Working for a Living... (or at least trying to)...

Here’s the thing. As a United States citizen, I have 90 days out of every six months to stay in Bulgaria. Now, I can spend these 90 days as I choose. I can come in and out, enjoying 10 days here, 5 days there, another 20 over there… and so on… over the course of six months. I could frolic happily in Bulgaria for 30 days in December…. another 30 in March… and yet 30 more in June. I could even - you're going to be shocked! - come for 5 days in December and the other 85 in June!!!

…Or I could do it as I have chosen to, namely fly here on a one way ticket in December and pray to the gods and goddesses of Bulgarian employment that I find a job by March 22 thereby earning my right to stay longer. Perhaps you have noticed I have been in Bulgaria now for two months, two weeks and six days. To save you the trouble of calculating this, this amounts to exactly 80 days. Theoretically, I would have had 10 days left before I had to leave the country, returning in July for another 90 days. Naturally, this whole leaving thing did not cause me to do jumping jacks and cartwheels of joy. Mostly because, as I've learned, I miss Ryan terribly when he's thousands of miles away, but also because my bank account currently bears a strong resemblance to the piggy bank of an eight year old child and, given that, I anticipated having to explore the exciting world of hitchhiking across Europe followed by an invigorating swim to the States.

As I’ve previously mentioned, finding a job here is not easy. I’ve had a couple of offers on the table for some time, but as these companies have learned, proving (as they must) that hiring an American for the job is the best and only option is slightly more difficult. A Human Resources company tried to get me a work permit to no avail, but informed me recently they hope to start my own company for me, bringing me on board in the capacity of Consultant. I got excited until I learned that in order to use this method to obtain a D visa I would need to hire 10 – 12 Bulgarians, also paying their Social Security.

This, my friends, is hilarious. Seriously, yo, I almost wet myself. I mean, it’s cheaper to live here – sure! – but let’s be honest. I am not going to be rolling in the dough. I’ll barely be able to support myself, let alone 10 additional employees. And if I merrily handed over to each hypothetical staff member (and myself) approximately 30 leva ($20 US dollars) every month… well, let’s just say I would not be met with smiley faces and giddy hugs.

So, realizing that while I’d likely found a way to financially support myself in Bulgaria, I still hadn’t found a way to actually live here whilst doing so, I hired a lawyer who first outlined a lot of what I already knew. First step – get a D visa. (Yep, yep. I knew that.) In order to get a D visa, one must comply with one of sixteen criteria. Most of them, like being a member of the foreign mass media or, um…. say, the parent of a permanent resident, I have no hopes of meeting.

Fortunately we have determined that starting my own nonprofit/foundation is a viable course of action. It’s not the cheapest option… but it is one that allows me to stay here without hiring a host of people I can't begin to afford. So, soon I will be the CEO/Director/President/All Powerful Supreme Ruler and Queen (I’m still deciding what title I want) of my very own nonprofit agency. As it turns out, this endeavor is very exciting for me because I’m starting to consider what efforts I can put forth in conjunction with other nonprofits in Bulgaria, which in turn allows me to continue to do work I find meaningful, pleasing and important. This, while not exactly inspiring those aforementioned cartwheels (at least not yet) does make me inordinately happy and far more relaxed than I’ve been in ages.

Anyway, as I previously mentioned I went to Thessaloniki, Greece to apply for my D visa the other day. (As an aside, it is impossible to apply for a Bulgarian visa here in Bulgaria, but since I’d never been to Greece I can’t say I really mind.) Once I have the visa in hand, not only will I be running my own nonprofit, but I will also be able to apply for my lichna carta (i.e. residency card) which allows me to stay here for a year… or longer if I reapply again this time next year.

In which case those somersaults and other gymnastic feats just might ensue after all…