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.