Week One: Project One Sofia, Bulgaria

Februarys 8th 2009
After the first few days in a country, there are always distinct first impressions. In Italy, the women were skinny, the men looked as if they just stepped out of an Armani catalog and the food was delicious.
Sofia, is not an exception, I am already left with some interesting perceptions of Eastern Europe. The women are also skinny, but wear tons of makeup. Even the very beautiful ones are unnecessarily layered in gunk. The men are not quite as fashionable…..and not quite as good looking as the Italians either. As for the food, nothing has immediately grabbed my taste buds. Its safe to say I think my stay in Sofia will not damage my heart or my waistline. The people are mostly friendly, and speak enough English to at least understand me if not speak it.. I was warned before I arrived in Bulgaria that their nod signals are reversed. Nodding yes is actually no in Bulgaria!! I still can’t help but laugh out loud, when I ask for the check in a restaurant and she shakes her head no! If I hadn’t been previously told, this could have caused some serious confusion.
The city, like Italy is also very historic and cultured, but unlike Italy, the Bulgarians are not as proud of their country as Italians are. In some ways, Sofia breaks my heart on a daily basis. I have spent the last week working in government department buildings, (its important to get them to support our project and makes approaching businesses much easier.) They are very open about the intense corruption of the country. Even those who work for the government are very untrusting. I found it extremely disturbing to not believe in your work or your country. Bulgaria is beautiful, but you can still see the struggle. It is only a decade out of communism and still has a long way to go. I’m convinced its induction into the European Union, was the result of a very handsome buy off. This country is not ready to be in the European Union and honestly doesn’t belong in it. Bulgaria still uses a much less value currency (lev prounounced leva) and I don’t see how its goal of reaching the Euro in 2011 is possible, without leaving many to fall through the cracks. You can see the after effects and the lack of trust and pride in Bulgaria. Its difficult to describe. I can only compare it to New Orleans. If you have visited it since Hurricane Katrina, you can still see the aftermath of disaster and the distrust that results from corrupted leadership and the tired faces of those who have nothing good to believe in. When I explain to people that I am an American working in Bulgaria…..they laugh at me literally. The spin instructor at a nearby gym said “That is the joke of the year. Most Bulgarians travel far far away, even to your country to find good work and you came HERE. She said I will offer you a deal, you take my place here and I will take yours in hot Florida” She was laughing at me in astonishment. This makes my work much more important. I have decided that I am no longer selling advertising in a country profile. I am selling investors into a country that desperately needs the assistance. I am selling Bulgaria out of the mess their own government has sold them into.
As I said, in every country you see both the good and the bad. Bulgaria does offer many wonderful things. I have already experienced the goodhearted in Sofia. After an hour of wandering around the city in search of a government building I needed to get to, I finally broke down and asked an older gentleman for directions. Although he spoke next to no English, he could understand what I had written down on a piece of paper and walked the entire two blocks out of his way to escort me. There are many people of this nature who are extremely generous. Those are the people I am selling Bulgaria for.