Bulgaria Full Circle

The Bulgarian affair began in 2005, leaving the UK and moving into a village called Skalitsa some 37 kilometres from the City of Yambol. A smallholding was managed there and life was wholly immersed into a traditional village culture - a missing part of life's jigsaw had seemingly been found.

This was not to be ...

The only plan open to a 'sustainable' life in Bulgaria was to move back to the UK for essential funding. This was all due to the initial haste and impatience of trying to live the good life without income. It was doomed to fail as minimal income is a must to fulfil any life goal.

Living and working in the UK brought about issues; the system, the people, and not least family. It also explains how alien it felt as a returning expatriate and how Galia now sees the UK now without rose-tinted glasses.

Regardless of the number of hurdles put in our way, the plan forged ahead and a return to life in Yambol was made in 2017. A contrasting lifestyle and distinctly different adventures were found in an urban environment. Personal insights into residing in an old communist-era-built apartment block are laid out, which clearly highlights the divides.

If there is something you really want, it can be achieved with determination, energy and willpower that drives you forward, never giving up. Galia was a pivotal figure in the plan and the book clearly shows that we wouldn't have reached our goal without her.

The title, 'Bulgaria Full Circle' won't make sense until the last chapter has been read.