I just found your channel, M and I am impressed. I too was born and raised in Bulgaria. Emigrated to New Zealand and have been here for 31 years. Surprisingly, the two countries have more in common than not. Anyway, I am planning a move back to BG. I don't know if I will be able to settle there. I feel that our country has gone backwards in many aspects. It breaks my heart because I love my homeland, but hate the State with passion. I detest its political orientation, the widespread corruption, the chalga "culture", the girls with the huge silicone lips and breasts, the guys' haircuts and huge tummies, the graphite covered buildings, the rubbish, etc. But I will move back and if I find that I cannot live there, I'll emigrate again. I am thinking a lot about Japan. I love how clean it is. I love its culture - it resonates with my values. That is my story in a nutshell. Greetings from the wet, cold and windy New Zealand.
Thank you, Julia. ❤ The things you listed are some of the things I also detest about Bulgaria, and it makes me very sad. At the same time, my partner and I are also considering moving back for reasons such as overall safety, family, finances and freedom (although I call it more chaos than freedom 😅). Going back will most certainly be very difficult, but I hope that with time you will adjust and it will get better. I do think Bulgaria has a lot to offer, and it's just a matter of perspective (and financial stability), and yet, at the same time, I struggle with the idea of going back a lot. Good luck with your journey! My thoughts are with you. Greetings from the wet, cold and windy England.
@@booksandbordersthank you, M. ❤I hope that I will settle down in BG. I want to. All the best to you too! I will be following your interesting channel. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for this video and your honesty. I feel like there are thousands of videos about living abroad that don't really go beneath the surface and you do. I'm just living abroad for 2 years now and while I love it, it's not always easy. I lived shortly in Moscow when I wrote my thesis like 8 years ago and 2 years ago I moved from The Netherlands to Romania. One of the things that I really had to get used to is that you're interesting because you're foreign. Which is great in a way, as that curiosity makes it easy to make contact. However, especially when it comes to dating (but also friendships), it's sometimes hard to find out whether someone is interested in me as a person or they are appealed to the fact that I'm foreign. Which is ok, but I tend to think about these things which makes me too careful in certain situations. Therefore your lesson about don't necessarily stick to the first people you meet is a very good one imo. Make the pool for friends or relationships bigger and take things slow so things can evolve more natural. Some will stay, some will go. Understand what connects you with someone and be open about yourself if you need that (I do). Because even when that's not for every culture (I understand the cultural differences between Bulgaria and Japan might be too big), know what you need in a friendship or relationship and find the people who have the same or at least similar needs. And if they don't, that's ok too but then you know what to expect. So yes, know yourself and be happy with who you are before you go! Question, how did the experience from living in Japan influence your approach when you moved to the UK?
Thank you for sharing your experience! I actually moved to the UK first and went to Japan as part of my UK degree. Life in the UK, while still quite different from Bulgaria, is a lot more similar to it, than life in Japan. So, I think living in the UK was a good stepping stone for me. I would've struggled a lot in Japan if I hadn't spent my first two years abroad in the UK. My approach when I first moved to the UK was to avoid other Bulgarians as much as possible and only hang out with British or international students. Which was honestly a challenge because I'm an introvert, and I find speaking to new people quite daunting. I thought (and I still do) that if I spent my time in the UK with other Bulgarians, it would defeat the purpose of living abroad. I wanted to only speak in English and to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from people from all around the world. This really opened my mind to new experiences and taught me how to better overcome cultural and language barriers. When I moved to Japan, it was a bit different as I wasn't fluent in Japanese, so I couldn't exactly use the same approach. But because of my time in the UK, I was already very open to meeting new people and trying new things, so when I went to Japan, I threw myself into experiencing as much as possible (having a host family, joining a dance competition, helping police officers practice their English, watching sumo, Noh theatre, etc.). I enjoyed acquiring new habits and manners and basically just doing as I was told (which is a very common expectation in Japan). I'm quite sure that if I had gone to live in Japan before I lived in the UK, I would've really rebelled against a lot of things, which would've resulted in a lot of disappointment and negative experiences. Your point about being interesting because you are foreign really resonates with my experience in Japan, as I definitely felt that quite often, and it took me some time to filter out the people who were sincere. I actually struggled the most when I moved back to the UK from Japan because I got reverse culture shock. Kind of how I get reverse culture shock when I go back to Bulgaria from the UK, only milder. But coming back to the UK really felt like coming back home, so that's when I truly started to think of the country itself as 'home', and I redefined the way I think of that word. A really long answer, sorry. 😅 Again, thank you for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it! I'm happy you liked the video.
