Imagine...

living in Bulgaria for a school year, experiencing a totally new culture, learning a new language, making new friends, and gaining valuable international experience for your future.

You can have this adventure while living with a family that cares for you just like their own son or daughter with the support of YFU that has been arranging exchange adventures for students like you for almost 60 years.

… but why Bulgaria?

Bulgaria is a small and relatively unknown country in Eastern Europe with a long and interesting history, a beautiful and diverse landscape and, last but not least, friendly, hospitable people who will be glad to open their homes and hearts for you and teach you something about their culture. The cuisine should also be mentioned: Bulgarians love to cook and usually have warm meals with several courses twice a day.

The region of Bulgaria is one of the first human settlements in Europe and there is still a remarkable contrast between traditions and modern innovations. Imagine a farmer using a donkey cart to transport his produce, while a businessman drives his brand-new Mercedes only a few miles away.

When you come to Bulgarian, you will not only see many other fascinating details, contrasts and differences, you will also learn why people live this way and what it feels like to be a part of their lives. The smell of cooking чушки (peppers) that fills the house in October, the singing of an Orthodox choir in Easter, the feeling of warm sand beneath your feet by the Black Sea – these are not facts you can learn from a textbook or Google.

This year, we asked our volunteers and former exchange students to give us some of their very own reasons why exchange students should come to Bulgaria. Here is what they came up with:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The poster reads:

• nature
• unique culture
• "има време"
• the most beautiful girls
• cool people
• cool letters
• the Black Sea
• old-fashioned markets
• different language
• rich culture
• beautiful landscape
• happy people
• warm summer
• чушки & сирене
• the Mountains!
• traditional Bulgarian dances, songs...
• to learn “da” and “ne”
• Everything's right around the corner! All shops are open on Sundays!
• generally awesome landscape
• learn a Slavic language
• rakia
• food
• banitsa
• лютеница
• polite people
• interesting region
• intercultural (many influences over the course of history)
• language
• hot summers
• hospitality

If you're looking for numbers, however, we have compiled some data for you:

• Full Name: Republic of Bulgaria
• Region: Eastern Europe
• Borders: Romania, Greece, Serbia, Turkey and Macedonia
• Population: 7.582 million people (2007 est.)
• Territory: 110.994 sq km (42.855 sq miles)
• Capital: Sofia
• Largest cities: Sofia (1.402.597), Plovdiv (338.200), Varna (333.705)
• Coast Line: over 300 km (Black Sea)
• Lowest point: Black sea - 0 m
• Highest point: Musala - 2.925 m
• Climate: cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers
• Ethnicities: Bulgarian, Turkish, Roma, Armenians, Jews and others
• Religion: Eastern Orthodox
• Language: Bulgarian (a Slavic language)
• Alphabet: Cyrillic

We've also compiled some more resources for you:

• Some more information on Bulgaria by the Bulgarian Embassy
• A tourism website
• A website on Bulgarian cuisine
• A video with facts on Bulgaria
• A rather humorous video on the differences between Bulgaria and the rest of Europe
• An example of a chalga song, increasingly popular among teenagers in Bulgaria
• A video of a choir singing a traditional Bulgarian song

Sounds great, now how do I come to Bulgaria?

If you haven't already done so, click here to find your national YFU organization and fill out your national YFU organization's application, making sure to Bulgaria as your host country.

You can see more information about Bulgaria on this website.