The culture of Bulgaria

The country is located at the crossroad between Europe and Asia.

Bulgaria has a rich and century-old cultural history. With the adoption of Christianity in the 9th century, Bulgarian culture became an integral part of the European culture.  Hundreds of cultural sites are dotted throughout Bulgaria. Some of the most important archaeological sites in Europe are located within Bulgaria’s borders with new discoveries still being made.

Some of the local traditions are:

                                                                                   "The Mummer games"

“The Mummer games” are special customs and rituals conducted most often on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day. They are only performed by men, who wear special masks and costumes that have been made for the occasion by each of the participants. The mummers’ ritual dances are said to chase away bad spirits and demons at the beginning of every year, so as to greet the new year cleansed and charged with positive energy.

Lada The goddess of love and family life

 “Laduvane” is another interesting ritual that is performed on the New Year’s Eve, George’s Day, Midsummer’s Eve and St. Lazard’s Day. At this ritual young women predict their future in marriage and the men they will marry. They address Lada, the goddess of love and family life, to ask her about their future husbands.

Especially well-respected in Bulgaria are traditions related to the circle of life – birth, christening, wedding, and funeral. Saints’ name days are also highly respected in the country, the most famous ones being St. John’s day, St. George’s Day, and St. Dim tar’s Day.

While traveling around the country, we became acquainted with various rituals and customs, many of which are typical only for specific regions in Bulgaria.

                                                                             Rose picking

The Rose is the symbol of Bulgaria. Rose picking, one of the oldest and traditional customs of Bulgarians, has become primarily a tourist attraction.

When we travelled through Bulgaria, we participated in the Rose picking festival. This is a tradition that returns every year. The tour lasted 4 days and 3 nights. We were with 4 people and it cost 475 euros per person.

It was very interesting to take part of this tradition.

Sources:

http://www.ludinel.com/laduvane%20en.html

http://bulgariatravel.org/en/topical/36

http://www.eniobonchev.com/en/history/

http://www.magictours-bg.com/item/97-rose-festival-bulgaria-tour-2014

Business etiquette in Thailand

When we travelled through Thailand we discovered how their traditions and customs differ from the Western world. And also how important it is to respect the Thai culture when doing business here.

 Friendliness and hospitality are characteristic in Thailand. Therefore it was important to us to know some of the basic etiquette in this country. In this Asian culture “the concept of face” plays a large role. Showing negative emotions, like anger, in public is considered to be very negative here. This kind of behaviour is not all productive when you want to do business with the people here.

 The Thai culture is also strongly hierarchical. It is important to respect someone with a higher social status. Also the elderly are considered to be important and have to be approached with respect. When you talk about the royal family you can not share any negative opinions about the country and king. Also any image of Buddha should be treated with the highest respect.

 Depending on someone’s social status you have to greet them differently. In greeting someone there are also different rules that are important to know when you visit the country. It’s not common to touch someone’s hand when greeting them. The typical Thai greeting, the Wai, involves pressing your palms together while slightly bowing your head. The person with the lowest status has to offer the Wai.

 There are also some important customs concerning your feet, which are good to know. Someone’s feet are considered the lowest and least clean part of the body. That’s why it is important never to show the bottom of your feet to anyone. You should also never point with your feet or raise them higher then the level of someone’s head.

 What I found to be a very nice tradition was the playing of the national anthem every day at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. According to the etiquette it is important to pay respect and stop what you are doing when the anthem plays.

 Important to mention are 4 basic principles of doing business in Thailand:

1. Presence: don’t do a videoconference, or walk in and out on meetings. To build up the necessary relationships it is considered important to be present when doing business.
2. Presentation: Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles”. The smile indicates a good deal of relaxation and a friendly attitude. So always smile back when you’re smiled at.
3. Patience: business relationships are known to develop slowly in Thailand. To obtain a successful partnership it may take several meetings during months or even years. Make sure to respect this and be patient.
4. Perspective: Western business people are known to be direct and immediately get to the point. Asians consider this as impatient, insincere or casual. So you have to be aware of these differences.

