Thank you so much for your beautiful comment Kari 😊 and for joining me on the journey back in time! I agree with you completely. Sadly, professions related to preserving history often don’t “roll in the big bucks” and people don’t find an interest in it as you said… yet history is at the core of everything! My dream was to become an archeologist but when I was back in New York my high school convinced me that that would be “economic suicide” and I haven’t made that dream a reality (yet!). This is the closest I have gotten so far to preserving history.. I truly appreciate your supportive comments! 😊😊

Thank you so much for the kind words about Bulgaria! I really love it here and feel it has a very special magic that I want to share with people 😊 From your name I am assuming you are from Greece!? (I hope I am not assuming wrong 🫣). If yes, I can see you from my balcony!! 😃 You live in a very beautiful country as well! 😊

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 ​ @SistersOfBulgaria no problem & thank you lol yes! im greek, waving back at you from our own balcony👋 , next time i make cookies we'll toss you a batch~ 😄

Ooo you could tie some cookies to the lyastovichki and send them over 😄 They are the same ones flying back and forth between our houses anyway haha 😆

All I can say is thank you so much for this beautiful and inspirational comment!! ❤️ I really cannot tell you enough how much the encouragement means to me!!! Some days I wake up wondering if my videos are really getting across everything I hope they do. Hearing these worlds from you means A LOT, thank you so much 💕

Yes! We call them “lyastovichki” in Bulgarian 😊 Oooo if you have them on your house too I think we are definitely neighbors lol 😃

Hi Wanda, thank you so much for your comment! I cannot tell you how encouraging it is to wake up to a comment like this 😊 It fills me with so much joy to see someone is enjoying my videos. I am pretty new to all this and often question whether I am doing a good job explaining so you just gave me a boost of confidence which I am very grateful for! Best regards 😊

I am so happy to hear you plan on returning!! I read the other day that we have the fastest declining population…in the WORLD! And that every Bulgarian needs to have 3 children just to keep the population steady… this broke my heart and is why I get so happy when I hear about Bulgarians who plan to return! My friend who worked in England for years just returned yesterday for good 😃 We are celebrating today with a big cheverme (чеверме) 😊 🎉

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 Fantastic. Enjoy guys . I have 10 more days before returning to Bulgaria 😀

@@777epp are you the other sister? 🤔😊

Ooooo I am so excited for you!! Bulgaria is Beautiful in May! How long are you staying for?

😅😅 The other sister still hasn’t made a big appearance in any of the videos. Sadly she still lives in NYC with my mom😞 She is a ballet teacher and real estate agent and needs to be stationary. She loves the farm but has very serious arachnophobia 🕷️ .. I used to think it was all in her head but she literally turns white and starts shaking when she sees a spider. They should be coming soon though and when she does I will make a whole film featuring her haha 😃

Thank you so much Harikrishna! I’m very happy you are enjoying!! 😊

Aww thank youuu 🥰

Yes! We actually have 2 cats here in Bulgaria with us and 2 back home with my mom and sister in America. The two here are the mom and son. The two in America are the two daughters. They are our babies ❤️❤️

Hi again! Thank you so much for watching my newest video 😊 Your comment just made me really happy because honestly I have been wanting to talk a bit more about my personal journey but just wasn’t sure people would be interested. You just gave me so much motivation which when I think about it may even help people in the long run. A lot of people have been approaching me who have wishes to move back to Bulgaria/ rural life but seem to be unsure about how they would cope with such drastic changes. I will definitely be sure to start including a bit more about my personal journey/ the ups and downs I go through with the change. Thank you for the encouragement!! 😊

Thank you so much!! That is very kind of you to say ❤️❤️ I am very happy you are learning a thing or two from our videos 😃 I will make a note to take more detailed footage of different Bulgarian houses/ architecture!

