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It bothers me that the foreign media does not stop calling Bulgaria the poorest and most corrupt country. And Bulgaria offers true natural and cultural diversity, says Frederike Platzdash, a German woman living in the Rhodopes, to “Deutsche Welle.”
Frederike Platdash is a retired ethnologist by training. She has been living in the Rhodope town of Fatovo for two years. Bilyana Mihaylova asked her questions:
Do you see big mental differences between Germans and Bulgarians?
F. Platzdash: I avoid using the term “mindset” because it is associated with evaluative opinions and stereotypes that suggest that people of a certain nation or group behave in the same way, which is not true. In general, I find Bulgarians more sociable than many Germans; you can strike up a conversation quickly.
Most Bulgarians have some connection to Germany, either they have been there themselves or have relatives who live there. This quickly raises topics of conversation, which is very nice in my opinion.
A smile can go a long way, but is this the case in a pandemic?
F. Platzdash: I have to admit that in times of pandemic I try to limit my contacts as much as possible. However, when I had to go to the hospital for surgery in May, I met very smiling and funny people, from the teacher who operated on me, to the nurse who treated me, to the nurse who brought me food. The address is in a small or “dear” name, which immediately builds trust and makes the hospital stay more bearable.
What are, in your opinion, the good and the bad characteristics of the Bulgarians?
F. Platzdash: Since my first vacation in Bulgaria more than 40 years ago, I have felt sympathy for the country and the people. That is why I have been on vacation in the Black Sea 8 times. I have always come across natural hospitality, which is not typical for many German families. And now, many years later, after settling in a small village in Rhodope, the people of the village accept me willingly and willingly to help. I was struck by the sharp change in attitudes towards measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus and the associated disunity in the country.
What especially impressed you in Bulgaria in the last two years? Both good and bad?
F. Platzdash: What impresses me the most is the natural and cultural diversity of this relatively small country. There are so many things to discover: mountains, sea, beautiful places and many places of interest. For culture lovers, there are several high-level music festivals, starting with the Sofia Philharmonic concerts and ending with the traditional bagpipe competitions in the Rhodope village of Gela.
I am also positively surprised by the health system, which is often talked about negatively. Due to various health problems I had to spend time in the hospital and was impressed by both the technical team and the organization. Also, I didn’t have to wait long for my doctor’s visits. Nor is it true that there are no young doctors because they have gone abroad. However, it is a fact that the equipment of the hospital rooms is reduced to the necessary minimum, there is a need to repaint or a new flooring, a bedside table or a new shower to meet hygiene standards.
Above all, I accept negatively the tension that exists between Bulgarians and Roma. Many Roma live in ghettos and Europe has no idea how difficult their situation is. But there are some positive examples, like the “Music instead of the street” project by violinist Georgi Kalaydzhiev, who also started from the Sliven ghetto. It is a shame that the state no longer supports these types of projects.
It is not so nice that many people think that Germans are necessarily rich and that teachers, for all their kindness, want high prices.
Another problem for me is the malfunction of animal protection, which is why many stray and domestic dogs have a very sad existence. But there is also a light in the tunnel in this regard: there are some private initiatives trying to help injured stray dogs, as well as freeing pets from their careless owners.
What would a comparison look like between the behavior of rulers and rulers in Bulgaria and Germany in times of pandemic?
F. Platzdash: The differences are not so much. Ms. Merkel is a scientist, so when she makes decisions, she listens to other scientists to protect the people she governs. Mr. Borissov is not a scientist. However, as a former director of a security company, you have learned what to do. That is why he created a crisis headquarters with competent doctors and virologists, whose advice he listens to when making decisions.
Both leaders managed to keep the number of cases low at the beginning of the pandemic, and Bulgaria was even better than Germany. Here, as there, people take to the streets to protest against the government. In Germany, the protests are against the Chancellor’s policies. In Bulgaria, the prime minister is accused of corruption. It is incomprehensible to me why these protests, if they are really about corruption, should take place at a time of pandemic. He still had ten years left.
I believe that people here and there are protesting against their own fear of the unknown enemy, the virus, and projecting this insecurity onto those in power. There is now a large increase in cases in both countries, as both Merkel and Borissov have been reluctant to take tougher action.
What do you think is the image of Bulgaria presented by the German media?
F. Platzdash: Unfortunately, the German media rarely write about Bulgaria, and when they do, it is mostly negative. Bulgaria is often even completely ignored, regardless of the reasons. I will give an example: some time ago in the prestigious German tourist publication GEO there was material about the most beautiful places in the Balkans. To my great surprise, Bulgaria was not even mentioned. And this case is not the only one. Or the fact that even in the shortest articles about Bulgaria it is necessarily mentioned that it is the poorest and most corrupt country in the EU. This really bothers me, because I think there is something more to write about Bulgaria, especially if you are not familiar with the political situation on the ground.
The unilateral and myopic writings do not correspond in any way to the diversity of Bulgaria, nor to the complex political situation of the country, which after the end of communism must find its own way.
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