Friday, January 25, 2013

Why I Love Bulgaria

If I had a dollar for every time I had this conversation with a Bulgarian, I’d have more than enough money to replace the camera I ruined when I took an impromptu dip in the Grand Canal in Venice:

Bulgarian guy, “О, знаеш български (Oh, you know Bulgarian). Откъде знаеш български (How do you know Bulgarian)?”

Me, “Аз живея тук (I live here).”

Bulgarian guy, eyes rolling, “Сериозно (Seriously)? Защо (Why)?”

Me, “Защото аз съм доброволец от Корпус на мира и преподавам английски език тук (Because I am a Peace Corps volunteer, and I teach English here).”

Bulgarian guy, “О, браво (Oh, bravo). Обичаш ли България (Do you like Bulgaria)?”

Me, “Да, много (Yes, very much).”

Now, at this point, the conversation would usually take one of two turns. Half the time, the guy would extol the virtues of Bulgaria and try to get to me to acknowledge how much better Bulgaria is than the U.S.A. The rest of the time, the conversation would continue along these lines:

Bulgarian guy, “Как можеш да обичаш България (How can you love Bulgaria)?”

Me, “Как не (How not)?”

Bulgarian guy, “Как да (How yes)?”

No matter how I answered that question, my answer was always unsatisfactory.

I’ll try one last time. This, in addition to my many Bulgarian friends, is why I love Bulgaria:







Yeah. I get it. Bulgaria is far from perfect. But if it wasn't a country with some problems, we'd never have been there in the first place. And I gave up looking for utopia a long time ago. And, all things considered, it’s rather remarkable to think about everything I was able to see and experience in three years in Bulgaria, living on a little more than $300 per month, working full-time as a teacher, and relying almost exclusively on public transportation to get to and from places. And I'll ask again, “How can you not love Bulgaria?”

To everyone who made my three years in Bulgaria so special and memorable, thank you. I hope to see you again someday soon.

24 comments:

  1. Brian, your pictures and presentations are incredibly beautiful. I absolutely loved all of them, Mary Smith B-27

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    1. Thanks, Mary. Good luck with the rest of your service.

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  2. Just amazing! I cannot say anything else!

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  3. Absolutely beautiful, Brian. I enjoyed the music as well. Thank you for sharing. Joan B27

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    1. Thanks, Joan. Enjoy the rest of your service.

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  4. Great job! Very beautiful pictures! I love Bulgaria, too, but it's hard to assure my friends in Russia why I do it.

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  5. Hi Brian,
    This is wonderful! I am a Bulgarian who lives in the US and if possible, I would love to talk to about your experience in Bulgaria. I write for the English blog for Foundation Identity for Bulgaria and if you are interested, I would be thrilled to write a story on you. :)
    Please let me know. My email is gerry.botchoukova@gmail.com
    Pozdravi,
    Gerru

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    1. Thanks, Gerry. I'll be in touch.

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    2. Bulgaria has everything you need for a holiday : nature, culture, beaches, nightlife...
      But I love Bulgaria because of the Bulgarians, those remarkable people who refused to obey Hitler and saved the lives of ALL the jews living in their country.

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  6. Good morning how are you?

    My name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.

    I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small, so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our planet. A few years ago I started a collection of used stamps because trough them, you can see pictures about fauna, flora, monuments, landscapes etc. from all the countries. As every day is more and more difficult to get stamps, some years ago I started a new collection in order to get traditional letters addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of countries, but unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve in other various territories for several reasons, either because they are countries at war, either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever reason the postal system is not functioning properly.

    For all this I would ask you one small favor:
    Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from Bulgaria? I understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in Bulgaria in order to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and an original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the following one:

    Emilio Fernandez Esteban
    Avenida Juan de la Cierva, 44
    28902 Getafe (Madrid)
    Spain

    If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com where you can see the pictures of all the letters that I have received from whole World.

    Finally I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness for you, your family and all your dear beings.

    Yours Sincerely

    Emilio Fernandez

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    1. Good luck with your project, Emilio. I'm no longer in Bulgaria, but perhaps someone who is will read your post and mail you a letter. Best of luck.

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  7. Hola Emilio,

    Hoy te mandare una carta de Bulgaria con algo muy tradicional adentro. Espero que te gustare. :)

    Saludos,

    Gerry

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  8. Hello Brian. My name is Doroteya. I find it adorable the way and the pasion you speak about Bulgaria. I am bulgarian myself, currently live outside of it. Studying abroad. Planning to go back asap. Really love my country, whatever the economic situation there. I am glad you have experienced the real life back there and now have good memories. Every place we visit enriches us, our views, perceptions, and knowledge. I belive makes us more grateful and appreciative. Best of luck to you in whatever you're doing now and in the future!

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    1. Thanks, Doroteya. Good luck to you as well.

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  9. I have been on holiday to Bulgaria 5 times in past 4 years and I have literally fallen in love with the country. I can't make it there this year and my heart literally aches at the the thought of not going! Lol

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  10. Hello, Brian! I found unexpectedly your blog a few days ago and I've read all the posts. I started with what seemed more interesting topics to me first, but then I actually found that the topics I thought would be more boring turned out to be the interesting ones. Being Bulgarian I was very proud to find that you like and love our nature. But when I read deeper through the topics I began to understand that you don't just enjoy things but really try to understand them. You don't just take things for granted but you spend time trying to find what has formed them, what are the reasons this or that to happen. I admire you for your decision to expand your stay in Bulgaria for one more year despite having such a wonderful family back in the USA which loves you. I truly want to believe that this decision wasn't taken only because the children obviously needed you but also for the love with the people surrounding you that grew in your heart. (It is obvious - almost every post is screaming it and I hope that this love will remain with you for whole of your life.) I wish you to be able to maintain your friendship with every friend you have in Bulgaria and maybe to return one day:) All the best! Tsvetelina

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  11. I looove that blog ! I am Bulgarian living in the US about to pack my bags and go back home! I have no idea what possessed me to stay away for so long, but now that I am getting older, I want to start traveling Bulgaria, get to know my whole country and never think that "THE GRASS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE IS GREENER" I can't wait to leave!
    My next comment will be from Bulgaria! happy travels to you and keep in touch!

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  12. as a visitor, I agree that it's a beautiful country. Eastern Europe as a whole has so many hidden jewels - they just need to gain a little more confidence, the Cold War isolation and the negative propaganda against them has induced confusion and it made them lose confidence in themselves and their country

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  13. Lovely videos, show the true Bulgaria that many never see.

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    1. i need have look about bulgaria country please so i wish have new home at sofia area for my future new home from united kingdom soon i hope so ,
      i ned new start new life at bulgaria soon please let m come in there

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    2. i need have look about bulgaria country please so i wish have new home at sofia area for my future new home from united kingdom soon i hope so ,
      i ned new start new life at bulgaria soon please let m come in there

      Delete