Living
In Bulgaria
What You Should Look
Out For ~ By Simeon Mitropolitski
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argue with the Bulgarians over one of the following topics: their history,
medical care in Bulgaria, soccer and international politics. Bulgarians
are sure that they are born with some intrinsic skills in the field of
history, and also in medicine. They believe that they are specialists in
everything regarding soccer and above all they are experts in what concerns
global politics.
If you are
foolish enough to argue with them over one of the above-mentioned topics,
Bulgarians will look at you like an extraterrestrial, which has tried in
vain to question their territory.
As a little
compensation, Bulgarians adore foreigners who express some admiration towards
the natural beauty of their homeland. Tell them that the rolling hills
in Bulgaria look much better than in some far remote country, and they
will immediately trust you and also will think highly of you. The beauty
of the Bulgarian women can also delicately impress you; people in Bulgaria
truly believe that their women are the most amazing female creatures on
Earth. The third element of this Saint Trinity is of course Bulgarian cuisine.
Never say anything that could be taken as a complaint againist Bulgarian
cuisine. Always underline how fresh the vegetables are in the meals compared
with vegtables in the West. The Bulgarians truly believe that the nations
in Western Europe and North America eat only canned and tasteless food.
Did you remember
well? No talk about politics and always a couple of good words about nature,
the ladies and the food! After these introductory lessons you are almost
ready to go to Bulgaria.
Every attempt
to describe one nation in brief is doomed. Any opinion always will be biased,
reflecting just one moment, just one place and some people, who by chance
crossed the eyes of the observer. Bulgaria looks very different depending
on your legal status (tourist, expatriate businessman, permanent resident),
your financial situation, and the political power you're entitled with.
So here you'll find not Bulgaria as it is, but only Bulgaria as it looks
through my eyes after having lived there for 32 years. |
| An interesting
figure from Bulgarian history is Pasvanoglu Osman Pasa of Vidin: he ruled
in an area now located in north-western Bulgaria. It was he who in
1792 lashed out againist the Ottoman Sultan after fighting in the Austro-Turkish
War of 1789-1792. He was joined in his fight againist the Sultan by roaming
mercenaries; the most interesting of which were the Kircali. The
Kircali
were killers for hire, who rode on horsres that were covered in gold and
silver. The women that travelled with the Kircali were slaves, who
not only sexually satisfied their men, but also dressed up as men
and went into battle and died. |
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The first
thought in my mind about Bulgaria when I look back is the air. If you're
living in cities with thousands of old and heavily polluting cars you'll
certainly understand what I mean. The air in Bulgaria, not everywhere but
in many places, isn't for breathing. In the big cities it's full of gas
and smoke, in the province it's full with fine dust, taken away by the
wind over the dry soil. Many Bulgarians don't even know how dirty the air
is that they are obliged to breathe every 3-4 seconds. The majority
of them can't afford to travel so for them this is the only variety of
air they are accustomed to. Tell them that in Manhattan the air is cleaner
than in Sofia and they just won't believe you. Dust has always been part
of Bulgarian life, but gas emissions are linked with the industrial revolution
of the last 50 years or so. A trip around the country may look like a travel
across the Mendeleev's periodic table of elements. The wind takes away
the smaller particles and drops them over the arable soil, over the rivers
and the forests and then finally the air reaches people's lungs.
Most foreign
tourists, who choose Bulgaria for their summer vacation, are saved from
this air. They choose to rest on the Black Sea coast, gently touched by
sea breezes. Some of them prefer to use the so-called all-inclusive packages,
helping to isolate them from the local population and to enjoy their vacation.
With several hundred US dollars or Euros, Germans and other western tourist
can enjoy a week in some renowned seacoast resort such as "Albena", "Golden
Sands" and "Sunny Beach". In the last few years summer tourism and organized
tourism have become the main source of revenue for the Bulgarian economy
and for the state budget. To attract foreign tourists in the inner areas
of the country, the Bulgarian government is trying to fix up the ecological
situation. I hope this will be done soon because the most interesting parts
of Bulgaria aren't alongside its coasts, but within and around the small
mountain villages. Only an hour or two driving from "Golden Sands" or "Sunny
Beach" will lead you to an urban architecture from the middle to the end
of the 19th century. This urban environment you will remember for the rest
of your life; it was created to please ordinary people, an environment
that reflects both charm and peace.
