Today we want to share with you the experience in Bulgaria of our new friend Stefan, and we want to thank him for taking the time to talk with us and tell us what are his thoughts after 2 years living in Bulgaria.
Name and nationality:
My name is Stefan Vasic. I was born in Yugoslavia and I am Serbian.
Tell us a bit about you and what you do
I am 32 years young person with expertise in the IT industry. I tend to think about myself as an athletic, open-minded & persistent person. I like to discuss a variety of topics and to organize things. I enjoy in interior design and different architecture. I love staying at the beach and going for a swim.
Most surely a big fan of turn-based strategy video games. A huge worshipper of good food and I wish one day to be Sommelier for rakia
I am working as a product owner with one IT company in Varna. As a product owner, I tend to capture business requirements, prioritize them, and place them to the team to bring it up to light. I used to work and travel a lot as an SAP business consultant. Before that, I used to be a software developer.
Why and when did you come to Bulgaria?
I came to Bulgaria in 2018, as I wanted to reside and enjoy my time with my girlfriend.
What do you like about your country of origin?
I do like Serbian hospitality. People are more than welcome to share their knowledge (especially about history), experiences, and food. And speaking about the food, I could say, with all the possible modesty, that Serbs are preparing one of the most delicious meals on the planet.
I can say that our pride is something that I like. Although it could be a showstopper in some situations, our proudness and competitive spirit is giving us cutting edge in many sports
I think sightseeing, nightlife, and the hard-to-match beauty of Serbian ladies, is something that everyone would like to experience.
What are some differences between your country and Bulgaria?
They are not many. As the neighboring countries with a similar history that are quite often entangled, it is hard to find differences.
I would say that the main ones, that I have noticed are:
⦁ The extent of the family. In Serbia, we call our cousins, that are in family tree coming from grandparents’ side, brothers and sisters. In Bulgaria, it is not the same, and I quite often confuse people with the number of brothers and sisters that I have.
⦁ Size of the wedding. In Serbia between 200 – 300 invitees are considered as the normal size of the wedding. Here already above 100 people attending is considered as a big wedding. Otherwise, the wedding customs themselves are quite similar.
⦁ The attitude towards sports. In Serbia, people put a huge effort into playing football, basketball, water polo, handball, martial arts on regular basis. Here, I find it quite hard to find people to enjoy sports together.
What do you like about Bulgaria?
I love the nature here. I think when you walk out of the city, you see true unspoiled beauty. I enjoy the coast of the Black sea. There is a variety of different types of beaches and nature around them. Although, I do not enjoy hiking, and mountain climbing, I do enjoy nice photos from the tall Bulgarian mountain peaks.
I like people here. They are quite direct, and always ready for sarcasm and jokes. They are very much willing to give a helping hand and discuss on any given topic. Also, as Serbian and Bulgarian language are similar, we tend to discuss and discover words that are the same, but with an entirely different meanings. Sometimes it leads, to a hilarious misunderstanding.
I do like opportunities. I think that people are oriented towards getting better and they are hard-working. If it wasn’t up to government’s lack of will, life here would be very prosperous.
What was the most difficult bureaucratic procedure you have undergone so far in Bulgaria?
Getting a blue card. As a non-EU, I worked in several EU countries. Everywhere else it was a quick procedure up to a couple of weeks. The first time coming to Sofia was in total more than 5 months. And you would think it would be easier once you are in Bulgaria to move from Sofia to Varna, but that one lasted more than 4 months. In the end, the biggest issue, in the whole process is the uncertainty that can happen next, as you are not clear about the steps. And whenever and wherever you go, you get a different reply that is not even close to the previous one.
Mention one important experience you’ve had in Bulgaria:
An amazing Saturday afternoon with my friends, colleagues from Ukraine, Greece, and Bulgaria, when we ate some nice food and drank a rakia, hoping to play board games afterward.
If you have the chance to change something in Bulgaria, what it will be?
There are 3 things that I would change. I had a reply to this question quite quickly prepared, as the same topics are present in Serbia.
⦁ Administration – It is horrible around here. Foreigners would think that language is a problem. After all, I went through (as I do understand Bulgarian) I can say that the path of making business and handling the documentation is horrendous. Unfortunately, I witnessed that this behavior is also part of the companies, where admin work is completely confusing, and no real common practice is in place.
⦁ Road infrastructure – I enjoy driving on a sunny day with open roof-top in beautiful nature, where you could cruise and just collect all the natural gifts encapsulated in modern technologies. As Bulgaria is gifted with excellent nature, one might think that you could just go and drive. You would easily fool that instead of paying attention to nature and gently drive on country roads, you need to stress out paying attention to all sorts of hazardous troubles on the roads.
⦁ Tourism marketing – As amazing people and nature are habituated here, it would be expected to have plenty of tourists. Bulgaria is sadly known for easy access to booze and a lack of laws in a couple of coastal places. Marketing is failing, as Bulgaria has so many wonders to offer.
What languages do you speak other than your mother tongue?
I speak Serbian. Thanks to politics, I could also add to the list Croatian and Bosnian. I would say that I am fluent in English and Bulgarian. I can communicate in German and as well as Slovakian and Czech, but they are a bit rusty. I have been learning in the past Spanish, Japanese & Russian, but not as fluent.
What countries have you been to?
I have been to many countries in Europe and a few in Asia. I have visited Israel, UAE, and Turkey. I have been to all countries in Balkan, Italy, Spain, France, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia. I lived for several years on the amazing island of Malta.
How is your business going?
I have just recently opened a company. It is not anything new or fresh, but it is something that I think will be more and more required in Balkan. As I am still working on setting up a business, do not want to jinx it, so perhaps some other time I could give longer reply.
What advice would you give to other people who would like to come to live in Bulgaria?
Be honest about who you are and what you want in your life. I would say to anyone moving anywhere on the planet.
Bulgaria has many flaws, but even more advantages. If you are ready to put up with some chaos and lack of clear structure, you would be rewarded with helpful people, unbelievable beauty & a kind climate. If you want peace and quiet mixed up with the unexplainable noise of a few urban centers crossed with the exemplary smell of good food, Bulgaria might be an ideal place for you.
We want to wish success in all his projects and he to continue with the positive attitude!
