Cultural Differences

I thought I would share some differences between Bulgaria and the U.S. Here are some interesting facts about Bulgaria.

1) I have noticed that if you want to lock your door you don't turn your key to the right, but to the left, and to open the door you turn your key to the right. So in this case, righty-tighty and lefty-loosy does not apply.

2) When having a conversation you would often nod in agreement, right? Well, when agreeing with someone you would shake your head left and right, not up and down. So to physically say yes, you shake your head left and right. To say no, you would nod, up and down.

3) So of the other things I have noticed are that when going out for coffee people chose to put on their best clothes. I see women with heels, and great outfits all the time. Sitting at a cafe can take anywhere between 30 mins. (min.) to 2 hours or more (max.) When sitting at a cafe, people take the time to chat, drink a nice and also small cup of coffee, and enjoy time with friends.

4) Just like in cafe, restaurants are the same way. When eating a meal with friends/family people sit for hours, chatting the time away. It is the best time to catch up on ones' lives. Most restaurants, unlike the U.S., don't offer a box to take the meal home. Overall, when going out with friends, whether to a cafe or a restaurant, people take the time to catch up on life, and enjoy time spent together.

5)Plastic Bags. In the U.S. most stores offer free plastic bags. (stores like Cub, Target, Michael's) However, in Bulgaria stores offer plastic bags at the cost of 10 stotinki or 20 stotinki, depending on the store you visit. Of course not all stores are like that, but most grocery stores especially are. I think this is a great way to reduce pollution and garbage in Bulgaria. People use reusable bags and save money at the same time:)