Mother Nature and Red Tape

I freely admit I am a temperature wimp.

I love crisp, cool mornings and warm, breezy afternoons, which is why, living in Florida for the past five years, I relished October – the segue from almost unbearably hot, muggy weather to the reason for which the term “snowbird” was coined. I spent as much time as possible during the Floridian falls, winters and springs outside.

Now, summers… summers, I firmly believe, are meant to be spent in the luxury of air conditioning. Or, if I must (for the sake of female bonding), lolling about on the beach slathered in SPF 30 lotion, sipping a cold beverage and reading a book while secretly fretting over whether I’ve yet crossed the fine line between “delightfully rosy” and “positively charred”.

I have not had to really think about true winter for some time. When I first moved to Florida, I laughed at the people who moaned about the cold whenever the mercury dipped below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The next year, I was one of them. And so I remained until I decided to move to Eastern Europe.

And when I initially arrived in Bulgaria, it occurred to me that Karma can be a wicked thing… because here? It was cold. Numb toes, runny nose, wish to God you had brought thermal underwear or tights, I don’t know, maybe leg warmers or something… really, really freaking cold. But since that first week we have been enjoying what I’ve been told is the warmest winter in years. We’re talking 50s every day. The nights can get chilly and dip into the upper 20s or mid 30s… but for the most part this has not been nearly the frigid winter I thought it was going to be. Of course lower temperatures could still be in store for us, but I’m holding out hope that I brought a bit of Orlando with me when I moved here and it is here to stay.

It’s not just the cooperation of Mother Nature… everything else is going well here, too. Er, for the most part. Specifically, there seems to be quite a bit of that proverbial red tape as it pertains to the job hunt, but hopefully that will all get sorted out shortly! I’m certain of it! Yesiree!

Okay, so it’s in fact been very frustrating. Although Bulgaria has recently joined the EU, it’s still tremendously difficult for a non-Bulgarian to actually work here. If I were a resident of one of the EU countries, things might be moderately easier, but since I am not, I must abide by the myriad rules and regulations that govern the hiring of an American. First hurdle – no more than 10% of any Bulgarian company may be a foreigner. But I really can’t find fault with this as the unemployment rate is fairly high (albeit declining) and, by all rights, a Bulgarian also meeting the needs of the organization should be hired before me. Second hurdle – I do not (yet) speak Bulgarian. I may be qualified in all other respects for a position, but unless the company deals extensively with English speaking clients, or involves actually teaching English, I do not stand a chance. Now, despite this, I’ve found a few companies/schools that are willing – and eager! - to bring me on as an employee, but as it turns out there are third hurdles and fourth hurdles… and also even fifth, sixth and seventh hurdles.

While I can understand the reasoning for the bureaucracy, it doesn’t make it any less aggravating. The biggest thing I am trying to accomplish now is to have my diplomas (both undergraduate and graduate) notarized and affixed with what is known as an Apostille by the Secretaries of State in both Florida (Masters Degree) and Maryland (Bachelors Degree). I had no idea this process even existed, but apparently it is designed to protect, rather than hinder. Luckily my totally awesome Mommy is aiding me enormously in taking care of this. Once that’s done, the documents can be sent to me whereupon I can have them translated into Bulgarian and legalized. Then they must be certified by the relevant Ministries in Sofia. At that point, I can have a school and/or company obtain a work permit on my behalf. The good news is, with a work permit in hand, I can go about obtaining a D-visa which is the gateway to being able to stay here in Bulgaria. But there’s a catch… I cannot get the D-visa here… I have to leave and visit a Bulgarian Embassy outside of the country. This means traveling to Bucharest or Istanbul or Thessaloniki… and probably staying there for the two weeks to a month that it takes to process it. After getting the D-visa, I can finally pursue obtaining my lichna karta (a national identification card required for long-term stay) which means I get to remain in Bulgaria. For little awhile, at least.... until I have to renew it, that is...

But here is yet another challenge. Without that magical lichna karta, I can only spend 90 days out of every six months in Bulgaria. Because these things take time, I’m trying to figure out some sort of a game plan if all of these processes take longer than hoped. I may wind up having to spend a month or two in Israel with my godparents as it’s much cheaper to fly there than the States… but I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I’m just trying to enjoy myself without stressing too much about the details… Ryan keeps telling me it will all work out… and I believe he is right (Although I definitely have my moments where I envision myself clinging desperately to a border guard pleading with him to let me hang out in Bulgaria for just a few more years!) At the very least, I’ll get to do some really cool traveling… and I can’t complain about that!

Frustrations notwithstanding, the rest of my stay here has been amazing. Stara Zagora is terrific… and naturally I am thoroughly enjoying spending time with Ryan. In recent weeks I’ve hung out at the Peace Corps Country Directors’ house with some of Ryan's fellow PCVs indulging in arguably the finest chili and guacamole in creation… gone to a Bluegrass concert at a bar in Sofia… engaged in some exceedingly bad bowling (on my part) at Caribi, a super cool disco bowling alley…

...and completed a 10-mile hike through the hills of Stara Zagora with Alex, one of Ryan's site mates...

This afternoon I am going to Kazanluk to meet up with Ryan who is there for his In-Service Training. Also, this upcoming weekend we have a romantic and fun weekend planned in Veliko Turnovo, purportedly one of the most beautiful cities in Bulgaria (and possibly all of Europe).

And the adventure is just beginning. I’ll be heading to Sofia next week for a month to attend class at AVO-3 in my goal of obtaining my CELTA TEFL certification. At the very least it will be both an interesting and intense experience, but with any luck, this will broaden opportunities for me. Keep your fingers crossed! And while they are crossed, as Sofia can be quite a bit colder than Stara Zagora, let’s hope this gorgeous weather holds out!