Random Issue #5

Ambulances in Bulgaria

You are currently in Bulgaria? God forbid you have an accident and you need medical help. If you call an ambulance, the first thing you will be asked is how do you feel. If they decide that you are not sick or injured enough, you will not get any medical support. However, if they please to come at all, they will be waiting for a long time and let’s hope you make it till they come. You have no other choice.

I have heard so many people around me complain of the bad service the ambulances provide in Bulgaria. People have been waiting for hours till the car shows up and I don’t even want to imagine the pain and sufferings they have been going through. There was an accident in a high school in Plovdiv. A teacher had a heart attack and the ambulance didn't show up on time. The hospital is on the other side of the boulevard, right across the school.

The only time I had to call an ambulance was when I was in New Jersey and my friend fall from his bike. He thought he broke his ribs. We did not have a hospital in the city, so the ambulance came from a nearby city. Furthermore, there was a flood, since there was a storm. It took the car 15 minutes to get to us. Here is what has been happening in Bulgaria meanwhile, while people are dying.

Random Issue #4

Having a smartphone = living in a different world!

For quite some time I was resistant to technology. My boyfriend still defines me as such, when I don’t want to upgrade the operating system on my tablet and I get mad at him when he does it for me. Once I feel comfortable with something it is too much work for me to change it, even when it comes to upgrading.

However, to my biggest despair, I broke my phone and I had to buy a new one. I have never had internet on my phone and I never felt bad about it. However, I thought it is about time to keep up with the trends and got a smartphone. Little did I know at that time…

So there it was my new smartphone. It looked huge and so uncomfortable to use, I couldn’t even put it in my pocket, but it looked fancy and cool. I was caring it around without actually using it for some time, but then everything changed!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Viber, What’s app, Trello, 9gag, We heart it. Hay day, Panda Jam, Candy crush…. These are some of the apps I am hooked up on right now. This morning I woke up and I spend an hour browsing through them. I used to hate it when people suddenly took out their phones and ignored the others right in the middle of a real life hang out, consumed in their own digital worlds, now however, I catch myself turning into one of them!  It’s a whole new world that we need to explore, however we have to be careful and not forget that real life still exist and real life is fun and cool too!

Random issue # 3

 What about your own?

I have always found that very amusing. Bulgaria is a beautiful country with long-lasting traditions, however the fests our grandparents used to celebrate have nothing to do with the once we do now. Young boys used to dress up like beasts to scare away the evil spirits. Today boys and girls dress inappropriately to celebrate Halloween, and most of them don’t even know the nature of the catholic holiday. Bulgarians have greeted me for Thanksgiving!  But my all-time favorite will always be St. Valentine.

There is an amazing Bulgarian holiday called Trifon Zarezan. It is the festival of wine. I personally love this festival; however most of the people, even the single once, decide to celebrate St. Valentine ’s Day. We don’t even have the Christmas the way we are supposed to. Now some of the commercial holidays lovers will say:” Well, it’s all about joy and happiness, it doesn't matter how you celebrate as long as you feel happy and grateful.” That’s beautiful, really. But how can you feel good with yourself, since you don’t know when your own Independence Day is, but you expect a present from your boyfriend for Valentine’s Day?

Random issue #2

What happened to the Bulgarian map on the Olympic games in Sochi?

Few days ago was the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The beautiful ceremony however did not go without any fails. Something that has been disturbing people from the Balkan region is the misrepresentation of the Bulgarian territory on the Olympics. Each nationality was introduced while walking in a tunnel, and viewed from above; people could see a night view shot of the country. However, the Bulgarian map included territories of Republic of Macedonia and Western Trace. The Russian authorities replied that the map was not wrong, but it looked that way because of the angle it was presented from. We will never find out if this was done on purpose or not, however it is worth thinking about it in greater debt. 

There has been a strong political tension between Bulgarians and Macedonians for the past few years and therefore some might think that the misrepresentation on the Olympic Games ceremony was no coincidence. The fact is that no Bulgarian took part in the creation of the maps and Russians deny that is wrong. What concerns me the most is that this will create even tenser relationship between Bulgarians and Macedonians, as people have already started commenting on that topic and all this might be because of someone’s interests on a higher level.

Random issue #1

                                                    Who let the dogs out?

A random issue that has been disturbing me for a while now is all the homeless dogs out there and even more- people’s attitudes towards them. You have all seen the poor creatures on the streets, following you all around town. They look so adorable and so cute, but what people often forget is that they are wild animals, living in the city, trying to adapt to the circumstances by any means and chances.

Why are there so many of them? Because of animal protectors. Because of people who care more for dogs rather than people. Kids and old people are street dog’s favorite victims. They walk around in packs and when hungry, they are definitely not so adorable any more. And yes, street dogs are bothering me and I don’t want them there. Street dogs have attacked me and my friends on numerous occasions. For a while I was scared to go out of my apartment because of the “wolf pack” that was living under my window and I was forced to find a new apartment because the only option I had was poisoning them.

 I called any street dog hotline I could find, but nobody seemed to care about my security. So I was forced to decide- to poison the dogs or to find another place to live. My landlord took that decision instead of me. He gave one of them poison, but I couldn't bead hearing the dog cry from pain in the middle of the night. I found another place to live. My own country made me feel as if dogs are dictating my life. And actually they were. I had a box of fireworks, so that I could blow them from the window before I go out. They got scared from the sound in the beginning and ran away, but then they got used to it and it wasn't working anymore. When it got dark, I was going home by cab only and I was making sure the driver waits for me until I walk around the pack and go inside safe and sound.

 I am 21 years old, I am a student and I know a little about real life. But if that is part of the real life that is expecting me in Bulgaria, I’m starting to reconsider my decisions to stay. After all, isn't the country’s responsibility to provide security for the people?