Sources:

http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/guides/thailand/etiquette-in-thailand/
http://bangkok.angloinfo.com/information/moving/country-file/customs-etiquette/
http://davidcliveprice.com/the-4-principles-of-doing-business-in-thailand/

Cambodian history

When we travelled through Cambodia whe visited the killing fields and the Tuol Sleng Museum, the former S-21- prison in Phnom Penh, the country's capital. Visiting these places of horror we were all terribly shocked. It was terrifying to see what people can do to each other. I found it hard to believe that 30 years after the second World War this type of genocide just happened again, maybe even worse. We did learn a lot about Cambodian history though. For those who don't know about the Khmer Rouge I'll write a short overview.

During the 1960's prince Sihanouk was Prime Minister and head of state in Cambodia. The prince led a socialist movement and saw Thailand and South Vietnam as Cambodia's biggest enemies, both of which were USA allies. At the same time he feared the North Vietnam communists winning the war, therefore he proclaimed a policy of neutrality in international politics.

During a visit of the prince to the Soviet Union, the National Assembly voted to remove Sihanouk as head of state. Lon Nol, former Prime Minister, took control of the government. Sihanouk travelled to Beijing and accepted Chinese advice to form a government-in-exile. This government was allied with China and North Vietnam and used the forces of the CPK, the Communist Party of Kampuchea, otherwise known as the Khmer Rouge. These troops were led by Solath Sar, later known as Pol Pot.

Pol Pot

In May 1970 an American and South Vietnamese task force invaded eastern Cambodia because Viet Cong troops used Cambodian bases to fight the South and hid in the Cambodian jungle. The Khmer Rouge and the North Vietnamese fought South Vietnam, American troops and Lon Nol's forces. This war lasted for over two years. In 1973 the North Vietnamese support diminished following a cease-fire agreement reached in Paris with the Americans.
The Civil War however continued and by the end of '73 Lon Nol merely controlled Phnom Penh, the northwest, and a handful of provincial towns. In the meantime Prince Sihanouk's importance declined: it was all about Pol Pot and the CPK now...

In April 1975 the Lon Nol government collapsed as the Communist forces captured Phnom Penh. They immediately ordered its inhabitants to abandon the city and take up life in rural areas. All the country's cities were emptied within a week. Thousands died on the forced marches into the countryside.
Pol Pot wanted to transform Cambodia into a rural, classless society in which there were no rich people, no poor people and no exploitation. Money was abolished, shops and markets were closed, there was to be no private property at all. Everyone, including the leaders of the CPK, had to wear the same black costume.

In April 1976 Sihanouk resigned as head of state, the until then unknown Pol Pot became Prime Minister. Over the next few years unpayed labour force was obliged for all Cambodians. The human costs of the new system were enormous: at least 1.5 million Cambodians died from overwork, starvation, disease, or execution. The Killing Fields we visited were sites throughout Cambodia where large numbers of citizens were executed. Everyone they didn't regard as pure, was killed: intellectuals, civil servants of the Khmer Republic regime, city residents,... The S-21 prison in the capital, actually an interrogation centre, also hosted an astonishing 15,000 executions.

In 1977 Vietnam decided to stop the Khmer Rouge, and in the following war thousands of soldiers died in battle. The Vietnamese captured Phnom Penh and the CPK leaders had to flee and hide in the jungle, Vietnam then installed a puppet regime, called the People’s Republic of Kampuchea.
The Khmer Rouge existed until 1999 when all of its leaders had been arrested or had died. But their legacy remains: today the country suffers from extreme poorness that originiated during the Khmer Rouge period.

Sources:
http://www.cambodiatribunal.org
http://www.britannica.com
Brother Number One - A Political Biography of Pol Pot (David P. Chandler)

Image of Pol Pot: http://the10mostknown.com/newdesign/10-most-historys-deadliest-dictators/
Image of CPK leaders in communist outfits: http://www.niod.nl/nl/de-holocaust-en-andere-genociden/de-genocide-cambodja-1975-1979

tourism in China

China has a large number of wonderful tour destinations including delicate water towns, imposing imperial palaces, splendid national cultural heritage and colourful folk custom. It will take years to visit all of these attractions, but it is fairly easily to tour the top attractions. China is the third most visited country in the world.

