Britons living in Bulgaria. Guide to Bulgaria, Sofia and Varna

REPLACING GB WITH BG


A businessman living in Yambol area told us: “I also invested in some other places but Bulgaria seems more stable. A lady in her 40s who had settled in a Smolyan neighbourhood shared: “We were working long, long hours for no reward really, just to pay bills. A lot of attention was given to mixed British-Bulgarian couples. A man from a village near Veliko Turnovo had made a rather in-depth research before making up his mind: I’ve done some research on Bulgaria. A number of factors play a role in choosing Bulgaria. All the British respondents agreed to be recorded and did not express any discomfort with the recording device. Almost all conversations were recorded on a Dictaphone. Although there are exceptions, as a rule the media reproduce the myth about the “poor British pensioners who have come here to live their elderly years in tranquillity”. An average interview lasted approximately 60 minutes. And we thought we want to live in another country and start a new business.Some imagined that the change will help them avoid the boredom of a life as a retiree: “I didn’t want to retire and sit in a little flat in England”[4]. As a rule, they are friends with their Bulgarian neighbours. Bulgaria competes with several other destinations: “I searched Spain, Morocco all over, even Dominican Republic, Brazil, and we came to Bulgaria”[12]; “We looked at France, Spain, Italy and other part of England and even in Ireland”[13]. Clement Ohridsky”.The project was carried out in the period June-September 2007 and covers the following regions: Gabrovo, Veliko Turnovo, Lovech, Ruse, Razgrad, Turgovishte, Varna, Yambol, Elhovo, Balchik, Smolyan. Croatia was already developed and Slovenia – too expensive.”[19]. Despite the fact that the majority of Britons we managed to contact are indeed retired, quite a few people in an active age also chose to come to Bulgaria along with their children who attend Bulgarian schools and kindergartens. Due to the fact that there is no dependable statistical information on the number of Britons in Bulgaria and on their demographical profile, the elaboration of a representative sample was unfortunately impossible. Emigration was also perceived by some as a good investment: “When I turned 50 I’ve decided to retire and sold the business. Even though many Britons seem to purchase properties on the coast, in big cities, or in the ski resorts, these appear to be predominantly summer homes. Finding a New HomeInterviews provided background information on the size and the general characteristics of British migration flows to Bulgaria, as well as on the reasons behind Britons’ migration choices. For some of the interviewed moving to a foreign country was a way to maintain the quality of life they had enjoyed in their working years, or to enhance that lifestyle. Foreigners get more rights… You’re not allowed to use certain words. Fourth, the existing problems are mostly connected with the everyday life and are surmountable. France was also not a place the Britons will like to move to: “The worst thing of France are the French”.C. Given that many Britons in Bulgaria are close to the retirement age, moving out of Britain meant a chance for an early and not so stressful retirement: “Because it’s so expensive to live in the U.K. Here we can get a better quality of life”[8]. However, unexpected problems frequently surfaced in the course of the interview. I can see the real estate prices crashing over soon”[16]; “Years ago that might have been a good idea [to go to Spain] but now it’s very, very expensive. I checked out the ethnic relationship in the country… I know the GDP was growing in Bulgaria. I didn’t want to go there, to get in trouble”[20]. I hoped that maybe prices will go up here after you join the EU” [23]. I know you have harsh winters but you cannot see snow anymore in England while here you can do skiing. If you use the word ‘white’ it’s not racist, but if you use the word ‘black” it’s racist. Important as it may be, this factor is not to be overestimated. In conducting the interviews, we have given particular attention to the decision-making process.A. In Spain they don’t mix with local people. Indeed, security concerns were among the main reasons that prompted our interviewees to leave the UK: “We came here because it wasn’t safe for the children in the U.K.”, a lady from Smolyan area shared. Interviewees included people who have lived in Bulgaria for the last 4-5 years (some of them speaking perfect Bulgarian), as well as newly arrived British who just unpacked their baggage. Interviews covered typologically significant groups among the British and the Bulgarians. It had often been accompanied by a discontent with one’s lifestyle back in the United Kingdom. It interviewed Britons but looked also for the opinion of their neighbours, Bulgarians or British. It was also very interesting to find people who ended up in Bulgaria after having lived in Spain, Dubai, Greece or Canada.Spain seemed to be the chief ‘competitor’ of Bulgaria as a place to move to. Key FindingsBefore presenting the results of the project in detail, we will like to emphasize four major findings.First, this survey suggests that there are no xenophobic attitudes or aggression towards foreigners on the part of the local population. Many of the British citizens included in the survey demonstrate a vivid interest in the local culture. Many of them live in the country permanently. Most of the people whom the project team approached gladly accepted the invitation for an interview. Nevertheless, there is still no official information on the exact numbers of those people, nor any sociological surveys focused on the reasons for their moving to Bulgaria and their way of life here. Of course, this doesn’t mean that efforts should not be made to overcome these deficits.Section I. On the contrary, while the respondents often point to the simplicity of village life, the warm human relations and the virginity of nature as leading motives for replacing the U.K. One of the respondents shared: “My partner and I were looking for some sort of a change. One respondent spoke of British oversupportiveness of minority groups’ rights, which he saw as a prerequisite for terrorist acts in the country. One such problem was the offering of one and the same service at a different price for Bulgarians and foreigners or the slow and sluggish procedure for prescription of certain medicines. Others hoped they can start a business here: “Both my partner and me became increasingly unhappy with our jobs. Plus: price.