Going back?

Recently there was some discussion on a Facebook group about why expat Brits would want to leave Bulgaria and go back to the UK. In my experience, very few expats sell up and leave Bulgaria, although some do for family reasons or bereavement. Here is my contribution to the discussion.

If your life in the UK had been so wonderful, then of course you would never have wanted to leave in the first place and you certainly would never have wanted to go and live in Bulgaria. Yes, it is true that learning the Bulgarian language is not exactly easy, if you really want to be fluent in it, but in reality Bulgarian is not much harder than French or German, once you have got over the novelty of the Cyrillic alphabet. In any case, why would you want to do something stupid like returning to the UK? Because you miss the fun of driving on the M25, aka the biggest carpark in Europe? Because the National Health Service is such a model of prompt and efficient patient care? Because all of the affordable apartments and the modestly-priced houses in the UK are such good value and they have such large gardens and lovely views? Because you miss the joy and the happiness of paying your Council Tax each month? Or maybe you want to go back to Old Blighty because you have complete trust and faith in Rishi Sunak's government? 

On the other hand, I can understand and respect the fact that some people feel that they have to return to the UK in order to look after an elderly and ailing family member. Those who feel that they have to go back to the UK in order to look after their families are decent and honourable people. I suppose that it must also be difficult to stay in Bulgaria if your husband or your wife has died and your children (and grandchildren) are back in the UK. Yes, for those reasons it would be sensible to leave Bulgaria and go back to the UK, but not otherwise.

As usual, I am including some photos of the VT Walkers' latest expedition into the wilds of the Bulgarian countryside. Emma organised the making of Martinitsa, those quintessentially Bulgarian red-and-white thingies that tell everyone that Spring is on the way and maybe Summer is not too far behind it. Unfortunately, my dear sweet wife decided that I should be the reluctant male model for the Martinitsa that she had made. How embarrassing! Oh the things I do to keep my wife happy!