Today we have the pleasure to interview our new friend Cris, who decided left behind the expat life in Sofia, to follow his passion, move to the Bulgarian countryside and start a new life in the Balkan mountains in a village called Oreshak, near Troyan.
And he took the time to share his experiences and views with us and talk about Bulgarian lifestyle and traditions.
Name and nationality:
Cris Biemond, Dutch.
Tell us a bit about you and what you do?
I am working on a platform called link2bulgaria (www.link2bulgaria.com) To create an excellent overview of all kind of services available in Bulgaria. I do this because I think Bulgaria has much to offer but the information infrastructure is not very well developed yet
Why and when did you come to Bulgaria?
I came to Bulgaria in February 2014 to work in a Call center, Dutch people get nice pay 😛 the plan was only to be here around six months, and it seems those six months are not yet over.
What do you like about your country of origin?
I like the equality of people the cosmopolitan mindset and the no-nonsense attitude of people
What are some differences between your country and Bulgaria?
The climate the food 😉 And people are much more emotional and less rational than in Holland
What do you like about Bulgaria?
The food the weather the way traditions are being kept, the warm people
What was the most difficult bureaucratic procedure you have undergone so far in Bulgaria?
Getting a new driver license, mine was about to expire, so I needed to get a Bulgarian one (EU regulations) It took me first of all2 hours to prove my license was a real Dutch drivers license….
Mention one important experience you’ve had in Bulgaria:
To start my own company and all road It took so far
What languages do you speak other than your mother tongue?
English, German, some French, Hebrew, Bulgarian, Amharic and Tigrinya (last 2 are Ethiopian languages)
What countries have you been to?
I lived in Israel (1 year) and 6 months in Ethiopia. Just for a holiday, I have been to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany Czech Republic, Hungary Romania Turkey, Belgium, France, Spain Georgia (Tbilisi, not Atlanta :)) and the USA
How is your business going?
Its still pushing the rock up the hill. Its a very ambitious idea and it will take some time to succeed.
More and more I meet people that like my idea and want to work together.
What advice would you give to other people who would like to come to live in Bulgaria?
First of all visit my and Daniel’s website 😉 Take your time to get acquainted, learn some of the Bulgarian language and keep in mind that time is a different concept than in North-west Europe 🙂
