Some American liberal publications have promoted Bulgaria as a place to move to. It’s cheap, they say, and even better, it’s in Europe, that paradise of progressives.

But Bulgaria isn’t that cheap, and it’s not liberal in the way that Americans define the term.

Bulgaria is conservative in many ways.

In Bulgaria:

  • The government is small and taxes are low, so the social safety net is thin.
  • You’re expected to be more self-sufficient. People don’t call the police for small issues, and they don’t sue over things like a missing handrail.
  • Smoking is common, and non-smoking places sometimes aren’t completely smoke free.
  • Gay people tend to blend in. Pride flags are rare.
  • Very few Bulgarians think children should be taught that gender is fluid.
  • Disability access is bad, with sidewalks often impassable in a wheelchair and few ramps.
  • The government is not completely separate from religion. For example, elected officials will post “Christ is risen!” on Easter.
  • Traditional gender roles still dominate in some families, though the gender pay gap is the European average and early-term abortion is legal.

All the world is not a stage.

In contrast to the US, in Bulgaria you don’t wear your opinions like a billboard and make them your public identity.

I almost never see a political statement on clothing or cars. We have some metal heads, tattooed bikers, etc., but very few Bulgarians change their appearance to express a political identity.

We don’t want others’ beliefs shoved in our faces in the street or at a social gathering. (I’m saying “we” because I’m firmly with Bulgarians on this one.)

See Why I like Bulgaria and you might not for more about the culture.

“Move to Bulgaria!” stories ignore culture.

As a result, we get situations like this:

An American posts on social media asking for help moving to Bulgaria. I check their profile. It’s full of memes that mock conservatives and Christians.

Yet this person says that they want to move to conservative, Christian Bulgaria, and they expect us to help them do it.

You won’t find a liberal expat bubble.

Even if the local culture isn’t progressive, a lot of countries have expat bubbles that are. For example, in the American expat enclaves in Latin America, a Democrat will quickly find a friendly group of other Democrats. That’s because most English speakers there are from the US.

Not in Bulgaria. English speakers here come from a wide range of countries, and very few are from the US. Many speak English as a second or third language and grew up in places like Ukraine, Turkey, Latvia, Sweden, and Poland.

Some came to Bulgaria because they like its conservative elements. Many are Bulgarians who worked abroad and came back, choosing Bulgaria over the lifestyle they had in the west.

Americans fresh from the US or the western expat scene might find that their usual approach to socializing doesn’t work. For example, I’ve seen Americans show up at English-speaking gatherings in Eastern Europe and immediately announce their progressive identity, often with a jab at conservatives. They think their jab will help them bond with the others, because that’s how it works where they’re from. Instead, they get awkward silence.

If you want a social life based on your American identity, don’t come.

You’ll be happier in the places where lots of Americans gather, such as the big communities in Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Costa Rica, Panama, and Ecuador.

For example, I’m dimly aware of only 7 born-and-bred Americans living full time in Plovdiv, the second largest Bulgarian city. In contrast, there are thousands in Mérida or Lisbon who will gladly form your progressive tribe and bond over American politics.

“But I want to escape the tribalism.”

If your social media profile is free of mockery and you have a friend or two from the “other” side, then you’ll probably adjust happily to international conversations that cover every topic except American events and identity politics.

Eventually, the US will become irrelevant, especially if you stop following its news and social media. I’ve been gone from the US for 16 years, and its dramas have nothing to do with my life. I don’t want to hear about it, and most Europeans don’t, either.

But if you enjoy expressing your American identity and opinions, you follow US events closely, and you like to bond with other Americans who think like you, your social circle in Bulgaria will be miniscule. Many more potential friends are waiting for you in the big American expat communities in other countries.

What about conservatives?

I haven’t seen American conservatives make these missteps in Eastern Europe. The few that I’ve met keep their opinions to themselves in mixed company.

Of course, conservatives can also join their tribe in the big American expat scenes.

If you’re interested in how American immigrants recreate their political divisions in Mexico, see The Other Side of the Fence by Sheila Croucher. I saw that situation for myself in Mexico and have seen similar tribal groupings in other places, such as Spain.

 

Photo: Easter egg in front of city hall, Plovdiv