I couldn’t agree more.. I am very happy to say that within the last 5 years the younger generations have been renovating their roofs!! When I was little it seemed like a hopeless situation but many of my friends and their parents have done their roofs. We have a saying here that as long as the roof is strong the house will live. That’s why you see so many houses that have new roofs and everything else is back from the Middle Ages lol. Sadly the economy in Bulgaria is just awful. We are officially the worst off in Europe economically speaking and people just can’t afford renovating these houses fully at the moment. Construction here is also exponentially more expensive than in the cities- believe it or not! 😳 I learned this the hard way lol. I think it is because everything needs to be transported from far away and gas is just ridiculous here. The good news is people really do hold strong to their roots and I have growing hope that our little village will live on 🌾

Hi Eduard!! I was in the same boat until I moved here permanently. Our parents would send my sister and I to Bulgaria every summer and we would love to go на Село. I also get upset when I see beautiful old villages like this fall apart but to be honest I am more scared of urbanization/ big crowds moving here (as you said). The village would be destroyed just the same if thousands of people moved here… so I guess it’s a double edged sword. The good news is many of the young descendants have been recently fixing up their houses so there is hope! Thank you so much for watching my video- I am very happy you enjoyed! 😊😊

Hi Inge! Thank you so much for watching my newest video and for your beautiful comment (as always!) 😊. Yes, people here were very well off at one point with the silkworm and sesame cultivation. I am working on a video now just showing the school so you can see how large it really is up close and get an idea of how many children used to walk it’s corridors. We have a neighboring village 10 minutes away by car which looks like ours but was even larger and had many Albanians living there. It’s amazing how lively this area used to be. I am so happy to hear you’d like to see videos on mushroom 🍄 and herb foraging because these are some of my favorite things to do here- I look at it as pure magic!! … and your idea to learn a few Bulgarian words in each video is brilliant! I will be sure to keep throwing in a few Bulgarian words and spend a bit of time explaining what they mean/ how to pronounce them. Thank you for the excellent idea!

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 We are moving to BG in the beginning of July. So that's why I am definitely interested in learning more about foraging wild mushrooms, herbs etc and of course the language. Maybe we will meet sometime ;-)

Oh wow!! You move is coming up so soon!!!! I’m very excited for you 😊😊 I will definitely post mushrooms, different herbs, fruits.. everything! Bulgaria has so much to offer. I will also post the endless holidays we have 😃 You will see when you move here that every day there is some Holiday and each town in Bulgaria celebrates their own holidays. For example, coming up in June is the Rose Festival in Kazanlak - it is BEAUTIFUL. 🌹 I just posted a new video yesterday with a bit about the Rose Festival at the end and some Bulgarian words. I was thinking of you when I added the Bulgarian words 😁 - that was such a great idea you gave me! If you ever need any help/ advice with your move please reach out! And yes! I do hope one day we can meet in person! 🇧🇬❤️

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 ❤

❤️🥰

Great question. As far as I know it came to this state over time as people began leaving the small villages in search of “better lives” in the cities. Unfortunately Bulgaria is officially the poorest country in Europe economically speaking..due to corruption, low salaries and people’s labor not being valued on the same level as in other European countries. People who could once make a living farming silkworms and sesame could no longer feed their families and were forced to uproot and abandon their homes for city jobs… not that they are much better off there 😞

Means : Bless you 😊

@@777epp thanks. I kind of figured. I sent you a post on another video about a Bulgarian lady that lives in NC but wants to live in BG. She left when she was 6 years old and doesn't have a connection with the country anymore. Can you help?

Hey Mark! Thank you for the welcome back 😊 I am trying my best to post a new video every week but I’m still pretty new at this and find it very challenging! I hope it gets easier with time 😃. I am also really missing my mom and sister back home in NYC and have been helping them plan a trip here over the summer- their work schedules are crazy so it’s real difficult to figure out the logistics but I am so excited we are actually planning this. Hah! “Pin Stripe Suit”- I love how you phrased that. Yes, the houses here are stone with stone roofs which is what makes them so unique. The upper floors are sometimes made of mud brick 🧱 but the stones from the river are the foundation. They would look beautiful in photos! Are you a professional photographer? I know .. it’s so sad. I started asking around and found out that a wealthy businessman from Sofia actual recently purchased all the very dilapidated houses that were for sale. It honestly seems like a double edge sword in a way. On the one hand it would be amazing if he renovates them in their original style and helps preserve the village. We just hope he doesn’t plan to try and urbanize the village by building modernized structures. They elderly residents up there really love their peaceful way of life and seem to be very worried, and frankly scared, of urbanization. I guess we will see with time. Yes! 777epp said it! It is the equivalent of an American “Bless You”. The exact translation is “To Health”- we use it to say bless you and cheers 😁 🍻

Yes! Exactly 😃🍻

Please tell her I would be more than happy to help in any way I can! I recently found out that Bulgaria has the fastest declining population in the WORLD… which completely broke my heart. The fact that she wants to return to her homeland is extremely admirable and gives me so much hope!! I am here to help any way I can!