Tourism is known as the "Smokeless Industry" or the "Invisible Trade." It is an emerging economic sector which features less investment and big profits. The industry is not only related to beautiful attractions, but also to a large number of services, including transportation, dining, shopping and entertainment.

When we travelled through China, we made several stops to visit some beautiful monuments, buildings and places:

·         Nanjing: 

Located in the eastern part of China, Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, features glorious history, unique culture and amazing night scenery. Known as one of China’s Four Great Ancient Capitals and the city boasts countless historical relics.

•  Shenzhen:

                                       

·        Located in the southern part of China, Shenzhen, one of the most developed cities in China as well as one of the fastest growing cities in the world, is attracting more and more domestic and foreign elites.

•      Great Wall

·        The Chinese Great Wall is the great construction in the history of human civilization. It was praised as the Eighth Wonder of the World many years ago. The construction of the Great Wall began during the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring Period. After unification of China by the first emperor in China (Qinshihuang), Qinshihuang ordered his people to build a new wall on the base of the original one in large scale. Subsequent dynasties continued to strengthen and extend the wall. 

•     Jiuzhaigou National Park

·        Jiuzhaigou Sichuan Province, approximate 400 kilometers away from Chengdu. With the area of 60 thousand square kilometers, the present name, Jiuzhaigou is derived from the nine villages where Tibetan once inhabited in the ravine. Rising about 2000 meters above the sea level, Jiuzhaigou is covered by the dense virgin forest among which 108 lakes distribute. 

It is highly recommended to go on vacation to China and go visit these places. What did you think?

sources

www.china.org.cn

http://www.chinatour.com/china-attractions/great-wall.htm#sthash.16hQKXDa.dpuf

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/

www.touropia.com

Turkey

We have traveled through Turkey. We have seen very beautiful things there.

As Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Pamukkale Thermal Pools, Goreme National Park (Goreme Milli Parklar), Ruins of Ephesus, ...  It is definitely recommended to visit these sites.

I'm going to discuss the financial and economic situation of Turkey:

The economy of Turkey is defined as an emerging market economy by the IMF and the country is one of the developed countries according to CIA, making Turkey also one of the world's newly industrialized countries.

Turkey's largely free-market economy is increasingly driven by its industry and service sectors, although its traditional agriculture sector still accounts for about 25% of employment. An aggressive privatization program has reduced state involvement in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication, and an emerging cadre of middle-class entrepreneurs is adding dynamism to the economy and expanding production beyond the traditional textiles and clothing sectors. The automotive, construction, and electronics industries, are rising in importance and have surpassed textiles within Turkey's export mix.

After Turkey experienced a severe financial crisis in 2001, Ankara adopted financial and fiscal reforms as part of an IMF program. The reforms strengthened the country's economic fundamentals and ushered in an era of strong growth - averaging more than 6% annually until 2008. Global economic conditions and tighter fiscal policy caused GDP to contract in 2009, but Turkey's well-regulated financial markets and banking system helped the country weather the global financial crisis and GDP rebounded strongly to 9.2% in 2010, as exports returned to normal levels following the recession. Growth dropped to approximately 3% in 2012. Turkey's public sector debt to GDP ratio has fallen to about 40%, and at least one rating agency upgraded Turkey's debt to investment grade in 2012. Turkey remains dependent on often volatile, short-term investment to finance its large trade deficit. The stock value of FDI stood at $117 billion at year-end 2012. Inflows have slowed because of continuing economic turmoil in Europe, the source of much of Turkey's FDI. Turkey's relatively high current account deficit, uncertainty related to monetary policy-making, and political turmoil within Turkey's neighborhood leave the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence.

sources:

                                                

http://opentravel.com/Things-To-Do-In-Turkey-Attractions

http://www.indexmundi.com/turkey/economy_profile.html