15
The Saddest Place on Earth?
by Boryana Dzhambazova
I'm getting off the plane. The first thing that welcomes me back is the grumpy face of a worker at Sofia airport in Bulgaria. Then, I know for sure that I'm home. Usual hellos, greetings, and, god forbids, smiles, are considered to be unnecessary exchange of politeness here. Unfortunately, the same scene is still common for many shops, cafeterias and restaurants around the country.
No wonder that an article in The Economist describes Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, as the saddest place on earth relative to its income per person.
So the real question is: Are Bulgarians, who know how to have a good time, that unhappy?
Just hit local clubs on a Friday night and the partying crowd would easily convince you that the researchers, quoted by The Economist, got it wrong. Revved-up people dancing carefree on the tables seem quite satisfied with their lives. Foreigners are usually struck by the fact that even throughout a working day many cafés around the country are full of customers. Spending their day sipping coffee after coffee these people, who supposedly don't have a job, don't seem very unhappy, either.
However, many Bulgarians are struggling to make a living. It's hard to be happy in one of the poorest countries in the EU where the average monthly salary is around $400. Who wouldn't be gloomy about their well-being, since they can barely make the ends meet?
On top of that, superstition and fatalism have always been part of local mentality. In fact
a common saying states that too much of a good thing never leads to something good, so sometimes I even think that Bulgarians prefer to feel miserable just because it's easier. It's so much trouble to be cheerful. Or to bother greeting passengers at Sofia airport with a smile.
Top: Boryana Dzhambazova behind Bulgaria's National Art Gallery in Sofia;
Bottom: Street Scene in Sofia;
Photos by David Brancaccio 2011
For more on the Bulgarian economy, listen below to David Brancaccio's Marketplace story on the state of the country's well-being.
Pages
I am also from Bulgaria. I have been living in the US for the last 13+ years and I have to agree Bulgarians are not the most cheerful people in the world, at not least on the surface and not to strangers. They fear looking too happy, so as not to jinx themselves. They are a superstitious bunch. There are many places in the world, where people are poorer yet don't complain as much. Bulgarians know they are better off than the people from those poor countries but that doesn't necessarily make them feel better. They see themselves as Europeans and compare themselves to the Western European countries and strive for the same standard of living.
The 90s were a difficult time for a lot of people in Bulgaria and some still have a hard time trusting strangers. Once they know they can trust you, they can be very helpful and hospitable though. It's just not their "default setting".
And yes, Bulgarians do know how to have fun, especially with family and friends.
On the comment that you don't see a lot of Bulgarians in the US. Think again - as someone mentioned there a ton of them in Chicago, NY, DC, Tampa Bay area. Toronto is another large Bulgarian expat area. It may even be larger than Chicago.
I agree with what Daniela said.
On the point of there being fewer Bulgarians than Romanians and Kosovo nationals, the answers also lies with the sheer number of Bulgarians, period. The country has about 7 million, whereas Romania is about 20 million. In terms of Kosovo, it is the refigee movement that probably brouhgt more people into the US. Can't expect to see so many people from such a small country...
Just a footnote - feeling happy and sharing openly your happiness with the rest of the world are two distinctly different things. While people may feel content and successful on a personal lever, they might still act reticently - national mentality is a resilient matter with multitude of layers, there have been centuries in our history when survival was a matter of making yourself invisible, of making the beauty of your children or the wealth of your family invisible, ... these are residues which are not easily washed away. As they say - things should be made as simple as possible but not simpler. Speaking of the grumpy worker at the airport is a tidbit too easy way to jump on a conclusion.
One last thing addressed to the people who commented before me - I am Bulgarian too and I too have lived abroad for more than 13 years now. When I refer to Bulgarians, I say We, not Them. And the same goes for my children. Just saying.
I'm a Bulgarian living the the US since 2004 and the last year was the first time I had the chance to go back to visit some family members. I was raised in a small town and I couldn't believe the sheer number of new cars on the roads, but somehow everyone I spoke to said not much has changed in the past few years. As far as the average wage goes I doubt anyone can get reliable data on what people actually make. There is rampant tax evasion most employees and employees are engaged in and the underreporting of wages is widespread. Looking that the cars so many people drive and considering gas sells for twice as much as in the US, $400/mo just doesn't seem enough to sustain such lifestyle.
It's easy to be cheerful and happy when you don't have to think how you are going to survive the month and feed your family with your $160 monthly salary. What the article doesn't say is that majority of the people in Bulgaria earn minimum, or below the minimum wage, which is approximately $160. It is also easy to be cheerful and happy when you know that all the institutions within the government work for the sake of the society; something that will not happen soon in BG!
Sorry, I am not trying to be negative, I'm just stating facts.
Pages
