republic of bulgaria
TRANSCRIPT
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
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
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/