I’m so happy to hear you like our little village! Your comparison to Italian villas is a true compliment 😊 Yea, Romans have definitely left their mark. We actually have an amazingly preserved Roman villa with mosaics 15 minutes from our farm. Thracians have also lived on these lands and left their mark 😃

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 Very interesting. I own property in Italy, but am not doing anything with it. Instead may sell it, and am considering purchasing something in Bulgaria perhaps as soon as next year, but won't retire there for another 2 years after that. Looking forward to watching more of your vlogs. I love the traditional Bulgarian style! And, of course you girls are absolutely lovely!

Hi Milo! As strange as it may sounds there aren’t actually any houses for sale, at least none that I know of. The mother of a friend of mine who I grew up with over the summers in the village wanted to buy a house but couldn’t find one and ended buying in a neighboring village about 45 minutes away. At one point there were some very ruined ones for sale in the upper village but a wealthy businessman from Sofia bought them in bulk- I actually just found this out yesterday because I asked around after reading your comment. I know it sounds strange considering how many crumbling houses there are but they all have owners who at least hope to return and repair them one day. The economic situation in Bulgaria is extremely poor which is why people don’t have the money to fix them now but it looks like the people are attached to their roots and have hopes to maintain them 😊 If I hear of something that does come up though, I will definitely let you know!

Hi Michael! Thanks so much for watching. Oh how excitingggg - I am more than happy to help in any way I can! I will admit that I don’t know everything about the buying process in Bulgaria (I inherited my house and haven’t bought anything just yet) but I will definitely do my best to help in any way I can 😊

You worded it beautifully… even poetically. It is amazing to see how much life once was and very sad to see how little is left. The good news is people do have hopes to return and are actively working on it. I have started asking around to see if any houses are for sale and what I am hearing is that they have owners who wish to renovate them and preserve their roots. Many plan to use them as villas/ getaways. The problem really comes down to the extremely poor economic situation in Bulgaria. People work back breaking jobs for pennies.. the same jobs that pay excellently in Western Europe simply don’t pay anything here. It’s pure dirty corruption. A few years ago there were a few houses for sale which were bought by a wealthy businessman from Sofia. The rest of the owners are choosing to keep them in hopes they will earn enough money to renovate them one day soon.

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 Lol, i was hoping you could read into my words ( I write some short stories as well as poetry ) .Well i hope for better times then , for the village as well as those who dream of a better day

Oh wow! Well it certainly shows 😃 Like I said, absolutely beautifully written! We are keeping our fingers crossed for better times together. 🙂

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 Thank you .........not to drag this out but this i wrote in 2017 seems fitting ? I;m sure those walls hold many memories for many ..........OLD SOULS ...... Echos fall onto walls gone cold These old bones stories untold Memories hidden fallen faded Precious moments ever jaded In another world words spoken There in love forever life's token But my blind eyes search to be As in silence i you wait eternally When once more i feel the breeze And knowing you fall on bent knees And as softly again in your kiss I fall Old souls once more fill these walls © RavenHeart

Wow… I got just got goosebumps reading this… literally. It is ABSOLUTELY beautiful and so fitting for this village. I imagined being in one of the old houses as I read this and you managed to capture the energy/ feeling radiating from it. Simply amazing. You are extremely talented Eric!

Haha imagine that! It could be but realistically I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Honestly, the lifestyle here is dramatically different and the few friends I have brought love it for a day or two but say they can’t see themselves living here. I am Bulgarian and grew up in this village (with my family being from here) so I am used to it which is why it’s so special to me. All my best memories are from here. Oh nice!! That’s so exciting! Good for you for going back to your roots!! Not many people can say they have done that. Best of luck and maybe send an update here and there how your doing! 😃😊

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 I totally understand and even if they wanted to live there the big problem is the government. Very backwards and the bureaucracy is a nightmare but the land and people are special. My dream since childhood was to live out my retirement years there but…in any event, I will keep in touch. I will be in Pirin and only one guess where. It’s the best place but don’t say it here, please. So nice to meet you! My nephew lived in NYC and now in NJ. He visited Bulgaria as a young teen with my mother. I guess he got very drunk on some homemade rakia! I guess it was very funny for everyone but him!