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| The Valley
of the Roses. You have to come in either May or June to enjoy the valley
otherwise it is dry and dust-blown. The roses have been cultivated in the
valley for 300 years and are thought to have first arrived in Bulgaria
from Persia. The valley is located between the Balkan Range and the Sredna
Mountains. A large Festival occurs in late May early June. From the harvest
comes Attar of Roses or Rose Oil. Harvesting roses is hard work though
it appears idyllic. There are 7,000 different kinds of roses in the valley
and only one or two of both the red and white roses are used in making
Rose Oil. |
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The
biggest Bulgarian towns and above all Sofia are situated on the other pole.
They have no tranquility. The majority of their populations live in areas
far from any aesthetic urban design. Ugly, similar and gray concrete structures,
made only to depress the human mentality. In Sofia the only joy for the
eyes is made by God. This is the mountain Vitosha, standing 2 km tall,
looking like a volcano just 10 km from the city center. The last communist
dictator believed that this mountain could hide the ugliness of the city
and applied twice to host the winter Olympic games. The city didn't receive
this honor and many mountain areas were saved from deforestation.
The mountains
are an important part of Bulgarian legacy and national spirit. Throughout
the centuries Bulgarians used these natural fortresses to hide from the
persecution of foreigners. If Bulgaria didn't have mountains, maybe today
there wouldn't be people calling themselves Bulgarians. Bulgarians now
live in the valleys; these people enjoy looking up but prefer living in
the cities. For Bulgarians a normal vacation means renting a room or booking
a hotel near the seacoast, looking at the sea and walking with a girlfriend,
drinking a beer and reading the sports or political section of some daily
paper. This is considered as a typical way of passing 2-3 week summer vacation.
Bulgarians are very conservative by nature.
Speaking about
conservatism, Bulgarians fear public opinion, they also fear being isolated
by society and above all they fear feeling responsible for their acts.
Public opinion is very strong and you will see this in the uniform dress
code depending on the generation and financial situation. Bulgarians think
that westerners are dressed very unstylishly, because they can't understand
that every individual has a right to wear what individually suits him or
her. In fact Bulgarians want very much to hide their individuality under
a certain uniform just because their society doesn't accept individuality. |
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The same applies
to the houses in Bulgaria. Look at the high society properties, situated
south of Sofia going towards Vitosha. Almost without exception tall walls
surround these villas. These walls probably consume more building materials
than an average house in the West. To remain out of reach to the eyes and
hands of others, this is the main idea behind these walls. This thought
remains constantly vivid in the mind of every Bulgarian. For the majority
in Bulgaria it's an indisputable truth that if you want to hide from public
interest you have to submerge yourself in the crowd or be surrounded by
a tall wall.
The question
whether or not people should live outside the crowd is fundamental to those
who plan to settle down in Bulgaria. The Romans had a magnificent proverb:
When you go to Rome, do as Romans do! A tourist usually doesn't have enough
time to find out how a normal citizen lives in Bulgaria; that is why anyone
who wants to settle in Bulgaria should follow some golden rules, which
characterize some specific components of the Bulgarian way of life.
Rule No.1:
Anytime you're asked, "How are you?" the politically correct answer in
Bulgaria should be "Bad" or "So-so". Answers like "Fine, thank you" or
"Very well, and you?" will suddenly make you a target for unhealthy curiosity
concerning your financial situation and may even inflict unsolicited night
visits inside your property by some unpleasant people.
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| Rule
No.2: You should always be in the company of fellow foreigners
instead of Bulgarians. Just accept the fact that till the end of your days
you'll remain a foreigner in the eyes of the local population, your broken
Bulgarian will reveal that you're not one of them. For them you'll be a
source of extra cash. Every conversation for them will represent a kind
of bargain. So use your power to bargain and fine a cheap merchant with
whom to spend your money with.
Rule No.3:
Bulgarian society is strictly delimitated by financial criterion, i.e.
every man, woman and child are worth exactly what they have in their pockets
or pretend to have inside the pockets of their friends. Just accept that
entering Bulgarian society you will also have to play the same game. A
number of adventurous foreigners tried abusing this system by accumulating
illegal capital on the backs of local people, using financial schemes etc.
