I did not want to believe that the people were mean, but without knowing much Bulgarian to communicate, I did not know what to think.
As I spent more time in Bulgaria and started learning more of the language, I realized that Bulgarians are very nice. They are willing to help you and love showing you to their favorite locations. However, when you are walking around town, you will rarely see a Bulgarian smile in public. I interpreted people not smiling as a sign of being angry, but it was simply a neutral expression. People in the United States tend to smile a lot, even at strangers! But this is not common in Bulgaria and it made for a very different experience for me.
Although people rarely smile, I realized they are really nice and friendly. I just needed to widen my perspective. For example, when I got lost in the metro because of the tricky signs, an older man stopped and helped me figure out where to go. He did not have to stop to help me, but he did. He never smiled at me, but he went out of his way to ensure I made it to my destination. It was extremely kind of him.
Instead of judging the culture for being different than my previous experiences, I needed to try and understand the ways people interacted.
Another difference I noticed in my time in Bulgaria is that people on the street will not ask how you are doing. In America, it is common to pass someone on the street and say, “Hello, how are you?” This brief exchange is seen as polite, but it rarely leads to a conversation.
In Bulgaria, people rarely ask questions about how you are doing. It might seem strange, but it is because they want to have meaningful conversations, rather than brief exchanges on the street.