Hi Naomi! Thank you so much for visiting my little channel and I am so happy you enjoyed! 😊😊 To be honest I just inherited my house from my family and don’t know much about how buying in Bulgaria works. I have been asking around because I have been getting a few comments of people interested in buying in Bulgaria and was told that in order to buy property you need to either be a citizen or have a business here. Please don’t quote me on this because I really don’t know the details but that is what I keep hearing. I will definitely keep looking into it and will let you know if I get any new info! 😊❤️

Hi Chokyi! I would absolutely love to meet up. I am away for a bit visiting my mom and sister but will definitely be sure to reach out when I return! Will you be remaining permanently once you come? I believe I remember your husband mentioning that you would be moving soon 😊

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 we are not here permanently until September. We are just here getting stuff ready and things for our VISA 's. I will give you a shout when come out again.

Oh I see! Yes definitely reach out 😊 I would love to meet!

@SistersOf Bulgaria We will be working on the house in Drabishna most of the week feel free to pop around can't miss it there will be a hire car outside😊

I definitely will once I return! Thank you for the invite! I’m very excited to meet 😊

Ooooo where in Bulgaria!? 😃

​@@sistersofbulgaria9396We stay in a little village in the Lovech region called Aglen... 🤗❤️

😊

Thank you! 😊 🐦

Very fun ! 😝😊

Hi David! We are also in desperate search for builders. It has been proving a bit difficult to find reliable builders in the area who are able to renovate these houses in their old styles. So far we have done a lot of the work on our house ourselves but I believe my boyfriend may have a few builders he knows in the area. I will ask him and definitely let you know!

Isn’t it amazing… 😮

Hi there 😊 I have been asked by the locals not to share the name of the village. They seem to be afraid that my bringing attention to the village may threaten the rural nature of the region 😕 I will be honest, at first I was a bit confused but after thinking about it I can see where their fears are coming from. The majority of the people here are elderly and live on extremely low pensions. They fear that if people start visiting the price of living will go up and they would no longer be able to sustain themselves. I’m so sorry I couldn’t answer your question exactly.. I just love and respect the people here too much to break my promise.. If the ever give me the ok to share I will message you here! 😊

@@sistersofbulgaria9396, many thanks for replying. I understand, my partner is Bulgarian and her mother is living from a low pension. The risk ahead is that Bulgaria enters the euro-zone. It will affect the cost of living.

Hi there 😊 I have been asked by the locals not to share the name of the village. They seem to be afraid that my bringing attention to the village may threaten the rural nature of the region 😕 I will be honest, at first I was a bit confused but after thinking about it I can see where their fears are coming from. The majority of the people here are elderly and live on extremely low pensions. They fear that if people start visiting the price of living will go up and they would no longer be able to sustain themselves. I’m so sorry I couldn’t answer your question exactly.. I just love and respect the people here too much to break my promise..

I asked the same question before reading this response from you. Good for you! As an older guy also on a pension, I totally understand their position and admire your respect for their request! Good on ya!👍❤️

Thank you for understanding! 😊 I have been getting this question pretty often and decided to write out an honest response that I always send to everyone. I really am sorry that I can’t share the details with you and I genuinely appreciate your understanding. Everyone here just means too much to me and when they explained that I could be doing them harm in sharing I realized that I owe it to them to protect them as much as possible. If only people here received salaries and pensions they deserve.. Bulgaria is a beautiful country but it’s people are suffering 🙁

Hi Ronnie 😊 I have been asked by the locals not to share the name of the village. They seem to be afraid that my bringing attention to the village may threaten the rural nature of the region 😕 I will be honest, at first I was a bit confused but after thinking about it I can see where their fears are coming from. The majority of the people here are elderly and live on extremely low pensions. They fear that if people start visiting the price of living will go up and they would no longer be able to sustain themselves. I’m so sorry I couldn’t answer your question exactly.. I just love and respect the people here too much to break my promise.. If they give me an ok in the future I will definitely be sure to message you!