Thank you for your reaction! Don't apologize for the long answer! I enjoy reading your experience. It's something I kind of miss living abroad. Not many international people here and while I love diving into Romanian culture, it's sometimes difficult to feel alone regarding sharing experiences. That's also one of the reasons I'm looking to move to a more 'international' place and have both. Like you described with your plan to avoid Bulgarians and hang out with Brits and other international students. Although I've never been to Japan, I can imagine that the cultural differences were larger. I noticed that there are a lot of cultural differences in Europe as well, but somehow we are familiar with each other through the centuries and subconsciously we know more than we might realize sometimes. Still hard to change behavior sometimes though😅I mean, somebody told me that it's gross to lick your fingers when eating fries for example. Well, to see someone do that. I never thought about it because I didn't know anyone in The Netherlands that doesn't do that. It's subconscious. So I tried and I tried and asked everyone around me to tell me when I did that to tell me. It's still difficult though🤣 Anyway, so many experiences. And every single one is precious. It's ok to make mistakes and sometimes even very funny. Living abroad is a great learning experience imo. I also watched a few more of your videos and I just want to tell you that your experiences are very relatable. Thank you for sharing them with us, it is so nice to see someone experience and talk about the same topics. Most of the videos are about foods and stereotypes and that's also fun, but what I find in your videos is more for me. Thank you again!
@@booksandborders You're welcome! I really enjoy them and I can imagine it takes a lot of time making videos. And what's appreciation worth if it's not being said?☺
When you say that whenever you return to Bulgaria after living abroad for the number of years that you have do you have any thoughts or inspirations of trying to return to Bulgaria as to help enable it to progress and become more innovated so as to not feel stuck in the past?
Yes and no. When I first left, I had the idea of returning someday to help change things. But after studying politics and law at a degree level, I no longer think about it. It all boils down to how complicated it actually is to enact change on a political level, especially in a country where corruption is so deeply rooted. First, it would take a lot of personal dedication to enter the political/legal/economic scene to a level that will actually bring some change. I have no desire to spend my 20s and 30s as a martyr. Second, I'm not really at a stage in my life where I can actually make any meaningful contribution in those scenes, simply because I lack expertise. Third, considering my first two points, it would be foolish of me to undertake such a quest, even if I wished to. Maybe in ten years, maybe in twenty, I might decide I'm qualified enough and ready to dedicate myself to such a task. But for now, I simply want to focus on building a happy life for myself and my family.
@@booksandborders I understand your point of originally leaving Bulgaria to return later on should you be ready to take on the responsibility of resolving as well as abolishing the corruption which plagues it however understanding the root cause would not be easily changeable in the short-term or until you yourself know and understand that you're willing and able to accomplish it. I understand and appreciate your points as to not force yourself to be something that you're unwilling to be as well as to be focused upon building a happy life for you and your family foremost before proceeding on making your decisions regarding Bulgaria further.
I want to say something about the third point if you have to do the same as they do these things shouldn't make us abdon our religion or do some things that are not in our religion
I just found your channel, M and I am impressed. I too was born and raised in Bulgaria. Emigrated to New Zealand and have been here for 31 years. Surprisingly, the two countries have more in common than not. Anyway, I am planning a move back to BG. I don't know if I will be able to settle there. I feel that our country has gone backwards in many aspects. It breaks my heart because I love my homeland, but hate the State with passion. I detest its political orientation, the widespread corruption, the chalga "culture", the girls with the huge silicone lips and breasts, the guys' haircuts and huge tummies, the graphite covered buildings, the rubbish, etc. But I will move back and if I find that I cannot live there, I'll emigrate again. I am thinking a lot about Japan. I love how clean it is. I love its culture - it resonates with my values. That is my story in a nutshell. Greetings from the wet, cold and windy New Zealand.
Thank you, Julia. ❤
The things you listed are some of the things I also detest about Bulgaria, and it makes me very sad. At the same time, my partner and I are also considering moving back for reasons such as overall safety, family, finances and freedom (although I call it more chaos than freedom 😅). Going back will most certainly be very difficult, but I hope that with time you will adjust and it will get better. I do think Bulgaria has a lot to offer, and it's just a matter of perspective (and financial stability), and yet, at the same time, I struggle with the idea of going back a lot. Good luck with your journey! My thoughts are with you.
Greetings from the wet, cold and windy England.
@@booksandbordersthank you, M. ❤I hope that I will settle down in BG. I want to. All the best to you too! I will be following your interesting channel. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for this video and your honesty. I feel like there are thousands of videos about living abroad that don't really go beneath the surface and you do. I'm just living abroad for 2 years now and while I love it, it's not always easy. I lived shortly in Moscow when I wrote my thesis like 8 years ago and 2 years ago I moved from The Netherlands to Romania.
One of the things that I really had to get used to is that you're interesting because you're foreign. Which is great in a way, as that curiosity makes it easy to make contact. However, especially when it comes to dating (but also friendships), it's sometimes hard to find out whether someone is interested in me as a person or they are appealed to the fact that I'm foreign. Which is ok, but I tend to think about these things which makes me too careful in certain situations.
Therefore your lesson about don't necessarily stick to the first people you meet is a very good one imo. Make the pool for friends or relationships bigger and take things slow so things can evolve more natural. Some will stay, some will go. Understand what connects you with someone and be open about yourself if you need that (I do). Because even when that's not for every culture (I understand the cultural differences between Bulgaria and Japan might be too big), know what you need in a friendship or relationship and find the people who have the same or at least similar needs. And if they don't, that's ok too but then you know what to expect.