[21]Bulgaria’s EU-membership was among the key factors attracting our respondents to Bulgaria: “And 4-5 years ago I saw opportunity that you may be joining Europe. Properties are very expensive and now I think the bubble may burst.”[17]Interestingly, perhaps the key disadvantage of Spain in the eyes of our respondents was it becoming too British:Spain is already very ‘fish and chips country’. Respondents were selected on an entourage principle through the contacts of the British themselves or with the help of a local coordinator, a Bulgarian who lives in the region and is familiar with the situation there. RespondentsThe research is not representative for the British population living on the territory of the country. Second, the survey disproved the popular myth that it is only poor British pensioners who come to Bulgaria. So English people are saying: ‘Enough is enough![1]’.The growing discontent with governmental policies was expressed also by a 63-years old lady settled in Balchink area: “I did not want the Tony Blair government telling me what to do and what not to do. So we decided to take the chance and start a business in Bulgaria. So, we invested some money there and we have to wait”[22].The reasonable level of safety represents another comparative advantage of Bulgaria. Some Bulgarians refused to be recorded and their interviews were hand-written by the team members. Some of the interviewed, expressed discontent with British political actions, and some described a sense of anxiety in the U.K. Some of them understand Bulgarian well enough to watch Bulgarian TV and to read newspapers. Some voted at the last European parliament elections, others even ran for councillors at the local elections in October 2007. Spain is Already a ‘Fish and Chips Country’For many Bulgaria was not the first place they thought of after deciding to leave the U.K. Surprisingly, most of the refusals came from the Balchik area.The questionnaire for the in-depth interview is divided into three main blocks (see the appendix at the end of the text). That willn’t have been enough if we haven’t also loved the country.”[24]The moderate climate also seems to be crucial for the decision to choose Bulgaria for a new home. That’s why Britons are leaving Britain, because they are no longer considering it their country. The cold and gloomy English weather motivates many Britons to consider moving to places with a better climate. The desire for a change in one’s life had at times been rather vague. The few publications in the press and on the Internet and the TV reportages present the British mostly like eccentrics. The first block comprises questions regarding the biography of the respondent: what did he/she do for a living; what is his/her education, civil status, social background. The initial expectation of the project team was that some Bulgarians will be opposed to Britons coming to their country and buying out their land. The low cost of properties and the growing real estate market also represent key advantages that Bulgaria has in comparison with Spain, for example: “In Spain the property market levelled out too much and Bulgaria in that sense was much more promising. The prime consideration seems to be the political and economic stability of the country. The project team determined that Britons who settle in villages tend to be the ones who stay in the country permanently and therefore have a bigger exposure to local culture. The project team interviewed people of both genders between 8 and 70 years of age from different parts of Great Britain, with various professional experiences and civil status. The report discusses in detail the existing challenges and the reasons the respondents see behind them. The research team based its choice of the qualitative method, as opposed to focus groups or included observation, on the determination that the problem has not yet been studied. The respondents were interviewed in their homes or in public places so that they can feel as comfortable as possible. The survey used a questionnaire for in-depth interviews. The team also includes Svetozara Petkova – lawyer - LLM from Sofia and Warwick Universities, Kristina Georgieva – MSc. The team leader is Martin Ivanov PhD – historian from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Then instead of spending the money, which goes very quickly, I’ve decided to invest in this property in Bulgaria”[11].B. Therefore, with the exception of one interview in Veliko Turnovo, all the interviews were made in villages. These are the regions where, according to unofficial data, British citizens acquired plenty of properties.In the course of the project, the team did a total of 62 interviews. They don’t integrate.[18]Other options seemed either out of reach or not very attractive: “We took our van and travelled through 30 different European countries. They now call it ‘whiteboard’. Third, this block discusses the contacts of British citizens with Bulgarian institutions – from the crossing of the border, through the municipal administration and the mayor of the settlement, to the postal services, hospitals and schools. This is partly due to the prevailing tendency among the interviewed Britons to try to understand the local culture and integrate into it, to learn the language and the customs of the local people and not act in a colonial manner. To use the words of a 53-years-old person from Essex:Everybody is really not happy with the English government and the fact that as English people in England we are third-rate citizens in our own country. To use the words of a lady from Veliko Turnovo region: “We were drawn by the cheapness of the property. We can say though that there are no grounds to expect a rise of major cultural tensions between the two communities in the near future. We knew we want to do something different. We mustn’t sing that anymore because of the word ‘black’. We needed a credit, which then we had to pay back for 20 years. We wanted to do something different and specifically we wanted to be self-employed. We wanted to go somewhere else and do something different”[3]. We were not happy with our life in England. While the research traditionally identifies these characteristics as ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors, respondents often made it clear that a push factor in the U.K. You’re not allowed to use the word ‘blackboard’ in school now because it’s racist.