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 Hi thanks for your reply we understand Can you tell us what it is like to live in Bulgaria We had thought about it in the past but many people put us off with the belief of its a 3rd world country No work,no money,freezing cold in the winter,communism and close to Russia and the war How do you find it and are you worried about its position concerning the war thanks

Of course! I’m happy to help in any way I can. Choosing where you live is a huge decision and I completely understand all the concerns you have… the truth is Bulgaria is stuck in the past in a lot of ways. The biggest problem here is the economic situation. I hate to say it but you heard right that people work very hard for very little pay. The same job that makes you 80k a year in America only makes you around 2,000 leva a month here (2,000 leva is currently $1,100 USD)… so about $13k USD a year for the same back breaking job. Frankly, it’s incredible how unfair and low the salaries are here.

Bulgaria is definitely not a 3rd world country but the economic situation/ salaries are horrendous- we are the poorest country in Europe at the moment 😞 The strange part is Bulgaria is very developed in other areas.. we have excellent cultural centers such as opera houses, theaters, museums etc and our eduction is excellent…. But I repeat again, the truth is economically speaking we are in a very bad place. Many people cannot afford to take advantage of what Bulgaria has to offer because they simply don’t have the money to do so.

Winters are not a problem, at least not where I live. Climate-wise, we are very blessed. That’s said, I come from NYC where winters are very cold, dark, rainy and depressing so I might be biased here 😅 I think it really depends on where you come from and what type of weather you are used to. Regarding the war- yes, it is definitely a very big concern for us. I would be lying to you if I told you otherwise. Being so close to Russia we are always at risk/ affected heavily by what is going on there. Bulgaria was a socialist country until relatively recently and you do still feel the effects of it in many way. Even when you look at a lot of our architecture in Sofia you see what is left of the socialist regime. Those horrible socialist buildings are one of the things I don’t like here 😕 The other thing is I am speaking as a Bulgarian. I speak the language, read, write and grew up here over the summers so I am very used to the culture. Additionally, my whole family is here… I always missed my family terribly living in NYC. I am not sure how people who moved from other countries find it. I wish I could tell you everything is rainbow and sunshine’s but the last thing I want to do is mislead you and affect your decision without being completely honest. It’s very easy to simply say our country is the best and life is very easy but I wouldn’t feel morally ok doing so. I guess what I can tell you is life is not easy here but being near my family and culture makes it all worth it for me. I hope this helps! If you have any more questions please ask!! I mean it- I want to help in any way I can 😊

I know… 😞 I read the other day that we are the fastest declining country in terms of population…in the WORLD! And that every Bulgarian needs to have 3 children just to keep the population steady… but how can we do this when the cost of living is so high and people’s salaries so low!? 😠😞 No Bulgarian will ever bring 3 children into this world knowing they won’t be able to afford to give them the best life possible. Our beautiful mighty country that used to have land on 3 seas! Now is being torn apart .. this is why I am happy I returned. I feel I have a duty as a Bulgarian.

Hi there 😊 I have been asked by the locals not to share the name of the village. They seem to be afraid that my bringing attention to the village may threaten the rural nature of the region 😕 I will be honest, at first I was a bit confused but after thinking about it I can see where their fears are coming from. The majority of the people here are elderly and live on extremely low pensions. They fear that if people start visiting the price of living will go up and they would no longer be able to sustain themselves. I’m so sorry I couldn’t answer your question exactly.. I just love and respect the people here too much to break my promise..

Hello 😊 No, there isn’t anything for sale. It’s our tradition to pass down the houses to the family newlyweds. Sadly, many have been abandoned but still have owners in cities who don’t want to sell. Good news is more and more descendants have been returning to renovate their houses.

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 Tk u for your quick reply. I have been surveying Bulgaria to buy a farm for a personal project. I am french.

You mean how much does a house cost?

@@sistersofbulgaria9396 be interested in buying and renovating a tradițional house.I also include abandonez house for sale in You vidéos when You have thé opportunité.Many people would be interested.Tks

I’m not sure exactly what you are talking about and find this comment ridiculous 😂 I take excellent care of my cats. I took her on a walk in a special backpack that I paid $100 so she can be comfortable. From there I took her out on a leash. Best part is she runs into her backpack and sleeps there, hoping I will take her out again soon. I have plenty more I can share but do not feel I owe you an explanation, frankly. Rather, I would like to know- do you take your cats on nature walks regularly?

Да 🙂

Thank you!! It fills me with so much happiness knowing you like our little village 😊❤️

@sistersofbulgaria9396 it's brilliant.. love it! You are living the dream ✨️❤️