Sofia then home...Jun 26, 2004
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| Bulgaria has not been the easiest of countries to find oneself in after Germany, particularly when one as a foreigner is continually on the point of exploitation or robbery at the hands of some communist-rhetoric-preaching official, who believes that merely because you are not Bulgarian you should pay at least 50% more or be made to feel extremely unwelcome. Communism has a lot to answer for in the gross nationalism it has promoted and nutured. (It is amazing how many times we heard or read the phrase "turkish yoke" whilst in Bulgaria- certainly a product of communistic educative training and a cultural disposition towards exclusivism). Nevertheless, we did meet some incredibly fabulous and lovely Bulgarians who, despite 50 years of the "communist yoke", wanted very much to meet people and hear about other places. In particular we were treated with great kindness by the people in whose homes we stayed throughout much of the trip, but aside from these little old ladies, there was the Plovdivian Mathematician, the Turkish wrestler, the young Soldier on the way to Ruse, the boy next to me in Sophia's Puppet theatre, who explained what was happening in German. There was little poverty as such: no one was starving or suffering from untreated sicknesses on the side of the road as one can see in China. What is lacking is the possession of material wealth and western purchase power. That is to say, people have animals, orchards and other items from which they can produce things and, as happens alot, they exchange these items for other items produced by others without currency. So they lack money without wanting in Lebensmittel (the German says it all). However, the majority of clothes for example are available only through monatery purchase. Hence, so many rent private rooms to foreign tourists. I hear that the situation in Romania is similar though perhaps somewhat more depressed. |
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