Are We Europeans?

Author: Nelina Georgieva

Translated from Bulgarian by: Milena Bullock

Edited by: Simon Bullock

‘We are in Europe, but we’ve got a long way to get there…’. Words, written by Aleko Konstantinov, a Bulgarian author who wrote about Bulgarian lifestyle. He provoked us to ask ourselves, ‘What else do we need to become equal?’

Bulgaria officially became part of the European Union in 2007. This is when we started regarding ourselves as European citizens and we began receiving benefits from this contract. The world opened ahead of us. But are we ready for this and the horizons and opportunities it will bring to us? We see the differences among us and we build a new scale for comparison – there and here.

Differences between cultures/countries date back from the earliest history, when traditions and customs were shaped to develop through the ages to come. Our country is a bit backward, in some aspects. Our history is long and full of violence and slavery. This is when we fell behind the other European countries. While they were building, we were fighting to survive. But we had some great minds such as Hristo Botev, Ivan Vazov, Aleko Konstantinov, Pencho Slaveykov and Dimcho Debelyanov. It is thanks to them that we managed to catch up with the rest of Europe in literature, culture and, to some extent, the social aspect.

With regards the social aspect, we are still behind. I visited an amazing country recently – England. What I noticed there was the lack of discrimination against people. You can go out in shorts and a vest in the middle of December and nobody will look at you in a judgemental way. I felt light and easy while walking in the streets there, not the usual suffocation as it is here. I felt carefree. People there grew up in this environment. But I missed the togetherness. You can be neighbours for 20 years there and still exchange just a ‘Hello’ when you meet, while here, a week after you have moved in, you sit at the same table and eat and drink with or without occasion. Yes, we are judgemental, but we have preserved this closeness over the years. This is what makes me come back. Closeness that sparkles quickly and keeps burning long and strong. We are far from perfect, nobody is, but we can improve.

In his book ‘The Little Prince’, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry pictures the fox as the symbol of friendship. The Little Prince tries to tame it, but you cannot change nature. The fox shows him the way she has to go to her development, which needs time. In this sense, we can improve but we need to do it gradually, in a natural way, together.

Aleko Konstantinov wrote ‘Bay Ganyo’ to show the lout mentality of Bulgarians at those times, proving that, besides brilliant minds, our nation consisted of not-so-bright people. Such is the case nowadays and, unfortunately, the second type is the majority.

Therefore, we cannot fully call ourselves Europeans yet, but we are working on it during these progressive times when things develop so fast. I believe we can improve and reach new peaks. Every day, each of us makes a new step in the right direction so we can reach the finish line together, as a nation.