living in Bulgaria

Hi Max1i1,

Welcome to Expat.com!

I started a new topic with your message on the Bulgaria forum.

I would also invite you to ask more specific questions so that you get more responses.

Thank you,
All the best,
Christine

Well, can't help you as an expat but probably can shed some light as a local...so:

Most people under 30 speak some English...so you'd be fine;
People over 40 speak russian or just bulgarian;
German and French are perhaps more common thank you think;
The taxi drivers WILL try to rip you off...so ask them about price beforehand;
The romas and the mafia aren't such a big problem. The roma are usually seggregated and the mafia will not bother with tourists/expats. Personally, I don't think the roma are problem at all but some people think they are...
People are usually friendly towards Americans (note "usually" - probably more so than in Russia but not as friendly as in say...UK).

I got to admit: racism in bulgaria is no myth unfortunately. So if you're black, hispanic or anything other than whitish - will genuinely vouch for a less-racist country...such as: Poland or something like that.

Max-

Do you have any specific questions? I have been living in Bulgaria since 2010, and I love it here. I am no chef, but I love the variety of fresh produce that is available- the tomatoes in Bulgaria are to die for during the summer months

All the best-

Koji

Hi Max,

Welcome to the forum. I am from the US; my husband and I have been living here for nearly 10 years. You should be able to satisfy your desire to garden, snow and water-ski in Bulgaria. It is a small country (about the size of North Carolina), and living within reasonable access to the sea and mountains is possible. I would be happy to answer whatever questions I am able to.

VillageGirl