Clichés

As a Romanian who grew up in the Danube Plain, I happen to know that Romanians and Bulgarians share more than a border. They even share some blood. And that’s mostly due to the millions of mosquitoes which indiscriminately suck the population on both sides of the river, in one of the most politically correct operations in history. 

Despite this intimate bonding, there are still clichés about Bulgaria that you inevitably get acquainted with when you live in the south of Romania. There are many of them, like the one about the cucumbers, the roses etc. 

But by far the most iconic cliché about our neighbours is the fact that if you drive to Bulgaria with your own car and you park it somewhere (anywhere) overnight you might find it the next morning seated on four beautiful jars of yogurt. 

While you might take the whole thing for a contemporary art installation, you will also have to acknowledge the reality of the fact that your car’s wheels are gone forever. And next thing you know, you will get the chance to make use of the extensive Bulgarian vocabulary you acquired while watching cartoons as a kid: POMOJD! (Help!)

But of course this is a cliché which can’t be true. I was happy to notice the other day that public safety and order are top notch in Bulgaria. Why? Well, I went to an exchange office to get some Lev. Not only did everything go smoothly and with no dangerous incidents but I also realized the high security level of the establishment. Right by the entrance I was greeted by this bodyguard: