Republic of Bulgaria

KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY- KNOW YOUR WORLD

Speaker: Angela Albanese “I am an American university student. I spent five months in Bulgaria in Spring 2015 as an exchange student through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), which is partnered with my home university in Texas. I spent the semester studying at the American University in Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad, which is located in southwestern part of the country. I had a wonderful time learning about the history, language, and culture of Bulgaria and I will never forget all the wonderful memories I made there!”

Bulgaria is located in Southeastern Europe in a region known as the Balkans. It has many mountains and plains. Eastern Bulgaria is bordered by the Black Sea and has many beautiful beaches. By plane, it takes about 14 hours and multiple stops to get to Sofia, Bulgaria.

Country Quick Facts Full name: Republic of Bulgaria Population: about 6.9 million (July 2014 est.) Capital: Sofia Largest city: Sofia Official language: Bulgarian Major religion: Eastern Orthodox Christian (about 60%) Life expectancy: Male: 70, Female: 78 Monetary unit: Lev, Leva (plural) Main exports: clothing, footwear, iron and steel,

machinery and equipment, fuels GNI per capita: $15,210

Bulgarian History in Brief The Bulgarian State was founded

in 681 CE Became independent from the

Ottoman Empire in 1908 On the losing side in both World

War I and II Communist government took over

in 1946 Was part of the Eastern bloc,

countries obedient to the Soviet Union during the Cold War

Held their first democratic elections in 1990 and begin switching to a capitalist economy

Language • HELLO: zdrave/здравей • GOODBYE: dovizdane/довиждане• YES: Da/да  • NO: Ne/не• THANK YOU: Blagodarya, Mersi/ благодаря,

Мерси• YOU’RE WELCOME: molya/моля• PLEASE: molya/моля• I LOVE YOU: Obicham te/Обичам те• HOW ARE YOU: Kak si?/Как си?

Government President: Rosen Plevneliev Prime Minister: Boyko Borisov Government structure:

parliamentary democracy Voting age: 18 years

President Plevneliev

Prime Minister Borisov

Current Issues Poor infrastructure, especially

roadsStruggling economy, lack of jobsCorruption in the government Aging population Refugees Discrimination of Roma people

Economy Bulgaria’s economy has been

struggling since the Communist times

Joined the European Union in 2007

Major industries are: Tourism on the Black Sea

coast in cities like Varna and Burgas

Lots of rose oil! Used for things like perfume

Wine, especially from Southern Bulgaria

Energy Telecommunications

Currency Leva (paper money), stotinka (coins) 1 US dollar= 1.73 Bulgarian leva (June 2015)

Cultural Differences from the US Bulgarians shake there head for ‘yes’ and nod there head for ‘no’

Orders at a restaurant in Bulgaria is not served at the same time, dinner is much slower paced than in the US

Clean plate or empty glass means you want more and they will always serve you more even if you don’t want it

Bulgarians are known for their sarcastic/dry sense of humor

Lots of stray dogs

Smaller cars, hardly any trucks

Still a lot of focus on extended family, very close

Eye contact very important

Don’t like to rush

Bulgarians like to think they invented everything from baklava and yogurt to the Cyrillic alphabet, but also very proud of their culture

National Festivals Kukeri Festival- rituals dating back to ancient

times to scare off evil spirits of the winter season through scary costumes and dancing

Traditional Bulgarian Food Banitsa

Yogurt very common, sour compared to ours

Lots of meat, potato, and rice dishes

Two kinds of cheese: yellow and white cheese

Ayran (cold yogurt beverage mixed with salt) and boza (grain-based drink) are traditional beverages

Banitsa- popular bread and cheese dish

Boza

Fun Facts The current prime

minister, Boyko Borisov, currently plays for a club soccer team

Bulgaria has an UNESCO World Heritage Site- Rila Monastery

Bulgaria has Roman ruins! (See next slide)

Quidditch player Viktor Krum from the Harry Potter books and movies was from Bulgaria

Bulgaria was one of the two countries that did not turn over their Jews to the Nazis

Roman Amphitheater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria dating back to the 2nd century

Links http://www.novinite.com/ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17202996 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-fact

book/geos/bu.html

http://www.eurodict.com/English_Bulgarian_Dictionary_seo_46.html

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/bg.htm

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/mapping/outline-map/?map=Bulgaria&ar_a=1

http://bulgariatravel.org/ http://bulgaria.usembassy.gov/