but there’s a hint of sadness too, because it won’t be the old Bulgaria we knew,” Ignaciuk said.

 “I see it as a hidden gem right now, and after the accession it won’t be as rare.”