So yes, know yourself and be happy with who you are before you go!
Question, how did the experience from living in Japan influence your approach when you moved to the UK?
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I actually moved to the UK first and went to Japan as part of my UK degree. Life in the UK, while still quite different from Bulgaria, is a lot more similar to it, than life in Japan. So, I think living in the UK was a good stepping stone for me. I would've struggled a lot in Japan if I hadn't spent my first two years abroad in the UK. My approach when I first moved to the UK was to avoid other Bulgarians as much as possible and only hang out with British or international students. Which was honestly a challenge because I'm an introvert, and I find speaking to new people quite daunting. I thought (and I still do) that if I spent my time in the UK with other Bulgarians, it would defeat the purpose of living abroad. I wanted to only speak in English and to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from people from all around the world. This really opened my mind to new experiences and taught me how to better overcome cultural and language barriers.
When I moved to Japan, it was a bit different as I wasn't fluent in Japanese, so I couldn't exactly use the same approach. But because of my time in the UK, I was already very open to meeting new people and trying new things, so when I went to Japan, I threw myself into experiencing as much as possible (having a host family, joining a dance competition, helping police officers practice their English, watching sumo, Noh theatre, etc.). I enjoyed acquiring new habits and manners and basically just doing as I was told (which is a very common expectation in Japan). I'm quite sure that if I had gone to live in Japan before I lived in the UK, I would've really rebelled against a lot of things, which would've resulted in a lot of disappointment and negative experiences. Your point about being interesting because you are foreign really resonates with my experience in Japan, as I definitely felt that quite often, and it took me some time to filter out the people who were sincere.
I actually struggled the most when I moved back to the UK from Japan because I got reverse culture shock. Kind of how I get reverse culture shock when I go back to Bulgaria from the UK, only milder. But coming back to the UK really felt like coming back home, so that's when I truly started to think of the country itself as 'home', and I redefined the way I think of that word.
A really long answer, sorry. 😅
Again, thank you for sharing your experience. I really appreciate it! I'm happy you liked the video.
Thank you for your reaction!
Don't apologize for the long answer! I enjoy reading your experience. It's something I kind of miss living abroad. Not many international people here and while I love diving into Romanian culture, it's sometimes difficult to feel alone regarding sharing experiences. That's also one of the reasons I'm looking to move to a more 'international' place and have both. Like you described with your plan to avoid Bulgarians and hang out with Brits and other international students.
Although I've never been to Japan, I can imagine that the cultural differences were larger. I noticed that there are a lot of cultural differences in Europe as well, but somehow we are familiar with each other through the centuries and subconsciously we know more than we might realize sometimes. Still hard to change behavior sometimes though😅I mean, somebody told me that it's gross to lick your fingers when eating fries for example. Well, to see someone do that. I never thought about it because I didn't know anyone in The Netherlands that doesn't do that. It's subconscious. So I tried and I tried and asked everyone around me to tell me when I did that to tell me. It's still difficult though🤣
Anyway, so many experiences. And every single one is precious. It's ok to make mistakes and sometimes even very funny. Living abroad is a great learning experience imo.
I also watched a few more of your videos and I just want to tell you that your experiences are very relatable. Thank you for sharing them with us, it is so nice to see someone experience and talk about the same topics. Most of the videos are about foods and stereotypes and that's also fun, but what I find in your videos is more for me. Thank you again!
@@Barthijzz Thank you for watching more videos and for your lovely comments! It really means a lot!
@@booksandborders You're welcome! I really enjoy them and I can imagine it takes a lot of time making videos. And what's appreciation worth if it's not being said?☺
When you say that whenever you return to Bulgaria after living abroad for the number of years that you have do you have any thoughts or inspirations of trying to return to Bulgaria as to help enable it to progress and become more innovated so as to not feel stuck in the past?
Yes and no.
When I first left, I had the idea of returning someday to help change things. But after studying politics and law at a degree level, I no longer think about it. It all boils down to how complicated it actually is to enact change on a political level, especially in a country where corruption is so deeply rooted.
First, it would take a lot of personal dedication to enter the political/legal/economic scene to a level that will actually bring some change. I have no desire to spend my 20s and 30s as a martyr.
Second, I'm not really at a stage in my life where I can actually make any meaningful contribution in those scenes, simply because I lack expertise.
Third, considering my first two points, it would be foolish of me to undertake such a quest, even if I wished to. Maybe in ten years, maybe in twenty, I might decide I'm qualified enough and ready to dedicate myself to such a task. But for now, I simply want to focus on building a happy life for myself and my family.
@@booksandborders I understand your point of originally leaving Bulgaria to return later on should you be ready to take on the responsibility of resolving as well as abolishing the corruption which plagues it however understanding the root cause would not be easily changeable in the short-term or until you yourself know and understand that you're willing and able to accomplish it. I understand and appreciate your points as to not force yourself to be something that you're unwilling to be as well as to be focused upon building a happy life for you and your family foremost before proceeding on making your decisions regarding Bulgaria further.
I want to say something about the third point if you have to do the same as they do these things shouldn't make us abdon our religion or do some things that are not in our religion