Curiously, when you say that you are going to live or travel to X country, people who have been from there always appear. The first comments I heard were negative: watch out for Bulgarians, why do you go there if they all come here… Xenophobic comments. The following comments were improving: you are going to love it, I have decided to stay and live here, Sofia has a lot of atmosphere. I was more and more looking forward to the time to come here.
My first contact with Bulgaria was at the hands of my mother. We visit the capital, the Rila and Bansko monastery. And each of the things we saw and experiences we had we loved. The endless terraces in Sofia, the streets full of people from Monday to Sunday, its parks and green areas, the views from Vitosha, the peace that is breathed in Bansko or the architecture of the monastery.
Four days later I started a new stage: the internship at ICDET. New people, new environment, new language. At the moment, people are calm and like to get together. We have language difficulties, mainly for those of us who do not speak English fluently. But as the weeks go by we will improve and gain confidence with all our colleagues. Those who are and those who will come.
Regarding the office and work, I have high hopes and enthusiasm for doing things. That they give us so much freedom and flexibility seems perfect to me. So there will be time to travel and learn. If someone comes to another country it is clear that it is not just to work.
The summary of my first week in Sofia with my colleagues is: enthusiasm and hope for the future.