They now live behind bars; this is a lesson for anyone eager to follow
their steps.
The rule that
anyone costs exactly the content of his pocket has one particular consequence
for those who want to settle down in Bulgaria. Your income and only your
incomes should determine your way of life in the years to come, so be very
prudent with what you buy and at what price. I imagine that if you're interested
in countries such as Bulgaria most probably you expect a monthly rent of
$1,000 for a single or $2,000 for a couple + up to $100,000 for buying
a house. If this is the case then you have alot of room for shopping in
Bulgaria, looking for the exact region, type of property and even the criminal
rate in the area. Remember, $100,000 is lot of money in Bulgaria if you're
looking for a house to live in and not a palace. If you look at Bulgarian
real estate sites, you'll perhaps find properties above this price level,
but don't be fooled, they are not for you. As a foreigner you should know
that the prices for you must be preferentially higher. In general $100,000
can buy up to 300 sq. meters (appr. 3,000 sq. ft) in a good area in Sofia
or on the seacoast. Do you need so much room for a single or a couple?
In the rest of the country the purchasing power of your money will double
or triple. Recently my friends told me that they bought a small apartment
(in Bulgaria a small apt. is 50-60 sq. meters) So if you play the game
prudently you could save $50,000 to $60,000 or even $80,000 on your housing
budget. |
| Rila Monastery
was founded in the 10th century by St John of Rila. St. John was a hermit
who lived in the hills above the monastery in a cave. There is a Hermitage
in the hills above the monastery dedicated to him. The monastery is tucked
into the Rhodope Mountains in the Rila Massif. The monastery is located
70 miles south of Sofia. The polygon-shaped monastery has many hallways
and dormitories and archives and it has a courtyard in the center of which
is a domed-church that is famous for its beautiful frescos. Also in the
courtyard is the Tower of Khaelio which stands 74 feet high and, interestingly,
at the top of the Tower there is a small vaulted chapel. The present buildings
that make up the Rila Monastery are from the mid-19th century when Bulgaria
experienced a renaissance. The original buildings burned. The monastery
was always safe from Ottoman rule because of its high mountain location. |
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Right now
the prices in Bulgaria are very low and besides some areas in Sofia and
the Black Sea coast, the supply greatly surpasses the demand. Where your
monthly rent is concerned, this $1,000 is also big money in Bulgaria. In
general a family of 4 living in Sofia tries to live within $500-600 a month.
The most expensive cities in the country are Sofia and Varna. The food
there costs around $100 per person if you stay away from the restaurants.
In the cheapest areas of the country the food is twice as cheap. The clothes
and shoes are also not very expensive. The main problem here is that with
some exceptions you can't return the goods. .
If you're a
foreigner wanting to settle in Bulgaria, don't expect that everything there
is cheaper than in your home country in North America or Western Europe.
Take for example phone calls. In the United States and Canada local calls
are included in a flat monthly tax. In Bulgaria you will have to pay for
any call, the local as well as long-distance. If you're accustomed to being
24 hours on the Net, then you'll have to budget several hundreds of dollars
to cover your local calls to the Internet provider. Bulgaria could have
some very unpleasant surprises for those who are accustomed to running
water 24 hours a day. It's true that almost every town and village has
their W&S systems but in some parts of the country there are so called
water regimes. If you plan to settle down in some particular area, ask
how many hours a day you could enjoy running water.
Also you should
ask if there are power cuts during winter. In Bulgaria the winters are
colder than in Western Europe or many parts of the United States, so any
power cut could disturb your normal way of life. Remember that in Bulgaria
heating is expensive not because the fuel is expensive but because the
houses aren't well insulated. If you want to live in a house with good
insulation then you'll have to be prepared to pay a higher price for it.
So before paying it's better to make some simple calculations, which are
cheaper - to pay more for the house and less for the heating (5-6 month
per year) or vice versa. According to Bulgarian laws a foreigner can buy
a house or land for residential use. So the legislation is liberal and
is expected to become even more liberalized after the country enters the
European Union..
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| Simeon
Mitropolitski is a columnist at IRED (International
Real Estate Digest,
www.ired.com). He
is a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).
He is author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and
economic topics, both Bulgarian and international. In early 2002 he emigrated
from Bulgaria to Canada: he now lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
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